It is never too early, or too late, to encourage a child to read. With the chill(寒冷) of winter upon us, the following is a list of wonderful stories with winter and or snow themes.
Waiting for Winter
It was written by Sebastian Meschenmoser. A little squirrel(松鼠), who has never seen snow, is determined that he will not miss it this year. He gets the help of his good friends, a bear and a hedgehog, trying to stay awake until they can all see the first snowfall of winter. This book is a wonderful story to read aloud to young children or for older children to read by themselves.
The Snowy Day
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats is a short read, but since its first publication it has been loved by millions. It tells about a beautiful story about the magic and possibility of the first snowfall of winter, which appeals to young and older children.
The Polar Express
Popularized by the 2004 Warner Brothers all-digital film, The Polar Express was first published in 1985. The hero of this story is a boy who is given the opportunity to receive a gift from Santa himself. A magical train appears outside his bedroom window, taking him away on a fantastic journey to the North Pole.
Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree
It was written by Robert E. Barry. Mr Willowby orders a lovely new Christmas tree, and when it is delivered to his home he finds it far too tall. He has the top of the tree cut off in order to make it just the right height. This book follows the treetop on its journey through the forest, where it brings the joy of the holidays for some woodland creatures. This book teaches us a valuable lesson about the joy of giving, and happiness that it can bring to the hearts of recipients(接受者).Waiting for Winter and The Snowy Day are similar in that ________.
| A．they are intended for older children and adults |
| B．they are centered around the first snowfall of winter |
| C．they are short novels and are loved by millions |
| D．they are fairy tales about talking animals |
Which of the following was made into a popular film?
| A．Waiting for Winter | B．The Snowy Day |
| C．The polar Express | D．Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree |
What can we learn about Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree?
| A．it tells us giving can bring pleasure for us. |
| B．it was written by Sebastian Meschenmoser. |
| C．it tells about a boy’s journey through the forest. |
| D．it tells us Mr Willowby received a magic gift from Santa. |
Some researchers claim that people’s personalities can be classified by their blood types．If you have blood type O, you are a leader．When you see something you want, you strive to achieve your goal．You are passionate, loyal, and self-confident, and you are often a trendsetter．Your enthusiasm for projects and goals spreads to others who happily follow your lead．When you want something, you may be ruthless about getting it or blind to how your actions affect others．Another blood type, A, is a social “people” person．You like people and work well with them．You are sensitive, patient, compassionate, and affectionate．You are a good peacekeeper because you want everybody to be happy．In a team situation, you resolve conflicts and keep things on a smooth course．Sometimes type As are stubborn and find it different to relax．They may also find it uncomfortable to do things alone．
People with type B blood are usually individualists who like to do things on their own．You may be creative and adaptable, and you usually say exactly what you mean．Also you can adapt to situations, you may not choose to do so because of your strong independent streak．You may prefer working on your own to being part of a team．The final blood type is type AB．If you have AB blood, you are a natural entertainer．You draw people to you because of your charm and easygoing nature．ABs are usually calm and controlled, tactful and fair．On the downside, though, they may take too long to make decisions．And they may procrastinate, putting off tasks until the last minute．．People with type O will do the following things except____．
| A．manage businesses | B．self-oriented | C．be considerate | D．set the fashion |
．Which of the following is not the feature of type A?
| A．Stubborn． | B．Sensitive． | C．Reserved． | D．Patient． |
．What is Not true to type B?
| A．He finds it uncomfortable to do things alone． |
| B．He doesn’t think much before he speaks． |
| C．He has many original ideas． |
| D．He cannot fit in with the environment． |
．The best profession for a type AB is ____．
| A．Athlete | B．Peacekeeper | C．Actor | D．Country leader |
David Beckham had a dream: to be the first English player to appear in four World Cups．But now it appears that dream is over after a serious injury to his Achilles tendon （跟腱） which means he could be out of action for around six months．With this year's World Cup in South Africa only three months away, sadly Beckham looks set to miss out．The injury happened while Beckham was playing for AC Milan against AC Chievo in the Italian league．After attempting to kick the ball he fell to the ground and hobbled off the pitch before being stretchered （被担架抬走）away．
It is not yet known whether he has completely severed （切断）his Achilles tendon or only torn it．The player has now flown to Finland for assessment and treatment by a knee specialist．
England manager Fabio Capello fears the worst for Beckham's World Cup chances．
"We have to wait for the results of the scan but it looks like he is out of the World Cup," he said in a statement．"I spoke with him after the game on Sunday night to offer my support．
"David is a great professional and has worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup, so missing it will be a big blow．"
Beckham's former manager at American club LA Galaxy, Alexei Lalas, echoed （共鸣）Capello's words of support:
"It is a horrible situation for Beckham．I know how much it meant to him to be in the World Cup and how important he was to the England team．
David Beckham is now 34 and some are asking whether this serious injury could mean his whole career is over．
Whatever happens, as one of football's best-known and popular players, Beckham will have no shortage of encouragement from fans around the world．
Some will remember Beckham's miraculous recovery from an Achilles injury in 2006, when he was back on the pitch after only eight weeks．
If he could repeat the same feat in time for the World Cup it really would be the stuff of fairytales．
So, perhaps all is not lost．Optimists will take heart from Alexei Lalas' words:
"You never want to write off David Beckham as he has shown us his ability to bounce back（恢复原状）．" ．What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Beckham had a dream? |
| B．Beckham--- a great football player! |
| C．The end for Beckham? |
| D．World Cup in South Africa! |
．What does the author mean by saying “missing it will be a big blow” in paragraph 4 ?
| A．Missing the world cup will be a big success． |
| B．Missing Beckham means a great failure ． |
| C．Missing Beckham means an important opportunity for the American club LA Galaxy． |
| D．Missing the world cup means a big disappointment for Beckham ． |
．We may infer from the passage that ________ ．
| A．Beckham will definitely not be able to play football again |
| B．Beckham was cured by a great knee specialist he found |
| C．Beckham has his ability to bounce back |
| D．Beckham is likely to miss the world Cup |
．What does the underlined words “take heart” probably mean ?
| A．get disappointed | B．get help | C．get encouraged | D．get hurt |
If you look up the word “create” in the dictionary , you will find it means “to bring into being, to cause to exist something each of us does daily”．
We are creative whenever we look at or think about something in a new way First, this includes an awareness of our surroundings．It means using all of our senses to become aware of our world．This may be as simple as being aware of color and texture（质地）,as well as taste, when we plan a meal．Above all, it is the ability to notice things that others might miss．
A second part of creativity is an ability to see relationships among things．If we believe the expression, “There is nothing new under the sun, the creativity is remaking or recombining（重组） the old in new ways．”For example, we might do this by finding a more effective way to study or a better way to arrange our furniture, or we might make a new combination of camera lenses and filters to create an unusual photograph．
A third part of creativity is the courage and drive to make use of our new ideas, to ask for them to achieve some new results．To think up a new idea is one thing; to put the idea to work is another．
These three parts of creativity are included in all the great works of geniuses, but they are also included in many of our day-to-day activities．．Which of the following activities is NOT a creative one according to the passage?
| A．To prepare for a meal． |
| B．To arrange the furniture in a special way． |
| C．To buy some books from a bookstore． |
| D．To“write”a letter with the computer． |
．“There is nothing new under the sun” really implies that _________．
| A．a new thing can only be created at the basis of earlier things |
| B．a new thing is only a tale |
| C．we can seldom create new things |
| D．we can hardly see really new things in the world |
．What does the author think about the relationship between a new thought and its being put into practice?
| A．It’s more difficult to create a new thought than to use it in practice． |
| B．To find a new thought will clearly lead to the production of a new thing． |
| C．A man with an excellent ability of practice can easily become an inventor． |
| D．One may come up with a new thought, but can not put it into practice． |
．The best title for this passage is__________．
| A．How to Develop One’s Creativity |
| B．What Is Creativity |
| C．The Importance of Creativity |
| D．Creativity, a Not Faraway Thing |
Some researchers claim that people’s personalities can be classified by their blood types．If you have blood type O, you are a leader．When you see something you want, you strive to achieve your goal．You are passionate, loyal, and self-confident, and you are often a trendsetter．Your enthusiasm for projects and goals spreads to others who happily follow your lead．When you want something, you may be ruthless about getting it or blind to how your actions affect others．Another blood type, A, is a social “people” person．You like people and work well with them．You are sensitive, patient, compassionate, and affectionate．You are a good peacekeeper because you want everybody to be happy．In a team situation, you resolve conflicts and keep things on a smooth course．Sometimes type As are stubborn and find it different to relax．They may also find it uncomfortable to do things alone．
People with type B blood are usually individualists who like to do things on their own．You may be creative and adaptable, and you usually say exactly what you mean．Also you can adapt to situations, you may not choose to do so because of your strong independent streak．You may prefer working on your own to being part of a team．The final blood type is type AB．If you have AB blood, you are a natural entertainer．You draw people to you because of your charm and easygoing nature．ABs are usually calm and controlled, tactful and fair．On the downside, though, they may take too long to make decisions．And they may procrastinate, putting off tasks until the last minute．．People with type O will do the following things except____．
| A．manage businesses | B．self-oriented | C．be considerate | D．set the fashion |
．Which of the following is not the feature of type A?
| A．Stubborn． | B．Sensitive． | C．Reserved． | D．Patient． |
．What is Not true to type B?
| A．He finds it uncomfortable to do things alone． |
| B．He doesn’t think much before he speaks． |
| C．He has many original ideas． |
| D．He cannot fit in with the environment． |
．The best profession for a type AB is ____．
| A．Athlete | B．Peacekeeper | C．Actor | D．Country leader |
David Beckham had a dream: to be the first English player to appear in four World Cups．But now it appears that dream is over after a serious injury to his Achilles tendon （跟腱） which means he could be out of action for around six months．With this year's World Cup in South Africa only three months away, sadly Beckham looks set to miss out．The injury happened while Beckham was playing for AC Milan against AC Chievo in the Italian league．After attempting to kick the ball he fell to the ground and hobbled off the pitch before being stretchered （被担架抬走）away．
It is not yet known whether he has completely severed （切断）his Achilles tendon or only torn it．The player has now flown to Finland for assessment and treatment by a knee specialist．
England manager Fabio Capello fears the worst for Beckham's World Cup chances．
"We have to wait for the results of the scan but it looks like he is out of the World Cup," he said in a statement．"I spoke with him after the game on Sunday night to offer my support．
"David is a great professional and has worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup, so missing it will be a big blow．"
Beckham's former manager at American club LA Galaxy, Alexei Lalas, echoed （共鸣）Capello's words of support:
"It is a horrible situation for Beckham．I know how much it meant to him to be in the World Cup and how important he was to the England team．
David Beckham is now 34 and some are asking whether this serious injury could mean his whole career is over．
Whatever happens, as one of football's best-known and popular players, Beckham will have no shortage of encouragement from fans around the world．
Some will remember Beckham's miraculous recovery from an Achilles injury in 2006, when he was back on the pitch after only eight weeks．
If he could repeat the same feat in time for the World Cup it really would be the stuff of fairytales．
So, perhaps all is not lost．Optimists will take heart from Alexei Lalas' words:
"You never want to write off David Beckham as he has shown us his ability to bounce back（恢复原状）．" ．What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Beckham had a dream? |
| B．Beckham--- a great football player! |
| C．The end for Beckham? |
| D．World Cup in South Africa! |
．What does the author mean by saying “missing it will be a big blow” in paragraph 4 ?
| A．Missing the world cup will be a big success． |
| B．Missing Beckham means a great failure ． |
| C．Missing Beckham means an important opportunity for the American club LA Galaxy． |
| D．Missing the world cup means a big disappointment for Beckham ． |
．We may infer from the passage that ________ ．
| A．Beckham will definitely not be able to play football again |
| B．Beckham was cured by a great knee specialist he found |
| C．Beckham has his ability to bounce back |
| D．Beckham is likely to miss the world Cup |
．What does the underlined words “take heart” probably mean ?
| A．get disappointed | B．get help | C．get encouraged | D．get hurt |