With more and more farmers working in big cities, their children go into the cities, too.However, problems appear. One of these problems is that is difficult for these children to receive education in cities.
Luckily, there are some free schools for them, but they are not enough. Ten-year-old Li Xin is one of the lucky girls who get a chance to study in one of these schools. She is very happy. She studies in a school specially for migrant workers’（外来务工人员的）children. For children like Li Xin who don’t have enough money, these free schools are their best choice, because they have free classes, textbooks, uniforms and meals in the schools.
But there is a long way to go. The free schools for children from migrant workers’ families are not enough because to run such a school is not easy and needs lots of money. A school officer said they needed at least one million yuan to run the school. “Luckily, some people and companies donate（捐赠）money, used books and a lot of other things to help us. There are also some volunteers teachers,” he added.
Anyhow, we must try to give these children an equal（平等）chance to get better education so that we can make our society harmonious（和谐的）.From the passage, we know that Li Xin’s parents used to be __________.
| A．workers | B．teachers |
| C．officers | D．farmers |
The school provides Li Xin with the following things free except_____.
| A．textbooks | B．uniforms |
| C．computers | D．meals |
What does the underlined word “run” mean in Chinese in the passage?
| A．奔跑 | B．经营 | C．考虑 | D．收购 |
The passage mainly talks about__________.
| A．what jobs migrant workers can do in big cities |
| B．the development of big cities |
| C．helping migrant workers’ children go to school |
| D．what difficulties those free schools face now |
Sixteen is a special age in the United States.There’s often a special celebration for a girl’s 16th birthday---a big party called Sweet-16. It is like a wedding reception(结婚晚宴) in the number of guests and gifts handed out.
About a month before the party, the girl’s family sends out invitations to the guests. They must buy a special present for the birthday girl and the girl guests find good dresses to wear. A sweet-16 present usually costs $40 to $60. This is about $20 more than the usual-cost of a birthday present.
The party itself is not held at someone’s house. The hostess rents(租赁) a reception hall for the event. Food, cake and a DJ are provided. Around 6’clock, guests arrive and meet the birthday girl. Then the girl and her father have a special father-daughter dance. After that, guests dance for about 30 to 45 minutes.
Then there is the most important part of the Sweet-16 party, the candle-lighting ceremony.
The sweet-16 hostess stands behind 16 unlit(未点燃的) candles and dedicates(献给) each candle to her friends, family, and anything that she feels is important to her. A lot of crying and hugging goes on at this time.
Afterwards, people sit and eat. Most guests begin leaving around 11 o’clock.
This school year, I have been to two Sweet-16s. I am one of the youngest students in my grade (My birthday is in December). I’ll have to wait another year before I can have my own special Sweet-16 party. I can’t wait for it!Why is sixteen a special age for an American girl?
How much does a usual birthday present for a teenager cost in the USA?
What is the most important part of the Sweet-16 party?
How old is the writer?
What do you think of the Sweet-16 party in the USA? (请自拟一句话作答)
Eighth-grader Victoria Bills is talking about money with her classmates. She is worried that a company’s stock (股票) price could fall. It may be an unusual topic of conversation for a 13-year-old. But at Bills’ school in Chicago, US, you hear it all the time.
The Chicago school’s 420 students learn about economic(经济学). They also get a chance to make money. Each 1st grade and 5th grade, students learn the basics of economics and investing(投资).
Then in 6th grade, they put what they’ve learned to work. Students join a junior group that manages the $20,000. The group, made up of 12 to 14 students, decides which stocks to buy.
After graduating, students pass on $20,000 to the next 1st grade class. They keep half of the rest of the money; the other half goes toward improving the school. They can choose to put their money in a college-savings program or take the cash.
In 2007, Bills suggested that her class buy the stock of the Apple computer company. This was just before the iPhone came out. “We bought stock just at the right time,” she says. The kids bought Google stock as it reached $400 a share. It is now worth over $500. “It was a good buy,” says Myles Gate, 13. He hopes to be a banker one day. The school’s two graduating classes of 2005 and 2006 have each earned about $10,000 in profits(利润).At Bills’ school, students can’t .
| A．learn the basics of economics |
| B．learn how to invest money |
| C．get a chance to make money |
| D．share all the money they make |
Who manages the $20,000 in the class?
| A．The teachers. | B．The school. |
| C．The students. | D．The parents. |
According to Paragraph 5, we know that .
| A．Bills’ class bought the Apple stock after the iphone came out |
| B．it was a mistake for the class to buy Google stock |
| C．the students get some investing experience in the school |
| D．the class bought the two kinds of stocks at the same time |
What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．How students make money in the US. |
| B．Students learn economics and investing at school. |
| C．Myles Gage hopes to be a banker one day. |
| D．What US students hope to do after graduation. |
I had just gone to bed after a very hard day when the phone rang. It was an eccentric(怪癖的) farmer. I had never met him before although I had often heard people talk about him. He sounded quite nervous and he had been talking for a minute or so before I understood anything. Even then I could make out that someone called Milly had had a very bad accident. I hadn’t the slightest(轻微的) idea who she was but I obviously had to go.
It had been snowing so heavily that I didn’t know the way. I had been driving for at least an hour when I finally found his place. He was standing there, waiting for me. It seemed Milly had died. “She meant more to me than anyone… even my own wife!” he said. I could see that he had been crying. I thought something terrible had taken place, a possible scandal (丑闻) . I was even more shocked when he told me he had put her in the barn. “I wouldn’t leave her out in the cold!” he said.
Milly had clearly been a secret lover of his. I was about to tell him he could not expect me to cover anything up when he opened the barn door. He lifted his candle and I saw a dark figure on the ground. “She was such a good cow! I wouldn’t let anyone but a doctor touch her !” he said, and burst into tears again.The underlined phrase “make out” in the first paragraph means____.
| A．expect | B．understand |
| C．see clearly | D．hear clearly |
What do we know about Milly from the story?
| A．She had met with an accident | B．She had caused a scandal. |
| C．She was seriously ill. | D．She was hidden somewhere. |
The farmer wished that the writer might ____.
| A．look into the matter | B．bring Milly back to life |
| C．free him from a scandal | D．keep the whole thing a secret |
The person who told the story is probably a ____.
| A．farmer | B．policeman |
| C．country doctor | D．newspaper reporter |
It helps us understand the world better if we know a little geography and have some maps at hand. But with maps in Chinese only, misunderstanding is possible in studying world events. Chinese names are long, hard to pronounce and without meaning to a foreigner. For the opening of the country maps are important and helpful and needed badly.
I wish maps with various languages, like those used in the United Nations, would come out and be sold in all bookstores open to Chinese.The writer is mainly talking about ____.
| A．geography | B．maps |
| C．Chinese names | D．the opening of the country |
Knowing a little geography and having some maps in Chinese only, a foreigner ____.
| A．can study world events easily |
| B．can study world events without misunderstanding |
| C．can’t study world events without misunderstanding |
| D．will feel joy in studying world events |
What are the difficulties for a foreigner to use a map in Chinese?
| A．A foreigner has nowhere to buy a map |
| B．All the bookstores only open to Chinese. |
| C．The names of Chinese people are long, hard to pronounce and without meaning. |
| D．The names of places on a map in Chinese are long, hard to pronounce and without meaning. |
In the United Nations people use maps in ____.
| A．foreign languages only | B．Chinese only |
| C．various languages | D．English only |
Imagine that you are going on a trip to Ireland. The first three days of your trip are planned below. Read the schedule and use it to answer the questions below.
| Day 1 Morning: Your trip begins in the capital city, Dublin. There you will visit Temple Bar, an area famous for its brightly colored buildings, busy stores and restaurants. Stop by the outdoor market for some cheese and homemade bread. Afternoon: Walk to Dublin Castle(城堡). Visit the Throne Room to see the golden chair where the kings and queens from England once sat. Evening: Watch an Irish step-dance performance. |
| Day 2 Morning: Ride the train to the city of Limerick. Take a tour of King John’s Castle, which has built about 800 years ago. Afternoon: Ride a boat along the River Shannon. Evening: Enjoy a nice Irish meal. |
| Day 3 Morning: Ride the train to the city of Cork. Walk along St. Patrick’s Street, known for its many stores. Feel free to buy souvenirs. Afternoon: Take a bus to nearby Blarney Castle. Climb the tower to see the famous Blarney Stone, which is thought to give those who kiss it good luck. Then return to Cork. Evening: Watch a Gaelic football match. Rest for the next day’s horseback riding lesson. |
Where can the tourists see the golden chair?
| A．At Temple Bar. | B．In Dublin Castle |
| C．On St. Patrick’s Street | D．In Blarney Castle. |
What kind of transportation will the tourists use during the trip?
| A．Train, bus and boat. | B．Bus, train and plane. |
| C．Horse, bus and bike. | D．Boat, car and bus. |
How many days will the trip probably last?
| A．Only one day | B．No more than three days. |
| C．Exactly two days | D．At least four days |