While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground. “That’s my son over there,” she said, pointing to (指着) a little boy in a red sweater.
“He’s a fine looking boy,” the man said. “That’s my daughter on the bike in the white dress.” Then, looking at his watch, he called to his daughter: “We have to leave for home now, Melissa.”
“Just five more minutes, Dad,” Melissa said. “Please? Just five more minutes.”
The man nodded (点头) and Melissa went on riding her bike happily. Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his daughter, “Time to go now?”
“Five more minutes, Dad,” Melissa said again. “Just five more minutes.”
The man smiled and said: “OK.”
“Oh, you really are a patient father,” said the woman.
The man smiled and then said: “Her older brother Tommy died (死) in a traffic accident last year while he was riding his bike near here,” the man said. “I never spent much time with Tommy and now I’d give anything for just five more minutes with him. I’ve vowed (发誓) not to make the same mistake with Melissa. She thinks she has five more minutes to ride her bike. The truth is, I get five more minutes to watch her play.”The man’s daughter and her brother were playing at the park.
The man felt sorry that he didn’t give more of his time to his older son.
Melissa wanted to stay longer when her father asked her to go the first time.
Melissa agreed to go home when her father called her the second time.
The man learned a lot from Tommy’s death.
According to scientists’ research, the month in which babies are born could affect them in some ways.
Babies born in spring get sick easily. Children born under Aquarius (Jan. 21st—Feb. 19th) may be less clever than those born in other seasons. They may also have shorter lives than those born in autumn. Scientists believe many of the differences can be explained by the mother’s exposure to sunlight in pregnancy (怀孕). Sunlight helps lead to the production of vitamin D in the body. The lack (缺乏) of vitamin D in the first months of life may have a bad effect on health.
Vitamin D is called the “sunshine vitamin”. It has a good effect on health. A study showed that people born from April to June had slightly shorter lives than those born in October, November or December. Similar studies in the US showed that people born in autumn lived about 160 days longer than those born in spring.
Professor Russell Foster said the conclusions were surprising and interesting. He added, “These are small effects but they are very, very clear. I am not giving voice to star signs and they are just for fun. But it is true that we are affected by our season of birth.”A child’s season of birth can affect all the following things EXCEPT______ according to the first two paragraphs.
A.his health | B.his height |
C.his length of life | D.his quality of being clever |
What does the underlined word “exposure” mean in Chinese?
A.偏爱 | B.抗拒 | C.过敏 | D.暴露 |
What can we know about vitamin D according to the passage?
A.It comes from sunlight. |
B.It helps people live longer. |
C.Sunlight prevents its production. |
D.It does harm to people’s health. |
What does the passage mainly tell us?
A.People can know the length of life by star sign. |
B.Women should choose to give birth to children in spring. |
C.A child’s season of birth has an effect on him or her. |
D.Vitamin D is very important to people’s health. |
“Did you go skating a lot last year?” I asked. Jen shook her head and looked at me. Finally she said, “On Thanksgiving, Mom and I always went to visit some friends who lived on a farm. I especially loved seeing their big turkeys.”
Until then, I didn’t think about how Jen felt. She had a new stepfather (继父) and stepbrother, and had a new town and home, too. Jen and her mom used to live near a lake where Dad and I went every summer, and she had to move up north with us. She had more changes than me.
Jen seemed sad, so I was busy thinking of some ways to cheer her up on Thanksgiving. I told her my plan and she was excited. First we made a huge snowball, and then a small snowball. Then we built a wall behind the big snowball as a tail. Jen mixed some food coloring with water, saying, “We can spray (喷) colors on the tail.” Our snow turkey had a red, blue, green, and yellow tail. We were so busy that we didn’t notice our parents come outside. Dad found a hat for the snow turkey, and Mom wrapped her scarf around its neck.
“Thanks for cheering Jen up,” Mom said. “You’re a good brother, and you always come up with great ideas.’’ A happy feeling spread through me. I began to understand how much she cared about everyone in our new family.What did Jen do on Thanksgiving in the past?
A.She went skating with her friends. |
B.She went to the farm with her mother. |
C.She stayed at home with her mother. |
D.She made snow turkeys with her mother. |
What can we learn from the second paragraph?
A.Jen lived near a lake in the past. |
B.The writer was Jen’s stepfather. |
C.Jen moved up north for studying. |
D.The writer just moved out of his old house. |
Which of the following is the right order?
①made a small snowball
②found a hat
③made a huge snowball
④sprayed colors on the tail
⑤wrapped a scarf around the neck
⑥built a wall behind the big snowball
A.①③⑥④②⑤ | B.①②③④⑤⑥ |
C.③①⑥④②⑤ | D.③①⑥②④⑤ |
What can we infer (推断) from the underlined sentence?
A.Jen’s stepmother was not friendly to the writer. |
B.Jen didn’t feel happy after moving here. |
C.Jen’s mother did a lot to make Jen happy. |
D.The writer felt happy because his stepmother liked him. |
Four New Cool Inventions
Mip
Mip, a playful robot, was developed by a Canadian toy maker named Wowwee. It stands 19 cm tall. You can control it simply with your gestures(手势) or a smart phone. Mip can run, balance and dance on two wheels. It can also bring you a bottle of water.
Android Wear
Google is developing a smart watch called Android Wear. The watch uses a touchscreen and voice control. Simply say “OK, Google” to ask what ever you want to know. For example, say “OK, Google. Where’s the nearest toy store?” Your answer will tell you the answer on Google Maps.
Le Pen
Do you like listening to music while doing homework? If you do, you will like Le Pen. With a music player planted inside, Le Pen plays music while you write on paper. The music stops when you stop writing. So if you want to enjoy more of your favourite songs, keep on writing.
One wheel
In the near future you may find a new way to escape traffic: a self-balancing skateboard called Onewheel. It can go as fast as 19km an hour. On a single charge(充电), it can take you as far as 7-10km.If you want to enjoy music while writing, you can choose________.
A. | B. | C. | D. |
According to the passage, Android Wear can_________.
A.go as fast as 19km an hour |
B.tell you how to get to some places |
C.run, balance, dance and even serve you |
D.play music while you writing on paper |
In which part of a newspaper can you find the passage?
A.Culture. | B.Literature. |
C.Science. | D.History |
Sports are very popular in England. In other words, lots of English people like sports. A lot of people watch sports matches on TV. But the number of the people who take part in sport is quite small. On the whole, English people prefer to watch rather than play.
The most popular sport in England is football. Football is played on Saturday afternoon in most towns and the supporters of a certain team will travel from one end of the country to the other to see their team play. There are four divisions of football league. Not surprisingly the best teams are in the first division. But the best supporters are often in the fourth division. You have to be a good supporter to watch the fourth division football!
Many other sports are also played in England, such as golf, in which you try to knock a ball into a hole; and basketball, in which you try to get a ball through a basket.What is the most popular sport in England?
Which division are the best supporters in?
Why do many English people not take part in sport?
How many sports are talked about in the passage?
When and where is football played in England?
Dear Sir,
Thirty years ago, I walked into your bakery(面包房) and asked for some loaves(块)of bread to sell. At that time I was twelve years old. A young lady was working that day. She gave me five loaves and wished me good luck.
I took the loaves and went out to sell them. It took me all day, but I sold them all. At the end of the day, I had some money. I was the happiest boy in the world as I walked home that evening.
The next day, I went to a bicycle shop. I paid a deposit(定金)on a new bicycle. And then I started my next job—as a newspaper deliver(递送)boy. Soon I could pay the rest of the money for the bicycle and the bike was mine. I was so proud!
Today, I still work in the delivery business. I have a lot of trucks to send goods(货物)all over the country. I live in a beautiful house, but I don’t ride a bicycle these days. I drive a large and nice car.
I do not know who that young lady was. But because she gave me the start, I have become a successful man. I’d like to show my thanks to her.
Yours,
George Jenkins George Jenkins is ________years old now.
A.30 | B.12 |
C.42 | D.We don’t know |
Thirty years ago, the man went to a bakery and ________.
A.asked a young lady for some bread to sell |
B.asked a young man for some bread to sell |
C.asked a young lady for some bread to eat |
D.asked a young lady for some money to buy a bicycle |
What did the man do with the money made by selling bread?
A.He went home to give it to his parents. |
B.He bought some newspapers to read. |
C.He paid the money as a deposit on a new bicycle. |
D.He bought some more bread. |
What’s the man’s job now?
A. He still delivers newspapers by bicycle.
B. He has become a successful man.
C. He delivers goods all over the country by truck.
D. Both B and C.