You want to know about my staying in America, right? Well, to tell you the truth, it is really an eye-opening experience to study here.
In China, I had English classes five times a week since fifth grade. However, I didn’t know how different textbook English could be from everyday English until I came to Hotchkiss School, Connecticut.
When I first studied English, I was told to say, “I am fine.” when people say “How are you?” But in the US, I found that people say, “I am good.” or “I’m tired.”
One day, someone greeted me with “What’s up?” It made me confused(不知所措). I thought for a moment and then smiled because I didn’t know what to say.
Since then, I have discovered more and more differences between Chinese and US cultures.
To my surprise, US girls spend a lot of time in the burning sun to get a tan(晒黑). However, in China, girls try every possible way to get their skin paler, or “whiter”.
I was also surprised by how hard-working US students are.
In China, schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard and that’s it. But here, a “good” student gets good grades, does a lot for the public and plays sports or music.
The kids here are so talented, I am starting to be sorry that I gave up playing the piano at an early age and that I have never thought about sports.According to the writer, textbook English is ______ everyday English.
A.quite different from | B.the same as |
C.more difficult than | D.easier than |
A good US student spends his / her time ______.
A.only in doing homework |
B.only on sports or music |
C.only in working for the public |
D.on studies, sports or music and public work |
Which of the following is NOT true ?
A.The writer is now staying in the US. |
B.American girls love to have white skin. |
C.The US students are hard-working. |
D.Schoolwork is almost everything in China. |
Frank is my good friend. We are in the same class. He is fourteen, one year older than me. His parents are both teachers in No 7 Middle School. Frank studies hard. His English and math are very good. He often helps other students with their English and math. Our teachers like him very much.
We go to school together by bike in the morning. We have lunch at school. After school in the afternoon, we often play sports. We play soccer and baseball. In the evening, he does his homework at home. Sometimes he watches soccer games on TV. On Sundays, he goes out with his parents in his father’s car. They play in the park and do sports there. Sometimes my father takes me there, too. We play sports together. We have a good time.Who is Frank? He is a _________.
A.teacher | B.soccer player | C.student | D.driver |
I’m ________ years old this year.
A.fourteen | B.thirteen | C.fifteen | D.sixteen |
Frank is good at __________.
A.math and Chinese | B.English and Chinese |
C.math and English | D.music and Chinese |
Frank __________ at school.
A.has breakfast | B.has supper | C.has lunch | D.watches TV |
When does Frank do his homework?
A.In the evening | B.In the morning | C.In the afternoon | D.At noon. |
The children often play soccer in the garden and sometimes break Mr Black’s windows. One afternoon Mr Black is at home and reads a book. In a minute he closes his eyes and goes to sleep. At that time a little boy knocks at the door. Mr Black opens his door and asks, “Do you break my window again?”
“Oh, no,” says the boy, “Your window is open this time and our soccer ball is in your room. May I get it, please?”
根据短文内容,判断下列句子T(正确) 还是F(错误)The children often play soccer in the park.
Sometimes the children break Mr Black’s windows.
Mr Black watches TV one afternoon.
The children’s soccer ball is in Mr Black’s room.
The children break Mr Black’s window again.
Young people and older people do not always agree. They sometimes have different ideas about living, working and playing. But in one special program in New York State, adults and teenagers live together in a friendly way.
Each summer 200 teenagers and 50 adults live together for eight weeks as members of a special work group. Everyone works several hours each day. They do so not just to keep busy but to find meaning and fun in work. Some teenagers work in the forests or on the farms near the village. Some learn to make things like tables and chairs and to build houses. The adults teach them these skills.
There are several free hours each day. Weekends are free, too .During the free hours some of the teenagers learn photo-taking or drawing. Others sit around and talk or sing. Each teenager chooses his own way to pass his free time.
When people live together, they should have rules. In this program the teenagers and the adults make the rules together. If someone breaks a rule, the problem goes before the whole group. They talk about it and ask, “Why did it happen? What should we do about it?”
One of the teenagers has said something about it: “You have to stop thinking only about yourself. You learn how to think about the group.” In one special program in New York State, young and older people_________.
A.don’t work well together |
B.live together like friends |
C.teach one another new ways of building houses |
D.spend eight weeks together, working as farmers |
All the members work some time every day mainly to_______.
A.lead a busy life |
B.learn new skills of farming |
C.get used to the life on the farms |
D.find useful things and pleasure in work |
Living together__________.
A.the teenagers don’t have to obey the rules |
B.the members have to obey the rules the adults make |
C.the members have no free time but on weekends |
D.the members should not break the rules they make together |
The last paragraph shows that the teenager thinks this the program is_________.
A.unpleasant |
B.tiring |
C.helpful |
D.boring |
The best title for the passage is ____________ .
A.The Rules of Living Together |
B.Life in New York State |
C.Teenagers and Adults Together |
D.Free Hours in the Special Work Group |
As prices and building costs keep rising, “the do-it-yourself”(DIY)trend(趋势) in the US continues to grow.
“We needed furniture for our living room,” says John Kose, “and we didn’t have enough money to buy it.” So we decided to try making a few tables and chairs. John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling (努力)to make a home when the cost of living is very high. The Koses took a 2-week course for $ 280 at a night school. Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house.
Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died. He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe-making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $420. “I was very upset about it. Now I’ve finished a car repair course. I should be able to fix the car myself. ”
John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can save money so they can fight the high cost of living. If you want to become a “do-it-yourself”, you can go to DIY classes. And for those who don’t have time to take a course, there are books that tell you how to do things yourself. We know from the passage that many people ________ .
A.seldom go to a department store to buy things |
B.take DIY courses run by the government |
C.like to learn to make their own furniture |
D.find it hard to pay for what they need |
John and his wife went to evening classes to learn how to _______ .
A.improve the quality of life |
B.save time and money |
C.make or repair things |
D.run a DIY shop |
When the writer says that Jim has a full-time job at home, he means Jim ______.
A.keeps house and looks after his children |
B.does his own car and home repairs |
C.does extra work at night |
D.make shoes in his home |
Jim Hatfield decided to become a do-it-yourself when ______ .
A.he had to raise the children all by himself |
B.he could not possibly do two jobs |
C.the car repair class was not helpful |
D.his car repairs cost too much |
How can people learn DIY?
A.Go to classes. |
B.Read books. |
C.Go to classes and read books. |
D.The passage doesn’t tell us. |
“If you want to see a thing well, reach out and touch it!”
That may seem a strange thing to say. But touching things can help you to see them better. Your eyes can tell you that a glass ball is round. But by holding it in your hands, you can feel how smooth and cool the ball is. You can tell how heavy the glass it. When you feel all these about the ball, you really see it.
With your skin, you can feel better. For example, your fingers can tell the difference between two coins in your pockets. You can feel a little drop of water on the back of your hand, too. You can even feel sounds against your skin. Have you wanted to know why some people like very loud music? They must like to feel the sounds of music.
All children soon learn what “Don’t touch!” means. They hear it often. Yet most of us keep on touching things as we grow up. In shops, we touch things we might buy: food, clothes. To see something well, we have to touch it.
The bottom of our feet can feel things, too. You know this when you walk on warm sand, cool grass or a hard floor. All feel different under your feet.
There are ways of learning to see well by feeling. One way is to close your eyes and try to feel everything that is touching your skin. Feel the shoes on your feet, the clothes on your body, the air on your skin. At first, it is not easy to feel these things. You are too used to them.
Most museums are just for looking. But today some museums have things for visitors to touch. Their signs say, “Do touch!” there you can feel everything on show.
If you want to see better, reach out and touch. Then you will really see. By touching things ___________.
A.you will have a strange feeling |
B.you will learn how to reach out your hand |
C.you can see them well |
D.you can tell what colors they are |
According to the passage, which of the following CANNOT feel things?
A.Skin. |
B.Fingers. |
C.Feet. |
D.Eyes. |
Why does it say “At first, it is not easy to feel these things?” Because ___________
A.the things are used by people too |
B.people feel the things too much |
C.people know how to use the things |
D.these things are familiar to you |
You can see the sign "Do touch!"_____________________.
A.in every museum |
B.in most museums |
C.in some museums |
D.only in one museum |
The best way to see the world well is to ___________________.
A.touch by feeling |
B.see or to feel |
C.read |
D.see and feel |