Jessie felt her life so boring one summer day. She was tired of watching TV, she read all her books, and her friends were on vacation. She wanted something different to do. Suddenly, she saw the lawn mower（割草机）sitting in the yard.
“Mom," she shouted, ‘‘I think I will mow the lawn." Her mom ran into the yard and said,“Oh no, you don't. You're too young to mow the lawn."
“I'm fourteen years old and know how to do it," Jessie said. "Besides, it would help Dad out, and he won't have to worry about it over the weekend."
Mom thought for a while and then decided to let Jessie give it a try. After all, she was home and would keep an eye on her. Jessie already knew how to start the lawn mower from watching her dad. Jessie checked the gas（汽油）to make sure it was full, and put on her gardening gloves to protect her hands. Mom watched from the kitchen window. Jessie really does know how to mow the lawn. She was very careful around the flowers and trees. When she finished, she felt so good, but she was so hot. Mom brought her some ice tea and said, "You really did a great job. Dad will be very surprised."
Later that day, Dad came home and said to Jessie's mom, "You didn't have to mow the lawn. I was going to do it on Saturday. It looks great. Thanks."
"I didn't mow it. Jessie did."
"Wow, our little girl is growing up!" Dad told Jessie what a great job she had done.
"It was fun, and I will do it again next week," said Jessie.
The neighbor next door came by and asked Jessie if she wanted to mow his lawn and make some money. "Sure!" said Jessie. Jessie began mowing his lawn. Two other neighbors asked so, then another three. Jessie was now mowing lawns for them all and making some money. She was no longer bored! "I won't have time to spend my money," she laughed to herself. In order to do something different, Jessie decide to _______.
| A．read books | B．travel |
| C．mow the lawn | D．watch TV |
The phrase "keep an eye on" in the sentence。"After all, she was home and would keep an eye on her." means _______.
| A．保护 | B．注视 | C．培养 | D．瞄准 |
Before Jessie mowed the lawn, she. _______.
| A．read some instructions |
| B．washed her hands |
| C．bought some gas |
| D．put on her gloves |
The text mainly tells us that_______.
| A．doing something helpful can make people happy |
| B．mowing the lawn is a good way to make money |
| C．neighbors should learn to help each other |
| D．children should help their parents at an early age |
Once my father asked me to hold his hammer while he repaired something, so we could have some time to talk to each other.
For 22 years, after I left home for college, he called me every Sunday at 9 am. He was always interested in my life and how my family was doing, and I never once heard him complain about his own life.
Nine years ago when I bought my first house, my father, 67 years old, spent eight hours a day painting it for three days. He would not allow me to pay someone to have it done. All he asked for was a glass of iced tea and for me to hold a paint brush for him and talk to him. But I was too busy.
Five years ago, at age 71, my father spent five hours putting together a swingset (秋千组) for my daughter. Again, all he asked was that I get him a glass of iced tea and talk to him. But again, I was too busy.
Four years ago, my father drove all the way from Denver to Topeka, with an eight-foot Colorado blue spruce (蓝叶云杉) in his trunk, so that my husband and I could have a part of Colorado growing on our land. I was preparing for a trip that weekend and couldn’t spend much time with him.
Then, one day, my father telephoned me as usual, this time from my sister’s home in Florida. We talked about the tree he had brought me, “Fat Albert”, but that morning he called it “Fat Oscar”, and he seemed to have forgotten some things. I had to get to church, so I cut the conversation short.
The call came at 4:40 pm that day: my father was in hospital in Florida with an aneurysm (动脉瘤). I got on a plane immediately, and on the way I thought of all the times I had not taken the time to talk to my father. I realized that I had no idea who he was or what his deepest thoughts were. I promised that when I arrived, I would make up for lost time.
I arrived in Florida at 1 am. My father had passed away at 9:12 pm. This time it was he who did not have time to talk to me.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The writer arrived in Florida before her father passed away. |
| B．The writer didn’t find enough time to talk to her father all these years. |
| C．The writer noticed nothing unusual about her father’s health before he was put in the hospital. |
| D．The writer’s father brought them the Colorado blue spruce because it is an expensive kind of tree. |
How did the writer feel when she was rushing to the hospital where her father was staying?
| A．Hopeless. | B．Sorry. |
| C．Frightened. | D．Disappointed. |
Which words best describe the writer’s father?
| A．Honest and modest. |
| B．Strict and demanding (要求高的). |
| C．Talkative and positive (积极乐观的). |
| D．Caring and thoughtful. |
What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．What a good father! | B．How busy I am. |
| C．Time keeps going. | D．My father and our family. |
We humans live in different parts of the world, but we have the same “mother”. She gives us everything we need in our daily life. She is our Mother Earth.
April 22 is Earth Day. The theme of this year is “Green Cities”.
A green city is a healthy and pleasant place for people to live, according to the United Nations.
A green city can get its energy from renewable (可再生的) sources like solar (太阳能的) and wind power. Also, it is connected by clean public transportation. Moreover, a green city is made up of facilities (设施) that can save energy and reduce waste.
Around the world, many cities and countries have done well to build themselves in a green way.
Chicago is well known for its green roof (屋顶) program. These roofs are covered with plants. The plants get a great amount of rainwater. Later, the water evaporates (蒸发) to help make the air cool and clean. So far, there are about 360 green roofs in Chicago, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Curitiba, Brazil, has great transportation. It opened the world’s first bus rapid transit (BRT) system in 1974. BRT runs on special lanes. This makes sure that buses are on time even in traffic jams. With the help of BRT, the city has the lowest level of air pollution in Brazil. Today, many other countries have copied BRT, including China and Mexico.
Singapore is home to the first zero-energy building in Southeast Asia. Zero energy means a building is able to create more energy than it uses. Zero-energy buildings work with solar panels (板) mainly on roofs. These panels can make electricity which powers the buildings. By 2030, Singapore plans to build 80 percent of its buildings like this.The theme of Earth Day this year is “_______”.
| A．Green Roofs | B．Green Cities |
| C．Reducing and Recycling | D．Environmental Protection |
The article mentions that there is BRT in the following countries EXCEPT _______.
| A．Brazil | B．Singapore | C．China | D．Mexico |
From the passage, we learn that in the three cities _______.
| A．people are encouraged to grow plants on their roofs |
| B．special lanes are designed to solve traffic jams |
| C．people make good use of solar and wind energy |
| D．people are provided with a pleasant place to live |
The passage is mainly developed by _______.
| A．giving examples | B．explaining reasons |
| C．listing suggestions | D．showing different opinions |
A 14-year-old British student is packing for the next day of school: textbooks, notebooks, pens, 250 grams of flour, an egg and some cooking oil. Wait, what?
It’s not a joke.
From September, cookery will be a compulsory (必修的) course for kids aged 7-14 in the UK.
Primary school students will learn how to put things together and make simple, healthy food.
At high school, students will then master a number of different meals. They will also learn some cooking skills including baking.
Britain is sometimes known as a country with bad food and unhealthy eating habits. These new courses are part of the country’s effort to bring healthy food back onto the table.
“One in four British families no longer has a table that everyone can eat around. One out of every two meals we eat is eaten alone. Only four out of ten of us enjoy eating meals with our children,” British writer Joanna Blythman wrote in her book Bad Food Britain: How A Nation Ruined Its Appetite (食欲) in 2006.
Instead, ready meals have become the first choice for many British kids, because their parents are often too busy to cook a proper meal.
The Department for Education hopes that the cookery courses can introduce children to good food and reduce childhood obesity.
“It’s important that children can develop an interest and understanding of good food,” said a spokesman for the department.
“We want to encourage them to develop a love of food and cooking that will stay with them as they grow up.Students under 14 in the UK _______.
| A．are fond of cooking |
| B．love to eat junk food |
| C．will learn how to cook at school |
| D．have to prepare breakfast by themselves |
From the passage, we can learn that _______.
| A．many British people have unhealthy eating habits |
| B．people in Britain don’t love to eat around the table |
| C．parents cook meals for their kids although they are busy |
| D．many British people don’t like to eat with their families |
The aim of the cookery course is to help children _______.
| A．have a good appetite | B．learn more life skills |
| C．learn to do housework at home | D．enjoy eating and cooking healthy food |
The underlined word “obesity” in the passage means _______ in Chinese.
| A．厌学 | B．懒惰 | C．肥胖 | D．贪玩 |
| Like reading? Want an interesting book to read? Here are our books. Just pick the one that you like best. ************************************************************************* The Best of the Song Books: By Harlan Coben List Price: $28.00 Price: $21.00 You save: $7.00 (25%) Customer (顾客) Review: ★★★ |
| Bookmarks by Phillips: Magazine by Patricia Cornwell List Price: $24.00 Price: $18.00You save:$6.00 (25%) Customer Review: ★★★★ |
| The Mystery of Breathing: A novel by Peril Klaus List Price: $15.00 Price: $12.00 You save:$3.00 (20%) Customer Review: ★★★ |
| Ten Little Fingers: Books for babies by Annie Keble List Price: $25.00 Price: $15.00 You save: $10.00 (40%) Customer Review: ★★★★★ ************************************************************************* For further information, please click HERE. |
Which book is the most popular one among the buyers?
| A．Ten Little Fingers. | B．Bookmarks by Phillips. |
| C．The Mystery of Breathing. | D．The Best of the Song Books. |
You read this advertisement most probably _______.
| A．in a novel | B．in a magazine |
| C．on the Internet | D．in a newspaper |
If you buy four books (one for each), how much can you save?
| A．$92.00. | B．$26.00. | C．$66.00. | D．$110.00. |
Here is your best chance to travel around the UK in 2014: More than 200 B&Bs（bed & breakfast）across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are chosen to offer you amazing services for your stay at their lowest prices! Don’t miss it. Just collect the vouchers（活动券）in our B&B Daily printed from 01/04/2014 to 07/04/2014 and book the stays for your travel following the terms and conditions below:
● The offer includes a room for the night and a breakfast the next morning.
● The offer is of two kinds: ￡20 per room, valid（有效的）during stay period of 02/04/2014—31/05/2014 and then again 01/09/2014—31/10/2014；￡35 per room, per night, valid during stay period of 01/06/2014—31/08/2014.
● The offer is valid for a basic twin or double room only.
● The stay must be booked directly with the chosen B&Bs before 28/04/2014.
● Each voucher can only be used by the holder to book one room for one night.
● If voucher holders book either the ￡20 or ￡35 per room per night, any additional（附加的） services such as lunch, evening meal or activities may require an extra charge. But these are not required in order to take up the offer. Please check directly with your chosen B&Bs to see what extra services are available.
● Vouchers must be presented（提交）on arrival. If no vouchers are presented, the B&Bs may reserve（保留）the right（权利）to charge（收费）at full price for every night of stay.
● Vouchers may not be used together with any other offer.
● The voucher holders must pay for the stay in full at the time of booking. Additional ￡10 may be paid to confirm the booking and will be returned on arrival.
● The B&Bs reserve the right to refuse voucher holders’ bookings for people under the age of 18.The voucher can be used for a stay at the chosen B&B on ______.
| A．09/01/2014 | B．04/02/2014 | C．01/03/2014 | D．28/04/2014 |
How much should be paid for a two-night stay in October 2014 at a chosen B&B?
| A．￡70 | B．￡40 | C．￡35 | D．￡30 |
What right do the B&Bs reserve?
| A．To charge another ￡10 for bookings with no vouchers. |
| B．To refuse bookings for guest under the age of 18. |
| C．To charge at full price for stays which are not confirmed. |
| D．To request extra charges as tips. |
By taking up the offer, the voucher holders can choose to ______ .
| A．book either a basic twin or double room at the chosen B&Bs |
| B．have lunch or evening meal without paying extra money |
| C．use the B&B offer together with other offers |
| D．book the stays through B&B Daily |