One midnight, a little girl woke up to pass water. She by herself got up and down her bed, walked to the bedroom door and opened it. She looked outside and walked back, for it was so dark in the hall that she feared.
Her mother said, “Don’t be afraid, honey. Take courage!”
“What’s courage?” she asked, running to her mother’s bed.
“Courage is the brave breath,” her mother answered.
“Mum, do you have courage?”
“Certainly.”
The girl held out her little hands, saying, “Mum, blow some of your breath of courage to me.”
After her mother blew out two mouthfuls of breath into her little cold hands, the little girl clenched her fists(握拳) nervously, afraid that the “breath of courage” would run away. Then with her fists clenched, she walked out of the bedroom towards the bathroom with nothing to fear.
Her mother said to herself, “It will be nice if someone can blow some kind of ‘breath’ to me. Then I can hold it in my hands too when I feel terrified or lost.”
In fact, mostly, what we are terrified of is nothing but the fear in our mind. Who we should defeat(战胜) is nobody but ourselves.
The girl walked back because __________.
A.the bathroom was too far away. | B.her mother wouldn’t go with her |
C.she was too afraid of the dark | D.the bedroom door was locked |
We learn from the reading that ___________.
A.the girl went to the bathroom by herself |
B.the girl pretended to be terrified of nothing |
C.the girl’s mother was able to blow brave breath |
D.the girl’s mother was very proud of herself |
To stop “mother’s breath” from running away, the girl __________.
A.held out her little hands | B.clenched her fists |
C.talk to her mother | D.held her own breath |
The writer mainly wants to tell us that ________.
A.adults are always brave enough |
B.children learn to be brave quickly |
C.the fear in one’s mind is the real problem |
D.the mother can deal with anything with breath |
Which is the best title of the passage?
A.The Fearless Mother | B.One Lonely Girl |
C.One midnight | D.The Breath of Courage |
Nobody likes to do chores(家务), especially kids. How can you make your kids get into a good habit of doing their chores? Try making chores fun for them.
Play some music: Music makes everythng seem like a party, doesn’t it ? Play your kids’ favourite music and let them dance around while they are doing their chores.
Make it treasure hunt (寻宝): It’s a good way when you would like them to clean the house. Let them know that you hide a $5 bill someplace. If they find it, they can keep it.
Change often: If your kids keep doing the same chores for months, they may feel bored. Teaching them a new task(任务) is fun for both you and the kids. They will feel more grown up when they get a new task.
Do it together: It’s never fun to be the only one working and watching everyone else relaxing. If everyone takes part in doing chores, you will finish them faster and have more fun.The article is for ____________.
A.schools | B.teachers |
C.parents | D.kids |
The writer thinks it’s better to ________ while asking kids to clean the house.
A.play their favorite music |
B.hide something for them to find |
C.give them a new task |
D.do it together with them |
Kids may feel ______ if they keep on doing the same chores for months.
A.tired | B.fun | C.interested | D.bored |
Do you enjoy wearing Levi’s blue jeans? Blue jeans have become popular all over the world, but do you know how they got started?
Levi Strauss was born in Germany in the mid 1800’s and immigrated(移居) to the United States as a young man. He lived in New York City and learned the dry-goods business for several years. In 1853 he took his knowledge and his dreams to San Francisco (California, USA). His dream to succeed came true over the next 20 years as he became a very successful businessman.
Many of Levi Strauss’ customers were cowboys and miners. They needed clothing that was strong and lasting. Strauss found a special cloth from France that was comfortable and lasted a long time. It was called “serge and mines” which was later shortened to the word “denim(粗棉布)”.
Another man named Jacob Davis bought large amounts of the denim cloth from Levi Strauss. He was a tailor who made pants for hard-working men. One of his customers was continually tearing the pockets off his pants. So Jacob Davis decided to put rivets(铆钉)on certain parts of the pants to make them stronger. The customer loved the new pants so much that he told all his friends, and soon Jacob Davis was busy making lots of pants with rivets.
Jacob Davis soon realized that using rivets was a great business idea, and he didn’t want anybody to steal that idea. He decided that he would need to get a patent. But being a poor tailor, he didn’t have money to pay for the patent. After thinking it over, he went to the businessman Levi Strauss and told him his idea. He said, “If you agree to pay for the patent, we will share the profits from the riveted pants.” Levi Strauss did agree, and the new riveted pant business was called Levi Strauss and Company. Today Levi’s jeans are more popular than ever, and Levi’s name continues to live in.What is Levi Strauss?
A.A tailor. | B.A miner. |
C.A cowboy. | D.A businessman. |
What do you think the underline word patent mean?
A.办法 | B.利益 | C.专利 | D.公司 |
Jacob Davis thinks.
A.he must get the help of Levi Strauss. |
B.his idea is good and he can do it easily. |
C.Levi Strauss can’t share his profits. |
D.all the persons all over the world like the jeans very much. |
Which is right according the passage?
A.Jacob Davis sewed pants in his business. |
B.Levi Strauss didn’t want to pay for Jacob Davis’ patent. |
C.Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis became business partners. |
D.Jacob Davis put rivets in pants because they looked good. |
What do you think the writers main idea?
A.How were the jeans invented? |
B.How does Levi Strauss succeed? |
C.Jacob Davis was a clever man. |
D.How to earn more money? |
Every winter the Indians caught beavers (河狸或称为海狸).They sold these beaver furs to men from France. In the 1600s and 1700s,people in France wanted beaver furs for coats and hats. Other countries wanted these furs, too . Wearing a beaver fur hat became a sign .It said ,“Look at this man! This man is rich!”
In the 1800s,men in this country began to wear beaver hats. They too, wanted to wear the sign that said,“ Look at those men! They are rich!”
Soon it was hard to find beavers. To get more beaver furs, traders had to move West. Traders began to explore this new country. They came back with wonderful stories about the new land. Before long, many people wanted to go West to live.
Where people go, towns grow. Soon there were new towns in the West. Men looking for beaver for fancy(珍贵的,昂贵的) hats helped the West grow.Wearing a beaver hat was a sign that a man was _________.
A.a hunter | B.rich | C.a trader | D.an Indian |
Which of the following does this story lead you to believe?
A.Beavers began to wear fancy hats. |
B.The traders would not go West. |
C.The fur traders helped the country grow. |
D.The traders wore furs. |
What did the traders do when beavers were hard to find?
A.To get more beaver furs, traders had to move West. |
B.The traders had to find rich men wearing signs. |
C.The traders had to wear beaver hats out West. |
D.They made friends with beavers. |
When did Indians begin to wear beaver hats?
A.1600s. | B.1700s. | C.1800s. | D.1900s. |
The main idea of the whole story is that _________.
A.traders carried signs for rich men |
B.the search for beavers helped the West to grow |
C.many wonderful stories were told about the West |
D.the beavers were very foolish |
I have always heard that walking under a ladder brings bad luck, but I’ve never thought so .I have walked under ladders many times, but I have never met anything bad before. It’s the damn with black cats. People say if a black cat crosses before you, it means bad luck .I have never thought that until this afternoon But ever since I heard my student Sam’s story .I’ve begun thinking about whether it was true.
This afternoon, Sam was walking down the street thinking about something, so he wasn’t paying attention to where he was going. He walked right under a ladder standing against a building. A black cat ran out of a door just at that moment, and Sam fell over it, his head hit the ladder. A man washing the window was at the top of that ladder and the dirty water went down through the air. Poor Sam! He got wet all over.
阅读短文内容,判断正(T)误(F)At first, the writer believed that walking under a ladder would bring bad luck.
A black cat crossing will bring you good luck when you are walking.
This afternoon ,the writer’s son Sam was walking down the street thinking about something
When Sam was walking under a ladder ,a black cat ran out of a door.
Sam had bad luck that afternoon.
“I didn't hear them call my name,” explained Shelley Hennig to Active Teens (AT) as she talked about that exciting moment on national television when she won the honor of Miss Teen USA 2004. “Are you ready?”is what she heard. Then she said,“I shook my head no,and then they said ‘yes’ and it was announced again.”
It was four days after that life changing moment for the seventeen year old high school student from Destrehan, Louisiana. She was still on_cloud_nine.
“I was so shocked! I never believed that it could actually really happen. ”Present in the audience (观众) that day were: her mother and father, older brother, her friends, and her dance teacher.
Understanding why members of her family and her friends would be there,AT asked why her dance teacher had traveled so far to see her compete (比赛). “She's always been my role model. I've danced with her since I was six. She's been through so many difficulties and came through them all. I've learned to get over bad life's experiences and learned how to move on because of her.”
One of those bad life's experiences for Shelley happened three years ago when her brother Brad was killed in a drunk driving accident. He was 18. She found writing helped her get through the tough days. She said, “I write a lot about my brother. I write a lot, a lot,a lot...”
As Miss Louisiana Teen, she traveled around the state speaking to teens (青少年) about the dangers of drinking and driving. In her role as Miss Teen USA, Shelley will continue to speak to youth about safe driving,in addition to many other things to help the youth.
When AT asked Miss Teen USA if she had any advice for our readers, she said, “Don't let anyone change you. Hang out with people that make you feel good about yourself. That way,it is easy to be yourself.”What do the underlined words “on cloud nine” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A.Frightened | B.Troubled |
C.Very happy | D.Very angry |
How many children did the Hennigs have according to the text?
A.1. | B.2. | C.3. | D.4. |
What did Shelley often do after she became Miss Louisiana Teen?
A.She visited drunken drivers. |
B.She gave dance performances. |
C.She made speeches on safe driving. |
D.She helped other teens with their studies. |
What suggestion does Shelley give to the teens?
A.Be yourself with the support of friends. |
B.Meet friends whenever possible. |
C.Go easy on yourself and others. |
D.Have a good role model. |