Dear readers,
Imagine a little girl who knows there will not be enough food for dinner, who can’t fill her stomach with water because it’s polluted (被污染), and who has watched lives slipped away (消失) from her father, little brother and sister because the family is too poor to see a doctor. She would gladly walk miles to school, but her mother needs her badly (非常) at home. What will her future be?
Is it hard to believe? For Maria Pestora, it is real life.
But with just 52 pennies a day, you can sponsor (资助) a child like Maria. Through“Save the Children”，you can help Maria’s mother get the tools and ways she needs to turn their poor food into a good dinner, and get the money she needs to buy clothes and school things for Maria.
To help Maria most, your money is put together with that of other sponsors. Building schools, hospitals, bringing in clean water is what“Save the Children”has been working on since 1932.
For you there are many rewards. You have the chance to write to or hear from the child you sponsored, to receive photos or progress reports, to know you are reaching out to another person, not with a handout (救济品), but a hand up. That’s how “Save the Children” works. But without you, it can’t work. Please take a moment now to fill in and post the form below to help a child like Maria.
It can make a difference in his/her life and yours.
For the children
David Li Guyer
根据短文内容，选择正确答案。We can read the letter in _____.
| A．somebody’s diary | B．a piece of newspaper |
| C．a progress report | D．a story book |
What’s Maria’s most serious problem?
| A．She has no chance to go to school. |
| B．Her father died of a serious disease. |
| C．Hard work has made her suffer a lot. |
| D．Her mother needs her badly at home. |
What is “Save the Children”?
| A．An activity to help poor children go to school. |
| B．An office of the government to collect money. |
| C．A program shown at theaters to help the poor. |
| D．A group who works for children in poor places. |
The last sentence in the letter means “_____”.
| A．If Maria goes to school, you will be rewarded |
| B．What you give is more than what you take |
| C．Both Maria’s life and yours will change a lot |
| D．Maria and you can help each other at school |
Which activity is similar to “Save the Children”?
| A．English Corner | B．Project Hope |
| C．The Summer Camp | D．Job Training |
| Stuck on a desert island（被困荒岛）？ |
|
| http://www.TalkingPoints.com/ Started on 23rd April by Steve |
|
| Post 1 Steve USA |
Hi, everyone. What would you miss most if you were stuck on a desert island? For me, I’d probably miss the rain. What about you? |
| Post 2 Tomas Germany |
Good question. Steve, I think I’d miss different types of bread, and shopping at the supermarket. I’d miss the food most. |
| Post 3 Miko Japan |
It would have to be music. I couldn’t live without my music. I wouldn’t miss going to school at all! |
| Past 4 Jayne UK |
Why hasn’t anyone mentioned their family? I’d be lost without my husband and two kids. They’re the most important for me. |
| Post 5 Jaime Mexico |
Hi, I would miss the Internet and Japanese food, like sushi. I’d also miss TV shows and shopping for clothes. |
Who would miss his or her family most?
| A．Steve. | B．Tomas. | C．Jayne | D．Jaime. |
Miko would feel bad if there was no ______.
| A．rain | B．food | C．family | D．music |
How many of them mentioned that they would miss food?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
People cannot reach an agreement on the use of science and technology. For example, will radiation from electronic equipment destroy the environment? Should medical scientists change gene structures to prevent genetic disease or to create “more perfect” human beings? While people are arguing about these and others, technology continues to influence our everyday lives—the home, health and education, entertainment and communication, and so on.
Some people carry on active social lives with computers —their own or the ones in public places like cafes, social centers, libraries, and so on. Communicating with others in chat rooms, computer users can get to know people they might never meet in traditional ways. With live online video connections, two people with cameras in their computers can see and talk to each other from separate places.
With modern telephone technology, most people stopped writing lettters—especially personal letters and notes. But now, writing to communicate has returned in electronic form, or e-mail, which is a way of sending messages from one computer to another. For some computer users, the wish to communicate intelligently or creatively with others makes them want to write better.
Computer technology has also made it possible to run a house electronically. From turning lights on and off to starting the coffee and cooking the hot meal, computers are taking care of people at home. Many modern machines have computer chips that allow their owners to program them. For instance, you can “instruct” a microwave oven how to cook a dish. Most entertainment equipment operates with computer technology too. Computers can even start cars automatically so that on cold winter mornings you can get into a warmed-up vehicle and drive off.
Although much of the technology in our everyday lives has good effects, there are some uses that raise questions. For example, are interactive media ( i.e., a combination of television, telephone, and computer) going to control minds, cause people to forget about family life and personal relationships? What effects will the genentic engineering of food have on people’s health? High-tech medical treatments can make a person live a much longer life, but can they improve the health and happiness of human beings? Only time will tell, but, in the meantime, science and technology will continue to move forward. What does the underlined word “ chips” mean?
| A．thin pieces of potatoes | B．small holes | C．small pieces of wood | D．central parts |
We can know from the passage that _________.
| A．technology never stops changing our everyday lives |
| B．with computers each of us can live a comfortable life |
| C．people can do more activities with computers |
| D．the more you use computers, the better you might write |
What can we infer from the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?
| A．The longer you live, the happier you are. |
| B．High-tech medical treatments can’t improve our health and happiness. |
| C．High-tech medical treatments can’t help us with everything. |
| D．The writer questioned high-tech medical treatments somehow. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Science and New Technology | B．Computers Change Our Lives |
| C．Everyday Uses of Technology | D．Only Time Will Tell |
All over the world, the global diet includes fast food—prepared items from inexpensive restaurants, snack bars, or food stands. Some examples of American fast food are hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, fried chicken, and so on. Some types of international fast foods might be German sausage and Schnitzel, Italian pizza, Japanese sushi and tempura, Chinese eggrolls and noodles and the like. The variety of fast foods all over the world is growing. Even so, this kind of style is becoming worldwide. Fast-food places usually prepare and serve the items quickly. Many are part of fast-food chains (eating places with the same name and company owner). For example, the biggest and most famous American fast-food chain serves hamburgers in nearly every part of the world.
For several reasons, many people choose fast food. First, it is quick and convenient. Second, it is cheaper than special home-cooked meals or formal restaurant dinners. And third, it is easy to find every eating place with the same company name. The atmosphere and style of most fast-food places is casual, comfortable, and familiar.
Why do other eaters stay away from this fast, easy kind of nourishment? The main reason is its low nutritional value. Fast food doesn’t have large amounts of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and the like-elements necessary for good nutrition and health. In contrast (相反), most types of fast food have a lot of fat, sugar, or salt in them. Possibly, these things can cause or increase health disorders, like heart disease, and some kinds of cancer. Recently, these quick and easy kinds of world wide nourishment are generally getting better and more healthful. For example, many fast-food restaurants now have put vegetable items on their menus.
Of course, human beings around the world don’t always eat in fast-food places.The variety of food choices is large now and is probably going to increase. The number of food preparation methods is growing too. Cooking customs, eating habits, and food preferences all over the world are becoming more healthful. In these and other ways, the global diet is changing.From Paragragh 1,we can know that __________________.
| A．America serves four kinds of fast food |
| B．we used to have more types of fast food |
| C．different countries have different types of fast food |
| D．America serves fewer fast food than other countries |
The underlined phrase “stay away from” means __________.
| A．move away from | B．disorder | C．get out of | D．dislike |
The passage is mainly about ___________.
| A．the changing global diet |
| B．the increasing types of diet |
| C．the reason why people choose fast food |
| D．the reason why people dislike fast food |
A strong earthquake has hit the town of Galta 200 kilometres north of Madras. The earthquake hit the town at 7:15 yesterday evening. The earthquake measured(量出) 7.2 on the Richter scale(里克特震级), the strongest for five years.
The earthquake happened as most people were having their evening meal at home. There were very few people outside in the streets. Buildings fell down and many fires started. The electricity and water were cut off.
As it was dark, the emergency services had a lot of problems. There was no electricity for lights, and there was no water to put out the fires. Early this morning, planes flew over the town to see the damage.
The emergency services are now trying to reach the town. The nearest airport is at Bandel, about 100 kilometers away. The railway station at Galta is closed, because four bridges fell down in the earth. The nearest train station is 32 kilometres away at Solan. We shall have more reports for you during the day.What were the most people doing when the earthquake hit the town?
| A．Sitting outside. | B．Cutting off the electricity. |
| C．Staying at home. | D．Starting fires. |
Why didn’t the emergency services reach the town?
| A．Because it was dark. | B．Because planes flew over. |
| C．Because there was no water. | D．Because four bridges fell down |
How far is the nearest airport from the town?
| A．About 100 kilometers away. | B．32 kilometres away. |
| C．About 72 kilometers away. | D．200 kilometres north of Madras. |
How long will you travel if you go to Cayman Islands?
| A．Two weeks. | B．Ten days. | C．One day. | D．Three days. |
Where is Betsy travelling?
| A．From Ensenada to Hawaii. | B．On Cayman Islands. |
| C．On beach. | D．At a shop. |
Who is having a vacation on Cayman Island?
| A．Betsy. | B．Betsy’s parents. | C．Larry. | D．Robby. |