HaveyoueverbeentoTaiwan,China’-优题课

American English is full of colorful expressions. One such expression is to touch all bases.
There are four bases in baseball – first， second， third and home plate. When a baseball player hits the ball， he must run to each base – in order – and touch it with his foot. It is the only way to get a point. If the player hits the ball and fails to touch all the bases， the point will not be counted.
The importance of touching all the bases was shown at the start of the 1974 baseball seasons.
Hank Aaron was a player with the Atlanta Braves team. He was trying to find the record for hitting the most home runs (全垒打). Aaron needed just one home run to be well matched with the record held by Babe Ruth， the greatest hitter in baseball history. Aaron got that home run the very first time he had a chance to hit the ball. That gave him 714 home runs – the same as Babe Ruth. After that day， baseball fans held their breath every time when it was Hank Aaron’s turn to hit. When would he hit home run number 715?
The wait was not long. In the second week of the season， Aaron again hit the ball over the wall. He had beaten Babe Ruth’s record. But first， he had to run around the four bases. The other players on his team watched carefully to make sure he touched each one.
So， to touch all bases means to do what is necessary to complete an activity.
The expression is used to business and politics. No business deal or political events are really complete until you discuss all the problems involved. Or， as it is said， until you touch all bases.
When a baseball player hits the ball， he must ______ to get a point.

A．run to each base freely

B．touch the home plate first

C．touch all the bases with his hands

D．run to each base in order and touch it with his foot

When was the importance of touching all the bases shown?

A．At the start of the 1974 baseball seasons.

B．At the end of the 1974 baseball seasons.

C．Before the baseball rules made.

D．In the second week of 1974.

Who hit home run number 715?

A．Babe Ruth.	B．Hank Aaron.
C．Babe Ruth’s partner.	D．Hank Aaron’s friend.

What does the expression “to touch all bases” mean?

A．To do what is needed to finish an activity.

B．To get a chance to be the greatest hitter.

C．To try your best to set a new record.

D．To solve the problems successfully.

The 4 Smallest Countries In The World

Nauru – 21 km²
Located east of Australia， Nauru is the smallest island country in the world. It is also a country with the most overweight people in the world， with 97% of its men and 93% of women being overweight.

Tuvalu – 26 km²
Located in the Pacific Ocean， west of Australia. There are about 10，000 people， with 8 km of roads， and only 1 hospital on the main island. Since it’s a difficult place to get to， in 2010， only about 2，000 visitors came to Tuvalu.

Vatican – 0.44 km²
The world’s smallest country is the Vatican， also known as the Holy See. This country fits within the Italian capital city of Rome. It is also home to the biggest church in the world – St. Peter’s Basilica， and holds some of the most important art works.

Monaco – 2 km²
Located on the French Riviera， Monaco is home to the largest number of rich people per capital in the world. With a population of over 36，000， Monaco is the world’s most densely (密集地) populated country. People there are mostly French-speaking. The most popular event is the Formula 1 race， held there every year.

Which is the smallest island country?

A．Nauru.

B．Tuvalu.

C．Vatican.

D．Monaco.

What’s the area of Vatican?

A．21 km².

B．26 km².

C．0.44 km².

D．2 km².

Which of the following about Monaco is TRUE?

A．It’s the world’s smallest country.

B．It’s the most difficult place to get to.

C．It has the most overweight people in the world.

D．It’s the world’s most densely populated country.

Mr. Dawson was an old man with a bad temper(脾气). And everyone in town knew it. Kids were afraid to go into his yard to pick apples.
One Friday, 12-year-old Janet and her friend Amy had to walk past Mr. Dawson’s house. When Janet saw him, she suggested crossing the street to the other side. But Amy said they needn’t.
When Mr. Dawson saw Amy, he smiled and said, “Hello, Amy! I see you have a new friend with you today.” Amy smiled back and told him that Janet would stay with her that night. Mr. Dawson looked friendly and gave them each a fresh apple. The girls were glad to get them.
Later Janet asked Amy, “Everyone says he is the most unwelcome person in town. Why was he so kind to us?” Amy explained that when she first walked past his house, she was also afraid of him. But she pretended(假装) there was an invisible (看不见的) smile on his face and so she always smiled back at him. It took a long time, but one day he half-smiled back at her, and then started talking to her.
“An invisible smile?” Janet was puzzled. “Yes,” answered Amy, “My grandma told me to think so. She says smiles can run around. If we keep smiling at someone, sooner or later he will really smile back.”
Remember what Amy’s grandma said, and we will find that most people can’t refuse our smile.
What did people feel about Mr. Dawson? （不超过10个词）

Who did Amy learn “an invisible smile” from? （不超过10个词）

What does the writer want to tell us? （不超过20个词）

Do you love holidays but hate the increase of weight that follows? You are not alone. Holidays are happy days with pleasure and delicious foods. Many people, however, are worried about the weight that comes along with these delicious foods.
With proper planning, though, it is possible to control your weight. The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much. You don’t have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy. The following suggestions may be of some help to you.
● Do not miss meals. Before you leave home for a big dinner, have small, low fat foods. This may help to keep you from getting too excited before delicious foods.
● Begin with clear soup and fruit or vegetables. A large glass of water before you eat may help you feel full. Use a small plate(盘子); a large plate will encourage you to have more than enough.
● Better not have high fat foods. Dishes that look oily have much fat in them.
● Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables.
● If you have a sweet tooth, try some fruits. They don’t have as much fat as cream(奶油）and chocolate.
● Don’t let exercise take a break during the holidays. A 20 minutes’ walk after a meal can help burn off calories (卡路里).
The writer gives us suggestions about controlling weight during holidays.

A．four

B．five

C．six

D．seven

Before we leave for a big dinner, we should eat some ________.

A．high fat foods	B．cream and chocolate
C．oily dishes	D．small and low fat foods

Which of the following is a good way to stop us putting on weight during holidays?

A．Don’t take exercise and have a rest.

B．Just have clear soup and fruit or vegetables.

C．Drink a large glass of water before eating.

D．Use a big plate and fill it with beef and chicken.

From the passage we know that holidays may bring us pleasure and .

A．bring weight problems

B．make us hate delicious food

C．force us to eat less fruit

D．encourage us to have more food

Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1904. He was famous because of the books he wrote for children. They have funny words, pictures, and social opinion（观点）. Dr Seuss wrote his first book for children in 1937. It is called And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street. Soon other successful books followed. Over the years, he wrote more than forty children’s books. They were fun to read. Yet his books sometimes dealt with serious subjects.
By the middle 1940s, Dr Seuss had become one of the best-loved and most successful writers of children’s books. He had a strong desire to help children. In 1954, Life magazine gave a report about school children who could not read. The report said many children’s books weren’t interesting. Dr Seuss decided to write books that were interesting and easy to read.
In 1957, Dr Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat. He used less than 225 words to write the book. This was about the number of words a six-year-old should be able to read. The story was about a cat who tried to play with two children on a rainy day while their mother was away from home. The cat was very special and it could talk. The book was a great success. It was an interesting story and was easy to read. Children loved it. Their parents loved it, too. Today many adults(成年人) say it is still one of the stories they like best.
Theodor Seuss Geisel was famous for .

A．his funny words and pictures

B．his social opinion

C．his ideas on serious subjects

D．his books written for children

The underlined word desire in the passage probably means “.”

A．问题

B．愿望

C．感激

D．标准

According to the passage we know that .

A．Dr Seuss wrote his first book for children at the age of 33

B．Dr Seuss wrote less than forty children’s books over the years

C．Life magazine gave a report about adults who could not read in 1954

D．And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street was loved by children and parents

Why do many adults like reading The Cat in the Hat today?

A．Because Dr Seuss used 225 words to write the book.

B．Because it was about a cat trying to play with two children.

C．Because it was an interesting story and was easy to read.

D．Because the cat was very special and it could talk with children.