A young boy was sitting in the back seat of the car eating an apple. He asked his father, “Why does my apple turn brown?” his father answered, “When the skin is removed, air reaches the flesh of the apple and causes oxidation. This changes the apple’s molecular structure and results in a brownish color.” The boy asked, “ Daddy, what are you talking about?”
I know how that boy feels. Sometimes I want answers to some of those confusing questions that we all meet with, such as how to get through difficult times or what to do in a tough situation. I just want to get it right.
The problem is that I don’t always have the answer I need. Nobody else seems to have them, either. So I go on making mistakes and think that I’ll never get it right.
Often I didn’t know what to do. I often made poor choices, but I gradually improved. Then I realized that I don’t HAVE TO always get it right. I don’t have to always know what to do all the time. All I really need to do is try my best, learn from my mistakes and go on.
Dr. Leo Buscaglia once said, “ No one gets out of this world alive, so the time to live, learn, care, share, celebrate and love is now. That would be pretty hard to do when you’re waiting for all the answers first.”
So you got it wrong. You made a mistake. So what should you do next? Forgive yourself and try again. You may not get out of this world alive, but you can get plenty of life out of this world if you are not too worried about always getting it right. In the beginning, the author tells the story of a boy and his father to ____.
| A．show that the father is very knowledgeable |
| B．say something interesting about apples |
| C．introduce the subject of the passage |
| D．show that children nowadays ask more questions |
How did the boy feel when he heard his father’s explanation?
| A．He admired his father very much. |
| B．He knew what his father meant. |
| C．He thought that he had learned a lot from his father. |
| D．He felt it was difficult to understand. |
What do Dr. Leo Buscaglia’s words mean?
| A．We must make right choices as often as possible. |
| B．We can search the answers when enjoying life itself. |
| C．People have many desires when they enter the world. |
| D．It is hard to lead a happy and satisfying life. |
What can be concluded from the passage?
| A．We should learn from our mistakes and try again. |
| B．We should try to learn and understand the answers to questions. |
| C．It is very important to try to avoid mistakes. |
| D．It is our duty to make the world a better place. |
What is the style of the passage?
A. novel B. news C. essay D poem
McEvan’s Supermarket to Mark its Twentieth Anniversary(纪念日)
on October 24!
We would like you to join us on October 24. On this special day, we will be giving you even more ways to save. And there will be music, some free food, and games for children throughout the day. There are more reasons than ever to come to McEvan’s on October 24.
We will offer:
great discounts on hundreds of things from nearly every department, including the bakery, the dairy (奶制品) farm, fruit corner, the vegetable garden and electronics center.
Discount vouchers (代金卷) for $10.00, $15.00, or $20.00 to the first 100 customers.
McEvan’s Supermarket games for children whose parents are shopping that include free T-shirts and other giveaways.
To learn more about the special events planned for October 24, go to our website at www.mcevan-supermarket.com or ask any one of our 200 employees for more information.
Please tear the voucher out.
| Happy 20th! McEvan’s Supermarket October 24 only $20.00 discount Please present to cashier at time of shopping Title First Name Last Name Mailing Address (including apt. number) City StateZip Code Would like to Receive Mail from McEvan’s? Yesno Specials and information through E-mail?Yes no E-mail Address We promise to keep your information to ourselves.It will not be sent to any third party. In the event that your own information changes, please call us at (520)555-0318 or email us at info@mcevansupermarket.com. |
What is the text about?
| A．A supermarket sale. | B．A thank-you party. |
| C．A food exhibition. | D．A new product. |
How can a customer receive a voucher?
| A．He is the winner of the game on October 24. |
| B．He has been shopping at McEvan’s for 20 years. |
| C．He has been an employee of the shop for 20 years. |
| D．He is one of the first 100 customers on October 24. |
What can children get at McEvan’s for free?
| A．Electronic products. | B．Vegetable |
| C．T-shirts | D． Milk. |
Whatwould you do if you were a fifth grader facing a huge homework load every night, and you found out that there was a machine that would do all the work for you? That’s the situation presented to Sam, Kelsey, Judy and Brenton in Dan Gutman’s entertaining new book for young readers, The Homework Machine.
The four children, all fifth graders in Miss Rasmussen’s class at Grand Canyon School, are as different as any four 11-year-olds could be, but they have one thing in common — all are somewhat separated from their classmates. Sam is a newcomer and has had his share of school trouble before; Kelsey quietly carries her pain at losing her father; Judy’s sense of justice (正义感) always annoys others; and Brenton…well, he is another story entirely. Brenton is easily the smartest child in school, so smart that even his parents and teachers have trouble keeping up with him. When Brenton and his three classmates are put into the same study group by their teacher, the others discover that Brenton has made a time-saving gadget (装置) to do his homework for him. While the boy genius(天才) is perfectly able to do the homework himself, Sam, Kelsey and Judy could use the help.
Having perfect grades is something new for these three, and as they meet every day to “do homework”, they find that they’re learning a lot — about each other. Such a good thing can’t last though, and when a secret man starts trying to get in touch with them, the children begin to get nervous. Soon there’s an even more frightening problem — why can’t the Homework Machine be turned off?
Told in different voices (as all the children make statements to the Grand Canyon Police), the story develops in an interesting fashion. Gutman is a gifted who has written dozens of children’s books, each with a funny and impressing tale that should be equally liked by boys and girls.What type of text is it?
| A．A book review. | B．A school report |
| C．A science story | D．A student’s diary |
What is one common thing that all four children have to deal with at school?
| A．Getting along with classmates. |
| B．Overcoming sad feelings. |
| C．Following school rules. |
| D．Keeping good grades |
What can we learn about Brenton?
| A．He is careless. | B．He is clever. |
| C．He is brave. | D．He is quiet. |
Why did the children get frightened?
| A．They had no idea how to stop the machine. |
| B．They lost the connection with each other. |
| C．They were questioned by a strange man. |
| D．They were tracked down by the police. |
As a contestant on The X Factor, 13-year-old Rachel Crow seemed to have exactly what it took to win: strong praise from judges, a beautiful voice, and a lovable personality. Then she was voted off.
When the results were read, Rachel broke down, sobbing and screaming for her mom, who had to rush onstage to comfort her.
It was a humiliating moment for Rachel, but a great moment for The X Factor — just the kind of drama TV audiences love.
Some fans said Rachel’s breakdown proved she was too young to be on the show. And though there was nothing exceptional about someone Rachel’s age being on reality TV — children and teens appear in everything from Dance Moms to The Biggest Loser — Rachel’s meltdown did raise an important question: Should kids be on reality TV at all? Many psychologists are saying “No”.
It’s well known that early fame can be harmful and that many former child stars struggle as adults. Being followed by photographers 24/7 and having everything they do reported in newspapers and blogs can be hard for young people to deal with. It can make them feel as though their worth depends on what others say. Reality TV takes the pressure of early fame to a whole new level. Kids on reality TV don’t play characters. They play themselves. Cameras expose their most private moments for our entertainment.
Laws exist that protect child actors, making sure they go to school and limiting the hours they can work. In many states, though, these laws do not apply to kids on reality TV, because they are not considered actors.
Dangers aside, there’s no doubt that reality shows do offer exciting opportunities and the potential to make money. A 7-year-old girl who attends a TV show earns about $36,000 per season. After competing on The X Factor, One Direction went on to become international stars. Even Rachel made out OK. She released an album and voices a character in the movie Rio 2. And she showed resilience (适应力). “I’m not feeling great, but I’ll be fine,” she told reporters after breakdown. “I’m Rachel still.”The underlined word “humiliating” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to “ _______”.
| A．exciting | B．precious |
| C．important | D．embarrassing |
We can learn from Paragraph 4 that some of Rachel’s fans thought that she _______.
| A．was not good enough |
| B．deserved better results |
| C．should have been much stronger |
| D．shouldn’t have been on the show |
Paragraph 5 is mainly about _______.
| A．how kids should deal with pressure |
| B．why early fame can be harmful to kids |
| C．the importance of kids being themselves |
| D．what some former child stars have achieved |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．Kids should look for more challenges. |
| B．Reality shows may change a kid forever. |
| C．Reality shows can benefit kids in some ways. |
| D．Kids can earn little money from reality shows. |
Can food be free, fresh and easily accessible? That’s the bold (大胆) question that the city of Seattle is hoping to answer with a new experimental farm not far from the city’s downtown area that will have fruits and vegetables for anyone to harvest this fall.
On Beacon Hill, just south of central Seattle, landscape developers and a few affordable-food advocates are building an eatable food forest. Everything grown in the area will be eatable. And it’ll be open around the clock to anyone who wants to come and pick some fresh blueberries or pears.
Organizers shared with National Geographic a list of the crop offerings. Many are expected: apples, berries and tomatoes. But others are pretty far-out. A large Asian community in the area suggested things like Asian pears and honeyberries. A European influence led to the planting of medlar trees.
The concept is modeled on permaculture, a design system and school of thought emphasizing the use of renewable nature resources and the enrichment of local ecosystems. Offering people free, fresh food is one motivation, but making the land useful and ecologically enriched is the larger goal.
That being said, some potential problems come to mind. What if all of one fruit is gone the first weekend when it’s ripe? What if people pick things too early and spoil the potential for everyone?
Organizers aren’t concerned about those questions. “We’ve had many discussions about what would happen if someone comes and picks all the blueberries,” says Margarett Harrison, the landscape architect designing the project.” But that’s been considered as a good thing. We’ll just plant more.”
Anything related to agriculture and good food — in large quantities — takes time. Most of the trees won’t be mature enough for a few more years. But a few decades could make the area impressively productive.
Idealistic? Perhaps. But it’s the kind of idealism that anyone who likes to eat fresh things from time to time can get behind. And that’s the type of motivation that organizers hope will keep going. Paragraph 3 is mainly about _______.
| A．the crops that will be harvested this fall |
| B．people’s attitude towards the project |
| C．which communities live in the area |
| D．how the food selection was made |
What’s Margarett Hrrison’s attitude towards the potential problems the forest may face?
| A．Concerned. | B．Cautious. |
| C．Optimistic. | D．Uninterested |
The text is mainly about ______.
| A．Seattle’s free food experiment |
| B．what the future of forests will be |
| C．agricultural development in Seattle |
| D．how to keep in harmony with nature |
One evening last summer, when I asked my 17-year-old son, Ray, for help with dinner, his response surprised me, “What’s a colander (漏勺)?” he asked.
I could only blame myself. Nobody’s hands went in the sauce except my own. But that night, as I explained with a touch of panic that a colander is the thing with holes in it, I wondered what else I hadn’t prepared Ray for.
As parents, while we focus on our child’s confidence and character, we perhaps don’t always consider that we are also raising someone’s future roommate, boyfriend, husband, or father. I wanted to know that I’d raised a boy who would never ask the woman in his life, “What’s for dinner?” So I came up with a plan: I would offer Ray a private home economics course. I was delighted to find that he didn’t say no.
For two hours, three days a week, Ray was all mine. One day, as his tomato sauce reduced on the stove, he washed and seasoned a chicken for roasting. Then he rolled out the piecrust (馅饼) and filled it with apples, all while listening to my explanation on the importance of preheating an oven.
I knew that he would rather have been shooting hoops I the driveway than learning to mend socks with his mother — he tried to beg off sewing lessons, even though I insisted that one day, someone would find the sight of him fixing his own shirt very attractive — but it couldn’t be denied that he was learning, and more than just housekeeping. “I appreciate more what you do as a mom,” he told me one day.
Ray now understands the finer points of cooking, and more important, he realizes there’s nothing masculine (男子气的) about being helpless. Not only can he make his own dinner, he can make it for his family, too. That’s what I call a man.Hearing her son’s question, the author felt _______.
| A．shocked | B．angry |
| C．disappointed | D．calm |
We can learn from the text that Ray ________.
| A．preferred sewing to cooking |
| B．made great progress in cooking |
| C．was unwilling to take the course at first |
| D．always thought it attractive to do housework |
The underlined part “more than just housekeeping” shows that Ray ______.
| A．fell in love with house work |
| B．did other work in the house |
| C．began to be more important |
| D．acknowledged the author’s efforts |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Should boys be involved in housework? |
| B．Present for my future daughter-in-law. |
| C．I’m proud I’ve raised a curious son. |
| D．Dependent or independent. |