Weekends are important for us. We can relax ourselves. Do you know what Americans in the early twentieth century (1900～1925) did on weekends? What do you do on weekends now? In the early twentieth century, people spent lots of time at home on weekends. Then, new inventions changed the weekends.
*People used electric streetcars to travel in the cities. On weekends, they rode the streetcars to the parks. Young people like roller coasters.
* The first movie lasted only one minute. In the 1920s, movie theaters sold millions of tickets each week! In 1927, movies finally had sound. Sometimes people stayed at home and listened to another new invention —the radio.
* People in cities worked indoors during the weekdays, so they wanted to be outdoors on weekends. Bicycling became a popular activity.
* Now there are more inventions in our life. People have more time and money, too. So they have many ways to spend their weekends.
* People travel by their own cars. Or they can visit big parks like Disney World and ride modern roller coasters and go higher and faster than ever before. *
They can choose from lots of different movie theatres. Or they can watch videos at home.
* More and more people begin to do all kinds of sports at gym.
Others turn on their TV and watch sports on "Family Night".Before 1927, __________.
| A．people can watch videos at home |
| B．the movie had sound |
| C．People could go to the movie theatres to see movies |
| D．people could watch sports on "Family Night" |
Long time ago, people spent their weekends __________.
| A．at home | B．in the theatres |
| C．outdoors | D．in Disney World |
Which is a popular activity in the early twentieth century?
| A．Watching TV | B．Riding the electric streetcars |
| C．Listening to the radio | D．Bicycling |
The underlined word "lasted" means .
| A．began | B．was over | C．played | D．spoke |
Which is TRUE about the weekends in America?
| A．They still see movies without sound now. |
| B．They didn't go outside in the early twentieth. |
| C．The weekends are not the same in different times. |
| D．They don't go to the parks any more now. |
“USA? Britain? Which country is better to study in?”
We often hear such discussions. As China opens its door, studying abroad has become a dream for many Chinese students. They would like to know the world well.
It’s true that studying abroad can help students develop themselves. Their foreign language skills will be improved and it may be easier to find jobs.
But there are problems that should be considered. Language is the first. Students must spend a lot of time learning another language and getting used to a different culture.
Students must also learn to live without parents’ care and deal with all kinds of things they haven’t had to do before, like looking after themselves. There are reports about Chinese students abroad running into an ocean of difficulties and giving up finally. When they have to take care of themselves, it is hard for students to study well.
Finally, studying abroad brings a heavy burden（负担）to the family. For most Chinese parents, the cost of studying abroad is very high. But is it worth it?
We know that there are many famous people who have achieved success through their hard work in China.
Liu Xiang is a good example. Once an American teacher invited him there, but he refused.
He kept training hard with his Chinese teacher. He surprised the world when he won a gold medal at the Athens Olympic Games. So when you wonder which country is better to study in, think again.
| Title: Studying at home or study |
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| Phenomenon（现象） |
Studying abroad has become a |
| Advantages |
It is helpful for Chinese students to |
| It is helpful for Chinese students to |
|
| It enables Chinese students to find jobs more |
|
| It |
|
| It’s hard for Chinese students to get used to the life abroad |
|
| Parents may be under pressure（压力）because the cost of studying abroad is very |
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| Purpose: To tell us studying abroad is not the only way to be |
Why do plants grow in some places and not in other? Why does some land have so much growing on it, while other land has almost no plants growing on it at all?
To grow, plants need several things. One is warmth. In very cold places almost nothing grows. Plants also need water. In very dry parts of the Earth only a few unusual plants can grow. That's why dry deserts everywhere are almost not covered by trees or grass.
Plants must also have a place in which to put down their roots and grow. They find it difficult to grow on hard land. The town is built on hard land. The plants here have only the soil found between the cracks of the stones to grow in.
Another thing plants must have before they can grow is food.
What will happen if we try to make things grow on the sandy beach? A few plants, such as beach grass, will grow in sand, but most plants won't. Even if the weather is warm enough and we water the plants each day, many of them will die because the sand on this beach has almost no food for plants.What does the underlined word "cracks" mean in the text?
| A．缝隙 | B．表面 |
| C．夹层 | D．底部 |
From the passage, we can know it isfor plants to grow in dry places.
| A．easy | B．difficult |
| C．impossible | D．important |
The reason why most plants can't grow on the sandy beach is that _______.
| A．there isn't enough sunlight |
| B．there is too much water |
| C．it is too crowded there |
| D．it has little food for plants |
The passage can most probably be found in a ______book.
| A．science | B．history |
| C．travel | D．math |
Last month the manager of a jewelry shop received a letter. As he was very busy then, the letter lay on his desk till tea-time. He opened it and a 10-pound note(票) fell out onto the desk. Within the note was a letter which said:
Dear sir:
In 1935 I got engaged(订婚). But unfortunately I lost my job. At the time a lot of people were out of work. Six months later I got a job again, but of course I was very short of money. I came to your shop to buy a wedding ring(婚戒). The assistant took out some rings for me to look at, but she was called away for a moment, and I put one of the rings in my pocket. When she came back, I said I didn’t know the size of my girl’s finger. So I left the shop without buying a ring. My wife died a short while ago and the fact that I never paid for the ring has been heavy in my heart all these years. At that time, the ring cost 2 pounds so I think it is 10 pounds at today’s price and I’m sending 10 pounds.
Yours truly,
A customer (顾客)When did the manager open the letter?
| A．In the morning | B．When he received the letter |
| C．At lunch time | D．Till tea-time |
The customer didn’t write the letter until_____.
| A．he was dying | B．his wife’s death |
| C．he had enough money | D．he got a job again |
What do you think of the customer’s paying for the ring at last?
| A．Honest | B．Forgetful |
| C．Dishonest | D．Careless |
Volunteering means that you work to help people without getting paid. There are many different volunteers. They help people who really need help. There are many places where you can be volunteers. Here are just a few places for you.
Hospital---ask if you can go and visit people who are really sick. Sometimes what they need is someone to talk to, or someone to give them hope.
Orphanage (孤儿院) ---the children living there really need someone to play with them.
Food Shelter（救助站）---many food shelters need people to clean up the shelters and help give out food or water to those who need it.
Home for the elderly---help the elderly people clean up their homes.
Community (社区) Center ---a lot of community centers are very well run. However, some of them really need extra help, especially cleaning and repairs.
As a student you can also do a lot of things to help others at school. Maybe you could start a support group.
Here is some advice:
Help students give up smoking, drinking or other bad habits.
Help students who come from poor families.
Help new students get used to their school life soon.
Provide graduating students with information on future studies.Volunteers can’t get ________ when they help others.
| A．anything | B．money |
| C．some presents | D．a job |
How many places are mentioned for you to be volunteers in according to this passage?
| A．Six | B．Five |
| C．Four | D．Three |
The volunteers can ________ in the community center.
| A．make the sick hopeful | B．give out food or water |
| C．play with the children | D．clean up the center |
All of the following volunteer jobs can be done except _______.
| A．helping students who come from poor families |
| B．helping the students who have bad habits |
| C．helping the student to copy others' homework |
| D．helping the students in trouble with their studies |
| Driver Wanted 1.Clean driving record 2.Good looks 3. Age over 25 Apply (申请) to: Capes Taxi, Shenzhen Tel: 0775-6561382 |
| Air Hostess (空姐) Wanted 1. Age between 20 and 33 2. Height from 1.60 m to 1.75m 3. Two foreign languages 4. College graduate Apply to: China Airlines, Beijing Tel: 010-88488970 |
| Teacher Needed 1. For private language school 2. Teaching experience necessary Apply to: Instant Languages Ltd, Dalian Tel: 0411-4313861 |
If you want to work in the south, you can apply for a job as _____.
| A．a driver | B．an air hostess |
| C．a doctor | D．a teacher |
Mary, 1.50m tall, knows English and Japanese, having taught English at school. Which job can she apply for?
| A．Driving for Capes Taxi. |
| B．Working for China Airlines. |
| C．Teaching at Instant Language Ltd. |
| D．None of the above. |
Which of the following is not mentioned (提及) in the three ads?
| A．Height | B．Age |
| C．Language | D．Health |
What prevents Jack, an experienced taxi driver, from working for Capes Taxi?
| A．Being 26 years old. |
| B．Having broken traffic rules. |
| C．Being unable to speak a foreign language. |
| D．Not having a college education. |