阅读与回答问题
Sixteen is a special age in the United States. There’s often a special celebration for a girl’s 16th birthday---a big party called Sweet-16. It is like a wedding reception(结婚晚宴) in the number of guests and gifts handed out.
About a month before the party, the girl’s family sends out invitations to the guests. They must buy a special present for the birthday girl and the girl guests find good dresses to wear. A sweet-16 present usually costs $40 to $60. This is about $20 more than the usual-cost of a birthday present.
The party itself is not held at someone’s house. The hostess rents(租赁) a reception hall for the event. Food, cake and a DJ are provided. Around 6’clock, guests arrive and meet the birthday girl. Then the girl and her father have a special father-daughter dance. After that, guests dance for about 30 to 45 minutes.
Then there is the most important part of the Sweet-16 party, the candle-lighting ceremony.
The sweet-16 hostess stands behind 16 unlit(未点燃的) candles and dedicates(献给) each candle to her friends, family, and anything that she feels is important to her. A lot of crying and hugging goes on at this time.
Afterwards, people sit and eat. Most guests begin leaving around 11 o’clock.
This school year, I have been to two Sweet-16s. I am one of the youngest students in my grade (My birthday is in December). I’ll have to wait another year before I can have my own special Sweet-16 party. I can’t wait for it!
Why is sixteen a special age for an American girl?
How much does a usual birthday present for a teenager cost in the USA?
What is the most important part of the Sweet-16 party?
How old is the writer?
What do you think of the Sweet-16 party in the USA? (请自拟一句话作答)
One afternoon I toured an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting. I was looking forward to a quiet viewing of the wonderful paintings.
A young couple were viewing the paintings in front of me and chatting with each other without stop. I watched them for a moment and noticed the man’s wife was doing all the talking. I was surprised to see that the man was so patient and could stand his wife’s words, but I still moved on.
I met them several times when I moved through the different rooms of art. Each time I heard she continued talking about the paintings, I moved away quickly.
I was buying some gifts in the museum shop when the couple came near to the gate. Before they left, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out something brown. He turned it into a long stick and then tapped(轻敲) his way into the coatroom to get his wife’s jacket.
“He’s a brave man,” a clerk beside me said. “Most of us would give up if we became blind at such a young age. During his treatment, he made a promise that his life wouldn’t change. So, as before, he and his wife come in whenever there’s a new art show.”
“But what does he get out of the art?” I asked. “He can’t see.”
“Can’t see? You’re wrong. He sees a lot , more than you or I do.” The clerk said, “His wife describes each painting, so he can see it in his head.”
I learned something about patience(耐心), courage and love that day. I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person who was blind and the courage of a husband who would not allow blindness to make his life different. And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away holding each other’s hands.
根据短文内容填空，每空填一词。When I stayed at the art museum, I ___________ to look at the wonderful paintings without any ___________.
To my ___________, only the wife kept talking about the paintings all the time while her husband just listened to her ___________.
I didn’t realize that something was wrong with the young man’s ___________ until I noticed him using a long ___________ to trap his way.
The man can see each painting in his ___________ because his wife ___________ it to him.
The young couple not only share a common interest in ___________ but also share their strong ___________.
Thousands of years ago, people didn't live in cold places because they didn't know how to keep themselves warm. Later they learned to make clothes. When an animal was killed, they made use of its skins to cover their bodies..
. It once helped people find fire, when lighting hit a forest and started a fire.
The fire kept them warm, and also frightened wild animals. Soon people found the food cooked tasted much better, so they began to use the fire to cook food.
But people still didn't know how to make a fire. When they got a fire from the forest they tried to keep it burning.
But later they found different ways to make fire. For example, they made fire by burning wood or knocking two pieces of stones.
Today it's easy for people to make fire because they have matches, lighters and different kinds of heaters.
根据短文内容，把A-E五个选项填入文中空缺处，使短文内容完整、正确。
| A. If it went out, they had to wait for years. B. The skins keep them warm. C. They can make fire at any time they need. D. People took some of this fire to their homes. E. Nature is people's good friend.. |
A little boy invited his mother to attend his school’s first teacher-parent meeting. To the little boy’s dismay (沮丧), his mother said she would go. This would be the first time that his classmates and teachers met his mother and he was embarrassed by her appearance(出现). There was a severe (严重的) scar (伤疤) that covered nearly the whole right side of her face. The boy never wanted to talk about why or how she got the scar.
At the meeting, the people were impressed by the kindness of his mother with the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed and hid himself from everyone. However, he could hear clearly the conversation between his mother and the teacher.
“How did you get the scar on your face?” the teacher asked.
The mother replied, “When my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught on fire. Everyone was too afraid to go in because the fire was out of control, but I went in. As I was running towards his bed, I saw a burning wood falling down and I placed myself over him trying to protect him. I was knocked to be unconscious (无知觉的), but luckily, a fireman came in and saved both of us.” She touched the burned side of her face. “This scar will be forever, but until today, I have never regretted doing what I did.”
When the little boy heard this, he couldn’t help running towards his mother with tears in his eyes. He hugged her and felt his mother was greater than anyone. He held her hand tightly for the rest of the day.The underline world “embarrassed” means ______ in Chinese.
| A．焦虑的 | B．尴尬的 |
| C．悲伤的 | D．悔恨的 |
In fact, the boy’s mother was ______.
| A．beautiful | B．ugly |
| C．kind | D．ugly but kind |
We know from the passage that the little boy ______.
| A．wasn’t moved by what her mother said |
| B．didn’t ask his mother to attend the meeting |
| C．wanted his mother to attend the meeting at first |
| D．didn’t really want his mother to attend the meeting at first |
After listening to his mother’s words about the scar, the boy might feel ______.
| A．moved | B．unhappy |
| C．worried | D．dismay |
Which of the following is true?
| A．The boy’s mother was brave but foolish |
| B．The boy hated what his mother had done |
| C．We should love our parents whatever they are like |
| D．The people at the meeting didn’t like the boy’s mother |
Every year thousands of people get hurt or die when they are crossing the road. Most of these people are old people and children. Old people often get hurt or die because they can’t see or hear very well. Children usually meet with accidents because of their carelessness. They forgot to look and listen before they cross the road.
How can we lessen (减少) traffic accidents? All of us must obey the traffic rules. For the drivers, they shouldn’t drive too fast. If they drive too fast, it will be very difficult to stop the cars in a very short time. For the pedestrians (行人), it’s very important to be careful when they are walking on the road. Therefore, when we walk across the road, we must try to walk along the pavements(人行道). We must stop and look both ways before crossing the road. Look left first, next look right, then look left again. Only when we are sure that the road is clear, we can cross it. The right way to cross the road is to walk quickly. It’s not safe to run. If people run across the road, they may fall down. Teens(青少年) should try to help children, old people or blind people to cross the road, and never play in the street.Thousands of people get hurt or die when they are crossing the road every year, most of them are ______.
| A．children and drivers | B．old people and children |
| C．old people and blind people | D．teens and drivers |
To lessen traffic accidents, we shouldn’t ______.
| A．run quickly |
| B．walk quickly |
| C．be sure that the road is clear |
| D．look left, look right and look left again |
According to the passage, we know that ______ will be safe.
| A．driving too fast | B．running across the road |
| C．walking alone the pavements | D．playing in the street |
Why do old people often get hurt or die when they are crossing the road?
| A．Because they don’t look and listen. |
| B．Because they walk too fast. |
| C．Because they are not careful. |
| D．Because they can’t see or hear very well. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Never play in the street. |
| B．Being safe in the street. |
| C．Look and listen before we cross the road |
| D．.Stop and look both ways before crossing the road. |
Once there were two mice. They were friends. One mouse lived in the country; the other mouse lived in the city. After many years the Country mouse saw the City mouse; he said, "Do come and see me at my house in the country." So the City mouse went. The City mouse said, "This food is not good, and your house is not good. Why do you live in a hole in the field? You should come and live in the city. You would live in a nice house made of stone. You would have nice food to eat. You must come and see me at my house in the city."
The Country mouse went to the house of the City mouse. It was a very good house. Nice food was set ready for them to eat. But just as they began to eat they heard a great noise. The City mouse cried, "Run! Run! The cat is coming!" They ran away quickly and hid.
After some time they came out. When they came out, the Country mouse said, "I do not like living in the city. I like living in my hole in the field. For it is nicer to be poor and happy than to be rich and afraid."The City mouse think the Country mouse’s life is not good because ______.
| A．the food is not good |
| B．the Country mouse lives in a hole in the field |
| C．both the food and the house are bad |
| D．the house is not made of stone |
When the Country mouse went to the house of the City mouse, he thinks the City mouse has ______.
| A．bad house and bad food | B．bad house but nice food |
| C．good house and nice food | D．good house but bad food |
From the passage, we know that ______.
| A．The great noise is made by the cat |
| B．They are caught by the cat |
| C．They are not afraid of the cat |
| D．The City mouse lives a rich and happy life |
The Country mouse prefer the ______ life before.
A. poor and afraid B. poor and happy
C. rich and afraid B. rich and happyWhich of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．The City Mouse |
| B．The Country Mouse |
| C．The Rich and the Poor |
| D．The City Mouse and the Country Mouse |