Try reading the following sentences as fast as you can. “ She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. So if she sells shells in the seashore, I’m sure she sells seashore shells.”
Not very easy, was it? What you’ve just read is called a tongue twister（绕口令）. It is an exercise made up of sounds that are hard to pronounce in order to help people pronounce words faster and more correctly. Try the next example.
“Peter Piper picked a peck of picked peppers, Did Peter Piper pick a peck of picked peppers? If Peter Piper picked a peck of picked peppers, where’s the peck of picked peppers Peter picked?”
Tongue twisters usually do not have much meaning. They are just designed to improve people’s ability（能力）to pronounce words. Although they may be very difficult, these exercises are very important to people who are trying to speak English correctly. This is because tongue twisters help people to tell the differences between similar sounds.
So if you wish to pronounce words more smoothly, you’d better try picking out some tongue twisters and practicing them.Tongue twisters are helpful in improving ________ skills.
| A．listening | B．writing | C．pronunciation | D．communication |
The first tongue twister is hard because _________.
| A．it is very boring to read |
| B．it teaches us a lot of knowledge |
| C．we don’t know who “she” is |
| D．the sounds of “s” and “sh” are similar |
What does the “ability” mean in Paragraph 4?
| A．Pronouncing words faster and more correctly. |
| B．Pronouncing words faster |
| C．Knowing the meaning of words. |
| D．Picking out tongue twisters smoothly. |
One year ago. I asked a worker to help me repair my old house. He had a bad first day on the job: his car broke on the way, then he found he had left his tools for work at home and his wife telephoned to say his son had a bad cold. While I drove him home, he was silent all the way. When arriving, he invited me to meet his family.
As we walked towards the front door, he stopped at a small tree, and touched the tree with hands. When we opened the door, I was very surprised to see he changed into another person and there was a big smile on his face instead. He hugged (拥抱) his son and gave his wife a kiss.
After a while, when he walked me to the car, I asked him why he had touched the tree just then. "Oh, that’s my trouble tree," he answered. "Sometimes I have troubles on my job, but one thing is for sure, they don’t belong to my wife and my son. So I just hang up (悬挂) the troubles on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up. "
“The funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick them up, I hardly remember what I put the night before. "
根据短文内容，回答下列问题。How was the worker’s firs day?
Where did the worker stop as they walked towards the front door?
When did the worker pick up the troubles every day?
Did the worker remember fewer troubles the next morning?
Besides studying and tests, teens need to learn some life skills for the future. These skills can help them live by themselves. The following are some necessary skills.
★ Managing money
You often get a little money from your parents, and you may spend it as you like. You can make a list of the things that you want to buy, and plan how to spend the money. Don’t waste.
★ Washing and cleaning
Doing laundry correctly is important. You should first read the instructions on clothing, and then check the pockets of the clothes. Pay more attention to different colors of them.
As for cleaning, you should learn how to use brooms, mops (抹布) and so on. If you often do more cleaning, the people who live with you will thank you for the efforts you make.
★ Cooking your favorite meals
You should learn how to cook a few of your favorite meals. First ask your parents for help to decide on the menu and ingredients, and then you can go shopping, cook the meals and clean up the kitchen together.
根据短文内容，判断句子正（T）、误（F） This passage is mainly about some life skills for teens for the future.
Teens should manage money by saving money as much as they can.
Before they wash clothes, teens should first check the pockets of the clothes.
The people around will feel uncomfortable if teens do more cleaning.
Parents can help teens decide on the menu and ingredients to cook meals.
One day a strong cowboy was traveling on his horse when he saw a bar. He decided to stop for a few drinks, so he tied(拴) his horse outside the bar, walked into the bar and ordered two bottles of beer. This cowboy was new in town. He looked around and noticed some people making faces to him. He guessed that they might play some tricks (把戏) on him, but he said nothing and continued to drink. After drinking, he walked out of the bar and found his horse lost.
However, he kept calm, came back into the bar, and said slowly, " I don’t know what you fools did to my horse out there… but I’m leaving in five minutes, and by then if my horse isn’t back where it’s supposed to be, well … I have to do here what I did in Texas!" The cowboy added, "And I don’t want to do what I did in Texas!" After hearing these words, the other customers seemed a little bit frightened.
The cowboy went back to his seat and ordered another two bottles of beer. After five minutes, he walked out and found his horse tied where it was supposed to be.
Just as he was leaving, the boss of the bar came up and asked curiously (好奇地) , "What was the thing that you did in Texas but you didn’t want to do here?"
The cowboy turned to the boss and replied in a low voice, " I had to walk home!"
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。 That day the cowboy tied his horse outside __________ before he wanted to drink.
| A．the bar | B．he hotel | C．the store | D．the restaurant |
After a few drinks, the cowboy found his horse__________.
| A．ill | B．dead | C．asleep | D．lost |
The cowboy drank __________of beer at the bar in all.
| A．five bottles | B．four bottles | C．three bottles | D．two bottles |
In Texas, the cowboy had to __________when he couldn’t find his horse.
| A．walk home | B．argue with others |
| C．call the police | D．ask the boss for help |
From the passage, we can know__________ .
| A．the cowboy’s look frightened the customers |
| B．the cowboy kept calm because he was strong |
| C．the cowboy also played a trick on the customers at the bar |
| D．The cowboy would fight with others if he couldn’t find his horse |
Dolphins are our friends. They can use tools to solve problems although they don’t have hands. For example, scientists have ever found that a dolphin can make a shy eel(鳗鱼) come out of its hole with a dead fish.
Dolphins use different sounds to exchange information with each other. Scientists in Hawaii have developed a sign language to give instructions to dolphins, and the results are amazing. They find that dolphins not only understand the meaning of individual (个别的) words, but also understand the importance of word order in a sentence.
Most animals enjoy playing — but dolphins seem to like making their games as challenging as possible. On a beautiful day in 1997, scientists at a beach watched a little dog going into the sea and swimming towards the dolphins. To their surprise, the dolphins came up to the dog and then started throwing it into the air. The dog seemed to enjoy the "game" and continued playing with the dolphins for more than an hour.
Dolphins live in a very different world from ours, but they are very good at our "IQ tests” . For example, they will jump out of the water when they hear a whistle (口哨) noise. They do this because they will get a fish as a prize.
There is still much to learn about these cute problem-solvers, but it is certain that watching a dolphin show is fun.
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。 What can a dolphin use to make an eel come out of its hole?
| A．Its mouth. | B．Its head. | C．A dead fish. | D．A little dog. |
How do dolphins exchange information with each other?
| A．By using tails. | B．By using tools. |
| C．By using words. | D．By using sounds. |
Where did the dolphins throw the dog when playing?
| A．Onto its back. | B．Into the air. |
| C．Onto the beach. | D．Into the water. |
Why do the dolphins jump out of the water when they hear a whistle noise?
| A．Because they want to get a fish as a prize. |
| B．Because they enjoy playing on the water. |
| C．Because they want to play with other dolphins. |
| D．Because the dolphin keepers want them to come out. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Dolphins understand many languages. |
| B．Dolphins are a kind of clever animals. |
| C．Scientists have known dolphins well enough. |
| D．Dolphins seem to make their games relaxing. |
It is Sunday today. Ann is shopping with her mother. She wants her mother to buy a new sweater for her. In a clothing shop, she finds an orange one. She tries it on (试穿). It is too small. She wants a bigger one, but the bigger ones are not orange. Ann doesn’t like other colours. Her mother asks:” Shall we go to another shop to have a look? ” So they go out of the shop and go into another one.
The second shop is bigger than the first, and in it there are many kinds of sweaters of different sizes and colours. Ann tries on an orange one. It is too big. She tries a smaller one. It is OK.
“How much is it ?” Ann’s mother asks the women who sells clothes. Then they find it too dear (贵), and they don’t have so much money with them.
“Would you like a cheaper one ? ” The women asks.
“ No, we shall take this one. My daughter likes it. We will come back to buy it tomorrow. ” Ann’s mother answers. It is Sunday. Ann and her mother
| A．are at home | B． are in a clothing shop |
| C．are in a restaurant | D． are in a park |
Ann wants to buy.
| A．an orange | B．an orange sweater |
| C．an orange for her mother | D．an orange sweater for her mother |
There is only one .
| A．shop near her home | B．orange in the first shop |
| C．orange sweater in the first shop | D．orange sweater in the second shop |
The orange sweater in the first shop is .
| A．too small | B．OK. | C．longer | D．too dear. |
In the second shop, why don’t they buy the sweater ？
| A．Because Ann doesn’t like the sweater. |
| B．Because it’s too small. |
| C．Because they don’t have enough(足够的) money. |
| D．Because they want to buy a cheaper one. |