My parents divorced when I was 8 years old. Their marriage was a mistake of World War II. And about 50 years ago, I was the only child I knew who didn't have a father at home on Father's Day. Divorce was very uncommon back then.
So when my friends were in town shopping for presents for their fathers, I decided since my mother was both Mother and Father, no one else was like her, who better deserved(be worth) a present on Father's Day than her?
I bought her a little set of tools, just a few things, hammer, pliers(钳子) and screwdriver(螺丝起子) and a box to put all these things in. I got some ideas from my grandfather and named it Mother's Tool Box. She was excited, more at the thought of being cared for on Father's Day than of the present. She always said she liked her Father's Day memories better than the Mother's Day ones. It made her feel special — and she was. I have noticed in the past few years, greeting cards are even made for "Mother on Father's Day". Ever since then, my mother has got cards on Father’s Day. By the way, she knew just how to use those tools and others she had ever used over the years.Which sentence shows that divorce was very uncommon at that time?
A.My parents divorced when I was 8 years old. |
B.My parents’ marriage was a mistake of World War II. |
C.My mother has got cards on Father’s Day. |
D.I was the only child who didn’t have a father at home on Father’s Day. |
What did the writer decide to do when he saw friends shopping for Father’s Day presents?
A.Go shopping with his friends. |
B.Buy a present for his mother. |
C.Help his mother. |
D.Ask his grandfather for help. |
“Hammer, pliers and screwdriver” are probably things __________.
A.more often used by men |
B.that cost a lot of money |
C.very popular at that time |
D.that his mother liked most |
Mother was excited because __________.
A.she was very interested in the tool box |
B.she was deeply loved by her child |
C.she saw the name on the tool box |
D.she knew how to use the things |
Why did Mother feel special?
A.She had more Father’s Day memories. |
B.She had only one child. |
C.She was both Mother and Father. |
D.She was the happiest one on Father’s Day |
I was in line waiting to pay. In line there were two people before me. A little boy was buying some rather strange clothes. He chatted with anyone who was interested in the clothes and soon we learnt that he was going to a kindergarten(幼儿园) party. He had done a great job of putting together interesting costumes.
I noticed that the little boy was paying mostly with change(零钱). It seemed that he had robbed his pig bank(猪形储蓄罐) to do this shopping. However, the cashier told him he was short after counting all the money. The boy thought for a moment and said, “Please keep the shirt and I will come back with more money. “
It was clear that he had already used all the money he had and he was $ 8.00 short. The lady in front of me said, “Well, I could pay half of that. “I told the boy that I could pay the other half. We dug into our handbags. However, both of us only had ten-dollar bills(纸币) and we needed the cashier to get the change for us. Other shoppers began digging into their pockets to find some change. It was amazing and touching(令人感动的) as all these strangers seemed to react(反应) with the same mind. All wanted to be of help. Within minutes the cashier said, “I have too much money.” The cashier didn’t need our ten-dollar bills. Then the lady in front of me, who had been the first to offer help, said, “Wait! I didn’t even get a chance to give anything!”
I smiled at her and said, “You did your share, because it was your idea and you started all this. “ The little boy smiled and thanked us. We wished him the best and he left. I was left with a good feeling. I had seen the love and goodness of others all around me. The woman in front of me smiled and said, “It sure feels good to give, doesn’t it?” I smiled back and said, “Yes !”What is this passage mainly about?
A.Love and goodness. | B.Culture and tradition. |
C.Friendship and honesty. | D.Communication and understanding. |
Why did the writer and the woman both feel glad?
A.Because the boy had saved some money. |
B.Because they both didn’t need to give anything. |
C.Because the cashier didn’t look down on the boy. |
D.Because all the shoppers around were willing to help the boy. |
What’s the correct order of the following events?
a. The cashier got enough money for the boy’s shirt.
b. The cashier counted the boy’s money.
c. The shoppers looked for some change in their pockets.
d. The boy went to the line to pay.
A.b, a, c, d | B.b, c, a, d | C.d, b, c, a | D.d, c, a, b |
When we talk about stars, especially women stars,it seems that they are always young,pretty and own charming body shapes.But recently a Britain’s Got Talent(英国达人)star Susan Boyle has changed our views absolutely(完全地).
Simon Cowell,one of the judges of the talent show spoke of his shock over Ms Boyb’s voice. “This lady came up,and I’m thinking, ‘This will take five seconds and I can go to have a cup of tea.’ That changed when she began to sing I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables. She knew we were going to have that reaction and just to see that look of satisfaction on her face midway through —it was one of my favorite moments,” Cowell said.
The performance was posted On line and before long,the 47-year-old Scottish woman has been famous all over the world.
Speaking from her home in Scotland,MsBoyle said that she hadn’t thought of changing her appearance.She said that her friend helped her with make-up.“I mean,that’s hardly a makeover.” she added.
Ms. Boyle also spoke of the reason she first began to explore her vocal(歌唱的) talents.”I was kind of slow at school, so getting something like singing was a good way of hiding behind that and thus it built my confidence.’’Susan Boyle is __________.
A.a judge | B.a reporter | C.a beautiful lady | D.a Scottish woman |
Susan Boyle had a look of satisfaction on her face when she was singing because ______.
A.she was confident of her singing |
B.she was satisfied with the judges |
C.she was pretty and in good shape |
D.she sang the song,I Dreamed a Dream from Lea Miserables |
What does the underlined word “views” mean?
A.见解 | B.预告 | C.复习 | D.景色 |
According to the passage,which is NOT true?
A.It was the vocal talents that built Susan’s confidence. |
B.Susan Boyle was not good at her lessons when at school. |
C.Susan Boyle became famous because of her appearance. |
D.Simon Cowell didn’t think Susan Boyle a good singer at the time sight. |
What can we learn from Susan Boyle’s success?
A.It’s never too old to learn. |
B.It’s easier to succeed at the age of 47. |
C.If you have a dream,try to make it come true! |
D.If you are not able to study well,to be a singer instead. |
The Aborigines (澳洲土著) have lived in Australia for about 60,000 years. They painted pictures inside caves, and these are the rock paintings that have given us so much information about Aboriginal life. For example, some of the paintings that are about 10,000 years old show men with boomerangs. From this we know that the Aborigines started using boomerangs for hunting at that time. Other pictures show kangaroos, so we know that there were kangaroos at that time.
The Aborigines believed that spirits made people, animals and plants, and that these spirits still live in the earth. For Aborigines, no one can own the earth—the earth belongs to the spirits.
In 1700, there were many Aboriginal groups with a population of 750,000 all over Australia, and there were probably more than 240 different Aboriginal languages. The groups did not have a leader. Instead, things were decided by the older men in a group. People from different groups often travelled hundreds of miles to meet each other.
Aboriginal life changed when an English boat arrived in Australia in 1770. Many Aborigines were killed in the wars that they had with the English. More Europeans came, and they started taking land from the Aborigines. The Europeans also brought new illnesses that killed the Aborigines. The result is that today there are only about 300,000 Aborigines in Australia.The Aborigines painted pictures .
A.on animals’ fur | B.on the land |
C.on the tree | D.on the rock |
What do you think the Aborigines used boomerangs to do?
A.To paint. | B.To hunt. | C.To fight. | D.To play. |
The Aborigines thought were the most important on the earth.
A.people | B.animals | C.spirits | D.plants |
In an Aboriginal group decided things.
A.the older men | B.the leader |
C.the English | D.the Europeans |
The number of the Aborigines is small today .
A.because their living condition was very bad |
B.because the English killed a lot of them in the wars |
C.because of the new illnesses the Europeans brought them |
D.because of the wars and the new illnesses |
There is not enough oil in the world now. As time goes by ,it becomes less and less ,so what are we going to do when it runs out? Perhaps we will go back to use horses ,carriages and bicycles .
In the Second World War ,some people didn't use gas made from petroleum (石油)in their cars .They made gas from wood and plants instead . The cars didn't go fast ,but they ran ,so this was better than nothing. However, in the future, we can't cut down all our trees to make gas; we need our trees for other things, too.
Besides different types of gas, we can also use electricity(电)to run our cars but first we must make the electricity !Some countries have coal and they make electricity with that, but we might not always have coal, either. Other countries have big ,strong rivers and they can use the power of water to turn turbines(涡轮机) and make electricity more easily and cheaply.
We are also able to get power from the ocean tides. We put turbines into the mouth of the river .Then the tide comes in ,the water turns the turbines and then it goes out ,it turns them again.
Which of these ways will be used to run our cars in the future?When might people have to go back to using horses and carriages?
A.When they are poor |
B.When they run out of oil |
C.When they need more exercise |
D.When there aren't any big trees in the world |
How many ways are suggested to make electricity in the passage?
A.2 | B.5 | C.4 | D.3 |
The passage is mainly about .
A.how to run our cars |
B.what to do when oil runs out |
C.different types of gas |
D.the way to make electricity |
The worst danger is a house on fire when people are asleep. Always be ready to leave through a window into the garden by making sure you can open it if necessary. If you should be on holiday in a tall building or hotel, make sure you know where the fire escape(太平梯) is . When you can’t find any way out, try to find pieces of cloth and make a rope to get out of a window to safety. If you smell burning in your home, get out right away. If you can’t breathe properly because of smoke on your way out, crawl(爬行) on your hands and knees because smoke rises and the air will be cleaner near the floor. Smoke is a killer and more people have died from breathing it in than actually being burnt.
Fire in a cinema, hall or public place often means people pushing to reach a door. Keep your head up with arms up in front of your chest(胸).This protects your chest and gives you the best chance to breathe. Above all, don’t get frightened!In a room filled with smoke ,you’d better crawl on the floor because__________.
A.you won’t get burnt. | B.the floor is cleaner |
C.there is less smoke near the floor | D.you won’t breathe any smoke |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A.In a fire, more deaths are caused by smoke. |
B.The most important thing is not to be frightened in a fire |
C.When a public place is on fire, people usually push to leave. |
D.Be ready to leave a burning house through a window if there is a garden down below. |