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 |
Six people are talking about two pie shops in a TV program.
Lily: I’ve been going to Pie House for twenty years. Now Marie’s son is taking care of the business, and he makes pies as good as his mother’s. I enjoy my stay there as before. My family also like the pies. We feel relaxed while staying there.
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Olive: I went to Pie Corner once. Their pies were great, too. But I feel more comfortable at Pie House. I am used to the taste there, which makes me feel happy. I’m really a fan of Pie House.
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Ned: Uncle Roy used to work for my mom. Later he opened Pie Corner on the next block after he got married. At the beginning, it’s not easy for him, but it is becoming more and more popular especially among young people. They think Pie Corner can often give them a surprise.
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Marie: Roy was already quite avant-garde when working with me. I mean he had different, sometimes even strange, ideas about pies. There were times I thought his pies wouldn’t taste good, but they turned out magically delicious. He is really creative and can always make new pies, which attract many people.
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Lee: Ned has done quite well with Pie House. His pies make you feel warm. But if you want to try something interesting, you should go to Pie Corner.
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Chuck: The two pie shops are really different from each other. If eating Roy’s pies is like taking an exciting trip, then Ned’s pies are just like a sweet home you go back to after a long trip. Which one to go to depends on what you like.What do we know about the six people?
| A．They all have been to both pie shops. |
| B．They all talked about what the pies taste like. |
| C．Some of them are the shopkeepers of the pie shops. |
| D．Some of them talked about how the shopkeepers treated their workers. |
Which is true about the pie shops?
| A．Pie House is a family business. |
| B．Pie Corner is next to Pie House. |
| C．Pie Corner has a longer history than Pie House. |
| D．Pie House gives people a place to stay for the night. |
What does ‘avant-garde’ mean in the reading?
| A．Having a new and surprising way of thinking. |
| B．Trying to find out where the problems come from. |
| C．Trying to act like someone who knows everything. |
| D．Having many exciting life experiences. |
阅读短文，完成表格。
We all dream about things that we would like to do we hope to achieve in the future. But are everybody’s dreams the same? Here are some of the findings of a survey about hopes and dreams, in which thousands of students across China took part in it.
What are the hopes of teenagers?
We received several different answers to the question: what would you like to do after finishing your education? It seems some students would like to start work as soon as possible, so that they can help provide better lives for their parents. Other students hope to continue studying after finishing school and to go to university. Although money is important, many teenagers said they want to do jobs they enjoy. According to the survey, the most popular choice of job is computer programming.
What are the dreams of teenagers?
Teenagers have all kinds of dreams. Some are more realistic than others. For example, many students said they would like to be volunteers if Beijing could hold the World Cup, maybe working as translators or tour guides. And quite a few said they dream of going to the moon one day.
According to the survey, less realistic dreams are also common, but many students reported that they were willing to work hard to achieve their dreams. Quite a few dream of becoming famous, perhaps famous sports people or singers. Some said they’d like to go on exciting trips; one students said she’d love to sail across the Pacific Ocean. And then there are dreams that are impossible; three students said they’d like to be able to fly!
Conclusion It was clear from the survey that teenagers have similar hopes. It seems that most students hope to have a good education and find a good job. On the other hand, students dream of very different things: good things, and even crazy things. It is very important to dream, so hold on your dreams; one day they may just come true.
| A survey about some Chinese students’ ___ |
|
| Hopes of teenagers |
Some students hope to start working as soon as possible. |
| Others hope to continue studying after finishing school and to go to university |
|
| Dreams of teenagers |
Some students have more realistic dreams such as working as volunteers at the 2008 Olympics, etc. |
| Others have less realistic dreams such as becoming famous sportspeople or singer, ___ |
|
| Some students ___ |
|
| Conclusion: The survey shows that teenagers have similar hopes and different dreams |
阅读下面的短文，根据所给语境，按要求完成下列各题。
①After Pluto (冥王星) was found in 1930, people took it as the ninth planet in our solar system(太阳系). But it isn’t like other planets. It is smaller and has an strange orbit(轨道). On August 24,2006， scientists said,“Pluto is not a planet.”
About 2,500 scientists met in Prague（布拉格，捷克首都）. At first, some of them said that there would be 12 planets in our solar system. In the end, the scientists said that only Mercury（水）, Venus（金）, Earth, Mars（火）, Jupiter（木）, Saturn（土）, Uranus（天王）and Neptune（海王）are the planets in the solar system. ②Each of these planets has its own orbit, and of the planets is big enough to be a planet. Pluto’s orbit overlaps (重叠) Neptune’s and it is smaller than the other planets. ③So Pluto is classified(划归/分类) as a dwarf planet (矮行星), but no longer a planet in the solar system.
Students at school will have new schoolbooks to learn the new solar system!根据①处完成下面的句子（每空一词）
Before people _______ Pluto in 1930, there were _______ planets in our solar system.根据②出完成下面的句子（每空一词）。
Every planet not only has its own _______ , but also is ______ enough.将③处译成汉语。
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Sarah ran in, shouting, “Look what I found!” Over the top of the paper I was reading; came a terrible thing that caused me to jump. It was a snake skin found in our garden.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” said my seven-year-old daughter.
I opened my eyes widely and looked at the snake skin in fear（恐惧地）. I didn’t think it was beautiful, but I learned never to appear nonchalant(冷漠的)with children. Everything they see for the first time is important to their sense of beauty; they see only excellence in the world.
“Why does it do this?” Sarah asked.
“Snakes shed(蜕) their skins because they need to renew themselves,” I explained.
“Why do they need to renew（使更新） themselves?” Sarah asked.
“We often need to shed our skins, those coatings that we cover ourselves with,” I said to my daughter. “We leave some things and find other thing unwanted or unnecessary. This snake no longer needs this skin. It is probably too little for him, and he probably doesn’t think he looks as smart in it as he once did. ”
As we talked, I knew that she began to understand. Although she couldn’t understand clearly, she would know that renewal is part of progress; that we need to take a good look at ourselves, our rooms, schoolwork and spirit, and see what we need to keep and what we need to leave. I was careful to tell that this is a natural way, not one to be forced.
“Snakes don’t peel off their skins when they like them. “I explained. “It happens as a natural thing of their growth. ”
“I see, Dad,” said Sarah as she held the snake skin, and then ran off.
I hoped she would remember this; we need to throw some away because they are worthless or unnecessary. Then we can store them as memories in our deep hearts.Father jumped up when her daughter came to him with a snake skin because ＿＿＿＿＿＿.
| A．he didn’t want to read any more |
| B．he was in great fear of it |
| C．he wanted to praised her daughter |
| D．he hated snakes |
Father’s patient explanation shows that ＿＿＿＿＿＿.
| A．his daughter didn’t want to listen to him at all |
| B．he knew children saw only excellence in the world |
| C．his daughter couldn’t follow him at all |
| D．he wanted to teach everything to her |
We learn from the reading that＿＿＿＿＿＿.
| A．the girl seemed to understand what her father said |
| B．the girl wasn’t interested in the explanation |
| C．the father was good at raising snakes |
| D．the father liked the snake skin better |
Your junior high school years are coming to an end. After the big exam, most of you will go on to study in a senior school. What are you expecting from senior high school? Let’s hear some teen readers talk about it.
Zhou Zhijie, 15, from Shanghai:
I have heard that although Senior 3 is a hard year, Senior 1 and Senior 2 are less stressful. I hope there’ll be time then to enjoy sports. There will be plenty to see. Especially, the World Cup in Brazil is coming. We can watch football matches. I’m sure I’ll really enjoy it.
Jin Xi, 16, from Harbin, Heilongjiang:
I really enjoy science. I visit many science exhibitions. I am interested in UFOs, too. I’m crazy about making model planes, although I’m not very good at it because I don’t really have enough scientific knowledge. I’ll be learning more science in senior high school. In a word, sometime in the future I’m going to build an excellent model plane!
Wang Yaling, 15, from Xiamen, Fujian:
I hope I can be taller in senior high school. I’m only 155cm. Many people grow faster in senior and I hope I will, too. I want to be 162cm. But I’m not sure about that, since most girls in my family don’t grow taller than 160cm. I hope I’m different.
Zhang Fang, 15, from Hebi, Henan:
I expect that I’ll make more friends in senior high school. I study in a middle school in the country. Most of my classmates live nearby. In senior high school, I’ll meet different people from different areas. I hope I can learn new things from them.
根据材料内容选择最佳答案，并将其标号填涂在答题卡的相应位置。Jin Xi believes that it needs ______ to make an excellent model plane.
| A．a quite long time | B．a lot of scientific knowledge |
| C．knowledge of UFOs | D．help from senior teachers |
Wang Yaling and Zhang Fang ______.
| A．are from one city | B．have a similar dream |
| C．have the same age | D．have a similar problem |
The students in the passage are talking about______.
| A．their hobbies | B．their experiences |
| C．their schools | D．their wishes |