People in the United States honour their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day’s, 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 offer a chance to 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 stands for a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services（宗教仪式）to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit their graves. On these days, families get together at home and in restaurants. They often have outdoor BBQs for Father’ 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, telephones companies and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.
1．Which 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.
2．What do you know from the passage?
A．Mother’s Day and Father’ 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.
3．Which do you think is right about “carnation”?
A．It only has two kinds of color.
B．It is a special kind of 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.
4．What do you think “florists” do?
A．They sell flowers.
B．They made bread or pastry.
C．They offer enough room for having family parties.
D．They sell special clothes for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
Google has kicked off Google Science Fair (GSF) 2014, its annual online competition for
bright, creative and ambitious teenagers who want to change the world with science. While the project is led by Google, it also has the backing of the Lego Group and world-famous publications National Geographic and Scientific American. The competition is open for students aged 13 to 18, who can sign-up now, form a team and begin working on a submission.
The winner will be rewarded with a ten-day exploration to the Galapagos Islands aboard the National Geographic Endeavor, as well as a VIP tour of ‘Spaceport America’ in New Mexico. Google is also throwing in a $50,000 scholarship and $10,000 for the winner’s school to purchase cutting-edge science lab equipment.
Google suggests that each project should be “an in-depth investigation of a science question or engineering problem” but otherwise, it’s up to students to pick and develop an idea that follows the competition rules.
Completed projects need to be submitted by May 12, 2014 at 11:59 PDT. Google will announce the regional competitors in June, ahead of global finalists in August and the competition winners in September.
Interested? Here are the rules.
If you want to enter the competition as an individual (个人), you should register first. Complete requested information about yourself and your project in the registration section before creating your project. You may edit this later. Click the box stating that you have read, accept, and agree to be bound by these Official Rules and Terms.
Upon completion of registration you may begin working on your project. The project must follow the technical, creative, and legal entry requirements set out in these Official Rules and the Googlesciencefair.com Site. You will be required to complete all sections of the Project Site.
You may begin working on your project after completing the registration process, however, you may not submit it for judging until you have requested and received parental consent (允许). Once you have done this, your parent or guardian will receive an email from Google with instructions on how they can give their consent for you to participate. The project will not be judged unless this consent is received.From the first paragraph, we can learn that ________.
| A．GSF is a science competition |
| B．teenagers should form a team |
| C．every teenager can take part in it |
| D．GSF is organized by Google alone |
What is mainly discussed in the last paragraph?
| A．Parental consent. |
| B．Submission time. |
| C．Registration process. |
| D．Project requirements. |
If you plan to enter GSF alone, you ________.
| A．should create your project first |
| B．you needn’t follow the official rules |
| C．you should provide some personal information |
| D．your should start your project before registration |
The main purpose of the passage is to ________.
| A．offer tips on how to enter GSF |
| B．provide information about GSF |
| C．persuade teenagers to enter GSF |
| D．show teenagers the importance of GSF |
My grandmother Adele loved culture and was generous with its gifts. When I was a child, she took me to museums, restaurants, dances. She showered me with gifts from her travels around the world. But I can only remember her giving me one book—a book that, to this day, I have not read. She presented me with her own favorite childhood book: Hans Brinker. My grandmother was happy to share this book with me. She even decorated the title page with her proud writing.
I tried to read it. I adored reading, and would dive into a new pile of books from the library all at once. But something about Hans Brinker just wouldn’t let me in. The story was set in Holland, a long time ago. It felt dull and unfamiliar—even though I was a fan of classics of other times and places. I simply read the first pages over and over. I could not progress.
Standing on a bookshelf in our living room, the book was like something I avoided. It scolded me for not being interested, for not trying hard enough, for disappointing my grandmother.
The book started to fit in, almost forgotten, until Adele asked. Had I read it? Did I like it? Always determined, she wanted to know the answer. I would make some kind of excuse, feel bad, and open it again, hoping for a new reaction. The book weighed on me.
Years passed and finally Adele and I both accepted that I would never read Hans Brinker. Eventually I cleared the book from the shelf. The Hans Brinker experience led me to set a rule that I’ve lived by ever since: Do not ask about a book given as a gift. Don’t ask, despite your desire to discuss it to grow closer. The desire for such connection is what gives book-giving with special meaning—and increases the owner’s possibility to be a letdown.
Guilt is basically the same as for all gifts, though. If the giver doesn’t have the pleasure of seeing or hearing about the gift being enjoyed, and asks whether it is, then the owner—unless she can truthfully say “yes”—either has to admit to not liking the present, or else lie on the spot. Neither is pleasant. So, don’t ask.When the author was a kid, his grandmother ________.
| A．took him to travel around the world a lot |
| B．loved to take him to museums and stores |
| C．shared her childhood stories with him |
| D．gave him many gifts |
What does the author think about the book his grandmother gave him?
| A．Boring. | B．Interesting. |
| C．Puzzling. | D．Disappointing. |
The underlined sentence “The book weighed on me” in Paragraph 4 probably means _______.
| A．the book is too heavy for the author to carry |
| B．the author feels stressful facing the book |
| C．the book is full of powerful viewpoints |
| D．the author keeps reading the book |
The author learns from the Hans Brinker’s experience that never________.
| A．give others books as gifts |
| B．lie to people who give you gifts |
| C．get close to others through gifts |
| D．talk about the books given as gifts |
We’re always looking for well-written reviews of books, music, movies, television shows, websites, video games and other products. When writing a review, concentrate on exactly what you liked or didn’t like. Give examples of strengths and weaknesses, be descriptive and provide background information on an author, director, actor or musician, if possible. Find professional reviews in magazines or newspapers and see how reviewers deal with their topic, but be sure to express your own voice in your review.
Grammar Hint for Reviews: When describing a book, movie, album or anything else, use the present tense.
Book Reviews
Discuss an author’s technique, strengths and weaknesses instead of focusing on the plot. Does the story flow? Is there a strong sense of character and place? Did you stay up until dawn to finish it? Is it good reading for teenagers? What influence did it have on you and why? If you’ve read other books by the same author, discuss how this book compares.
Movie Reviews
Think of the major Oscar categories and consider the performances, music, lighting and setting, etc. Do these work together? Did some hold up while others didn’t? If the movie is based on a book, discuss whether one is better than the other and why. If the movie is a remake, compare the film to its original.
Remember that a well-written movie review should discuss strengths and weaknesses. Some readers may not have seen a movie yet, so don’t give away an exciting scene or the ending!
College Reviews
Begin by providing an overview of the college, including location, size and a description of the campus and/or dorm life. Think about all aspects of your college visit. What academic, athletic and after-class programs are available? What are the students like? What makes the college different from others? Every school has strengths and weaknesses. Be objective. Consider what the school has to offer and who might enjoy or benefit the most from attending there.When writing a review, you ________.
| A．cannot refer to any previous review |
| B．must express your own views and opinions |
| C．must provide some information about the author |
| D．needn’t give any examples to support your views |
Which aspects should be included in all three reviews?
| A．Strengths and weaknesses. |
| B．Plot and character. |
| C．Programs and scenes. |
| D．Location and description. |
Where can you probably find the passage?
| A．In a personal diary. |
| B．In an official report. |
| C．In a tourist guidebook. |
| D．In a popular magazine. |
I had five hours in the company of First Great Western(FGW) last weekend, on a train full of passengers, all the way from Cornwall to London. I got to know some of my fellow passengers rather well. Not through talking to them, you understand.
There was the youth who was explaining to his friend exactly how he enjoyed a party with his friends last night. Opposite him was a young woman who was very excited to be going to Lanzarote for her summer holiday. And then there was the man who I took to be a car mechanic(汽车修理工); so detailed and technical was his conversation about a second-hand Audi. Everyone had a different, noisy ringtone, and none of the mobile phone conversations I was forced to hear was interesting.
By the end of the journey, I was silently complaining about the modern world, and feeling mad with FGW who, at the very moment when our carriage fell silent, would make an announcement about the buffet car (a carriage where food and drinks are sold) either opening or closing.
FGW seems to be campaigning against peace and quietness, having removed quiet carriage spaces where passengers were requested not to use mobiles so that their trains could carry more passengers. How so? I cannot understand why FGW takes no notice of passengers like me, who have suffered a lot from hearing endless telephone conversations. I have no interest in the smallest details of others’ lives. Making people listen to boring mobile phone conversations should be regarded as a rude act.”
Every train carriage should, in theory, be quiet. Why can’t that be the standard? It is possible to change public custom and practice. It was not so long ago that sidewalks were littered with dog waste：now it’s a general rule that dog owners clean it up after their pets. And once we restore peace and quietness to trains, we can then move on and stop people bringing fast food onto them, too.How did the author get to know the three passengers?
| A．From their phone conversations. |
| B．Through introductions. |
| C．In informal conversations. |
| D．By using a mobile phone. |
At the end of the journey, the author ______.
| A．became satisfied with FGW’s service |
| B．felt uneasy about the silence |
| C．was filled with anger |
| D．went to the buffet car |
What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 4?
| A．He is in support of the decision of FGW. |
| B．He believes FGW will have more passengers. |
| C．He dislikes hearing others’ phone conversations. |
| D．He thinks it’s rude to listen to others’ conversations. |
The author mentioned the rule of cleaning up dog mess to show ____.
| A．dog mess has become a serious problem |
| B．quiet carriages can become the standard |
| C．noise in carriages is as troubling as dog mess |
| D．changing public custom and practice is difficult |
Jeri Solomon is a morning person but Jim, her husband of 11 years, is not. Early in their life, it caused a problem. “When we were planning our wedding, I wanted to have these big discussions at 8 a. m.，when I had been up for two hours and was fresh, but Jim would just be getting out of bed,” says the 46-year-old designer from Melrose, Mass. “We ended up getting into many arguments because I thought he had no interest, when really he was just still half-asleep.”
The couple learned to work around their differences over the years, but their situation isn’t uncommon, says Katherine Sharkey, professor at BrownUniversity. “More women tend to be larks, while men are like night owls(猫头鹰),” she says.
The question is：Why? The answer lies in each person’s body clock. “The body clock is about 24 hours, thanks to Earth’s 24-hour light-dark cycle,” Sharkey says. “But some people have a longer natural cycle, and some are shorter.” If yours is on the long side, you’re more likely to be a night owl. If it runs short, you’re probably an early riser. But your body clock can change over your lifetime. There’s a developmental piece-school-age children are generally early birds, while teenagers tend to be night owls, and then as they age, adults gradually turn back into morning people,” Sharkey says.
Besides the clear problems with being a night owl if you have fl day job, “night owls tend to be more low-spirited, and have a higher dependence on coffee,” Sharkey says. But the news isn’t all bad. A recent study in Belgium found that night owls can stay more focused as the day goes on, compared with early risers.
Morning people, however, also have advantages. “Larks generally sleep better, have more regular sleep, and have more flexible characters,” Sharkey says. They also tend to be happier and feel healthier than night owls, according to a recent study from the University of Toronto.Jeri Solomon and her husband ______.
| A．tried to change each other’s sleeping habits |
| B．often argued about small things |
| C．could not understand each other |
| D．got up at different times |
The underlined word “larks” in Paragraph 2 refers to birds which ______.
| A．are sleepy at noon |
| B．stay awake all night |
| C．search for food at night |
| D．are active in the morning |
Compared with morning people, night owls ______.
| A．work more flexibly |
| B．feel happy more easily |
| C．sleep more soundly at night |
| D．get more and more focused during the day |
What is the purpose of the text?
| A．To explain why we get up early or late. |
| B．To advise every one of us to get up early. |
| C．To tell us how to change our body clock. |
| D．To point out morning people’s advantages. |