Last summer I went through a training program and became a literacy(识字) volunteer. When I began to know what other people’s lives were like because they could not read, I realized the true importance of reading.
My first student Marie was a 44- year-old single mother of three. In the first lesson, I found out she walked two miles to the nearest supermarket twice a week because she didn’t know which bus to take. When I told her I would get her a bus timetable, she told me it would not help because she could not read it. She said she also had difficulty once she got to the supermarket because she couldn’t always remember what she needs. Since she did not know words, she could not write out a shopping list. Also, she could only know items by sight, so if the product had a different sign, she would not know it as the product she wanted.
As we worked together, learning how to read built Marie’s self-confidence, which encouraged her to continue her studies. She began to make fast progress and was even able to take the bus to the supermarket. After this successful trip, she reported how self-confident she felt.
At the end of the program, she began helping her youngest son, Tony, a shy first grader with his reading. She sat with him before he went to sleep and together they would read bedtime stories. When his eyes became wide with excitement as she read, pride was written all over her face. As she described this experience, I was proud of myself as well. I found that helping Marie to build self-confidence was more rewarding than anything I had ever done before.
As a literacy volunteer, I learned a great deal about teaching and helping others. In fact, I may have learned more from the experience than Marie did.Marie didn’t go to the supermarket by bus because______.
| A．she lived too close to the supermarket |
| B．she wanted to stay fit through walking |
| C．there were no bus stops in front of the supermarket |
| D．she had no idea which bus to take to the supermarket |
What did the writer probably find when he was teaching Marie to read?
| A．Marie learnt how to read really fast |
| B．Marie had no gift for learning how to read |
| C．It was hard for Marie to change her habits |
| D．It was hard for Marie to build self-confidence |
We learn that in the end________.
| A．Marie could read and became confident |
| B．the writer chose to help Marie’s son to read too |
| C．the writer decided to spend more time learning to read |
| D．Marie thought she learnt more from the experience than the writer |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The importance of learning to read |
| B．The difficulties that a single mother faced |
| C．The writer’s most unforgettable experience |
| D．The writer’s experience as a literacy volunteer |
At one time or another we have all stopped to think about the weather. Some days the weather is good. Some days the weather is bad. Sometimes a day that seems bad turns out better than you thought it would. There are ways of understanding the weather. One way is to study the clouds. No two clouds are ever alike. We can see the different kinds of clouds and watch them for signs of changing weather. To forecast the weather, there are three things about clouds. you should look for: movement, colour, and change. As a rule, the higher the clouds, the better the weather. And the lower the clouds, the worse the weather is likely to be. Fair-weather cumulus clouds* are another sign of good weather. These are clouds we often see on warm summer days. Clouds can tell you if a storm is on the way. If the thick, fluffy cumulus clouds get bigger early in the day, then you know it will rain. If there is a sudden, cool and dark thunder* cloud appears, then a storm is about to break out. Colours in the sky tell us about the weather, too. A golden ring around the moon warns us that a storm is on the way. A watery yellow sunset is a sign that rain may be near. The rainbow* has a message, too. The colours of the rainbow come from the sun rays shining through falling rain. If you see the sun in the east and a rainbow in the west, the rain may be coming your way. If the sun is in the west and the rainbow is in the east, the rain will be moving away from you. According to this article, one way to understand the weather is to.
| A．study the clouds |
| B．monitor the temperature every hour |
| C．watch the signs of the wind |
| D．note the changes in wet |
High clouds usually suggest.
| A．bad weather | B．fine weather |
| C．rainy weather | D．windy weather |
The colours of the rainbow come from.
| A．sun rays shining through falling rain |
| B．dark thunder clouds in the sky |
| C．a golden ring around the moon |
| D．fair-weather cumulus clouds |
Which of the following would be a good title for this article?
| A．The Story of Weather Forecast |
| B．Fine Weather and Bad Weather |
| C．Weather Changes |
| D．Different Kinds of Clouds |
We may say, take the article as a whole knowledge,.
| A．none of the clouds is the same |
| B．a storm is to come on soon after a sudden, cool and dark thunder cloud |
| C．the higher and cumulus clouds may be signs of warm weather |
| D．all of the above |
One day Trudy saw an advertisement in a magazine. It offered a packet of 100 mixed stamps for $10. Trudy wanted to start a stamp collection so she ordered the packet. One hundred mixed stamps seemed a good way to begin a collection. She sent a postal order to the stamp company with her order, and waited excitedly for the stamps arrived. Trudy checked the mail every day for four weeks but the stamps didn’t arrive. So Trudy decided to write to the company. “Dear Sir/Madam,” she wrote, “a month ago I sent you a postal order for $10 as payment for 100 mixed stamps. They haven’t arrived. Please send them by return of mail.” another month passed. The stamps still didn’t arrive and she didn’t receive any replay to her letter. She asked her father for advice. Her father said, “You must write a stronger letter. Make the stamp company worry that you will report them to the authorities.” “Dear Sir/Madam,” she wrote in her second letter. “I am writing to complain about your poor service. Two months ago I sent you a postal order for $10 as payment for 100 mixed stamps. I didn’t receive the stamps. A month ago I wrote to inform you of this. I still haven’t received the stamps, and you haven’t replied to my letter. If I do not receive the stamps within seven days. I shall report this matter to the authorities.” Two days later Trudy received the stamps in the mail. Trudy ordered the stamps because _______.
| A．it seemed a good way to start a stamp collection |
| B．she wanted to give them to her father |
| C．she need them to mail some letters |
| D．she thought they were cheap |
Trudy paid for the stamps with ________.
| A．cash | B．a check | C．the credit card | D．a postal order |
Trudy checked the mail every day for ______.
| A．4 months | B．a week | C．a month | D．for 3 weeks |
In her second letter Trudy complained about how _______.
| A．expensive the stamps were |
| B．boring the stamps were |
| C．poor the company’s service was |
| D．slow the postal service was |
Trudy received the stamps ______ after she sent the second letter.
| A．a week | B．a month | C．two months | D．two days |
The question whether there is life on Mars (火星) has made the public think a lot for more than a century. The closest look showed Mars to be a dusty, cold world, covered by air too thin to breathe. A British spaceship and Europe's Mars spaceship plan to land on Mars or enter orbit (轨道) around it. One of the NASA’s (美国宇航局) spaceships is expected to land on January 3, the other is going to land on the opposite side of Mars on January 24. Since 1960, over twenty spaceships sent to Mars have failed. Most have been lost on flying up or landing because those are the most difficult times of any flights. Scientists wanted to find out whether there was water in Mars. In October, a team of scientists reported that Mars had been a dry wasteland. But weeks later, a second team reported differently that they had found some marks showed clearly that they were made by the rivers. Such marks told us that Mars was a warmer place billions of years ago — just as life first appeared here on Earth. Scientists at once raise a question: if what they said is true, what happened on Mars? Then what about the earth? Which is right about Mars?
| A．It’s cold without dust. |
| B．There is no water or air. |
| C．It’s warm with some thin air. |
| D．It’s a dusty, cold world almost without air. |
Two NASA’s spaceships _______________.
| A．will land on the different sides of Mars |
| B．will land on the same day |
| C．will enter orbit around Mars |
| D．will land with a man |
The most difficult times of a flight are _______________.
| A．taking off |
| B．flying up and arriving |
| C．entering the orbit and landing |
| D．leaving the earth and entering the orbit |
A team of scientists reported that there might be_____________ in Mars.
| A．nothing but air |
| B．nothing |
| C．water billions of years ago |
| D．thick air and lakes |
What are scientists worried about when they raise the question?
| A．Life disappeared on Mars. |
| B．Spaceships can’t land on Mars. |
| C．The air on the earth gets less and less. |
| D．The earth might be changed like Mars |
What will you do if weight keeps going up? Here are ideas to help you stay healthy:
Don’t sit around
Stay active. Try to exercise 30 to 60 minutes every day. Your exercise doesn’t have to be hard. Start small. Take the stairs instead of the elevator(电梯). Walk or ride a bike to places such as school or a friend’s house. Help your mum with housework, such as cleaning windows or the bathroom. It all burns fat. Make changes from time to time so you don’t get bored: Try running, biking, skating. There are many choices. Don’t spend long hours watching TV or playing video games. Even reading a book burns more fat.
Eat healthy
Truly different kinds of food and get enough fruits and vegetables each day. Drink water and low fat milk instead of soft drinks like Cola. Stay away from fast food. Eat when you are hungry, not when you are bored or because you can’t think of anything else to. Don’t eat meals or snacks while watching TV because you’ll probably end up eating more than you need. Some worry so much about their weight that they don’t eat breakfast. This is a bad idea. Teenagers need enough food. If not, you won’t get the nutrients you need to grow normally.
Don’t rush to go on a diet
Even if you are a little heavier than your fiends, you still may be normal. Remember to talk to doctors and your parents before you decide to lose weight.
| Don’t |
Do |
| Don’t sit around |
Stay |
| Don’t spend long hours |
Even reading a book burns more fat |
| Don’t eat fast food |
Try |
| Don’t eat when you are bored or because you can’t think of anything else to do. |
Eat when you are |
| Don’t rush to go on a |
Talk to doctors and your parents before you decide to lose weight |
Have you ever hoped a toy balloon? They are very light. But there are much bigger balloons can fly very high up in the sky. They are big enough to carry people. They are called hot-air balloons.
To make a hot-air balloon go up, turn on the burner(燃烧器). That will make the air inside the balloon hotter. Then the balloon will go up.
To make the balloon go down, turn off the burner. The air inside the balloon will get cooler. Then the balloon will go down. Underneath(在….下面) the balloon there is a large basket. That is where the pilot and the passengers go.
The burner is just above the basket. You can stand in the basket and turn the burner on and off. The balloon will go where the wind is blowing the right way! Do you want the balloon to go somewhere special? First make sure the wind is blowing the right way!
People have been flying in hot-air balloons for over two hundred years. Before planes it was the only way of flying. Today people fly in hot-air balloon for fun. Some people like to race hot-air balloons.A hot-air balloon is ____
| A．smaller than a toy balloon | B．bigger than a toy balloon |
| C．the same as a toy balloon | D．lighter than a toy balloon |
Where will you sit if you want to fly in the balloon?
| A．Inside the basket | B．On top of the balloon |
| C．Under the basket | D．Inside the balloon |
You want the balloon to go up. So you will ____
| A．jump out of the balloon |
| B．let the air out of the balloon |
| C．make the air inside the balloon hotter |
| D．let the air inside the balloon cool down |
Now you are high up in the sky. If you want the balloon go down, you will _____
| A．make your friends go out of the basket |
| B．make a hole in the balloon with a knife |
| C．make the air inside the balloon hotter |
| D．make the air inside the balloon cooler |
Now everything is all right! The balloon is flying across the sky. Where are you going?
| A．Towards the sun | B．To the seaside |
| C．Where the wind blows you. | D．To the nearest mountains |