Dear Karen,
As you probably know, it’s my sister Suzie’s 16th birthday in a week. We’re planning a surprise party for her. Julie’s going to pick her up from school as usual on Friday but she’s not taking her home. She’s bringing her to the Palace Hotel, the big modern one near the station. We’re having a meal there and we’ve also hired (租用) the ballroom (舞厅) for a party in the evening. I hope you can come!
All her friends from school are coming and quite a few of the people from our village, too. Of course, Mum and Dad are coming up from England and I’ve managed to persuade (说服) our other sister, Marie, to come over from Australia. She’s bringing her kids with her, too.
After the party we’re going to have another one on Saturday! Well, not really a party. We’re inviting the family and close friends (that includes you) for a meal at the house. If the weather is nice, we’d like to have a barbecue in the garden. Julie’s going to make a special cake for Suzie.
Anyway, we hope to make it a really special weekend for Suzie. On Sunday we’re all going for a walk in the country. You know how she loves walking and we’re all going to need a bit of exercise after all that lovely food. We’re hoping to go up to the lake. Marie said she wanted her kids to feed the ducks just like Suzie and she did when they were very young. I’m sure Suzie will love that too.
It would be great if you could come over for the weekend. We would all love to see you.
Let me know as soon as you can.
Best，
David. Who is Karen? ______
| A．David’s cousin. | B．David’s friend. |
| C．David’s sister. | D．David’s classmate. |
. David and Julie are planning to have Suzie’s birthday party ______ on Friday evening.
| A．at the Palace Hotel | B．at the house |
| C．in the garden | D．beside the lake |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned? ______
| A．To make a special cake. | B．To have a barbecue. |
| C．To go swimming. | D．To feed the ducks. |
_____ won’t come for the meal at the house on Saturday because David doesn’t invite them /her.
| A．Karen |
| B．People from their village |
| C．Suzie’s Mum and Dad |
| D．Marie and her kids |
Why is David planning a walk in the country on Sunday?
Because he thinks ______.
| A．Suzie loves walking very much |
| B．Suzie used to take a walk there after dinner |
| C．it is special for Marie’s kids to go for a walk in the country |
| D．Suzie can feed the ducks in the river when going for a walk |
Reading is the key to school success, and like any skill, it takes practice. A child learns to walk by practicing until he no longer has to think about how to put one foot in front of the other. An excellent sportsman practices until he can play quickly, correctly and without thinking.
Educators (教育家) call it "automaticity (自动性)”．
A child learns to read by sounding out the letters and finding the meaning of the words. With more and more practice, he stumbles less and less. As a result, he can read by the phrases and soon by sentences. With automaticity, he doesn't have to think about the meaning of words, so that he can give all his attention to the meaning of the text.
It can begin as early as first grade. In a recent study of children in Illinois schools, Alan Rossman of Northwestern University found that automatic readers in the first grade not only read almost three times as fast as the others, but also got better results in exams.
According to Rossman, the key to automaticity is the amount of time a child spends reading, not his IQ. Any child who spends at least 3.5 t0 4 hours a week reading books, magazines or newspapers will probably reach automaticity. It can happen if a child turns off TV just one night for reading at home.
You can test yourself by reading something new which is suitable for your level. If you read aloud with expression, with a sense of the meaning of the sentences, you probably are an automatic reader. If you read brokenly, one word at a time, without expression or meaning, you need more practice. "Reading is the key to school success" means that reading_______.
| A．helps school develop faster |
| B．is a key to a successful school |
| C．helps students go to a key school |
| D．can improve students' learning results |
Children with "automaticiy" can read faster because they_______.
| A．know how to read the words |
| B．pay attention to the meaning of the text instead of the words |
| C．read by themselves without any help |
| D．do not have to think while reading |
The underlined word "stumble" in the second paragraph means“ ”in Chinese.
| A．结结巴巴地读 | B．全神贯注地读 |
| C．心不在焉地读 | D．声情并茂地读 |
The best title for the passage is“_______”．
| A．IQ is the Key- to the Automaticity |
| B．TV is Bad for Children's Reading |
| C．Automaticity Needs a Lot of Practice |
| D．Automatic Readers Must Be Successful |
One day, when I arrived at school, an ice cream truck was parked in the schoolyard. Ice cream men usually drove their trucks to primary schools. I had never thought one ice cream truck would come to bring ice cream to us older kids. When I went up to the truck, I was quite surprised to hear the man call out, "Free ice cream!" To make sure of his words, I asked, "I'm sorry, what did you say?" "Free ice cream. Choose whichever you like." he said, smiling.
After I was certain that the man was just giving away the ice cream, I talked with him for a long time. He told me that his dream had always been to travel around giving away ice cream, and that's what he was now doing. With his mother's support, he kept doing what he loved even during hard times. Now, however, some large companies are helping him his plan.
The man said he wanted to encourage people to do exactly what their heart told them to do with their lives. I kept asking him, "So your dream was just to drive around and give away ice cream? It seems like a very unusual goal." "Yes, just meeting people and making them smile," he replied. At that point he handed me my ice cream. I thanked him, but what I got from him was much more than just an ice cream. It can't easily be explained in words. I believe what he is doing is exactly what a great person does all the time: small acts of big love.From the story we know that the writer was most probably_______ at that time.
| A．a primary school teacher |
| B．a primary school student |
| C．a middle school student |
| D．a middle school teacher |
Why did the writer ask the ice cream man what he had said again?
| A．Because he was not sure whether what he had heard was true. |
| B．Because the ice cream truck had never been here before. |
| C．Because the ice cream man said in a low voice and he couldn't hear. |
| D．Because he didn't pay attention to the ice cream truck. |
With his mother's and some large companies' support, _______.
| A．the man became rich |
| B．the man could produce ice cream |
| C．the man could travel |
| D．the man's dream came true |
What's the best title of this story?
| A．A great man. | B．Small acts of big love. |
| C．A kind of charity. | D．My dream. |
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 |
The clock struck（敲）eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light, I looked sadly before me at a huge pile of books. I was going to have my exam the next day. "When can I go to bed?" I asked myself. I didn't answer, in fact I dared not.
The clock struck 12. "Oh, dear!" I cried, "ten more books to read before I can go to bed!" We pupils are the poorest creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one.1 was quite hopeless now. I forgot all I had learnt. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed（祈祷）,"Oh, God, Please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard later on, Amen." My eyes were heavy, so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.When the writer was going over his lessons, all the others in the house were_______.
| A．outside | B．working in bed |
| C．asleep | D．laughing at him |
What do you suppose happened to the writer?
| A．He went to a church to pray again. |
| B．He failed in the exam. |
| C．He passed the exam by luck. |
| D．His teacher helped him with the exam. |
The best title for the passage would be_______.
| A．Going Over My Lessons |
| B．Working Far into the Night |
| C．A Slow Student |
| D．The Night Before the Exam |
(Some classmates are talking about their weekend.)
Linda: I stayed at home and studied over the weekend. I studied for my English test on Saturday. Yesterday I wrote a geography paper. In the evening I talked to my pen pal (笔友) on the phone. What did you do?
Tim: I had a good time. On Saturday morning I played tennis, in the afternoon I went to the beach, and in the evening I went to Nancy’s birthday party. On Sunday I went to the mountains with my friends.
Mary: Oh, your weekend was great. But mine was boring. I stayed at home the whole (全)weekend. I cleaned my room and washed my clothes. I even watered the flowers. And only in the evening I watched TV for a short time. Did you go out, Dave?
Dave: No, I didn’t. I stayed at home and watched TV on Saturday. Yesterday I watched a movie on TV, Fearless. It was very exciting.
| A．Linda had a pen pal. |
| B．Linda had a geography test on Sunday. |
| C．Linda had English and geography at school. |
| D．Linda was busy with her studies over weekend. |
| A．He had a phone call. |
| B．He went to Nancy’s birthday party. |
| C．He watched TV at home. |
| D．The passage doesn’t tell us about it. |
| A．Linda. | B．Tim. | C．Mary. | D．Dave. |
| A．Dave. | B．Mary. |
| C．Both Dave and Mary. | D．No one. |
| A．Linda. | B．Tim. | C．Mary. | D．Dave. |