All the wisdom of the times, all the stories that have delighted mankind for centuries, are easily and cheaply available to all of us in books, but we must know how to make use of this treasure. The unluckiest people in the world are those who have never discovered how satisfying it is to read good books.
I’m very interested in people and finding out about them. Some of the most amazing people I’ve met could only be found in a writer’s imagination, then in his book, and then, again, in my imagination. I’ve found in books new friends and new worlds.
Reading is fun, not because the writer is telling you something, but because it makes your mind work. Your own imagination works along with the writer’s or even goes beyond his. Your experience, compared with his, brings you to the same or different conclusions, and your ideas develop as you understand his.
Every book stands by itself, like a one-family house, but books in a library are like houses in a city. Although they are separate(分开的), in some way they are connected with each other. The same ideas, or related(相关的) ones, appear in different places; the human problems that repeat themselves in life repeat themselves in books, but with different solutions(解决方法) according to different writings at different times. Books influence each other. They connect the past, the present and the future and have their own generations (age groups), like families. Wherever you start reading, you connect yourself with one of the families of ideas, and in the end, you not only find out about the world and the people in it, you find out about yourself, too.
Reading can only be fun if you expect it to be. If you concentrate on(专注于) books somebody tells you “ought” to read, you probably won’ t have fun. But if you put down a book you don’t like and try another till you find one that means something to you, and then relax with it, you will almost certainly have a good time — and if you become, as a result of reading, better, wiser, kinder, or more gentle, you won’t suffer during the process.Which of the following ideas may the writer of this article agree with?
A.You will never meet amazing people in your life unless you read. |
B.You think actively instead of getting facts passively(被动地)when reading. |
C.You will get much delight from any book that you are told to read. |
D.You can relax yourself by reading because it involves little thinking. |
What can we learn from Paragraph 4?
A.We can often find something connected with ourselves in books. |
B.Different writings at different times share the same characteristics. |
C.The same problems will appear in different books with similar solutions. |
D.Reading books which are written for your generation is more helpful to you. |
What’s the writer’s purpose of writing this article?
A.To advise us to enjoy ourselves by reading. |
B.To encourage us to make full use of libraries. |
C.To encourage us to find out solutions in books. |
D.To advise us to discuss books with other people. |
How do you spend your time at school? Do you know how students in other countries study every day? Here are the studying ways in some western schools.
American Students
American students spend seven hours in their schools every day. And the day is divided(划分) into classes of about 40 to 50 minutes. Students study English , history, math, science, art and foreign languages. They go to listen to different lessons taught by different teachers in different classrooms. After class they learn job skills. Sometimes they study by working in an office, a hospital or other places one day a week.
German Students
German students love practicing. Lots of schools have lessons for only half a day. They spend most time practicing. Teachers give students enough freedom. Students may try all kinds of ideas they have. They begin to plan what they will do in the future and work hard at a young age.
French Students
French students like independence(独立) and freedom . Their school life is very relaxing and interesting. When they have tests, they may have snacks. For example, they can put a few desks together, and put some peanuts (花生)or candies on them.
根据短文内容,简要回答下列问题:How many hours do American students spend at school every day?
Where can American students study besides in the classrooms?
What do German students like?
How long do lots of schools have lessons in Germany?
How is French students’ school life?
From March 12 to 17 of each year, hundreds of clowns(小丑)get together in the Bognor Regis Town, UK. They all wear tall blue hats and big red noses with colorful faces.
The first International Clown Festival was in 1987, UK. All the clowns from all over the world came together to celebrate the great festival in England.
During the festival, people can see clowns from the world. They are together for the world of clown shows. They try their best to please all the people for the festival. In the shows, they have big feet, funny noses and look really funny. They sing and dance in a strange way to make people laugh. All people for the festival can have great fun. Of course, children like this interesting festival best.
Now women can take part in the clown shows , and they are very popular. But in the old days, only men could be clowns.
There are different kinds of clowns like white faces, red faces, street clowns and clowns for children. All these clowns are popular with people.All the clowns get together __________ for the International Clown Festival.
A.in London | B.in a small town,UK |
C.all over the world | D.around the whole Europe |
The first International Clown Festival was _____________.
A.in 1987 | B.in the UK |
C.both A and B | D.in London |
The festival lasts __________________.
A.a month | B.six days |
C.seven days | D.five weeks |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A.The clowns wear in a funny way. |
B.The clowns dance in a strange way |
C.The clowns try their best to make others laugh |
D.Women clowns are not popular with people. |
Which is the best title of the article?
A.The International Clown Festival |
B.Men clowns and women clowns |
C.Different kinds of strange festival |
D.Different kinds of clowns in the festival |
Study Books
Learning How to Learn $24.99 Children who read this book show great interest in study. The pictures will help them understand it easily and quickly. |
Basic Study Manual $38.50 Read this book and learn: What the three barriers (障碍)to study are and what to do about them. What to do if you are fed up with a subject. Children read it to improve the ability to study. |
How to Use a Dictionary for Children $35.00 Read this book and learn: How to find words in a dictionary. What the different marks in a dictionary mean. How to use a dictionary to pronounce words correctly. Buy this book and help children unlock their education. What’s more, you’ll just pay (支付)50% for it before July 1, 2014. |
According to the ads, these three books are for ___________.
A.men | B.parents |
C.children | D.women |
The pictures in the book Learning How to Learn can_________.
A.make the book beautiful |
B.make the children draw beautifully |
C.make the book sell well |
D.make the children understand the book easily |
_______ can tell you the meaning of the different marks in a dictionary.
A.Learning How to Learn
B.Study skills for Life
C Basic Study Manual
D.How to Use a Dictionary for ChildrenIf you buy the three books on June 18,2014, you will have to pay______for them.
A.$98.49 | B.$49.25 | C.$80.99 | D.$79.24 |
The purpose(目的)of the passage is to _______.
A.sell the three books to children |
B.help children learn English |
C.help children learn about nature |
D.use a dictionary to pronounce correctly |
Be proud of what you do”(对你所做的感到骄傲),my father always told me, “whether you are a boss (老板)or a cleaner”, When I was 15,I got a summer job in a hospital, I was told that my duties would include sweeping floors. I smiled and remembered Dad’s words. Even though my job was the lowest,it made me feel excited. I saw it as a challenge because it was my first job. I learned to be on time and tried to do everything well. In return(作为回报),I was treated with respect(尊重) by doctors, nurses and patients. Each morning I imagined that the dirty dishes would make patients more sick if I were not there to wash them clean. After breakfast was done, I started sweeping the floors of all patient rooms and cleaning toilets. Though I was tired, I wanted the job to be done well, people would say, “That young boy really does a good job.” That gave me a pride. Working in the hospital taught me that being proud of one’s job is important. It does not matter whether the job is sweeping floors or managing a large business. Though every job I have ever had,my father’s words have always stayed with me, I have swept floors, and I have been a manager(经理). I think Dad would be proud of me!
阅读短文,判断正(A)误(B)。The writer’s first job was a doctor.
When the writer was in the hospital, he worked hard.
The writer looked after patients in the hospital..
From the passage we know that the father’s words encouraged the writer to do everything well
The best title of the passage is “My first job”.
The webs that spiders(蜘蛛) build to catch insects seem weak. However, the strength of spider thread is greater than steel. Webs can even stand up to very strong storms.
In each spider web, some threads are sticky(粘的), but some are not. When a spider is moving on the web, it will not step on the sticky threads. After a time the silk will lose its stickiness and become unable to catch insects. Then, spiders usually eat their own web.
Now a team of scientists has worked out why the spider web is so strong. It is not just the strength of the thread, but the clever design of the web. The key to a web’s success is its ability to keep its shape and strength even after some of the threads break, say scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The scientists found the thread itself has the ability to become softer or harder. So it can hold different types of heavy things.
In tests, scientists used three other strong materials(材料) made into the same webs. The spider thread was six times stronger than any other material. More surprisingly, when the scientists took away up to 10 percent of the threads from different places, the web didn’t become any weaker. Actually, it became up to 10 percent stronger.
The spider web’s clever design gives scientists many new ideas. The findings could help design safer buildings and even a new type of strong material. “It’s a really good chance,” said Markus Buehler, a professor at MIT. “It may give us some new ideas for engineering.”According to the passage, the spider web is strong because .
a. the spider’s thread is sticky
b. the thread has a lot of strength
c. the web has a clever design
d. the web can keep the strength forever
A.ab | B.ac | C.bc | D.bd |
In paragraph 4, the scientists’ tests show that .
A.the spider’s thread is stronger than the other three materials |
B.the spider’s thread is the strongest material in the world |
C.the spider’s thread can be as soft or hard as it needs to be |
D.taking away some spider thread makes the web weaker |
From the last paragraph, we learn that .
A.people can use spider webs to build houses |
B.the findings give people new ideas for buildings |
C.there are many reasons why the spider web is so strong |
D.Professor Buehler will make a new type of material |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.How spiders catch insects |
B.How spiders design webs |
C.Spiders are clever designers |
D.Webs are stronger than steel |