It was Saturday . As always, it was a busy one, for "Six days shall you labor and do all your work" was taken seriously back then. Outside,Father and Mr. Patrick next door were busy chopping firewood. Inside their own houses, Mother and Mrs. Patrick were engaged in spring cleaning.
Somehow the boys had slipped away to the back lot with their kites. Now, even at the risk of having Brother caught to beat carpets , they had sent him to the kitchen for string(线). It seemed there was no limit to the heights to which kites would fly today.
My mother looked at the sitting room ,its furniture disorderd for a thorough sweeping, Agun she cast a look toward the window. "Come on, girls ! Let's take string to the boys and watch them
On the way we met Mrs. Patrick, laughing guiltily as if she were doing something
wrong, together with her girls.
There never was such a day for flying kited! We played all our fresh string into the boys' kites and they went up higher and higher .We could hardly distinguish the orange-colored spots of the kites. Now and then we slowly pulled one kite back, watching it dancing up and down it the wind, and finally bringing it down to earth , just for the joy of sending it up again.
Even our fathers dropped their tools and joined us. Our mothers took their turn, laughing like schoolgirls. I think we were all beside ourselves. Parents forgot their duty and their dignity; children forgot their everyday fights and little jealousies. "Perhaps it's like this in the kingdom of heaven," I thought confusedly.
It was growing dark before we all walked sleepily back to house. I suppose we had some sort of supper. I suppose there must have been a surface tidying-up, for the house on Sunday looked clean and orderly enough. The strange thing was , we didn't mention that day afterward. I flt a little embarrassed .Surely none of the others had been as excited as I. I locked the memory up in that deepest part of me where we keep"the things that cannot be and yet they are."
The years went on, then one day I was hurrying about my kitchen in a city apartment, trying to get some work out of the way while my three-year-old insistently cried her desire to "go park ,see duck."
"I can't go!" I said. "I have this and this to do, and when I'm through I'll be too tired to walk that for."
My mother , who was visiting us , looked up from the peas she was shelling ,"It's a wonderful day,"she offered,"Really warm , yet there's a fine breczc . Do you remember that day we flew kites?"
I stopped in my dash between stove and sink . The looked door flew open and with it a rush of memories. "Come on."I told my little girl. "You're right , it's too good a day to miss."
Another decade passed. We were in the aftermath (余波)of a great war. All evening we had been asking our returned soldier, the youngest Patrick Boy, about his experiences as a prisoner of war. He had talked freely , but now for a long time he had been silent . What was he thinking of - what dark and horrible things?
"Say!" A smile slipped out from his lips . "Do you remember --- no, of course you wouldn't . It probably didn't make the impression on you as it did on me."
I hardly dared speak."Remember what ?"
"I used to think of that day a lot in POW camp(战俘营), when things weren't too good. Do you remember the day we flew the kites?"
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Mrs. Patrick was laughing guiltily because she thought.
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2. |
By"we were all beside ourselves", the writer means that they all
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3. |
What did the writer think after the kite-flying?
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4. |
Why did the writer finally agree to take her little girl for an outing?
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5. |
The youngest Patrick Boy is mentioned to show that
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It was a quiet village in which there was a military camp (军营). It was far from the towns and cities and there were some high mountains around. Of course it was a good place for training the new soldiers. But it was difficult for the young men to go outside. Mr. White, an officer of forty, was strict with them and he hardly let them leave the camp.
Once Mr. White was ill in bed. He couldn’t work and a young officer, Mr. Hunt began to train the new soldiers instead of him. He knew the young men well and let nine soldiers go to the nearest town to have a holiday. But night fell and none came back to the camp. He was worried about it and stood at the gate. It was five to twelve when Mr. Hunt decided to go to the town and see what was happening to the young men. He started the car quickly and set off. At that moment the nine soldiers came back. It seemed they drank wine. Of course they found the officer was angry.
“I’m sorry, sir,”said the first soldier.“I left the town on time. But something was wrong with my bus on my way here. I had to buy a horse and made it run fast. Bad luck! It died and I had to run back.”
And the other seven soldiers said they were late for the same reasons. It was the last soldier’s turn. He said, “I’m sorry, sir. I got on a bus on time, but…”
Having heard this, the officer became even angrier and stopped him at once. He called out, “If you say something was wrong with your bus, I’ll punish you at once!”
“No, no, sir,” said the young man. “My bus was all right, but the horse died!”The military camp was built in the village to________.
A.stop the soldiers from going to towns |
B.stop the soldiers from meeting their friends |
C.train the new soldiers |
D.make the young men live quietly |
Mr. Hunt let the nine soldiers have a holiday because__________.
A.he was kind to them | B.they felt lonely |
C.they had something important to do | D.they were the best of all |
The young officer was worried because_______.
A.a traffic accident had happened |
B.he was afraid something happened to the nine soldiers |
C.the nine soldiers would come back |
D.the nine soldiers drank too much in the town |
The nine soldiers returned to the camp late because________.
A.something was wrong with their buses |
B.their horses died on the return way |
C.it took them much time to run back |
D.they all drank much in the town |
Which answer do you think is true?
A.You’ll believe only the last soldier. |
B.The officer believed the nine soldiers. |
C.You’ll believe none of the nine soldiers. |
D.The officer won’t punish his soldiers. |
Jess really felt very happy. When he arrived at his seat in the classroom that morning, he found an invitation on his desk. It was from several of his classmates asking him to join them on a camping trip. This was the first time he was asked to join in an out-of-school activity. Why were they asking him now? Nobody seemed to like him. In fact,he had been so lonely that he drowned his feeling with food. As a result,he had put on a lot of weight,and this gave the kids something more to make fun of him.
Cindy, who was standing near Jess when he read the invitation, went out quickly to tell the others that the trick(恶作剧)had worked. Everyone was pleased that Jess thought that was true. But there was no camping trip. The whole thing was made up.
At first, Cindy thought it was fun. But later, when Jess told her that he was going to buy a sleeping bag with his savings(积蓄), Cindy had a second idea. She knew that Jess’s family had little money, and she hated to see him spend his savings on something he would never use. Cindy also hated to tell Jess the truth. Her close friends would be angry with her. What could she do now?The sentence “…he drowned his feeling with food” means “________”.
A.he ate a lot to make himself feel less lonely |
B.he asked for a lot of food from his classmates |
C.he brought his food to his classmates |
D.he had a lot of food to put on weight |
What would happen if Cindy told Jess the truth?
A.Jess would go on the camping trip himself. |
B.Jess's family would be angry with Cindy. |
C.Cindy might have trouble with her friends. |
D.Jess would be thankful to his classmates. |
If Jess really bought a sleeping bag, ________.
A.everyone else would also buy one |
B.it would be the best in the class |
C.Cindy would pay for it |
D.he would have it for no use |
From the story we can guess ________.
A.everybody would go camping in the class |
B.Jess had few friends in the class |
C.Cindy was Jess’s best friend in the class |
D.Jess joined in many out-of-school activities |
Choose the best title for this passage.
A.Jess and His School |
B.Jess and His Friends |
C.An Invitation for Jess |
D.Jess and His Camping Trip |
Father’s Day has a very short history. It was started because there was a Mother’s Day. And just because some Americans thought that if we had a Mother’s Day, we should also have a Father’s Day. Father’s Day has become important in North America. And shopkeepers found it was a good way to get people to buy presents for their fathers, presents from their shops.
By the way, very few countries have a Father’s Day, though some have Children’s Day, or a special day for boys and another for girls. More and more countries are having Mother’s Day, so maybe Father’s Day will also become popular before too long. Now, what do people in North America do on Father’s Day? The newspapers, radios, and TV tell children what they should do-buy a Father’s Day present for your father. They even tell a wife to buy a Father’s Day present-not for her father but for her husband, even if he is not yet a father. And they tell grandchildren to buy a Father’s Day present for their grandfathers.
The important thing to remember about Father’s Day is that American children can show their love to their fathers in a more open way.Father’s Day was started just because.
A.there was a Mother’s Day | B.there was a Children’s Day |
C.people liked their fathers a lot | D.fathers were more important |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A.Many countries have a Father’s Day. |
B.Father’s Day has a long history. |
C.Father’s Day has become important in North America. |
D.Maybe Father’s Day will become popular before too long. |
In America, people have a Father’s Day to.
A.go shopping with their fathers | B.help their fathers do something |
C.show their love to their fathers | D.get money from their fathers |
On Father’s Day, shopkeepers always want.
A.people to buy as many presents as possible |
B.children to buy presents only for their fathers |
C.women to buy presents only for their husbands |
D.grandchildren to buy a Father’s Day present only for their grandfathers |
It can be learned from the article that.
A.the writer is against Father’s Day |
B.many countries have a Father’s Day |
C.shopkeepers can get more money on Father’s Day than usual |
D.We don’t need to have a Father’s Day |
Sydney Tower
Address: 100Market St, Sydney
Phone: 02 9333 9222
Fax: 02 9333 9203
Open time: 9:00am to 10:30 pm(Saturdays to 11:30 pm)
Ticket: $60 (for an adult)
$30 (for a child)
Website: www.sydneytower.com.au
How to get there: train to Town Hall Station and a short walk along Market Street
How to book tickets: by phone/ fax or through the web
Attraction: Sydney’s best views are just the beginning! Sydney Tower takes you to the highest point above Sydney for exciting 360°views of our beautiful city.Sydney Tower is ______ in Sydney, Australia.
A.the busiest street | B.the biggest station |
C.the most beautiful park | D.the highest point |
If you want to book a ticket to Sydney Tower, you can’t _______.
A.email sydneytower @ hotmail, corn | B.fax 02 9333 9203 |
C.search www.sydneytower, com. au | D.dial 02 9333 9222 |
Frank wants to go to Sydney Tower with his two children, he will pay ________.
A.$60 | B.$90 | C.$120 | D.$150 |
Last Saturday, Johnson went to visit Sydney Tower. He had to get down the tower _________.
A.after 11:30 pm | B.before 11:30 pm |
C.at 10:30 pm | D.by 10:30 pm |
The passage, above is probably________.
A.a piece of news | B.a conversation |
C.a story | D.an advertisement |
[1] One out of many important things for the whole family to do is to have dinner together. Researchers began reporting the benefits of family dinner about a decade ago, focusing mainly on how it affects children. Studies show that those families who eat dinner at least 3 or 4 times a week together, benefit in many ways.
[2] Eating together helps families achieve open communication and build stronger and healthier relationships. Children have better grades at school and are better adjusted as teens and adults, and the entire family enjoys healthier nutrition. For many families, eating dinner together proves to be a good and effective way to reduce the risk of youth rates of addiction, and helps to raise healthier children. It is also a great time to share the events of the day, discuss news and ideas and just be together and enjoy each other's company.
[3] During dinner time parents have better opportunity to show that they are the prior to their children. Sitting at the same table and sharing meals is where and when parents can find out more about their children's school performance, daily activities and attitudes toward life. When parents have all this information they can better direct their kids toward positive things in life. They also have better chance to reduce the possibility that children will get involved with alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs.
[4] However, family researchers say that the benefits of family dinner by no means can be considered as automatic. Parents can sit down to dinner with their kids every day and achieve nothing. ______ if there is too much arguing going on, if there is no meaningful conversation or, what is even worse, if there is just plain silence during gathering. What is the main idea of the text? (no more than 8 words)
List two benefits that parents can get by having dinner together with children.(no more than 15words).
Fill in the blank in Paragraph 4 with proper words (no more than 8 words).
What information can parents probably get about their children at family dinner? (no more than 12 words)
What does the word “it” (line 3, paragraph 1) probably refer to? (no more than 3 words)