You can easily find that your sister or brother is different from you. You live together in the same house and have the same parents, but you have different personalities(性格).
Why? One possible reason is the way your parents treat you.
Firstborn children receive all the attention from their parents. Generally speaking, a firstborn has twice as many photos as any other child has. Parents usually give firstborns more responsibilities (责任)and depend on them to take care of younger brothers and sisters. As a result, firstborns are often responsible, hard-working, and serious. They often want to do well at school and in work. More firstborns became American Presidents, for example George W.Bush, George Washington and Lyndon Baines Johnson, than second or last-borns.
When a second child arrives, parents are more relaxed. The second child has to compete (竞争)with the first-born for parents’ attention and love. These children often choose different sports and hobbies to develop different personalities. They are often outgoing, but can be jealous and get angry easily.
The youngest child is usually the happiest, and has fewer responsibilities and more freedom(自由的). These children do well at school and in work, but have to be creative(创造性的) to get their family’s attention. They are often friendly and cool. Many famous talk-show hosts were born last.The underlined word “jealous” means_______ in Chinese
A. 友好的 B. 嫉妒的 C. 快乐的The writer thinks that the second-born children are often ______.
A. outgoing but jealous
B. cool and friendly
C. hard-working and serious. ______ is usually the happiest in the family according to the passage.
A. The eldest child
B. The second child
C. The youngest child We can learn from the passage that ______.
A. the second child is very similar to the firstborn child
B. brothers and sisters usually have the same personalities
C. more firstborns became American presidents than second or last-borns The passage is mainly about ______.
A. birth order and personalities
B. children and their parents
C. different children and different work
Mostly, inventions happen because someone works to solve a problem. Kids are natural inventors.They often create amazing thing from simple ideas.Here are a few examples that might make you wonder,"Why didn't think of that?"
Popsicles
Popsicles were invented by 11﹣year ﹣old Frank Epperson in 1905. He forgot a drink of juice and left it with a stir(搅拌) stick in it outside on a cold night. The next day it was ice. Because of this he couldn't drink it any more, but he could eat it. It tasted good! These ice sticks became popular among kids at school in summer because they were delicious and helped them stay cool.
More than a hundred years later, popsicles are sill one of the best summer treats!
Crayon Holdans
When 11﹣ year﹣ old Cssidss Coldstein needed crayons for a school project,she had a hard time because,there were so many small or broken ones.She found some small clear plastic tubes(管子)at home.Although the tiny tube were usually filled with water to keep flowers fresh, she found that they fit tightly (紧紧地) around the crayons. She was now able to hold them easily.This is how she invented Caryon Holders.
Wristies
When snow gets in kids' gloves and their hands get wet, they feel uncomfortable.10﹣year﹣old Kathryn Gregoary decided to do something about it.She created the wristies as she wanted to keep her wrists(手腕)warm and dry. Wristies are long gloves with no fingers and they are worn under your coat. They help you when you work in the cold because your hands stay warm while you use your fingers. With her parents' help, Kathryn also opened a small shop where she sold her wristie. And she still runsit today.
All these inventions have one thing in common﹣the kids were trying to solve problems in their lives. When you meet problems, what would you do? If the kids can do it ,you can do it, too!
(1)Popsicles became popular among kids at school in summer because .
A. |
they could not only drink them but also eat them |
B. |
they tasted good and helped them stay cool |
C. |
the stir sticks were useful in popsicles |
D. |
it was easy to make them |
(2)The underlined word "runs" in the passage means" "in Chinese.
A. |
经营 |
B. |
跑步 |
C. |
行驶 |
D. |
竞赛 |
(3)Where do you think the passage is from?
A. |
A novel. |
B. |
A guidebook. |
C. |
A science magazine. |
D. |
A poster. |
(4)What 's the main idea of this passage?
A. |
Let us run a shop like Kathryn. |
B. |
Everyone can become an inventor by accident. |
C. |
Kids are so clever that they can invent things. |
D. |
When you meet problems, never give up and you can solve them well. |
Amy wanted a mobile phone as her birthday gift, because most of her classmates had one, but she knew her parents couldn 't afford it.
One day, when she woke up, she found a new mobile phone on her desk. How excited she was!This was the phone that had appeared in fashion magazines.
She played with the phone on the way to school. And the teacher was already there when she arrived at school. Amy was very embarrassed (尴尬的). She looked at her new mobile phone and whispered (低语),"I didn't want to be late …"
Everything changed with her thought. She went to school on time with her new mobile phone.
She was surprised at that. She turned on the phone and found there was a sentence on the screen,"Every dream will come true." Since then, she always asks the phone for help. As a result, she has become lazier and lazier. Her teachers and parents were very disappointed with her and her classmates didn 't like her any more.
When the term exams came, Amy asked the mobile phone for help again,but things turned bad. She got the lowest mark in the class. She wanted to throw it away, but when she did, the phone would come back into her hand. Amy was so scared (恐惧的)that she cried out,"I don't want the mobile phone any more."
She woke up to find that the terrible experience had been just a dream.
(1)What was Amy's dream before her birthday?
A. |
To pass the exam. |
B. |
To have a mobile phone. |
C. |
To be praised by her teacher. |
D. |
To be popular with her classmates. |
(2)In the exams,why did Amy get the lowest mark in the class?
A. |
Because she stayed up late to play the mobile phone. |
B. |
Because she was always late for school. |
C. |
Because it took her too much time to read fashion magazines. |
D. |
Because she always asked the mobile phone for help. |
(3)From the passage we can infer (推断) that .
A. |
Amy got mobile phone at last |
B. |
Amy's parents were rich enough to buy her a mobile phone |
C. |
Amy didn' t want the mobile phone any more after the dream |
D. |
Amy became better and better with the help of the mobile phone |
(4)The Best title of this passage may be" ".
A. |
A Birthday Gift |
B. |
An Embarrassing Experience |
C. |
A Useful Mobile Phone |
D. |
A Terrible Dream about a Mobile Phone |
Every Saturday evening, many people come to an open square in a small town in Xi' an. They want to watch Chen Kun and his friends put on a play. During the play, the audience (观众) can hear them, but they can not see them. That is because they are putting on a shadow puppet play (皮影戏).
Shadow puppets are made of hard leather (皮革). The leather is cut out in the shape of a person,an animal or an object. Each puppet is painted in bright colours and put on a stick. Some puppets have movable arms and legs.
During a shadow puppet play, Chen stands behind a white screen with lights behind it. The audience sit in front of the screen. Chen and his friends hold the puppets very close to the screen so the audience can see the puppets' shadows clearly. Then they move the puppets around and do the voices of the different characters.
Shadow puppet plays are a traditional Chinese art. Now with TV and films, shadow puppet plays are not as popular as before. To encourage more young people to learn the skills of shadow puppet plays,Chen provides training courses for students to teach them how to make shadow puppets.
Chen and his friends often work very hard for little money, but they do not mind. They want to keep this traditional art form alive.
(1)Why cannot the audience see Chen Kun and his friends during the play?
A. |
Because there is no light in front of the screen. |
B. |
Because the audience sit too far to see them. |
C. |
Because Chen Kun and his friends are watching a play. |
D. |
Because Chen Kun and his friends are putting on a shadow puppet play behind the screen. |
(2)According to the passage, what are shadow puppets made of ?
A. |
Leather. |
B. |
Sticks. |
C. |
Plastic. |
D. |
Paper. |
(3)The underlined word "it" refers to (指) in the passage.
A. |
a white screen |
B. |
a light |
C. |
a shadow puppet |
D. |
Chen Kun |
(4)Chen Kun and his friends put on shadow puppet plays because .
A. |
they want to enjoy themselves. |
B. |
they want to make as much money as they can |
C. |
they want to keep this traditional art form alive |
D. |
shadow puppet plays are more popular than before |
When I was in the middle school, I seldom raised my hands to answer questions in class. And I found lots of my classmates were just like me. When the teacher asked a question, I always lowered my head because I was afraid that the teacher saw me.
One day, in a foreign language class, Mr. Black gave us a lesson. He wanted us to be active in class, so he asked us some questions,but no one answered."At the beginning of the class, let me tell you a story." He said.
"When I came to the United States to study, the university often invited famous people to make speeches. Before the beginning of every speech, I found an interesting thing. The students around me always took a cardboard folded (折叠) in half,wrote their names in bold (粗体) with the most eye﹣catching color,and then placed the cardboard on the seat.So when the speaker needed the answers from the students,he could see and call a listener' s name directly."
"I couldn't understand that. My classmates told me the speakers were all top people who meant chances. When your answer was to their surprise, it meant they might give you more chances.In fact,I really saw a few students got great chances because of that."
After listening to the story,I understood that the chance will not find you itself. You must show yourself all the time so that you can find a chance and then catch it.
(1)When the writer's classmates were asked questions, most of them .
A. |
raised their hands |
B. |
shook their heads |
C. |
closed their eyes |
D. |
lowered their heads |
(2)Why did Mr. Black tell his students a story at the beginning of his foreign language class?
A. |
Because he wanted the students to do homework. |
B. |
Because he wanted the students to take notes carefully. |
C. |
Because he wanted the students to be active in class. |
D. |
Because he wanted the students to be quiet in class. |
(3)A speaker at the university got to know the students' names from .
A. |
the computer |
B. |
the cardboards on the students' seats |
C. |
Mr. Black |
D. |
the name list on the teacher' s desk |
(4)What can we learn from this passage?
A. |
Being active in class is interesting. |
B. |
Doing as others do is necessary. |
C. |
Answering questions bravely is easy. |
D. |
Showing yourself bravely can win chances. |
HE Karin, Thanks so much for your support this week.Things have been really difficult with all the revision and everything! Really appreciate(感激)all your help.Let's get together after the exams! Yours, John |
Dear grandma, Thank you very much for the bag you sent me for my birthday.It was really nice of you. I'm going on holiday next month, so I'm planning to take it while I'm away! I hope you're well. Love, Cindy |
Dear Mr. Green, I am writing to say thank you for letting us stay in your house in Australia last month.We were very happy with everything and we thought the house was beautiful. We had a lovey holiday in Sydeny. We really enjoyed exploring (探索) the town and the local area.We will use the "Love A Flat "website again to find a house to live in when we plan our next holiday. Thank you again! Yours, Costa |
(1)Which note above is for a friend?
A. |
John's note. |
B. |
Cindy's note. |
C. |
Costa's note. |
D. |
Mr.Green's note. |
(2)Who has sent a bag to Cindy for her birthday?
A. |
Her father. |
B. |
Her mother. |
C. |
Her grandma. |
D. |
Her grandpa. |
(3)What did Costa think of Mr.Green's house?
A. |
Bad. |
B. |
Large. |
C. |
Small. |
D. |
Good. |
(4)Costa used the to find Mr.Green 's house according to the passage.
A. |
telephone |
B. |
|
C. |
website |
D. |
TV |