Every year thousands of young people in England finish school and then take a year off before they start work or go to university. Some young people go to other countries and work as volunteers (志愿者). Volunteers give their time to help people. For example, they work in schools or hospitals, or they do something helpful for the environment.
Pauline Jones, 18, lives in Cardiff, Wales. Next year she is going to university to study Chinese, but now she’s living in Belize. Pauline says, “I’m working with other people here to save the coral reefs (珊瑚礁) in the sea near Belize. The reefs here are beautiful, but if the sea water is very polluted, the coral will die. I’m helping to do research on the coral and the fish that live around the reefs. All over the world, coral reefs are dying. We need to do something about the problem before it’s too late.”
“I’m staying with a family here and I help do some housework. I don’t get any money, but that’s OK. I love my work here, and I’m learning a lot about the people of Belize—and myself! After I finish my work, I want to stay here for another three months. I want to travel around Belize and Central America.”Some young people from England _______ after they finish school.
| A．go to university abroad |
| B．spend one year abroad as volunteers |
| C．go to work for money |
| D．start work in schools or hospitals |
Pauline Jones, an eighteen-year-old girl, is living in _______ now.
| A．England | B．China | C．Belize | D．Cardiff |
Pauline Jones is _______ with other people.
| A．studying Chinese in a university |
| B．working to save the coral reefs |
| C．helping do some housework |
| D．doing some research in Wales |
From the passage, we know that the coral reefs ______.
| A．will die because of the pollution |
| B．are not as beautiful as before |
| C．cannot live without fish in the sea |
| D．will probably be sold for money |
Pauline Jones wants to_______after she finishes her work as a volunteer.
| A．stay there for another year |
| B．go back home to start work |
| C．learn about the people home |
| D．travel around Central America |
Is it fair for restaurants to ban(禁止)little eaters?In Monronroeville,a local restaurant,McDain’s,recently decided to ban young children.Alice Roseman,its manager,says kids have bad manners and make too much noise.Other people,however,say the rule is hard to accept.Since it has become a hot topic in public,we caught several local people talking about it.
| YES There is no law stopping restaurants from banning young children.Restaurant owners should be allowed to ban them.Kids often run around and cause problems for waiters and other customers. ----Kate Barker Kids always cause a mess,but the parents refuse to do anything about their kids’ behaviors.Although kids may be at the center of their parents’ universe,they aren’t at the center of everyone else’s. ------Mike Vuick Adults sometimes want to talk and enjoy their dinner,but they can’t if a child is crying and running all over the place.That’s why sometimes parents don’t like eating at home.They wish they could have a good meal in the restaurants without kids’ noise. ------Dale Levitsky |
| NO Banning kids from restaurants is a bad idea.If kids were banned,many restaurants would lose business.Even if restaurants gave customers the chance to buy take-away meals for their kids,many families would probably still not eat there. --------Nicholas Song Restaurants owners who ban kids think all children are wild and rude.But that’s not true. Most children’s eating behaviors are good enough.Even though some kids do have bad manners,banning is not a right way to teach them.I think how a society treats its children is important.After all,all kids are people,too. ------Elliott Hall |
The restaurant in Monronroeville refuses ___________ to eat there.
| A．kids | B．pets | C．men | D．women |
Dale Levitsky thinks parents sometimes don’t like eating at home because _________________.
| A．they are too busy |
| B．they dislike doing the dishes |
| C．kids are too noisy |
| D．restaurant food is more delicious |
Who thinks it is wrong to ban kids?
| A．Alice Roseman | B．Kate Barker |
| C．Mike Vuick | D．Nicholas Song |
Which of the following opinion is mentioned in the passage?
| A．Children waste too much food. |
| B．Not all kids have bad behaviors. |
| C．Boys make more noise than girls. |
| D．Restaurants needn’t help parents. |
The most interesting festivals around the world
| Contents Introduction.....................................1 ＊Baby Crying Day......................2 ＊Cheese--rolling Festival ............................................4 ＊Color Throwing Festival .................................................6 ＊Fish Swallowing Festival ................................................8 ＊International Pillow Fight Day ............11 ＊International Twins Festival ................13 ＊Raincoat Festival ......................15 ＊Roswell UFO Festival ..................16 ＊Tomato Festival........................18 ＊Water Fighting Day...................19 ＊Wife Carrying Festival..............20 ＊World Bodypainting Festival .............22 |
International Pillow(枕头) Fight Day International Pillow Fight Day is held every April around the world---from Amsterdam,Budapest,to New York.It has been celebrated since 2008.Hundreds of people go out with their pillows hitting each other’s face,back and chest.People dress up as superheroes and animals,laughing and fighting. The festival used to be a game to release (释放)energy and stress.Nowadays besides bringing fun,International Pillow Fight Day has become a way to quickly collect pillows for the homeless.In 2014,about 2,000 pillows were collected for the poor in Bronx and Brooklyn. Rules:Bring your own pillows and don’t hit anyone without a pillow or with a camera. The Guinness World Record:The latest record of the largest pillow fight was set on October 27,2013 in Chicago,with 4,500 pillows and 3,813 people. ----11---- |
The International Pillow Fight Day was first celebrated in _________.
| A．2000 | B．2008 | C．2013 | D．2014 |
The latest Guinness World Record of the largest pillow fight was set in _______________.
| A．Chicago | B．Amsterdam | C．Budapest | D．New York |
You may read about ______________ on the Page 19.
| A．Baby Crying Day | B．Color Throwing Festival |
| C．Water Fighting Day | D．World Bodypainting Festival |
Did you have any interesting dreams last night? Do you know everyone dreams? But not everyone remembers their dreams. A person can usually have up to seven dreams a night, and each dream usually lasts from 10 to 40 minutes.
Why do we dream? Scientists believe that we dream to remember because dreams come from our memories and they tell us a lot about ourselves. They also help us learn from the past and even help us solve problems.
Different dreams mean differently to people. For example, if you dream about flying, you are probably quite happy. This is a good time in your life. You may feel that other people see you as a leader. And when you dream that you didn’t study for a test, it usually means you are worried about an important thing coming in your life.
Hi Sam! Sorry I haven’t emailed recently— I’ve been revising for my exams. I have finished them now and I have got some time to relax and some money to spend on going out. Last weekend, I went to see a great film called Yes Man. If you haven’t seen it, you must go! Jim Carrey plays the main character and it’s very funny--and also quite encouraging. It’s based on a book by Danny Wallace which is also called Yes Man. I read the book a few months ago and that’s hilarious, too – I really laughed out loud!
The book is a true story about what happens to the writer, Danny. Basically, he found that he was doing nothing all the time, just worrying about things and complaining about his life. He wasn’t seeing his friends much, so he was lonely and bored. Then one day, he was on a bus in London when he sat down next to a man. The man was a stranger, but they started talking. Danny told him about his boring life and the man just gave him three words: ‘Say “yes” more.’ And for Danny this was a turning point in his life. Those three words influenced everything he did. At that moment, he made a decision: ‘I will say “yes” to everything!’ And he wrote a book about what happened to him in the next year or so. Three years later, the book was made into a hit film.
The film is based on the book although there are some differences. First, it’s set in the US instead of England. Secondly, the main character is based on Danny, but he called Carl in the film. And what’s more, he doesn’t meet a man on a bus. His turning point comes when he goes to a self-help class and they advise him to say “yes” more.
In the film, Carl succeeds in changing his life and doing lots of crazy things: he has flying lessons, he learns to speak Korean and he rides a motorbike with no clothes on! The storyline isn’t very strong. It’s quite weak, I suppose, but all Carl’s stories are very interesting— especially because Jim Carrey is a very funny actor.
I’m really interested in the film because there’s a serious message, too. I believe in making the most of life and I’ve decided I’m going to be more positive. I’ve decided I’m not going to stay at home so much. I’m going to do more things, see my friends more and everything. Actually, that’s why I’m emailing you! It would be great if we could meet up soon. Let me know when you are free.
All the best, Adam
The underlined word hilarious in Paragraph 1 most probably means _____.
| A．simple | B．helpful | C．humorous | D．meaningful |
In Paragraph 3, there are_____ differences mentioned between the book and the film.
| A．two | B．three | C．four | D．five |
Adam wrote this email mainly _____.
| A．to talk about what he was doing recently |
| B．to introduce the book Yes Man written by Danny to Sam |
| C．to advise Sam to watch the film Yes Man made in US |
| D．to talk about why and how he wants to change his life |
From the email we can infer (推断) that _____.
| A．Sam will love Yes Man as much as Adam does |
| B．Yes Man must be the most popular book in the US |
| C．Adam used to stay at home a lot before seeing Yes Man |
| D．Jim Carrey is now a very funny actor because of Yes Man |
One weekend in May 2015, over 48 centimeters of rain fell in Houston, Texas, USA. Soon the city was covered with water. The rising water rushed into the cars on the roads. There were 16 deaths that weekend.
Changing Weather
The weather is changing. Over the last few years, heavy rains have caused floods (洪灾) in Brazil, Pakistan, and Thailand. Droughts (干旱) have struck Russia and Australia. Heat waves have killed thousands in Europe. There are more different kinds of terrible wild weather all over the world. In 2011 alone, the bad weather caused the world to lose 150 billion dollars.
Warmer and Wetter
As more wild weather events happen, a worried world is beginning to ask questions like: What is going on with the weather? And why? Many also want to know: Is this natural, or are we to blame (责怪)?
The answer seems to be: a little of both. Wild weather is natural. This global (全球的) warming makes heat waves more likely to happen. The higher temperatures also cause more water to enter the air. This causes much more rain. Some scientists also believe global warming makes some storms stronger.
This means we’re likely to see more wild weather. “But we don’t have to just stand there and take it,” says Scientist Michael Oppenheimer. He and other scientists say we need to stop the Earth from getting warmer. We also need to be prepared, to do things that will help save lives.What is the purpose of the second paragraph?
| A．To give examples of wild weather events. |
| B．To guess how the weather will change. |
| C．To explain why the weather is changing. |
| D．To describe the weather events in 2011. |
Which of the following can be put in the blank in Paragraph 4?
| A．And wild weather happens more and more. |
| B．And nature also influences human activity. |
| C．But humans have already paid enough attention to the wild weather. |
| D．But most scientists agree human activity has made the Earth warmer. |
Which of the following would Oppenheimer probably agree with?
| A．It is too late to stop global warming. |
| B．Humans have nothing to do with global warming. |
| C．The weather will get better if we can stop global warming. |
| D．To find ways to keep our things safe is the most important. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
A. In May 2015, there was a deadly flood in Houston, Texas, USA.
B. There are more kinds of terrible wild weather all over the world.
C. Many scientists believe global warming makes some storms stronger.
D. Global warming causes wild weather events and that makes people worried.