Today, after many days of practice and lots of matches, we entered the basketball final.
I was the leader of the team. At the very beginning, one student from our team got the ball and quickly shot a basket. Oh, it went in, 2:0. All our classmates cheered.
But after a few minutes there were some mistakes and we lost eight points. I changed two players, but it didn’t help.
At that time all our teammates felt worried and we even quarreled with each other angrily. “It’s no use crying over spilt milk!” I shouted, “We must face it!” Let’s think about our mistakes and stop making them!”
We had a short meeting. The second half of the match began. There was a big change. At first, our team got the ball and I shot from the three-point line at once. The ball did a beautiful curve and went straight into the basket.
I become very confident. The other team was still very strong.
A good chance came! I got the ball again and shot into the basket! 12:9! I couldn’t believe my eyes! Am I that good at shooting? How could I get so many points?
We stayed in the lead. Finally the score was 18:16. We won!
| A．a basketball match |
| B．a basketball team |
| C．skills of playing basketball |
| D．a famous basketball plaer |
| A．they felt upset |
| B．they kept arguing |
| C．they made mistakes |
| D．their classmates cheered too loud! |
| A．熟能生巧 | B．勤能补拙 | C．破釜沉舟 | D．覆水难收 |
| A．basketball is too hard a game to play |
| B．confidence comes from failure |
| C．failure can surely bring success |
| D．learning from failure can make one succeed |
Try reading the following sentences as fast as you can. “She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. So if she sells shells on the seashore, I’m sure she sells seashore shells.”
Not very easy, was it? What you’ve just read is called a tongue twister (绕口令). It is an exercise made up of sounds that are hard to pronounce(发音，读) in order to help people pronounce words faster and more correctly. Try the next example.
“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper. Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers? If Pete Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?”
Tongue twisters usually do not have much meaning. They are just designed to improve people’s ability to pronounce words. Although they may be very difficult, these exercises are very important to people who are trying to speak English correctly. This is because tongue twisters help people to tell the differences between similar sounds.
So if you wish to pronounce words more smoothly, you’d better try picking out some tongue twisters and practicing them.
| A．listening | B．writing | C．pronunciation | D．communication |
| A．it is very boring to read | B．it teaches us a lot of knowledge |
| C．we don’t know who “she” is | D．the sounds of “s” and “sh” are similar |
| A．Story Time | B．Study Garden |
| C．Latest News | D．Lost and Found |
It’s Friday evening. My daughters, 3 and 9, sigh(叹息) when I gently take the iPads away from their laps. One by one, our screens are turned off. We light the candles and sit down to have a big meal.
Most people in our lives know they will not be able to contact us by using computer or moblie phones for 24 hours. And so it has gone, every week for three years. We call it our “Technology Shabbat(科技安息日)" which lasts from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday.
I first understood the importance of disconnecting in 2008, when my father was told that he
had got brain cancer. Some days he would have ony one good hour, and I wasn’t willing to be disturbed when I was with him, so I’d turn off my mobile phone.
Soon after, encouraged by National Day of Unplugging(全国断网断电日) on March 1st, my husband and I decided to unplug for one full day every week.
During our “Technology Shabbats”, time slows. Our Saturdays now feel like mini-vacations. We drive our car or ride our bike. We, with our kids, work in the garden, play board games and cook meals. I feel more balanced. I feel like a better mother, wife and person.
Keeping a balance between the good and the bad of technology is my lasting state. The technology we’ve created makes it possible for us to share knowledge and take in carious ideas all over the world. But the technology also take something away from us. When we stay up late at night linking(连接) from website to website or sending messages or e-mailing, we click again, and again, and again until we’ve overloaded(超负荷的).
When we rush into the time full of high technology, it's necessary for us to pay attention to what we are doing online and when we should go off.
I will always remember the most important thing in my family: “Technology Shabbat".
| A．Only on Sunday. |
| B．From sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. |
| C．Only on Friday. |
| D．From sunset on Saturday to sunset on Sunday. |
| A．save energy |
| B．enjoy life together |
| C．stay away from others |
| D．follow National Day of Unplugging |
| A．They drive their car or ride bikes for mini-vacations. |
| B．They light the candles and sit down to have a big meal. |
| C．They work in the garden, play board games and cook meals. |
| D．They stay up late at night linking from website to website. |
Once there lived a man in a small town. He often said, “If I have lots of gold, I shall be the happiest man in the world.”
One day he was traveling in North Africa. He lost his way and he was so hungry and thirsty that he couldn’t walk any more. There were only stones and sand around. Just then he saw a bag on the sand. He took it up. But when he opened it, he saw it was full of gold.
He left the bag on the sand and cried, “ What is the use of gold to a hungry man?”
| A．Food | B．Drinks | C．Stones | D．Gold |
| A．“he didn’t know where he was and where to go |
| B． “he didn’t know where he came from” |
| C．“he didn’t know how to return home” |
| D． “he lost what he had on the way” |
| A．happy | B．hungry | C．thirsty | D．sad |
| A．Food | B．Gold | C．Money | D．Stones |
I was going to bed the other night when my wife told me that I had left the light on in the shed（储藏室）. She could see it from the bedroom window. As I looked for myself, I saw that there were thieves in the shed taking things. I phoned the police, but they told me that no one was in this area to help at this time, but they would send someone over as soon as they were free.
I said OK, hung up, and waited one minute, then phoned the police back, “Hello, I just called you a minute ago because there were thieves in my shed. Well, you don’t have to worry about them now because I’ve killed them all.”
Within five minutes there were six police cars in the area. Of course, they caught the thieves very quickly. One of the officers said: “I thought you said that you’d killed them!” I replied with “I thought you said there was nobody free!”
| A．shed | B．bedroom | C．kitchen | D．garden |
| A．caught them by himself | B．called the police at once |
| C．did nothing but wait | D．killed them |
| A．it was too far | B．the car was broken |
| C．they were all busy | D．it was too cold |
| A．found it boring | B．took it serious |
| C．let it go | D．have a rest |
| A．lost | B．killed | C．caught | D．away |
阅读下列短文，根据短文中的信息完成文后表格。（每空一词）
Beggars are often seen sitting under blankets as people walk past them in Cambridge’s market center. Some ask passers-by(路人) for change and some just sit and wait to be given money．
To solve the problem of begging, an “alternative giving” plan has been suggested. Ten blue money boxes will be placed in busy places such as the market and the railway station. The aim is to encourage people not to give money directly(直接地) to beggars but instead to give generously to the local people who are homeless．
Different people have different opinions. Supporters of this plan think it will be a good way to solve the beggars’ alcohol and drug problems(酗酒和吸毒). But the police don’t support it. They argue that beggars who do not receive cash（现金）may turn to criminality( 犯罪). The homeless charity “Crisis” said the success of any plan will depend on its style. They think that imaginative and positive(积极的) plans can help create local understanding and sympathy（同情心）. Most of the beggars don’t like the plan because they think they will not get enough money from the boxes for their showers, food, and clothes.
Begging is a big social problem both in developing and developed countries. Governments must play a big role in working out this problem. Training beggars to work and helping them to find jobs is a good way. This is true for developing countries where many simple jobs exist. People should also be educated to see beggars not as dirty and dangerous, but as people who need understanding and help.
|
|
| Introduction to the begging problem |
Some beggars ask Some beggars just sit and wait to be given money. |
| An “alternative plan” to the problem |
I In some busy places, ten blue boxes will be placed to |
Different |
Supporters think it very good to solve the problems. The police oppose(反对) the plan arguing that the beggars may turn to criminality The homeless charity said that it remains to be seen whether this plan would work well. Most of the beggars |
with the problem |
Governments must be active in The public shouldn't look |