On my eighth birthday, Dad bought me an accordion(手风琴） and said excitedly, "Once you learn to play, it’ll stay with you for life." But I didn’t want to play it. Ijust wanted to play games, But Dad asked me to take accordion lessons.
One day, I found a box in a corner. When I opened it, I saw a beautiful violin. "You’re your father’s," Mum said. "His parents bought it for him. I guess he got too busy on the farm to learn to play it."
I had to practice half an hour every day, and every day I tried to get out of it. But Dad didn’t allow. I asked why. He answered, "Because you can bring people joy. You can touch their hearts." He added softly, "Someday you’ll have the chance I never had: you’ll play beautiful music for your family. And you’ll understand why you’ve worked so hard." I was speechless.
The lessons stopped after I finished high school. When I grew up, I got married and moved into a new house. I put the accordion in the attic（阁楼）.
One afternoon, my two children found the accordion by accident (偶然). They got very excited. "Play it. Play it," they laughed and said. I started to play some simple songs. I was surprised I could still remember them. Soon the kids were dancing. Even my wife was laughing and clapping to the beat.
At that moment, my father’s words came back to me, "Someday you’ll have the chance I never had. And you’ll understand." I finally knew why Dad had asked me to practice hard. Dad never learnt to play his violin. But I told my family, "This is my father’s music."My father didn’t learn to play his violin when he was young because _______.
| A．he didn’t like to play the violin | B．he had to support his family |
| C．he wanted to play games | D．he didn’t keep on practicing |
How might the writer feel when he had to practice playing the accordion?
| A．Delighted. | B．Excited. | C．Bored. | D．Relaxed. |
"Dad didn’t allow" means "_______".
| A．Dad didn’t let me do it. | B．Dad didn’t stop me doing it. |
| C．Dad didn’t help me do it. | D．Dad didn’t see me do it. |
Dad asked me to learn to play the accordion so that _______.
| A．I could go to a better school | B．I could give myself much joy |
| C．I could be a useful man | D．I could make people happy |
What do you think Americans in the early twentieth century (1900--1925) did on weekends? What do they do on weekends now?
| Then Once upon a time, people spent lots of time at home on weekends. Then, new inventions changed the weekends. People used electric(电动的) streetcars to travel in cities. On weekends, they rode the streetcars to parks. Young people liked roller coasters. The first movie lasted only one minute. Soon movies lasted longer. In the 1920s, movie theaters sold millions of tickets each week. In 1927, movies had sound. Sometimes, people stayed at home instead, and listened to another new invention — radio. People in cities worked indoors during the week, so they wanted to be outdoors on weekends. Bicycling became a popular activity. |
| Now With more time, money and inventions, people have many more choices. They can visit large parks like Disney World and ride modern roller coasters that go higher and faster than ever before. They can choose from lots of different movies at a multiplex (a building with many movie theaters) or watch a video at home. Many people jog, bicycle, work out at the gym, or play sports. Others turn on their TV and watch sports. |
Which of the following do you know is the newest invention now?
| A．Radio | B．Bicycle | C．Movie | D．Video |
What do you know about the first movie?
| A．It had no sound. | B．It got longer. |
| C．It sold well. | D．It lasted minutes. |
Which is the best title of the text?
| A．Many More Choices |
| B．The New Invention |
| C．The Popular Activities |
| D．The Changing Weekend |
The Internet can show you lots of jobs all over the world. If you want to find a job on the Internet, use the words "job search" or "employment(职业)" to find the websites you need. You only need to type in what you want and where you want to work. In a few seconds, a list of jobs will appear on the screen. You can also type in the name of a company to learn about jobs there. Many websites list full-time and summer jobs.
Job search websites can help you in other ways, too. They show you how to write a good resume(履历) and how to get ready for an interview(面试). They also tell you what to say to an interviewer on the telephone. Some websites give you interview conversations to practice. One website even has a dictionary of interview words. A good employment website can be a big help in your job search.
Good luck with your job-hunting.What should you do first if you want to find a job on the Internet?
| A．To type in "job search" or "employment" to find the websites. |
| B．To write a good resume. |
| C．To get ready for an interview. |
| D．To get an English dictionary. |
Some employment websites tell you how to have a job interview _______.
| A．face to face | B．in an e-mail |
| C．in a letter | D．on the telephone |
The underlined word “job-hunting” means “____________”.
| A．searching for a job | B．giving a job |
| C．doing a job | D．changing a job |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．The Internet lists a large number of companies. |
| B．You can find many websites on the Internet. |
| C．It’s about how you can use the Internet to find a job. |
| D．There are many different ways for you to look for jobs. |
Joe Black, coach(教练) of a football team, and his family go to a small town for their holiday. One rainy afternoon, they can’t go out to have fun, so the families go to the family. Joe, his wife and their three daughters walk down to the town’s only cinema, buy tickets and go into the cinema. The lights are still on , and there are just six other people there. As Joe walks in, some of them see him and start clapping (鼓掌).
Joe gives them a smile and turns to his wife, “Aha, I can’t believe that they know me and they are giving me a warm welcome here,” he says , “ I guess they see my games on TV.”
They sit down and then a young man comes up to Joe and gives out his hand, “Thanks a lot,” says Joe, “ I just can’t believe that you know me.” The young man says, “ I only know that they will not show the film until (直到)at least(至少)ten people buy tickets.How many cinemas can they find in the small town?
| A．Three | B．One |
| C．Four | D．We don’t know |
Joe is ________ when some people warmly greet (打招呼) him.
| A．worried | B．sad | C．afraid | D．happy |
In fact the people in the cinema greet Joe because ___________.
| A．they often see him on TV |
| B．they can shake hands with him |
| C．with his family they can see the film |
| D．they know him |
A large number of people in the world eat fast food. Whenever you go into a fast food restaurant, you can see lots of people enjoying their meals there. How do you know in which country people like fast food best?
The English people are the world’s biggest fans of fast food, while the French are the least interested in quick meals, according to a survey done last year.
The survey of thirteen countries shows that 45% of the English people say they can’t give up fast food because it’s delicious. And 44% of Americans and 37% of Canadians say the same.
The French, proud of their delicious and high-class cuisine, don’t like fast food. 81% of them think it is unhealthy, followed by 75% of the Japanese.
How about the Chinese? How often do you have hot dogs or fried chickens? It doesn’t matter whether you like Western fast food or Chinese food. The most important thing is to keep a balanced(平衡的) diet（饮食）.From the survey we know _______ like fast food best.
| A．the Chinese | B．the French |
| C．the Japanese | D．the English |
The word “cuisine” in the passage means ________.
| A．food | B．water |
| C．house | D．country |
The survey is about __________.
| A．Western countries | B．fast food |
| C．restaurants in the world | D．Chinese food |
任务型阅读。根据短文内容完成表格所缺信息，每空一词。
Travelling is one of the most important activities and people like travelling very much. Staying healthy while travelling can make your trip happier. But do you know how to keep healthy during a trip? The following information may be useful to you.
Before leaving
Wear comfortable shoes, a hat and sunglasses.
Take some medicine with you. When you get sick or have other problems, you can have some.
Do some exercise for weeks or months before you leave if you plan to do lots of walking or climbing during your trip.
Prepare proper(合适的) food. If you take a long trip, you should bring food such as bread, biscuits(饼干) and some fruit. They don’t go bad quickly. The nearer people can bring meat, fish, eggs, milk and even salads and vegetables.
While travelling
Be sure not to eat dirty food or bad fruit.
Have enough time to take a rest during your trip.
Keep food in good condition. If you take hot food, you should try to keep it hot. For example, you can put it in heavy towels. If you need to keep cold food cold, you can put cold food in a box with ice. When you arrive, put cold food in the fridge. Remember: If you travel with food, keep hot food hot and cold food cold.
| How to keep |
|
| Before leaving |
● Wear comfortable shoes, a hat and |
| ● |
|
| ● Exercise for weeks or months |
|
| ● Prepare proper food. Take bread, biscuits and some fruit for a |
|
| While |
● |
| ● Have enough |
|
| ● |