People in the United States honor their parents with two special days:Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days make us think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery(墓地).On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.
68. Which of the following is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?
A. Parents bring up children.
B. Parents give love and care to children.
C. Parents educate children to be good persons.
D. Parents pass away before children grow up.
69. Which do you think is right about “carnation”?
A. It has only two kinds of colors.
B. It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
C. It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes.
D. People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May.
70. What do you know from the passage?
A. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May.
B. Fewer women worked outside the home in the past.
C. Not all the children respect their parents
D. Fathers are not as important as mothers at home.
71. On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, _______.
A. people usually have family parties
B. everyone goes to visit the cemetery
C. children always go to parents’ home
D. hand-made cards are the most valuable gifts
Knowing how much her own children loved presents at Christmas, Ann Sutton always tried to seek help for one or two poor families. With a social worker mother, the Sutton children had inherited(继承)her commitment to service, and knew never to take their good fortune at Christmas for granted. This year, Kinzie, her seven-year-old daughter was thrilled that Santa Claus would make a special visit to a 22-year-old mother named Ashley who worked in a factory raising her 12-month-old son by herself.
The phone rang on Sunday. A representative from a local organization was calling to say that the aid Ann had requested for Ashley had fallen through. No Santa Claus, no presents, nothing.
Ann saw the cheer fade away from her children's faces at the news. Without a word, Kinzie ran into her bedroom. She returned, her face set with determination. Opening up her piggy bank, she put all the coins onto the table: $3.30. Everything she had.
“Mom," she told Ann, “I know it's not much. But maybe this will buy a present for the baby.”
At a breakfast meeting the next day, Ann told her coworkers about her daughter story. To her surprise, staff members began to open their purses. and empty their pockets to help Kinzie .
On Christmas Eve, Ann drove through the pouring rain to the small trailer where the Ashley’s lived. Then she began to unload the gifts from the car, handing them to Ashley one by one.
Ashley was very moved. Reflecting on a little girl's generosity, Ashley says she'll one day be able to do something similar for someone else in need. "Kinzie could have used that money for herself, but she gave it away," Ashley says. "She's the type of kid I'd like my son to grow up to be."According to the text, Ann Sutton .
A.only cares about poor children |
B.has possessed a good fortune |
C.is warm-hearted and ready to help others |
D.is a single mother with a 12-month-old boy |
When hearing the aid had fallen through, Kinzie .
A.was not sad but cheerfu1 |
B.put all her coins away immediately |
C.told her mother to ask the coworkers for help |
D.decided to buy a present for the baby with all her allowance |
From the text we can learn that _______. .
A.Ann would act as Santa Claus to hand out the Christmas presents |
B.the Sutton children always got lots of presents at Christmas |
C.Kinzie's generosity influenced others and they did something similar |
D.Ashley was moved and promised to return the money |
What does the text mainly talk about?
A.How a warm-hearted mother shows her love to a poor family. |
B.How a mother and her young daughter helped a poor family. |
C.Many people make contributions to those in need. |
D.What happened to a poor family on Christmas Eve. |
More than 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed across the globe each day, and it’s likely that many taste bitter.
Now, a new study suggests that coffee fans can make their drink taste sweeter by simply changing the colour of their cups.
Scientists claim that blue and glass mugs, which are popular in some coffee shops, can reduce coffee’s bitterness, without any need for sugar, and that coffee drunk from white cups tastes the bitterest.
To prove their claims, the researchers invited 36 volunteers and used three different colored cups -- blue, white and transparent glass -- to do an experiment.
In the experiment, coffee consumed from the white cup was found to taste less sweet when compared to the other two colored cups, while the blue cup made the coffee taste the sweetest.
The scientists believe that the colour brown may be associated with coffee’s bitterness because coffee in a white cup appears the brownest and tastes the bitterest.
“Our study clearly shows that the colour of a coffee cup does influence the perceived (感受到的) taste and flavor of coffee,” said Dr George Doorn of Federation University Australia, “but the potential effects may be different between a one-time purchase and a return customer.”
“Anyhow, the effect of the colour of the cup on the flavor of the coffee suggests that café owners, baristas (服务员), as well as coffee cup manufacturers should carefully consider the colour of their cups, ” he added.
However, the idea that colour can alter the taste of food and drink is not new.
A study published last year revealed that red, strawberry-flavored mousse (慕斯蛋糕) served on a white plate was rated as 10 percent sweeter and 15 percent more flavorous than the same food presented on a black plate. What color of the cup can best reduce coffee’s bitterness without adding sugar?
A.Blue. | B.Brown. | C.White. | D.Transparent. |
The scientists used ________ to do the experiment to prove their claims.
① different brands of coffee
② different colored coffee cups
③ several volunteers
④ several manufactures
A.① ② | B.② ③ | C.② ④ | D.③ ④ |
Why does coffee in white cups taste the least sweet?
A.Because white cups are not as beautiful as other cups. |
B.Because white cups make coffee appear the brownest. |
C.Because white cups reduce the sugar in them. |
D.Because white cups are better used to serve cakes. |
According to the article, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.Black plates increase the sweetness of food and drink. |
B.Strawberry-flavored mousse is 10 percent sweeter than coffee. |
C.People consume more than 2.5 billion cups of coffee across the globe every year. |
D.People can make coffee taste sweeter by changing the color of their coffee cups. |
An African proverb says that a single hand cannot tie a bundle. Everyone needs companions to help them sail through the rough seas of life. Even the strongest and richest person still needs friends. Our money and strength would have no value if we had no friends to share with us. The best friendship is a give-and-take relationship. We need the support of our family, friends and the community. In turn we also give support to the society, our friends and our family.
The word “friend” has many meanings. It could be the bus driver who takes you to and from work every day. It could be a parent, a colleague, a wife or husband, a brother or sister, or even the unknown person who helped you just once when you could not find your way. Real friends share not only our happiness but our sorrows as well. This may explain why we have the expression “a friend in need is a friend indeed”.
Friendship is like the sunshine that keeps us warm. It is like the refreshing raindrops on the fields that give the farmers hope of a good planting season. Without friends our life would be like a desert where our only friend would be loneliness and sadness. The most fortunate person is the one who has friends from all levels in the society. A driver might find friends not only among his colleagues but among farmers, bankers, traders, students, politicians or teachers. We should never forget our old friends when we make new ones. We should treasure each of our friends whether poor or rich, beautiful or not. Each friend is unique in his or her own way. And all together, they enrich life and make it very colourful. What is the main topic of the passage?
A.How to sail through the sea of life. |
B.Friends and friendship. |
C.A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
D.Never forget old friends when making new ones. |
What is the correct understanding of friends according to the writer?
A.Friends who share our happiness are not real friends. |
B.Friends will take us through rough seas. |
C.Friends never expect anything from others. |
D.Friends can be different people around us. |
An unknown person can be a friend as well when .
A.he helps you with what you need |
B.he is told how to find his way |
C.he becomes one of your family |
D.he is a driver taking you from and to work |
The underlined word “unique” in the last paragraph most probably means “ ”.
A.special | B.poor | C.rich | D.Valuable |
It’s summer movie time again. Check out our list of four films.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Release Date: November 4
Story: It’s the summer before Harry Potter’s third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A dangerous murderer, Sirius Black, has escaped from the Wizards’ Prison. And he was ordered to kill Harry Potter.
Around the World in 80 Days
Release Date: November 16
Story: This version of the classic novel set in 1872 focuses on Passepartout ( Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan), a Chinese thief who seeks refuge (庇护) with a strange London adventurer, Phileas Fogg. Passepartout uses his martial art skills to defend Fogg from danger as he travels around the world in 80 days.
Spider-Man 2
Release Date: November 30
Story: Peter Parker is still coming to accept his dual identity (双重身份) as the crime superhero Spider-Man. He wants to reveal his secret identity to Mary Jane, meanwhile, his Aunt May is in trouble. This is Dr Otto Octavius who has appeared to bring her a lot of troubles.
King Arthur
Release Date: November 7
Story: King Arthur is presented as a clever ruler who manages to unite all the knights in Britain. Under the guidance of Merlin and the beautiful, brave Guinevere, Arthur will struggle to realize his dreams. When can you see the film acted by Jackie Chan?
A.November 4. | B.November 30. |
C.November 16. | D.November 7. |
In Spider-Man 2, Aunt May’s trouble is caused by______.
A.Spider-Man | B.Peter Parker |
C.Mary Jane | D.Dr Otto Octavius |
What kind of article of this passage?
A.A news report. | B.A funny diary. |
C.An advertisement. | D.A composition. |
Peter, a high school student, was pretty busy with school, and he was on the soccer team. High school was hard, because everyone wanted to have nice clothes, hang out, drive cars, and all these cost money. Peter’s father was the sort of guy that believed you had to earn whatever you got, so he wasn’t just about to hand over lots of money for Peter to use to have fun. So, he had to get a job.
During his freshman year summer vacation, his classmate got him a job working on a hay (干草) farm. He threw hay up into wagons as the tractor drove around fields, and then they stacked (剁起) it in the hot barn. It was a hot, lowpaying job.
He once worked a few nights a week at a grocery store. He put things on the shelf. It was a lot of lifting and carrying, and his arms were strong from this and the previous job. It was dull and didn’t pay much.
He took some time off when soccer got serious, but the following summer he tried working at a lumber yard. It was hot outside, but he got a lot of exercise lifting and carrying things like boards and drywall. He also learned a lot about building supplies. It still didn’t pay well.
From there, he spent a year doing some tutoring for a friend of the family, but that was piecemeal. His first real job came the last year at school, when he fixed registers and worked on computers at a big box store. It was his favorite job yet, but it still didn’t pay well.
What Peter realized with all of these jobs was that he needed a better paying job! The only way to get that was to get trained or educated. He could go to school and get a 2year degree in an office or technical position. His other choices were going to a 4year college or joining the army. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do yet, but he knew he had to do something. Jobs were a lot of work, money was hard to earn, but he liked staying busy and being able to buy things. Peter wanted the most out of life, and that meant education. How many jobs had Peter taken?
A.Three | B.Four. | C.Five. | D.Six. |
All the jobs Peter had taken had one thing in common:________.
A.They were done during his vacation |
B.They were dull and tiresome |
C.They needed hard labour |
D.They didn’t pay well |
________was the most important for Peter if he wanted a good job.
A.Confidence | B.Education |
C.Opportunity | D.Wisdom |
We can learn from the text that________.
A.Peter knew what to do for his future |
B.Peter’s father didn’t care about him |
C.it was very hard for Peter to make his choices |
D.Peter was determined to do whatever he liked |