A little boy went to a telephone booth (电话亭) at the cash counter of a store and made a phone call. The store owner looked at him and listened to the conversation.
Boy: “Lady, can you give me the job of cutting your lawn (草坪)?”
Woman (at the other end of the phone line): “No, thank you. I already have someone to cut my lawn.”
Boy: “Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price the person who cuts your lawn now.”
Woman: “I’m very satisfied with the person who cuts my lawn.”
Boy (with more perseverance 执着) : “Lady, I’ll even sweep the floor and the stairs of your house for free.”
Woman: “No, thank you.”
With a smile on his face, the little boy hung up the phone. The store owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy.
Store owner: “Son... I like your attitude (态度). I like that positive (积极的) spirit and would like to offer you a job.”
Boy: “No, thanks.”
Store owner: “But you were really asking for one.”
Boy: “No, Sir. I was just checking my performance (表现) at the job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady I was talking to.”In fact, how many people are mentioned (提及) in the story? _____________.
A.2 | B.3 | C.4 | D.5 |
The boy said to the lady that he would even sweep her floor and stairs for free because ___________.
A.he wanted her to let him continue his job |
B.he thought that the lady was too poor |
C.the lady thought the money she paid the boy was too much |
D.he wanted to know if he did his job well enough and couldn’t be replaced (取代) by others. |
Which is TRUE according to the story?
A.The boy was angry with the lady. |
B.The store owner wasn’t kind-hearted. |
C.The lady wanted to find another person to do the boy’s job. |
D.The boy was happy to know that the lady was satisfied with his performance. |
The best title for the story is “_____________”.
A.Asking for a job | B.Self-appraisal (自我测评) |
C.The lady and the boy | D.The boy and the store owner |
"Why do I live? Why do I wish for anything, or do anything? Is there anything in my life that will not be destroyed by my death?" Like Leo Tolstoy, the famous Russian writer, many people ask these difficult questions. Tolstoy spent his whole life trying to answer these difficult questions.
As a young man, he thought people could achieve perfection if they tried hard enough. So he worked very hard to be the best in everything. He thought that he would find meaning and truth in success.
In 1850s. Tolstoy wrote his first stories. He wrote about his life in the army. He also told stories about his childhood. These works were published and Tolstoy became a well﹣known writer.
He earned the respect he always wanted. Many rich and smart men met and talked with Tolstoy. Some of them were writers like him. They talked a lot about faith ( 信仰) and the meaning of life. But soon Tolstoy recognized that these men were not perfect. Now he knew they could not answer his questions about faith.
So in the 1860s, Tolstoy tried a different way to find the meaning of life. He opened a school for the children of his serfs﹣the people who worked on his land. These workers were very poor. He wanted to help them because he thought they were more honest than the rich people he knew.
Tolstoy learned a lot from his workers. He understood how they worked hard to support their
families. He began to believe that marriage and family would give his life meaning. So in 1862, Leo Tolstoy married a young woman named Sonya Behrs.
The next 15 years were the best years of Tolstoy's life. It was during this time that he wrote his most famous books﹣War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Many experts say that War and Peace is one of the greatest books ever written. In these books, Tolstoy believed humans should live a simple life and take care of their families. Tolstoy thought this would satisfy him and bring him happiness.
Leo Tolstoy is still a very respected writer today. His faith and writings have influenced many
people all over the world.
(1)Which is the correct order of the following events?
①Tolstoy served in the army.②Tolstoy got married.
③Tolstoy wrote War and Peace.④Tolstoy opened a school.
⑤Tolstoy became a well﹣known writer.
A.①⑤③②④
B.⑤①③②④
C.①⑤④②③
D.⑤④①③②
(2)Why did Tolstoy want to be the best in everything when he was young?
A. To prepare for his books.
B. To achieve perfection.
C. To make a lot of money.
D. To show his wisdom.
(3)Tolstoy thought he would learn a lot from his workers because they were .
A. poor
B. honest
C. friendly
D. patient
(4)According to the passage, which of the following is the most important to Tolstoy?
A. Family.
B. Success.
C. Wealth.
D. Fame ( 名声).
(5)What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. Leo Tolstoy: Living for writing.
B. Leo Tolstoy: Influencing the world.
C. Leo Tolstoy: Being the best in everything.
D. Leo Tolstoy: Searching for the meaning of life.
Each year on Feb 21, UNESCO ( 联合国教科文组织) holds an International Mother Language Day (IMLD ). The event is to help people to pay attention to the disappearance of the world's languages; many of them are disappearing each year. UNESCO sees this as a terrible fact.
What happens when a language dies out? Something great is lost﹣not just sounds and marks but the way that people understand the world and communicate with each other. We keep different cultures and traditions through languages. Kill a language and all these are killed too.
Through IMLD, more and more people come to realize he terrible situation and try to stop it.
Google's 2018 Endangered (濒临灭绝的) Languages Project is a good example. Many speakers and protectors of endangered languages upload (上传) texts, audios and videos to the project website. They want to introduce the way that people communicate and express themselves around the world.
The Myaamia Project is the same kind of effort to revive the language spoken by the Miami tribes (部落) of the United States. Project members work to encourage people to study and communicate with this language , which died out in the 1960s.
These activities give life to those endangered languages. People who work to keep Languages
alive are not limited to the past. Many young people design apps and use social media to support their activities. They "spread the word " to save the world.
So, while the problem of disappearing languages remains a very serious one, there is hope. We all have a special feeling of our mother language. This is why we should remember the wise words of late president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela: "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to a man in his own language,that goes to his heart."
(1)UNESCO holds IMLD every year in order to help people to .
A. learn and use endangered languages
B. show their talents in learning languages
C. practice reading skills of mother languages
D. realize the situation of endangered languages
(2)What did people do in Google's 2018 Endangered Languages Project?
A. Discuss how to make good use of Google.
B. Offer online courses on endangered languages.
C. Share materials about endangered languages online.
D. Translate endangered languages into mother languages.
(3)What does the underlined word " revive" mean in Paragraph ( 段落) 4?
A. 创造
B. 学习
C. 复活
D. 清除
(4)What can we infer ( 推断) from Paragraph 5?
A. It is more difficult to protect endangered languages.
B. The disappearance of languages has already stopped.
C. Young people don't care about endangered languages.
D. Young people have creative ways to protect languages.
(5)The writer mentions Nelson Mandela's words in order to .
A. tell the importance of one's mother language
B. show his contributions to language protection
C. tell the trouble in learning endangered languages
D. show the possibility of protecting mother languages
After learning about these famous women, you will know you can do a lot for society, and make a difference to the world in your lifetime.
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Amelia Earhart(1897﹣1937 ) Amelia Earhart was the first woman who ever flew alone across the Atlantic in 1932. She became the first woman pilot in 1935 after flying from Hawaii to California. She began her lifelong dream of flying across the world in 1937. However, her flight went missing on that trip and she was never seen again. |
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Helena Rubinstein (1870﹣1965 ) Helena Rubinstein moved to Australia in 1902 without the ability to speak English. Later, she set up one of the world's first cosmetic ( 化妆品) companies after mixing lanolin, which is an oil山at comes from sheep's wool, with flowers. Because of that, she became the world's richest woman at that time. |
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Katharine Hepburn (1907﹣2003 ) Katharine Hepburn was known for playing strong﹣willed women in her films. She won four Academy Awards(奥斯卡金像奖) for Best Actress, the most an actress has ever won. Her new dress style made wearing trousers acceptable to women, which wasn't allowed at that time. |
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Emmeline Pankhurst (1858﹣1928) Emmeline was a great woman activist. She helped British women get the right to vote. She fought for the rights of women all the time with the help of her husband in the late 19th century and early 20th century. After she lost her husband, she worked together with her three daughters and formed The Women Social and Political Union. |
(1)According to the passage, which word can best describe Amelia tarhart?
A. Brave.
B. Careful.
C. Lucky.
D. Energetic.
(2)What was the problem for Helena Rubinstein when she moved to Australia?
A. She didn't have any money.
B. She couldn't speak English.
C. She knew nothing about business.
D. She didn't know how to dress up.
(3)How many times did Katharine Hepburn win Academy Awards for Best Actress?
A. Once.
B. Twice.
C. Three times.
D. Four times.
(4)What did Emmeline Pankhurst fight for during her lifetime?
A. Her dream to be a pilot.
B. Women's rights in the UK.
C. Women's rights in the USA.
D. Her dream to be an actress.
(5)What do the four women above have in common?
A. A creative mind.
B. A warm heart.
C. A pioneer spirit.
D. A good education.
Interview with Andy Griffiths
Andy Griffiths is well known as a writer of children's books. Here are some interesting things, you might not know about him!
What do you like to do after a long day of writing?
I go for long runs and bike rides beside the beach. An hour of exercise after a long day of writing gives me energy. Then I'm ready to write some more.
Do you write using a computer or by hand?
At first I write the stories by hand, and then I transfer(转录)them onto a computer. I like to write by hand when T travel. T find it very easy to lose myself in my diary when I am away from my usual activities.
What super power would you like to have?
X﹣ray vision(影像)if I can control it.
What is your favourite food?
Fro never happier than when I'm drinking banana milkshakes. And I love fish. But I don't like drinking fish milkshakes ﹣ they are just terrible!
What is your favourite book?
Alice in Wonderland. It has so many surprises and such silliness in it.
Do you write for adults too?
Only if I really have to. T much prefer the freedom and fun of writing for children.
What do you say to kids who say, "Why should I read?"
As Dr. Seuss says. "The more you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go."
(1)What is Andy's job?
(2)What do you think of Andy?
(3)Do you want to be a person like Andy? Why or why not?
Athletics vs. Gardening
The students of Southside School were asked to give their opinions about whether the school should run an athletic program or start a vegetable garden.
An athletic program is hatch better than gardening. How are we ever going to win anything at the Inter﹣School Athletics without proper training? At the moment, we only do athletics for one tam and the teachers train us. We need experts(专家)to teach us things like throwing and high jump. I know lots of kids say they're tot interested in competitions, but that's because they've never won anything. If they got better training and started winning things, they'd soon change their minds. People always say kids don't get enough exercise. Just because you do gardening outdoors doesn't make it exercise, so I don't sec how it matters. Athletics is much better for fitness and lots of kids can have a go at the same tine. I don't think there would be enough jobs for everyone in a garden. In fact, I think a garden is a really bad idea. I don't know why we're even considering it. Liz, Grade 8 |
I think a vegetable garden is a great idea. We already do hours of sport, including athletics. And not everyone likes sport. Gardening is a great way to get exercise without worrying about whether you're any good at it, or whether you're going to win. And you really do gel exercise when you garden. There's digging, weeding and watering Even picking things can be hard work ﹣ pumpkins aren't light you know! There are lots of kids around here who don't have gardens so they can't grow things even they want to. If you really want to do more sport, you can join a club. And think about it: What helps you to be good at sport? You need to eat lots of fruit and vegetables. If we learn to cook all the things we grow, the garden will keep us all fit and healthy and then we'll be better at sport. Sam, Grade 8 |
(1)Which of these points do Liz and Sam both make?
A. Kids should take exercise.
B. Kids should eat vegetables.
C. Kids should try to win more.
D. Kids should be outside more.
(2)What is one reason Liz gives for saying "a garden is a really bad idea"?
A. Some students don't like getting dirty.
B. Some students don't enjoy being outside.
C. Some students already know how to garden.
D. Some students may have no chance to garden.
(3)Why does Sam say, "And think about it.: what helps you to be good at sport?"
A. To change the subject.
B. To introduce his next reason.
C. To support Liz's idea.
D. To find an answer to the question.