Something strange happened when I was 14 years old. Every previous year on Thanksgiving Day I’d woken up early, filled with excitement. But that Thanksgiving, for some reason I saw no reason to celebrate. None of my family were really thankful, I realized. The whole thing was a lie!
During the dinner time, I left, hiding in the guest room and cried. My mom came to see what was wrong. “No one is really thankful!” I sobbed, “They just pretend for one day because that’s what they’re supposed to do!”
After I finished talking, she nodded. “You’re right,” she told me. “It’s fake until you find the truth for yourself.” She said it was my choice whether to celebrate with them or not. She said Thanksgiving is a time to reflect because we don’t always get to see loved ones and eat a good meal. Then she left.
I didn’t listen to her, thinking that every holiday was a lie and I could never find joy celebrating again. But giving in to my starving stomach, I went back to the dining room in a few minutes. I couldn’t believe what I saw. My entire extended family was waiting for me with wide smiles and concerned looks, and the table was loaded with untouched plates.
“Andy,” my aunt said, “We can’t eat without you. We’re waiting for your turn. Now you can start it.” I didn’t know what to say first. Finally, I said I was thankful for having a younger brother to teach, play with, and see grow.
The family shared, and everyone had something beautiful to say. Listening to what they said, I suddenly understood what my mom meant about finding out my own reason for celebrating. For me, this holiday was a chance to pause and reflect on everything I cared about.
And with that, I took a huge and satisfying bite of food.
1.Why did the author hide himself and cry on the Thanksgiving Day?
A.Because he got up too late.
B.Because he thought the dinner was tasteless.
C.Because he thought his family didn’t show real thankfulness.
D.Because some of his family were absent from the celebration.
2.What can we know about the author’s mother according to the text?
A.She was strict with her son.
B.She was very understanding.
C.She felt disappointed in the author.
D.She showed great worry about the author.
3.What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 5 refer to?
A.Making a wish. B.Having dinner.
C.Giving a performance. D.Expressing thankfulness.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A.Love and lies B.My loving mother
C.An unforgettable dinner D.An inspiring Thanksgiving
Young children often “read” picture books. They’re attracted by the colorful scenery and the realistic characters that contribute to fascinating plots.
Unfortunately, some children can’t use these resources, even if they do know how to read. Take three-year-old Elodie Bateson for example. Elodie was born with under-developed eyes and has retinal detachments (视网膜脱落), making her visually impaired.
It is because of people like Elodie that Tom Yeh, head of the Tactile Picture Books Project, has started printing 3D books, so they can feel the illustrations in picture books.
The first book Tom Yeh printed was Goodnight Moon, a popular children’s book about a rabbit going to sleep and wishing good night to his surroundings. In the 3D version of this book, children can feel each thing that the rabbit says good night to, whether it is a cow jumping over the moon, a balloon, or a dollhouse.
Generally, when children grow older, they read by using Braille, a language that was invented by Louis Braille in 1824. It uses different patterns of raised dots representing different letters. Readers can then feel the dots and mentally translate the patterns they feel into words. The only problem is that many blind children do not start learning Braille until they are about six years old.
Another reason why 3D printed books are such a valuable resource is that children don’t have to know how to read to understand them. However, without these, visually impaired kids are losing six developmental years vital to their growth since they can’t take advantage of picture books.
When 3D picture books are printed, plastic is layered (分层放置) repeatedly over a single shape: the shape of the illustration. These raised pictures created through layered plastic serve as substitutes (替代品) for the Braille letters that little children have no knowledge of.
1.What does the underlined word “impaired” in paragraph 2 mean？
A.Damaged. B.Disappeared. C.Defeated. D.Unmatched.
2.What can we know about Braille from paragraph 5？
A.Most people can translate Braille into words.
B.The blind at any age can read by using Braille.
C.Blind kids begin learning Braille at six years old or so.
D.Braille uses similar patterns of raised dots to stand for different letters.
3.We can know that the illustrations in 3D books are raised ______ .
A.pictures B.letters C.dots D.codes
4.What is the aim of the Tactile Picture Books Project？
A.To encourage kids to read books. B.To teach the blind children Braille.
C.To cure visually impaired children. D.To help the blind children read picture books.
Four Sydney Youth Stamp Group (SYSG) workshops are held each year during the school holidays for children aged 7 to 17. We have a Junior group (7 to 11 year olds) and a Senior group (12to 17 year olds). The workshops are for children at home and abroad, who want to further their stamp collecting enjoyment and skills, and we especially welcome those who are new to this field.
2020 Workshop Dates:
Friday 24 January 2020-- Theme: Italy
Saturday 18 April 2020--Theme: Sport in Australia
Saturday 18 July 2020--Theme: USA
Saturday 10 October 2020-- Theme: Netherlands
Cost: Free
Venue: Philatelic Association of NSW, Inc. (Philas House) 17 Brisbane Street, Surry Hills
Time: 10:30am to 3:00pm (children are to be seated by 10:30am. Parents, please arrive a little earlier to have your children’s names checked off)
How to book: Download a registration form, click here (PDF 24kb). Complete the form and mail it to the Coordinator ( 协调者)。The Coordinator will send you an email confirming your booking. Bookings are accepted up to 28 days before each workshop. Parents can also email the Coordinator to add your name to our mailing list, you will receive a letter in the mail and registration form, about our next workshop.
Items (物品) children can bring(we understand beginners may not have some of these items, but do not worry, just come along):
Stamp Album, with or without stamps
Lead pencil, coloured pencils, scissors, ruler, ballpoint or felt-tip pen
Australian Stamp Catalogue (Seven Seas- - preferably a fairly recent edition)
1.Who are most welcomed in the SYSG workshops?
A.Junior group members.
B.Senior group members.
C.Foreign stamp collectors.
D.Beginners of stamp collecting.
2.What does the last SYSG workshop in 2020 focus on?
A.Sport in Australia B.Netherlands
C.Italy D.America
3.Where is the text most probably taken from?
A.A website. B.A children magazine.
C.A tourist brochure. D.A newspaper.
When I was 16 years old, the way I looked mattered most in the world to me. My friends and I wanted nothing but perfection.
In high school, we joined the gymnastics team, and our ________ became even more important to us. We had no fat, only muscle. On the weekends, we would go to the beach, ________ of our flat stomachs.
One summer day, all my friends were at my house ________. At one point, I was running back to the pool. I ________ on a bee, and when it was dying under my foot, it stung (蛰) me. I instantly started to feel ________. That night, I began to run a high fever and my leg and foot were red, hot and swollen. I couldn’t walk. I could hardly ________. When my foot started to go numb (失去知觉), everyone became more ________. My foot was not getting enough blood. I had to go to the ________, and my leg hurt as if it were badly broken. I couldn’t move. All I could do was think about how soft my waist was becoming. That troubled me more than any concern over my ________.
That all ________ when I heard the doctors mention possibly cutting off my foot. It was still not getting the ________ supply it needed. The doctors would have to speed up their ________.
Never before had I had such great appreciation for my foot. And walking seemed like a ________ from the gods. Less and less would I want to hear my friends talk about ________ and who was wearing what. More and more I expected visits from other kids in the hospital, who were quickly becoming my friends.
One girl came to visit me ________. Every time she came, she brought flowers. She was recovering from cancer and felt she should come back and ________ the other patients.
She still had no hair, and she was swollen from medications she had been taking. I would not have given this girl a second ________ before. I now loved every inch of her and looked forward to her ________.
Finally, I was improving and soon I went home. My leg was still swollen,
_____ I was walking, and I had my foot! When I would go back to the hospital, I often saw my friend. She was still visiting people and ________ good cheer. I thought if there was an angel on this earth, it had to be her.
1.A.brains B.bodies C.grades D.clothes
2.A.sure B.guilty C.ashamed D.proud
3.A.swimming B.chatting C.dancing D.jogging
4.A.focused B.took C.stepped D.held
5.A.well B.free C.sick D.fearful
6.A.run B.stand C.jump D.rest
7.A.concerned B.relieved C.interested D.surprised
8.A.hospital B.gym C.school D.beach
9.A.performance B.competition C.study D.leg
10.A.changed B.happened C.helped D.bothered
11.A.nutrition B.time C.blood D.air
12.A.complaint B.treatment C.observation D.experiment
13.A.rebellion B.necessity C.promise D.gift
14.A.gymnastics B.homework C.movies D.appointment
15.A.suddenly B.eventually C.recently D.regularly
16.A.advise B.serve C.encourage D.instruct
17.A.thought B.glance C.choice D.chance
18.A.flowers B.visits C.ideas D.words
19.A.so B.then C.for D.but
20.A.enjoying B.gaining C.spreading D.discovering
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
My family and I go to the Big Island of Hawaii in the United States every year. Each year, we do the same things-spend time at the beaches, surfing and fishing. On this trip, however, my family got tired of this holiday style and wanted to do something different. We learned from a local that there was a hot spring on the island called the Boiling Pots. Without doing any research, we decided to set off on an adventure to that spot.
We drove to the destination, but were surprised to find that the area was closed off by a fence (栅栏). Reading the sign placed in front of the gate, we found out it was, in fact, a forbidden area that lay at the bottom of the mountain. And we were on the mountaintop. Seemingly out of nowhere, a strange man came up to us. He told us he would go to the Boiling Pots and that he would show us the way down there if we would just jump over the fence and follow him. After some discussion, my family, 8 members, followed the man past the fence.
The ''path'' was a slope (斜坡) covered in mud and high grass. Several times, our members fell but nobody gave up and turned back because it seemed an amazing adventure.
After about one hour's walk, we arrived at the bottom finally, but a large river stopped us. The strange man went to borrow a boat from his friend living nearby. We stood on the bank, waiting for him and joking that we could swim across the river.
Just then, I heard the voice of my father screaming at us to move. I looked up to the sky and saw a large tree falling towards us. I ran forward, pushing the people in front of me. I fell to the ground, hearing a loud sound of the tree hitting the ground, along with pieces of branches surrounding us.
注意:
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
In a second, all went quiet
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Paragraph 2:
When we had no idea what to do, the strange man came back.
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假定你是李华，近日你在网上得知某国外高中的国际英语夏令营已开始报名，你有意参加。请给该校写一封英文申请信，内容包括：
1. 写信目的；
2. 申请理由；
3. 期待答复。
注意：
1. 词数80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Sir/Madam,
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
