I was very excited on the first day of high school! I had P.E. for the first period. We hurriedly gathered in the locker room (衣帽间) when the headmaster began to speak, “Good morning, boys and girls! Welcome to the first day of the great new school year. We will begin with the pledge (誓言) of loyalty.”
I pulled my shirt over my head and my right hand immediately rested over my heart. A few tears came to my eyes as every time I pledged. I thought of my grandpa. He had died almost a year before, but I still missed him every day. Grandpa served in World War II and the flag had a very special meaning for him.
The next morning in the locker room, I noticed something strange. Some girls talked through the pledge. After that, even fewer did the pledge, including the teachers. By the second week of school, I was the only girl in the whole locker room that did the pledge.
The next morning, I hid in the bathroom to change clothes and pledge. There I couldn’t see the flag and I had a sense of sorrow to be hiding like that. I kept hiding for the next week and felt worse.
I spent a weekend gathering up my nerve. On Monday, I changed into my gym clothes right away and was standing by my locker when the headmaster began morning announcements. The pledge started and I put my hand over my heart. A girl nearby locked her locker and asked, “Why are you doing that? ” She looked confused.
“My grandpa fought in World War II and he died last year,” I said. “I’m doing it for him.”
She felt embarrassed and looked away. “Oh.” She said.
Over the next few weeks, more girls questioned me about the pledge. I gave them all that same answer. I never inspired other girls to do the pledge along with me. They made their choice; I made mine. I was doing it for my Grandpa, but more than that, I was doing it for myself. Grandpa raised me to be proud of my country and that pride didn’t stop.
1. How did other students behave during the pledge periods?| A．They gradually quit the pledge. |
| B．They continued to show curiosity. |
| C．They did the pledge with sincerity. |
| D．They made fun of those who did the pledge. |
| A．the flag had a special meaning for her |
| B．the headmaster required her to do so |
| C．all the teachers and students did that |
| D．it was a way to show love for her grandpa |
| A．space | B．time | C．examples | D．comparison |
| A．The first day at school |
| B．My grandpa |
| C．The pledge of loyalty |
| D．The secret in the locker room |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】The pupils of Grangetown High have been busy getting to know their newest and tallest classmate—a 7metertall giraffe outside their school.
The giraffe is a huge sculpture (雕像). The school’s headmaster noticed it in an artist’s garden as he drove past one day, and thought it would be perfect for his school.“I knew everyone would love it,” he said,“Because our basketball team is known as the Grangetown Giraffes, and they wear giraffes on their shirts. So I asked them to write to the artist, asking how much it would cost to buy the giraffe. He was very kind and got it ready to deliver (递送) in six weeks—all for nothing! It was expected to arrive one Sunday morning, so that the pupils would see it when they got to school on Monday at that time they had no idea that we were getting it.”
The artist, Tom Bennett was a university professor of chemistry before he retired in 2012 and only took up metalwork a couple of years ago.“I’ve always drawn pictures,” he said.“I can even remember doing it on my first day at school—I drew a horse. I wanted it to be the best horse picture ever, but I don’t think I succeeded.”Tom’s first metalwork was a bicycle on which he and his wife could go cycling together.“It was the most uncomfortable bike ever created,” he said, “So I gave up making bicycles and went into sculpture instead.”
Meanwhile the pupils at Grangetown High are very happy with their new classmate.“We’re going to hold a competition to give it a proper name,” said one girl. “Everyone likes the expression on its face, so perhaps that will give us some ideas.”
1. What can we learn about the giraffe according to the text?| A．It was specially made for a basketball team. |
| B．It was as tall as a basketball player. |
| C．It was given to Grangetown High for free. |
| D．It was sent to Grangetown High on Monday. |
| A．Surprised. | B．Sad. |
| C．Shy. | D．Confident. |
| A．It was difficult to name a giraffe. |
| B．A metal giraffe arrived at Grangetown High. |
| C．Tom Bennett is famous as a sculptor. |
| D．The Grangetown Giraffes is a strong team. |
【推荐2】The Benefits of After-school Activities
Your kid is asking for piano lessons, joining a soccer team or taking ballet classes, but you’re not so sure that your money will be well spent.
Build confidence through creative hobbies
From arts and poem writing to music and crafts, there are lots of creative after-school activities available out there for kids of all ages. Not only do these classes stimulate your little one’s imagination, but they also encourage curiosity.
These days, the fast-paced world we live in causes stress to us all, including children — and providing fun environments and spaces where they can feel safe and creative is an excellent idea to help your child reduce the stress.
Gain physical and psychological strength with sports
Avoiding childhood obesity has become a real issue in a world where kids spend more and more time indoors, glued to screens. But if your child shows any interest in a sport (even if just by watching it on their iPad), grab the opportunity and introduce after-school activities that focus on said physical activity. In these activities, your kids can also learn important lessons like respecting others and teamwork.
| A．Reduce stress with after-school activities |
| B．Boost children’s enthusiasm and participation in class |
| C．When your kids spend 80 percent of their hours at school |
| D．Besides, they make your child more confident in the process |
| E．If you can’t decide about sending your kids to after-school activities |
| F．Choosing activities that don’t put extra pressure on your kids is also essential |
| G．Most importantly, your children can develop their mental strength while doing sports |
They are the leading characters in High School Musical, a series of hugely successful films in the US. The sequel (续集), High School Musical 3, came out on October 24 and has topped the American box office for two straight weeks.
The show has everything attractive to teenagers — dancing, catchy music, puppy love and good looks. The story starts when high school basketball star Troy and brainy Gabriella —two teenagers who are worlds apart— meet during the winter break. At a karaoke contest they discover their love for singing and an interest in each other. When school starts, Troy finds out that Gabriella is the new girl at his school.
Eager to find the magic they had during karaoke, Troy and Gabriella decide to audition (试镜) for the school’s upcoming musical. This angers the school’s drama queen Sharpay. However, they overcome difficulties and become the leading actors.
But the story doesn’t end there. High School Musical 2 follows their adventures over summer vacation when Sharpay tires to break up Troy and Gabriella. In the latest sequel, high-school seniors are facing the possibilities of being separated from each other as they go off in different directions when graduating from high school.
Joined by the rest of their friends, Troy and Gabriella stage a musical reflecting their experiences, hopes and fears about the future.
“The success of the High School Musical films shows Disney’s long-term efforts to attract youngsters for whom Mickey Mouse seems to babyish,” wrote New York Times reporter Dave Itzkoff. “For the time being, the movie has made fictional high school students as recognizable as that 79-year-old mouse.”
1. What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Boy wizard — Harry Potter. |
| B．High school students Gabriella and Troy. |
| C．A successful show — High School Musical. |
| D．Disney’s long-term efforts. |
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. | D．5. |
| A．They live far away from each other. |
| B．They used to know each other well. |
| C．They have a big difference between each other. |
| D．They study at different schools. |
| A．Troy and Gabriella audition for a school musical. |
| B．Troy and Gabriella meet at a karaoke contest. |
| C．Troy and Gabriella graduate from high school. |
| D．Sharpay tries to break up Troy and Gabriella. |
| A．High School Musical is possibly more attractive to youngsters. |
| B．The high school students don’t like Mickey Mouse. |
| C．Mickey Mouse is more attractive to youngsters. |
| D．Mickey Mouse is too old to be recognized by youngsters. |
【推荐1】Tail Spin
Two dolphins race around in a big pool in the Ocean Park. The smaller dolphin, Grace, shows off a few of her tricks, turning around and waving hello to the crowd. The most amazing thing about her, however, is that she’s even swimming at all. She doesn’t have a tail.
Grace lost her tail as a baby when she got caught up in a fish trap. When the dolphin arrived at the Ocean Park in December 2005, she was fighting for her life. “Is she going to make it?” Her trainer, Abbey Stone, feared the worst. Grace did make it — but her tail didn’t. She ended up losing her flukes and the lower part of her peduncle.
Over the past six years, she has learned to swim without her tail. Dolphins swim by moving their flukes and peduncle up and down. Grace taught herself to move another way-like a fish! She pushed herself forward through the water by moving her peduncle from side to side.
The movements put harmful pressure on Grace’s backbone. So a company offered to create a manmade tail for her. The tail had to be strong enough to stay on Grace as she swam but soft enough that it wouldn’t hurt her.
The first time Grace wore the artificial tail, she soon shook it off and let it sink to the bottom of the pool. Now, she is still learning to use the tail. Some days she wears it for an hour at a time, others not at all. “The new tail isn’t necessary for her to feel comfortable,” says Stone, “but it helps to keep that range of motion (动作) and build muscles.”
Now, the dolphin is about to get an even happier ending. This month, Grace will star in Dolphin Tale, a film that focuses on her rescue and recovery. Her progress has inspired more than just a new movie. Many people travel from near and far to meet her. Seeing Grace swim with her manmade tail gives people so much courage.
1. When Grace first arrived at the Ocean Park, her trainer worried about her ________.| A．physical build | B．potential ability |
| C．chance of survival | D．adaptation to the surroundings. |
| A．let her recover faster | B．make her comfortable |
| C．adjust her way of swimming | D．help her perform better tricks |
| A．stick to their dreams | B．treat animals friendly |
| C．treasure what they have | D．face difficulties bravely |
| A．a pet advertisement | B．A news story |
| C．a novel | D．a travel guide |
【推荐2】At her heaviest, Chasity Davis weighed 365 pounds at only 4.11 feet tall. While she was pregnant (怀孕) with her third daughter, she knew something had to change.
“I was piling on the weight. Just eating all the time. I was in a very terrible state,” she said.
As many moms know, new health problems can pop up after giving birth, and that’s just what happened to Davis. She started experiencing shallow breathing when she sat back or lay down. Luckily, her doctors took it very seriously. When the doctors put the heart monitor on Davis they found her heart actually stopping.
“My heart had stopped for about three seconds,” said Davis. Obviously, her blood pressure had risen as well. To make matters worse, she was upset at not being allowed to see her baby daughter, and that was further affecting her blood pressure, but doctors warned her that she needed to concentrate on taking care of herself first.
Davis went through heart and stomach operations, which helped her quickly lose 65 pounds, but she couldn’t stop there. Even at 300 pounds, that was too much weight for her height. So after her recovery, she made a choice to work hard to get fit.
She began by working out seven days a week, twice a day, and switching to a diet that included lots of fruits and vegetables. She now walks about 5-6 miles a day! After all the diet and exercise, Davis has now lost 242 pounds over the last 7 years, with 171of that being from walking. Incredible!
Of course, she still has some fatty or sugary foods, but she limits them. “Just because losing weight doesn’t mean I never eat anything bad,” Davis said. “The difference now is that we have a home-cooked meal every single day.”
“Life is so much greater when you are healthier,” she added, “I just feel great about myself. I have learned so much.”
1. Why was Davis connected to the heart monitor?| A．She was pregnant. | B．She ate all the time. |
| C．She had health problems. | D．She gave birth to her third daughter. |
| A．She put on weight quickly. | B．Her blood pressure rose higher. |
| C．Her heart stopped for about 3 seconds. | D．She started experiencing shallow breathing. |
| A．By joining a fitness club. | B．By receiving the operations. |
| C．By walking about 5-6 miles a day. | D．By switching to a healthy diet. |
| A．She seldom has meals out. | B．She hardly has anything for supper. |
| C．She no longer has fatty or sugary foods. | D．She never eats anything bad for health now. |
“Can we write him a letter?”
She paused, the longest pause of my short life, and answered, “Yes.”
My heart jumped. “How? Does the mailman go there?” I asked.
“No, but I have an idea.” Mom drove to a party store and returned with a red balloon. I asked her what it was for.
“Just wait, honey. You'll see.” Mom told me to write my letter. Eagerly, I got my favorite pen, and poured out my six-year-old heart in the form of blue ink. I wrote about my day, what I learned at school, how Mom was doing, and even about what happened in a story I had read. For a few minutes it was as if Dad were still alive. I gave the letter to Mom. She read it over, and a smile crossed her face.
She made a hole in the corner of the letter where she looped(缠绕) the balloon string. We went outside and she gave me the balloon. It was still raining.
“Okay, on the count of three, let go. One, two, three.”
The balloon, carrying my letter, darted(猛冲) upward against the rain. We watched until it was swallowed by the mass of clouds.
Later I realized, like the balloon, that Dad had never let his sickness get him down. He was strong. No matter what he suffered, he'd persevere, dart up, and finally transcend(超越) this cold world and his sick body. He rose into sky and became something beautiful. I watched until the balloon disappeared into the gray and white and I prayed that his strength was hereditary(遗传的). I prayed to be a balloon.
1. When the girl asked her mother if they could write to her father, her mother ______.
| A．felt it hard to answer | B．thought her a creative girl |
| C．believed it easy to do so | D．found it easy to lie |
| A．jumped with joy | B．became excited |
| C．started writing immediately | D．was worried that it couldn't be delivered |
| A．An incurable disease. | B．An unforgettable memory. |
| C．The hard time her father had. | D．The failures her father experienced. |
| A．The strong red balloon | B．An unforgettable experience |
| C．Fly to paradise | D．A great father |
