A hobby can be almost anything a person likes to do in his spare time. Hobbyists raise pets, build model ships, weave baskets, watch birds, hunt animals, climb mountains, raise flowers, fish, ski, skate, and swim. Hobbyists also paint pictures, attend concerts and plays, and perform on musical instruments. They collect everything from books to butterflies, and from shells to stamps.
People take up hobbies because these activities offer enjoyment, friendship, knowledge, and relaxation. Sometimes they even produce financial profit(利润). Hobbies help people balance between work and play. Hobbies also offer interesting activities for persons who have retired. Anyone, rich or poor, old or young, sick or well, can follow a satisfying hobby, regardless of (不论)his age, position, or income.
Hobbies can help a person’s mental and physical health. Doctors have found that hobbies are valuable in helping patients recover from physical or mental illness. Hobbies give bedridden or wheel-chair patients something to do, and provide interests that keep them from thinking about themselves. Many hospitals treat patients by having them take up interesting hobbies or pastimes.
In early times, most people were too engaged in making a living to have many hobbies. But some persons who had leisure(休闲)did enjoy hobbies. The ancient Egyptians played games with balls made of wood or pottery.
People today have more time than ever before for hobbies. Machines have reduced the amount of time they must spent on their jobs. Hobbies provide variety for workers who do the same monotonous(单调的) tasks all day long. More people are retiring than ever before, and at an earlier age. Those who have developed hobbies never need to worry about what to do with their newly found leisure hours.
Sir William Osier, a famous Canadian doctor, expressed the value of hobbies by saying, “No man is really happy or safe without a hobby.”It seems that people who may spend more time enjoying their hobbies.
| A．have little money | B．have much money |
| C．have retired from their work | D．have left school |
The underlined phrase “recover from” in the third paragraph means .
| A．get back | B．become healthy again |
| C．become calm | D．supply with a new cover |
In early times, most people spent less time on their hobbies, because .
| A．they were busy in making a living |
| B．they suffered from illnesses. |
| C．they were brave and hard-working |
| D．they were not interested in them. |
What’s the writer’s opinion about hobbies?
| A．People all over the world have the same hobby. |
| B．Machines also have their hobbies. |
| C．Hobbies are popular among people in Egypt. |
| D．People should have hobbies in their spare time. |
Camp memories last forever! We make sure they are unforgettable!
Shadow Ridge Summer Camps offer so many exciting things for campers to do. Unlike other camp programs that include horses as a small part of their program, at Shadow Ridge horses ARE the program! We are 100% horse from stable(马厩)management, nature walks, and track rides to bedroom furnishings.
Horses help us achieve many of our aims. Girls can learn to develop responsibility, self-confidence and personal connections in their lives while having fun. Using horses as a wonderful tool for education, our camps offer an interesting place for growth and learning.
Imagine each girl having her very own horse to spend time with and a best friend to love and take care of. Each camper is responsible for a horse for the week. Our riding program provides a lot of riding and lesson time. Campers will learn how to take care of the horse and the tack(马具), as well as how to ride. Days are filled with horse-related activities to strengthen the connection between each girl and horse, as the girls learn to work safely around the horses.
At Shadow Ridge we try to create a loving, caring family atmosphere for our campers. We have “The Bunkhouse”(4 girls), the “Wranglers Roost”(4 girls), and “The Hideout”(2 girls)in our comfortable 177yearold farm house. All meals are home cooked, offering delicious and healthy food for the hungry rider.
Our excellent activities create personalized memories of your child's vacation. Each child will receive a camp T-shirt and a photo album(usually 300～500 pictures)of their stay at camp.
Our camps are offered during June, July and August 2007, for small groups of girls aged 13～16 years, not only from Canada but also other parts of the world.
We will send you full program descriptions at your request.What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To attract people to the camps. |
| B．To talk about camping experiences. |
| C．To describe the programs of the camps. |
| D．To explain the aim of the camps. |
What do we know about the camp programs at Shadow Ridge?
| A．Campers are required to wear camp T-shirts. |
| B．Horses play a central role in the activities. |
| C．Campers learn to cook food for themselves. |
| D．Horse lessons are offered all the year round. |
The programs at Shadow Ridge mainly aim to help people________.
| A．understand horses better |
| B．enjoy a family atmosphere |
| C．have fun above other things |
| D．achieve an educational purpose |
The passage is written mainly for________.
| A．horse riders |
| B．teenage girls |
| C．Canadian parents |
| D．international travelers |
阅读理解
One afternoon last fall in Edmonton, best friends Katelynn and Erikka were watching their favourite television show and snacking on candies. Suddenly, Erikka began choking.
Having just completed the CPR course in her physical education class, Katelynn sprung(跳起来)into action, performing the Heimlich Manoeuvre. It didn't work at first, Katelynn says, so she tried a different position and all of a sudden a green tube shot straight out of Erikka's mouth and landed on the floor in front of them.
“Since this happened, I just give her(Katelynn)lots and lots of hugs and thank her constantly for saving my life and I tell her I would save her life, too, if she were to ever need me! I tell everyone that taking a first aid course is very important because it teaches us how to save lives. It really does work！”Erikka says.
Katelynn adds, “It makes me feel much more confident and smarter knowing I can save a life. I know that I can actually put my training to use in emergency(紧急情况), whether it's to save the life of a family member, a friend or someone in the community.”
Filled with enthusiasm(热情), Erikka says，“There are so many areas in my life where I can use my first aid training. For example, I'm an athlete and I play lots of different sports. Things can happen on the field or at an athletic event, where my training could make a big difference and all of us babysit, which means you never know when you will be called upon in the case of an emergency. I am really glad I've had this training because I can use it again and again！”What happened to Erikka when she was snacking with Katelynn one afternoon last fall?
| A．She suddenly became very ill. |
| B．She suddenly lost her consciousness. |
| C．Something got stuck in her throat. |
| D．She ate too much. |
The Heimlich Manoeuvre is probably a way of________.
| A．doing physical exercise |
| B．giving first aid |
| C．enjoying oneself |
| D．playing games |
What Erikka says in the last paragraph shows that________.
| A．there are possible dangers in many areas of life |
| B．students should get trained in every way |
| C．she is going for dangerous sports |
| D．people should get trained to save other people's life |
From the passage, we can know that Erikka is a(n)________．
| A．student |
| B．nurse |
| C．athlete |
| D．patient |
We use both words and body language to express our thoughts and opinions and to communicate with other people. We can learn a lot about what a person is thinking by watching his or her body language. Words are important, but the way a person stands, folds his or her arms, or moves his or her hands can also give us information about his or her feelings.
Just like spoken language, body language varies from culture to culture. Making eye contact—looking directly into someone's eyes—is in some countries a way to show interest. In other countries, however, eye contact is rude or disrespectful. The gesture for OK, making a circle with one's thumb and index finger, has different meanings in different cultures. In Japan, someone who sees another person making the gesture will think it means money. In France, a person seeing the same gesture will think it means zero. In Brazil and Germany, however, the gesture is rude. The thumbs-up gesture, meaning “great” or “good job” in the US, is rude in Nigeria, but in Germany and Japan it means the number one. The “crazy” gesture, moving the index finger in a circle in front of the ear, means “you have a phone call” in Brazil.
Even the gestures we use for “yes” and “no” are different around the world. In many countries, shaking one's head means “no”， and Iran, however, the gesture have the opposite meaning. There are also differences as to how often we touch each other, how close we stand to someone we are talking to, and how we act when we meet or part. In some countries, for example France and Russia, a visiting friend is greeted each other with a firm handshake, a loving hug, a bow or simply a nod of the head.
While there are many different interpretations of our body languages, some gestures seem to be universal. Pressing one's palms together and resting one's head on the back of one's hand while closing the eyes as if sleeping means “I am tired.” A good way of saying “I am full.” is moving the hand in circles over the stomach after a meal. If a person pats his or her stomach before a meal, it usually means “I am hungry.”
Perhaps the best example of universally understood body language is the smile. A smile can open doors and tear down walls. In can be used to express almost any emotion. We can use a smile to apologize, to greet someone, to ask for help or to start a conversation. We can smile at ourselves in the mirror to make ourselves feel happier and stronger. And if we are feeling down or lonely, there is nothing better than to see the smiling face of a good friend.In which two countries does the thumbs-up gesture mean the same thing?
| A．In the US and Nigeria. |
| B．In Japan and Germany. |
| C．In Nigeria and Germany. |
| D．In Japan and Brazil. |
Which of the following can serve as the topic sentence of the passage?
| A．Body language differs from cultures to culture. |
| B．People send messages not only by words. |
| C．Body language is important in our daily life. |
| D．Smile plays an important part in our life. |
It can be learned that body language________.
| A．always takes place when we're talking |
| B．can help us to read a person's mind |
| C．is always necessary in communicating |
| D．can't mean the same in different cultures |
The first tape recorder didn't use tape. It used long thin wire. It was invented in 1900 by Valdermar Poulsen. In 1930, German scientists invented the tape we use today. Back then the tape was on big rolls. In 1964 the Philips company in Holland invented the cassette. It's pretty much a holder for the tape. People use cassettes all over the world. If you don't have a cassette recorder, borrow one.
Think of a book your parents read out loud to you. That might be a great book to read out loud to your mom or dad in their car. Put a cassette in the recorder, open the book, hit the record button and start reading out loud.
Remember there is not such a thing as a wrong way to do this. You might think you've made a mistake, but this gift is part of you，and nothing about that can be a mistake. It's impossible.
You get to be all artistic and creative here. You might want to play music in the background. Do whatever you want. The gift is you, so you decide. Remember to say “I love you” at the end of your reading. That's like the prize at the end of the book.Choose the right order that shows the development of the tape recorder.
a．Using big rolls.
b．Using cassettes.
c．Using thin wire.
| A．a，b，c |
| B．b，c，a |
| C．c，a，b |
| D．c，b，a |
Why does the author mention the history of tape recorders in Paragraph 1?
| A．To inform readers of new inventions. |
| B．To lead into his following suggestion. |
| C．To give an example of his suggestion. |
| D．To show the importance of tape recorders. |
What does the author advise us to do?
| A．To read a book to our parents in their car. |
| B．To ask our parents to record a book. |
| C．To make a gift for our parents. |
| D．To practice reading out loud. |
(2010·全国卷Ⅰ)
Along the river banks of the Amazon and the Orinoco there lives a bird that swims before it can fly, flies like a fat chicken, eats green leaves, has the stomach of a cow and has claws (爪) on its wings when young. They build their homes about 4.6m above the river, an important feature (特征) for the safety of the young. It is called the hoatzin.
In appearance, the birds of both sexes look very much alike with brown on the back and cream and red on the underside. The head is small, with a large set of feathers on the top, bright red eyes, and blue skin. Its nearest relatives are the common birds, cuckoos. Its most striking feature, though, is only found in the young.
Baby hoatzins have a claw on the leading edge of each wing and another at the end of each wing tip. Using these four claws, together with the beak (喙), they can climb about in the bushes, looking very much like primitive birds must have done. When the young hoatzins have learned to fly, they lose their claws.
During the drier months between December and March hoatzins fly about the forest in groups of 20 to 30 birds, but in April, when the rainy season begins, they collect together in smaller living units of two to seven birds for producing purposes.What is the text mainly about?
| A．Hoatzins in dry and rainy seasons. |
| B．The relatives and enemies of hoatzins. |
| C．Primitive birds and hoatzins of the Amazon. |
| D．The appearance and living habits of hoatzins. |
Young hoatzins are different from their parents in that ______.
| A．they look like young cuckoos |
| B．they have claws on the wings |
| C．they eat a lot like a cow |
| D．they live on river banks |
What can we infer about primitive birds from the text?
| A．They had claws to help them climb. |
| B．They could fly long distances. |
| C．They had four wings like hoatzins. |
| D．They had a head with long feathers on the top. |
Why do hoatzins collect together in smaller groups when the rainy season comes?
| A．To find more good. |
| B．To protect themselves better. |
| C．To keep themselves warm. |
| D．To produce their young. |