As prices and building costs keep rising(上涨的), the do-it-yourself (DIY) trend (趋势) in the U.S. continues to grow.
“We needed furniture for our living room,” says John Ross, “And we just didn't have enough money to buy it. So we decide to try making a few tables and chairs.” John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high. The Rosses took a 2-week course for $280 at a night school. Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house.
Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died. He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $420. “I was deeply upset about it. Now I've finished a car repair course, I should be able to fix the car by myself.”
John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can to save money so that they can fight with the high cost of living. If you want to become a “do-it -yourselfer”, you can go to DIY classes. And for those who don't have time to take a course, there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself.John and his wife went to evening classes to learn how to _______.
A.run a DIY shop | B.make it repair things |
C.save time and money | D.improve the quality of life |
When the writer says that Jim has a full-time at home, he means Jim _______.
A.makes shoes in his home |
B.does extra work at night |
C.does his own car and home repairs |
D.keeps house and looks after his children |
Jim Hatfield decided to become a do-it-yourselfer when _______.
A.his car repairs cost too much |
B.the car repair class was not helpful |
C.he could not possibly do two jobs |
D.he had to raise the children all by himself |
What would be the best title for the text?
A.The Joy of DIY. |
B.You Can Do It too! |
C.Welcome to Our DIY course! |
D.Ross and Hatfield: Believe in DIY. |
Paul and I live in the same building. His room is on the sixth floor but mine is on the fifth. He’s very careless and sometimes he gets into trouble.
Last Friday afternoon the young man and his friends went to spend the weekend on a wild island. They could swim, fish, play the guitar and sleep in the quiet place at night. They enjoyed themselves there and could do anything they wanted. On the third morning they decided to get back to the land. But their boat hit a rock and soon went down. With the villagers’ help, they swam to the bank. Luckily none of them was hurt. They took a taxi and half an hour later they arrived at our town, but it was two in the night. The young man was hungry and thirsty. He wished to get home as soon as possible. Something was wrong with the lift, so he had to go up the stairs. He stopped by my door and brought out a key. Of course he could not open the door. Half an hour passed but he failed. He became angry and shouted, “I’ll cut you down with a knife!”
The noise woke me up and I opened the door. I understood at once what was happening and said, “You’re trying to open a wrong door, Paul!”
“Sorry, I can’t agree with you, Charlie!” said the young man, “It’s my room. You’ve entered it by mistake!”
Paul and his friends enjoyed themselves on the island because ______.
A.It was very quiet there |
B.there were many fish there |
C.they could forget all the trouble |
D.they could do what they wanted |
Paul couldn’t open the door because ______.
A.it wasn’t his room | B.he couldn’t find the right key |
C.he didn’t find the keyhole | D.he was too hungry to do it |
Charlie opened the door to ______.
A.help Paul | B.stop Paul making the noise |
C.see what happened outside | D.call the police station |
Which of the following is WRONG?
A.Paul thought he did right. |
B.Paul didn’t know where he lived. |
C.Paul stopped by a door on the fifth floor. |
D.Paul thought he had reached the sixth |
The first English week at our school started on May 4th, 2009. The whole school was filled with an English learning atmosphere. A series of activities was held. There were handwriting activities, story writing, English songs, role playing in English, and so on, all the teachers and students were very happy. They spoke English, sang English songs and enjoyed all the activities. Handwriting was for the students in lower grades. Although most of them couldn’t write so well, they were all very careful about it. In the show window, there were a lot of colorful handwritten papers. They copied some articles from books or newspapers. And then they decorated(装饰) them with pictures in different colors, and some even put their own photos on them. How cute and lovely they looked!
Story writing was for students in Grade 7 and Grade 8. These students are always fond of cartoons, so they got interested in this activity. Reading the stories they made up, all the visitors couldn’t help speaking highly of them.
The most important event was the English show on the last day. The students and teachers presented (上演) a lot of English songs and English operas. Each program won storms of applause.
One week is not very long, but all the students and teachers learned a lot. Just as the headmaster said, “It is a helpful week. It will certainly lead us to enjoy and learn more from our English studies.”
In this passage, the English week is described as__________.
A.surprising | B.boring | C.enjoyable | D.serious |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A.All the students took part in the handwriting contest (比赛). |
B.The story writing contest was for students in Grade 7 and Grade 8. |
C.The English show was the most important event. |
D.Teachers also took part in the English week. |
What does the underlined word “applause” probably mean?
A.Noise | B.Cheer | C.Sound | D.Music |
What does the writer probably want to tell us at the end of the passage?
A.The activities are a good way to learn English. |
B.Students usually don’t like English. |
C.The activities last longer. |
D.Learning English in the classroom is invaluable. |
The Town Zoo
Zoo rules
1. Stay behind the yellow line.
2. Do not feed the animals.
3. Do not put your fingers through the fences(栅栏).
4. Do not bring balloons into the zoo.
5. Do not play ball games or ride bicycles in the zoo.
6. Do not shout or clap your hands. This may frighten the animals.
7. Keep the zoo clean. Eat only in the eating areas.
Tip for visitors
Some animals take a midday nap(小睡). If you cannot see them, come back later.
Entrance fee
Adults |
$20 |
Children under 12 |
$8 |
Students under 18 |
$12 |
Senior citizens over 60 |
$10 |
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m.~4:00p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 10:00 a.m.~5:00 pm
If visitors can not see the animals, the animals may be______.
A.playing | B.eating | C.acting | D.sleeping |
Jack is eight years old. He goes to the zoo with his 58-year-old grandfather.How much should they pay for visiting the zoo?
A.$18. | B.$22. | C.$28. | D.$32. |
What should we do in order not to frighten the animals?
A.We should ride bikes. | B.We should keep quiet. |
C.We should feed the animals. | D.We should keep the zoo clean. |
在校园网上校长与学生在线对话引起了强烈的反响。下面是一些学生提出的问题和校长给予的回答,请你将学生的问题与校长的回答一一配对。
Students’ questions |
Headmaster’s answers |
A. I think they are all very great. They work really hard. They are all good at teaching and they are good with you all. |
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B. We know it’s very important for everyone to study subjects and learn other things. I think you should know what you like to do first, and then try to do it better. But you should also try to study better. It’s good for you to find a good job. |
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C. I think our school is the best. Because you are the greatest, and we also have so many great teachers here. And your parents send you here, because our school is the best. |
|
D. Every student likes our school and likes to study. They are good at schoolwork and other things. They are smart and healthy. They love their parents and teachers, too. |
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E. It’s a piece of good advice. We have some clubs for Grade 7 students now. And we are going to have more clubs for all students. I hope every student can have a good time at school. |
In America: There are many more cars than in China. Maybe the number of cars in California is the same as the number in China. But there are fewer traffic jams and accidents in America than in China. We hardly see traffic police in the street, but all cars obey traffic rules strictly , and people hardly find that a car does not obey traffic rules in the street.
About America traffic rules, there are many better terms , such as:
1. Stop line: There are stop line in all crossing without traffic lights(some have two stop lines and others have four stop lines); all cars must stop while meeting the stop lines.
2.Traffic lights: There are traffic lights in the crossing of the road .Cars may almost turn every direction. the traffic lights can give signals step by step including u-turn . There is a kind of middle lane of turning left. When a car wants to turn left in the road, he may enter into the middle lane of turning left and give a signal of turning left. When he thinks being safe he may turn left.
3. Specific item: Such as parking, there are three kinds of lines (its color are white, blue or red) in the roadside. Every line may park different kinds of cars. There are streets in some residential(住宅区) areas, and no car can park at any time or any period time.
4. About the priority (优先权) of passengers and cars: At any case, passengers have the priority to cars. But only after passengers have passed the road and gotten the top of sidestep, cars may go ahead. In general, traffic rules of America are very specific, convenient and safe.According to the passage, we can know________.
A.there are more traffic jams and accidents in America than in China |
B.traffic policemen are often seen in the street in America |
C.California may have as many cars as China |
D.You can easily find that a car does not obey traffic rules in the street in America |
When you meet a stop line while driving a car in the crossing without traffic lights,,_____.
A.you can go ahead | B.you can turn left |
C.you can have a u-turn | D.you must stop |
Which color is not include in the parking lines in America ?
A.yellow | B.blue | C.red | D.white |
Which of the following is true?
A.Any car can park at any time or any period time in the streets in some residential areas. |
B.While giving a signal of turning left and being safe, you can turn left in the middle lane of turning left |
C.At any case, cars have the priority to passengers. |
D.You can park your car at any one of the three parking lines. |
This passage mainly talks about________
A.the priority of passengers and cars | B.the traffic lights |
C.the stop line | D.American traffic rules |