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THIS summer, many Beijing middle school students had a different kind of vacation. Instead of hanging out with friends or traveling, they were training hard for the National Day celebration.
To mark the special anniversary (周年纪念)of China this year, the students performed a group dance in a big parade(游行)on Tian’anmen Square on October 1.
Students were training from 7:30am to around 10:00am or from 4 pm to 6:30pm. It was to avoid the summer heat.
They wore white hats, T-shirts and dark-blue trousers. The hats and T-shirts were printed with a red logo, the number ‘60”.
The first week of training was PE. Students practiced standing and squatting（蹲)。 Then they moved on to practice the group display. The use colored sheets in the shape of flowers as a prop(道具). When we watch the parade on TV we will see them making colorful patterns(图案)with them.
What do the students think of their unusual summer?
“Sometimes we find it a bit tiring.” says Lu Wenqi,13.”But most of us think it’s a great honor to take part in such an important celebration.”
Li Hui, 15, thinks the same as Lu. She says her classmates are seldom late for training.
“It’s a wonderful chance for us,’ says Li. “When my parents were in college, they also took part in a national day celebration. Now it’s my turn!”
By Wang Min
21st Century Teens staffHow long were the students training every day?
| A．two and a half hours | B．five hours | C．six hours | D．five and a half hours |
What did they practice doing at first?
| A．running . | B．standing and squatting | C．squatting | D．standing |
What do most of the students think of their unusual summer?
| A．A bit tiring | B．It’s a bit honor | C．It’s meaningful | D．It’s meaningless |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．It’s a wonderful chance for the students to take part in such an important celebration.” |
| B．The students are seldom late for training. |
| C．Their parents also took part in a national day celebration. |
| D．Now it’s my turn! |
Four New Cool Inventions
Mip
Mip, a playful robot, was developed by a Canadian toy maker named Wowwee. It stands 19 cm tall. You can control it simply with your gestures(手势) or a smart phone. Mip can run, balance and dance on two wheels. It can also bring you a bottle of water.
Android Wear
Google is developing a smart watch called Android Wear. The watch uses a touchscreen and voice control. Simply say “OK, Google” to ask what ever you want to know. For example, say “OK, Goodgle. Where’s the nearest toy store?” Your answer will tell you the answer on Google Maps.
Le Pen
Do you like listening to music while doing homework? If you do, you will like Le Pen. With a music player planted inside, Le Pen plays music while you write on paper. The music stops when you stop writing. So if you want to enjoy more of your favourite songs, keep on writing.
One wheel
In the near future you may find a new way to escape traffic: a self-balancing skateboard called Onewheel. It can go as fast as 19km an hour. On a single charge(充电), it can take you as far as 7-10km.
| A．go as fast as 19km an hour |
| B．tell you how to get to some places |
| C．run, balance, dance and even serve you |
| D．play music while you writing on paper |
| A．Culture. | B．Literature. |
| C．Science. | D．History |
When I was eleven years old, God gave me a gift of happiness. One day, on my way home
from school, a truck ran over me and cut off my . As I lay there bleeding, I realized that I might have to live the rest of my life legs. How depressing （令人沮丧的）! then I realized that depression won’t get my legs back. So I decided not to my life feeling depressed. When my parents arrived at the , they were shocked and sad. I told them, “I’ve already the fact. Now you also have to get used to this.” Ever since then, I often see my friends getting about little things: their bus comes late; they get a bad grade on a test. But I just life. I was lucky to realize that it is a waste of energy to focus on what you have , and that the key to happiness is to take pleasure in what you have. Sounds simple, doesn’t it ? So are many people unhappy? People often think happiness is based on what you . “My whole life would improve if I had a new car.” But when you get the and what happens? For a whole week you are walking on air. Then you go right back to being .Happiness is not a happening; it’s a state of .You can have whatever there is in the world and still be uncomfortable. Or you can have relatively and feel full of joy. Happiness comes from mastering the art of appreciating and consciously taking pleasure in what you already have.
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Last summer I went through a training program and became a literacy volunteer (扫盲志愿者). The training I received, though excellent, didn't tell me how it was to work with a real student, however. When I began to discover what other people’s lives were like because they could not read, I realized the true importance of reading.
My first student Marie was a 44-year-old single mother of three children. In the first lesson, I found out she walked two miles to the nearest supermarket twice a week because she didn't know which bus to take. When I told her I would get her a bus schedule, she told me it would not help because she couldn't read it. She said she also had difficulty once she got to the supermarket because she couldn't always remember what she needed. Also, she could only recognize items by sight, so if the product had a different label, she would not recognize it as the product she wanted.
As we worked together, learning how to read built Marie’s self-confidence. She began to make rapid progress and was even able to take the bus to the supermarket. After this successful trip, she reported how self-confident she felt. At the end of the program, she began helping her youngest son, Tony, a shy first grader, with his reading. I found that helping Marie to build her self-confidence was more rewarding than anything I had ever done before.
As a literacy volunteer, I learned a great deal about teaching and helping others. In fact, I may have learned more from the experience than Marie did. What did the writer do last summer?
| A．She worked in the supermarket. |
| B．She helped someone to learn to read. |
| C．She helped some single mothers. |
| D．She was trained by a literacy volunteer. |
Why didn't Marie go to the supermarket by bus at first?
| A．Because she liked to walk to the supermarket. |
| B．Because she didn't have a bus schedule. |
| C．Because she couldn't afford the bus ticket. |
| D．Because she couldn't find the right bus. |
How did Marie use to find the goods she wanted in the supermarket?
| A．She knew where the goods were in the supermarket. |
| B．She asked others to take her to the right place. |
| C．She managed to find the goods by their looks. |
| D．She remembered the names of the goods. |
Which of the statements is TRUE about Marie?
| A．She could do many things she had not been able to before. |
| B．She was able to read stories with the help of her son. |
| C．She decided to continue her studies in school. |
| D．She helped to build up my self-confidence. |
Late one afternoon, when a professor was walking along a country road, he saw a farmer eating his supper alone on the road before his house.
The professor walked up to the farmer and asked, “Why are you eating here alone?”
“Well, sir,” answered the farmer after a short pause, “the chimney(烟囱) smokes”
“That’s too bad,” said the professor. “But it shouldn’t be too difficult to fix. Let me have a look at it.”
And before the farmer could say a word, the professor was at the door. A broom(扫帚) fell on his shoulder and a woman’s voice shouted, “Go away, you old rascal（无赖）, or I’ll kill you…”
The professor left the house quickly. The farmer sat on the road looking very unhappy. The professor walked up to him and put his hand on his shoulder. “Never mind,” he said, “my chimney sometimes too.”The professor wanted to ________.
| A．help the farmer fix the chimney | B．eat supper with the farmer |
| C．look at the farmer’s wife | D．have a smoke |
. The woman beat the professor with a broom because ________.
| A．she didn’t want anyone to fix the chimney |
| B．the professor was too rude to her |
| C．she mistook(弄错) the professor for her husband |
| D．the professor wanted to eat supper at her house |
Which of the following is true?
| A．The farmer was happy to have the professor to help them fix the chimney. |
| B．The professor took a broom from the farmer’s house. |
| C．The farmer was happy to have his supper on the road. |
| D．The professor was surprised to see the farmer eating supper on the road. |
“ The chimney smokes” means_______.
| A．There was something wrong with the farmer’s chimney |
| B．The farmer’s wife was angry |
| C．They needed to fix the chimney |
| D．The house was full of smoke |
Stress is everywhere in our everyday life. Not only men have it, but also women and young people.
The most important reasons of stress are：death, diseases, exams, making money, getting married, moving houses, changing jobs, ending friendships and so on .
How do you know whether you have stress? Could you give your answers to the following questions?
| Yes |
No |
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| Do you easily get angry? |
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| Do you often sleep badly? |
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| Do you get headaches a lot? |
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| Do you take sleeping pills? |
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| Do you find it difficult to relax? |
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| Do you usually hide your feelings? |
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| Do you smoke and drink a lot to keep quiet? |
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| Do you find it difficult to put your heart into something? |
If you answer “Yes” to more than two of these questions, you are one of those people with stress. So what can you do about it?
Doing relaxing exercises, talking with friends and listening to light music are all usual ways of relieving（减轻） stress. However, doctors now say that there are easier ways—people should laugh and smile more often. When you laugh and smile, your body relaxes. They also say that people, especially men, should cry more often, because crying is the natural way of relieving stress.Who has got stress in everyday life?
A. Men and women. B. Young people.
C. Only men D. Both A and B. If you have over problems listed in the table, you are the person with stress.
| A．two | B．three |
| C．four | D．eight |
Which of the followings is NOT the reason for stress?
A. Taking exams. B. Taking sleeping pills.
C. Making money. D getting married. What’s the easier way to relax your body?
| A．Talking with friends. | B．Doing relaxing exercises. |
| C．Laughing, smiling and crying. | D．listening to light music |