NEW BABY BROTHER
I was sitting in school when I heard the news “Your baby brother is born, and wants to see you!”
Dad got me from school and to the hospital with no delay.
Hurrying on our journey, he almost forgot the way!
My brother’s hands were tiny, and wrinkly soft, like a prune.
After he smiled at me, Mom said, “He’ll come home soon!”
Everyone “oohing” and “aahing”, they say “He is so sweet.
And one day he’ll walk around on those little baby feet!”
1. The writer was _______________ when hearing the news.| A．at school | B．at home | C．in the hospital | D．in the store |
| A．father | B．mother | C．brother | D．teacher |
| A．worried | B．surprised | C．relaxed | D．excited |
相似题推荐
From Penny To Anna
Subject A family memory
Hi Anna,
Great to hear from you! Yes, we had a fantastic holiday. Mum, Dad and I went camping in Beidaihe. In fact, we stayed at the same campsite as we did ten years ago. Dad showed me a photo we had taken then—just see how time flies!
Dad has changed quite a bit! In his thirties, he was quite thin and pale, and he had red, bushy hair. Nowadays, he’s well-built and tanned. He’s always had a square jaw, but now he’s grown a beard. Strangely, his beard is still red even though his hair is turning grey!
Mum looks almost the same, though. She still has smooth skin and straight black hair, and jogging has kept her slim and fit.
I still have light skin and black hair, of course. But I usually wear my hair in a ponytail these days as it has got a lot longer. Mum says I had cute rosy cheeks, but now I have freckles. I think they are kind of cute too, right?
Can’t wait to see you back in school!
Penny
1. What did Penny’s dad look like ten years ago?
2. What does Penny’s mum look like now and why?
3. How does Penny look different now compared to ten years ago?
【推荐2】When he was small,Hill was a famous bad boy.
At the age of 9,his father married his stepmother.At that time they lived poorly in the countryside while his stepmother was from a wealthy family.
His father introduced Hill to his stepmother and he said,“Dear,please notice that in the entire shire this is the worst boy,who has made me have no other way.Maybe before tomorrow morning he will throw a stone at you,or do a bad thing you will never imagine.”
To Hill’s surprise,his stepmother went up to him with a smile,held up his head and looked at him carefully.She then turned around to tell her husband,“You’re wrong.He is not the worst boy in the entire shire,but the cleverest and creative boy.Only he doesn’t find a place to show himself.”
His stepmother’s words warmed his heart,his eyes full of tears.With this,he started building friendship with his stepmother.And this became the drive of his life,making him create 28 successful golden rules,which helped tens of thousands of ordinary people walk on the road to success.
Before his stepmother came,no one praised him smart,and his father and neighbors considered him as a bad boy.However,his stepmother’s words changed his life.
When Hill was 14 years old,his stepmother bought him a used typewriter and said to him,“I believe you will become a writer.” Hill accepted his stepmother’s gift and expectation,and started writing things to a local newspaper.He understood his stepmother’s strong feeling of interest in his family while he saw with his own eyes she had changed his family.Therefore,he would do as well as she expected him to.
The strength from his stepmother made him a rich man and famous writer in the United States and one of the most important persons in the 20th century.
Praise will never be unnecessary,especially for children.A sincere (真诚的)praise may be better than 10,000 bad words.
1. What did people think of Hill before the age of nine?| A．Clever. | B．Creative. |
| C．Unfriendly. | D．Foolish. |
| A．smiled at him |
| B．looked at him carefully |
| C．said good words about him |
| D．said bad words about him |
| A．He accepted his stepmother’s typewriter. |
| B．He failed to do as he was expected. |
| C．He started writing to a local newspaper. |
| D．He understood his stepmother. |
| A．children should be praised |
| B．Hill’s father married again |
| C．Hill’s stepmother was kind to him |
| D．Hill’s father was cruel to him |
【推荐3】My parents divorced when I was 5, making my mother a single parent. We had little money, but my mum gave me a lot of love. Each night, she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would change my life," Kemmons, you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it."
At fourteen, I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never walk again. Every day, my mother spoke to me in her gentle, loving voice, telling me that no matter what those doctors said. I could walk again if I wanted to badly enough. She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her. A year later, I returned to school— walking on my own!
When the Great Depression(大萧条)occurred, my mum lost her job. Then I left school to support the family. At that moment, was determined never to be poor again.
My real change occurred on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1951.I was angry that the second-class hotel charged an extra $ 2 for each child. That was too expensive for the average American family. I decided to open a motel(汽车旅馆)for families that would never charge extra for children. 'There were plenty of doubters at that time.
Not surprisingly .mother was one of my strongest supporters. We experienced a lot of challenges. But with my mother's words deeply rooted in my soul. I never doubted we would succeed
Fifteen years later, we had the largest hotel system in the world—Holiday Inn. In 1979 my company had 1,759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $ 1 billion a year.
You may not have started out life in the best situation. But if you can find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you.
1. When Kemmons was a little child, what his mother usually told him was .| A．funny | B．touching |
| C．sad | D．encouraging |
| A．His previous business success of various levels. |
| B．His terrible experience in the hotel. |
| C．His mum's support: |
| D．His wife's suggestion. |
| A．Modest, helpful, and hard-working. | B．Careful, helpful and beautiful. |
| C．Loving, supportive and strong-willed.. | D．Strict, sensitive and supportive. |
【推荐1】 “Have you checked the oil in the car?” my father used to say to me, his way of “Hello, hope you are well.” Sometimes our phone calls would begin with a question about the oil and end with a question about the oil, with not a lot in between.
Fathers have a lot of love to give, but it’s often offered by means of practical advice. In my experience: It’s mostly about my car. “How’s the car running?” “Did you get it serviced?” My car — an old green Toyota Corona bought for $500 — was where my father showed his love.
Why can’t we fathers just say “I love you” or “It’s great to see you”? The point is: that’s exactly what we are saying. You just have to translate from the language that is Fatherlish. Listen closely enough and the phrase “I love you” can be heard in the slightly longer “I could come around Saturday and repair your chair.” The words “You made my life better from the moment you were born” may be hardly heard, but the main meaning is there in the more common “I’ll hold the ladder while you get the leaves down from the roof.”
When I was 17, I went on my first road trip — a friend and I in that old car. My father stood on the corner on a cold morning to say goodbye. “Highways are dangerous,” he said, “so don’t try overtaking anything faster than a horse and buggy. And take a break every two hours. And every time you stop for gas, you really should check the oil.” At the time we thought his speech was pretty funny and would sing “horse-and-buggy” every time I tried to overtake some other speeding cars.
Dad’s long gone now. But after all these years, I realize that had I owned a copy of the Fatherlish-to-English dictionary, I’d have understood that the speech my friend and I so carelessly laughed at was simply Dad’s attempt at love.
1. Why did the author’s father often ask about the car?| A．To show his love for the car. | B．To see if there is enough oil. |
| C．To express his care to his son. | D．To check the condition of the car. |
| A．I love you deeply. | B．It’s great to see you. |
| C．You made my life better. | D．I can check the oil for you. |
| A．Outrunning. | B．Approaching. |
| C．Crashing into. | D．Knocking over. |
| A．He wanted to own a dictionary. | B．He regrets his childish behavior. |
| C．He is sad about his father’s death. | D．He realized his father’s love then. |
【推荐2】Six people were travelling in a compartment on a train. Five of them were quiet and well behaved, but the sixth was a rude young man who was causing a lot of trouble to the other passengers.
At a station this young man got out with his two heavy bags. None of the other passengers helped him, but one of them waited until the rude young man was very far away. Then he opened the window and shouted to the young man, “You left something behind in the compartment!” Then he closed the windows again.
The young man turned around and hurried back with his two bags. He was very tired when he arrived, but he shouted through the window, “What did I leave behind?”
As the train began to move again, the passenger who had called him back opened the window and said, “A very bad impression!”
1. Which of the following can best describe the behaviour of the young man?| A．Quiet. | B．Troublesome. |
| C．Not at all polite. | D．Both B and C. |
| A．The other five passengers | B．One of the passengers |
| C．The porter | D．Nobody |
| A．worried | B．frightened | C．tired | D．sad |
| A．nothing important | B．something unpleasant |
| C．his ticket | D．a bag |
| A．The young man caused a lot of trouble. |
| B．The young man went back to the train again. |
| C．The young man said goodbye to the other passengers. |
| D．The young man shouted through the window. |
【推荐3】As a clueless freshman, I waltzed into my first creative writing course by accident, thinking it was a literature class on how to read stories, not how to write them.
When the teacher introduced the course, I realized my mistake. The credits I earned from the course wouldn’t count toward my major. By the end of the session, however, I decided that I had to be a part of the course. Perhaps, as a lifelong reader, I was eager to understand how stories worked their magic.
But taking the class would be impossible: I wasn’t even on the waitlist. That’s when the teacher asked for a volunteer to submit the first workshop story.
Silence blanketed the room. No one risked eye contact. Whoever volunteered would have to write a whole story in a week. Perhaps they, like me, had never written one before.
Seizing my chance, I raised my hand and asked, “If I go first, will you give me a spot in the class?” He said he would.
So, instead of keeping my head down and avoiding eye contact, I did the opposite.
Years later, I’d completed a degree in creative writing and was working on a novel when a literary agent (经纪人) asked to read the first 50 pages of my draft. But I wasn’t comfortable showing her anything; the novel was far from done.
Throughout graduate school, I’d been advised many times not to contact agents until I have a complete draft. In the meanwhile, I knew the beginning of my story was attractive and that the agent might not remember me after a year.
So, once again, instead of keeping my head down and avoiding eye contact, I did the opposite. I sent her the first three chapters. A month later, she signed me on the strength of those chapters alone. She has since seen me through the publication of three novels.
Determination, focus, perseverance—the qualities that I consider crucial in getting me into Stanford no doubt helped me become the novelist I am today. And yet if I’d trained my gaze only on the path ahead, I would have missed so many happy accidents, so many beautiful opportunities to look up, raise my hand, and say yes.
1. What made the author finally decide to take the course?| A．The popularity of the course. |
| B．Her curiosity about story writing. |
| C．Her confidence in her writing skills. |
| D．The need to get credits for her degree. |
| A．challenge herself | B．impress the teacher |
| C．display her talent | D．win a place in the class |
| A．her friends advised her to do so |
| B．her story was attractive to readers |
| C．the agent asked her to turn in the work |
| D．she wanted to get the chance of publication |
| A．Action speaks louder than words. |
| B．Chance favors only the prepared mind. |
| C．Success comes to those who will and dare. |
| D．Confidence leads to growth and fulfillment. |
【推荐1】Scenery along the"sky road"
For centuries, Tibet has not been explored as much by the outside world due to its remote location, extreme climate and geographic environment. Dubbed the “sky road”, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has become the most popular and convenient way to connect Tibet to the rest of China. This 1,956-kilometer-long world-renowned railway begins in Xining and ends in Lhasa. The stunning scenery along the railway offers not only a feast for the eyes, but also a journey for the soul.
Qinghai Lake: A paradise for birdwatchers and cyclists
Dazzling like a crystal-clear gem, Qinghai Lake is the largest inland lake as well as saline lake in China. Be it the blue sky and water, the green grassland or mesmerizing landscapes---Qinghai Lake boasts great charms that are worth exploring.
Qinghai Lake is definitely a paradise for bird lovers as many different kinds of birds would fly here to breed in May and June due to the mild weather. Meanwhile, for cyclists, cycling around the lake not only allows them to enjoy the beauty of the lake view, but also while away the time.
Tips: The best time to visit the Qinghai Lake is from April to August as numerous Cole flowers blossom along the lake during that time, forming breathtaking scenery for visitors. In addition, May and June is the best season for bird lovers.
Kunlun Mountains: More than just mountains
As the train keeps moving up, a picturesque view of Kunlun Mountains appears before you.
Reputed as the holy mountains, Kunlun Mountains extend west from the Pamirs with a length of 2,500 kilometers. The 6,178-meter Yuzhu Peak is the highest of the Kunlun Mountains in Qinghai. The high peaks of the mountains are covered with snow and mist all year round, creating must-see view along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.
It's worth mentioning that the Yuzhu Peak is the first sightseeing station for passengers, which allows them to get off the train and take photos outside. For climbing beginners, this peak is considered to be the ideal destination as its route requires less technique.
Hoh Xil Nature Reserve: Forbidden zone for humans
Hoh Xil, which means"green mountains"in Mongolian, is a plateau between the Kunlun and Tanggula mountain ranges, with an average altitude of 5,000 meters. Home to many wild animals, including the Tibetan antelope and the wild yak(牦牛), the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve is undoubtedly a desolate region in the northwestern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China.
The extensive area of alpine mountains is situated more than 4,500 meters above sea level, where sub-zero average temperatures prevail all year round. The geographic and harsh climatic conditions have made this place become the"forbidden zone for humans". This is probably one of the few places left on Earth where one could get off the beaten track and find inner peace.
Tips: As there are no signs in the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve, visitors often get lost here. Remember to bring a local herdsman with you or rent car to travel.
Lhasa: The start of the journey to Tibet
The final destination of the Qinghai-Tibet train trip-Lhasa, offers almost every aspect of Tibetan culture. If one must pick a name card for Lhasa, then Potala Palace is very likely to be the answer for that. No one can really say that he/she has visited Lhasa unless they have been to Potala Palace. To start a journey in Lhasa, the Potala Palace is must-see destination for travelers from home and abroad.
1. If you are a person desiring for an inner state of tranquility （安宁），which of the destinations is a must-see one along the“sky road”?| A．Qinghai Lake | B．Kunlun Moutains |
| C．Hoh Xil Nature Reserve | D．Lhasa |
| A．green grassland | B．snow-capped mountains |
| C．blossoming flowers | D．breeding birds |
| A．Railway passengers can take photos near the Yuzhu Peak, but are forbidden to go mountain-climbing. |
| B．The Qinghai-Tibet Railway stretches more than 2,000 kilometers beginning in Xining and ending in Rikaze. |
| C．Some road signs are available in Hoh Xil Nature Reserve for tourists to find their exact location. |
| D．As a representative place for Lhasa, Potala Palace enjoys a world-wide reputation among travelers. |
【推荐2】Confident, smart and high-tech，they're followers of pop culture and know what social networking is all about. They’re tweens, children between the ages of 10 and 12.These young people are no longer little kids but they are not yet teenagers, because tweens are in a state of transition（转变）
The tween years are hard for children. From a social point of view, tweens are dealing with quite a lot. They have to face changing relationships, middle school and a whole lot of pressure（压力）to succeed and fit in. They may become angry over seemingly small things. A bad test grade, an argument with a friend, a bad day on the ball field, or a request to clean a bedroom might set them off.
Elizabeth Hartley-Brewer, a parenting expert in London and author of Talking to Tweens, says. “The tween years are when young people begin to realize the wider world and to see themselves as separate from their families.”
Right now, tweens’ friends are everything to them. It’s universal for the age, but they show it in different ways. For boys, the whole friendship thing is through technology and sports. Girls like to talk.
Tweens are also a hot market What do tweens consider cool? Music is at the top of the cool list followed by going to the movies “Being smart” comes third, tied with video games, followed by electronics, sports, fashion and protecting the environment, according to a report.
Undoubtedly, tweens have great spending power in the United States. It was the tween market that made Justin Bieber and Harry Potter household names Retailers（零售商）know tweens are a ho market for clothes, music and entertainment Tweens have their own sense of fashion and enjoy their own parts of popular culture.
1. Which of the following words best describes the tween years?| A．Entertaining. | B．Unchanging. | C．Admirable. | D．tough |
| A．Tweens remain dependent on their parents. |
| B．Friendship is very important in tweens eyes. |
| C．Retailers pay little attention to the tween market. |
| D．Playing video games is second to none on tweens’ cool list. |
| A．In a marketing report. | B．On a fashion website. |
| C．In an education magazine. | D．On a parenting poster. |
【推荐3】When my family moved to America in 2010 from a small village in Guang Dong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States.
I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive (敏感) Americans are and how they dislike the description (描述) “old”. I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry.
In my village in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience.
However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” shows that a person is going to retire or that the body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young. I had told them something they didn’t want to hear.
After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don’t respect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don’t show my feelings through words.
By Jack
1. Jack brought the couple their food very fast because _______.| A．the manager asked him to do so | B．he respected the elderly |
| C．the couple wanted him to do so | D．he wanted more pay |
| A．people dislike being called “old” |
| B．people are proud of being old |
| C．many people reach the age of seventy or eighty |
| D．the elderly are the first to get food in restaurants |
| A．lost his job in the restaurant | B．made friends with the couple |
| C．no longer respected the elderly | D．changed his way with older people |
| A．The more Jack explained, the angrier the couple got. |
| B．Jack wanted to show his feelings through words after his experience. |
| C．The manager went back to the table and apologized to the couple. |
| D．From this experience, Jack learned more about American culture. |
How words came into being is unknown.All we assume is that some early men invented cortain sounds,in one way or another,to express thoughts and feelings,actions and things,so that they could talk with each other.Later they agreed upon certain signs,called letters,which could be put together to show those sounds,and which could be written down.Those sounds,whether spoken or written in letters,are called words.
The power of words,then,lies in their associations-the things they bring up to our minds.Words become filled with meaning for us by experience;and the longer we live,the more certain words bring back to us the happy and sad events of our past;and the more we read and learn,the more the number of words that mean something to us increases.
Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which have powerful effects on our minds and feelings.This clever use of words is what we call literary style.Above all,the real poet is a master of words.He can express his meaning in words which sing like music,and which by their position and association can move men to tears.We should therefore learn to choose our words carefully and use then correctly,or they will make our speech silly and common.
1. We learn from the text that language might have begun with( )
| A．expressions | B．actions | C．signs | D．sounds |
| A．The ……of new words | B．The importance of old words |
| C．The relation of human experience with words | D．The gradual change and development of words |
| A．Use words skilfully | B．Make musical speeches |
| C．Learn poems by heart | D．Associate with listeners |
【推荐2】Lester was walking in the street with two huge and heavy suitcases. A stranger walked up to him and asked, “Have you got the time?”
Lester stopped, put down the suitcases and looked at his watch. “It’s a quarter to six,” he said.
“Hey, that’s a pretty cool watch!” said the stranger.
Lester smile, “Yeah, it’s not bad. Check this out.” and he showed him every time zone(时区)in the world, and also the time for the 86 largest cities in the world on this watch.
Then he hit a few buttons(按钮) and a voice said”It is eleven to six.”In English. Lester said,”I’ve put in languages for each city.” “That’s not all,” He then pushed a few more buttons and a tiny but very clear map of New York City appeared on the watch. “
“I want to buy this watch!” said the stranger.
“Oh, no, it’s not ready; I’m still working on the bugs(漏洞)”
“I’ve got to have this watch!”
“No, you don’t understand; It’s not ready.”
“I’ll give you $1,000 for it!”
“Oh, no”
“I’ll give you $ 5,000 for it!”
“But it’s just not…”
“I’ll give you $ 15,000 for it!”
Lester stopped to think. He’d spent $8 500 on the watch, and with $15,000 he could make another one. The stranger quickly took out the money.
“ Wait a minute. “ Lester pointed to the two huge suitcases and said, “ Hey, wait a minute. Don’t forget your batteries.”
1. The stranger asked Lester at .| A．5:15 | B．5:45 | C．6:15 | D．6:45 |
| A．English | B．French | C．Japanese | D．Chinese |
| A．time | B．time zone | C．map | D．date |
| A．$1,000 | B．$ 5,000 | C．$8 500 | D．$15,000 |
【推荐3】Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the street.
Adult(成年的)drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, and the life of American people. Most of the radio programmers are music.
Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or a tape which radio stations use in many places. Once the popular singer is heard all over the country, young people buy his or her tape. Some of the money from these tapes goes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national(国家的) star.
There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk (民间)music. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is western or country music. This was started by cowboys(牛仔)who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country life and the 1ove between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.
1. What kind of music are mentioned in this passage?| A．Pop, folk, country and western music. | B．Pop, folk and classical music. |
| C．Pop, folk and country music. | D．Pop, country and western music. |
| A．when they drive the car. | B．when they drive to work. |
| C．any time they want. | D．when they want to sing along with. |
| A．music is very important to Americans’ life | B．cowboys only like country music |
| C．different people like different kinds of music | D．both A and C |
| A．Few students in America like popular music. |
| B．Students with cars in America like to listen to music while driving. |
| C．Adult drivers in America listen to music all the time while driving. |
| D．Everyone in America wants to meet pop singers wherever they go. |
| A．American Music. | B．Fold Music. |
| C．Pop Music. | D．Cowboys and their Country Music. |
