One evening I went out and left my 17-year-old son in charge of his 8-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister. On this occasion, the work was made less troublesome by the presence of his girl friend. I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children. Later, I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with.
I had decided to return home earlier than planned so that my son and his girlfriend could go out. I called home with this happy news. But instead of hearing his cheerful, grateful voice on the other end of the line, all I heard was the sound of a telephone ringing.
It was, I should point out, after 10 p.m., when the two younger children should have been in bed. and when the two older children should have been answering the phone. “I’ll give him a lesson,” I said. I decided they must be outside. Why they might be outside at 10∶30 on a winter night I had no idea, but it was the only explanation I could come up with.
Finally, in desperation, I called his girlfriend’s house. After what seemed like countless rings, his girlfriend answered. “Yes,” she said brightly, “He’s right here.”
He came on the phone. I was not my usual calm, rational(理智的)self. After all, one of the rules of survival for modern parents is that you can’t trust modern teenagers. “Where are the children?” I said. He said they were with him. They had done nothing wrong. My son had taken the younger children over to his girlfriend’s house just for ice cream and cake. This was too good to be believed. Well, it turns out that I shouldn’t have believed it. It was only part of the truth.
The following Saturday evening we were at my parents home, celebrating my birthday. My oldest son gave me the children’s gifts. Mounted and framed were a series of lovely color photographs of my children, dressed in their best clothes, and wearing their most wonderful expressions. They are pictures to treasure a lifetime, all taken by the father of my son’s girlfriend. The author went out and left her eldest son in charge of the younger children because________________. .
| A．she knew that her eldest son was a good baby-sitter |
| B．she thought it no hard work to take care of the younger ones |
| C．she believed he could do well with his girlfriend’s help |
| D．she could not find a baby-sitter on that winter night |
When the author called home that evening, she found that _______________.
| A．two younger children had already been in bed |
| B．the children were preparing a birthday gift for her |
| C．her son was quarrelling with his girlfriend |
| D．there was no one answering the telephone |
What can you learn from the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph?
| A．The author didn’t believe what her son had told her. |
| B．The author had complete confidence in her son. |
| C．The author believed her son was telling the truth. |
| D．The author was moved by what her children had done. |
What might the children do that evening?
| A．They had a birthday party. |
| B．They framed some photographs. |
| C．They had their pictures taken. |
| D．They made some beautiful clothes. |
What does the author intend to tell us by the story?
| A．Modem teenagers are not worth trusting. |
| B．It is no easy job to look after young children. |
| C．It’s no good to have a girlfriend at an early age. |
| D．Her children have a caring and tender heart. |
HAVE FUN IN SPRING!
Special four-week mini-session
April — May
Acting Classes for Ages 4+ and Teens!
Classes meet once a week for four weeks. All classes are led by highly experienced Dallas Children’s Theater (DCT) artists. Since this is a mini-session, classes will not present a show. Pre-K (Pre-Kindergarten) students will explore stories and characters from the world of books and literature. For students in Act It Up (K-1st && 2nd-3rd) and Acting (4th-6th), the classes will explore characters, expression and creativity through creative dramatics (表演) activities.
Full $80 payment per student is required for enrollment (入学). Classes will be filled first-come-first-served. For questions or to enroll, contact Nancy Schaeffer at 214-978-0110 or nancy@dct.org.
Tuesdays 4:00-5:30 April 22-May 13, 2008
Play Days — Pre-K
●Explore the wonderful characters from your favorite books
●Act out the stories you know so well and maybe a few new ones too!
●Take turns being on the stage with your class as you become many fun and creative characters
Act It Up! Grades K-1 & Grades 2-3
Explore the most important aspects of acting:
●Characters: Who are You?
● Imagination: See where it takes you — be creative!
Wednesdays 4:30-6:00 April 23-May 14, 2008
Acting — Grades 4-6
Explore the most important aspects of acting:
● Characterization: Movement and Voice
● Imagination: Listening, Learning and Taking a chance
Auditions and Monologues (试演和独角戏) — Grade 7+
● Work on a monologue that you can use for any audition
●Learn the tricks for how to do your best at your next audition — at school, church or local theater
●Get feedback (反馈) from a professional and make improvements to your auditioning skillsThe ad is about ______.
| A．training classes for students |
| B．the directions for a product |
| C．acting classes for college students |
| D．an introduction to a film |
To attend the special four-week mini-session, you’ll have to ______.
| A．register at DCT |
| B．prove that you can act |
| C．be old enough for each class |
| D．pay $80 once a week |
Which class may offer you a chance to enjoy playing the characters you like?
| A．Auditions and Monologues. | B．Play Days. |
| C．Act It Up! | D．Acting. |
Those who attend Auditions and Monologues ______.
| A．mainly explore the imagination |
| B．have to start their lessons on April 22 |
| C．will often practise using movement and voice |
| D．are mainly taught some skills for their future use |
On Sunday a few of us decided to take advantage of the first sunny day we’d have for ages to take a trip down to the coast to visit the penguins again. Last time I went down there was a couple of months ago and it was a dull cold day. Sunday couldn’t have been more different — clear skies and sunshine made it feel like summer, although it was still -25°C.
Six of us drove to the coast. It was the first time we’d been off the base on our own without our field assistant, so it had a slightly different feeling — more like a few friends going to the seaside than an Antarctic field trip! When we reached Windy Creek, we luckily caught sight of quite a few small flying seabirds, which are seldom seen there.
Once on the sea ice we found that some of the more curious penguins had wandered over from the main group to come and check us out. We’d been told that then they were nursing their chicks (刚孵出的幼雏) and they would be more careful and nervous than last time, but that didn’t seem to be the case. We walked across to the main group which were stretched for a couple of miles along the coast. We sat down for some sandwiches and soon found ourselves surrounded by many curious observers. Without any attackers on land, they were very brave and came within a meter of us to pose (摆姿势) for photos.
Before heading back, we spent a few hours on the sea ice watching the penguins and their chicks, which had grown dramatically (明显地) since our last visit.
It was such a nice day.When did the trip most probably happen?
| A．On a dull Sunday. | B．On a warm Sunday. |
| C．On a summer Sunday. | D．On a winter Sunday. |
It can be inferred from the second paragraph that the six people _____.
| A．felt a little nervous |
| B．felt a little excited |
| C．were left all by themselves on their Antarctic base |
| D．got bored with staying with their field assistant |
What does the writer mean by saying “but that didn’t seem to be the case”?
| A．They were told a lie. |
| B．A wrong decision was made. |
| C．The truth was the opposite. |
| D．They didn’t believe what they were told. |
The six people did the following during the trip EXCEPT _____.
| A．feed the penguins |
| B．take pictures of the penguins |
| C．enjoy watching flying seabirds |
| D．watch the young penguins |
You might be reading this article and saying, "Hey, that sounds just like me!" If so, we're glad you recognize that this happens to you．Now you can start taking steps to lessen your test anxiety．Here are some ways to do that:
Ask for help．Talk to your mom or dad, your teacher, or your school guidance counselor．Just talking to someone about test anxiety can make you feel better．Describe what happens to you when you're taking a test and these people can help you figure out some solutions．For instance, learning study skills can boost your test-day confidence．
Be prepared．Pay attention in class．Do your homework．Study for the test．On test day, you're more likely to feel like you know the material．
Block bad thoughts．Watch out for any negative messages you might be sending yourself about the test．These thoughts can make anxiety worse and make it harder for you to do well in the test.
________．Everyone makes mistakes．Be more forgiving of your own mistakes, especially if you prepared for the test and are set to do your best．
Breathe better．OK, so you already know how to breathe．But did you know that breathing exercises can help calm you down?（Just try not to take in too much air because it might make you feel dizzy．） Here's how to do it; Inhale （breathe in） slowly and deeply through your nose, and then exhale （breathe out） slowly through your mouth．Do this two to four times and you just might breathe more easily the next time you're taking a test!Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
Having too many negative messages in mind leads to worse test anxiety, which may stop you from doing well in the test．
___________________________________________________________________Please fill in the blank in the last but one paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence, （not more than 10 words）
___________________________________________________________________Which of the tips do you think is the most useful? （not more than 30 words）
___________________________________________________________________What's the best title of the passage? （not more than 10 words）
___________________________________________________________________Translate the underlined sentence in the 6th paragraph into Chinese.
___________________________________________________________________
Friendship continues to remain central to our lives. Friends often affect our health and energy. More and more people are increasingly turning towards their friends for support and sharing rather than just communicating with their relatives. We may have a very unclear understanding of what makes a friend but we all want to have a good number of friends around us. There are certain things you do to help you make friends or at least help you get close to people whom you want to make friends with.
The first step to make friends with people is to make them like you. If they don’t like you in the first place, it is unlikely that they’ll be eager to become your friends. To let someone know that you are interested in him, simple gestures like a little smile and calling him by his name can help. To make the other person feel important, you need to be a good listener and to encourage him to talk. Give your honest and sincere opinion, but do not make fun of him.
The second step is to develop trust in each other. You need to share opinions with this person and it is necessary for you to develop a habit of seeing things from his point of view. To become the best of friends, you must show concern and consideration for your friends’ desires and opinions.
The third and final step is to show your support and encouragement towards your friend. Moreover, you also need to be very clear about your expectations from your friend. If what you expect from the person you want to be a friend matches with what that person can and wants to do in friendship, the developing friendship between you and your friend is sure to be easy and successful.What can we learn about friends and friendship?
| A．Friendship is not important in our life. |
| B．Friends have nothing to do with our health and energy. |
| C．Friends can provide us with support. |
| D．Relatives can not become friends. |
Which is the right order of making friends according to the writer?
① When you meet some problems, you ask him for help.
② When he is in trouble, you tell him your ideas.
③ You smile at him to let him know you like him.
| A．②①③ | B．①②③ | C．③①② | D．③②① |
We can infer from the passage that _____.
| A．you can’t call your friend by his name |
| B．friends should understand each other |
| C．there should be no secret between friends |
| D．friends don’t need support and encouragement |
What is the main purpose of the writer?
| A．To tell us about the importance of making friends. |
| B．To tell us about the advantages and disadvantages of friendship. |
| C．To introduce the steps for making friends. |
| D．To tell us that friends are hard to make. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word gestures?
| A．身势语 | B．客人 | C．猜测 | D．表演 |
You speak, write a letter, and make a telephone call. Your words carry a message. People communicate with words. Do you think you can communicate without words?
A smile on your face shows you are happy or friendly. Tears in your eyes tell others that you are sad. When you raise your hand in class, the teacher knows you want to say something or ask questions. You shake your head, and people know you are saying "No". You nod and people know you are saying "Yes". Other things can also carry messages. For example, a sign at the bus stop helps you to know which bus to take. A sign on the wall of your school helps you to find the library. Signs on doors tell you where to go in or out. Have you ever noticed that there are a lot of signs around you and that you receive messages from them all the time? People can communicate in many other ways. An artist can use his drawings to tell about beautiful mountains, about the blue sea and many other things. Books are written to tell you about all the wonderful things in the world and also about people and their ideas. Books, magazines, TV and radios and films all help us to communicate with each other. They all help us to know what is going on in the world and what other people are thinking about. Can we communicate with each other without words?
| A．Yes, some times we can. |
| B．No, we can't. |
| C．No. It's impossible. |
| D．Yes, we always do so. |
When we see somebody smile, then, he must be feeling ____.
| A．angry |
| B．joyful |
| C．surprised |
| D．sad |
We can learn news from ____.
| A．newspapers |
| B．radio |
| C．TV |
| D．ABC |
A sign at the bus stop tells you ____.
| A．how many buses there are |
| B．what kind of bus it is |
| C．where the bus comes and goes |
| D．how much money you'll pay for the ticket |
What do you think is the quickest way to communicate with your friend in another city?
| A．Writing a letter. |
| B．Making a telephone. |
| C．Drawing a picture. |
| D．Asking someone else to take a message. |