What Is a Boy?
Between the innocence of babyhood and the seriousness of manhood we find a delightful creature called a “boy”. Boys come in different sizes, weights, and colors, but all boys have the same belief: to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to fill the air with noise until the adult males send them off to bed at night.
Boys are found everywhere –-- on top of, under, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to. Mothers spoil them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers love them, and God protects them. A boy is TRUTH with dirt on its face, BEAUTY with a cut on its finger, WISDOM with chocolate in its hair, and the HOPE of the future with a snake in its pocket.
When you are busy, a boy is a trouble-maker and a noise. When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a wild creature destroying the world and himself with it
A boy is a mixture – he has the stomach of a horse, the digestion (消化) of stones and sand, the energy of an atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the imagination of a superman, the shyness of a sweet girl, the brave nature of a bull, the violence of a firecracker(鞭炮), but when you ask him to make something, he has five thumbs on each hand.
He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday mornings, and fire engines. He is not much for Sunday schools, company, schools, books without pictures, music lessons, neckties, barbers, girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime.
Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper. Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes. Nobody else can put into one pocket a rusty knife, a half eaten apple, a three-feet rope, six cents and some unknown things.
A boy is a magical creature – he is your headache but when you come home at night with only destroyed pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words, “Hi, Dad!”The whole passage is in a tone (语气) of _________.
A.respect and harmony | B.humor and love |
C.hope and expectation | D.confidence and imagination |
What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence?
A.He has altogether five fingers. | B.He is slow, foolish and clumsy. |
C.He becomes clever and smart. | D.He cuts his hand with a knife. |
According to the writer, boys appreciate everything in the following except _________.
A.ice cream | B.comic books |
C.Saturday mornings | D.Sunday schools |
What does the writer feel about boys?
A.He feels curious about their noise. | B.He is tired of these creatures. |
C.He is amazed by their naughtiness. | D.He feels unsafe staying with them. |
Brio Leisure![]() At the heart of life |
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Health & Fitness Memberships The Brio Health & Fitness Membership packages offer great value for money with no joining fee, no contract, flexibility and choice --- making your health and fitness goals both affordable and achievable. Choose the payment option to suit you, pay by Direct Debit (银行代扣)or save money by purchasing an annual membership. |
12 months for the price of 10 Pay annually and you'll get 12 months for the price of 10. See below for prices. Brio Premier Unlimited use of all Brio gyms Unlimited use of all fitness classes Unlimited casual swimming at all Brio pools Off peak racquet (球拍) sports Unlimited use of steam, sauna (桑拿浴) and jacuzzi (按摩浴缸) (where available) £32.00 per month / £320.00 annually Brio Premier - Single Centre Single centre membership allows you to use all the facilities at a single centre. Available at Christleton Sports Centre, Frodsham Leisure Centre and Neston Recreation Centre. Unlimited gym use Unlimited fitness classes Unlimited casual swimming (no pool provision at Frodsham Leisure Centre) Off peak racquet sports £28.00 per month / £280.00 annually Brio Premier - Off Peak Access from opening until 4.00pm and all time at weekends. Use of all Brio gyms Fitness classes Casual swimming Racquet Sports Steam, sauna and jacuzzi (where available) £22.50 per month / £225.00 annually Brio Swim This membership offers unlimited use of all Brio pools, perfect for regular swimmers! £21.00 per month / £210.00 annually Brio Local This membership offers unlimited use of the gym and fitness classes at a single centre. Available at Malpas Sports Centre, Hooton Golf Course, and Rudheath Leisure Centre. £15.00 per month / £150.00 annually |
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![]() Off peak racquets - Weekdays from centre opening until 5.00pm, and all day weekends. Sauna and steam room available at Northgate Arena. Sauna available at Moss Farm Leisure Complex. Sauna, steam room and jacuzzi available at Winsford Lifestyle Centre. To join online you will need: A valid email address so that you can receive your online booking details, payment and booking confirmations as well as important membership information. A valid UK bank account that accepts a Direct Debit arrangement if you wish to take out a Direct Debit membership. Memberships are valid for the account holder only. Credit card / Debit card may be required to make an up-front payment for Direct Debit option. |
Brio Leisure must be _____.
A.a website | B.a health clinic |
C.a sports club | D.an entertainment park |
Sam, who has a membership of Brio Premier at Frodsham Leisure Centre, can enjoy _____ at 6.00pm on Wednesday.
A.fitness classes | B.casual swimming |
C.racquet sports | D.steam and sauna |
Which of the following center suits Alice, who likes swimming and playing racquet sports and wants to enjoy jacuzzi afterwards?
A.Christleton Sports Centre. | B.Rudheath Leisure Centre. |
C.Neston Recreation Centre. | D.Winsford Lifestyle Centre. |
If Steven wants to use the Brio gym and swim at noon on weekdays, he needs to pay at least _____ for half a year’s membership.
A.£112.50 | B.£135.00 | C.£140.00 | D.£168.00 |
Warner Brothers has announced more Harry Potter movies are on the way. The studio is working with Potter author J. K. Rowling to create a new franchise (特需经营权) of movies based on “Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them”, which is a fictitious textbook in the Harry Potter world. The story will also follow the adventures of the book’s author, Newt Scamander. Rowling, for the first time, will pen the screenplay.
It comes as no surprise that Warner Brothers is trying to keep the Harry Potter franchise going. The films alone have earned $7.7 billion at the box office. The franchise has probably almost doubled those earnings on home video and TV sales. Then there’s the many Harry Potter products that fans still snatch up.
But at some point, Harry Potter could seem old hat and that’s not something Warner Brothers wants to see happen. So executives had three choices: restart the franchise, come up with continuations or spin off part of the Potter world into a new movie.
Without books to support the new stories, the upcoming movies could be a tougher sell for Warner Brothers. Harry and friends won’t appear at all in the new movies which will be set in New York 70 years before Harry Potter heads to Hogwarts.
The new stories will also net video games, products and enhance Rowling’s website.
Here’s Rowling on the upcoming franchise:
It all started when Warner Brothers came to me with the suggestion of turning “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” into a film. I thought it was a fun idea, but the idea of seeing Newt Scamander, the supposed author of “Fantastic Beasts”, realized by another writer was difficult. Having lived for so long in my fictional universe, I feel very protective of it and I already knew a lot about Newt. As Harry Potter fans will know, I liked him so much that I even married his grandson, Rolf, to one of my favourite characters from the Harry Potter series, Luna Lovegood.
As I considered Warners’ proposal, an idea took shape that I couldn’t get rid of. That is how I could express my own idea for a film to Warner Brothers.
Although it will be set in the worldwide community of wizards (巫师) where I was so happy for seventeen years, it is neither a previous work nor a continuation to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world. The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry gets underway.The phrase “snatch up” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to “_____”.
A.rush to purchase | B.give up reluctantly |
C.make profits from | D.take away by force |
What made Rowling accept Warner Brothers’ proposal?
A.Her eagerness to try writing for the screenplay. |
B.Her unwillingness to see others write the story. |
C.The attraction of earning more at the box office. |
D.The film company’s promise to enhance her website. |
It is implied in the passage that creating and selling the new movies may be _____.
A.inspiring | B.embarrassing |
C.disappointing | D.challenging |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.Warner Brothers’ expanded partnership with Harry Potter author. |
B.Warner Brothers’ success and development in Harry Potter series. |
C.Rowling’s view on the upcoming franchise of Harry Potter movies. |
D.Rowling’s creative ideas for the cooperation with Warner Brothers. |
Earth Day is on April 22nd.People say thanks to the Earth and learn ways to keep the Earth safe and clean.But saving the Earth is not just for grow-ups.Kids are also taking an active part in it.
The American writer and filmmaker Lynne made a film called Young Voices for the Planet.It lists a lot of stories about different kids who help to keep our environment clean.
Team Marine, US A group of students at Santa Monica High School started an organization called Team Marine.They tell people why plastic bags are bad for sea animals and environment.In 2011, they successfully made lawmakers (立法者) in their city stop people using plastic bags.
Felix, 15, GermanyIn 2007, a 9-year-old boy, Felix, started a club,Plant for the Planet.It encourages children around the world to plant trees in their own countries.Felix helped plant 25 million trees in Germany and 120 million trees worldwide.
Alec, 17, USWhen he was 12, Alec set up Kids VS Global (全球的) Warming.It teaches kids about weather change and ways to stop the world getting warmer and warmer.Alec travels widely to encourage people to help stop global warming.He has given more than 70 talks across the country.
Olivia, 13, USWhen Olivia was 11, she heard about the 2010 oil spill (漏油) in the Gulf of Mexico.She painted 500 pictures of birds to raise money for the clean-up.She raised more than $200,000 to protect (保护) birds and other wild animals.What is the purpose of setting up the “Earth Day” and who can do something for the Earth?
A.To keep the earth peaceful and beautiful by adults and kids |
B.To keep the earth balanced by adults only |
C.To keep the earth safe and clean by adults and kids |
D.To keep the earth safe and clean by kids only |
Young Voices for the Planet made by Lynne is ________.
A.a book | B.a TV play |
C.a film | D.a club |
According to the passage, we know ________ doesn’t agree to use plastic bags.
A.Team Marine | B.Felix | C.Alec | D.Olivia |
Alec travels widely to encourage people to ________.
A.raise money |
B.plant trees |
C.protect wild animals |
D.help stop global warming |
The passage is mainly about how ________.
A.kids are saving the Earth |
B.parents are planting trees |
C.students are raising money |
D.grow-ups are using plastics bags |
During the Winter Olympics in Sochi(索契), 25,000 volunteers from Russia and other countries provided services for athletes and guests.The student Oksana Verkholyak helped translate Russian into English and Korean at the Games.She told us about their usual day.
“We get up at 7:30 in the morning.Then we have breakfast.Usually we have porridge for breakfast.There is always tea, coffee, bread and pies.After breakfast, we head for a bus stop and get on a bus which runs to the media center.It takes us 30 minutes to get there,” she said.
When volunteers arrived there, they went through the security (安全) check point.They couldn’t bring water or food with them.“Security guards check our bags.We are not allowed to have things made of metals.They check phones, video cameras, electric equipment and computers,” Oksana added.
In the evening volunteers got back to the apartment buildings.All of them were like one big family.They lived together and got some rest together—after dinner they went to the beach to watch the sunset.
Not only students helped organize the Sochi Olympics.There were many so-called silver volunteers who retired but didn’t lose interest in sports.Some of the volunteers had an experience working at the Olympic Games in other countries and even at the Moscow Olympics in 1980.How many foreign languages did Oksana Verkholyak use at the Games?
A.One. B.Two. C.Three.Where did the volunteers go first after breakfast?
A.To the apartment buildings.
B.To the security check point.
C.To a bus stop.What couldn’t the volunteers take into the media center?
A.Water and computers.
B.Video cameras and phones.
C.Knives and hamburgers.Which is NOT true about the silver volunteers?
A.They’re all young people.
B.They love sports.
C.Some of them have volunteered for the Olympics before.What is the best title of this passage?
A.A volunteer’s day at Sochi Olympics
B.2014 Sochi Winter Olympics
C.Different jobs for volunteers
Once there was a huge apple tree.A little boy loved to come and play around it every day.He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him.
Time went by…the little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree every day.One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad.“Come and play with me,” the tree asked the boy.“I’m no longer a kid.I wouldn’t play around the tree any more.” the boy replied.“I want toys.I need money to buy them.” “Sorry, I don’t have money.But you can pick all my apples and sell them.So, you will have money.” The boy picked all the apples on the tree and left happily.The boy never came back after he picked the apples.
One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited, “Come and play with me,” the tree said.“I don’t have time to play.I have to work for my family.We need a house for shelter.Can you help?” “Sorry, I don’t have a house.But you can cut off my branches to build your house.” So the boy cut all the branches off the tree and left happily.The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy never came back since then.The tree was again lonely and sad.
One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was pleased.“Come and play with me!” the tree said.“I am sad and getting old.I want to go sailing to relax myself.Can you give me a boat?” “Use my trunk to build your boat.You can sail far away and be happy.” So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat.He went sailing and never showed up for a long time.
Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years.“Sorry, my boy.But I don’t have anything for you any more.The only thing left is my dying root,” the tree said with tears ①.
“Good! Old tree root is the best place to lean on and rest.Come and sit down with me and rest.” The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears ② …----Why did the boy pick all the apples on the tree?
----Because __________.
A.he wanted to eat them |
B.he needed money to buy toys |
C.he liked the tree without apples |
D.he wanted to share them with friends |
----When did the boy come back to the apple tree?
----He came back _________.
A.whenever he was happy |
B.if he missed the apple tree |
C.when he was in times of difficulty |
D.as soon as he was free |
----What did the boy want at last?
----He wanted ___________.
A.to have a house to live in |
B.nothing except a place to rest |
C.the root of the apple tree |
D.anything that the apple tree had |
----What can we learn from the story?
----We should _________.
A.plant more apple trees |
B.learn from the boy |
C.always stay at home |
D.be thankful to our parents |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.The phrase “with tears ①” means that the apple tree was sad because the boy asked for too much. |
B.The phrase “with tears ②” means that the apple tree was still happy because she could help the boy for the last time. |
C.Each time the boy asked the apple tree for help, the tree tried her best to satisfy him. |
D.After reading the passage, we can easily think of the old Chinese saying “Parents’ love is universal!” |