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 on 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 pickled pepper. Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers? If Pete Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper 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.
| A．listening | B．pronunciation |
| C．writing | D．communication |
A.it is very boring to read B.it teaches us a lot of knowledge
C.we don’t know who “she” is C.the sounds of “s” and “sh” are similar
| A．Story Time | B．Latest News |
| C．Study Garden | D．Lost and Found |
A recent survey of 2000 parents in Britain showed that they are often afraid of science questions asked by their curious children only because they have no idea what the answer is. Here is a list of some simple questions that you can ask your parents to see if they know the answers.
Q: Why is the sky blue?
A: You probably know white sunlight is made up of seven colors. While it moves in a straight line when going through space, it starts to divide as it hits “raised area” in the atmosphere. The ones with longest wavelengths pass through easily. The blue , however , can be taken in by the gas molecules (分子) because it has a shorter wavelength , which in turn scatters (使分散) it in different directions. That’s why when you look up at the sky, it appears to be blue.
Q: Why does the moon sometimes appear during the daytime?
A: The simple answer to that is because just like any other object it is being lit (照亮) by the sun. As long as it is around 45 degrees or even 90 degrees off the sun, it will receive light and be able to be seen. The only time it is not able to be seen during its 28-day orbit (轨道) around the earth is when it is right between the earth and the sun. That’s because its back , which is not lit by the sun, is facing us.
Q: Where do birds/ honeybees go in winter?
A: While the bird part is quite easy, since a lot of them get together and travel, the honeybee part is likely to puzzle your parents. It turns out that these busy insects stop being that active when the temperature drops below 50°F. Instead ,they get together in the lower central area of the hive（蜂巢）and form a ball around their queen. This helps keep both warm enough to survive the cold winter months.The sky looks blue mainly because the color blue in the sunlight_______.
| A．has the longest wavelength among all the colors |
| B．cannot be taken in by the gas molecules |
| C．doesn’t hit “raised area” in the atmosphere |
| D．cannot pass through space successfully |
How long can’t the moon be seen during the daytime in a month?
| A．2. | B．28. | C．30. | D．31. |
What do honeybees choose to do when the temperature drops below 50°F?
| A．They choose to be active in the wild. |
| B．They choose to keep themselves warm. |
| C．They choose to travel to a warm place. |
| D．They choose to get together in the upper central area of the hive. |
What is NOT explained in the passage?
| A．Why is the sky blue? |
| B．Why is the moon able to be seen during the daytime? |
| C．Why do birds travel in winter? |
| D．Where do honeybees go in winter? |
Today, after many days of practice and lots of matches, we entered the basketball final.
I was the leader of the team. At the very beginning, one student from our team got the ball and quickly shot a basket. Oh, it went in, 2:0. All our classmates cheered.
But after a few minutes there were some mistakes and we lost eight points. I changed two players, but it didn’t help.
At that time all our teammates felt worried and we even quarreled with each other angrily. “It’s no use crying over spilt milk!” I shouted, “We must face it!” Let’s think about our mistakes and stop making them!”
We had a short meeting. The second half of the match began. There was a big change. At first, our team got the ball and I shot from the three-point line at once. The ball did a beautiful curve and went straight into the basket.
I become very confident. The other team was still very strong.
A good chance came! I got the ball again and shot into the basket! 12:9! I couldn’t believe my eyes! Am I that good at shooting? How could I get so many points?
We stayed in the lead. Finally the score was 18:16. We won!The passage mainly talks about________.
| A．a basketball match |
| B．a basketball team |
| C．skills of playing basketball |
| D．ways to win a basketball match |
At first, the writer’s team was losing because_________.
| A．they felt upset |
| B．they kept arguing |
| C．they made mistakes |
| D．their classmates cheered too loud! |
The best translation for “It’s no use crying over spilt milk” is “_______”.
| A．熟能生巧 | B．勤能补拙 |
| C．破釜沉舟 | D．覆水难收 |
The final score of the basketball match is _________.
| A．2:0 | B．12:9 |
| C．18:16 | D．18:18 |
We can tell from the story that__________.
| A．basketball is too hard a game to play |
| B．confidence comes from failure |
| C．failure can surely bring success |
| D．learning from failure can make one succeed |
The city of Yangzhou came into being at the Spring and Autumn Period ( about 500 AC ).
As the key transportation link at joint (连接处) place of the Great Canal（运河）( Beijing-Hangzhou) and Changjiang (Yangtze River), Yangzhou has been from the Sui Dynasty (600 AD.) an economically rich city, and then reached its top in the Tang Dynasty. At that time Yangzhou was a famous port and one of few biggest cities in East Asia.
With the improvement of the local economy and easy transportation way, there happened in the history a special local culture, which has an important place in Chinese culture. Many famous men of letters, poets, artists, scholars (学者), statesmen, scientists and national heroes in the history were born in, lived in or had connection with Yangzhou. Li Bai, one of the greatest Chinese poets visited and stayed in Yangzhou several times in his life and one of his famous poems about Yangzhou has been so popular that Chinese of all ages can sing it and has become a symbol of Yangzhou . Zheng Banqiao, a famous Chinese painting painter in the Qing Dynasty heading a group called “Eight Eccentrics”, had strongly influenced Chinese paintings. Wang Zhong and Yuan Yuan and some other scholars formed school of Yangzhou Scholars and achieved great success in the study of classic Chinese and writing. Zhu Ziqing, one of most famous modern Chinese writers and scholars, had always been proud of himself as a native of Yangzhou and thanked the city for being nourished (养育) by its rich culture. Quite a few other names you may come across frequently (频繁地) in the study of Chinese culture and history have connection with Yangzhou. Yangzhou was so attractive and important that many Chinese emperors in history had come specially to visit or check the city. Emperor Suiyang, who ordered to cut the Great Canal so that he could come more easily and quickly, died on his last trip to the city and buried (埋葬) here. Emperor Qianlong had come all the way from the north and visited the city nine times.Which of following sentences is NOT right according to this passage?
| A．Yangzhou joined the Great Canal (Beijing-Hangzhou) and Changjiang (Yangtze River). |
| B．In the Tang Dynasty Yangzhou was a famous port and one of few biggest cities in Asia. |
| C．Emperor Suiyang was buried in Yangzhou. |
| D．Emperor Qianlong visited Yangzhou nine times. |
We can infer（推断）the poem mentioned in this passage by Li Bai is _______.
| A．《赠汪伦》 | B．《望庐山瀑布》 |
| C．《静夜思》 | D．《黄鹤楼送孟浩然之广陵》 |
Who influenced Chinese paintings a lot according to this passage?
| A．Zheng Banqiao | B．Zhu Ziqing |
| C．Wang Zhong | D．Li Bai |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Yangzhou：An Economically Rich City |
| B．Yangzhou：An Easy Transportation City |
| C．Yangzhou：A Historical Culture City |
| D．Yangzhou：A Famous Tour City |
In eastern Canada, the time is _____ that in western Canada
| A．four and a half hours behind |
| B．four hours ahead of |
| C．three hours ahead of |
| D．the same as |
While Canadian children in Halifax are having breakfast, Argentinean children are ______.
| A．sleeping |
| B．going home |
| C．at school |
| D．having supper |
It’s midday in the capital of _____ when it's 9:00 a.m. in the capital of Argentina
| A．Japan |
| B．Canada |
| C．New Zealand |
| D．Scotland |
Two p.m. in Egypt is not a good time to telephone people in New Zealand, because in New Zealand ______.
| A．it’s midnight and most people are asleep |
| B．it’s noon and many people are having lunch |
| C．it’s the morning and many people are working |
| D．it’s the afternoon and most people are playing computer games |
What time is it in New Zealand if it's 11:15 p.m. in Japan?
| A．1:15 p.m |
| B．2:15 p.m |
| C．1:15 a.m |
| D．2:15 a.m |
Betty is not traditional American beauty. She is unfashionable, has thick red glasses, untidy hair and large metal braces (牙套) on her teeth. But this hasn’t stopped her from becoming one of American’s favorite TV characters. So how did she manage to do it?
The answer is that charm can be more attractive than beauty. Betty is the main character in a TV show Ugly Betty. The show is about her life as an office worker at a fashion magazine in New York.
The TV show has just started. Betty has many exciting experiences and romantic stories. Betty is often looked down on and laughed at by the people around. But she manages to do better than others with her hard work, charm and wisdom. The show tells us about how a girl goes from an ugly young duck into a beautiful swan.
Though you may know the ending of the show from the beginning and the story is familiar to many of us, it has still been a big success in the USA. It has attracted a large number of viewers and won two Golden Globes awards, one of the highest honors for a television program in the USA.“ I think you can see a bit of Betty in all of us, and I mean men as well, because it’s about the underdog (弱者)”，says Ashley Jensen, who plays one of the characters on the show.
The program is so popular because of the performance of the 23-year-old actress America Ferrera who plays the role of Betty. She brings the character alive on the screen. Which is the reason for the success of the show?
| A．A large number of viewers. |
| B．Her life as an office worker. |
| C．The wonderful performance. |
| D．Two Golden Globes awards. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the show?
| A．Betty is a girl of wisdom. |
| B．Betty acts as a beautiful swan on the show. |
| C．Betty is an American favorite TV character. |
| D．Betty is often looked down on. |
What can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Beauty from within. | B．A romantic story. |
| C．An ugly girl. | D．An exciting experience. |