Holding doors open, picking up rubbish, thanking people … these acts of kindness seem very small. But students at Tibbetts Middle School know that it’s the small acts that make the world a better place.
Eighth-graders from New Mexico, US, took part in the Random (随意) Acts of Kindness Week from Feb 10 to 14. During the week, they tried their best to do kind things for others, or for the environment.
Celeste Murray, an English teacher at the school, started the activity. “I believe the world is changed by little things,” she told the local newspaper. Over the week, Murray said she has seen changes in her class. Previously, she asked her students to push the chairs in after class. Now, the students do it by themselves. “The teachers will have less work,” said Elisea Castaneda, one of Murray’s students.
Jordin Marshall, another eighth-grader, spent the week giving out praise (赞扬). “It makes that person’s day (使那个人开心),” she said. “Besides helping others, the activity made students feel that they can make a difference,” Murray said.
Eighth-grader Haley Echols decided to continue to do at least one act of kindness every week. She believes her acts could encourage others.
Random Acts of Kindness Week was started by .
| A．some eighth-graders | B．the school |
| C．a teacher | D．some parents |
What kind of act of kindness is not mentioned?
| A．Giving out praise. | B．Holding doors open. |
| C．Picking up rubbish. | D．Donating money. |
The underlined word “Previously” means .
| A．since then | B．before |
| C．later | D．at present |
Elisea thinks if students push in chairs after class, .
| A．teachers’ work can be reduced |
| B．the environment will be better |
| C．other students’ time can be saved |
| D．no rubbish will be left |
Which of the following is NOT TRUE?
| A．Random Acts of Kindness Week lasted for seven days. |
| B．Random Acts of Kindness Week made children feel they can make a difference. |
| C．The teachers and students want to make the world a better place with small acts. |
| D．The activity encouraged many students. |
You may have heard of the famous saying, "East or West, home is the best." What does the word "home" mean to you? How do you say the word in French? In Chinese? In your language? Although people usually know what the word means, it sometimes has no exact translation. It's not surprising, because the idea of home is different from country to country, and from person to person. A home is more than a roof and four walls. It's the cooking, eating, talking, playing and sleeping that go on inside. And at home you usually feel safe and relaxed.
Homes look different in different countries. They also have different things inside. For example, in cold northern Europe, there's a fire in the living room or kitchen and all the chairs face it. In the south, where the sun shines a lot and it's more important to keep the heat out, there are small windows and cool stone floors.
We asked some people about their homes.
“How often do people move house in your country''.
"In my country many people don't stay in one place for a very long lime. They
often move every ten years or so. "
—Chery, Boston, USA.
What are features(特征) of homes in your country？
"In Britain, even in town, there's always a garden. We have separate bedrooms and living rooms. But we don't often have balconies(阳台). The weather isn't warmenough!"
—Pat. Exeter, EnglandThe word "home" sometimes has no exact translation because _____.
A. people can't find this word in the dictionary
B. no one knows what it is
C it has different meanings in different countries
D. people can't understand each other very wellAccording to the passage, at home, you can do everything except _____.
A. making friends
B. cooking and eating
C playing and talking
D. sleeping and relaxingWhy is it important to keep the heat out of the houses in southern Europe?
| A．Because they want to breathe fresh air outside. |
| B．Because there's a fire in the living room. |
| C．Because they wear heavy clothes all day long. |
| D．Because the sun there shines a lot. |
From the second paragraph, what kind of homes people have depends on ______.
| A．whether they are rich or not |
| B．the climate(气候) they have |
| C．how old they are |
| D．whether they live in the city or countryside |
Which one of the sentences below is true?
| A．People in Britain seldom have balconies because it's so hot outside. |
| B．Some Americans move house several times during their lifetime. |
| C．Homes look the same in different countries. |
| D．Houses in northern Europe have big windows and cool stone floors. |
Have you ever heard of Iceland? Iceland is a country, one-tenth of which is covered with ice. However, it is said that Iceland is the land of heat. Smoking volcanoes (火山), white steam (蒸汽) and hot springs are more amazing than the other sights including ice there.
It has taken millions of years for volcanoes and lava flows (熔岩流) to build Iceland. When hiking through one of Iceland’s many ancient lava fields, you may notice something strange. White steam is rising from each vent in front of you. Iceland is covered with vents which steam can pass out of. The steam comes from naturally heated rocks and hot water below the Earth’s surface (表面).
Like steam vents, hot springs can be seen here and there in the ancient lava fields. Blue Lake is the most famous hot spring in Iceland. It isn’t far from the capital city of the country. The water and white earth in it can make your skin as soft as a newborn baby’s skin. Enjoy that water, because it has traveled a long way. It starts nearly two kilometers under Blue Lake. There, water from the ocean continues moving up slowly into the spaces between hot rocks below the surface. And then the water is heated by hot rocks. Powerful machines and long pipes (水管) help bring the heated water to the surface. People in Iceland use natural hot water for hot springs. Besides, they use it to create electricity that can be used to heat homes and even greenhouses.
Iceland is one of the few places on the Earth where active volcanoes lie below ice. Heat from the volcanoes creates a strange and wild beauty. Therefore, some people believe that it’s better to call the country “Heatland” instead of Iceland. If you have a chance to travel there, take it.
根据短文内容选择最佳答案。From the passage, are the most amazing sights in Iceland.
A. smoking volcanoes and ice
B. smoking volcanoes, white steam and hot springs
C. heated rocks, hot springs and new lava fieldsThe underlined word “vent” in the passage means “ ” in Chinese.
A. 进入口 B. 回流口 C. 排放口Picture shows how Blue Lake is formed.
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Iceland was built millions of years ago.
B. People in Iceland use natural hot water for hot springs and creating electricity.
C. Iceland is the only country where active volcanoes lie below ice.The best title for this passage should be .
A. THE HISTORY OF ICELAND
B. THE HOT SPRING OF BLUE LAKE
C. THE HEAT IN ICELAND
Are you afraid of tests? What will you do to prepare for a test? The following suggestions will be helpful.
Pay attention to what your teacher gives about a coming test. Write down exactly what you will be tested on. Knowing what the test will cover is half done.
Make a review list that includes important points from class and reading material. Then your studying notes will be in one place. What’s more, rewriting the material will help you to remember it.
Don’t cram (突击式学习)！Test preparation begins the first day of class, so keep on doing your reading and homework. Then you just need to review for the test—not learn all the materials. If you wait until the night before to try to learn everything, you will only put more stress (压力) on yourself.
Get a good night’s sleep before the test, but if you can’t, don’t be awake the whole night. Research shows that getting at least four hours of sleep produces the better test results.
Eat a healthy breakfast to keep your mind sharp (敏锐的). Avoid sugar, as it will weaken your ability to concentrate (全神贯注).How many suggestions have you got from the text?
| A．Two. | B．Three. |
| C．Four. | D．Five. |
The suggestions are given to the students who are .
| A．in fear of the test | B．good at learning |
| C．in need of sleep | D．poor at reading |
Where will students probably know something about a coming test？
| A．From their classmates. | B．From their teachers. |
| C．From reading material. | D．From studying notes. |
Cramming will make it difficult for students to .
| A．be busy reviewing at first |
| B．enjoy the first day of class |
| C．make good test preparation |
| D．put more stress on themselves |
What do you think will weaken your ability to concentrate?
| A．Eating a healthy breakfast. |
| B．Taking too much sugar. |
| C．Keeping your mind sharp. |
| D．Getting a good night’s sleep. |
Reading is the key to school success and, like any skill, it takes practice. A child learns to walk by practicing until he no longer has to think about how to put one foot in front of the other. An excellent sportsman practices until he can play quickly, correctly and without thinking. Educators call it “automaticity (自动性)”.
A child learns to read by sounding out the letters and finding the meaning of the words. With practice, he stumbles less and less, reading by the phrase (短语). With automaticity, he doesn’t have to think about the meaning of words, so he can give all his attention to the meaning of the text.
It can begin as early as first grade. In a recent study of children in Illinois schools, Alan Rossman of Northwestern University found that automatic readers in the first grade not only read almost three times as fast as the others, but also got better results in exams.
According to Rossman, the key to automaticity is the amount (数量) of time a child spends reading, not his IQ. Any child who spends at least 3.5 to 4 hours a week reading books, magazines or newspapers will probably reach automaticity. It can happen if a child turns off TV just one night for reading at home.
You can test yourself by reading something new which is suitable (适合) for your level. If you read aloud with expression, with a sense of the meaning of the sentences, you probably are an automatic reader. If you read brokenly, one word at a time, without expression or meaning, you need more practice.“Reading is the key to school success” means that reading .
| A．helps school develop faster |
| B．is a key to a successful school |
| C．helps students go to a key school |
| D．can improve students’ learning results |
Children with “automaticity” can read faster because they .
| A．know how to read the words |
| B．do not have to think while reading |
| C．read by themselves without any help |
| D．pay attention to the meaning of the text |
Rossman tells that any child who will possibly be an automatic reader.
| A．turns off TV one night 4 weeks |
| B．reads books by the word quickly |
| C．spends an hour reading every day |
| D．gets the same grades as others in exams |
The underlined word “stumble” in the passage means “ ” in Chinese.
| A．结结巴巴地读 | B．全神贯注地读 |
| C．心不在焉地读 | D．声情并茂地读 |
The best title for the passage is “ ”.
| A．IQ Is the Key to the Automaticity |
| B．TV Is Bad for Children’s Reading |
| C．Automaticity Depends on Practice |
| D．Automatic Reads Will Be Successful |
Paper is one of the most important products ever invented by man. The invention of paper meant that more people could be educated because more books could be printed. Paper provided an important way to communicate with knowledge.
Paper was first made in China about 2,000 years ago. In Egypt and the West, paper was not very commonly used before the year 1400. Paper was not made in southern Europe until about the year 1100. After that, the foreign countries of CanadA. Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the United States became the most important in paper making. Today Finland makes the best paper in the world. And it has the biggest paper industry in the world.
When we think of paper, we think of newspaper, books, letters, and writing paper. So paper plays an important role in our lives.
Paper is very good for keeping you warm. Houses are often insulated(隔热) with paper. You have perhaps seen homeless men sleep on a large number of newspapers. They are insulating themselves from the cold. In Finland, in winter it is sometimes 40℃below zero. The farmers wear paper boots in the snow. Nothing could be warmer. --- What did the invention of paper mean?
--- It meant _________________.
A.more people could be educated
B.more books could be printed
C.paper is one of the most important products When was paper made in southern Europe?
A. Before 1100.
B. After 1100.
C. After 1400. Which country makes the best paper?
A. Finland
B. Norway
C. The United States What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.The invention of paper
B.The paper-making
C.The uses of paper