Greg Woodburn, a university student, spends a lot of time cleaning sports shoes. Some of them once belonged to him; some belonged to his friends. But soon the shoes will have new owners, poor children in the USA and 20 other countries, thanks to Greg's Share Our Soles(鞋底) (S.O.S) charity.
Greg was a high school running star in a small town in California. He had to stop running for months because his knee was injured. "I started thinking about all the things I got from running, the health, the friendships and the confidence." he says. And I realized there are children who don't even have shoes.
Greg collected his own sports shoes and then called his friends and the town. His aim was to have 100 pairs by Christmas 2006. When the number climbed to more than 500 pairs. Greg know that he could collect sports shoes all year round.
Now he has set up collection boxes in his town. So far, S.O.S has collected and donated more than 3,000 pairs of shoes. And Greg has cleaned almost all of them. "People think of it as duty work," he says, "but I like doing it, because I feel happy when I'm doing it. It's not work I want to pass on to someone else."
In just three years, Greg has started three branches(分部) of S.O.S and there are more and more sports shoes.
For many poor children who have received the shoes mean opportunity. Two young boys in southern California used to go to school on alternate days(隔日) because they both shared a pair of shoes. They were too big for one boy and too small for the other. Thanks to S.O.S, each brother received his own pair of shoes. The boys now go to school every day. When they graduate, they say they will help others, just as Greg helped them.
根据短文内容回答下列问题Who will Greg donate these sports shoes to?
From running Greg got health, friendships and confidence, and what did he realize?
How many pairs of shoes has S.O.S collected and donated so far?
Why does Greg like to clean the donated shoes?
What did the two boys in southern California learn from Greg?
Nobody wants to lose, but we must accept that losing is a part of life. After all, we can’t win all the time. However, we can learn something valuable from every failure(失败). This may help us succeed in the future. So we must know how to be a good loser.
We must not be afraid of losing. When we lose, just take it with a smile and look on the bright side of it. Failure can’t be avoided in our life. Edison failed 10,000 times before he invented the light bulb(灯泡). When he was asked how he felt, he said that he hadn’t failed 10,000 times but had learned 10,000 things which didn’t work. We must know that history is full of examples of men and women who achieved success although they failed many times.
Losing is not very disgraceful. We must accept our failure and learn to take advantage of it. Remember that it can be helpful. Take action to walk out of it. When we lose, think about what we did and how we can improve. If someone else can help, we’ll be lucky enough. Maybe he or she has been through the same experience before. Many people enjoy helping others solve problems. This can save us a lot of time in learning how to avoid the same mistakes in the future.
We should face our failure when we lose. There is only one winner in every competition. Some win, while some lose. That is a usual way of life. If we offer our congratulations(祝贺)to the winners and share in their happiness, we won’t feel sorry for our failure.
In a word, being a good loser will help us to succeed in life. It might be painful at the beginning, but there are many advantages. Good losers set examples to us, and most importantly, they finally win.
(1). What can we learn from every failure according to the text?
A. |
A way of life. |
B. |
A valuable thing. |
C. |
A general rule. |
D. |
A secret of success. |
(2). In the writer’s eyes, why did Edison achieve success?
A. |
He got help from others. |
B. |
He happened to make it. |
C. |
He avoided possible mistakes. |
D. |
He saw the bright side of losing. |
(3). What does the underlined word “disgraceful” probably mean?
A. |
Bad. |
B. |
Personal. |
C. |
Dangerous. |
D. |
Interesting. |
(4). What does the writer advise the losers to do in a competition?
A. |
Express the regrets. |
B. |
Forget the failure. |
C. |
Share in the winners’ enjoyment. |
D. |
Join in another competition. |
(5). What is the best title for the text?
A. |
Ideas about How to Avoid Mistakes |
B. |
Experience in Dealing with Problems |
C. |
Advice on How to Be a Good Loser |
D. |
Advantages of both Success and Failure |
Presentation(展示)skills are important at school and in other areas of life. Some people don’t like giving presentations because they don’t know what to say or because they get nervous about public speaking. Here’s some advice to help you make presentations easier and more enjoyable.
1. Get organised
The best presentations are well planned and clearly organized. Think about topics(话题)and choose a proper one. In one topic, three or four main ideas will be fine. The beginning of your presentation should be interesting. For example, you can tell a short, funny story to make people laugh.
2. Use photos or videos
Try to use photos or videos. These things make your performance more exciting and help you remember what you’ re going to say. However,you shouldn’t use too many. The “star” of your presentation should be you, not your photos or videos.
3. Practice before your performance
You need to practice many times before the “big day”. Practice saying any unusual words. Then write the main ideas on small cards to help you remember. Practice in front of a mirror and time your presentation. Finally, you can record your performance or ask a friend to watch you and then make suggestions for improvements.
4. Connect with your audience(观众)
Always look at the audience when you speak. Stand up straight, but don’t stand still or move around much. Finally, be sure to thank your audience when you finish speaking. It’s a simple but good way to end any presentation.
(1). How can you interest your listeners at the beginning?
A. |
By listing your ideas. |
B. |
By telling a funny story. |
C. |
By standing up straight. |
D. |
By saying simple words. |
(2). Which is the “big day” according to the text?
A. |
The day you prepare videos. |
B. |
The day you get some advice. |
C. |
The day you visit your friends. |
D. |
The day you make a presentation. |
(3). What is the good way to end your presentation?
A. |
To repeat topics. |
B. |
To show thanks. |
C. |
To make suggestions. |
D. |
To share main ideas. |
(4). Which question could best help us find out the writer’s purpose?
A. |
Did the writer try to teach us skills? |
B. |
Did the writer help us understand ideas? |
C. |
Did the writer invite us to attend a course? |
D. |
Did the writer ask us to be polite in public? |
Last year I had a trip with my friend, Nancy. The weather was cloudy except for one night. Nancy and I sat in the field and we felt relaxed. We talked about the fantastic trip, looking at the stars. “It’s a pity we don’t know which stars we’re looking at, Jenny,” said Nancy. “I know some of them,” I answered. Nancy felt surprised when I finally finished telling her all the names I knew.
My interest in stars began when I was eight. My aunt took me to a planetarium(天文馆). A guide showed us the groups of stars and told us stories about how they got their names. The stories were wonderful.
Everyone knows we can see the stars better when it’s not cloudy, but lots of people don’t realize that a bright moon also stops us seeing very much. I always look for the Plough(北斗星), because once I see that, I can find the North Star and other stars.
I wanted to learn more about the stars, so I took a course at the club. There are so many lights in the city that we have to go into the countryside to see any stars. I’m planning to make videos about stars in the countryside. I’ll post them online for everyone to watch. My greatest dream is to be an astronaut(宇航员)and I wish I could have a space travel.
(1). How did Nancy feel after Jenny told her the names of stars?
A. |
Relaxed. |
B. |
Surprised. |
C. |
Angry. |
D. |
Wonderful. |
(2). What is Jenny planning to do?
A. |
Have a space travel. |
B. |
Take courses online. |
C. |
Make videos about stars. |
D. |
Give a talk about names. |
(3). Which of the following would Jenny probably agree with?
A. |
Students should move to the countryside. |
B. |
Children’s favorite hobby is to write stories. |
C. |
The best place to watch stars is the city center. |
D. |
A bright moon may stop people seeing very much. |
Welcome to the City Youth Club. Find out what’s going on!
Are you 10-18 years old? Open Monday to Friday. 5 pm-8 pm.
Tell us here:
I’m Emily. I like doing arts. We often paint pictures and make things at the club. We have a helper in the arts room. He’s really nice. People talk to him about their problems.
I’m Sam. There’s a skateboard park at the club and I love skateboarding. I don’t have a skateboard, but that’s OK. It has skateboards for people to use.
I’m Rose. I like rock climbing and there’s a big climbing wall at the club. You can do rock climbing on Mondays and Wednesdays.
I’m Bob. There’s a coffee shop and you can buy food and drink there. I help in the coffee shop on Fridays.
I’m Mark. I work at the club on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I’m a volunteer—I don’t get money for my work. I like helping people.
(1). Who paints pictures and makes things at the club?
A. |
Sam. |
B. |
Bob. |
C. |
Rose. |
D. |
Emily. |
(2). When can you do rock climbing at the club?
A. |
From Monday to Friday. |
B. |
From Tuesday to Thursday. |
C. |
On Mondays and Wednesdays. |
D. |
On Tuesdays and Thursdays. |
(3). What does Mark like to do at the club?
A. |
Help people. |
B. |
Sell food. |
C. |
Make money. |
D. |
Go skateboarding. |
阅读短文,根据短文内容回答问题。
Working Out through Online Videos
Physical exercise is good for our mind, body and spirit. Today, working out through online videos is becoming very popular. Since the Internet is widely used, it’s very easy for us to do so. That means we can work out anytime anywhere.
One of my friends, Lin Fei. followed short workout videos to do daily exercise. “With live programs, I feel like working out with my friends, which encourages me to hold on to the last minute.” she said. Another friend of mine, Michael, told me that workout videos let him feel so comfortable. “I have a fear of working out at the gym(健身房)because I don’t like being watched by others. Working out at home makes working out much more enjoyable.” he said.
With their examples, I decided to give it a try. When I told my plan to my elder sister, a P.E. teacher, she reminded me that workout videos could be helpful but might still carry some problems.
“Without being with someone in person, you will be less willing (愿意的)to work out to your best. Working out at the gym allows you to have advice in real time and get pushed harder.” my sister said to me. “Well, if you really want to have a try. first, choose proper programs or videos. That’s very important. And then ask your friends for advice. Their experiences can give you a good sight into what you can expect. Anyway, don’t be addicted(沉迷的)to it. You should try different ways to work out to be healthy.”
At her suggestions, I finally followed an online workout program with personalized help that is held for three months. After the first period of training, I felt it very practical and helpful when I put in the right amount (量) of work along with a strong will. Compared with going to the gym, using online videos to work out is a much cheaper and time-saving choice. But it can be difficult sometimes when I’m too lazy or too busy to stick to it.
(1). Which way to work out is becoming very popular today?
__________________________________________________________________
(2). Why does Michael dislike working out at the gym?
__________________________________________________________________
(3). What is the problem of working out without someone else in person?
__________________________________________________________________
(4). How did the writer feel about his first period of training?
__________________________________________________________________
(5). Would you like to follow online videos to work out? Why or why not?
__________________________________________________________________