The winter holiday season is the busiest time of the year in the US, and Thanksgiving is the one holiday this time of year that doesn’t get the attention it deserves — it is often overshadowed by Christmas. However, I still feel the festive atmosphere in my family.
Each year, I attend not just one Thanksgiving dinner, but typically between three and four. Thanksgiving lasts all throughout the second half of the week. I travel to different houses to spend time with different parts of my family. We usually eat a giant amount of traditional Thanksgiving foods such as deviled eggs, ham, green beans, potatoes, and breads. We don’t eat the traditional turkey like many families do, but we have just about everything else that someone would want to eat.
After eating, we sit around and chat. Usually someone has brought a guest, such as a new boyfriend/girlfriend or a new baby, so there’s always a chance to get to know the new family member, as well as catching up with family that I haven’t seen for a long time.
My extended families are very different, which makes for different holiday experiences. My other’s family is very polite and quiet, and that makes the dinner with them seem very formal. My father’s family is the opposite. They’re loud and don’t even try to control what words come out of their mouths. Their Thanksgiving usually includes yelling at whatever football game is on the television. It’s very casual and relaxed. Either way, it’s nice to be able to see my family and spend time with them.
In my eyes, Thanksgiving is a holiday based on being thankful for what you have, spending tine with family, and eating a lot more food than you probably should. Not all these things go with its history, but it makes for a nice tradition. The underlined word“overshadowed”in the first paragraph probably means ________.
| A．compared |
| B．celebrated |
| C．related |
| D．made to feel less important |
How does the author usually celebrate Thanksgiving?
a. eating turkey.
b. chatting with her family.
c. watching the annual Thanksgiving shows on TV.
d. attending several Thanksgiving dinners with different parts of her family.
| A．a, b. |
| B．a, c. |
| C．b, d. |
| D．c, d. |
What does the author think of her parents’families?
| A．She thinks that her parents’families have a lot in common with each other. |
| B．She believes that her mother and father’s families should learn from each other. |
| C．She prefers her father’s family’s casual way of celebrating Thanksgiving to her mother’s family’s way. |
| D．She enjoys spending time both of her parents’families although they are quite different. |
Mr. Fitzpatrick has given much attention to his “Weight reduction” (减轻体重) programs. Just last year, for example, when he was the main speaker at the company dinner, he said he put on twenty pounds instead of losing thirty he promised he would.
The year before that, he joined a health club. He exercised every day and ate less food. At the end of three months, however, he began making excuses about why he couldn’t go there more often.
After the health club failed to work, he joined Weight Watchers but stopped going because he was the only man there. And he hated following any of the diet programs. Fitz’s latest idea is to join a walking club to “walk off” the weight.
41. Mr. Fitzpatrick was ________ when spoke at the company dinner last year.
A. lighter than the year before B. planning to go on a diet
heavier than the year before D. with the Weight Watchers
42. He did not stay with Weight Watchers because ________.
A. he couldn’t do as the diet programs required him
B. he felt uncomfortable being watched by women
C. the members of Weight Watchers were all women but him
D. both A and C
43. Which of the following can best explain the main idea of the passage?
A. There is no good way to lose weight. B. One can do nothing without a strong will.
C. There are different ways to lose weight. D. Walking is the best way of losing weight.
What makes one person more intelligent than another? What makes one person a genius, like the brilliant Albert Einstein, and another person a fool? Are people born intelligent or stupid, or is intelligence the result of where and how you live? These are very old questions and the answers to them are still not clear.
We know, however, that just being born with a good mind is not enough. In some ways, the mind is like a leg or an arm muscle. It needs exercise. Mental (done with the mind) exercise is particularly important for young children. Many child psychologists (心理学家) think that parents should play with their children more often and give them problems to think about. The children are then more likely to grow up bright and intelligent. If, on the other hand, children are left alone a great deal with nothing to do, they are more likely to become dull and unintelligent.
Parents should also be careful with what they say to young children. According to some psychologists, if parents are always telling a child that he or she is a fool or an idiot, then the child is more likely to keep doing silly and foolish things. So it is probably better for parents to say very positive (helpful) things to their children, such as “That was a very clever thing you did.” or “You are such a smart child.”
36. The words “intelligent” and “brilliant” in the first paragraph probably mean _______ while “dull” in the second paragraph means ________.
A. bright and splendid; slow in thinking and understanding
B. pretty and handsome; ordinary-looking
great and important; common
D. hopeful and helpful; careless
37. According to the context we can guess that a genius is ________ while an idiot is ________.
A. a normal person; a funny person
B. a strong person; a weak persona highly intelligent person; a foolish or weak-minded person
D. a famous person; an ordinary person
38. A person ________ is more likely to become a genius.
A. whose parents are clever
B. often thinking about difficult problemsoften helped by his parents and teachers
D. born with a good brain and putting it into active use
39. It is better for parents ________.
A. to praise and encourage their children more often
B. to be hard on their childrento leave their children alone with nothing to do
D. to give their children as much help as possible
40. Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?
A. Parents play an important part in their children’s growth.
B. The less you use your mind the duller you may become.
C. Intelligence is obviously the result of where and how you live.
D. What makes a person bright or stupid is still under discussion.
What should you think about when trying to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others. These may show strengths that you can use in your work. A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in an engineering career. A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work. So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school. On the other hand, you may not have any specially strong subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard. Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value. A knowledge of history is not required for most jobs but if history is one of your good subjects you will have learned to remember facts and details. This is an ability that can be useful in many jobs.
Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work.. You may be good at metalwork or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills. If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in the summer, think what you gained from it. If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers. You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example. Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job.
Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself. You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures. It is better to face any weakness than to pretend they do not exist. Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background. You should not be apologetic(认错的) about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work.
67．What is the passage mainly about?
A．The importance of working hard at school.
B．Choosing a career according to one’s strengths.
C．How to face one’s weakness. D．The value of school work.
68. The writer thinks that a student have a part-time job is probably ___.
A. a good way to find out his weak points B. one of the best ways of earning extra money
C. of great use for his work in the future D. a waste of time he could have spent on study
69．From the passage we learn that if a student’s school performance is not good, he _______.
A．should pay more attention to learning skills and developing abilities
B．will be regretful about his bad results
C．may also do well in his future work D．should restart his study in school
70. The underlined phrase “be all thumbs” (in Para 3) probably means “_______”.
A. be clumsy at doing things B. be skillful in doing things
C. be not interested in certain things D. be easily bored in doing things
Western New Bridge Library Announcement
2010-3-10
| Shortened Library Hours for Spring Break Library Hours have been shortened to 7hours a day (9:00a. m. —4:00p. m.)for spring Break from March 24 to March 30. |
| Coming Events |
| ●On Monday, March 24, at 10:30am., Scott Sutton, a children’s writer, will tell stores to kids over seven. Sutton’s attractive style will surely inspire everyone present! ●At 1:00pm. On march 26, the Georgetown musicians will present an Irish folk concert, which will be entertaining for the entire family. come for the music and stay to check out some relevant books for the rest of the week! ●On Thursday, march 27, at 2:00pm., the annual children’ gathering will take place in room 201, the second-floor. pick up an invitation in the children’s room and return your RSVP(回复) to reserve your at the table by 3:00 pm. On Tuesday, march 25. Only children are allowed in the gathering. ●At 10:30am. On Friday, March 28, Enzo Monfre of the hit kids’ science show, ENZOology, will bring Fossils live! Surely Enzo will take the audience back in time, deep beneath the surface of the earth, to uncover the mysteries of killer dinosaurs, and more. Enzo recently appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show- come and see him at the library! |
| Please note: In case of emergency, please call the Help Desk at 926-3736 and follow the procedures outlined on the voice message. The call-down service is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for emergencies. The Help Desk supplies service to you all the year round! For questions about all these, please contact hld@wnbl. org. |
| Come for the great Fun; Stay for the relevant Books! |
63. To attend the annual Children’s Gathering, one has to .
A. buy a ticket B. apply in advance
C. make a reservationD. contact the call-down service
64. According to the passage, Enzo Monfre will .
A. show the children around a zoo B. tell stories to children over seven
C. be present at the science show in preson D. lead the children to the Ellen DeGeneres Show
65. The Help Desk in this library supplies service .
A. only during the daytime B. in case of emergency
C. till the end of the Spring Break D. after 22:00 p.m. every day
66. We can learn from the passage that children can .
A. attend all the activities with their parents
B. borrow some relevant books for the activities
C. take part in the activities from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
D. choose only one of the activities according to their interest
Have you experienced the 2009’s Oscar best movie called Slum-dog Millionaire (《贫民富翁》)?
This film is about a poor Indian boy from the slums (贫民窟), Jamal, who ends up winning the grand prize in a show— “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” The night before he answers the prize-winning questions, Jamal is arrested by the police and hurt severely. They don't believe a slumdog like Jamal can answer seven questions correctly and possibly win 20 million rupees. But, as the movie unfolds, Jamal let out the secret how he found the answers to each of the questions. Viewers also learn about Jamal's childhood, his selfish older brother Salim, and his childhood love, Latika.
The movie's point, however, is not just to tell a typical story of an underdog (弱者) who becomes a hero. The director also uses Slum-Dog Millionaire to give viewers a taste of India. The movie begins in Jamal's childhood home in the slums of India. The place where he and his family lived reminds one of the hutong that used to make up a large part of old Beijing. Jamal and his brother grow and travel across India, meanwhile surviving as slum-dogs and cheats, and India ages with them. By the time Jamal is 17 or 18, his old home has been replaced by a giant financial center. Jamal and Salim take a moment to recall about their old lives, as they stand high up in a tall building that is still under construction. That view from above reminded me of a similar view I had just two years ago in China: I was standing there in the living room of a family friend's modern apartment, looking out through a window, down to some shacks (简陋的房屋) below, just next to the building complex. It was amazing how riches and poverty could live so close together.
The thing that was most appealing about the movie, to me and my Indian friends, was how we could understand the story presented in the movie. More important than the story was the window on the social and economic situations in Asia that it provided.
60．Viewers can learn from the movie EXCEPT __________.
A．Jamal’s childhood and his bitter experience of wandering across the country
B．the rapid social changes and economic development in India
C．the poor life of people in the slums against the development of cities in India
D．the secret of becoming a millionaire through personal struggle
61．Why does the movie appeal to the writer?
A．It’s a typical story of the underdog who becomes a hero, which she admires most.
B．It’s an Oscar best movie that helps her understand the human nature.
C．It has an exciting and complicated plot that attracts her very much.
D．It reminds her of her experience in China and helps know about other Asian countries.
62．The writer wrote the passage to____________.
A．introduce a movie to readers and share her views about it.
B．persuade more viewers to go to the cinema to see the movie.
C．express her enthusiasm towards Asia and its culture.
D．reveal the true social reality in most developing countries.