Taiwan police cannot decide whether to treat it as an extremely clever act of stealing or an even cleverer cheat. Either way, it could be the perfect crime, because the criminals are birds—horning pigeons!
The crime begins with a telephone message to the owner of a stolen car: if you want the car back, pay up then, the car owner is directed to a park, told where to find a bird cage and how to attach money to the neck of the pigeon inside. Carrying the money in a tiny bag, the pigeon flies off.
There have been at least four such pigeon pick-ups in Changwa. What at first seemed like the work of a clever stay-at-home car thief, however, may in fact be the work of an even lazier and more inventive criminal mind—one that avoid not only collecting money but going out to steal the car in the first place . Police officer Chen says that the criminal probably has pulled a double trick: he gets money for things he cannot possibly return. Instead of stealing cars, he lets someone else do it and then waits for the car-owner to place an ad in the newspaper asking for help.
The theory is supported by the fact that, so far, none of the stolen cars have been returned. Also, the amount of money demanded-under 3,000 Taiwanese dollars –seems too little for a car worth many times more.
Demands for pigeon-delivered money stopped as soon as the press reported the story. And even if they start again, Chen holds little hope of catching the criminal. “We have more important things to do,” he said.
1. After the car owner received a phone call. He ______.
A. went to a certain pigeon and put some money in the bag it carried
B. gave the money to the thief and had his car back in a park
C. sent some money to the thief by mail
D. told the press about it
2. The “lazier and more inventive” criminal refers to ______.
A. the car thief who stays at home
B. one of those who put the ads in the paper
C. one of the policemen in Changwa
D. the owner of the pigeons
3. The writer mentions the fact that “none of the stolen cars have been returned” to show_____.
A. how easily people get fooled by criminals
B. what Chen thinks might be correct
C. the thief is extremely clever
D. the money paid is too little
4. The underlined word “they” in the last paragraph refers to ______.
A. criminals B. pigeons
C. the stolen cars D. demands for money
5. We may infer from the text that the criminal knows how to reach the car owners because______.
A. he reads the ads in the newspaper
B. he lives in the same neighborhood
C. he has seen the car owners in the park
D. he has trained the pigeons to follow them
You can’t hide a natural disaster from children, so how do we prepare them for it? First of all, you should explain to them that acts of nature aren’t necessarily disasters but can become one. These may include floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms, wild fires, and earthquakes. The way to prepare children for these disasters is to educate them about what each type is and then make it fun by making them “Disaster Masters” or whatever title you can think of.
Making them a Disaster Master won’t be easy. They must know what’s in a disaster emergency kit(工具箱) and why it’s included. You can get your friends involved, too. If your friends have children, they may want to be involved in your emergency preparations. Make it a group project. This is the opportunity for everyone to become familiar with the equipment.
We have to be aware of our conduct and the way we react to stress. The children will be easily influenced by your attitude and demeanor. The calmness, steady manner, and good humor of your spouse (配偶) and you will go a long way toward the easing or the reduction of stress.
Explain to them what they’re likely to encounter or see and describe how people may react. Disasters can come and go very quickly and generally don’t last long. If you must stay away from home, try to get into a routine quickly and encourage them to make new friends. Let them know they can look to their parents and other adults if they become scared or confused. And it’s important to let them know it’s OK to cry during a disaster.
It’s sometimes helpful to let the children draw pictures of what they’ve experienced. Encourage them to write what they learned and what could have been done better. Save the story. Make it part of a documented family history! This passage was written mainly to tell us about ______.
| A．the importance of mutual help in disaster preparation |
| B．tips for preparing children for a natural disaster |
| C．the importance of educating children about natural disasters |
| D．ways to raise children’s courage in natural disasters |
It is a must that a Disaster Master knows ______.
| A．when a natural disaster will come |
| B．why there are natural disasters |
| C．how to use a disaster emergency kit |
| D．how to teach others about emergency preparations |
The underlined word “demeanor” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by “______”.
| A．personality | B．lifestyle | C．emotion | D．behavior |
When they meet with a natural disaster, children ______.
| A．must write down what they see and how they feel |
| B．should believe that the disaster will never last long |
| C．can cry if they are frightened |
| D．should help other children despite the danger |
The author wrote the passage mainly for ______.
| A．parents | B．young children | C．teachers | D．college students |
My mother is a diligent and kind woman. She is very busy from morning till night. As a teacher, she works hard.______Both my brother and I love her dearly as she loves us.
My mother has been teaching math at a middle school in my hometown. She goes to work early in the morning and does not return home until late in the afternoon. ______She treats them with patience and teaches them well. For her excellent quality and very good teaching results, she has been elected as a model teacher several times.
______ Every day, when she comes back home from work, she sets about doing housework, sweeping the living room and bedrooms or cleaning the furniture, and putting everything in good order. She seems to be busy all the time. As she has been very busy working every day, she looks older than her age. But she looks as cheerful and happy as ever. Mother never buys expensive dresses for herself, but she often buys some inexpensive but high quality clothes for us. ___
___She just eats a plain meal outside when she is too busy to cook herself. She lives a busy yet simple life, without any complaints.
Often she says to us, “work while you work, and play while you play. That is the way to be happy and gay. If you do not work, you will become lazy and be of no use to society”. What a piece of good advice this is! ____This advice of hers will always serve as a guide to my behavior. My mother is great indeed, and I always feel proud of her.
| A．She enjoys listening to classic music. |
| B．As a mother, she takes good care of us and gives us every comfort. |
| C．She loves her students and cares for them. |
| D．She never goes to expensive restaurants to enjoy meals. |
E. My mother is hard-working and never wastes money.
F. I never forget it and always bear it in my mind.
G. Can you tell us something about your mother?
Good afternoon, and welcome to England. We hope that your visit here will be a pleasant one. Today, I would like to draw your attention to a few of our laws.
The first one is about drinking. Now, you may not buy wine in this country if you are under 18 years of age, nor may your friends buy it for you.
Secondly, noise. Enjoy yourselves by all means, but please don’t make unnecessary noise, particularly at night. We ask you to respect other people who may wish to be quiet.
Thirdly, crossing the road. Be careful. The traffic moves on the left side of the road in this country. Use pedestrian(行人的) crossing and do not take any chance when crossing the road.
My next point is about rubbish. It isn’t lawful to drop rubbish in the street. When you have something to throw away, please put it in your pocket and take it home, or put it in a dustbin.
Finally, as regards smoking, it is against the law to buy cigarettes or tobacco if you are under 16 years of age.
I’d like to finish by saying that if you require any sort of help or assistance, you should contact the police, who will be pleased to help you. You can call, write or directly go to ask any policeman.Who do you think is most likely to make the speech?
A guide B. A person who makes law
C. A teacher D. An English officerThe main purpose of this speech is to _______.
| A．tell people those above 18 can smoke and drink there |
| B．explain the laws of England |
| C．give advice to tourists to the country |
| D．warn people against going to the country |
From the speech we have learnt that ________.
| A．in the country, if you are under 18 years of age, you may not buy wine, but your friends can buy it for you |
| B．you may not buy cigarettes or tobacco unless you are above 16 years of age |
| C．because the traffic moves on the right side of the road, you must use pedestrian crossing when crossing the road |
| D．you can’t make a noise except at night |
Good health is the most valuable thing a person can have, but one cannot take good health for granted. It is important to remember that the body needs proper care in order to be healthy. There are three things that a person can do to help stay in good shape: eat right food ,get enough sleep, and exercise regularly.
Proper nutrition (营养) is important for good health. Your body cannot work well unless it receives the proper kind of “fuel”(燃料).Don't eat too much food with lots of sugar and fat. Eat plenty of foods high in protein ,like meat, fish, eggs and nuts. Vegetables and fruits are very important because they provide necessary vitamins and minerals. However, don't overeat. It is not helpful to be overweight.
Getting the proper amount of sleep is also important. If you don't get enough sleep, you feel tired and easily get angry. You have no energy. Over a long period of time a little a amount of sleep may even result in a change of personality. Be sure to allow yourself from seven to nine hours of sleep each night. If you do, your body will feel strong and refreshed, and your mind will be sharp.
Finally, get plenty of exercise. Exercise firms the body, strengthens the muscles, and prevents you from gaining weight. It also improves your heart and lungs. If you follow a regular exercise program, you will probably increase your life-span (寿命).Any kind of exercise is good. Most sports are excellent for keeping the body in good shapes: basketball, swimming, bicycling, running and so on are good examples. Sports are not only good for your body, but they are enjoyable and interesting, too.
If everybody were to eat the right foods, get plenty of sleep and exercise regularly, the world would be a happier and healthier place. We would all live to be much older and wiser.According to the passage,_______.
| A．we should always keep fit |
| B．if we were healthy, we could spend our days in doing things with less sleep |
| C．one can eat a lot to stay in good shape |
| D．one needn't take any exercise if he is healthy |
In order to keep good health, _______ .
| A．we should eat a lot of sweets | B．one needs a large amount of fat |
| C．people should eat according to the foods nutrition | D．we must try to sleep now and then |
Eating more and sleeping less_______.
| A．can keep healthy | B．is no good for you |
| C．gets you more energy | D．will keep your personality |
The writer explains ______in this passage.
| A．how to eat | B．the importance of doing exercise |
| C．how to keep healthy | D．what to eat |
More than 20 million kids in the United States live with one parent. Separation and divorce are the most common reasons for this. In other cases, the mom and dad may never have lived together, or one of them may have died.
Living with one parent instead of two can bring about a lot of emotions. These feelings can be pretty strong, and they can be confusing, too. You might feel terribly sad and angry because your parents divorced.
Single parents are often working parents because someone needs to earn money to buy food, clothing, and a place to live in. Having a job means your mom or dad is able to provide these things and more for you. People work for other reasons, too. A job can let a person use his or her special talents and skills. A job can be important because it helps people in the community.
But even though you might understand why your mom or dad has to work, sometimes it can be hard to accept. This can be especially true during the summer or school vacations. You’re home, they’re gone, and the days can seem really long.
It can be tough when you don’t have enough time with your dad or mom. When you live with one parent, that person really has to do the work of two people. Besides a job, your mom or dad is responsible for caring for the kids, the house, the yard, the car and the pets. So what can you do ?
One of the best ways is to hold a family meeting. Talk about everyone’s schedule for work, school, and activities. You can also talk about what jobs around the house need to be done every day. You might want to help your parent cook dinner sometimes. That can be both fun and helpful to your parent. Maybe you can also schedule a weekly game or a movie at night.What are the main reasons for kids’ living with one parent?
| A．Separation and divorce. | B．A lot of emotions. |
| C．Working and caring for the kids. | D．Working parents. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Some kids live with one parent for the other’s death. |
| B．Living with one parent can cause a lot of emotions. |
| C．Working means a mom or dad is able to provide things for their kids. |
| D．Kids can also talk about what jobs in their school can be done at a family meeting. |
It can be inferred from the underlined sentence (in Paragraph 4 ) that ______
| A．the kid in the company of friends does want help |
| B．the kid who plays with both parents does need their love |
| C．the kid lacks both parents’ love does feel lonely |
| D．the kid who understands parents’ work does be helpful |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Living with a single parent | B．Single parents and work |
| C．How to work with a single parent | D．Schedules for work |