A
Mr and Mrs Albina,with 64 children,have the world's largest family.Not one of their children is adopted(领养).
When people hear about the Albinas' large family,the first question they ask is,"How is it possible?How can one woman give birth to 64 children in her lifetime?"The answer is simple:
Every time Mrs Albina gave birth,she had twins or triplets.
Soon after the Albinas got married the children came quickly,in twos and threes.The first 21 children were boys.Mrs Albina loved her sons,but she wanted a daughter very much.
The Albinas spent the early years in Argentina.Then they decided to move to Chile.To travel from Argentina to Chile,they had to cross the Andes Mountains.Mr and Mrs Albina and their 21 sons made the difficult,two﹣week journey on mules.One night there was a terrible snowstorm in the mountains.During the snowstorm,Mrs Albina gave birth to triplets,a boy and﹣two girls!
The oldest Albina children are in their thirties and forthies.They are on their own now,but 18 of the Albina children still live with their parents.The family lives in a two﹣room shack in Colina,Chile.The shack has electricity but no toilet or running water.The children wash in a small bowl in the dusty backyard.
At times there is very little food in the Albinas'small house.When there is not enough food for everyone,Mrs Albina makes sure the youngest children do not go hungry."The smallest eat first,and then the bigger ones.We've always done it that way,"she says.Obviously,the Albinas do not have enough money for their big family.Why,then,do they continue to have children?
The Albinas do not use birth control because it is against their religion (宗教).They could let other people take care of their children,but Mrs.Albina will not allow it"When my two brothers and l were babies:she says,''our mother left us at an orphanage(孤儿院)and never returned.We lived there together until we were five.Then a couple adopted my brothers,and I was left behind.I was heartbroken.I promised myself that when I became a mother,l would never give my children away.Even if I didn't have much money,I would always take care of my children myself."Mrs Albina has kept her promise.
l.How many people are there in the world's largest family?
A.66:a mother,a father and their 64 adopted children.
B.66:a mother,a father and their 64 children.
C.23:a mother,a father and their 21 sons.
2.All ofthe Albina children are .
A.living in Argentina
B.in their thirties and forties
C.twins or triplets
3.The Albina family is .
A.poor
B.middle class
C.rich
4.The Albinas do not use birth control because .
A.they want to have as many children as possible
B.they don't know about birth control
C.it is against their religion
5.Mrs Albina will not let other people take care of her children because .
A.she is afraid other people won't take good care of them
B.she promised that she would always take care of her children herself
C.she has a lot of money and can take care of them herself.
Have you ever been ill? When you are ill,you must be unhappy because your body becomes hot,and there are pains all over your body. You don't want to work,you stay in bed,feeling very sad.
What makes us ill? It is germs(细菌). Germs are everywhere. They are very small and you can't find them with your eyes,but you can see them with a microscope. They are very small and there could be hundreds of them on a very small thing.
Germs are always found in dirty water. When we look at dirty water under the microscope,we shall see them in it. So your father and mother will not let you drink dirty water.
Germs aren't found only in water. They are found in air and dust. If you cut your finger,if some of the dust from the floor goes into the cut(割开处),some of the germs would go into your finger. Your finger would become big and red,and you will have much pain in it. Sometimes the germs would go into all of your body,and you would have pain everywhere.
根据短文内容,选择正确答案。 Which of the following is TRUE?
A.If things are very small,they are germs. |
B.If things can't be seen,they must be germs. |
C.Germs are only in dirty water. |
D.Germs are everywhere around us. |
What is a microscope used for?
A.Making very small things look much bigger. |
B.Making very big things look much smaller. |
C.Helping you read some newspapers. |
D.Helping you if you can't see things clearly. |
Why don't your parents let you drink dirty water?
A.You haven't looked at it carefully. |
B.Water can't be drunk in this way. |
C.There must be lots of germs in it. |
D.Water will make you ill. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A.Germs can be found both in water and in the air. |
B.Germs can go into your finger if it is cut. |
C.If your temperature is not OK,there must be germs in your body. |
D.If your finger isn't cut,there aren't any germs on it. |
What's the main idea of the passage?
A.Germs may make us ill. | B.Germs are in dirty water. |
C.Don't drink dirty water. | D.Take care of your fingers. |
Tom walked into a shop . It had a sign outside : "Second-hand (旧的) clothes bought and sold . "He was carrying an old pair of trousers and asked the owner of the shop, "How much will you give me for these?" The man looked at them and then said: "Two dollars."
"What !" said Tom. "I had guessed they were worth at least five dollars."
"No," said the man, "they aren't worth a cent more than two dollars."
"Well," said Tom, taking two dollars out of his pocket. "Here's your money. These trousers were hanging outside your shop. The list price (标价)of them was six dollars and a half. But I thought that was too much money, so I wanted to find out how much they were really worth."
Then he walked out of the shop with the pair of trousers and disappeared before the shop owner could think of anything to say .At first the owner of the shop thought that Tom __________ .
A.wanted to steal the trousers |
B.wanted to sell the trousers |
C.wanted to fool him |
D.wanted to buy the trousers |
The owner of the shop_______ for the old trousers .
A.would give Tom two dollars |
B.would pay three dollars |
C.would pay five dollars |
D.would give Tom six dollars and a half |
The shop owner insisted that the trousers were worth only two dollars because ____ .
A.he wanted to sell them cheaply (廉价地) |
B.he wanted to buy them cheaply |
C.he didn't like the trousers |
D.they were old and dirty |
In fact, the trousers _________.
A.were hanging inside the shop |
B.were stolen by Tom from the shop |
C.had been the shop owner's |
D.had been Tom's |
From the story we know that _________ cheaper than the list price.
A.the owner sold the trousers two dollars |
B.Tom sold the trousers one dollar and a half |
C.the owner bought the trousers three dollars |
D.Tom bought the trousers four dollars and a half |
As teenagers, you have a lot of dreams. These dreams can be very big, such as winning the Nobel Prize, or they can be small, you may just want to become one of the top ten students in your class.
Once you find a dream, what do you do with it? Do you ever try your best to make your dream real? Making our dreams real is life’s biggest challenge.
You may think you’re not very good at some subjects, or that it is impossible for you to become a writer. These kinds of thoughts prevent you from being successful.
In fact, everyone can make his dream come true. The first thing you must do is to remember the dream in your mind. Don’t let it leave your heart. Keep telling yourself what you want. Do this step by step and your dream will come true faster because a big dream is made up of small ones. Please never give them up.
You may have difficulties on the way to your dreams. But the biggest comes from you yourself. You need to decide what is the most important. Studying instead of watching TV will lead to better exam results, while saving five yuan instead of buying an ice cream means you can buy a new book. As you get closer to your dream, it may change a little. This is good as you have the chance to learn more skills and find new interests.
How to realize your |
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Opinions |
Teenagers have many dreams, either big or small. Making our dreams real is life’s |
Suggestions to make the dreams real |
First, don’t Don’t let it leave your heart |
Keep telling yourself what you want. Do this step by step. |
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There will be |
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You have the chance to learn more skills and find new interests as you get closer to your dream. |
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Conclusion |
Once you find a dream, you should try your best to make it real. |
Arthur sat at the desk in his room, pencil in hand. He had to write a story for his English class by Friday. “I don’t know what to write about,” he complained to his dog Toby, who was asleep at his feet. Arthur was talkative when speaking to his friends, yet he had trouble finding words when he had to write.
By bedtime Arthur had drawn a picture of Toby smiling. He had drawn a tree with its branches blowing in the strong wind. He had also written a note asking his friend Lee to go to the movies on Saturday. But he had not written a single word of his story.
On Wednesday, Mrs. Solomon, Arthur’s English teacher, asked the class to turn in the first draft of their stories. His heart sinking, Arthur turned in the only work he had—the page with his name, the drawings and the note.
Arthur wasn’t surprised when Mrs. Solomon asked him to stay after class the next day. But he was surprised by what she said to him. “This is an attractive story, Arthur. The dog, the movie, the tree in the wind—I can’t wait to find out how they all fit together.”
“That isn’t my story, Mrs. Solomon,” Arthur admitted. “I haven’t been able to think of one yet.”
“Oh, I think you have the seed of a story there,” Mrs. Solomon replied, “Look at your note and the pictures and see if a story comes to you.”
That night Arthur sat at his desk, and this is what he wrote: “One Saturday Mike went downstairs to meet his friend Julio at the cinema. It looked as if it might rain, so Mike carried his umbrella. Suddenly a big storm blew in, bending the trees. The noise of the wind sounded like the barking of Mike’s dog Toby. Toby really hated storms and barked whenever he wanted to be let inside. Then Mike realized that it wasn’t the sound of the wind. It was Toby. The dog was running after him down the busy street, barking. The sound was filled with blame. Mike felt guilty because he had left Toby outside. He turned and headed home with Toby running beside him. Mike let Toby in the door just as the rain started to pour down.”
Arthur had a story in the end. The last thing he did was to write his name proudly at the top of the page.Why did Arthur turn in the page with only his name, the drawings and the note at first?
A.Because he had no time to fit them together. |
B.Because he had difficulty in writing a story. |
C.Because he wasn’t willing to do his homework. |
D.Because he wanted to show his talent for drawing. |
What does the sentence “I think you have the seed of a story there” mean?
A.Toby is an imaginative and lovely dog. |
B.The small tree will grow into a big one. |
C.His friend Lee can give him a lot of support. |
D.He can develop his story based on the first draft. |
Which of the following statements is not right according to Arthur’s last story?
A.A storm made the tree fall down. |
B.Mike carried his umbrella to go to the cinema. |
C.The dog was barking and running after Mike down the busy. |
D.Mike returned home and let the dog in the door. |
What kind of teacher do you think Mrs. Solomon is ?
A.She is a strict teacher |
B.She is a wise teacher |
C.She is an honest teacher |
D.She is an energetic teacher |
What can we infer(推断)from the story?
A.Arthur is a shy and quiet student |
B.Arthur isn’t very satisfied with his story |
C.There will be a storm on Saturday |
D.Encouragement is important in teaching |
Swimming and English Learning
Can you swim? Do you like swimming? Yes? Well, how can you learn to swim? I think the best way is to go into the water and learn. I’m afraid you’ll never learn to swim just by reading books about swimming or looking at others swimming. It’s the same with the English study. We must practice, practice and practice.
Listening and speaking are very important for beginners. The children in English-speaking countries first listen to others. Then they try to imitate and speak. We can listen to English programs on radio. You may just understand a few words. It doesn’t matter. Just be relaxed, try to catch every word.
Somebody may be a good listener. But he dare not speak. He’s afraid of making mistakes. You know we sometimes make mistakes when we speak Chinese. Don’t be afraid. We must be brave. If you really want to learn English well, you must try to speak with everyone so long as he knows English. Whether you know him or not is not important when there’s nobody to talk with, you can talk to yourself in English. It’s interesting and also a good way to practice your spoken English. Remember, the more you speak, the fewer mistakes you’ll make.
Reading and writing are more important for senior school students. First we must choose the books we’re interested in. A lot of reading will improve your language sense. This is the most important.
Keep writing English diaries. We can also write English articles. You may even post them to English magazines. Don’t be afraid of failure. Failure is the mother of success.
Easier said than done. Well, let’s do more practice from now on. I’m sure you’ll learn English well in this way. You can learn to swim by_______.
A.reading books about it | B.looking at others swimming |
C.having lessons on it | D.going into the river and learning |
We should learn English by _______.
A.listening and speaking | B.reading and writing |
C.A and B | D.swimming |
What will you do with mistakes when you speak?
A.Don’t make mistakes. | B.Study hard. |
C.Try not to speak English. | D.Don’t be afraid. |
What’s more important for senior school students?
A.listening | B.speaking |
C.reading and writing | D.learning |
We can listen to English ______, according to the passage.
A.by train | B.on the radio |
C.every minute | D.now and then |