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.
Tongue twisters are helpful in improving skills.
A.listening | B.pronunciation |
C.writing | 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 C.the sounds of “s” and “sh” are similar
The passage is probably taken from in a school newsaper.
A.Story Time | B.Latest News |
C.Study Garden | D.Lost and Found |
David is eight. One day his friend Rose says to him, "This Sunday is my birthday. Can you come to my birthday party?" David says, "Yes."
On Sunday, David asks his mother if he can go to the party. His mother says, "Yes, you can go, but you must be polite. Don't ask for any food. They will give you some." "All right, Mum." David answers and he goes to Rose's house on his bike.
There are lots of kids at the party. They play together for some time, and then Rose's mother gives them some food, but she forgets David. He waits and waits and then he takes his plate up and asks, "Do you want a nice clean plate?"Whose birthday is it?
A. Rose's
B. David's
C. Rose's mother'sThe birthday party is in .
A. Rose's house
B. David's house
C. Rose's schoolDavid goes to the party .
A. by car B. by bike C. by busDavid is Rose's .
A. friend B. classmate C. brotherWho gives David food at the party?
A. Rose
B. Rose's mother
C. No one
One day an old man is selling(卖) a big elephant(大象). A young man comes to the elephant and begins to look at it slowly. The old man goes up to him and says in his ear, “Don’t say anything about the elephant before I sell it. Then I will give you twenty dollars.” “All right,” says the young man. After the old man sells the elephant, he gives the young man twenty dollars and says, “Now, can you tell me how you found(发现) the elephant’s bad ears(耳朵)?”“I didn’t find the bad ears,” says the young man. “Then why are you looking at the elephant slowly?” asks the old man. The young man answers, “Because I didn’t see an elephant before, and I want to know what it looks like.”______ the elephant.
A.The young man sells | B.The old man sells |
C.The two men sell | D.The old man buys |
The young man is looking at the elephant slowly. He wants to find out ___.
A.which foot of the elephant is bad | B.how heavy it is |
C.which ear of the elephant is bad | D.what it looks like |
The young man ______.
A.knows the elephant has bad ears |
B.wants to buy the elephant |
C.looks after the elephant |
D.gets some money from the old man |
The young man ______.
A.is not interested in elephants |
B.knows what an elephant looks like |
C.saw(看见)some elephants before |
D.didn’t see an elephant before |
Hearing the young man’s words, the old man will probably(可能) be ____.
A.angry | B.happy | C.glad | D.Hungry |
Hello! My name is Kitty. I want to talk about my home town today.
My home town is small but pretty. It’s about two hours away from London by train. In the centre of the town there is a small lake. There are lots of trees and flowers around the lake. My parents often walk around the lake at the weekend. The air in my home town is very fresh (新鲜的) and clean.
There are two schools in my home town, one primary school and one secondary school. I study in the secondary school and my younger sister studies in the primary school. I often ride my bike to school.
I usually go to the youth centre to learn drawing with my sister on Friday afternoons. I like going shopping at the weekend. There are two big shopping malls there.There is in the centre of the town.
A.a primary school | B.a secondary school |
C.a small lake | D.a shopping mall |
The air in Kitty’s home town is very .
A.high | B.dirty |
C.polluted | D.fresh and clean |
Kitty and her sister usually go to the youth centre on afternoons.
A.Monday | B.Friday |
C.Saturday | D.Sunday |
Kitty often goes to school .
A.on foot | B.by bus |
C.by underground | D.by bike |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.It is about two hours away from Kitty’s home town to London by train. |
B.There is much air pollution in Kitty’s home town. |
C.Kitty often takes a walk with her friends around the lake. |
D.Kitty likes doing some shopping on Friday. |
Books are our greatest friends. They tell us stories of every country in the world. They give us all kinds of knowledge.
Life is short. One can't know and see everything in the world. With the help of books, one is able to know what happened (发生) thousands of years ago and what is happening in every part of the world now.
Books give us not only knowledge but also pleasure. Reading good books is the best way of spending our free time. And many beautiful stories for children are interesting and full of wisdom (智慧).
All the great men love books. Knowledge from books helps them to succeed (成功) because knowledge is the source(源泉) of success.Who tells us stories of every country in the world?
_______________________________________________When is one able to know what happened with the help of books?
_______________________________________________What can books give us?
______________________________________________How are many beautiful stories for children?
_______________________________________________Why does knowledge from books help the great man to succeed?
_______________________________________________
I was happy in those days before I started going to school. Because I had good neighbors to play with. I played with them from morning to evening. We played games outdoors, dressed up as cowboys and rode around on our tricycles (三轮车) happily.
At the age of five, I had to go to kindergarten (幼儿园) and it was quite hard for me at first. I felt very sad about having to leave my mother each morning. I cried and wanted my mother around. As the days went by, however, I made friends easily in my class. I became happy again and looked forward to leaving my house each morning.
I still remember those days when I was learning to ride a bicycle. I fell several times but I never gave up. Finally, I was able to join my friends riding around on my bike.
Another memory I like is the end-of-year concert held at the kindergarten. I was chosen to play the role of Jack in the play, Jack and the Magic Beans. I became the superstar that night and received praise for my performance.
What a wonderful childhood I had! At times I really wish I could go back to those days.
Title: My ___ |
|
Before going to school |
I played with my good ____ We played lots of games like___ |
At the age of__ |
I had to begin my kindergarten life. I felt very sad to __ After I made friends in my class, I became happy again and couldn’t____ |
The days of learning to ride a bicycle |
I fell a few times but I__ In the end I __ |
The memory about the concert at the kindergarten |
The concert was held at the _ I played the role of Jack in the play, Jack and the Magic Beans. I became the superstar and received ___ |