“What is success?” Mr Gruber asked his 6th grade business class. It was his opening conversation for the first class of the term.
“Success is riding in a sweet car, watching an 80-inch TV, and living in a place with at least twelve rooms.” One student answered, earning laughs from all the students.
Mr Gruber smiled, but shook his head. “Tom, that is excess(过量). That is not success.”
“How about being able to provide for your family?” A blonde girl named Sandy in the front suggested as an answer.
“Now we’re getting closer,” Mr Gruber smiled, “but try thinking about what you need and what you want.”
“Getting everything you want.” Tom shouted out an answer again, trying for more laughs.
Mr Gruber sighed. “ I believe we’ve already talked about excess versus(与…比较) success.”
“Getting everything you need, but some of what you want?” James, sitting in the back wondered aloud.
“Quite right!” Mr Gruber clapped. “Success is getting everything you need and some of what you want. The more you get that you want, the more successful you are. You do reach a point where you are living in excess, though.”
“What does this have to do with business?” Tom asked. It seemed if it wasn’t funny, he wasn’t happy.
“Well, Tom, think of it this way: the point of business is to make a living to support your family. Once you have properly seen to (确保) their needs, you can then see to getting the extras that you want.”
“What if I don’t have a family?” he continued to be difficult.
“Then you have to provide for yourself, a family of one.”
“He has goldfish to think about!” Peter, Tom’s friend, shouted out.
“Then he needs to provide for a family of one with a fishbowl.” Mr. Gruber corrected himself.
Tom nodded, satisfied with that answer.
“So in the next nine weeks, we’re going to study basic business situations, like having a checking account and understanding credit cards.”
Tom rubbed his hands together excitedly. “When do we get to start spending?”
“You already are, Tom. You’re spending time with us!” Mr. Gruber laughed. “Now, let’s see what you guys know about credit cards…”What class did Mr Gruber teach?
A.History | B.Science | C.Maths | D.Business |
Which student didn’t seem to be taking the class seriously?
A.Tom | B.James | C.Peter | D.Sandy |
How did Mr Gruber make his class lively and interesting?
A.He himself kept talking’ |
B.He just read from a textbook. |
C.He showed a movie to his students. |
D.He got his students to take part in a discussion. |
What do you think of Mr Gruber according to the passage?
A.Strange | B.Patient | C.Shy | D.Proud |
What can be the best title of this passage?
A.Get What You Want | B.Needs and Wants |
C.Try to Get More Money | D.How to Live Well |
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳答案。
Chinese movies have become one of the favorites among the youth in Malawi. Because lots of Chinese movies are available in the country, many people can now enjoy them in video show halls, homes and through the Internet.
Luis Ndalama, 38, is a businessman who has been doing a videodisc(影碟)business for over 15 years. He told Xinhua Agency his customers have been watching Chinese movies for a long time. However, because they didn’t understand Chinese, many of them used to have difficulties in following the movies. “But with time, we have seen many Chinese movies with subtitles(字幕), and this helps many of my customers to understand them even better because the Chinese language is new to most of us,” Ndalama said.
In an interview with Xinhua, many young people were able to explain things they learned from movies about China. “It’s always fun watching Chinese movies. At first it was very hard to understand them because everything about them and us was different in terms of language, food, dressing, dances and many other cultural values. But now, there are a lot of things that I know about China through movies. For example, I know about Kung Fu, the Great Wall, food like BiangBiang noodles and many other interesting things about China,” Khama said.
(1)Where can the text be found?
A. |
In a novel. |
B. |
In a news story. |
C. |
In a history book. |
(2)What does the underlined word “them” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. |
Customers. |
B. |
Movies. |
C. |
Subtitles. |
(3)What can we say about the youth in Malawi?
A. |
They show great interest in Chinese movies. |
B. |
They prefer to do business with Chinese people. |
C. |
They think it difficult to communicate in Chinese. |
(4)What is the last paragraph mainly about?
A. |
Chinese movies are popular in the world. |
B. |
More and more people start to study in China. |
C. |
Chinese movies help foreigners learn about Chinese culture. |
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳答案。
At one hall in a town, a huge board said, “FOOD SHORTAGE IN AFRICA. PLEASE HELP THE STARVING PEOPLE.”
A large crowd was standing in line to hand over their donations(捐赠). Near the door of the hall stood a beautiful young girl, poorly but tidily dressed. With a shy look, she watched the people before her. She saw a businessman who laid a bag of gold on the table. Then came a rich lady who took out a lot of jewels. Some others handed cash, clothes and food. The girl wouldn’t like to take her turn but at last, she stepped forward.
“But... it is so small. I am ashamed to give it. It seems worthless, but it is all I have, ” she said.
“We are thankful for even the smallest donation,” the man at the counter replied kindly. “Here it is. I have nothing else to give,” she added. And then under her coat, she took out two long thick plaits(辫子)of her golden hair. As she did so, her hat fell back, showing the beautiful young bald(无发的)head.
This beautiful girl donated her most priceless golden hair, which was more valuable than all the glittering gold, jewels or cash of the other donors.
(1)What does the underlined word “STARVING” in paragraph 1 mean?
A. |
Hungry. |
B. |
Sick. |
C. |
Thirsty. |
(2)What can we learn from the girl’s words?
A. |
She didn’t want to give away anything. |
B. |
She thought her donation had no value. |
C. |
She thought she gave away the best thing in town. |
(3)Why was the girl’s hair the most priceless donation?
A. |
It was long and thick. |
B. |
It was badly needed in Africa. |
C. |
It was the only valuable thing the girl could give. |
(4)Which word can best describe the girl?
A. |
Kind. |
B. |
Humorous. |
C. |
Outgoing. |
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳答案。
Music can be powerful. The Guardian listed 50 concerts that changed modern music history. Let’s look at three of them.
Bob Dylan: Newport Folk Festival
Rhode Island, US, July 25, 1965
Bob Dylan is well-known for his poetic guitar ballads. In this 1965 concert, Dylan took out an electric guitar and made a sharp sound. The Guardian said this is when folk rock was born.
Freddie Mercury: Live Aid
London, UK, July 13, 1985
As its name suggests, Live Aid was for helping people. It raised $245 million to fight famine(饥荒)in Ethiopia. It’s often seen as the first benefit(慈善)concert of its kind. The concert also saw the birth of a new rock star—Freddie Mercury.
Beyonce: Coachella Music Festival
California, US, April 14, 2018
At the Coachella Music Festival, Beyonce had an all-black dancer and backing vocals lineup. The concert, which fans call “Beychella” on Twitter, took 100 backup performers and three months of rehearsals(排练). The Guardian thinks Beyonce is like “a goddess of war”.
(1)When was folk rock born?
A. |
In 1965. |
B. |
In 1985. |
C. |
In 2018. |
(2)Which concert is regarded as the first benefit concert?
A. |
Newport Folk Festival. |
B. |
Live Aid. |
C. |
Coachella Music Festival. |
(3)Who is like “a goddess of war”?
A. |
Bob Dylan. |
B. |
Freddie Mercury. |
C. |
Beyonce. |
For 16-year-old Ma Yifei, the violin performance of the Beijing 2022 Olympic theme song, Snowflake, was her best present for Paralympians (残奥运动员) all over the world. Even though snowflakes are related to winter, she let others feel warmth, hope and light through her performance. “I’m also disabled and I want to do something for them with my music,” said Ma.
Ma went blind at the age of two because of an illness. She became interested in music when she was young. She started to learn to play the piano at five and the violin at nine, experiencing the “colorful” music through sound and emotion.
Ma’s mother Ha Chunyan, a former music teacher in a primary school, helped her memorize the music score (乐谱) before she played the piano. Ma could not see the keys and always played the wrong notes. It took her thousands of tries to play a piece correctly.
Learning the violin was more challenging. Ma needed to feel the teacher’s hands, arms and back to learn the movements, and listen to the strings (弦) over and over again to feel the muscles (肌肉) herself.
“After three years of learning, she still could not make any sound except terrible noises,” said Ha, who advised her daughter to give up the violin. But Ma said, “As I’ve been practicing so long, it’s hard to give up. I believe I will play better if I persist in practicing.”
In 2018, Ma got a chance to follow Sheng Yuan and Cao Yuhan, famous musicians from the Central Conservatory of Music, to study music in Beijing. She left her home in Ningxia to follow her musical dream, though she knew there would be more challenges ahead.
Ma expressed her excitement about performing at the big event. “All my hard work has paid off. I’m proud of standing on the stage today.”
根据短文内容,选择最佳答案。
(1)The violin performance made people feel __________.
A. |
regret, hope and light |
B. |
fear, warmth and hope |
C. |
warmth, hope and light |
D. |
pity, warmth and light |
(2)How does the writer describe Ma’s difficulties in learning the violin?
A. |
By questioning. |
B. |
By listing numbers. |
C. |
By offering advice. |
D. |
By giving examples. |
(3)Which of the following is TRUE about Ma?
A. |
Ma began to learn to play the piano at nine. |
B. |
In 2018, Ma got a chance to study music in Beijing. |
C. |
It was more challenging for Ma to learn the piano than the violin. |
D. |
Ma could memorize the music score by herself before playing the piano. |
(4)What does the underlined phrase “persist in” probably mean in Paragraph 5?
A. |
keep on |
B. |
end up |
C. |
take pride in |
D. |
look forward to |
(5)Ma’s story tells us __________.
A. |
old habits die hard |
B. |
there is no place like home |
C. |
practice makes perfect |
D. |
a good friend is like a mirror |
I asked my dad if I had ever made him cry before because I couldn’t remember ever seeing him cry.
“There was once,” he said.
He told me that when I was one year old, he put a pen, a piece of paper money and a toy in front of me. He wanted to see which one I would pick. It’s a tradition that a lot of Chinese people do when their kids are one year old. According to this tradition, it shows what the kid will value most when he or she grows up. For example, if the kid takes the pen, it means he or she will be an intelligent person in the future. If the kid takes the money, it means he or she will value money more than others and become rich. If the kid takes the toy, it means he or she will like fun things and play a lot.
My father was doing it because he was curious (好奇的). It was interesting for him to see which one I would pick.
He said that I just sat there and stared at the three things. He sat across from me and waited to see the result.
According to him, I moved toward him and he held his breath. Then I pushed everything aside and went right into his arms. Tears (眼泪) came to his eyes. He didn’t realize that he was one of the choices.
And that was the first and only time I made him cry.
根据短文内容,选择最佳答案。
(1)How many choices did the father prepare?
A. |
One. |
B. |
Two. |
C. |
Three. |
D. |
Four. |
(2)According to the tradition, if the kid takes the pen, it means he or she will be __________.
A. |
rich |
B. |
intelligent |
C. |
humorous |
D. |
successful |
(3)Which one did the writer finally pick?
A. |
The father. |
B. |
The pen. |
C. |
The money. |
D. |
The toy. |
(4)The father felt __________ after the writer pushed everything aside and went into his arms.
A. |
curious |
B. |
nervous |
C. |
relaxed |
D. |
moved |
(5)Which of the following could be the best title for this passage?
A. |
A father’s warm hug |
B. |
Joyful tears for an old tradition |
C. |
Different choices of a father |
D. |
A tradition for a kid’s first birthday |