FU Yuan has been left at home with his grandparents since he was one month old. His mom and dad left to work in Fujian Province. For the past eight years, Fu has only seen his parents three times although they send home 500 yuan every two or three months.
Fu Xiaoyu, 16, has had to live alone since her grandmother passed away three years ago. Her parents do not want to renounce their jobs at a clothing factory in Guangdong Province. Nor can they afford the cost of sending her to a school in the city where they work.
These are just two of the 29 kids that 16-year-olds Huang Ruoqing and Zhang Linna at Beijing No 4 High School talked with this summer in Guixiang Village in Sichuan Province.
What Huang and Zhang learned from their three-day visit shocked them. They wrote down all the kids’ stories in a moving 40-page essay filled with statistical charts.(统计表)
In the poor village with a population of 2,118 people, 582 adults have left to find work, leaving 156 children without parents. Among these so-called left-behind kids, 88 percent of them live with their grandparents, five percent live with uncles or aunts and seven percent have to live on their own.
To Huang and Zhang’s surprise, 80 percent of the children said they love going to school. Even
though, some children have to walk along the hilly roads for two hours to get there.
However, for this village’s students studying is not their first task. Housework, such as helping feed pigs or buffalos(水牛) and taking care of old grandparents, younger sisters or brothers, takes up a considerable amount of their time.
Despite having to work hard at home, over 65 percent of the young interviewees would prefer their parents’ stay away working rather than returning to live with them.
“These kids are understanding and considerate and know how important money is for their families. Their little wishes like having dinner with their parents inspire us never to take what we have had for granted,” Zhang said.
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A.Fu Xiaoyu’s parents can’t earn enough money to send her to school. |
B.Huang Ruoqing and Zhang Linna talked with 29 children this summer during their research. |
C.Some left-behind kids live with uncles, aunts, or grandparents and others live by themselves. |
D.More than half of the left-behind kids prefer their parents’ staying away working. |
It is implied but not directly stated that
A.Fu Yuan’s parents send him 500 yuan every 2 or 3 months |
B.Huang Ruoqing and Zhang Linna wrote an essay according to the left-behind kids’ stories |
C.Many left-behind kids love studying and going to school in spite of many hardships |
D.The time that the left-behind kids spend on housework is more than that on study |
What’s the exact meaning of the underlined word “renounce”in the second paragraph?
A.Keep | B.continue | C.give up | D.get |
Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A.Kids Are Left Alone | B.The True Story of Home Alone |
C.Kids Miss Parents | D.Parents and Kids |
Chaplin, one of the greatest and funniest actors, was born in London in 1889. When a poor boy, he was often seen waiting outside the London theatres, hoping to get work in show business. He could sing and dance, and above all, he knew how to make people laugh. But he couldn’t get work and therefore wandered about the city streets.
Charlie Chaplin first acted when he was five. He broke into show business because his mother, a music-hall performer, lost her voice during the performance and had to leave the stage, and Charlie went on and sang a well-known song. Halfway through the song, a shower of money poured onto the stage. Charlie stopped singing and told audiences he would pick the money first and then finish the song. The audiences laughed. This was the first of millions of laughs in Charlie Chaplin’s fabulous(神话) career.
Twenty years later the same Chaplin became the greatest and best loved comedian in the world. His dream came true in the world. His dream came true in the end. Chaplin became world-famous and almost a king in the world of the film.
Even people who don’t understand English can enjoy Chaplin’s films because they are mostly silent. The equipment for adding sound to films had not yet been developed. The development of films with sound became a problem for Chaplin, as he was uncertain about making films with dialogues. Instead, he coninued to make films without dialogue, but he added music, which he wrote himself. It isn’t what he says that makes us laugh. His comedy doesn’t depend on words. It depends on little actions which mean the same thing to people the world over.
Chaplin lived most of his life in America and the last years in Switzerland, where he was buried at Christmas 1977, at the age of eighty-eight. There was sadness all over the world at the news of his death.
In his book, Chaplin tells us how to succeed in life. He says, “You have to believe in yourself. That’s the secret.”Chaplin is regarded as king of comedy mainly because______.
A.lots of people have seen his films |
B.he could sing and dance well |
C.he knew how to make people laugh |
D.he acted out the common human situations best in his comedy |
What makes people laugh in Chaplin’s films?
A.It isn’t his words but his actions. | B.Neither his words nor actions. |
C.Either his words or his actions. | D.Not only his words but also his actions. |
The only secret of Charles Chaplin’s huge success is that______.
A.he can make all people, men and women, old and young laugh |
B.he has full trust in himself |
C.he is always active and hard-working all his life |
D.though he is always in trouble, he never loses heart |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.He was too shy to meet the managers of the theatres. |
B.People won’t stop laughing until tears run down Chaplin’s face. |
C.People all over the world can enjoy Chaplin’s films without translation because most of them are silent. |
D.He wouldn’t like to work at the theatre. |
For the past many centuries, people had been enjoying the benefits of green tea for the body. Many people would prefer drinking green tea than white tea and black tea, simply because of its distinct aroma(香味) not found in other types of tea. Nowadays, keeping the natural greenish color of tea leaves remained just like before. This is done by preparing the green tea just like the way it was prepared before—by washing the leaves right after pulling off them from the bush, then boiling them.
There have been many healthful claims saying that drinking green tea-based products help a lot in improving the general health of their body. For a long time, there has been many beliefs saying that green tea can help, cure beriberi disease(脚气病), treat wounds, and even prevent tiredness. Now modern technology determines that there are even added healthful benefits that include reducing the possibility of having a heart disease and helping people to lose more weight easily.
Besides, studies have found out that green tea has Polyphenols(多酚类), a type of flaonoid(类黄酮) that greatly reduces the amount of time of cell maturation. The flavonoid found in green tea is called EGCg- a stronger matter than Vitamin C and E. It is believed to be 20 times stronger than these mentioned vitamins.
Having two cups of green tea daily is a good routine for your body. However, most doctors would suggest drinking at least 4 cups a day is the best. You can slowly increase the amount of drinking it to allow your body to get used to it. There is nothing to lose but everything to gain in drinking green tea.
Which of the following shows the right order according to the passage? _______.
a. making the leaves clean
b. pulling off them from the bush.
c. boiling the leaves.
A.a, b, c | B.b, a, c | C.a, c, b | D.b, c, a |
Which word in the passage has a similar meaning as the underlined word “distinct”________?
A.green | B.general | C.common | D.unique |
Green tea can help us in many aspects EXCEPT __________.
A.Curing beriberi disease | B.Preventing tiredness |
C.Curing heart disease | D.Losing weight |
It can be inferred from the passage that __________.
A.drinking green tea has a history of thousands of years. |
B.flavooid, a ![]() |
C.Vitamin C and E is 20 times stronger than EGCg. |
D.drinking green tea has no bad effect but benefits. |
Which of the following might be the best title for the text? __________.
A.Process of making green tea. | B.Characteristic of green tea. |
C.Benefits of drinking green tea. | D.History and types of green tea. |
There are many fun, free activities that you can do as a family. All that is required is a bit of imagination and some time set aside for fun. And the best part is that these are the kind of memories a child will remember for a lifetime.
Family game night
Find out any of the games that are already around the house. Kids often get computer games for Christmas or birthdays, and would love to have a chance to play with their family. Or, make up some games of your own. “Charades” is a fun game to play that will challenge a child to use his/her imagination. Divide the family into teams and let each team come up with words that the other has to act out.
________________________
Pick some time for the family to sit down and come up with their own masterpiece. It doesn’t need to be just a drawing -- take some old magazines sitting around the house, let the kids cut out pictures and paste them into their own montage. Or, use items from nature. Let them use leaves, pine cones, twigs and whatever else they can find to create something from their imaginations.
Family Picnic
Taking the family for a picnic is a great way for some fun that doesn’t cost any money. If the weather is nice, take them to a park or playground and let the kids have a day of playing. Or, if it is the middle of winter and a foot of snow is on the ground, set up a picnic in the living room.
Family Field Trip
A family field trip doesn’t have to cost a dime. Ask a nearby farm if it would be alright to bring your kids out for a tour and to see some of the animals. Or take them to a park and make a scavenger hunt where they need to find certain items from nature. Ask a local business if you could bring the family for a tour to see how things work -- you might be surprised at the number of people who would be thrilled to share what they do with others, and it could be an interesting lesson for the kids.We can learn from the passage that “charades” ________.
A.is a computer game | B.is too difficult for children |
C.involves acting out words | D.should be played by more than four people |
What is the best title to be put in the blank of part two? ____________.
A.Family art time | B.Family gardening time |
C.Family music time | D.Family cleaning time |
According to the passage, the family picnic____________.
A.should be held in the middle of winter |
B.can be held inside your house |
C.will be very meaningful if held in offices |
D.will cost much money if held on a farm |
Who might be most interested in this passage? _________.
A.Parents | B.Teachers | C.Farmers | D.Employers |
The writer wrote this passage mainly to _____________.
A.encourage children to use imagination. |
B.share precious family memories |
C.discuss young children’s interests |
D.suggest fun activities to families |
People live in different parts of the world and lead different types of lives. Their lifestyles change across the different areas in the world. What is the difference between a city and country life? Let us see.
We can see the modern facilities everywhere in the city like the Internet, telephone, television and satellite communication facilities are widely available in the city. A majority of families in the city are enjoying this technological advancement.
The increasing population has led to an imbalance in human population. More and more industries have led to environmental problems like pollution.
However, the rise in economic growth has resulted in a self-centered nature of society. While technological advancement has brought the world closer, human beings have gone far apart from each other.
The country is not crowded with constructions all over. Houses are rather widely spaced with enough room for fields and gardens. The country is the only area fortunate enough to house the greens. People in the country live in close to nature. Apart from people, there is room for pets and animals that help keep a balance in nature.
Due to a lesser number of people in the country, it is not overcrowded by people. These areas have least amounts of pollution. Pollution is less also because of very less number of industries in the country. The life may not be as enjoyable as that in the city, but the people there are generous, kind and friendly. The country is the one where humanity(人性) is still alive.
Every coin has two sides to it. While we can’t enjoy expensive things and technology in the country, it is rich in its relationship with ‘nature’. The city life is modern in te
chnology and career opportunities. However, the falling humanity and a bad environmental balance affect the bright future of city life.
What’s the main purpose of the passage? _________.
A.To persuade more people to live ![]() |
B.To inform us of some information about a better l![]() |
C.To tell us differences between city life and country life. |
D.To explain why people don’t want to live in the city. |
Which of the following shows the right structure of the passage? __________.
①①①
A.②③④⑤⑥ | B.②③④⑤⑥⑦ | C.①②③④⑤⑥ | D.④⑤⑥②③ |
⑦⑦⑦ According to the passage, the main reason for pollution is ____________.
A.technology and economy | B.population and industries |
C.population and humanity | D.industries and balance. |
The underlined word in the fifth paragraph most probably refers to ___________.
A.green gas | B.green buildings | C.green lands | D.green animals |
It can be inferred from the last paragraph that __________
A.it’s up to you whether to choose city life or country life. |
B.both city life and country life have advantages and disadvantages. |
C.more and more people will move to the country in the future. |
D.the young prefer![]() |
“Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeleton (骨骼) in the closet (衣橱)?”Jessica asked. “A skeleton in the closet?” her mother paused thoughtfully, “Well, it’s something that you would rather not have anyone else know about. For example, if in the past, someone in Dad’s family had been arrested for stealing a horse, it would be ‘a skeleton in his family’s closet’. He really wouldn’t want any neighbor to know about it.”
“Why pick on my family?” Jessica’s father said with anger. “Your family history isn’t so good, you know. Wasn’t you great – great grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes?”“Yes, but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners.”“Gosh, sorry I asked. I think I understand now,” Jessica cut in before things grew worse.
After dinner, the house was very quiet. Jessica’s parents were still quite angry with each other. Her mother was ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband, who hid behind his newspaper pretending to read. When she finished, she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Jessica’s closet. Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor. Jessica’s mother sank into a faint (晕倒), waking only when Jessica put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. She looked up to see the worried faces of her husband and daughter.
“What happened? Where am I?” she asked. “You just destroyed the school’s skeleton, Mum,” explained Jessica. “I brought it home to help me with my health project. I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad.” Jessica looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly. “They’re both crazy,” she thought.According to Jessica’s mother, “a skeleton in the closet” means .
A.a family honor | B.a family secret |
C.a family story | D.a family treasure |
What can we learn about some Australian’s ancestors from Paragraph 2?______.
A.They were brought to Australia as prisoners. |
B.They were the earliest people living in Australia. |
C.They were involved in some crimes in Australia. |
D.They were not regarded as criminals in their days. |
Jessica’s mother fell down into a faint because she was .
A.knocked | B.frightened | C.injured | D.surprised |
Why did Jessica bring a skeleton home? _________.
A.She was curious about it. | B.She planned to keep it for fun. |
C.She needed it for her school task. | D.She intended to scare her parents. |
Jessica’s parents laughed madly at the end of the story probably because .
A.they were crazy |
B.they were overexcited |
C.they realized their misunderstanding |
D.they both thought they had won the quarrel |