The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is one of the great works by Mark Twain. The book is so interesting. Even today, it is quite popular among kids. Although I am in my thirties, the book remains one of my favorites. After re-reading the book recently, I have learned an important lesson from Tom Sawyer.
In our daily lives, we are often given some boring or tiring tasks. What’s in your mind when your mom tells you to clean the floor? Have you ever wanted to complain（抱怨）? I think most people have.
Tom Sawyer, however, thought “differently” when he was given a boring task. One Saturday morning, Aunt Polly told Tom to paint the fence（篱笆）. Tom’s friend Ben Rogers happened to walk past. Instead of complaining, Tom told Ben that he felt “excited” about the task. “Only one in a thousand—maybe even two thousand boys can do this!” Tom said.
Tom’s words made Ben interested in the task. He even gave Tom his apple so that he could have a chance to paint the fence. If Tom had thought about nothing but complaining, he would have had a bad day painting the fence.
This story teaches me a valuable lesson: Complaining is useless. The next time you are given a boring or tiring task, don’t complain. Unlike what happens in the story of Tom Sawyer, it is unlikely that someone will come and do the work for you. However, without complaining, you’ll feel better and perhaps even do a better job!
(1). Who is the writer of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
| A． |
Aunt Polly. |
B． |
Mark Twain. |
C． |
Ben Rogers. |
(2). According to the writer, what is most people’s immediate reaction（即时反应）to a boring task?
| A． |
Complaining about it. |
B． |
Accepting it. |
C． |
Refusing it. |
(3). What did Aunt Polly ask Tom to do in this text?
| A． |
Visit Ben. |
B． |
Clean the floor. |
C． |
Paint the fence. |
(4). Why did Tom say the underlined sentence to Ben in Paragraph 3?
| A． |
To express his sadness. |
B． |
To catch Ben’s interest. |
C． |
To show his anger. |
(5). What does the writer learn from Tom Sawyer?
| A． |
It is no use complaining. |
B． |
Refusing is the best choice. |
C． |
Waiting is the only way out. |
The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of September 2,1666.In four days it destroyed more than three quarters of the old city,where most of those houses were built out of wood and close together.One hundred thousand people became homeless but only few lost their lives.The fire started on Sunday moring.By eight o’clock three hundred houses were on fire.On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames.Tuesday was the worst day.The fire destroyed many well–known buildings.
The fire stopped only when the king finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path(路线) of the fire.With nothing left to burn,the fire became weak and finally died out.What day die the Great Fire happen in London?
| A．Sunday. | B．Monday. | C．Tuesday. | D．Wednesday. |
The Great Fire of London destroyed more than ________ of the old city.
| A．25 percent | B．30 percent | C．half | D．75 percent |
What were most of the houses made of?
| A．Plastic. | B．Wood. | C．Stones. | D．Bricks. |
Finally,the fire was out because there wasn’t ________ left to burn it ________.
| A．nothing,the fire | B．anything,the city |
| C．anything,the path of the fire | D．something,the streets |
How long did the fire last?
| A．Two days. | B．Three days. |
| C．More than four days. | D．Half a month. |
When the Audet family turns on the lights at Blue Farm, they are using electricity that comes from cows—cow manure (粪肥), to be specific.
Cows produce a lot of wastes. One cow can create 30 gallons of wastes each day. Now imagine the output of over 1,000 cows at Blue Farm. That’s really a big amount.
When farmers clean their barns, they put the wastes in a big heap, and spread some of them on their fields for fertilizer(肥料). But now places like Blue Spruce Farm have a new way of using cow wastes. They use them to produce electricity.
Here’s how it works: A big machine moves back and forth cleaning the barn floor. “The cows aren’t bothered,” says Marie Audet. “They are animals of habit; they get used to it, and just lift one foot and then another to let it go by.”
The machine pushes the manure into a big 600-gallon tank like a small swimming pool. The tank is called a digester (化粪池) because what happens there is just like what happens inside a cow: Bacteria(细菌) get to work and continue to digest the manure.
Methane gas (甲烷、沼气)in the atmosphere is known as a “greenhouse” gas because it keeps heat just like a greenhouse does, causing our planet to warm up. That’s an environmental concern. But the digester has a good result. Its gas is kept and used to power electric generators (发电机).
At Blue Farm, the generators make enough electricity to power 400 homes. The Audet family sells the extra electricity they can’t use themselves.We learn from the text that the Audet family is using cow wastes to ______.
| A．make electricity | B．produce fertilizer | C．build their farm | D．feed the cows |
How are the cow wastes collected into the digester at Blue Farm?
| A．Marie Audet does the work | B．The job is done by machine |
| C．The cows lift the cow wastes | D．Bacteria get to work on them |
According to the passage, which of the following is changed into electricity?
| A．The power of moving water. | B．The heat of burning coal. |
| C．The power of sunlight. | D．The heat of the methane gas |
The new way of using cow wastes at Blue Farm might be best described as ______.
| A．reducing | B．saving | C．recycling | D．changing |
What is the main purpose for writing the passage?
| A．To introduce a new way of making electricity | B．To explain how a new energy works better |
| C．To show a new rebuilding plan for a big farm | D．To explain the reasons for green house effect |
When I was a kid in Minnesota, watermelon was expensive. One of my father’s friends, Bernie, was a rich businessman, who owned a large store in St. Paul.
Every summer, when the first watermelons arrived, Bernie would call. Dad and I would go to Bernie’s place. We’ d sit on the edge of the dock（码头）, feet dangling（摇晃）, and got ready for a big meal.
Bernie would take his knife, cut our first watermelon, hand us both a big piece and sit down next to us. Then we’d bury our faces in watermelon, eating only the heart—the reddest, juiciest, firmest, sweetest, most seed-free part—and throw away the rest.
Bernie was my father’s idea of a rich man. I always thought it was because he was such a successful businessman. Years later, I realized that it was not Bernie’s wealth itself but his way of dealing with it that my father liked. Bernie knew how to stop working, get together with friends and eat only the heart of the watermelon.
What I learned from Bernie is that being rich is a state of mind. Some of us, no matter how much money we have, will never be free enough to eat only the heart of the watermelon. If you don’t take the time to dangle your feet over the dock and enjoy life’s small pleasure, your work is probably hurting your life.
For many years, I forgot that lesson I’d learned as a kid on the loading dock. I was too busy making all the money I could.
Well, I’ve relearned it. I hope I have time left to enjoy the success of others and to take pleasure in the day. That’s the heart of the watermelon. I have learned again to throw the rest away. We learned from the second paragraph that the writer and his father were feeling ______.
| A．relaxed | B．worried | C．hungry | D．proud |
How did the writer and his father eat the watermelon?
| A．They ate it in a polite way. | B．They only ate its best part. |
| C．They ate every part of it. | D．They shared only one piece. |
In the eyes of the writer’s father, Bernie ______.
| A．was just a rich businessman | B．worked hard all the time |
| C．lived a rich but healthy life | D．knew how to make money |
The underlined part “the heart of the watermelon” in the last paragraph refers to ______.
| A．the best part of the watermelon | B．the writer’s busy life |
| C．the writer’s decision of making money | D．the writer’s hope of enjoying life |
It can be learned from the passage that ______.
| A．one has to work hard to reach his goal | B．a friend in need is a friend in deed |
| C．watermelon is the healthiest fruit | D．one should keep work-life balance |
Do you know that it is your own immune system working against the virus that makes you uncomfortable when getting a cold, but not the virus itself? So when you have got a strong immune system and the virus is strong enough too, you will possibly get terrible cold symptoms( 症状) ?
Vitamin C won’t stop a cold
It is claimed that Vitamin C helps by increasing white blood cells. However, many tests have shown that it does not prevent colds. At best, it only slightly reduces the rime of symptoms.
Staying indoors won’t protect you
One of the most likely sources of cold viruses is your computer mouse or desk. A study of the cold virus in offices found that 47% of desktops, 46% of computer mice and 45% of telephones had cold viruses on them.
Wrapping up warm won’t protect you
Colds are more common in autumn and winter. That’s because the cool, wet and cold weather drives people indoors, where viruses may more easily jump from one person to another. And the distinct peak in colds(感冒高峰) is in September and early January, which is likely due to the return of students to schools and colleges after the summer and winter vacation.
Old granny’s chicken soup is right
Granny’s chicken soup is an old cure for colds since a long time ago. Scientists say it is true. Chicken soup does help cure a cold. Many canned soups are just efficient as homemade ones. It is ______ that makes you uncomfortable when getting a cold.
| A．the virus itself | B．Vitamin C |
| C．the terrible cold symptom | D．your own immune system |
"Staying indoors won’t protect you" tells us that ______ indoors.
| A．there are many desks | B．there are many telephones |
| C．there are many cold viruses | D．there are many computer mice |
The distinct peak in colds is in September and early January. That’s because______.
| A．it’s in autumn and winter |
| B．the weather is cool, wet and cold |
| C．students return to schools and colleges |
| D．viruses can jump from one person to another more easily |
Many canned soups are just efficient as homemade ones. The underlined word "efficient" means _____ in Chinese.
A. 有效的 B. 美味的 c. 值钱的 D. 方便的
The widespread number of food scandals ( 丑闻) in China is making many people pause before they put their chopsticks in their mouth. They are wondering if the food they are eating is clean, healthy and nutritious or does it contain something harmful that will cause disease?
Most of the food we eat today is processed food( 加工食品). That means the foods we buy in stores and supermarkets, especially packaged foods, are prepared in factories. Chemicals are added to the foods in these factories to make them look better, taste better and last longer on the shelf. The chemicals are supposed to be harmless and there are laws that regulate which chemicals can and cannot be used. Unfortunately, some producers do not obey the laws.
A producer of steamed buns (馒头) in Zhejiang Province was recently discovered to be breaking the law. He was adding yellow dye and other banned chemicals to the buns. He was also taking old buns and using them to make new buns. Most of the buns were sold to schools and eaten by students. . . like you’
Why did he do it? Why did he break the law and endanger people’s health? The answer is simple: he wanted to make more money. It was a moral failing, and this is at the heart of the food scandals in China. Too many people focus on making money and not on the effects their actions can have on others. Chemicals are added to the foods in the factories because _____.
| A．they want to make the foods look better, taste better and last longer |
| B．they want to make the foods contain something harmful |
| C．chemicals will cause disease |
| D．chemicals are harmless |
According to the passage, which is NOT true?
| A．Most of the food we eat today is prepared in factories. |
| B．There are laws that regulate which chemicals can and cannot be used. |
| C．The food scandals in China are making many people worry about the food safety. |
| D．Most of the buns were sold to schools and eaten, by students in Zhejiang Province. |
It was a moral failing, and this is at the heart of the food scandals in China. Here what’s
the Chinese meaning of "moral failing"?
| A．精神崩溃 | B．道德滑坡 | C．质量下降 | D．心理失衡 |
What is the main reason of the food scandals in China?
| A．Some producers do not obey the laws. |
| B．The processed food is clean, healthy and nutritious. |
| C．Too many people pay much attention to making money. |
| D．The chemicals are supposed to be harmless and can be used. |