Two thieves came to a house to steal something. They dug a hole in the wall of the house. One of them crawled into the house while the other waited outside.
There lived many mice in the house. The woman in the moonlight saw a mouse crawl into the house. “look! In comes one.” She said to the man in the house. Te thief was so frightened that he hurriedly crawled out of the house and said to the one waiting outside, “She found me when I was just in.” But the thief outside didn’t believe him, so he said, “Let us two try to crawl into the house together.” At that time, two mice happened to crawl into the house too. The woman saw the mice and shouted, “In come two. Catch them!” the two thieves were terribly frightened. The man in he house said, “You saw them come in but where are they?” I will catch them tonight.” The two thieves started to run aw
ay at once.
The two thieves wanted to make it clear whether they had been found or not the night before. The next day they acted as men selling sweet potatoes and came before the house. The man and the woman were ploughing in their fields. The rope broke and the woman came home for one. She saw two men selling sweet potatoes and wanted to buy some. She picked out two which looked like mice. At the time the man couldn’t wait of her any longer and he ran back from the fields to hurry her up. The woman showed the sweet potatoes to the man and said, “How they look like the two of last night.” The man said, “ I asked you to fetch a rope. Why don’t you hurry for it?” the two thieves ran away very qui
ckly without their sweet potatoes
The two thieves failed to steal anything from the house because ________.
A.they were found out |
B.they were frightened by what they had heard in the house |
C.they didn’t work together well with each other |
D.mice stopped them from doing so |
From the last paragraph we know that __________.
A.the two thieves were farmer selling potatoes. |
B.The woman recognized the two thieves |
C.The woman pretended to know nothing about the two thieves and mad fun of them |
D.The two thieves didn’t know that they were not found at all |
When the woman said “How thy look like the two of last night”___________.
A.she referred to the two thieves | B.she meant nothing |
C.she said it on purpose | D.she referred to the two mice |
“__________” is the title for this passage.
A.Two Clever Thieves | B.Terrible Mice |
C.![]() |
D.A Clever Couple |
Which of the following statements is false?
A.The two thieves not only failed to steal things but also lost their sweet potatoes. |
B.Whenever thy found mice, the people in the house would try to catch them. |
C.The two thieves ran away at once because they thought the woman had seen them. |
D.The man let the woman go home for a rope, which would be used for catching the thieves. |
Imagine that someone in your neighborhood broke the law, and the judge put the whole neighborhood under suspicion. How fair will that be? Well, it happens every day to high schoolers. Just because some students have stolen things in shops, all of us are treated like “shoplifters”. Even though I’d never steal, store employees looked at me like I’m some kind of hardened criminal mastermind.
For example, during one lunch period, my friend Denny and I went to the Grab “n” Go on Tuesday. We arrived to find a line of students waiting outside. A new sign in the window told the story:“ NO MORE THAN TWO STUDENTS AT A TIME.” After 15 minutes, we finally got in. But the store manger laid the evil eye on us. I asked him about the new sign, and he said, “You kids are lifting too much stuff.” You kids? Too much stuff? Not only were we considered to be shoplifters, but brilliant, greedy shoplifters.
The Grab “n” Go isn’t an isolated case. Earlier this year, a department store worker told me to leave my backpack at the front of the store. When I asked who was going to keep an eye on my stuff, she said, “Don’t worry. It isn’t going anywhere.” In other words, I had to risk losing my stuff so that the store wouldn’t have to risk losing theirs. “Don’t worry,” I replied, “I don’t need to shop here.”
The most annoying thing, though, is the way employees watch my friends and me. It’s almost strange and frightening. Once, at a drug store, I went down an aisle and found a guy standing on a box, stocking the shelves. He was watching my hands, which were empty. He got down off his box and rushed off, as if he was going to get the store manger. How crazy is that?
You know, this kind of prejudice can go both ways. I work at the CD Crib, and every day I see adults commit a terrible crime. They put on a set of headphones and sort of dance to the music. Talk about bad! Tomorrow, I’m going to put a sign in the window: “ NO MORE THAN TWO ADULTS LISTNENING TO MUSIC AT A TIME.”“ Shoplifters” ( Paragraph 1) refers to _____________.
A.the neighbor | B.thieves |
C.employees | D.store owners |
The manager of the Grab “n” Go thought that _______________________.
A.people might be angry about the lining up |
B.the shop might be over-crowded |
C.students might steal things |
D.kids should be accompanied by their parents |
What is the tone of the writer?
A.Angry | B.Sad |
C.Pleased | D.Excited |
By saying “this kind of prejudice can go both ways”, the writer intends to _______________.
A.put up a notice to prevent adults from committing a crime. |
B.encourage adults to listen to CDs before they buy them. |
C.stop adults from talking bad things when in CD stores. |
D.accuse adults in the same way as they did towards the boys |
How does the writer develop his argument?
A.By example | B.By classification |
C.By comparison and contrast | D.By cause and effect |
Celebrities(名人) have become a powerful influence on some people because of their social position and their economic situation.
First, some people admire and imitate stars because they allow themselves to be influenced by the media. Television, radio, and magazines invade(侵扰) the lives of audience with a variety of shows, information, and publications about stars and their lives. For instance, Britney Spears has become the target of paparazzi(狗仔队). In May, Britney appeared at the front page of the most popular magazines revealing that she married her best friend in Vegas, Nevada. Media also invade stars’ lives because reporters know they can get high profits from readers who buy and follow their favorite artists’ news.
Second, some mad audiences imitate their celebrities for their lack of confidence. Some people who are shy and lack personality may find that imitating others will cause a good impression. For example, my cousin Jenny, who lacks a social life because of her introverted(内向的) personality, believes that acting and dressing like Jennifer Lopez will make her popular in high school.
Finally, several fans of stars imitate them because of peer pressure. Since my niece’s girl friends formed an Antonio Banderas’ fan club, she had also joined the group. Although she wasn’t a huge fan of his, now she collects most of Banderas’ possessions. In fact, when I asked Arianna, my niece, why she was part of Banderas’ fan club, she replied with a doubtful tone that she did not wish to be rejected by the other teens.
In conclusion, it is true that celebrities play spectacular roles in their performances in Hollywood, which entertains many people all over the world; however, modern celebrities influence the audience to the point where their fans admire and try to imitate their lives.What does the passage mainly tell us?
A.Why people are influenced by celebrities. |
B.The harmful influence of celebrities. |
C.What kind of people are influenced by celebrities |
D.How to avoid the influence of celebrities. |
We can infer from Paragraph 2 that ___________.
A.media are on the side of stars |
B.stars know how to take advantage of media. |
C.media can give wrong information about stars |
D.media invade stars’ lives for their own good |
Arianna joined the Antonio Banderas’ fan club to _____________.
A.seek encouragement from the star | B.be accepted by other teens |
C.become a real fan of the star | D.learn more about the star |
The author of the passage probably believes that ______________.
A.it’s easy for people to resist the influence of celebrities |
B.all young people are easily influenced by celebrities |
C.it’s no good for people to imitate celebrities blindly |
D.people can improve their personality by imitating their favorite stars |
Metro Pocket Guide
Metrorail(地铁)
Each passenger needs a farecard to enter and go out. Up to two children under ago five may travel free with a paying customer.
Farecard machine are in every station, Bring small bills because there are no change machines in the station and farecard machine only provide up to $ 5 in change.
Get one of unlimited Metrorail rides with a One Day Pass. Buy it from a farecard machine in Metro stations. Use it after 9:30 a. m. until closing on weekdays, and all day on weekends and holidays.
Hours of Service
Open: 5 a. m Mon-Fri 7a. m. Sat—Sun .
Close: midnight Sun—Thurs 3 a.m. Fri.---Sat. nights.
Last train times vary. To avoid missing the last train, please check the last train times posted in the station.
Metrobus
When paying with exact change, the fare is $ 1. 35 . when paying with a smarTrip card, the fare is $1. 25
Fares for the Senior /disabled customers
Senior citizens 65 and older and disabled customers may ride for half the regular fare. On Metrorail and Metrobus, use a senior/disabled farecard or SmarTrip card. For more information about buying senior/disabled farecards, farecard or SmarTrip cards and passes, please visit MetroOpenDoors. com or call 202-637-7000 and 202-637-8000.
Senior citizens and disabled customers can get free guide on how to use proper Metrobus and Metrorail services by calling 202-962-1100
Travel tips (提示)
. Avoid riding during weekday rush periods –before 9:30 a. m. and between 4 and 6 p. m.
. If you lose something on a bus or train or in a station, please call Lost & Found at 202-962-1195.What should you know about farecard machine?
A.They start selling tickets at 9:30 a. m. |
B.They are connected to change machines. |
C.They offer special service to the elderly. |
D.They make change for no more than $5. |
At what time does Metrorail stop service on Saturday?
A.At midnight | B.at 3 a. m. |
C.at 5 am | D.at 7 p. m. |
What is good about a SmarTrip card?
A.It is convenient for old people |
B.It saves money for its users |
C.it can be bought at any time |
D.it is sold on the Internet. |
Which number should you call if you lose something on the Metro?
A.202-962-1195 | B.202-962-1100 |
C.202-673-7000 | D.202-673-8000 |
One of the latest trends(趋势) in American Childcare is Chinese au pairs. Au Pair in Stamford, Conn, for example, has got increasing numbers of request for Chinese au pairs from aero to around 4, 000 since 2004. And that’s true all across the country.
“I thought it would be useful for him to learn Chinese at an early age” Joseph Stocke, the managing director of a company, says of his 2-year old son. “I would at least like to give him the chance to use the language in the future, ” After only six months of being cared by 25-year-old woman from China, the boy can already understand basic Chinese daily expressions, his dad says.
Li Drake, a Chinese native raising two children in Minnesota with an American husband, had another reason for looking for an au pair from China. She didn’t want her children to miss out on their roots. ” Because I am Chinese, my husband and I wanted the children to keep exposed to(接触) the language and culture. ” she says.
“Staying with a native speaker is better for children than simply sitting in a classroom, ” says Suzanne Flynn, a professor in language education of Children. ”But parents must understand that just one year with au pair is unlikely to produce wonders. Complete mastery demands continued learning until the age of 10 or 12. ”
The popularity if au pairs from China has been strengthened by the increasing numbers of American parents who want their children who want their children to learn Chinese. It is expected that American demand for au pairs will continue to rise in the next few years.What does the term” au pair” in the text mean?
A.A mother raising her children on her own |
B.A child learning a foreign language at home |
C.A professor in language education of children |
D.A young foreign woman taking care of children. |
Li Drake has her children study Chinese because she wants them ______.
A.to live in China some day | B.to speak the language at home |
C.to catch up with other children | D.to learn about the Chinese culture |
What can we infer from the text?
A.Learning Chinese is becoming popular In America |
B.Educated woman do better in looking after children |
C.Chinese au pairs need to improve their English Skills. |
D.Children can learn a foreign language well in six months. |
Since the first Earth Day in 1970, Americans have gotten a lot “greener” toward the environment . “We didn’t know at that time that there even was an environment, let alone that there was a problem with it, ”says Bruce Anderson, president of Earth Day USA.
But what began as nothing important in public affairs has grown into a social movement . Business people, political leaders, university professors, and especially millions of grass-roots Americans are taking part in the movement. “The understanding has increased many, many times, ”says Gaylord Nelson, the former governor from Wisconsin, who thought up the first Earth Day.
According to US government reports , emissions (排放)from cars and trucks have dropped from 10. 3 million tons a year to 5. 5 tons . The number of cities producing CO beyond the standard has been reduced from 40 to 9 . Although serious problems still remain and need to be dealt with , the world is a safer and healthier place . A kind of “Green thinking ” has become part of practices .
Great improvement has been achieved . In 1988 there were only 600 recycling programs , ; today in 1995 there are about 6, 600 . Advanced lights , motors , and building designs have helped save a lot of energy and therefore prevented pollution .
Twenty –five years ago , there were hardly any education programs for environment . Today , it’s hard to find a public school , university , or law school that does not have such a kind of program . ” Until we do that , nothing else will change! ” say Bruce Anderson .According to Anderson , before 1970, Americans had little idea about ___
A.the social movement | B.recycling techniques |
C.environmental problems | D.the importance of Earth Day |
Where does the support for environmental protection mainly come from?
A.The grass –roots level | B.The business circle |
C.Government officials | D.University professors |
What have Americans achieved in environmental protection ?
A.They have cut car emissions to the lowest |
B.They have settled their environmental problems |
C.They have lowered their CO levels in forty cities. |
D.They have reduced pollution through effective measures . |
What is especially important for environmental protection according to the last paragraph ?
A.Education | B.Planning |
C.Green living | D.CO reduction |