More than 50 music students of New Milford High School in New Jersey, US, got a letter from their headmaster. The letter said that the music department of the school was in big trouble. The students had to pass a test, or the department(系) would be shut down.
On a Saturday, two officials greeted the nervous students. They asked the students to play a piece by Richard Strauss. But they had to sing the words to the music – German words!
Other tasks were also difficult. One student had to sing Mary had a Little Lamb, a children’s song, in an operatic (歌剧的) voice.
After three hours of testing, students waited for the results. They met some students from the New Jersey Youth Orchestra (管弦乐团). The judges(裁判员) gave them only a passing grade.
The worried New Milford students started to realize they had no chance. “I thought it was over,” said Bryan Olsen-Santana, a junior. “The person next to me was crying. I felt bad for her. I felt bad for myself, too, because music is everything to me.”
But then the headmaster came and told them something very dramatic (戏剧性的): “Someone’s played a joke on you!”
What was going on?
The test was part of a reality TV show (电视真人秀) called “Schooled”. The students’ parents, the school and a TV network had made it together.
Everything was fake. The two “officials” were really comedians (喜剧演员). The “students from New Jersey Youth Orchestra” were from another school. There were hidden cameras. The students’ parents were hiding as they watched.
As a reward for putting up with the joke, the students got gifts: MP3 players, digital cameras and school supplies. They were all from the show’s sponsor (赞助商).
| A．The headmaster would come back next term. |
| B．The school didn’t have money to run. |
| C．The music department was in big trouble. |
| D．The students had to give up music. |
| A．they were not good at music |
| B．the judges were very strict |
| C．they thought they couldn’t pass |
| D．it would decide the future of the music department |
| A．their school failed the test |
| B．he likes music very much |
| C．the test was just a joke |
| D．the girl next to him was sorry for herself |
| A．顺利的 | B．假扮的 |
| C．受欢迎的 | D．便捷的 |
| A．money | B．MP3 players |
| C．digital cameras | D．school supplies |
| Self-made Racing Car An American man named Imhoff spent 17 years making a great car. He made it in his house. However, it was too big to drive out of his house, so he dug a hole in the wall to get it out. |
| Wonder Robot, Good Helper The Partner Robot is a new kind of robot in Japan. It can play with people, look after little kids and help with housework. And our life will become better and better with the development of technology.（科技） |
| Chocolate Castle (城堡） Recently, four cooks in Lido Hotel in Shenyang made a chocolate castle. It took them two months. The castle is 3.38 meters wide and 7. 3 meters high. It is the biggest indoor (室内的)chocolate castle in the world. |
Why was it difficult for Imhoff to get the car out?
| A．Because the car was too heavy. |
| B．Because the car was too large. |
| C．Because he was not good at driving. |
| D．Because the hole in the wall was not big enough. |
The Partner Robot can do the following things EXCEPT.
| A．playing with people |
| B．looking for lost kids |
| C．helping people to clean the house |
| D．taking care of little kids |
Which of the following is TRUE about the chocolate castle?
| A．The four cooks spent two months in making the chocolate castle. |
| B．The chocolate castle is 7.3 meters wide and 3.38 meters high. |
| C．The chocolate castle is outside the Lido Hotel. |
| D．It is the most expensive chocolate castle in the world. |
Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members, and even their parents, don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for advice.
It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or a group of friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication（交流） is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something difficult to say to their family members.
However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Who choose your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?
Your answers are welcome. Many teenagers think their ______ know them better than their parents do.
| A．friends | B．parents |
| C．brothers and sisters | D．family members |
When teenagers stay alone, the usual way of communication is _____.
| A．to go to their friends |
| B．to talk with their parents |
| C．to have a discussion with their family by phone |
| D．to talk with their friends on the phone. |
Which of the following is different in meaning from the sentence “Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends?”
| A．Some parents may even not allow（允许）their children to meet their good friends. |
| B．Some parents may even ask their children to stay away from their good friends. |
| C．Some parents may even not let their children meet their good friends. |
| D．Some parents may want their children to meet their good friends. |
The sentence “Your answers are welcome.” means _________.
| A．You are welcome to have a discussion (讨论) with us. |
| B．We’ve got no idea, so your answers are welcome. |
| C．Your answers are always right. |
| D．You can give us all the right answers. |
There are lots of animals on the earth. What is the biggest animal of all? The whale is. A blue whale weighs more than a hundred tons.
Whales live in the sea, but they are not fish. They are mammals and must have air to breathe. The babies drink milk from the mother's body. Every spring, groups of whales swim hundreds of kilometers to warm places.
Each group goes to the same place every year. The mothers take very good care of their babies. Whales are a gentle kind of giant. They always live together and help each other. They "talk" to each other in the water with a high noise that sounds like singing.
Yet people kill over a hundred whales a day. They kill them to make many things. The whale dies very slowly and in great pain. Some ships kill every whale they can find, even mother whales and babies. If things go on like this, there will be no young whales to grow up and no mother whales to have more young.are the biggest animals on the earth.
| A．Elephants | B．Lions |
| C．Whales | D．I don't know |
Whales can live.
| A．in the sea | B．on the land |
| C．in the river | D．A and B |
When whales talk, it sounds like.
| A．singing | B．crying |
| C．a baby | D．calling |
| For children Museum: Children’s Museum, Sundays, 89 North Main Street, 67641235 Story time: Children’s Library, 106 Green Street, Wednesdays during 9.30a.m—5.00p.m. 66599624 Sports: Soccer Club, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 16 Yangtze Road, 86725643 Basketball Club, Wednesdays and Fridays, 79071632 Cinema: New films for children, 99 Brick Road, 69001354 |
| Useful Phone Numbers Fast Food Restaurant: 66387901 Hospital: 68787451 Visitor Information Centre: 800-120-9847 Taxi: 79210583 Visitor Hotel Information: 800-739-7302 |
If children want to watch new films, they should go to ______.
| A．16 Yangtze Road | B．89 North Main Street |
| C．106 Green Street | D．99 Brick Road |
If you dial 66387901, you can _______.
| A．ask for some hotel information |
| B．do some shopping |
| C．have a good story time |
| D．order fast food in a restaurant |
You cannot get any information about ______ from the two notices.
| A．looking for a hotel | B．doing eye exercises |
| C．eating fast food | D．taking a taxi |
BANANA MILK SHAKE
Ingredients: (Enough for two big glasses of banana milk shake)
Two bananas
Two spoons(150g) of ice cream
Fresh milk(125ml)
Chocolate, and fruit
Don’t ask your mother for help with this one! It’s very easy and it takes several minutes to make it.
Instructions: Put the banana pieces in the blender with the ice cream and the milk.
Blend them for about ten seconds(秒).
Pour it into a glass.
Put some small chocolate and fruit pieces on the top.
It’s nice and cold with that ice cream in it. Enjoy it!
根据短文内容填空，每空一词。We can make two big _______ of banana milk shake with the ingredients.
We need _____ teaspoons of ice cream to make the banana milk shake.
According to the instructions, making the banana milk shake is very ______.
We should blend the banana pieces, the ice cream and the milk for about _____ seconds.