If parents’ aim(目标) is only to make a child be a genius(天才), they will cause a disaster. Several leading educational psychologists(心理学家) say this is one of the biggest mistakes that can cause great problems to children.
However, if parents are a little gentler, the child may act successfully—especially if the parents can support him. Michael Li is very lucky. He is very fond of music, and his parents help him a lot by taking him to concerts and inviting a teacher to give him personal piano lessons. They even drive him 59 kilometers twice a week for violin lessons. Although Michael’s mother knows very little about music, Michael’s father plays the piano very well. However, he never makes Michael enter music competitions if he is unwilling.
Michael’s friend, Winston Chen, however, is not so lucky. Although both his parents are successful musicians(音乐家), they set too high a standard for Winston. They want their son to be as successful as they are, so they enter him in every piano competition held. They are very unhappy when he does not win. “When I was your age, I used to win every competition I entered,” Winston’s father tells him. Winston is always afraid that he will disappoint(使…失望) his parents and now he always seems quiet and unhappy.One of the worst mistakes any parent can make is to __________.
| A．pay much attention to their child’s education |
| B．push the child into trying to achieve too much |
| C．make their child become a musician |
| D．help their child to succeed in the future |
Michael Li is lucky because __________.
| A．his father knows music and teaches him much |
| B．his parents are rich enough to support him |
| C．his mother doesn’t know much about music |
| D．his parents help him in a wise way |
The two examples show that __________.
| A．it is important to let children develop in their own way |
| B．it is successful to let children develop without others’ help |
| C．successful parents often have unsuccessful children |
| D．the more you help your children, the less they can achieve |
Happiness is important for everyone. Most people want to be happy but few know how to find happiness. Money and success don’t bring lasting happiness. Happiness depends on ourselves. In other words, we make our own happiness.
Some people believe that if they are wealthy, they will be able to do anything they want, which means happiness. On the other hand, some people believe that holding a high position in the government is happiness. In this way, you have not only money, but also many other things which can’t be bought by money. However, other people believe that having lots of money is not happiness, nor is holding a high position in the government. These people value(重视) their beliefs, or their intelligence, or their health. They think these can make them happy.
Here are a few ways to help you be happier.
The first secret of happiness is to enjoy the simple things in life. Too often, we spend so much time thinking about the future, for example, getting into college or getting a good job, that we don’t enjoy the present. You should enjoy life’s simple pleasures, such as reading a good book, listening to your favorite music, or spending time with close friends. People who have close friends usually enjoy happier and healthier lives.
The second secret of happiness is to be active. Many people go dancing or play sports. People can forget about their problems and only think about the activities.
Finally, many people find happiness in helping others. According to studies, people feel good when they volunteer their time to do many meaningful things for other people. If you want to feel happier, do something nice for someone. You can help a friend with his or her studies, go shopping to get food for an old neighbor, or simply help around the house.
Now maybe you know how to find happiness!The underlined word “wealthy” means “” in the article.
| A．pleased | B．healthy | C．excited | D．rich |
Some people who hold a high position in the government think they can _______.
| A．get money and something they can’t buy with money |
| B．do what they want to do at any time |
| C．enjoy health which makes them work hard |
| D．take an active part in all kinds of activities every day |
The writer thinks the secret of happiness is that people _______.
| A．think about getting a good job |
| B．think of presents they don’t like |
| C．often spend time with close friends |
| D．often spend time on entering the college |
Many people find it happy to ______.
| A．remember the old days and troubles |
| B．do some meaningful things for others |
| C．go shopping to buy some food |
| D．make much money and little success |
The passage mainly tells us _______.
| A．how to find happiness | B．how to save happiness |
| C．to do something good for others | D．to value our beliefs or health |
When I was seven years old, my family made me an ant farm. First, we put clean sand in a thin glass box. Then we waited for the ants to arrive. After the ants were in the glass farm, they started to make tunnels(地道). I was amazed that each one knew exactly what to do. Each had its own job.
On the fifth day a tragedy(悲剧) happened. I put my face so close to the glass farm that I knocked it over. All the tunnels fell down. Although the ants remained alive after their earthquake, one by one began to die. I was scared as I watched them give up building their tunnels to carry the bodies to a corner the farm. My mother said that the ants were dying of sadness. They simply could not stand that their tunnels were gone.
Although much time has passed, I still think of that ant farm. Mom had hoped it would teach me about the natural world, but it taught me much more.
Over the years, I came to realize the importance of teamwork. Working together, the ants were able to make an amazing world for themselves. I also learned that they should be admired for their hard work.
But there was an even larger lesson that I did not realize until recently: Adversity(逆境) is a natural part of life, and must be accepted. Unlike the ants, we cannot give up when we are sad. We have to realize that if a tunnel is gone, we must build another.
Giving up, I say, is not a good choice.What did the writer’s family do for him when he was seven?
| A．They built a farm of ants. | B．They bought a few ants. |
| C．They caught a lot of ants. | D．They found an ant city. |
Which statement is WRONG according to the passage?
| A．The writer knocked the glass box over because he put his face so close to the glass farm. |
| B．The ants didn’t die one by one after the tunnels were destroyed. |
| C．Like people, teamwork is very important for the ants. |
| D．Giving up isn’t a good way when we meet trouble. |
Among the following events, which one happened first?
| A．All the tunnels fell down. | B．The ants died one by one. |
| C．The ants got into the glass box. | D．The ants began making tunnels. |
What did the writer learn from the ant tragedy a few years later?
| A．Working together is useless. | B．Teamwork is important. |
| C．He can’t accept adversity. | D．Working alone is amazing. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Ants Fear Adversity | B．My Family and Ants |
| C．Giving Up in Adversity | D．Don’t give up anytime |
One day, I happened to meet an Englishman in the street and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be very surprised, gently shaking his head and saying “You don’t say!”
I was confused, and I thought, “Perhaps this is not a right thing to talk about.” Then I said to him, “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? Have you ever visited it?”
“Certainly! Everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave here without seeing it. The Great Wall is wonderful! ” “Yes, it is one of the wonders in the world. And people of many countries have come to visit it.” As I went on telling him more about it, he stopped me again, “You don’t say!”
I couldn’t help asking, “Why couldn’t I talk about it?”
“Well, I didn’t stop you talking about it,” he answered, greatly surprised.
“Didn’t you say ‘You don’t say!’?” I asked again.
Hearing this, the foreigner laughed loudly. He began to explain, “’You don’t say!’ means ‘Really’. Perhaps you know little about English idioms(习惯用语).”
Wow! How foolish I was! Since then I have been careful with English idioms.What made the foreigner laugh loudly?
| A．English idioms. |
| B．The writer’s question. |
| C．Their talking about the Great Wall |
| D．The writer’s way of learning English |
Where does the story most probably happen?
| A．In China. | B．In America. |
| C．In England. | D．In Japan. |
The English idiom “You don’t say!” means _______.
| A．Thank you | B．Excuse me | C．OK | D．Really |
What does the writer learn from his own experience? He should _______.
| A．improve his spoken English |
| B．speak with foreigners in a polite way |
| C．pay attention to English idioms |
| D．be brave enough talking with foreigners |
The story tells us _______ between languages in different countries.
| A．the difference | B．the popularity |
| C．the grammar rule | D．the change |
| AROUND XICHANG is a special program in English on XCTV-1. It’s about the city and lasts for 8 minutes. You can watch the program at 20:27 every Sunday and watch is again at 7:30 and 15:35 on Monday. Tel: 8109566 Add: 139 North Ring Road, XICHANG |
| XICHANG WEEKLY is to help foreigners understand more about the city. It’s a news edition(版面) in English in XICHANG. It usually appears on the 48th edition of the city’s most popular newspaper CITY EXPRESS every Thursday. Tel: 8105699 Add: 218 Hangtian Road, XICHANG |
| IN TOUCH is an English language magazine. Read the pages and inside you’ll find passages on history, art, music, sports, travel and food of Sichuan. At the end of every month you can get the magazine in hotels, restaurants, bookshops and cafes all around Sichuan without paying. Tel: 8243611 8243103 Add: 5 Wenhui Road, XICHANG |
AROUND XICHANG can be watched _______ a week.
| A．four times | B．three times | C．twice | D．once |
At the end of every month, you can get IN TOUCH in_______ all around Sichuan without paying.
| A．hotels and bookshops | B．restaurants and hospitals |
| C．schools and bookshops | D．hotels and offices |
If you want to get some information of music and travel, you can find something in _______.
| A．XICHANG WEEKLY | B．IN TOUCH |
| C．AROUND XICHANG | D．CITY EXPRESS |
If a foreign friend wants to get some news about Xichang, he can can_______.
| A．8243611 | B．8105699 | C．8234103 | D．8109566 |
This passage is perhaps _______.
| A．an advertisement | B．a story |
| C．a joke | D．an instruction |
Future and Today
It is well known that everyone has his own dream as well as his own future. But do you know what future really is? I have to say that future is now. That is to say we must treasure every minute now. If we want to have a bright future, we should know how important time is and use it well.
There is an old English saying:“Gain time, gain life”Then what’s time? Time is something that we can’t see or touch, but we can feel it passing by. Time is always with us. When we are at table, time passes; when we play, time goes by unnoticeably. We always say “Time is money”, but time is even more precious(珍贵的) than money, because when money is spent, we can earn it back. But if time is gone away, it will never return. So, some of us even say time is priceless.
We should always remember: future is now. For us students, we should try our best to work hard in order to create a great future of our own. We should make the best use of every hour and be the master of today. We should do everything before us as well as possible. And never put off what can be done today till tomorrow.
As we all know,“Time and tide wait for no man.”If you waste today, you will regret tomorrow. So from now on, work hard. Tomorrow will be better, and your future will be brighter. Remember:“No pains, no gains.”Today’s hard work is the cause of tomorrow’s harvest.
Title: Future and Today
| Opinions |
Supporting details |
| Future is now |
Everyone has his own dream as well as his own future. If we want to have a bright future, we should know the 61________ of time and make every minute 62 ________. |
| 63_______is priceless. |
Time is money, but time is even more 64_________ than money, because when money is spent, we can earn it back. But time will return no more. |
| Be masters of today |
Today’s hard work is the cause of tomorrow’s harvest. As students, we should never put off what we can be done today till tomorrow and we should try our 65 ______ to do everything well. |