AdultBasicEducation(ABE)andGED-优题课

When Paul was a boy growing up in Utah, he happened to live near a copper smelter(炼铜厂), and the chemicals that poured out had made a wasteland out of what used to be a beautiful forest. One day a young visitor looked at this wasteland and called it an awful area. Paul knocked him down. From then on, something happened inside him.
Years later Paul was back in the area, and he went to the smelter office. He asked if they had any plans or if they would let him try to bring the trees back. The answer from that big industry was “No.”
Paul then went to college to study the science of plants. Unfortunately, his teachers said there weren't any birds or squirrels to spread the seeds. It would be a waste of his life to try to do it. Everyone knew that, he was told. Even if he was knowledgeable as he had expected, he wouldn’t get his idea accepted.
Paul later got married and had some kids. But his dream would not die. And then one night he did what he could with what he had. As Samuel Johnson wrote, “It is common to overlook what is near by keeping the eye fixed on something remote. Attainable good is often ignored by minds busied in wide ranges.” Under the cover of darkness, he went secretly into the wasteland and started planting.
And every week, he made his secret journey into the wasteland and planted trees and grass. For fifteen years he did this against the plain common sense. Slowly rabbits appeared. Later, as there was legal pressure to clean up the environment, the company actually hired Paul to do what he was already doing.
Now the place is fourteen thousand acres of trees and grass and bushes, and Paul has received almost every environmental award Utah has. It took him until his hair turned white, but he managed to keep that impossible vow he made to himself as a child.
When Paul was a boy, _____.

A．he had decided never to leave his hometown

B．the economy of Utah depended wholly on the copper smelter

C．no laws were made to protect the environment against pollution

D．he determined to stop the copper smelter polluting the area

Why did Paul go to college to study the science of plants?

A．He wanted to find out the best way to save the area himself.

B．He was interested in planting trees since he was young.

C．He wanted to get more knowledgeable people to help him.

D．He thought his knowledge would make his advice more persuasive.

What does the underlined phrase “the plain common sense” probably refer to?

A．That it was impossible for trees to grow on the wasteland.

B．That his normal work and life would be greatly affected.

C．That no one would like to join him in the efforts.

D．That he had to keep everything he did secret.

The main idea of the passage is that _____.

A．action speaks louder than words

B．perseverance will work wonders

C．God helps those who help themselves

D．many hands make light work

Height is just one of the thousands of features your genes(基因)decide. In fact, because you have two parents, your genes provide you a height that usually lands somewhere between the height of each parent. If both your parents are tall, then most probably you will be tall, too, but if you have questions about how tall you're going to be, ask your doctor if he or she can help you find it out.
But genes don't decide everything. For example, eating an unhealthy diet can keep you from growing to your full potential(潜力). Getting plenty of sleep and enough exercise will help you grow to the expected height.
No doubt(怀疑) you're wondering how fast you should grow. It depends. There's no perfect or right answer. Generally speaking, kids grow about 2 inches (6 centimeters) a year between age 3 and the time when they start puberty (when your body starts changing and becoming more grown up).
Your doctor will know how your growth has been going over the years. Two centimeters here and 2 inches there are not nearly as important as the height you're at now, how you've been growing up to this point, and what other changes your body may be going through.
Don't be scared if you seem to have grown a lot in a very short time. Everyone has a growth spurt（高峰）during puberty. The age for starting puberty is about 10 for girls and about 11 for boys. But it can be earlier or later ——between 7 and 13 for girls and 9 and 15 for boys.
You'll usually begin to notice that you're growing faster about a year or so after your body starts to show the first changes of puberty.
If you want to know how fast and how tall you should grow, ____________.

A．you should have enough exercise	B．you can ask doctors for help
C．you should save the environment	D．You can record your growth during puberty

This passage is mainly about ____________.

A．how the genes work in your body	B．when is the time you grow fast
C．why you look like your parents	D．how you grow to a certain height

After reading this passage, we can explain ___________.

A．how good it is to be a doctor	B．how much sleep time we need
C．why genes can’t decide everything	D．what healthy diet is

Which is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Your height most probably depends on how high your parents are.

B．Girls’ age for starting puberty is usually earlier than that for boys’.

C．The time showing the first changes of puberty is never noticed.

D．You may be scared sometimes when you grow too fast.

As young students, you have many dreams. These dreams can be very big, such as winning the Nobel Prize; they can also be small, such as becoming one of the best students in your class.
Once you find a dream, what do you do with it? Do you ever try to make your dream real?
Andrew Matthews, an Australian writer, tells us that making your dreams real is life’s biggest challenge. You may think you’re not very good at some school subjects, or that it’s impossible for you to become a writer. Those kinds of ideas stop you from realizing your dream.
In fact, everyone can realize his dream. The first thing you must do is to remember what your dream is. Don’t let it leave your heart. Keep telling yourself what you want every day and then your dream will come true faster. You should know that a big dream is, in fact, made up of many small dreams.
You must also never give up your dream. There will be difficulties on the road to your dreams. But the biggest difficulty comes from yourself. You need to decide what is the most important. Studying instead of watching TV will help you to get better exam results, while saving five yuan instead of buying an ice cream means you can buy a new book.
As you get closer to your dream, it may change a little. This is good as you have the chance to learn something more useful and find new hobbies.
The biggest difficulty on the road to your dreams comes from _____________________.

A．yourself

B．your friends

C．your school

D．your parents.

Which of the following isn’t mentioned in this passage?

A．You may think you’re not good at some school subjects.

B．Making your dreams real is life’s biggest challenge.

C．You must never give up your dream.

D．Listening to English more can help you realize your dream.

.How do you make your dream come true faster?
A. Remember what your dream is. B. Don’t let your dream leave your heart.
C. Keep telling yourself what you want every day. D. A, B and C.
The best title (标题)of this passage is _________________________.

A．How to become a writer	B．How to make your dream real
C．A big dream is made up of small dreams	D．Everyone can realize his dream

Thousands of years ago, birthdays were considered special days. On birthdays, the bad spirits were able to harm you and change your life. It was believed that the only way to solve the problem was to have your friends and family around you, so that good wishes and presents would keep the bad spirits away. Also, noisemakers were thought to be used at parties as a way of scaring away the evil spirits.
The custom of lighting candles was created by people believing that the gods lived in the sky. By lighting candles and torches, they were sending a signal or prayer to the gods, so they could be answered. Blowing out the candles and making a wish were thought to be another way of sending a signal or a message.
This is how the way we celebrate our birthdays came about. But different cultures celebrate in different ways.
The birthday story in the Bible（圣经） that we know best is about the birth of the Christ in Bethlehem（地名：伯利恒）. For nearly 2000 years since that day, the Christian world has been honoring this birth. The day many Englishmen celebrate is, of course, Christmas. There are other references to birthday parties. King Pharaoh celebrated his birthday by making a feast for his court followers. That was over 4000 years ago. The story of King Herod tells that on his birthday he made a supper for his lords, high captains and other special friends in Galilee (地名：加利利).
According to the passage, good wishes and presents given by one’s friends and family on his birthday can _____________________.

A．cheer him up	B．prove that he’s a popular person
C．bring him a big fortune	D．push bad spirits away

Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The custom of lighting candles originated with the gods.

B．The gods celebrate their birthdays by lighting candles.

C．People send messages to the gods by lighting or blowing out the candles.

D．The gods will help people realize their dreams on their birthdays.

The two ancient kings’ ways of celebrating their birthdays show__________________.

A．how great the two kings were

B．how different cultures celebrate in different ways

C．the two kings’ excellent cooking skills

D．that their court followers were awarded the special honors

The passage is mainly about __________________.

A．the functions of the noises made on birthdays.

B．how to scare away the bad spirits on birthdays

C．the origin of a famous day Christmas

D．how birthdays came about

Jack London is a famous American writer. His most widely known book is the Call of the Wild, the story of the adventure of a large dog in the frozen north.
Jack London was born on January 12, 1876, in San Francisco, California. His family was very poor, and Jack had to leave school to make money. He worked hard at many different jobs.
Later, Jack returned to school, but he didn’t stay. He wrote, “Life and pocket book were both too short.” In 1897, he went to Alaska to find gold. Instead, he found ideas there for his book stories. He returned home and started to write. His writings were successful, and he became rich and famous in his twenties.
Jack London was not a happy man, however. In poor health, he took his own life in 1916. He was then only 40 years old.
Jack London went to Alaska to __________________.

A．find ideas for his books

B．find gold

C．write his books and stories

D．find jobs

Jack London left school because __________________.

A．he had to work to help his family	B．he had completed his education
C．he wanted to become a writer	D．he wanted to find gold.

From what did Jack London get ideas for his books and stories?

A．His life in Alaska.	B．His childhood friend.
C．A large dog in the north.	D．His pocket book.

What do we know about Jack London?

A．He became famous but remained poor all his life.

B．Though he was poor, he was always happy.

C．He was not famous until he died in 1916.

D．He killed himself because of poor health.