This is a song millions of Americans will hear this New Year’s Eve. It is called Auld Lang Syne. It is the traditional music played during the New Year’s celebration. Auld Lang Syne is an old Scottish poem. It tells about the need to remember old friends.
The words “auld lang syne” mean “old long since”. No one knows who wrote the poem first. However, a version(版本) by Scottish poet Robert Bums was published in 1796. The words and music we know today first appeared(出现) in a songbook three years later.
The song is played in the United States mainly on New Year’s Eve. The version you are hearing today is by the Washington Saxophone Quartet. As we end our program with Auld Lang Syne, I would like to wish all our radio friends a very Happy New Year! This is Buddy Thomas.This passage is from .
A.a newspaper | B.a magazine |
C.a TV program | D.a radio program |
Who is introducing Auld Lang Syne to us?
A.Robert Bums. | B.The Washington Saxophone Quartet. |
C.Buddy Thomas. | D.The passage doesn’t tell us. |
The words and music of Auld Lang Syne we know today first appeared .
A.in 1790 | B.in 1793 |
C.in 1796 | D.in 1799 |
Look at the notice from the Students’ Union. It’s a description of students’ activities for the coming winter vacation.
Winners of Super Boys will come to our school on January 30th, 2014. They are going to give a concert in the school hall at 2:00 pm. Please come to the Students’ Union to get a half-price ticket to the concert before this Friday. |
Wouldn’t it be great if you could join us and go hiking around the West Hill for two days? We’ll start at 7:00 am on February 6th. Please come to the Students’ Union to sign your name and pay fifty yuan, 20 percent off for members of the Hiking Club. |
Are you interested in being a volunteer? We’ll go to a mountain village to give away books to the children there. We’ll work and study with them for a whole day. Please come to the school gate at 6:00 am on February 13th, 2014. Free of charge(免费). |
We’ll hold a party for the students who come from poor families and have to stay at school during the winter vacation. Would you like to join us? Please come to the reading room at 5:00 pm on January 28th. |
The notice is about .
A.free tickets | B.students’ activities |
C.the West Hill | D.poor children |
Betty likes music and wants to go to the concert, so she must arrive at the school hall before on January 30th, 2014.
A.2:00 pm | B.7:00 am | C.6:00 am | D.5:00 pm |
If you are a volunteer, you will go to a mountain village .
A.on January 30th | B.on February 6th |
C.on February 13th | D.on January 28th |
If you want to take part in a party for poor students, you should go to on January 28th.
A.the school hall | B.the West Hill、 |
C.a mountain village | D.the reading room |
How much will Tom, a member of the Hiking Club, pay if he wants to go hiking around the West Hill?
A.2 yuan. | B.50 yuan. |
C.40 yuan. | D.Nothing |
It's important to develop the healthy habits in your daily life. The following will help you become healthier and keep perfect shape.
Eat properly. A healthy diet is very important for everybody. Breakfast is the most important meal in a day. Doctors suggest that students’ breakfast should include fruit, eggs, milk, rice or noodles, because these can offer them necessary energy, help them listen carefully in class and keep them healthy. Eat enough for lunch and little for supper. But remember that too much sugar is bad for your teeth and blood. You shouldn't have too many sweet snacks and desserts in your diet, even though such food tastes delicious.
Keep off germs(病菌). Daily tooth cleaning reduces the amount of germs which will spread diseases. Germs in the mouth arc likely to enter the blood and cause illness, even heart disease. Even if you’re not sick, always remember to cough or into your arms instead of your hands because hands can spread germs to others when you touch something else. Besides, washing hands is necessary after going to the toilet or before having a meal. And you'd better rub both hands while washing them.
Exercise regularly. Regular exercise can improve your moods and balance. What’s more, it’s good for bones. There are many forms of exercise: walking or running for about 30 minutes a day playing ball games twice or three times a week, swimming or dancing often. You can choose your favorite to practise regularly. You will not only feel energetic but also think better after doing exercise.
Stay connected. Having regular communication with friends is the key to reducing stress. And sharing happiness and sadness, exchanging information with others can also help improve memory. Having a friend or a circle of friends can help you feel good.
The |
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Eating properly |
You should have proper breakfast because it can You should have enough for lunch and little for Sweet snacks and desserts arc tasty, |
Keeping off germs |
It's necessary for you to your arms’ and wash your hands often to stop germs from 71________. |
You will feel |
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Staying connected |
It can help you feel |
How quickly can you count from one to ten? Do you use ten different words to do it? Can you do it in English, or do you have to use your first languages? Do you count on your fingers? Many people think that numbers and math are the same all over the world. But scientists have discovered that it is not true.
People in different parts of the world use different ways to count on their fingers. In the United States, people think begin counting with their first fingers, which they extend or stick out. They then extend the rest of their fingers and finally the thumb(拇指)to count to five. Then they repeat this with the other hand to get to ten. In China, people count by using different finger positions. In this way, a Chinese person can easily count to ten on only one hand.
Besides ways of finger counting, scientists have found that cultures and languages are also different when it comes to numbers. Some languages have only a few words for numbers, and others have no words for numbers. A group of scientists studied aboriginal(土著的)people in Australia. These people don’t have hand movements to stand for numbers. They don’t even have word for numbers. However, they are still able to understand different ideas about numbers.
In a similar study, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered that people of the Piraha tribe (部落) in northwestern Brazil don’t have words for numbers such as “one” or “three.”. They are not able to say “five trees” or “ten trees” but can say “some trees,” “more trees,” or “many trees.” Professor Edward Gibson said that mist people believe that everyone knows how to count, “but here is a group that does not count. They could learn, but isn’t not useful in their culture, so they’ve never picked it up.”
Although all humans are able to understand quantities(数量),not all languages have numbers and not all people use counting. Number words in a certain language are a result of people needing numbers in their daily lives. Now we know that people have different ideas about numbers and math, too.The writer begins with the four questions in order to______.
A.make a survey | B.interest readers |
C.tell a story | D.solve math problems |
What do we learn from the difference in finger counting between the U.S. and China?
A.People from China count much faster than people from the U.S. |
B.People from China need two hands to count from one to ten. |
C.People of different cultures may use different ways of finger counting |
D.People of different cultures use the same way of finger counting. |
Which of following is true about aboriginal Australians?
A.They have only a few words for numbers |
B.They have hand movements to stand for numbers |
C.They can only count to five on their fingers |
D.They can understand different ideas about numbers |
The study of the Piraha tribe shows that____
A. people all over the world know how to count
B. People of the tribe have words for number
C. Some groups of people are not smart enough to count
D, Counting is not useful in the culture of the tribeWhat is the main idea of the passage?
A.people from different cultures have different ideas about numbers and math |
B.Chinese people can count more easily on their fingers than Americans |
C.In some aboriginal culture,p eople don’t even know how to count |
D.Some languages don’t have number words because people don’t need numbers. |
To us, it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains. But in fact the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain. Its first use was as a shade(遮蔽)against the sun.
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese, back in the eleventh century BC.
We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use : it became a symbol of honor and power(权力). In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office or by royal people such as the kings or queens.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. The umbrella was in common use in ancient Greece, but it is believed that the first people in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans. During the middle ages in Europe, the use of the umbrella almost disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it became a symbol of power.
Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn't until the twentieth century that the umbrellas for women began to be made in all kinds of colors.Ancient people first used umbrellas as ____.
A.a symbol of honor |
B.protection against the sun |
C.a symbol of power |
D.protection against the rain |
According to the passage, the umbrella was probably first used in ancient ______.
A.Egypt . | B.Babylon | C.Rome | D.China |
The underlined word royal might mean _ in Chinese.
A.皇室的 | B.富裕的 | C.中产的 | D.平民的 |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A.The ancient Greeks used the umbrella in their daily life. |
B.Europeans hardly used the umbrella during the middle ages. |
C.The umbrellas for women were made colorful in ancient times. |
D.The style of the umbrella hasn't changed a lot since it was invented |
This passage is mainly about _____.
A.the sales of the umbrella |
B.the differences among umbrellas |
C.the invention of the umbrella |
D.the history and the use of the umbrella |
There was a boy and his family was very rich. One day his father took him on a trip to a place. He wanted to show his son how poor people were there. They spent several days on a farm. There were many poor families living on the farm.
On their way home, the father asked the son, “How was the trip?” “It was great, Dad,” the son answered. “Did you notice how poor people were there?” asked his father. “Oh, yes,” said the son. “So, tell me,” said his father. The son said, “Well, we have one dog and they have four. We have a pool in our garden, while they have a river that has no end. We have expensive lanterns (灯), but they have stars above their heads at night. We have only a small piece of land to live on, while they have the endless fields. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have high walls around our houses to protect us, but they don’t need walls, because their friends will protect them.”
The father had nothing to say. Then the boy added, “Thank you, Dad, for letting me see how poor we are.”The father wanted to show his son ________.
A.how people on the farm worked |
B.how poor people were on the farm |
C.how beautiful the farm was |
D.how far it was from the city to the farm |
How often did they go to the farm?
A.Once a week. | B.Twice a month. |
C.Every year. | D.The writer doesn’t tell us. |
When the father asked the son how the trip was, the son thought it ________.
A.great | B.tiring |
C.terrible | D.boring |
According to the boy, people on the farm can see ________ at night.
A.expensive lanterns | B.a lot of cars |
C.stars above their heads | D.many horses |
Which of the following is TRUE, according to the passage?
A.The boy was from a very poor family. |
B.The father and the son spent several weeks on a farm. |
C.People on the farm have high walls around their houses. |
D.The boy thought that people on the farm lived a happy life. |