Big Brothers Big Sisters is based on the simplicity and power（力量） of friendship．It is a program which provides friendship and fun by matching vulnerable young people (ages 7-17) with a volunteer adult who can be both a role model and a supportive friend.
Volunteer tutors come from all walks of life—married, single, with or without children. Big Brothers and Big Sisters are not replacement parents or social workers. They are tutors: someone to trust, to have fun with, to talk and go to when needed.
A Big Sister and Little Sister will generally spend between one and four hours together three or four times each month for at least twelve months. They enjoy simple activities such as a picnic at a park, cooking, doing sports or going to a football match. These activities improve the friendship and help the young person develop self-respect, confidence and life direction.
Big Brothers Big Sisters organizations can be found throughout the world. It is the largest and most well-known provider of tutor services internationally and has been operating for 25 years.
Emily and Sarah have been matched since 2008. Emily is a 15-year-old girl who has experienced some difficulties being accepted by her schoolmates at school. “ I was pretty sure there was something wrong with me.”
Emily’s mum came across Big Brothers Big Sisters and thought it would be of benefit to Emily by “providing different feedback about herself other than just depending on schoolmates to measure(测量) her self-worth.
Sarah wanted to get involved(使参与) in a volunteer program. “I googled it and found out how to be a part of it. I thought it would be fun for me to get involved in making time to do something because sometimes it is all work and no play.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters has been of great benefit and enjoyment to both Emily and Sarah. They love and look forward to their time together and the partnership has certainly helped Emily be more comfortable in being the wonderful and happy girl she is!According to the passage, “vulnerable young people” are probably those who are _________.
| A．popular at school | B．rather weak physically |
| C．easily hurt emotionally | D．confident in themselves |
A volunteer is usually expected to work within a year for at least______．
| A．72 hours | B．48 hours | C．36 hours | D．24 hours |
Why did Sarah want to get involved in the program?
| A．She felt a bit bored with her life. |
| B．She used to be a volunteer. |
| C．She needed a part-time job. |
| D．She wanted to get a difficult job. |
What is the purpose of Big Brothers Big Sisters?
| A．To offer students public services． |
| B．To help students improve their grades． |
| C．To organize funny sport activities for young people． |
| D．To provide partnership and fun for young people． |
News Review
APEC Blue People in Beijing got the saying after the APEC meeting in Beijing. It refers to(指) the clear blue sky during the meeting. To get such a blue sky, many factories in Beijing and nearby cities stopped work, and the number of cars on the road was cut.
A Warning Ticket A 24-year-old woman in Nanjing was given a warning ticket for eating food on the subway. Eating is not allowed on Nanjing subway. Up to now, 2,698 people have been punished(惩罚) because of their eating, smoking or selling goods on the subway.
A Teacher-free Exam Recently, students at Ningbo Huamao Foreign Language School in Zhejiang took their mid-term exam –a teacher-free exam. After handing out the exam papers, the teachers left the classroom, leaving the students to take the exam without being watched. They only came back to collect the papers at the end.
A Tomato Fight Do you want a tomato shower? Come to the “tomato fight” in Spain! Once every year, people in the town of Bunol throw tomatoes at each other. Don’t worry. It’s not a real fight. People do this only for fun.APEC Blue refers to _____ in Beijing during the APEC meeting.
| A．the factories | B．the clear blue sky |
| C．the people | D．the cars on the road |
A 24-year-old woman in Nanjing was given a warning ticket for _____ on the subway.
| A．drinking | B．smoking |
| C．eating food | D．selling goods |
In a teacher-free exam, students take their exam _____.
| A．at the end of the term | B．outside the classroom |
| C．without giving answers | D．without being watched |
In the town of Bunol, Spain, people throw tomatoes at each other _____.
| A．to have fun | B．to enjoy dinner |
| C．to take a shower | D．to start a fight |
Have you ever returned a book late to the library before? If so, you may pay a small fine(罚款). How much would you have to pay if the book is returned 65 years late?
A high school in Washington, Us had to deal with such a problem recently. A copy of Gone with the Wind was finally returned to its library 65 years late.
However, the school said that it would not ask Wayne to pay the fine, though that would be about $475.
The book was borrowed out of the library of the high school in 1949, and disappeared until it was found in Maine, Us by Wayne. Wayne found the book in his father’s basement(地下室) and then offered to send it back to the school.
“I feel very sorry about that,” Wayne said.
“We’re very pleased to have the book back. Wayne did the right thing,” Lori Wyborney, headmaster of the school said.The book was borrowed out of the library of the high school _____.
| A．in 1949 | B．in 1965 |
| C．in 1975 | D．in 2014 |
Gone with the Wind is the name of _____.
| A．a library | B．a school |
| C．a book | D．a magazine |
_____ offered to send the book back to the school.
| A．Wayne’s father | B．Wayne |
| C．Lori’s headmaster | D．Lori |
A.
B.
C.
D.
What’s the main subject(主题) of this writing?
| A．Making friends. | B．Learning English. |
| C．Joining school clubs. | D．Doing part-time jobs. |
Kudzu is a fast-growing vine(蔓生植物) that covers a large area in the southern United States. It is so common that one might think it is a native plant, but it is not. Kudzu was brought to the United States from Japan in 1876. Many Americans thought it was beautiful, and they began to plant it. They didn’t know it could grow up to a foot a day during the summer months. Nor did they know it would grow up and over anything in its path(路径).
In Japan, kudzu experienced cold winters and a short growing season. But in the United States, it has a very long growing season with warm and wet southern weather. It is fine weather for the vine to grow fast.
In the 1920s, people used the vine to feed farm animals. Ten years later, the government supported to plant kudzu because it kept soil(土壤) from washing away. However, by the 1950s, the government no longer wanted people to plant the vine. Twenty years after that, the government said it was a harmful plant.
The vine grows up trees and buildings, making some beautiful shapes. However, trees die after kudzu covers them because they can not get enough light. Scientists are looking for ways to kill the vine. They used poisons(毒药) to kill the vine. However, some of the poisons made it grow even better. Scientists also find it difficult to dig up Kudzu. The plant is really tough.
Because kudzu is so hard to kill, some people are making the best of it. So they try to find different uses for the vine. They find the vine can be used to make paper and baskets, it can be used to feed the goats, and it can even be eaten by people. Scientists are studying it in the hope that the vine can be used as a medicine. At the very least, kudzu serves as an example of the unexpected results that can come from non-native plants. We can learn from the passage that .
| A．kudzu mostly grows in the northern America |
| B．kudzu was brought to Japan from America |
| C．kudzu grows very fast in warm and wet weather |
| D．American government has never supported to plant kudzu |
The underlined word “tough” in Paragraph 4 probably means “”.
| A． not easily broken | B．widely used |
| C．hard to grow | D．important to one’s health |
The last paragraph is mostly about .
| A． how quickly the vine grows |
| B．how people use the vine |
| C．why people want to kill the vine |
| D．why people eat the vine |
The writer uses the title “The Vine That Ate the South” most probably to .
| A．let readers know kudzu is a vine |
| B．interest readers in a way |
| C．tell readers the vine is a kind of food |
| D．get readers to realize the passage is serious |
“Am I my brother’s keeper?” The question comes from the Bible(圣经). In the Bible, Cain kills his brother Abel. When God asks Cain where Abel is, he replies, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” by which he means, “Am I responsible (有责任心的) for my brother—his safety and health?” The answer, of course, is “Yes, you are.”
This sense of responsibility for others is basic to all good societies. And also it is basic to what we call “civil(文明的) society”. China is now working on building a civil society and the high schools in Shanghai want students to take part in that through volunteering. They are supposed to do sixty class hours of volunteer work before graduation. This is something new in China, but it is not new in other countries.
In the Canadian province of Ontario, high school students are required to do forty hours of volunteering. In some American states, the volunteering requirement is one hundred hours. These students spend about an hour a week during the school year and summer vacations, helping the poor, the sick and the old. They also teach young children to read and help to clean up the environment. And studies have shown that this volunteering experience influences students a lot after graduation.
Some of you may be thinking, “Gee, sixty class hours is a lot. How can I find the time?” In fact, if you finish it in three years, you only need to do the work about three class hours a month. And the time is well spent if it helps you realize that “being your brother’s keeper” makes you a better person and makes society a better place for everyone. A Shanghai high school student should finish class hours of volunteer work before graduation.
| A．thirty | B．forty | C．sixty | D．one hundred |
The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 2 refers to “”.
| A．building a civil society | B．reading the Bible |
| C．doing the volunteer work | D．playing more sports |
According to the writer, “being your brother’s keeper” means “”.
| A．being a good school student |
| B．being responsible for others |
| C．taking good care of your brother |
| D．doing volunteer work with your brother |
The main purpose of the writing is to .
| A．tell students where to do volunteer work |
| B．give advice on how to be a good volunteer |
| C．encourage students to do more volunteer work |
| D．introduce volunteer work in different countries |