People say teenagers are no good. They make too much noise in shopping malls; they drive recklessly(不顾一切地) up and down America’s main streets; they carry chips on their shoulders as big as the Sears Tower. And at least some of the time those things are true. But we shouldn’t forget that there are hard moments in the life of a teenager too.
I watched such a moment not long ago at a woman’s funeral. I didn’t expect the event to affect me. Through much of the ceremony, in fact, I remained unmoved.
The teenage grandson stepped forward. With his very first deep breath, every heart in that church was achingly reminded of something we had all forgotten. Softly he began: “I want to share a few values that Nana taught me. She never failed to see light in any situation. When our family dog would truely attract her, what would Nana say? ‘oh, what beautiful barking that dog has!’ That was Nana. ”
“She was a strong woman who often lived in the shadow of my grandpa, who was a successful businessman in this city. But she was the one behind the scenes who provided the strength and support for my grandpa’s career,” he said, with a voice now trembling, “That was Nana’s way.”
Through a low sob, he continued, “Whenever she did anything worth recognition, you ’d have to hear about it from a different source, because she was never one to show off.”
Finally, in a voice breaking free of sorrow, he looked up and said, “Nana taught me courage. She put up an incredible fight to the end, when she died peacefully, which is how she lived her life. That was Nana’s way, and I hope I can carry on in the same manner.”
There are no hearts as sensitive as those of teenagers, because everything is happening to them for the first time. The trouble with teenagers is that they haven’t learned to be controlled.
When that boy rose to speak about the woman who surely had been his truest and dearest friend, his honest voice dragged each of us out into the open where we could no longer hide in the calm ceremony . He exposed us to the truth about this very real woman who believed in a boy who probably tried the patience of many adults. He reminded us that his grandmother was more than another dot on the chart of life and death.
All over again we felt those powerful losses crossing our own hearts, and we knew that when you say good-bye to something happy, something young in yourself. And that something never really returns, and the pain never really goes away.In the first paragraph, the writer gave some examples to_____.
A.support his idea that young people are no good. |
B.introduce his point of view about young people. |
C.tell people every coin has its two sides. |
D.young people often make mistakes. |
From the boy’s speech, we know _____.
A.his grandmother had great influence on him. |
B.they had a dog which often attacked people |
C.people had forgotten her until the boy appeared.. |
D.his grandmother was so weak that she is always living in the shadow of his grandpa |
Which of the following statements is true?
A.The boy ‘s speech moved no one present at the funeral except the writer. |
B.The boy’s being good at expressing himself enabled him to draw everyone’s attention. |
C.The boy was too grieved to accept the fact that his grandmother had passed away. |
D.The writer didn’t expect the event would affect him. |
What words can best describe grandmother’s quality?
A. weak, mild and modest.
B.. easygoing, cautious and considerate
C. sensitive and hard on others.
D, patient, optimistic, strong and helpful. The passage tells the readers____.
A.facing certain bitter facts help young people to grow. |
B.young people have to control themselves |
C.the adults should learn from the young. |
D.the adults should teach the young how to be brave |
Stay in the magic with your friends and family and book a hotel stay at either Disney’s Hollywood Hotel or Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel.As a hotel guest, you can enjoy an extra day at Hong Kong Disneyland Park during your stay when you buy a one-day ticket!
How It Works
Hotel guests staying at either the Disney’s Hollywood Hotel or Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel who buy a Hong Kong Disneyland Park ticket will receive an extra park admission for the following day.Guests can buy Stay and Play for 2 Days tickets as soon as you check in at the Front Desk.Ticket price will be based on the first day a guest visits the Park.If the first visit day is a Regular Day, guests can buy Regular Day tickets even though the following day may be a Peak or Special Day.If the first visit day is a Peak(峰) Day, Guests should buy Peak Day tickets even though the following day may be a Regular Day.
This offer is available 13 May through 30 September 2006.Guests who have bought their Hong Kong Disneyland Park tickets before 13 May 2006 can exchange their unused and not expired(过期的)tickets to Stay and Play for 2 Days tickets at the Hotel Front Desk.
Where to Buy
Guests can book their hotel stay through the following:
Call Hong Kong Disneyland Reservation Center at +852 1-830-830, opens daily 9 am-6 pm.
OR
Get in touch with your travel agent.
Dates to Remember
Offer Period 13 May 2006 – 30 September 2006
Last Day to buy Stay and Play for 2 days tickets 29 September 2006
Last Visit Date 30 September 2006
For more information, please click here.As a guest at Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, you can enjoy an extra day in ______ .
A.Hong Kong Disneyland Park | B.a Hong Kong family |
C.Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel | D.Disney’s Hollywood Hotel |
You can get a Stay and Play for 2 Days ticket ________ .
A.from 13 May 2006 to 30 September 2006 |
B.by getting in touch with your travel agent |
C.by calling 852 1-830-830 any time of the day |
D.with your used Hong Kong Disneyland Park ticket |
This advertisement is probably taken from ________ .
A.a newspaper | B.a magazine |
C.the website | D.a travel handbook |
The old man walked with a cane (拐杖) slowly into the restaurant. His poor jacket, patched (打补丁的) trousers, and worn-out shoes made him stand out from the usual Saturday morning breakfast crowd. Unforgettable were his pale blue eyes that sparkled like diamonds, large rosy cheeks, and thin lips that held a steady smile.
He walked toward a table by the window. A young waitress watched him and ran over to him, saying, “Here, Sir. Let me give you a hand with that chair.”
Without a word, he smiled and nodded a thank you. She pulled the chair away from the table. Supporting him with one arm, she helped him move in front of the chair, and get comfortably seated. Then she pushed the table up close to him, and leaned his cane against the table where he could reach it.
In a soft, clear voice he said, “Thank you, Miss.”
“You’re welcome, Sir.” She replied. “My name is Mary. I’ll be back in a moment. If you need anything, just wave at me.”
After he had finished a hearty meal of pancakes, bacon, and hot lemon tea, Mary brought him the change, helping him up from his chair and out from behind the table. She handed him his cane, and walked with him to the front door. Holding the door open for him, she said, “Come back and see us, Sir!”
He nodded a thank you and said softly with a smile, “You are very kind!”
When Mary went to clean his table, she was shocked. Under his plate she found a business card and a note written on the napkin, under which was a $ 100 bill.
The note on the napkin read, “Dear Mary, I respect you very much, and you respect yourself, too. It shows by the way you treat others. You have found the secret of happiness. Your kind gestures will shine through those who meet you.”
The man she had served was the owner of the restaurant. This was the first time that she, or any of his employees, had seen him in person.Mary ran over to the old man because _____.
A.the old man was the boss of the restaurant |
B.she was worried that the old man might cause trouble to the restaurant |
C.the old man had asked her to wait on him |
D.she saw the old man had some difficulty moving and taking a seat |
The words the man left on the napkin suggested that _____.
A.respecting others means respecting oneself |
B.serving others is a respectable job |
C.Mary would get a rise as a result of her kindness |
D.Mary’s kind service would bring in more money for her |
Which of the following titles goes best with the story?
A.A kind- hearted Girl | B.Kindness Means Opportunities |
C.Shining Kindness | D.A Special boss |
People have strange ideas about food. For example, the tomato is a kind of very delicious vegetable. It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways. It has rich nutrition and vitamin in it. But in the 18th century, Americans never ate tomatoes. They grew them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty. But they thought the vegetable was poisonous (有毒的). They called tomatoes “poison apples.”
President Thomas Jefferson, however, knew that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President’s party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples.
Jefferson never spoke to his honored (忠实的) guests about the fact.The passage tells us that Jefferson was a President who learned to love the taste of tomatoes .
A.when he was a little boy | B.while he was in Paris |
C.because his parents told him so | D.from books |
According to the text, _______ made the beautiful pink soup served at the President’s party?
A.the President himself | B.a French cook |
C.the President’s cook | D.the President’s wife |
From the passage we know all the honored guests invited by Jefferson were .
A.people from other countries | B.from France |
C.men only | D.people of his own country |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A.All of the guests knew the soup that was served at the President’s party was made of tomatoes. |
B.All of the guests thought the soup which was prepared by the President’s cook was nice. |
C.All of the guests thought the taste of the beautiful pink soup was nice. |
D.None of the guests knew that their president would serve his honored guests poison apples. |
A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves– the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.
We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. But we really shouldn’t be, because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.
This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Beware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying, “Good job!”
Words possess power because of their lasting effects. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it true? Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.
Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem(自尊) and motive others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.The author argues in the first paragraph that ________.
A.words will never hurt us at all |
B.positive effects last longer than negative effects |
C.words have lasting effects on us |
D.negative words last longer than positive effects |
Why should we not feel embarrassed when talking to ourselves?
A.Talking to ourselves is believed to be good for our health. |
B.It does harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone. |
C.Talking to ourselves helps us to solve all the problems. |
D.Almost everybody has the habit of talking to oneself. |
The underlined phrase “give ourselves a pat on the back” in Paragraph 3 means _______.
A.blame ourselves | B.punish ourselves |
C.talk to ourselves | D.praise ourselves |
Which of the following statements would the author agree to?
A.It is impossible for unkind words to be forgotten. |
B.It is better to think twice before talking to others. |
C.Words always possess long positive effects. |
D.Kind words are sometimes not needed at all. |
Cheating can happen in a lot of different ways. When people cheat, it’s not fair to other people, like the kids who studied for the test or who the true winners of a game were.
Many people like the action of cheating. It makes difficult things seem easy, like getting all the right answers on the test. But it doesn’t solve the problem of not knowing the material and it won’t help on the next test---unless the person cheats again.
People lose respect for cheaters and think less of them. The cheaters themselves may feel bad because they know they are not really earning that good grade. And, if they get caught cheating, they will be in trouble at school, and may be at home, too.
Some kids cheat because they’re busy or lazy and they want to get good grades without spending time studying. Other kids might feel like they can’t pass the test without cheating, even when there seems to be a good reason for cheating, cheating isn’t a good idea.
If you were sick or upset about something the night before the day and couldn’t study, it would be better to talk with the teacher about this. And if you don’t have enough time to study for a test because of swim practice, you need to talk with you parents about how to balance swimming and school.
A kid who thinks cheating is the only way to pass a test needs to talk with the teacher and his or her parents so they can find some solutions(解决办法) together. Talking about these problems and working them out will feel better than cheating.The author thinks that when kids cheat in class, ______.
A.it is unfair to other people. |
B.it does harm to their health. |
C.teachers should punish them. |
D.teachers shouldn’t stop them at once. |
Some students like cheating mainly because______.
A.the material in the test is very difficult. |
B.they want to do better than the others. |
C.cheating can make hard things seem very easy. |
D.they have little time to study their lessons. |
The fourth paragraph mainly tells us______.
A.some kids can’t pass the test without cheating |
B.why kids cheat in the test. |
C.cheating isn’t a good idea. |
D.some kids don’t spend the time studying. |
We can learn from the passage _______.
A.cheaters are often thought highly of |
B.people show no respect for those who cheat. |
C.parents whose kids cheat are often in trouble. |
D.kids cheat in the test because of swim practice. |