We’re trying to decide where to go on our vacation this summer. We usually go to the Lake Arrowhead for a few weeks, but we’d like to go somewhere else this year. We’re tired of doing the same thing summer after summer. Some friends of ours suggested that we go to Hawaii. That would be wonderful! I’m sure we’d enjoy a trip like that, but of course it’s out of the question. In the first place, it would be rather expensive, and in the second place, there wouldn’t be enough time. If we’re lucky enough to save some money between now and next summer, and if I’m lucky enough to get four weeks of vacation instead of two weeks, maybe we can go to Hawaii next year. As a matter of fact, if we wanted to plan a trip like that, it might be advisable to stay home this summer and not go any place. That’s one way we could begin to save some money for next year’s trip. Also, if we were to stay here, I could offer to work instead of taking two weeks off; then maybe my boss would suggest that I be given four weeks’ vacation next summer instead of two weeks.The author to spend their vacation this year.
| A．is going to Hawaii |
| B．will go to Lake Arrowhead |
| C．has decided to go nowhere |
| D．hasn’t decided where to go |
The sentence “it’s out of the question” means “ ”.
| A．it is possible | B．it is a question |
| C．it is impossible | D．it is not a question |
If the author wanted to make a trip to Hawaii, he might this year.
| A．save some money |
| B．stay at home |
| C．work rather than take two weeks off |
| D．all the above |
A trip to Hawaii that to Lake Arrowhead.
| A．costs much more than | B．costs as much as |
| C．takes less time than | D．takes as much time as |
At last, the mid-term exams are over. You’ve done the hard work, but you can’t relax. You have to prepare for the next exams. Do you hate exams? If you do, you’re not alone. Students in other countries hate them as well.
Luckily for them, British students have fewer exams than Chinese students. They take a test in each subject only every summer. Each test lasts about an hour. These exams don’t count for much. Even if some students do really badly, they can still enter the higher grade the next year. When the results come out, they are then placed in an end-of-year report. The report is sent to the child’s parents. It describes how the student studies at school.
This report is private(私人的), so only the teacher, the student and his or her parents can see it. This means that the student doesn’t know how other students score on the tests. Some students choose to tell each other, but others keep it a secret.
Parents’ meeting are held twice a year, at the end of the winter term and then at the end of the summer term. Children go along with their parents to meet their teachers privately and discuss their performance(表现) at school.According to the passage, British students___________.
| A．need to take a test twice a year. |
| B．have to take a test at the end of a year. |
| C．have to spend about one hour on each test. |
| D．need to take their reports to their parents. |
The end-of year report__________.
| A．is written by students themselves |
| B．can be seen by everyone in the school |
| C．can be used to keep the students safe. |
| D．is about students’ study at school |
The underlined sentence “These exams don’t count for much.” means “______”.
| A．there are too many exams |
| B．these exams play a key role |
| C．these exams don’t mean(意味着) everything |
| D．there are a few exams |
Which of the following is TURE according to the passage?
| A．British students don’t need to prepare for their exams. |
| B．British students are not allowed to tell each other their scores. |
| C．British students should visit their teachers with their parents. |
| D．British students have a piece of report at the end of a term. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．The exam’s report |
| B．The tests’ scores |
| C．British parents’ meeting |
| D．British students’ exams |
Families come in many shapes and sizes-they can be just two people, or hundreds of aunts, uncles and cousins. Every family is different, and what makes a family is different for everyone. Families don’t even have to be related(有亲属关系的)-some families are formed by choice. For this contest, draw us a picture of your family.
Contest rules:
1. Your picture must be your very own artwork. Ideas and words should not be copied.
2. Be sure to include your name, age and full address on your picture.
3. Only one picture each person, please.
4. If you want your picture returned, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
5.Your picture must be signed(签名)or e-mailed by a parent, saying it’s your own work and that no one helped you.
6.Mailed picture must be postmarked(盖邮戳) by April 30, 2014.
7.E-mail scanned(扫描的) picture to ask@askmagkids.com, or mail to: Ask Contest, 70 East Lake St., Suite 300, Chicago, IL60601. No faxes, please.The theme of the contest is ______.
| A．robots | B．family | C．friends | D．art |
We can learn from the first rule that_______.
| A．you need to write your ideas on your picture. |
| B．you need to write something about yourself. |
| C．your picture must be your own idea |
| D．you can borrow ideas from others. |
_______ should be included on your picture.
① Age②Name③School
④Address⑤Telephone number
| A．①②⑤ | B．②④⑤ | C．①③④ | D．①②④ |
You can send your picture to Ask Contest________.
| A．by the end of the year. |
| B．by the end of April |
| C．by the end of May |
| D．at any time |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the material(材料)?
| A．You can fax your picture to Ask Contest if you like. |
| B．You can send only one picture to Ask Contest. |
| C．Your parents can help you with your picture. |
| D．Your mailed picture will not be returned. |
An old man was fishing by a river. A child was watching him. The old man was really good at fishing and it didn’t take him much time to catch a basket of fish. The old man saw that the child was cute, and he wanted to give her the whole basket of fish. But the child shook her head.
The old man was surprised and asked ,“Why don’t you want the fish?”
The child replied,“I want the fishing rod(竿) in your hands.” The old man asked, “Why do you want the rod?”
“It won’t take long to eat up all the fish in the basket. But if I have the fishing rod, I can go fishing by myself and I won’t be afraid of not having any fish to eat.” the girl answered.
I think you will certainly say that the child is very smart. Wrong! If she doesn’t know how to fish, she can’t have fish to eat, even though she has the fishing rod. It’s useless only having a fishing rod. Fishing skills are the most important, not the fishing rod.
Too many people think that if they have a “fishing rod”, they will no longer fear the difficulties in life. They are just like the child, who thought that if she had a fishing rod, she would have the fish to eat.What was the child doing when the old man was fishing?
| A．She was talking with him. |
| B．She was playing by the river. |
| C．She was watching the old man. |
| D．She was helping the old man. |
Where did the old man put the fish?
| A．In a basket. | B．In a bag. |
| C．In a glass. | D．In a box. |
Why did the child refuse to get the fish?
| A．Because she wanted to get the old man’s fishing rod. |
| B．Because the fish was not enough. |
| C．Because she didn’t like eating fish. |
| D．Because the fish was too small. |
The writer thinks the child is__________.
| A．hard-working | B．lazy |
| C．clever | D．silly |
The story mainly tells us_______.
| A．the “fishing rod” is harder to get than “fishing skills”. |
| B．if we have a “fishing rod”, we’ll have a lot of fish to eat. |
| C．if we have a “fishing rod”, we won’t have to fear anything |
| D．“fishing skills” are more important than the “fishing rod” in life. |
A new study found that inner-city kids living in neighborhoods with more green space gained about 13% less weight over a two-year period than kids living among more concrete and fewer trees. Such findings tell a powerful story. The obesity epidemic(肥胖症的流行)began in the 1980s, and many people think it results from increased portion（食物） sizes and inactivity , but that can't be everything. Big Macs and TVs have been with us for a long time. "Most experts agree that the changes were related to something in the environment," says Thomas Glass of the Hopkins School of Public Health. That something could be a shrinking of the green.
The new research, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, isn't the first to associate greenery with better health, but it does get us closer to identifying what works and why. At its most straightforward, a green neighborhood simply means more places for kids to play — which is important since time spent outdoors is one of the strongest links to children's activity levels.
Glass warns that most studies don't necessarily prove a link between greenness and health, but they're helping spur action. In September the U.S. government approved the No Child Left Inside Act to encourage public initiatives (积极性)aimed at exposing kids to the outdoors.
Finding green space is, of course, not always easy, and you may have to work a bit to get your family a little grass and trees. If you live in a suburb or a city with good parks, take advantage of what's there. Your children in particular will love it — and their bodies will thank you.According to the passage, what might cause children’s inactivity?
| A．Less concrete and more trees |
| B．Increased portion sizes |
| C．A green neighborhood |
| D．A shrinking of the green |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is wrong?
| A．Big Macs and TVs have something to do with obesity. |
| B．If a 100-pound man lives in green space for 2 years, he will lose 13 pounds. |
| C．Kids should be exposed more to outdoors. |
| D．Kids gain less weight living in a suburb or a city with good parks. |
What does the underlined word “spur” in the fourth paragraph mean?
| A．improve | B．take |
| C．encourage | D．stop |
What might be the best title of the passage?
| A．The obesity epidemic | B．Slimmer in the grass |
| C．Causes of obesity | D．Prevention of obesity |
When elephants retire, many head for the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn. They arrive one by one, but they tend to live out their lives two-by-two. "Every elephant that comes here searches out someone that she then spends most all of her time with," says sanctuary co-founder Carol Buckley. It's likely having a best girlfriend, Buckley says - "Somebody they can relate to, they have something in common with."
Debbie has Ronnie. Misty can't live without Dulary. Those are pachyderm-pachyderm pairs. But perhaps the closest friends of all are Tarra and Bella. Tarra, an 8,700 pound Asian elephant; Bella, a stray dog, are closest friends.
Bella is one of more than a dozen stray dogs that have found a home at the sanctuary. Most want nothing to do with the elephants and vice versa. But not this odd couple. "Bella knows she's not an elephant. Tarra knows she's not a dog," Buckley adds. "But that's not a problem for them." "When it's time to eat they both eat together. They drink together. They sleep together. They play together," Buckley says.
Tarra and Bella have been close for years — but no one really knew how close they were until recently. A few months ago Bella suffered a spinal cord injury. She couldn't move her legs, couldn't even wag her tail. For three weeks the dog lay motionless up in the sanctuary office. And for three weeks the elephant held vigil: 2,700 acres to roam free, and Tarra just stood in the corner, beside a gate, right outside that sanctuary office. "She just stood outside the balcony - just stood there and waited," says Buckley. "She was concerned about her friend." Then one day, sanctuary co-founder Scott Blais carried Bella onto the balcony so she and Tarra could at least see each other.
"Bella's tail started wagging. And we had no choice but to bring Bella down to see Tarra," Blais says.
They visited like that every day until Bella could walk. Today, their love — and trust — is stronger than ever. Bella even lets Tarra pet her tummy - with the bottom of her enormous foot. They harbor no fears, no secrets, no prejudices. Just two living creatures who somehow managed to look past their immense differences.
Take a good look at this couple, human beings. Take a good look at the world. If they can do it — what's our excuse?The underlined part “Those are pachyderm-pachyderm pairs.” in Para. 2 means ______.
| A．both of the pairs are elephants. |
| B．both of the pairs look strange. |
| C．animals there have different kinds of friends. |
| D．they are friends of the same kind. |
The last paragraph infers that _____________.
| A．different animals can become closest friends. |
| B．people should learn something from each other. |
| C．people all over the world should cooperate. |
| D．People all over the world should become the closest friends. |
Which would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Unlikely friends. | B．Lasting friendship. |
| C．Unselfish love. | D．Magic nature. |