I remember a day when I was a little kid. I was making a sandwich in the kitchen when I noticed the date on one of the wine bottles.
“ Dad, dad!” I cried. “This wine is too old to drink.”
“ Son, hold on,” he said.
“ No, you can’t drink this tonight! This bottle of wine was made 10 years ago.”
“ Wait, let me tell you…”
“ Would you like me to throw it away from you?” I asked.
“ Son, wait a second,” he said. “Son, some wines get better over time. The longer you wait to drink it, the better it will be. Although this may seem strange, it is true.”
When I was young, I didn’t have any understanding of what this meant, but now, this would have been very helpful to remember as I went through my teenage years.
In our society, we forget this simple rule: The longer you want for certain things, the better they will be. But we want the best job as quickly as possible; we want to graduate from college in as few years as possible; we even speed through our homework just to chat with friends. When we do this, we lose something of great importance.
We all want to get to the next step so quickly that perhaps we don’t get ready enough to get there. This has a negative effect on our society. When trying to go to the right college, we will do anything to get in and when we rush through our class-work, we may not study enough for the test, and end up failing. We need to be ready for whatever comes, ready for the unexpected. Wine gets better over time, so do the things in our paths of life.Why did the author tell his father not to drink the bottle of wine?
| A．Because it smelt terrible. |
| B．Because it was mixed with something else. |
| C．Because his father drank too much that night. |
| D．Because it had been kept for years. |
What the author’s father said __________.
| A．made the author puzzled when he was a little child. |
| B．was too simple a rule to be meaningful to the author. |
| C．threw the author into deep thought then. |
| D．was an excuse to drink the wine. |
In the author’s opinion, if we do things too quickly, we will __________.
| A．do it better | B．save much time |
| C．graduate from college more quickly | D．miss something useful to us in life |
Which of the following best reflects the main idea of the passage?
| A．Well begun is half done. | B．More haste（匆忙）, less speed. |
| C．Failure is the mother of success. | D．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. |
Dear Michelle,
My mother is not a good example for me and my sister. She smokes, stays out late, and she curses(骂人).I love her but I am ashamed of her. I do not want to bring my friends home because she does not act like any of the other mothers. She says I am a loser because I sit at home and study. I wish I could live in another family that was normal, but it will be 5 years before I am 18 and legal. What am I supposed to do until then?
Prisoner of a Crazy House
Dear 7th Grader,
I am glad that you love your mother because the rest of your feelings about her may change as you get older and mature(成熟).
While it is true that your mother’s smoking, partying and cursing bring you shame, the fact that you want to stay separate from her doings is notable and very smart. It shows that you are a winner, not a loser.
I am guessing, therefore, that you do not bring shame to yourself, and that is a good thing, So, keep it that way and keep away from your mother’s habits.
At the same time, try to get the best grades and join clubs and school activities. Offer social service on weekends and visit your friends at their homes.
Fortunately, you are not alone. Many teens live in homes with immature, misguided, selfish parents. Those kids often feel lonely and separate from the rest of their friends because of their parents’ terrible deeds.
But they develop good friendships with nice kids, do well in school, and often find a teacher or guidance advisor who makes all the difference!
Do it, Miss Winning 13 years old, and keep looking forward to your own fine future. Maybe by then your mother may even see the light and realize how surprising you really are.
Best luck!
MichelleThe kid asks for advice on how to .
| A．make her mother change | B．deal with her situation |
| C．get along well with her mother | D．start a new family |
Michelle doesn’t call her letter receiver“ Prisoner of a Crazy House” possibly because she
.
| A．tries to be polite | B．doesn’t write to the kid alone |
| C．knows that’s a girl in Grade 7 | D．wants to cheer the kid up |
According to the passage, Michelle advises the girl to .
| A．try talking to her mother for her future |
| B．stick to her attitude towards her mother’s some habits |
| C．understand her mother’s habits and get used to them |
| D．try to keep away from her mother |
What does Michelle mainly express by writing the last four paragraphs?
| A．Don’t worry too much about the problem. |
| B．Many parents act terribly. |
| C．Parents manners make little difference. |
| D．The girl is not speaking for herself. |
Classified ads
For direct classified service, call 800-0667 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday—Friday.
 |
For rent
Excellent room for girls, begins Jan., 2,4,or 8 months lease(租期). Single,$105-125.Double,$140. Call 800-1932.
Family home, 3 bedrooms, large yard.$275. Call 800-4300
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For sale
Sheepskin coat, men’s size 42, 1 year old. $85. After 6 p.m. Call 800-5224.
Color TV21,$150；transistor radio, $15；recorder,$25. Call 800-0739.
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Help wanted
Babysitter — My home
If you could find a few hours during the day, some evenings and weekends to care for 2 school-age children, please call 800-1111.
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Lost
A black bag with a pencil-box and some books left in the reading room. Will the finder please come to Class 3,Grade 1?
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Found
A green Jacket was left on the sports ground yesterday afternoon(April 15th).Will the owner please ring 656-6688?“Classified ads” may probably mean____________.
| A．ads about everyone’s life |
| B．ads giving one some necessary information |
| C．ads divided into different groups according to a certain rule |
| D．ads for which you needn’t pay any money |
If you want to place an ad, what number should you call?
| A．800-0739. | B．800-1932. | C．800-4300. | D．800-0667. |
If you want to get a used color TV and a recorder, how much will you have to pay?
| A．＄275. | B．＄150. | C．＄25. | D．＄175. |
If you want to find a part-time job, you will look at .
| A．For rent | B．For sale | C．Help wanted | D．Lost |
If you can’t find your school card, you will put up a notice at .
| A．Lost | B．Found | C．Help wanted | D．For sale |
Manage your time well for each module(单元), but also make sure you get a good balance(平衡) between work and social life. That is vital for life in general.
Set aside time specifically for each subject. Try to study one subject a day. You need to balance time. If you are bad at balancing things, make a personal timetable. Even if you do not stick to it, you will have an idea what you should be doing each day. This is better than trying to do everything each day and, at the end of the week, not achieve anything. Also, try to keep your weekends free of studying. Only study at the weekend if you really have to.
I had to learn to balance work, study and family when I was at college. I was a retail assistant working part-time and had at least four modules to complete at the same time at college. I also had to help around the house doing household cleaning and shopping at times. I managed to finish my college work on time, which was very difficult and hard, and still hold down a job.
Why was it possible? Because I only thought about my part-time work when I was at work on the weekends and my college work had to be done from Mondays to Fridays before the weekends. This was hard—but you need to set a timetable for yourself. It was an achievement when I finally realized that things have to be done in order, and need to be organized as well.
Balancing study and other aspects(方面) of your life can be a problem if you have a job or a family, but planning in advance is helpful. Use the time you have well. Do not leave anything until the last minute, as this will only cause problems.The underlined word “vital”(in Paragraph 1) means_____________.
| A．common | B．necessary | C．easy | D．difficult |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the advice the writer gives?
| A．Try to study many subjects in a day. | B．Try not to study on the weekends. |
| C．Plan in advance. | D．Try to set a timetable. |
It could be inferred from the passage that__________.
| A．the writer has a part-time job as an assistant when he was at college |
| B．you need to set a timetable for yourself |
| C．you should make a personal timetable if you are bad at balancing your time |
| D．the writer can arrange（安排） his time well when he was at college |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．I had a good time during my college. |
| B．How to study well at college. |
| C．Balance time between study and other aspects of your life. |
| D．How to plan your things in advance. |
Simona lives in Bucharest, Romania. She is nine years old and HIV positive(阳性). When Simona’s mother found out about her illness five years ago, her first reaction was to tell everyone, looking for support.
“That’s when I found out who really was my friend, and who wasn’t, ”she said. “Quite a few people stopped visiting me and asked their children not to play with Simona any more. Because of this, quarrels began in my family with each trouble brought about by her diagnosis. My husband became more and more unfriendly toward me and toward Simona. He didn’t understand how important it was for Simona to receive regular examinations by a doctor or why she needed proper treatment for her sickness.”
When her mother tried to enroll(登记) Simona in a school, the teacher warned her that when other parents found out about her illness she would be shunned by the other children.
Simona’s mother looked for help and found a social worker from the Community Resource Center. The social worker helped her enroll Simona in another school and provided emotional, financial, and material support for the family. Simona’s parents were able to ease the tension(紧张)in the family. Her mother also now attends parenting classes and support groups at the Center.
The Community Resource Center provides not only many needed resources, but also a place where women can gain skills and self-confidence. It provides children with a place where they are accepted. At the Center parents and children find a place where they can grow and find the support they need to stay together and care for each other.Many people prevented their children playing with Simona because___________.
| A．she had no true friends | B．she was a naughty girl |
| C．she suffered from HIV | D．she had a strange character |
Simona’s father thought that Simona____________.
| A．shouldn’t bring so much trouble to them |
| B．should receive examinations regularly by a doctor |
| C．shouldn’t see the doctor for her sickness |
| D．should be treated properly for her sickness |
Which of the following is NOT true according to this passage?
| A．Simona has been suffering from HIV for five years. |
| B．Few people visited Simona’s mother because of Simona’s illness. |
| C．Simona’s mother received help from a social worker. |
| D．Simona was accepted immediately by the first school. |
From the last paragraph we can draw a conclusion（结论） that____________.
| A．all the children at the Center are strong and healthy |
| B．Simona’s mother learned little knowledge at the Center |
| C．children at the Center are very friendly to each other |
| D．women at the Center learn to accept each other |
Bernice Gallegos sat down one day this summer, as she does pretty much every day, and began listing items on eBay．She dug into a box and pulled out a baseball card．She stopped for a moment and admired the picture．“Red Stocking B．B．Club of Cincinnati,” the card read, under the reddish brown color photo of 10 men with their socks pulled up to their knees．
As a collector and seller, it's her job to spot old items that might have value today．It's what Bernice, 72, and her husband, Al Gallegos, 80, have been doing since 1974 at their California antique （古玩） store．
This card, she figured, was worth selling on eBay．She took a picture, wrote a description and put it up for auction （拍卖）．She put a $10 price tag on it, deciding against $15 because it would have cost her an extra 20 cents．Later that night she got a few odd inquiries—someone wanting to know whether the card was real, someone wanting her to end the auction and sell him the card immediately．
The card is actually 139 years old．Sports card collectors call the find "extremely rare" and estimate the card could fetch five, or perhaps, six figures at auction．
Just like that, Bernice is the least likely character ever for a rare-baseball card story．"I didn't even know baseball existed that far back," Gallegos says, "I don't think that I've ever been to a baseball game．" The theory is that the card came out of a storage space they bought a few years back．It is not uncommon in their line of work to buy the entire contents of storage units for around $200．
When she met with card trader Rick Mirigian, she found out what the card was—an 1869 advertisement with a picture of the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings．
"When I came to meet her and she took it out of a sandwich bag and she was smoking a cigarette, I almost fainted," Mirigian says．"They've uncovered a piece of history that few people will ever be able to imagine．That card is history．It's like unearthing a Mona Lisa or a Picasso．"What can we conclude from Paragraph 3?
| A．Bernice had to pay some fees for her card on eBay． |
| B．Bernice wanted to end the auction that night． |
| C．Bernice decided to sell the card for $15． |
| D．eBay charged her 20 cents for the card． |
The underlined word "fetch" in Paragraph 4 most probably means "____"．
| A．go and bring | B．add up to | C．go down to | D．be sold for |
From the passage, we may learn that ____．
| A．Bernice is a baseball fan |
| B．Bernice is the last person to purchase the rare-baseball card |
| C．Bernice unexpectedly became the owner of the rare-baseball card |
| D．Bernice didn't realize the value of the card until she put it up for auction |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Surprisingly Valuable Discovery | B．Be mice Gallegos—A Lucky Collector |
| C．Sports Card Collectors | D．The History of the Baseball Card |