Last week, my granddaughter started kindergarten(幼儿园), and certainly I wished her success. I was saying something that is not true. What I actually wish for her is failure. I believe in the importance of failure.
Success is boring. Success is proving that you can do something that you already know you can do, or do something correctly the first time, which can often be a problem for the future. First-time success is usually a fluke(侥幸). First-time failure, in fact, is the natural order of things.
Failure means how we learn. I have been told of an African phrase(短语) describing a good cook as “she who has broken many bowls”. If you’ve spent enough time in the kitchen and have broken a lot of bowls, probably you know a lot about cooking. I once had a dinner with a group of cooks, and they spent time comparing knife wounds and burn scars. They knew how much their failures gave them.
My younger daughter is a dancer. She spent three years getting ready for an act. She did it successfully for years. There was no reason for her to change the act—but she did anyway. She said she was no longer learning anything new and she was bored; and if she was bored, she couldn’t play well. So she changed the act. She risked failure in order to feed her heart.
My granddaughter is a perfectionist. But I will also, I hope, remind her of what she learned, and how she can do whatever it is better next time. I probably won’t tell her that failure is a good thing, because that’s not a lesson you can learn when you’re five. I hope I can tell her, though, that it’s not the end of the world. Indeed, with luck, it is the beginning.What did the writer really wish for her granddaughter in the kindergarten?
| A．Success. | B．Failure. | C．Kindness. | D．Care. |
The third paragraph mainly tells us .
| A．what “a good cook” means | B．a cook should often cook |
| C．a cook must break many bowls | D．failure means how we learn |
Why did the younger daughter change the act?
| A．Because she didn’t do well in it. |
| B．Because she was asked to change it. |
| C．Because she wanted to feed her heart. |
| D．Because she wanted to try a failure. |
What does the writer hope to tell the granddaughter?
| A．Failure is a good thing. |
| B．She can’t fail any more. |
| C．Failure is not the end of the world. |
| D．Success is the end of the world. |
What do people do with their old, out of date but still useful computers? Most people don’t know how to deal with them. Many old computers are put away. Many more are simply thrown away as rubbish.
Finally, some companies are thinking of ways to bring down the number of old computers. Sony has agreed to help recycle old Sony products(产品). Dell, Hewlett Packard and other companies now also take back some old computers of their own brands.
In some countries, laws have been passed, too. Computer companies have to pay for collecting and recycling their used products. And 70% of computer waste must be recycled. The idea behind the laws is that computer companies themselves should pay for the cost. That will encourage them to make computers which are easier and cheaper to repair and upgrade(升级).
Yet many people are throwing away good computers, while others cannot afford them at all. Hundreds of organizations are working on this problem. They collect and repair old computers. Some also teach others how to repair computers. These repaired computers then go to schools, charities(慈善团体) or people who need them. Giving a used computer to one of these organizations can turn one person’s rubbish into someone else’s useful things and cut down waste, too.
根据材料内容选择最佳答案，并将其标号填入题前括号内。What do many people do with old computers?
| A．They repair them. |
| B．They sell them. |
| C．They send them to others. |
| D．They stop using them. |
How many computer companies are mentioned in the second paragraph？
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
According to the laws in some countries, computer companies must _____.
| A．recycle most of their products |
| B．collect all their used products |
| C．repair and upgrade old computers |
| D．make more cheaper computers |
What do the organizations do to solve the problem of old computers?
| A．Help the computer companies to collect them. |
| B．Repair and send them to those who need them. |
| C．Help people to learn to use them. |
| D．Turn rubbish into useful things. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Repairing old computers. |
| B．Encouraging to make cheap computers. |
| C．Recycling old computers. |
| D．Helping those who need computers. |
A group of swans (天鹅) flew down to a beach where a crow (乌鸦) was jumping around . The crow watched them with disdain (鄙视).
“You have no flying skills at all ! ” he said to the swans. “ All you can do is to move your wings. Can you turn over in the air ? No , that’s beyond you. Let’s have a flying compitition. I’ll show you what real flying is ! ”
One of the swans , a strong young male , took up the challenge. The crow flew up and began to show his skills. He flew in circles, performed other flying tricks, and then came down and looked proudly at the swan.
Now it was the swan’s turn. He flew up , and began flying over the sea. The crow flew after him , making all kinds of comments (评价) about his flying. They flew on and on till they couldn’t see the land and there was nothing but water on all sides. The crow was making fewer and fewer comments. He was so exhausted that he found it hard to stay in the air, and had to struggle to keep himself from falling into the water.
The swan pretended ( 假装) not to notice , and said, “ Why do you keep touching the water , brother ? Is that another trick ?”
“ No ,” said the crow. He knew he had lost the competition. “ I’m in trouble because of my pride ! If you don’t help me , I’ll lose my life… “
The swan took pity on him , and took him on his shoulders (肩膀) and flew back to the beach.
根据材料内容选择最佳答案，并将其标号填入题前括号内。 What’s the correct order of the following events ?
a. The crow followed the swan and got into trouble.
b.The swan felt pity for the crow and saved it.
c. The crow had to ask the swan for help.
d.The swan accepted a challenge of performing flying tricks.
| A．a , d , b , c | B．a , b , d , c , |
| C．d , a , c , b , | D．d , c , a , b |
Who has better skills according to the crow ?
| A．The swan. | B．The crow. |
| C．Both the swan and the crow. | D．He didn’t know. |
What does the underlined word “exhausted “ in Paragraph 4 mean ?
| A．Bored. | B．nervous. |
| C．Tired . | D．Frightened. |
Which of the following is right according to the text ?
| A．A group of crows met a swan on a beach. |
| B．The crow could fly as well as the swan. |
| C．The swan wasn’t afraid of the challenge. |
| D．The swan flew away and the crow died. |
What can we learn from the passage ?
| A．No pains , no gains. | B．Pride goes before a fall. |
| C．The early bird catches the worm. | D．Practice makes perfect. |
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根据材料内容选择最佳答案，将其标号填入题前括号内。 If you major in history, you will probably choose ________.
| A．the first book | B．the second book |
| C．the third book | D．the fourth book |
Which book offers the biggest price cut?
| A．What It Takes to Help Me Out |
| B．Street French Slang Dictionary |
| C．Campaigns: A Century of Presidential Races |
| D．Harry Potter |
The following books are for the children of the same ages except________.
| A．What It Takes to Help Me Out |
| B．Street French Slang Dictionary |
| C．Campaigns: A Century of Presidential Races |
| D．Harry Potter |
From the first table, we can learn that ________.
| A．JK Rowling became successful because of the films |
| B．Harry Potter hasn’t won any awards so far |
| C．Harry Potter has now sold 60 million copies in the world |
| D．Harry Potter is very successful and popular with children and adults |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．If you want to speak French like a native speaker, Street French Slang Dictionary is your best choice. |
| B．Street French Slang Dictionary has more than 2,000 terms and expressions in 360 pages. |
| C．The historian Alan Brinkley made the introduction fro the book Campaigns: A Century of Presidential Races. |
| D．What It Takes to Help Me Out mainly tells about the troubled teens in a boarding school. |
Students all around the world think it great to have some money in their pocket. But how much do they get?
In the US, a little pre-school kid may get a dollar or two, but older children get more. A lot of American parents give pocket money to their children, but their children have to do chores.
In Britain, kids in primary school get 4 or 5 pounds each week. When they enter middle school, they get about 9 pounds.
In London, children get 10 pounds every week, children in Scotland get 8 pounds, and children in Wales get the most, about 13.5 pounds! Also, in British, boys get a little more pocket money than girls.
Like kids in the US, British children do chores to earn their pocket money. That’s why British children know a lot about spending money. 7% of them spend less than ￡1 each week, 22% spend between ￡1 and ￡5, and 20% spend over ￡5 each week. What do they buy with their money? Most of them spend it on sweets, crisps and chocolate.
Some parents may ask the question, the answer is: Of course yes!
If children have some pocket money, they can learn to find out what things cost, save money for things that they want. There are lots of good lessons to learn:
★If you spend it all at once, there is no money until your next “pay day”.
★If you buy the wrong thing, you’ll be more wise next time.
★If you borrow money, you have to pay it back.
根据材料内容选择最佳答案，将其标号填入题前括号内 In Britain, kids in primary school get ______ each month.
| A．4 or 5 | B．9 pounds |
| C．16 or 20 pounds | D．36 pounds |
_______ get the most pocket money according to the passage.
| A．Children in London | B．Children in Wales |
| C．Children in the US | D．children in China |
If there are 50 students, about ______ children spend between ￡1 and 5￡.
A. four B. eleven C. nine C. twenty According to the passage, most children usually spend pocket money on _______.
| A． | B． | C． | D． |
If a child buy the wrong things, he or she will _____ next time.
| A．become more intelligent |
| B．sell them to others |
| C．waiting for next “pay day” |
| D．find some ways to return them |
I am the captain of a ship from the Singapore Marine Police Force(新加坡海岸警备队). I have been with the Marine Force for eight years, though I was twenty-seven now. I loved the sea because of the cool sea winds, the fresh smell of the sea and the beautiful scenery. I also wanted to catch criminals(罪犯) and so I joined the Marine Police Force and do what I love.
Recently, I was out on a boat with a few of my friends. We were not working but the Marine Police Force allowed us to use the sailboat for rest and amusement. We went fishing. We were on our way back when I found a ship with the name PSS Pollu. It was pouring oil into the sea. I was shocked. I picked up a loud speaker and shouted, "Stop your pollution at once and follow us back to shore!" But PSS Pollu decided to flee. We tried to catch them but their ship was too fast for us. We called the Marine Force base and asked for help. Two fast marine boats were sent and soon caught up with PSS Pollu and surrounded it. The ship had no choice but to give up. Six marine policemen searched PSS Pollu and discovered that it was carrying smuggled cigarettes(走私香烟). The men of PSS Pollu were charged in court. I was rewarded for the matter while off duty.
The captain was when he became a member of the Singapore Marine Police Force?
| A．eight | B．twenty-seven |
| C．seventeen | D．nineteen |
The captain love the sea because he .
| A．liked going fishing |
| B．loved the fresh smell of the sea |
| C．liked to catch the sea animals |
| D．loved going boating |
The captain was out on a boat with some friends for .
| A．working | B．stopping criminals |
| C．swimming | D．resting |
Why did the captain call the Marine Force for help?
| A．Because the PSS Pollu want to flee. |
| B．Because the men of PSS Pollu fight about them. |
| C．Because his boat was too slow. |
| D．Because he couldn’t pull the PSS Pollu back to the shore. |
What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．A Special Day off | B．Found Smuggled Cigarette |
| C．I Was Award | D．Not Pollute the Sea |