One day, a man found the cocoon (茧) of a butterfly and he brought it home.
A few days later, the man saw a small hole in the cocoon. He sat and watched for several hours as a butterfly struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it stopped.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a knife and cut a bigger hole in the cocoon. The butterfly came out of the cocoon but it had a weak body and small, thin wings. The butterfly didn’t start to fly.
In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling(爬行) around with a weak body and thin wings. It was never able to fly.
The man acted with kindness but he didn’t understand that he had done something wrong. When a butterfly crawls out of the cocoon, it must struggle. The hard work of getting out of the cocoon forces the fluid(液体) from the butterfly’s body into wings. It helps the butterfly be ready to fly. If the butterfly never has to force itself out of the cocoon, its wings never get the fluid and it can never fly.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If we lived our lives without any problems, we would never learn or grow. We would not be as strong as we could have been and we would never fly.
So, the next time you are faced with a challenge or a problem, remember the butterfly.
Struggle a little – then fly!Why did the man cut a bigger hole in the cocoon?
| A．To catch the butterfly easily. |
| B．To play with the butterfly. |
| C．To help the butterfly come out. |
| D．To make the butterfly stronger. |
What happened after the butterfly got out of the cocoon?
| A．It died soon. |
| B．It had a strong body and wings. |
| C．It could fly after a few days. |
| D．It couldn’t fly during the rest of its life. |
Why couldn’t the butterfly fly? Because ___________ .
| A．it got out of its cocoon without struggle |
| B．nobody had taught it to fly |
| C．all newborn butterflies could not fly |
| D．the man broke its wings |
What does the writer want to tell us?
| A．Kindness in our lives can help us grow. |
| B．Try to be ready to help others. |
| C．Without other’s help we can still succeed. |
| D．Hard work leads to success. |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．The Old Man and the Butterfly | B．Life Struggle |
| C．How To Help a Butterfly Fly | D．Kindness and Rush |
A couple often went shopping together． They both liked teacups． One day they saw a beautiful teacup in a store． As they picked it up， it suddenly spoke．
"I haven't always been a teacup． Once I was red clay． My master rolled（揉、搓） me over and over and I shouted， but he only smiled．"
"Then I was placed on a rolling wheel and suddenly I went around and around．'Stop!' I cried， but the master only nodded．"
"Then he put me in the oven． I had never felt so hot． I could see him through the opening and I could read his words，'Not yet．'"
"Finally the door opened， and he took me out and put me on a shelf． Then he brushed me and put me back into the oven． This time it was twice as hot． I begged． I cried． I could see him through the opening nodding his head， saying，'Not yet．'"
"Then I knew there wasn't any hope． I was ready to give up， but the door opened and I was taken out and placed on a shelf． Later he handed me a mirror and said，'Look at yourself．' I said，'That can't be me． It's beautiful!'"
"'I want you to remember，' he said，'if I had just left you without rolling， you'd have dried up． If I had stopped rolling you around on the wheel， you would have been out of shape． If I hadn't put you in the oven， you would have broken． If I hadn't brushed you all over， you would not have any color in your life． If I hadn't put you back in that oven for the second time， you wouldn't be kept for very long because the hardness would not have held． Now you are a finished product． You are what I had in mind when I first started with you．"
（1）On the rolling wheel， when the red clay asked him to stop， the master ．
A． stopped rolling it at once
B． only smiled
C． shouted at it angrily
D． only nodded
（2）Which of the following shows the right process of making the teacup？
a． It was put into the oven for the first time．
b． It was put on a rolling wheel and went around．
c． The master took it out and brushed it all over．
d． It was put back into the oven again．
e． The master rolled the red clay over and over．
A．e， c， a， b， d
B． e， b， c， a， d
C．e， b， a， c， d
D．e， c， b， a， d
（3）The master brushed the teacup all over to make it become ．
A． hot
B． hard
C． colorful
D． soft
（4）From the last paragraph， we can infer that ．
A． the master knew how to make the teacup
B． the master disliked the teacup
C． the teacup will dry up if it is rolled
D． the teacup will be on sale
（5）What lesson does the passage mainly teach us？
A． Beautiful look won't be refused by people．
B． Don't give up any chance in front of you．
C． Caring about others makes the world wonderful．
D． Going through hard time can make you better．
Dear Daniel，
I feel that I've grown up and should make my own decisions， but my parents disagree． My mom still helps me choose what clothes to wear． My dad asks me to pay attention only to study． I know they do this out of love， but I feel controlled． What should I do？
Amanda
Dear Amanda，
Your parents sound very strict． It's hard to believe that your mom chooses what you wear． Are you a Barbie doll？
Try to take the first step when possible． Dress yourself before your mother has a chance to come in and choose your clothes． If she asks you to change， tell her you'll be late for school．
You should also talk to her． Ask about her choices： What makes a set of clothes acceptable or unacceptable？ Tell her you will follow her rules， but you want to make the choices． You are not in first grade．You are a young lady in high school．
As for your father， it's difficult to argue with his mind． After all， he is not totally wrong． How strict is he？ Does he lock you up with your textbooks？ Are you allowed to have a hobby？Are you allowed to have a smartphone？ Are you allowed to hang out with friends？
Such strict parents should know the law of diminishing returns （收益递减）． A weightlifter，for example， can only lift for an hour or two each day． If she docs more，her muscles will not become stronger．She will just get tired． She may even hurt herself!
Our brains also have limits． Some violin teachers say you should only practice a new skill for 15 minutes each day． Our brains need to relax and understand new information． Our brains also have a basic need to socialize （社交）． Ask your father： what is the meaning of so much studying if it makes you feel unhappy？
Stay strong．
Daniel
（1）Why did Amanda write the letter？
A． To ask for some advice．
B． To fight against her parents．
C． To talk about her family rules．
D． To make friends with Daniel．
（2）Daniel finds it that the mother decides on Amanda's clothes．
A． boring
B． important
C． unbelievable
D． funny
（3）The underlined word "limits"means " "in Chinese．
A．猜想
B．极限
C．决断
D．潜力
（4）The examples of "weightlifter" and "violin teachers" tell the parents ．
A． to give the kids more praise
B． to hang out with the kids
C． not to protect the kids too much
D． not to push the kids so hard
|
What do you usually do while waiting for someone？ The descriptions below might say something about you．
A． You walk around， rubbing your hands． B． You stand sill， looking at your watch． C． You cross your arms， looking impatient． D． You stand staring into the distance， thinking． Analysis ☆ If your answer is"A"： You are short﹣tempered． You are energetic but sometimes careless． You make friends with all your heart． But sometimes you may hurt others because of your quick tongue． ☆ If your answer is"B"： You are patient and very strict with yourself． You work hard． When your friends have trouble， you will try your best to help them． ☆ If your answer is"C"： You are strong﹣minded． You stick to your own views， but are also good with people． You can make others agree with you． ☆ If your answer is"D"： You have great patience． You're very nice to others． However， you may be too nice． This quiz is just for fun． Don't take it seriously． |
（1）If your answer is "A"， you may hurt others because of your ．
A． warm heart
B． cold action
C． bad behavior
D． quick tongue
（2）Which one will make an effort to help friends out of trouble？
A． The person who chooses "A"．
B． The person who chooses "B"．
C． The person who chooses "C"．
D． The person who chooses "D"．
（3）If Nick crosses his arms while waiting for someone， he is ．
A． short﹣tempered
B． strict
C． strong﹣minded
D． patient
（4）After reading the passage， we can know it is ．
A． an exam
B． a quiz
C． an ad
D． a notice
February 29th comes up on the calendar only every four years．A year with a February 29th might be good news if you are paid by the day or the week．But it might be bad news if you were born on a February 29th．You have to wait three years in between birthdays!
American English has an expression for the unusual situation． February 29th is called a leap day． And the year with a February 29th in it is called a leap year． This year， 2020， is such a year．
As a verb，the word "leap" means to jump， or to move quickly．"Leap" can also be a noun，meaning a jump， or a sudden move．
In a leap year， the dates jump over one day of the week． Let me explain． In 2017，the last day of the year， December 31st ， fell on a Sunday． In 2018， it fell on a Monday． In 2019， it fell on a Tuesday． But in 2020， December 31st will fall on a Thursday． It jumps right over Wednesday．
The reason for a leap day or a leap year is because our calendar does not follow the earth's orbit（轨道）around the sun exactly． Each year， we have a little time left over． So every four years，we put all that time together into an extra（额外的） day．
Some people choose to marry on February 29th because it is an unusual date．But some ancient peoples would likely tell couples not to do it． Leap years were believed to be difficult， and leap days were unlucky．To be honest， these have no scientific basis（依据）．
（1）A 20﹣year﹣old person has birthdays if he/she was born on a February 29th．
A．20
B．15
C．10
D．5
（2）A leap year means on more is added in the calendar of the year．
A． month
B． year
C．day
D． week
（3）The last day of 2021 will fall on according to this article．
A． Saturday
B． Friday
C． Sunday
D． Monday
（4）Some people choose to marry on February 29th because ．
A． it's quite a special date
B． it's quite an unlucky day
C． it can save more money
D． it's a traditional custom
（5）Which of the following sentences is not true according to this article？
A． Scientists tell couples not to marry on a leap day．
B． The leap year or leap day comes once every four years．
C． Some ancient peoples believed that leap days were unlucky．
D． We have a little time left each year before a leap year comes．
My husband Shane and I were hanging out on the street one evening． I was talking but he was looking over at someone．
He walked over to a young girl who was crying． As he talked to her， I could see from his body language that he was trying to calm（使平静） her down． When I joined them， I realized that she had been homeless for some time． She told Shane that all she wanted was to go to her sister's house in another city．
Some people would have handed her some money， wished her lunch or maybe allowed her to make a call． Shane did much more． He said，"Kelly， I can't leave her here like this． Sometimes people need someone not only to help them but to believe they 're telling the truth．"
It was a bit cold， so we had an idea to take her home． When I asked her if she'd like to go home with us， she thanked me about a million times with tears in her eyes．
We went home and I gave her some clean clothes to wear and told her she could use the shower． We ate something． Finally， she told us her story．
In the morning， she was finally able to get a hold of her sister， so she had a place to go．Shane drove her to the bus station and bought her a ticket．
Sometimes what people need is not just money， but people who will trust， listen to and understand them．
（1）Kelly knew Shane was making the girl be quiet because she ．
A． heard what they said
B． saw his body language
C． asked Shane what he said
D． was doing the same thing
（2）Shane wanted to when he knew her trouble on the street．
A． give the girl some money
B． let the girl use his phone
C． have a lunch with the girl
D． take the girl to their home
（3）Choose the true sentence according to the fourth paragraph．
A． The girl was so hungry that she began to cry．
B． The girl didn't believe in Shane and Kelly at all．
C． The girl agreed to go with Shane and Kelly soon．
D． Kelly felt unhappy when she heard what Shane said．
（4）The phrase "get a hold of" in the sixth paragraph means" "in Chinese．
A．联系
B．抓住
C．看到
D．控制
（5）From this article we know ．
A． Shane drove the girl to her sister's home
B． Shane and Kelly met the girl's sister at last
C． the girl's sister and Shane lived in the same city
D． the girl went to the city her sister lived in by bus
