Have you ever had an embarrassing experience? Last week we asked readers to tell us about embarrassing experiences. We received thousands of letters! Here is a selection.
Tony:
My most embarrassing experience happened when I had just left university. I had just started teaching in a Liverpool middle school. One morning my alarm clock didn’t ring. I woke up at half past eight and school began at nine. I quickly washed, dressed, jumped into my car and rushed to school. When I arrived, the students had already gone into class. I didn’t go to the office, but went straight into class. After two or three minutes the students began laughing, and I couldn’t understand why! Suddenly I looked down and understood. I had put on one black shoe and one brown shoe!
Henry:
The most embarrassing experience I’ve ever had happened two years ago. After seeing a film, my wife and I had lunch in our favorite restaurant in town. Then we decided to take a walk along the street. The street was very busy and we started holding hands. Suddenly my wife saw a dress that she liked in a shop window, and stopped. I started looking at some watches in the next window. After a minute or two I reached for my wife’s hand. There was a loud scream, and a woman slapped my face. I hadn’t taken my wife’s hand. I’d taken the hand of a complete stranger（陌生人）!Tony arrived at school late that morning because .
| A．he couldn’t find hid shoes | B．his alarm clock didn’t ring |
| C．he washed and dressed slowly | D．his car went wrong on the way |
The students began laughing when they saw Tony .
| A．wearing a wrong shoe | B．his alarm clock didn’t ring |
| C．looking down suddenly | D．rushing into the classroom |
Henry and his wife held hands .
| A．at the cinema | B．in the shop | C．at the restaurant | D．along the street |
What does the underlined word “scream” mean in Chinese?
| A．尖叫声 | B．笑声 | C．哭声 | D．呼救声 |
Henry was embarrassed because he .
| A．slapped the woman in the face |
| B．took the hand of a complete stranger |
| C．heard hid wife screaming in the street |
| D．knocked over some watches in the shops |
Vanuatu is an island nation in the South Pacific. It is one of the smallest countries in the world. But for those who are interested in adventure and sport, there is a lot to do. Vanuatu’s islands offer visitors two of the most exciting and dangerous activities in the world: volcano（火山）surfing and land diving.
Volcano Surfing
On Tanna Island, Mount Yasur rises 300 meters into the sky. Yasur is an active volcano, and it erupts（爆发）almost every day, sometimes several times a day. For centuries, people have climbed this mountain to visit the top. Recently, people have also started climbing Yasur to surf the volcano. In some ways, volcano surfing is like surfing in the sea, but in other ways it’s very different. Volcano surfers try to escape the erupting volcano—without getting hit by flying rocks! It’s fast, fun and dangerous—the perfect extreme sport（极限运动）.
Land Diving
Most people are familiar with bungee jumping, but do you know bungee jumping started on Pentecost Island in Vanuatu and is almost fifteen centuries old? The activity, first called land diving, is part of a religious ceremony（宗教仪式）. A man ties tree vines（树藤）to his legs. He then jumps head-first from a high tower to touch the earth with the top of his head—without breaking the vine. Every spring, island natives (men only) still take part in this amazing activity.In Line 2, what does the word “those” mean?
| A．People. | B．Animals. |
| C．Activities. | D．Islands. |
According to the passage, Mount Yasur ______.
| A．is no longer active | B．is on Pentecost Island |
| C．erupts almost every day | D．rises 800 meters into the sky |
Why have people recently started climbing Mount Yasur?
| A．People can climb it easily. |
| B．People can make money. |
| C．People can watch snow on it. |
| D．People can surf the volcano. |
Which of the following about land diving is true?
| A．It is not dangerous at all. |
| B．It was first called “bungee jumping”. |
| C．It is a traditional activity in Vanuatu. |
| D．It came to Vanuatu from another country. |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To tell people not to do dangerous sports. |
| B．To explain what volcano surfing and land diving are. |
| C．To talk about the world’s best volcano surfer and land diver. |
| D．To compare activities in Vanuatu with sports in New Zealand. |
In northern Scotland there is a long, deep lake called Loch Ness. More than 200 meters deep, it is the largest lake in the UK. People say a big monster（怪兽）lives in its dark, cold waters. It weighs more than 1,000 kilos and is at least ten meters long. Some people say it has a head like a horse. Others say it looks like a snake. Many people travel to Loch Ness to look for this strange monster, but only a few people have seen it. At least, they say they have seen it.
The Loch Ness Monster is a famous legend（传说）. The first story about a monster in Loch Ness was told over 500 years ago, but the legend of the monster spread widely only in the twenties century. In 1933, a husband and wife reported that they saw a big monster in Loch Ness. Several people have taken photos, but at least one of them was a hoax（骗局）. During the 1960s, a team was formed to look for the monster. They took many photos and made movies, but they were never able to find a monster.
There is no real fact that a monster lives in Loch Ness, but there is also no fact that one doesn’t live. One thing is true about Loch Ness: there are a lot of tourists there.In northern _______ there is a long, deep lake called Loch Ness.
| A．Scotland | B．HongKong |
| C．Rome | D．Paris |
What do people say about the monster in Loch Ness?
| A．It weighs about 100 kilos. | B．It is one meter long. |
| C．It has a tail like a horse. | D．It looks like a snake. |
When was the first story about the monster told?
| A．200 years ago. | B．Over 500 years ago. |
| C．In 1933. | D．In 1960. |
Why was a team formed during the 1960s?
| A．To kill the monster. | B．To look for the monster. |
| C．To catch the monster. | D．To sell the monster. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．People that saw a monster. | B．A trip to Loch Ness. |
| C．A legend about a monster. | D．A team that took photos. |
Mr Robin（知更鸟）had his house in a tree.
His four baby robins lived in it. They grew very fast. Soon the house was too little for them.
“It is time for you to fly,” said Mr Robin.
“Oh, we can not fly,” said the baby robins.
“You can, if you try, ” said Mr Robin.
A robin tried. He flew into a tree.
“Oh, how interesting!” said the little robin. “I like to fly. See me go!”
Then the other robins tried.
In a little while they could all fly.
The robins could fly, but they could not sing.
“No, Dad, we can not sing.”
“You can, if you try. Hear the other birds sing. Look at the pretty flowers and the blue sky. Then you will want to sing. Hear me sing to you. Now sing for me.”
One little robin sang.
Then they all sang.
A little girl came by. “Wow, hear the birds sing!” she said. “How happy they are!”How many baby robins lived in the house?
| A．3. | B．4. | C．6. | D．7. |
What did Mr Robin ask his babies to do first?
| A．To fly. | B．To jump. |
| C．To look for food. | D．To build houses. |
How did the little robin feel when he flew into a tree?
| A．Interested. | B．Bored. | C．Tired. | D．Worried. |
What else did the baby robins learn to do?
| A．To have dinner. | B．To take a trip. |
| C．To have a party. | D．To sing. |
What did the girl think of the birds?
| A．They were poor. | B．They were rude. |
| C．They were happy. | D．They were sad. |
It was very cold. It snowed heavily and blew very strongly. It was not a good night to go out. But David had to walk home from work “I can be warmer,” he thought, “I wear my coat backwards(反方向地).” He took off his coat and put it on backwards. “That’s much better.”He thought and walked on. About ten minutes later a car hit him. The driver stopped his car and got out of it. He ran to help David.
Soon a police car arrived. The policeman ran to look at David. “I’m afraid he’s dead.”The policeman told the driver.
The driver could not believe it.“He can’t be dead.”He cried,“I did not touch him. Look at my car. There is not a mark(印记) on it.”
“He’s dead.”The policeman said again.
“I don’t understand it.”The driver said,“As soon as I hit him. I ran to help him. He was lying on the road, but he was breathing and there was no blood(血).”
“Did you touch him?”The policeman asked.
“Yes,”The driver said,“but I only turn his head around the right way.”
Read the passage and answer the following questions.（阅读短文，回答问题。）Why was David walking in such bad weather?
______________________________________________________________________________. How did David make himself warmer?
______________________________________________________________________________.Did the driver run to help David?
______________________________________________________________________________.What did the policeman say again?
______________________________________________________________________________.Who killed David?
______________________________________________________________________________.
One day a Chinese student went to study English in England. His family name is Sun. It is the same as the word “sun”. England is a country with bad weather. It is often cloudy or misty, and it rains now and again. So the people there don’t get much sunshine in the whole year. When the Chinese student went to London, a tall English policeman with a large face opened his passport to examine(检查) it. The policeman was interested to find the Chinese name “sun” in the passport. He thought it was pronounced just like the English word “sun”，so he said to the Chinese student, “ I see your name is sun. You are wanted here.”
The Chinese student was greatly surprised. But after a moment the policeman began to smile, “Mr. Sun, you’ve brought sunshine to England! So we don’t want you to go away.”
根据短文内容，判断正(T)误(F)。The Chinese student’s family name is pronounced just like the English word “sun”.
London, the capital of England, is called “The misty city”.
In London, a tall Englishman with large eyes examined the Chinese student’s passport.
The policeman in London was interested in the Chinese name “sun”.
Mr. Sun was really to bring sunshine to England.