A Play: Four Butterflies
Characters: Red Butterfly (RB), Green Butterfly (GB), Green Tree (GT), Rose (R), Grandpa Sun (GS)
Look! There are four butterflies in the garden. One is red, one is yellow, one is green, and the other one is white. They play games and dance together every day, and they are very happy. One day, it’s fine. Four butterflies are playing a game in the garden. Suddenly it is full of dark clouds and it begins to rain hard.
1. GB: Oh, it’s raining hard. Green Tree is over there. She can
help us.
GB: Green Tree, our wings are wet. Please let us stay under your leaves.
GT: Green Butterfly, I like you. We have the same color. You can come in, but the other three butterflies must go away.
GB: No, thank you. We are good friends. We love each other and must stay together.
RB: Rose is over there. She can help us.
2. RB: Rose, our wings are wet. Please let us stay under your leaves.
R: Red Butterfly, I like you. We have the same color. You can come in, but the other three butterflies must go away.
RB: No, thank you. We are good friends. We love each other and must stay together.
3. GS: What good friends they are! This is a real friendship. I must help them.
The sun drives the clouds away and asks the rain to stop. Soon the sun gives off bright light and dries up their wings.
4. Four butterflies: Oh, the sun comes out. Our wings are dry. Let’s play and dance again.
How many butterflies are there in the garden?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
What are the butterflies doing when it starts to rain?
| A．They are flying. | B．They are dancing. |
| C．They are playing a game. | D．They are staying under the leaves. |
Who helps the butterflies at last?
| A．Rose. | B．Rain. |
| C．Grandpa Sun. | D．Dark clouds. |
What is the main idea of the play?
| A．Butterflies cannot fly if their wings are wet. |
| B．The four butterflies are sisters and brothers. |
| C．Grandpa often helps others. |
| D．A real friendship means that friends stay together when they are in trouble. |
His talent and charm have made him the No.1Chinese classical artist in the world. And he played in the grand Beijing Olympic opening ceremony in 2008, watched by a TV audience of 5 billion.
Lang Lang, 26, is the first Chinese pianist to play with the world's top orchestras (管弦乐队），making his first appearance at the Carnegie Hall in New York at 18, while still a student.
Lang's charm and fondness make him a natural fit to represent China's new international image. According to the British newspaper the Times, "The Lang Lang effect" drives 36 million Chinese children to learn the piano.
Now in China, children are learning Chopin and Western orchestras are playing sold-out tours across Chinese cities. But can China ever introduce its own music to the West? Lang is trying. His cooperation（合作） with the London Symphony Orchestra this month includes a performance of Dragon Songs, an album of traditional Chinese classics.
Behind the success , however, is a surprising story of a gifted child. Lang grew up with his father's own musical ambition(抱负) and high expectations. It is not hard to imagine how boring it must be to practice the piano every day. Lang said that he once hated his hands and the piano. He got his right hand hurt six years ago and had to rest. "That was the best month," he says.What is the main reason why Lang Lang is the No.1 Chinese classical artist in the world?
| A．He played in the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony in 2008. |
| B．He usually plays with the world's top orchestras. |
| C．He tries to introduce Chinese music to Western countries. |
| D．He plays the piano so well and has a good international image. |
Lang Lang is trying his best to ______ now.
| A．introduce China's own music to the West |
| B．play sold-out tours across Chinese cities |
| C．encourage children to learn the piano |
| D．prepare for a performance of Dragon songs |
Which of the following about Lang Lang is true?
| A．He didn't like music at all. |
| B．He had a good rest and enjoyed himself because he got his right hand hurt. . |
| C．He has had a great musical ambition since his childhood. |
| D．He first appeared in the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. |
From the last paragraph we can learn ______.
| A．Lang didn't like playing the piano at all as a child |
| B．He was happy to practice the piano every day |
| C．His father's wish and expectations played an important role in his childhood |
| D．He hurt his hands six years ago |
Can dolphins talk? Maybe they can’t talk with words, but they talk with sounds. They show their feelings with sounds.
Dolphins travel in a group. We call a group of fish“a school(一群)。” They don’t study, but they travel together. Dolphins are mammals(哺乳动物)，not fish, but they swim together like fish in a school.
Dolphins talk to the other dolphins in the school. They give information. They tell when they are happy or sad or afraid. They say” welcome” when a dolphin comes back to the school. They talk when they play.
They make a few sounds above water. They make many more sounds under water. People cannot hear these sounds because they are very, very high. Scientists make tapes of the sounds and study them.
Sometimes people catch a dolphin for a large aquarium(水族馆). People can watch the dolphins in a show. Dolphins don’t like to be away from their school in an aquarium. They are sad and lonely.
There are many stories about dolphins. They help people. Sometimes they save somebody’s life. Dolphins’ meat is good, but people don’t like to kill them. They say that dolphins bring good luck. Many people believe this.The word“school”means .
| A．a place for students to study |
| B．a special kind of animals |
| C．a group of fish traveling together |
| D．a place for training dolphins |
A dolphin makes a sound to .
| A．show other dolphins they are happy |
| B．tell other dolphins they are sad |
| C．let people know they are afraid |
| D．give information to other dolphins |
People can’t hear dolphins’ sounds under the water .
| A．because they are very, very low |
| B．because they are very, very high |
| C．because they only make a few sounds |
| D．because they want to keep it as a secret |
Dolphins would like to .
| A．study at schools | B．be away from their schools |
| C．stay with other dolphins | D．be in shows |
The best title for this passage is .
| A．The Dolphin | B．Schools of Dolphins |
| C．Dolphin’s Talk | D．Man’s Friend |
Many teenagers(青少年) feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members, and in particular(尤其是) 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 circle 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 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. The question of “choice” is an interesting one. Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Who chooses 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．teachers |
| C．brothers and sisters | D．family members |
When teenagers stay alone, the usual way of communication is _____ .
| A．to see their friends |
| B．to talk with their parents |
| C．to have a discussion with their family on the 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 children meet their good friends. |
| D．Some parents may want their children to stop to meet their good friends. |
Which of the following sentences is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Parents should like everything their children enjoy. |
| B．In all families children can choose everything they like. |
| C．Parents should try their best to understand their children better. |
| D．Teenagers can only go to their friends for help. |
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 correct |
| D．You can give us all the right answers |
If you want to become a better reader, here are four points to remember about speed of reading.
1. Knowing why you are reading—what you are reading to find out—will often help you to know whether to read quickly or slowly.
2. Some things should be read slowly, such as instructions for making or doing something, maths problems, science and history books. You must read such things slowly or remember each important step and understand each important idea.
3. Some things should be read quickly, such as simple stories, letters from friends and news from local newspapers, telling what is happening to friends and neighbors.
4. In some of your reading, you must change your speed from fast to slow and slow to fast, as you go along. You need to read some pages quickly and then slow down and do more careful reading when you come to important ideas.If we want to relax by reading, we usually pick .
| A．a story book |
| B．a maths book |
| C．a science book |
| D．something with important information |
Which of the following should we read slowly and carefully?
| A．Simple stories. | B．A user guide. |
| C．Letters from friends. | D．A local newspaper. |
What should we read quickly?
| A．Instructions (说明)for making something. |
| B．Maths problems. |
| C．Storybooks, newspapers and personal letters. |
| D．Science and history books. |
What is important about speed of reading?
| A．To read as fast as you can. |
| B．To keep your reading at the same speed. |
| C．To read as slowly as possible. |
| D．To fit your reading speed to your needs. |
What’s the main idea of the article?
| A．Something about careful reading. |
| B．Be a quick reader. |
| C．How to read? |
| D．How to be a slow reader? |
Mr. Clarke works in New York and he brought his family to China last summer. They visited many places of interest and had a good time here. Before they left for New York, the Clarkes climbed the Great Wall. It was the greatest project over two thousand years ago. They took a lot of photos there and then they had a picnic under a big tree. Suddenly it began to rain and they hurried to the car. And when they returned to the hotel, they couldn’t find the bag in which their expensive camera was. They were all sorry for it. They could buy another camera but had no time to go to the Great Wall again. They could not miss the plane!
That evening they didn’t have supper. Mr. Clarke hoped to make them happy, so he said, “Well, let me tell you a story. An old man lived in a sixty-floor building. One day he fell down from it when he was cleaning the window. But he didn’t hurt himself.”
“It was a miracle!” called out his children, “Why?”
“Because he lived on the first floor!”
They all began to laugh while two policemen with a bag came in. They said a Chinese boy found it under a big tree and he asked them to find out who lost it.
“It’s really a miracle!” the Clarkes said happily. Where did the Clarkes enjoy themselves before they left for New York?
| A．In London. | B．In Beijing. |
| C．In Shanghai. | D．In Hong Kong. |
Where did the Clarkes left their bag?
| A．They left their bag on the Great Wall. |
| B．They left their bag in the car. |
| C．They left their bag under a big tree. |
| D．They left their bag in the plane. |
Why didn’t they have anything that evening?
| A．Because they were sorry for losing the camera. |
| B．Because they were not hungry. |
| C．Because they had no time to have supper. |
| D．Because they had nothing to eat. |
What did Mr. Clarke tell a story to his family for?
| A．His children asked him to do so. |
| B．He wanted to make his family happy. |
| C．He wanted to tell them a miracle. |
| D．He liked telling stories. |
Who found the bag?
| A．Two policemen. | B．A Chinese boy. |
| C．A Chinese girl. | D．An American boy. |