Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. They don’t act in the romantic ways that I read in books or I see on TV. In their opinion, “I love you” is too difficult for them to say. Sending flowers to each other on Valentine’s Day is even impossible. What’s more, my father is always angry. When he’s very tired from the hard work, it is easy for him to be angry.
One day, my mother was sewing (缝) a quilt. I silently sat down beside her and looked at her.
“Mom, I have a question to ask you,” I said after a while.
“What?” she replied, still doing her work.
“Is there love between you and Dad?” I asked her in a very low voice.
My mother stopped her work and raised her head with surprise in her eyes. She didn’t answer at once and continued to sew the quilt. I was very worried because I thought I had hurt her. I was embarrassed and I didn’t know what I should do. But at last I heard my mother say the following words:
“Susan,” she said thoughtfully, “Look at this thread(线). Sometimes it appears, but most of it disappears in the quilt. The thread really makes the quilt strong and durable(耐用的). If life is a quilt, then love should be a thread. It can hardly be seen anywhere or anytime, but it’s really there. Love is inside.”
I listened carefully but I couldn’t understand her until the next spring. At that time, my father suddenly got sick seriously. My mother had to stay with him in the hospital for a month. When they returned from the hospital, they both looked very weak. It seemed both of them had had a serious illness. After they were back, every day in the morning and in the evening, my mother helped my father walk slowly on the country road. My father had never been so gentle. The doctor had said my father would get well in two months. But after two months he still couldn’t walk by himself. Both of us were worried about him.
“Dad, how are you feeling now?” I asked him one day.
“Susan, don’t worry about me.” he said gently. “To tell you the truth, I just like walking with your mom. I like this kind of life.” Reading his eyes, I know he loves my mother deeply.
Once I thought love meant flowers, gifts and sweet kisses. But from this experience, I understand that love is just a thread in the quilt of our life. Love is inside, making life strong and warm.Why did the writer doubt whether there is love between her parents?
A.Because they don’t send flowers to each other on Valentine’s Day. |
B.Because they hardly say “I Love you” to each other. |
C.Because her father has a bad temper and he is often not so gentle to his wife. |
D.All of above. |
What did the writer’s mother do when she heard her daughter’s question?
A.She felt embarrassed and didn’t say anything. |
B.She didn’t answer at once and went on sewing the quilt. |
C.She felt hurt by her daughter’s question and refused to answer it. |
D.She was busy sewing the quilt and didn’t hear the question. |
From the article, we know that_____________________________________.
A.Love means flowers, gifts and sweet kisses |
B.We must often show our love to the ones we love in the romantic ways |
C.We don’t need to do anything to show our love to others |
D.Sometimes love can’t been seen, but actually it’s just there |
Choose the best title for this article?
A.Love between My Parents | B.Love Is Just a Thread |
C.Love and Life | D.Whether There Is Love |
Every year landslides cause 25 to 50 deaths and $2 billion in damage in the United States. And in December, a single event killed more than 2000 people in the Philippines. Sending workers to stabilize mountainsides using steel bars can help a lot, but it introduces new difficulties because of dust and loosen heavy, dangerous debris from the work. “It’s a quite dangerous job,” says Giorgio Pezzuto of D’ Appolonia, working with eight other companies. Now there may be an answer: a three-ton robot called Roboclimber.
“The idea is to operate a machine far away that can do the stabilizing job without a human being near,”says Pezzuto, manager for the project, which is supported by a European organization. Engineers say that the machine will be faster and cheaper than manual labor. The robot, a large radio-controlled four-legged spider, has cost at least $2 million so far. It should be able to climb mountainsides, drill holes and insert steel bars there. Testing should begin in May.The underlined word “event” refers to_____
A.earthquake | B.debris | C.dust | D.landslide |
The purpose in writing this text is _____
A.to tell people how serious the damage caused by landslides is |
B.to tell people that sending workers to stabilize mountainsides is a dangerous job |
C.to show people how to use a new robot |
D.to introduce a new robot that can be used to stabilize mountainsides |
What does the robot look like?
A.human being | B.spider | C.steel bar | D.a drill |
A landslides cause _____________in damage in the United States Every year .
A.25 to 50 deaths | B.more than 2000 people died |
C.$2 billion | D.both A and C |
The biggest advantage of this product is that____
A.it will be faster and cheaper than manual labor |
B.it can climb mountainsides, drill holes and insert steel bars there. |
C.it can do the stabilizing job without human beings near |
D.it is like a spider |
Andy was still traveling in Spain when he realized he had to confirm his flight home with the airline company. He was visiting Spain in order to improve his Spanish. When he was speaking to people face to face, he had no difficulty understanding what they said. However, when he was speaking on the phone, he still had a problem. Andy called the airline. And the clerk confirmed that his plane was leaving at nine o'clock three days from that day. She also told Andy to be at the airport two hours earlier in order to check in his luggage and get a seat.
Since he was leaving in three days, Andy didn't lose any time. He visited as many places as he could. He thought that it would probably be a while before he had enough money again. He wished he could come back and spend a year in Spain.
Too quickly, the final day arrived. Andy left early for the airport to arrive two hours before take-off. He hated to rush. He went to the clerk to show his ticket. The clerk looked at the ticket in surprise. "Why, sir, but your flight was at nine o'clock in the morning, and now it is eight in the evening." "But I confirmed my flight," insisted Andy. "Will I have to pay for another ticket?"
"No, Sir. However, the next flight out will be three days from now."
Andy's look of shock turned to pleasure as he realized that now he could continue his vacation.Why was Andy in Spain?
A.He was there on a business trip. |
B.He hoped to learn Spanish better. |
C.He liked to visit places of interest in Spain. |
D.He was visiting friends there |
Andy missed his flight because________
A.he forgot his flight time |
B.the clerk gave him the wrong time of his flight |
C.the clerk misunderstood him |
D.he misunderstood the clerk |
Which word can best describe the feeling of Andy when he came to know that his stay in Spain would be longer?
A.happy | B.shocked | C.upset | D.angry |
What would Andy do next?
A.He would stay in Spain for another three days. |
B.He would go to another country. |
C.He would stay at the airport. |
D.He would pay for another ticket. |
What can we know from the passage?
A.Travelers always have to confirm the time of flight with airline companies by phone call |
B.It’s more difficult for Andy to understand others in Spanish face to face than on the phone |
C.Andy was enjoying himself when visiting places in Spain. |
D.Andy would be worried. |
In every country, there are thousands of people who want to help out. Many join organizations run (管理) by their governments, for example, the Peace Corps in the United States and Voluntary Service Overseas in Britain. Since the powerful (猛烈的) earthquake took place in Sichuan, more than 200 thousand volunteers across China have been helping there! They do all kinds of work or come up with ways to help improve life. Some offer their professional skills for free. Others have no qualifications (资历), but they love to work hard to help.
One of the most famous volunteers in the world was Mother Teresa. She could be the best volunteer because she gave her life to helping the poorest people of Calcutta. She helped the homeless, cared for the sick, gave out food, and became the mother of those without families.
Now more and more teenagers actively look for volunteering opportunities, too. They volunteer because they think it will be fun or they will learn something. They also like the idea of being helpful to others, even if it is just handing out books for the teacher. As they get older, these reasons are still the same, but there are other important reasons for volunteering such as learning on-the-job, getting work experience, and improving their social life.
All volunteers bring joy to the people they help in so many ways. They might read books to the blind, fix up broken homes, find ways to get water for villages. Could you be a volunteer? What kind of volunteer work could you do? There is someone in the world who needs you.The Peace Corps is __ in the United States.
A.a city | B.an organization | C.a volunteer | D.a school |
The word those in the passage means __ .
A.the homeless | B.the sick | C.the poor | D.the kids |
What is NOT the reason for teenagers to be volunteers according to the passage?
A.They want to make more friends. |
B.They want to be helpful. |
C.It helps them get work experience. |
D.It can improve their social life. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.Volunteers need qualifications. |
B.Volunteers offer their help without any pay. |
C.Young kids can’t be volunteers. |
D.Some volunteers bring joy to others. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
A.The world needs volunteers. |
B.Mother Teresa was a great volunteer. |
C.Volunteers do all kinds of work. |
D.There are different ways of volunteering. |
Fans often only see the good side of fame. They see the happy smiles and great success of famous people. But it’s difficult for them to understand everything that comes before then. They can’t see the hard work or the hours of practice.
Li Yundi, the Chinese piano prodigy(天才), recently released his first concert recording. He talked with Teens about his art and his job.
“Of course, the job is hard work,” Li, 25, said. “You need to work hard to be a professional. But you also have to play hundreds of concerts, meet fans, and listen to critics(评论) of your music.”
In 2000, when Li was 18, he won the top prize at the International Chopin(肖邦) Competition in Warsaw, Poland. This was the first time the top prize had been given in 15 years. Li was also the youngest, and the first Chinese to win the prize. Since then, Li became famous and his list of honors goes on and on.
Born in Chongqing, Li began to play piano when he was seven. His parents spent all their money and bought a piano for him--- a luxury in 1980s China.
He worked hard. Every day, Li played for eight hours or more at a piano school. He often played even after the school had closed.
Today, Li still can’ t play a beautiful tune without careful preparation.
“ You need to be ready on stage.” Li said. “People are waiting for you. Nobody knows whether you have slept enough, or whether you have another problem in your life. But you need to play great music for your audience. That’s what they want to hear.”What is Li Yundi? ______.
A. A music-critic B. A music fan C. A pianistWhat does the underlined word “luxury” mean in Chinese? ______.
A. 奢侈品 B. 流行品 C.豪华How long did it take Li to get the prize of Chopin Competition and became famous? ______.
A. 7 years B. 11 years C. 15 yearsWhat does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean? ______.
A. You need to sleep well the night before the performance
B. You should prepare carefully before the performance.
C. You need to know your audience.What does the passage mainly tell us? ______.
A. You need to be a prodigy to be successful.
B. You need to be happy to be successful.
C. You need to work hard to be successful.
![]() Chess Club Do you like to play chess? Do you want to play chess well? Mr. Wang can teach you. You can come here every Friday from 13:00 to 16:00. Tel: 623-1904 Room 102. |
![]() Swimmers Wanted Can you swim? Do you like kids? Can you help teach to swim on weekends? Come and join us. Call Jane at 330-9785 for more information. |
![]() Musicians Wanted Boys and girls, are you music lovers? Can you sing or dance? Can you play instruments? Welcome to our Star Rock Band. Please call Victor at 891-3453 or send an e-mail to music@yahoo.com. |
![]() For Sale A washing machine, only used for 6 months, the owner going abroad, $ 275 Call Mike Green at 776-8623 E-mail: mikegreen@sina.com |
If you want to help teach the kids swimming, you can call at ______.
A.330-9785 | B.623-1904 | C.891-3453 | D.776-8623 |
You can learn to play chess ______.
A.every day | B.every Friday afternoon |
C.on weekend | D.every Friday morning |
If you can play the guitar very well, you can join ______.
A.the swimming club | B.the chess club |
C.Star Rock Band | D.the Mike Green Family |
Mike Green has to sell his washing machine because ______.
A. it doesn’t work B. he will go abroad
C. his friend asks him to do thatWhere may you find the above information? ______.
A. A history book B. A traveling notebook
C. The advertising part of a newspaper