Each year, we celebrate many holidays here in America.
On January 1, we welcome the coming of a new year like many people in other countries. And we have another four holidays on the first day of a month: April Fool’s Day, May Day, Friendship Day (Aug.1) and Grandparents Day (Sep. 1).
The most important holiday for the young people comes in February. It is Valentine’s Day. Lots of boys give red roses to girls as a present.
People celebrate some holidays for their family members. We say thanks to our mother in May and celebrate Father’s Day in the following month. In November many people return home for Thanksgiving Day, so the whole family can stay together.
There are also some interesting holidays for children. For example, Halloween comes at the end of October. Children often play with pumpkin lanterns and put on all kinds of masks.
Of course, the most important festival is Christmas. After a year of work and study, people can enjoy a long holiday, eat big meals, and visit family and friends.How many holidays do you know on the first day of a month in America?
| A．Four. | B．Five. | C．Seven. | D．Ten. |
What is the most important holiday for the young people?
| A．Thanksgiving Day. | B．Christmas Day. |
| C．Valentine’s Day. | D．New Year’s Day. |
From the reading we know that Father’s Day comes .
| A．in May | B．in April. | C．in June | D．in July |
Halloween is one of the interesting holidays for .
| A．children | B．mothers | C．girls | D．students |
Many people return home in November because they want to ___________.
| A．enjoy a long holiday |
| B．stay with their family members |
| C．eat big meals with friends |
| D．spend Thanksgiving Day |
There are many colors in nature. But do you know if a color has weight? I think you’ll say “no”. But I am afraid you are wrong. If you don’t believe, you may do a small experiment.
First, put two objects with the same weight into two boxes. Then cover the box. Third, wrap one box with a red piece of paper, the other with a white piece of paper. OK. Now hold the boxes with your hand one by one. It is certain that you will think the red one is a little heavier.
Why do you think so? A scientist found that different colors have different weight in a man’s mind. So he did many tests and at last he got the result. That is to say, every color has its own weight in our mind and their order is the same. The heaviest color is red, then blue, green, orange, yellow and white.
The scientist told us that colors also have smell. Can you smell the color? Of course not. Then why did the scientist say so? That is because every color stands for a kind of light with a certain wavelength. It reaches our brain through sense organs.
According to this discovery, scientists say that people accept the colors they like, and refuse the colors they hate. So your body and mind will be healthy by using the colors you like. Or you’ll be nervous or even get ill. For example, if you stay in a room with red windows, wallpapers and furniture for two hours, you’ll feel you have been there for four hours. But if the room is blue, you’ll feel you have been there for only an hour. Another example, if a person walks out of a red room and into a blue room, his temperature will fall. That means our body temperature will change with different colors.
| A．a red box is heavier than a white one |
| B．a color has weight in one’s mind |
| C．white paper is lighter than red paper |
| D．you can know the weight of a color by holding it |
| A．Because people can sense the light from colors. |
| B．Because we can smell colors with our nose. |
| C．Because every color has its own sweet smell. |
| D．Because every color can give off light of the same length. |
| A．colors have orders in weight |
| B．colors can change the weight of an object |
| C．people would stay longer in a room with red windows |
| D．colors can affect our mood and health |
| A．book review | B．fiction novel | C．fairy tale | D．science report |
What do you think Americans in the early twentieth century (1900--1925) did on weekends? What do they do on weekends now?
| Then Once upon a time, people spent lots of time at home on weekends. Then new inventions changed the weekends. People used electric（电动的） streetcars to travel in cities. On weekends, they rode the streetcars to parks. Young people liked roller coasters.（过山车）The first movie lasted only one minute. Soon movies lasted longer. In the 1920s, movie theaters sold millions of tickets each week. In 1927, movies eventually（最终） had sound. Sometimes, people stayed at home instead, and listened to another new invention—radio. People in cities worked indoors during the week, so they wanted to be outdoors on weekends. Bicycling became a popular activity. |
| Now With more time, money and inventions, people have many more choices. They can visit large parks like Disney World and ride modern roller coaster that go higher and faster than ever before. They can choose from lots of different movies at a multiplex (a building with many movie theaters) or watch a video at home. Many people jog （慢跑）, bicycle, work out at the gym, or play sports. Others turn on their TV and watch sports. |
| A．at home | B．in the theater | C．outdoors | D．in the park |
| A．It had no sound | B．It got longer | C．It sold well | D．It lasted minutes |
| A．Many More Choices | B．The New Invention |
| C．The Popular Activities | D．The Changing Weekend |
Most students think my reasons for this rule include negative experiences in the past when students made wrong use of technology. There’s a bit of truth to that. I’ve seldom had students make wrong use of technology in my classes; however, I have been e-mailed by students while they were in other teachers’ classrooms.
Some students think that I am anti-technology. There’s no truth in that at all. As I noted above, I love technology and try to keep up with it.
The real reason why I ask students to leave technology at the door is I think there are very few places in which we can have deep conversations. Interruptions (中断) by technology often break students’ thoughts and make them depend too much on outside information for ideas. I want students to dig deep in themselves for ideas. I want them to push each other to think differently and to make connections between the course material and the class discussion.
I have been teaching my history class in this way for many years and the evaluations (评价) show student satisfaction with the environment that I create. Students realize with deep conversation and difficult tasks, they learn at a deeper level – a level that helps them keep the course material beyond the classroom.
I am not saying that I won’t ever change my mind about technology use in my history class, but until I hear a really good reason for the change, I will continue my plan. A few hours of technology-free dialogue is just too sweet to give up.The writer’s rule for his History Matters class is ____.
| A．discussing historical ideas deeply |
| B．studying and discussing the materials |
| C．leaving technology out of the classroom |
| D．making right use of technology in class |
The word “negative” in Paragraph 3 means ____.
| A．similar | B．unforgettable | C．special | D．unpleasant |
What can we know from the passage?
| A．Students make right use of technology in other teachers’ classes. |
| B．The classroom is one of the good places to have deep conversations. |
| C．The writer encourages students to agree with others after discussion. |
| D．Students are unhappy with the writer’s way of teaching history. |
The writer wants to tell us that ____.
| A．technology has different influences in different classes in college |
| B．technology makes it difficult to have true communication in class |
| C．history classes can help students to develop their deep thinking |
| D．it is time for him to give up his teaching method in history class |
“It’s 8:15 on a Sunday morning,” said the officer, Tidwell, “and this sort of thing seems an unlikely adventure(冒险) at such a time. Would you mind explaining?”
The man was astonished(吃惊的) at the voice from behind. He turned about and said, “I know what you’re thinking, officer, but it isn’t true. It’s a very funny mistake.”
“I think you’ve just left this house in a manner rather than the usual one. That may be quite all right, but I’d like to make sure.” Tidwell took out his notebook and a pen. “Name, address and occupation and then, please tell me your story.”
“Charlie Crane, lorry(卡车) driver, from Nottingham, 51 Brecon Street. My story?”
“Yes, What were you doing like a fly on that wall, Mr. Crane?”
“Well, I had a breakdown yesterday and had to stay the night here. The landlady’s name is Mrs. Fern. She gave me breakfast at seven, and I was out of here in the right way and down at the lorry park by half past seven. It was only when I felt around for a cigarette that I realized I’d left $80 under the pillow(枕头) here. It’s a habit I’ve got into. I even do it almost every day.”
“I see. Why didn’t you miss it when you meant to pay Mrs.? What’s her name?”
“I paid her last night. You’ve got to pay when you take the room, see? So I came rushing back, but it’s Sunday, and she’d gone back to bed. I rang the bell and banged on the front door for ten minutes before I came round here. Up I went this pipe(管子) and the money was still there. You know the rest, and I hope you believe it because….”
“Mr. Crane, whatever are you doing here? I thought you’d gone an hour ago.” It was Mrs. Fern.What did Tidwell see?
| A．He saw a man going to a park in a hurry |
| B．He saw a man bringing a pipe out, through a window. |
| C．He saw a man leaving a house |
| D．He saw a man trying to go up a pipe |
When Mr. Crane was at home, he .
| A．kept his cigarettes under his pillow at night |
| B．always carried his money about him at night |
| C．tried to give up the habit of smoking |
| D．put his money under his pillow at night |
What do you think happened in the end?
| A．Mrs. Fern found the $80 in the house |
| B．Tidwell took Mr. Crane to the police station |
| C．Mrs. Fern said sorry to Mr. Crane |
| D．Mr. Crane was let go |
The warm day was the only day of the week without rain. I opened the door and went to the yard, took a seat and began to enjoy the wonderful sunshine. Suddenly, I noticed that the house near mine had been sold. An elderly lady was in front of the door, with some beautiful flowers beside her. I walked to her. She looked to be in her early eighties and had the prettiest white hair.
“Hi! My name is Robert,” I said smiling brightly at the old lady. She smiled back and said, “Hello, Robert. I’m Charlene.” Her voice was very strong for someone at her age. Later, I learned she was alone and had no family or relatives to look after her. From that day on, I often visited her and helped her with her housework and sometimes she gave me some delicious food. A year passed, and I considered Charlene to be one of my best friends.
One day, I walked over for my morning visit and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. I knocked again, and she still didn’t turn up. So I let myself in, using the key she had given me. I checked her living room and then her kitchen. I finally went into her bedroom, and she was lying peacefully on her bed. Beside her there were two notes. One was her will(遗嘱), which said all that she had would be given to me. The other was a thank-you note. I went to her bedside and cried sadly.
Although it has been a long time, I still miss her deeply. Whenever I look at the beautiful flowers in front of her house, I remember the wonderful friendship we had.The writer came out of the house to ____________.
| A．look at the old lady | B．enjoy some flowers |
| C．enjoy the sunshine | D．clean the house nearby |
Through visiting the old lady, the writer learned that the old lady__________.
| A．disliked all her relatives |
| B．had no one to look after her |
| C．didn’t want to live with her family |
| D．was looking for someone to look after her |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The old lady was not kind to others except Robert. |
| B．The writer didn’t have any other good friends . |
| C．The old lady didn’t know how to make food. |
| D．The writer got along very well with the old lady. |