Have you ever had an embarrassing（尴尬的）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 secondary 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 favourite 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!
James:
My wife and I had decided to buy a new house, and I'd made an appointment to see our bank manager. I'd never met him before. I went into town in my car and I was lucky enough to find a parking space outside the bank. I'd just started reversing(倒车) into the space when another car made its way into it. I was irritated! I opened my window and shouted at the man in the car. He ignored me and walked away. It took me twenty minutes to find another place. As soon as I had parked the car, I rushed back to the bank. I was ten minutes late for my appointment. I went to the manager's office, knocked and walked in. The manager was sitting behind his desk. He was the man who had taken my parking space!The students began laughing when they saw Tony_______.
| A．wearing a wrong shoe | B．carrying an alarm clock |
| C．looking down suddenly | D．rushing into the classroom |
Henry was embarrassed because he_______.
| A．slapped the woman in the face |
| B．took the hand of a complete stranger |
| C．heard his wife screaming in the street |
| D．knocked over some watches in the shop |
James went into town to_______.
| A．put money in the bank | B．look for a job |
| C．meet the bank manager | D．buy a new car |
The underlined word "irritated" probably means "_______ ".
| A．angry | B．impolite | C．worried | D．embarrassed |
Mum gives little Tom ten yuan. Then little Tom goes shopping. He gets on the bus and sits down next to an old woman. Then he sees the old woman’s bag is open. There is ten yuan in it. He quickly looks into his pocket. The money isn’t there now! Little Tom is sure that the old woman is a thief（小偷）. He decides（决定）to take back the money from the old woman’s bag. So he carefully puts his hand into the old woman’s bag，takes the money and says nothing. Suddenly（突然地）the old woman shouts，“Where is my money? I can’t find it. There is a thief in the bus.” Little Tom feels strange（奇怪的）. Then he sees his own ten yuan under his seat. Little Tom is thinking a question now，“Am I a thief ?”is sitting beside little Tom.
| A．A young woman | B．An old woman |
| C．A young man | D．An old man |
Little Tom sees in the old woman’s bag.
| A．a wallet | B．a packet |
| C．ten yuan | D．ten dollars |
Little Tom is sure that the old woman is a at the beginning（开始）.
| A．thief | B．teacher |
| C．rich woman | D．poor woman |
Little Tom sees ten yuan under his seat.
| A．his own | B．the old woman’ s |
| C．the thief’ s | D．the driver’ s |
Which of the following is right?
| A．Little Tom is a bad boy. |
| B．Little Tom often steals（偷）things. |
| C．Mum gives little Tom twenty yuan. |
| D．Little Tom makes a mistake（错误） |
Everyone tries to get to school on time. But when bad weather gives you trouble（麻烦）, can you still make it before the bell rings?
In northern China during spring, big sandstorms（沙尘暴）often make trouble for students and everyone else. When the sky is dark with sand, buses and cars all move much more slowly. Sometimes, people can’t even see for 20 metres.
Sandstorms usually happen in spring. This year, sandstorms started in late March. They have happened in more than 10 provinces (省) in northern China this year. More than 70 million people have had problems in those places because of the sandstorms.
People in southern China don’t have to worry about this kind of bad weather. Most of the sand comes from Gansu and Inner Mongolia（内蒙古）. In northern China, lots of places have few trees and don’t get much rain. People there have been cutting down too many trees. When there aren’t many trees, the ground can’t keep enough water. Over the years, the ground dries up and turns to sand. When spring comes and the ice melts（融化）, the ground becomes looser（更松散的）. Strong winds take the loose sand into the sky.
Sandstorms are bad for people’s health. If people breathe（呼吸） too much sand, they could cough or have asthma（哮喘）.
Sandstorms also give farmers lots of problems. Sometimes their sheep get lost in the storms and never get back home. The winds also tear down farmers’ houses.
What can you do to stop sandstorms? Here’s an idea: Ask your parents to help you plant some trees this spring.
If you see people cutting down too many trees, tell them about the dangers of sandstorms, and ask your government to stop them from cutting. In which season do sandstorms usually happen?
| A．In spring. | B．In summer. |
| C．In autumn. | D．In winter. |
Which of the following provinces in China is often hit by sandstorms?
| A．Fujian Province. | B．Yunnan Province. |
| C．Jiangsu Province | D．Gansu Province. |
The underlined phrase “tear down” in the sentence means “_________”.
| A．使……哭泣 | B．弄倒 | C．摧残 | D．加固 |
According to the passage, what cannot be caused by sandstorms?
| A．Health problems. |
| B．Traffic problems. |
| C．The loss of farm animals. |
| D．Noise pollution. |
Which is not stated in the passage？_______________ .
| A．Trees can help keep enough rain water |
| B．More trees need to be planted |
| C．Some people are doing harm to the environment |
| D．Sandstorms are the main cause of asthma（哮喘） |
In nature, you may see many insects (昆虫）and animals of different colors. Have you ever wondered why?
Locusts are super delicious food for birds, but it is not always an easy job for birds to catch them. It is neither because locusts are good jumpers or runners nor because they are smarter than their enemies. The reason is that the colors of locusts change with the colors of crops(庄稼). When crops are young, locusts look green. But when autumn comes, locusts change to the yellow and brown color as crops do.
Brown bears, tigers and other animals move quietly through forests. They can’t be seen easily by their enemies. This is because they have colors similar to the trees. For the same reason, polar bears that live on a land of snow and ice are white. Butterflies and bees living among the flowers are colorful like flowers. Soil insects are mostly dark-colored and they live under the soil(土壤）in a dark and wet environment. However, insects with colors different from plants can easily be found and eaten by others. So in order to survive, they have to hide themselves in the daytime and appear only at night.
Have you ever noticed some even stranger acts? The ink fish in the sea can send out some very black ink when it faces danger. As the ink spreads over, its enemies will find themselves suddenly in a dark world. At the same time the ink fish immediately swims away. That is how it keeps itself safe though it is not strong at all.It is not easy for birds to catch locusts because____________. .
| A．locusts are good runners |
| B．locusts can jump very high |
| C．locusts are smarter than birds |
| D．locusts can change their color |
According to the passage, most soil insects_________
| A．do not have bright colors |
| B．change their colors with the soil |
| C．do not live in a dark and wet environment |
| D．Eat colorful insects like butterflies and bees |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “survive” in the passage?
| A．繁殖 | B．产卵 | C．觅食 | D．生存 |
The ink fish_______so that its enemies will not see it?
| A．changes its color |
| B．makes the water around it black |
| C．appears only at night |
| D．hides itself in the sea rocks |
What is the main ides of this passage?
| A．Some insects and animals have different skills. |
| B．Some insects and animals are clever than we think. |
| C．Some insects and animals use colors to protect themselves. |
| D．Some insects and animals can get used to the environment easily. |
If we find a bird nest(巢), we will have a good place of observing(观察) and knowing about birds.
Birds sit on eggs and take care of their baby birds from April to June. Because the baby birds are too young to leave the nest, mothers often leave and come back to the nest during the time to look for food. So it is good to observe birds. When we observe birds, we’d better hide ourselves in a close place to the nest, and it’s better to use binoculars(双筒望远镜).
But how to make a bird nest? It’s very easy. If you want to make one, please follow these:
Making a nest: A good nest must be very fine, strong, thick and easy.
a) Each nest must have six boards. Don’t make the boards too slippery.
b) Dig a small hole in the front of the nest as a door. The “door” is from 3cm to 5cm. So the bird can fly in or out easily.
c) Make sure the rainwater doesn’t go into the nest.
d) One piece of the boards should be easy to open.
e) Please don’t forget to color the nest.
| A．look for a place near the nest | B．climb trees |
| C．write down notes every day | D．make a bird nest |
| A．look after them |
| B．use the binoculars |
| C．make them do everything as usual |
| D．catch the birds at last |
| A．we can clean the nest |
| B．the birds can fly in or out |
| C．we can hang it easily |
| D．it’s easy to make |
| A．Birds and men |
| B．Playing with the birds |
| C．Observing birds and making bird nests |
| D．Listening to the songs of birds |
Do you think of white when someone talks about a polar (北极)bear? In fact, the polar bear does not have white fur. It just appears to be white. Polar bears have a very good sense of smell. It helps them to find food. During summer, polar bears sleep longer, because they are able to find their food more easily at night. Usually, after a meal, polar bears have a short sleep. A polar bear can have 2-3 babies at a time. They live with their mothers until they are about two and a half years old.
However, polar bears will die out soon because of people. There are only 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears in the world. The ones that are left are trying to survive today. The number of polar bears is becoming smaller and smaller because of the loss of sea ice— polar bears mostly inhabit (居住于) the sea ice, not the land ice. This is happening because of global warming (全球气候变暖), pollution, hunting and so on.
Ordinary people don't care, but great people have the power and want to save tigers, fight for giant pandas and save polar bears. Ordinary people will wait, but great people will find a new world. For me, I will not wait. I will take the bus more often from now on. Join me and save the polar bears, and of course, the tigers, the giant pandas and...
| A．Global warming. | B．Pollution. |
| C．Hunting. | D．Travelling. |
| A．勤劳的 | B．聪慧的 | C．普通的 | D．坚强的 |
| A．To show that the number of polar bears is getting smaller. |
| B．To tell people that polar bears will soon have nowhere to live. |
| C．To let people know why polar bears are in danger. |
| D．To talk about polar bears and suggest that people protect animals. |
| A．A magazine about animals. |
| B．A book about greetings. |
| C．A poster about working plans. |
| D．An instruction book. |