Red is used in many American expressions. It can be used to show happiness, as in the expression “a red-letter day”. This is a day when something special happens. The expression is probably based on church customs. For almost 600 years, church calendars have been marked with red to show special holy(神圣的)days. Today’s calendars are still marked that way with the dates of holidays and special days printed in red.
The expression “a red-letter day”is often heard in daily life. “A red-letter day” is a day that people are especially happy. It may be a day that you have waited for a long time, a wedding day, for example. Or it may be a day with a happy surprise. You might tell a friend that yesterday was a red-letter day, because you won some money in the lottery.
“Rolling out the red carpet” is another commonly heard expression. It describes an especially warm welcome of any kind. A city may “roll out the carpet ”for its baseball team, when the team arrives home after winning a championship. A group of supporters go to the air port to the greet the team. The red-carpet welcome includes a lot of cheering by thousands of fans, a parade, music and speech of praise by local statesmen.
Red is also used in some expressions that are not happy. “Red-handed ” is an example. To be caught “red-handed” is to be found in an act of wrong doing. The evidence is clear. You are guilty. Today we use the expression “ to be caught red-handed ”in situation(情况)that are not serious. For example, a mother might say she caught her son red-handed, taking cookies out of the cookie jar.
Some American Expressions with __
Be used for_happiness |
a red -letter day |
a day that people are happy a day with a ___ |
| rolling out the red carpet |
describes an especially warm___ |
|
Be used in_ |
to be caught red-hanged |
to be found doing a wrong action can’t be used in a serious situation |
阅读理解
| WANTED A boy or a girl to deliver（递送）newspapers．Hours：3:30 am—8:30 am Mon．to Sat． Pay：$ 10 a day Call Mr Green at 9757-9858． |
| SUMMER JOB Do you like talking with people？Do you want to work for a newspaper？We need a reporter．Come and work for us． Please call Chen Jie at 13583965458． |
| HIKING CLUB Join us for a 10-mile（英里）country walk on Saturday，October 5 th． Meet at Market Square at 2:00 pm． Call Zhang Peng at 13853966859． |
Mrs Green wants to go hiking with her students．They should meet at Market Square________．
| A．at 2:00 am on October 5th |
| B．at 8:30 on Monday morning |
| C．at 4:00 pm on Saturday |
| D．at 14:00 on October 5th |
If your sister likes talking with people and wants to be a reporter，she can call________．
| A．13853966859 |
| B．5697-8695 |
| C．9757-9858 |
| D．13583965458 |
If you want to deliver newspapers，you must work________a week．
| A．4 hours |
| B．5 hours |
| C．30 hours |
| D．35 hours |
If you want to get the summer job，you can call________．
| A．Zhang Peng |
| B．Mary |
| C．Mr Green |
| D．Chen Jie |
These days, more and more Chinese people enjoy sending and receiving messages on the phone. It can help them to get the latest news and communicate with friends. But I think I should read more books besides the textbooks, the more, the better. It can open my eyes and improve my language skills. Of course, it also can help me to get good grades. Do you know how to read more and learn more? Here are some tips for you.
◆ Clear your purpose for reading
Before you start reading, ask yourself why you are reading this book. Most people read for two main reasons, pleasure or knowledge. Clearing about your reading purpose can not only help you choose the books you really need to read, but also remind you why reading the book is important to you, so you will keep reading and complete the book faster.
◆ Read only what you are interested in
No matter what you are reading, it is important to enjoy what you read. Your friends may tell you the books they love, but those books might not necessarily be the ones you enjoy.
◆ Give up books that you don’t enjoy
You may have chosen books that you are interested in, and they are right to your purpose. But while you are reading them, there may still be some books that you don’t enjoy reading. Whenever you realize that you aren’t enjoying the book you are reading, give it up. Remember reading shouldn’t be a chore.
◆ Set a reading goal
It is interesting that I read the books borrowed from libraries faster than those I bought. The reason is the books I bought don’t have a due date! I don’t need to return those books. Having a reading goal helps you work out how much reading you need to do in a week or even a day. Before you read each book, ask yourself what time you need to complete this book by.
根据短文内容，从题中所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出正确选项，并将所选答案涂到答题卡的相应位置上。（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）According to the passage, the writer might be a .
| A．teacher | B．doctor | C．student | D．scientist |
Why do most people read books?
| A．To get the latest news and communicate with friends. |
| B．For pleasure or knowledge. |
| C．To open their eyes and improve their language skills. |
| D．To get good grades. |
What should you do when you find the book which you are reading is boring?
| A．Keep on reading. |
| B．Set a reading goal. |
| C．Read the books your friends love. |
| D．Give up the book. |
The underlined words “due date” mean in Chinese.
| A．星期 | B．借期 | C．还期 | D．日期 |
This passage mainly tells us .
| A．how to read more and learn more |
| B．how to choose a good book |
| C．how to read faster |
| D．why we should read more books |
It was nearly dark, the sun was dropping down the mountains far away. Little Tom came back home, with tears in his eyes.
“What’s the matter, Tom? How’s your trip?” his mother asked with a big smile. “I failed. The mountain is so high and full of big or small stones on the way, I still go ahead. But I was tired and it was so late that I had to come back.” Tom cried. “It doesn’t matter, you are only 14 years old after all. You will have another chance.” his mother said. “But, standing at the top of the mountain is my dream!” Tom said. His father came over and asked, “Did you see the green trees on your way to the mountain?” “Sure, and there are a lot of beautiful flowers by the side of the road.” Tom replied. “Did you hear the birds singing?” his father asked. “There were many kinds of birds singing in the trees, and the sound was very sweet.” Tom said. “Did you feel the beauty of nature?” his father asked. “Yes, the blue sky, the white clouds, the green trees and the colorful flowers made a nice picture.” Tom answered. “That’s enough!” his father smiled and said, “Please remember, son. For often, achieving what you expect is not the most important thing. Although you didn’t reach the top of the mountain, you got a lot on the way.”
It is true that not every goal will be achieved, not every job will end up with a success, and not every dream will come true. The most beautiful scenery (风景) is on the way.
根据短文内容，从题中所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出正确选项，并将所选答案涂到答题卡的相应位置上。（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）Tom got back home when the sun was dropping.
| A．slowly | B．sadly | C．quickly | D．early |
Tom’s parents wanted Tom .
| A．to be friendly | B．to be happy |
| C．to be clever | D．to be healthy |
What’s the main reason that Tom didn’t reach the top of the mountain?
| A．The mountain was so high. |
| B．The way was full of big or small stones. |
| C．He was tired and it was so late. |
| D．He was only 14 years old. |
Tom saw a lot of things on the way to the mountain except .
| A．clear water | B．blue sky |
| C．colorful flowers | D．green trees |
The writer tries to tell us that .
| A．the goal is not important |
| B．everyone should climb the mountain |
| C．the mountain is very beautiful |
| D．the process (过程) is more important than the result |
In the UK, bus journeys are very common. Buses are often convenient（便利的）for the people who live or work in the city center. Passengers can avoid heavy traffic and not have to pay for the parking. However, taking the bus is just a necessary but boring part of life: they get on the bus, pay for it and sit or find a place to stand when it is crowded. Everyone seems sad and bored.
In Latin America, however, bus trips can be wonderful. For a start, films are showed on the buses between cities for passengers to have fun along the journeys. Local buses do not show films, but drivers usually turn on the radio and it can be great for passengers to listen to songs and get relaxed.
Even better than films and music are the sights and sounds on the buses. Local buses always go to parts of the town that passengers would not visit by themselves. There passengers can see shops that they have never heard about. And they can also see other cultures of the town from the windows of the buses.
Besides, passengers’ luggage（行李）is also interesting. It is common to see a happy dog’s head getting out of somebody’s bag or a lovely chicken“speaking cheerfully”under somebody’s arm. Once on a bus in Peru, a farmer even tied a sheep to the top of the bus. It was quite surprising.
In all, taking the bus in Latin America is really fun and unforgettable.According to the passage, in the UK, how to passengers probably feel on the buses?
They probably feel .In Latin America, how can people have fun on the buses between cities?
They can .In the writer’s opinion, what are even better than films and music on the buses?
Are. Why does the writer think passengers’ luggage is interesting?
Because it’s common to see different kinds of on the buses.What does the passage mainly tell us?
It mainly tells us about in Latin America.
The eagle has the longest life of its group. It can reach up to
70 years. But to reach this age, the eagle must make a hard and
painful decision.
When an eagle reaches near 40, its short sharp beak becomes
bent（弯曲的）. Its long and once flexible（灵活的） talons
can no longer catch animals or birds for food. And its old and
heavy wings with thick feathers on its body make it difficult to fly.
Then, the eagle has only tow choices: to die or to go through a
painful time of change which needs five months.
When the eagle feels weak and is about to die, it goes to a
place far away on the top of a mountain and sits on a nest. For a new life, the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until it pulls its beak out. After pulling it out, the eagle waits for a new beak to grow. And then it pulls out its talons and old feathers. It takes the eagle five months to complete its change and get a new life. We can call it its rebirth. So it can live for 30 more years.
Like the eagle, we human beings sometimes need to make some change to get out of our difficulty. In miserable condition, we have to change our ways of life. The changing may be very painful. But sometimes we have to throw off our old habits, memories and traditions. We can’t go on with all our past burdens（重负）.
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．When an eagle reaches near 40, its short sharp beak is still straight. |
| B．For a new life, the eagle knocks its talons against a rock. |
| C．If the eagle doesn’t change itself, it will have a new life. |
| D．The writer’s idea is that we can’t go on with all our past burdens. |
The underlined word“miserable” here probably means“”.
| A．terrible | B．good | C．lonely | D．lucky |
The best title for the passage can be“”.
| A．The death of the eagle |
| B．The living period of the eagle |
| C．A good and easy decision |
| D．Rebirth of the eagle |