Vanilla is my best friend. She is a lovely girl with two big, beautiful eyes. But she always hides them behind a pair of black glasses.
One day, though, I nearly ended our friendship. I remember that day clearly. We were sitting in class. The teacher was giving us our results for a Chinese test. I had done badly. I felt so sad that I wouldn’t talk to anyone. At lunchtime, I even stayed in the classroom alone. Suddenly, I heard a voice. It was Vanilla. “You look very unhappy,” she said. “What’s wrong?” I looked up at her, but said nothing. I knew Vanilla had got a good mark in the test. I thought she was making fun of me. I stayed silent, but Vanilla didn’t go away. She kept asking me questions: “Is it because of the exam? Do you want me to show you the right answers?” I looked away from her. When I looked up again, Vanilla had gone. And so had my exam paper! I didn’t know what to do. I looked everywhere for me paper, but couldn’t find it.
In the afternoon, Vanilla came up to my desk and gave me my exam paper back. I looked at it and got a big surprise. Vanilla had written the right answer next to every one of my mistakes. My face went red. Vanilla had been trying to help me all along. How mean I had been to her when she was being so nice. I wanted to hug her, but all I did was to hold her hands and say, “Thank you.” That afternoon, Vanilla and I walked home together. I felt so happy that I had to thank her again. We were still best friends. The writer felt sad because ________ in the Chinese test.
| A．she got a bad mark |
| B．Vanilla had done better than her |
| C．she didn’t have a high mark |
| D．the teacher was angry with her |
Vanilla really came to the writer to _______.
| A．make fun of her |
| B．find out what had happened to her |
| C．help her |
| D．show her the right answers |
Vanilla left the writer because she __________.
| A．wanted to write the right answers for the writer |
| B．didn’t know what to do to help her friend |
| C．was angry with the writer |
| D．wanted to go home for lunch |
Which of the following phrases has the same meaning as “make fun of”?
| A．Saying “hello” to. | B．Seeing me off. |
| C．Laughing at. | D．Looking after. |
Some people think only school children do not agree with their parents,however,it is not true.
Communication is a problem for parents and children of all ages.if it’s hard for you to communicate with your parents,don’t worry about it.Here is some advice for you to bridge the generation gap (代沟).
Don’t argue with your parents.Don’t get to your parents when you are angry.Your parents probably won’t consider your ideas if you are shouting at them.And you can’t express yourself well if you are angry.Go to someplace to cool off.Make sure you under- stand why you are unhappy.Then think about what you want to say to your parents.If you don’t think you can speak to them at the moment,try writing a letter.
Try to reach a compromise(和解).Perhaps you and your parents disagree on something.You can keep your disagreement and try your best to accept each other.Michael’s mother didn’t agree with him about buying a motorcycle.They agrued over it.But they finally came to a compromise.Michael bought the motorcycle,but only drove it on certain days.
Of course,your parents might refuse to compromise on something.In these situations,It is especially important to show love and respect(尊重)to them.Showing respect will keep your relationship strong.
Talk about your volues.The values of your parents are probably different from those of your own.Tell your parents what you care about,and why.Understanding your values might help them see your purposes in life.
A good relationship with your parents can make you a better and happier person.It is worth having a try!According to the passage,who have a communication problem?
| A．Parents and other people. |
| B．Teathers and their students. |
| C．Parents and children of all ages. |
| D．Only school kids andtheir parents. |
How many pieces of advice does the writer give us to bridge the generation gap?
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
The underlined word “bridge”in the passage means .
| A．消除 | B．到达 | C．建立 | D．通过 |
If the values of your parents are different from those of yours,you’d better
.
| A．argue with them |
| B．keep awaw from them |
| C．argue with them all time |
| D．tell your parents what you care about |
.The best title of the passage is .
| A．How to be a good child |
| B．How to be good parents |
| C．How to bridge the generation gap |
| D．How to deal with family problems |
wonder of the natural world
When I arrived, it was early morning and it was raining. I looked to the east—the sky was becoming grey. I got out of the car, went through a gate and walked along a dark path. There was nothing to see, but I knew it was there.
After about a mile, a stranger appeared beside the path. “Am I going the right way?” I asked. He knew where I was going. “Yes,” he replied. “you’ll get there in five minutes.” Finally, I came to some rocks and stopped. I looked over them, but it was silent and there was no sign of it.
Suddenly, the rain stopped and the clouds cleared. The sun rose behind me and shone on the rocks. Far below me, the ground fell away and down to a river. I was looking across one of the wonders of the natural world –the Grand Canyon.
I looked down to the Colorado River, a silver stream nearly one mile below me. If you put the two tallest buildings in the world on top of each other at the bottom of the canyon, they still would not reach the top. Then I looked across to the other side of the canyon. It was about fifteen miles away, maybe more. Finally, I looked to my left and to my right, and on both sides the canyon went far away for more than 200 miles. The Grand Canyon was not just big. It was huge!
I remained by the canyon for about half an hour, and I asked myself, “Is the Grand Canyon the greatest wonder of the natural world?” I certainly know the answer. What do you think?Where does the passage most probably come from?
| A．A magazine | B．A grammar book |
| C．A dictionary | D．A storybook |
Why was there nothing to see?
| A．Because there was nothing |
| B．Because it was too dark |
| C．Because it was raining |
| D．Because it was in the morning |
Which direction was the writer facing while he/she was looking over the Grand Canyon?
| A．South | B．North | C．East | D．West |
Which of the follow is wrong?
| A．The writer visited the Grand Canyon by car in the morning. |
| B．A stranger showed the writer the wrong direction of the Grand Canyon. |
| C．The Grand Canyon is more than fifteen miles. |
| D．The writer realized the Grand Canyon was the great wonder at least. |
What is the writer’s purpose in writing this passage?
A. To give facts about the natural world.
B. To say how he feels about the natural world.
C. To tell an interesting story about the Grand Canyon.
You may know the song Happy Birthday very well.But do you know about its writer?It was written by an American girl.And she became very rich after that.
When she was a child,she was poor.Once,she was invited to her friend’s birthday party.She was pleased but sad because she didn’t have enough money to buy a gift for her.
“The party is coming soon,but now I have little money.”Tears ran down her face.
Later that night she was in bed,thinking about the gift when the door opened and her grandma came in.”What happened?”her grandma asked.Hearing the girl’story,she said,”I think I can help you.How about singing a song together?Happy Birthday to….”What a beautiful song!They sang and sang.Suddenly she woke up.It was a dream!She decided to write it down at once and sing it to her friends at the party.
When she sang the song at the party the nest day,her friends were very happy.”How wonderful you sing!We haven’t heared such a beautiful song before.Thank you for giving me the special gift.”said her friend.And they learn to sing it together.Later the girl became well-known in America.The song Happy Birthday was written by.
| A．an American girl | B．an American girl’s grandma |
| C．an America boy | D．an American girl’s friend |
The girl was sad because.
| A．she didn’t want to go to the party |
| B．she would be busy that day |
| C．she didn’t have enough money to buy a gift |
| D．she wasn’t invited to the party |
What gift did she give her friend?
| A．A flower | B．A toy |
| C．An interest5ing book | D．A dog |
What did her friends think of the song?
| A．boring | B．beautiful |
| C．exciting | D．interesting |
Which of the following is true?
| A．The girl was still poor after writing the song. |
| B．The girl sang the with her grandma in her dream. |
| C．The girl’s friends had heard the song before. |
| D．The girl became famous because of the song. |
Billy Dengler, a 14-year-old boy, is in the eighth grade. A month after he was born, Billy’s mother, Terri, noticed that his eyes weren’t quite as big as a normal baby’s. She took Billy to the hospital, and the doctor said Billy would never be able to see.
Although Billy can’t see, he has never let that hold him back or make him different. Billy began teaching himself computer programming by using a screen reader when he was just seven years old. He is a certified Google developer (谷歌认证开发者) now. Google even tried to offer him a job last year when he discovered a problem in one of its systems, but Billy wasn’t old enough.
Billy’s dream school would be Stanford University or MIT, where he could get a very good education in computer science. After he leaves school, whether he will go to work at a company like Google or design a software company of his own is still to be decided. However, he says he will definitely (绝对地) do something great.
“It’s a sighted world,” Billy said. “You can’t let anything get in the way of your dreams, and if you do that, you can’t move forward and make your dreams come true.” Billy’s mother found there was something wrong with Billy’s eyes when .
| A．he was 14 years old |
| B．he left school |
| C．he was in the eighth grade |
| D．he was a month old. |
Billy started to learn computer programming by himself with the help of .
| A．a screen reader | B．his mother |
| C．a computer | D．his teacher |
The underlined word “systems” means “” in Chinese.
| A．电脑 | B．系统 | C．机器 | D．计划 |
What will Billy do after school?
| A．He will work for Google. |
| B．He will open a company. |
| C．He has not decided on that. |
| D．He will do nothing. |
We can learn that from the passage.
| A．blindness is not a big problem |
| B．it’s easy to be a certified Google developer |
| C．nothing should get in the way of our dreams |
| D．Billy is a student of Stanford University |
The human brain weighs about 1.4 kilograms, but it can hold much more information than most computers. However, there is another difference between humans and computers. Computers don’t forget information they are given, but humans often do. No one remembers everything, and luckily we don’t usually have to. But everyone can improve their memory if they want to. Here are some suggestions.
◆Try to use new information immediately. For example, if you meet someone who says “Hi! I’m Carlos,” don’t just say “Hello.” Repeat the person’s name. Say “_________”
◆Break a big number into smaller parts. For example, it’s hard to memorize（记忆）109244153. But if you break it into three parts--109/244/153—it becomes easier.
◆Write out what you need to remember over and over again. This will help you keep it in mind longer, especially for memorizing formulas（公式）or facts.
◆Always review information. If you bring what you’ve learned back to your mind, they become easier to remember. For example, before you go to sleep, it’s a good idea to review the new things you learned that day.
◆Discuss with a friend. It is always easier to remember things through discussions. You can have a discussion about what’s right and what’s wrong, and it will lead to the right answer.
◆Never tell yourself that you have a bad memory. You can always do something to help improve your memory. And everyone’s memory gets better if they use it often enough.All of the suggestions are helpful. If you follow them, you are certain to improve your memory.How many suggestions are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Three. | B．Four. |
| C．Five. | D．Six. |
Which should be put in the blank（空格）in Paragraph 2？
| A．Hello, Carlos. | B．How do you do? |
| C．Hello, I am Sophia. | D．Glad to meet you! |
What does the sentence "Never tell yourself that you have a bad memory”.
mean?
| A．You should tell others about your bad memory. |
| B．You should believe in other people all the time. |
| C．You should ask others to improve their memory. |
| D．You should be confident in your memory ability. |