The worker I hired to repair my house had just finished a difficult first day on the job. A broken wheel made him an hour late; his ladder( 梯子)fell down when he was painting the roof and now his old truck wouldn’t start. With each problem he shouted angrily more at himself than at his things. As I drove him home, the man didn’t say a word.
I tried talking to the man to kill time. I managed to find out that he had come up from Blue Hills in Victoria with his family six months ago to find a job. This was his first job since moving here. I now knew why his price was lower than any other worker I could find in the local newspaper. He really needed the job. His clothes told me as much.
On arriving, much to my surprise, he invited me to meet his family. As we walked through his front garden he suddenly stopped at a small tree and placed his hands on it. Then , when he opened the door he completely changed. Instead of his troubled face, there was now a warm smile, hugs for his two children and a kiss for his wife.
The following day, I asked him about the tree.
“That’s my trouble tree,” he answered. “Work troubles aren’t welcome at home with my wife and children. So I hang them on that tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again.”
“And you know what else?” he said smiling, “The next morning I find that there aren’t as many as I remember hanging up the night before.”Which of the following things did NOT happen to the worker?
A.His truck broke down. |
B.He was late for work. |
C.He fell onto the roof. |
D.His ladder fell down. |
When did the worker first arrive in this town ?
A.Today. | B.Last night. |
C.Six weeks ago. | D.Six months ago. |
Where did the writer find the worker ?
A.Through a newspaper. | B.Beside the trouble tree. |
C.In his old house. | D.In Blue Hills, Victoria. |
Why did the worker touch the tree ?
A.To get good luck. |
B.To leave his trouble outside. |
C.To send good wishes to his family. |
D.To clean his hands. |
What can we learn from the passage ?
A.Looking for a job can make trouble. |
B.It is important to get to work on time. |
C.Often our problems are worse than what we think. |
D.A happy family can make many problems go away. |
Here are two letters to George and his replies.Alice is worrying about ________.
A. her friends B. her marks C. her height D her weight Bob should _______ according to George’s letter.
A.take more exercise | B.talk to his friends |
C.join a basketball team | D.learn some French. |
George advises Alice to talk to _____ for help.
A.her mother | B.her teacher | C.Bob’s teacher | D.Bob’s friends |
More than a hundred years ago, an American produced a game. He called it indoor tennis. The Americans were not interested in it at first so he sent it to his London friends and it became very popular in Britain.The game was then played across the dining room table, or on the floor with the net hung between two chairs. The balls were made of cork or rubber.The bats were made of wood.
A few years later a hollow ball like the one we use today was invented. The game then quickly spread all over the world. An Englishman once made a bat covered with rubber. He first played the game in England and called it “ping-pong”. “Ping”was the sound of the bat when it hit the ball. and “pong” was the sound of the ball when it hit the table.Who invented the game of ping-pong?
A A Chinese B An Englishman C An American D We don’t knowThe game was first known as_________.
A ping-pong tennis B table tennis
C outdoor tennis D indoor tennisWhat did the British think of the game?
A Moving B Interesting C Terrible D WellIn the early days the ball was ______________.
A hollow B covered with rubber
C made of cork and rubber D made of plasticsThe name of ping-pong has something to do with_______.
A sound B size C history D place
Now satellites(卫星)are helping to forecast(预报)the weather. They are in space and they can reach any part of the world.The satellites take pictures of the atmosphere(大气), because this is where the weather forms(形成)。They send these pictures to the weather station. So meteorologists(气象专家)can see the weather of any part of the world. From the pictures, the scientists can often say how the weather will change.
Today, nearly five hundred weather stations in sixty countries receive satellite pictures. When they receive new pictures,the meteor- ologists compare(比较)them with earlier ones. Peerhaps they may find that the clouds have changed during the last few hours .This may mean the weather on the ground may soon change,too. In their next weather forecast, the meteorologists can say this.
So the weather satellites are a great help to the meteorologists. Before satellites were invented, the scientists could forecast the weather for about 24 or 48 hours. Now they can make good forecasts for 3 or 5 days. Soon,perhaps , they may be ablet to forecast the weather for a week or more ahead(提前)Satellites travel__________.
A in space B in the atmosphere
C above the ground D above spaceWhy do we use the weather satellites to take pictures of the atmosphere? Because___________.
A the weather satellites can do it easily
B clouds form there
C the weather forms there
D the pictures can forecast the weather Meteorologists forecast the weather________.
A when they have received satellite pictures
B after they have compared new satellite pictures with earlier ones
C before they receive satellite pictures
D while they study satellite picturesMaybe we’ll soon be able to forecast the weather for _______.
A one day B two days C five days D seven days or even longerThe main idea of this passage is that satellite are now used in______.
A taking pictures of the atmosphere
B receiving pictures of the atmosphere
C doing other work in many ways
D weather forecasting
Are you carrying too much on your back at school? You’re not alone. Back experts in the United States are worried that young students are having back and neck problems as a result of carrying too much in their backpacks (schoolbags)
“It hurts my back when I run,”said Oberlin Reyes, a student in Virginia. “It’s hard to go up the stairs with my backpack,because it’s too heavy,”
Oberlin was among students whose backpacks were weighed for a week in a recent study.
They had regular backpacks with two straps(带子)to carry them, but a number of students with heavy loads had switched to rolling backpacks (which have wheels and can roll on the ground).
Shirley Park, whose backpack weighed 10 kilograms,said she changed to a rolling backpack because she was starting to have back pain.
How much is too much?Experts say students should carry no more than 10 to 15 percent of their own body weight.
A few students had one suggestion to lighten the load:less homework.
P.S.( 附)Doctor’s suggestion:
1 Lighten the load. Clean out binders(活页材料)and take home only the books you need that night.
2 Wide straps are better. They send out the weight over your shoulders more evenly(均匀)。 And be sure to wear both straps rather than hanging the pack over one shoulder.
3. Pack smart. The heavier things should be packed closed to the back.
4.Bend both knees when you pich up the pack ,and don’t just bend over at the waist.(腰)“_________”is the main idea of the text.
A The problem of backpacks is worth studying.
B The problem made by heavy backpacks
C What is the best backpack for a student.
D How to make students’backpacks light.According to Oberlin Reyes and Shirley Park, we know________.
A students have to do too much homework
B students have to carry several backpacks
C backpacks without wheels are bad for students
D too much homework leaves students no free timeThe expression “switched to” in the text perhaps means________.
A started to use B turned to C caught up D used forAccording to the passage ,it’s better for a student of 40 kilograms to carry a backpack of _____at most by the words of experts.
A 10kg B 8kgC 6kg D 7kg If students follow the doctor’s suggestions they ________.
A may lighten their backpacks
B can learn how to help themselves
C may feel their backpacks are lighter
D will know how to wear backpacks
A man once had a dream about the Black Forest in Germany. In his dream he was walking in the forest when two men ran out and tried to throw him to the ground. He ran off as fast as he could,but they followed him. He reached a place where he saw two road in front of him,one to the right and the other to the left. Which road should he take?He heard the two men behind him, getting nearer, and at the same time he heard a voice in his ear. It told him to go to the right,and he did so. He ran on and soon came to a small hotel. He was received there kindly and given a room,and he was saved from the two men. That was the dream.
Twenty years later he was really in the Black Forest and , as happened in the dream long ago, two men ran out and tried to throw him down. He ran off, and came to a place with two roads, like in the dreams. He remembered the dream and took the road to the right. He soon reached a small hotel , was taken in, and so was safe. His dream of twenty years before had saved his life.The Black Forest is ____________.
A.a place in Germany | B. not a real place | C.Invented by the writer | D.a place in Britain |
When he was walking in the forest,_________ran after him.
A two dogs B two tigers C two men D two womenFinally he came to_________.
A.a forest | B.another road | C.another dream | D.a small hotel |
It was_____that saved the man’s life 20 years later.
A a voice B the dream C someone else D GodThe story tells us that_______.
A a dream may come true some time later
B a dream is always a dream
C people should not believe their dreams
D people should always believe their dreams