Easy One-Pan Supper

1 pound hot Italian pork             2 bell peppers (甜椒) (red, green, or yellow)
sausage (香肠)             1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound small red potatoes       salt and pepper (胡椒粉) to taste
1 large onion
Time needed: 40 to 45 minutes
Servings: 4

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Cut the sausage into pieces that are one inch (英寸) thick. Cut the potatoes in half and cut the onion into 12 pieces. Remove the core and seeds (种子) from the peppers and cut each pepper into long pieces.
3. Put the ingredients (配料) together in a bowl, and add salt and pepper to taste. Then spoon the mixture into a metal baking pan.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, mixing them once after 15 minutes. Use a fork to check the potatoes. If they are easy to bite and the sausages are lightly browned, the dish is done.

*You can change chicken or turkey sausage to lower the fat in the recipe (食谱).

1. The list at the beginning of the recipe tells readers _________.

A．what equipment (装备) they will use

B．how to prepare the meal

C．what ingredients are needed

2. Which of the following steps should be done first when preparing the recipe?

A．Test potatoes with a fork.

B．Mix the first five ingredients in a bowl.

C．Cut the sausage.

3. Why does the recipe include a numbered list?

A．To help readers follow the steps in the correct order.

B．To give readers several choices.

C．To show how many ingredients the recipe has.

4. What information is included in the footnote?

A．an idea for how to use leftovers (残羹剩饭).

B．a suggestion for changing ingredients.

C．an explanation of a cooking technique (技巧).

5. Why do you think many recipes have the same organization?

A．They can tell people how long the meal will take to prepare.

B．The recipes show what the author likes about this dish.

C．The way most recipes are organized is helpful if you are trying to cook something.

Bee Prepared

When the day of the district-wide spelling competition came, Juanita was nervous. She’d been studying lists of difficult words for weeks, but she was still afraid she’d get a word that she couldn’t spell. Imelda, on the other hand, was confident. She had always been a good speller. In fact, she’d won her class spelling bee every year since Grade Two.

Juanita ate little at breakfast. She took a last look at a list of English words that come from other languages, and then she left for school. Imelda greeted her on the bus, and the two friends discussed their chances. “I’m sure you’ll do well,” said Juanita.

“So am I,” laughed Imelda, quickly adding, “and I’m sure you’ll do well, too.”

That afternoon, Imelda and Juanita sat next to one another as the spelling bee took place. One by one, the other students were given a word to spell, and one by one they were on their way out. Finally, only Juanita and Imelda remained. The judge of the competition looked at Imelda and said the word bourgeoisie. Imelda looked frightened. First she asked for the word to be used in a sentence. Then she asked for the word’s origin. After the judge said that the word came from the French language, Imelda gave her answer: “That’s B-U-R-J-O-I-S-E-E,” she said.

“Incorrect,” said the judge. Sad and disappointed, Imelda, sat down.

“Juanita,” said the judge, “if you spell the word correctly, you will win this round of the spelling bee.”

Juanita repeated the word and then slowly began to spell it.

6. Based on the way that Juanita studied for the spelling bee, what will probably happen next?

A．She will ask Imelda for advice.

B．She will spell the word correctly.

C．She will ask for a new word.

7. After the spelling bee ends, how do you think Imelda will feel?

A．Surprised at the result.

B．Pleased with her performance.

C．Nervous about how people will react.

8. What do you predict Imelda will do after the spelling competition?

A．She will stop taking part in spelling bees.

B．She will get an “A” in French class.

C．She will study harder for the next spelling bee.

9. If Juanita wins the spelling bee, what will she probably do next?

A．She’ll complain about the difficulty of the words.

B．She’ll make Imelda feel bad about losing.

C．She’ll compete in the next level of the spelling bee.

10. According to the text, what will probably happen?

A．Juanita will be asked to sit down.

B．Imelda will no longer talk to Juanita.

C．Juanita will become more interested in spelling competitions.

The term “folk song” has been accepted by most people for over a hundred years, but there is still plenty of disagreement about what it actually means. The explanation of the meaning provided by the International Folk Music Council states that folk music is the music of ordinary people, which is passed on from person to person by being listened to rather than learned from the printed page.

When songs have been subjected to these processes, their origin (起源) is usually impossible to find the cause. For example, if a farmer plans to make up a song and sing it to a couple of friends who like it and memorize it, possibly when the friends come to sing it themselves, one of them might forget some of the words and make up new ones to fill the gap, while the other, perhaps more artistic, might add a few decorative touches (润色) to the tune (曲调) and improve a couple of lines of text. If this happened a few times, there would be many different versions (版本), the song’s original composer (创作者) would be forgotten, and the song would become common property (财产). This constant (不断的) reshaping and re-creation is the essence of folk music. Therefore, modern popular songs and other published music, even though widely sung by people who are not professional musicians, are not considered folk music. The music and words have been set by a printed or recorded source (来源), limiting scope for further artistic creation. These songs’ origins cannot be changed and they belong mainly to the composer and not to a community.

The ideal (理想的) situation for the creation of folk music is a far rural (乡村的) community. In such a setting (环境), folk songs and dances have a special purpose at every period in a person’s life, from childhood to death. Epic tales of heroic deeds, seasonal songs about calendar events, and occupational songs are also likely to be sung.

11. Which of the following statements about the term “folk song” is supported by the passage?

A．It has been used for several centuries.

B．The International Folk Music Council invented it.

C．There is disagreement about its meaning.

12. The underlined word “it” refers to ________.

A．community

B．song

C．memory

13. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as a characteristic of the typical (典型的) folk song?

A．It is constantly changing over time.

B．It is passed on to other people by being performed.

C．It has complex musical structures.

14. The underlined word “essence” is the closest in meaning to _________.

A．basic nature

B．growing importance

C．first period

15. The author mentions that published music is not considered to be folk music because ________.

A．the original composer can be easily recognized

B．the songs are generally performed by professional singers

C．the composers write the music in rural communities

I started playing field hockey (曲棍球) when I was in Grade Seven. Going into middle school, I knew I wanted to play a sport, since I loved being on a team with _______. Practicing together after class, driving to other schools to compete and just having an overall sense of unity were all aspects of playing a team sport that I knew I couldn’t get anywhere else.

To be honest, before spring of the seventh grade, I even hardly knew what field hockey was. The only thing I knew was that my friends thought it sounded _______. I don’t really know what attracted my friends to field hockey. Maybe it’s because it’s mainly a women’s sport, or maybe it’s because the coach is really a nice English teacher. Even though I chose it on a whim (心血来潮), I’m really glad I decided to stick with it.

I am certainly not talented _______ field hockey or anything like that, but it honestly is a lot of fun. Yes, it _______ me with my legs aching and my arms drooping heavily, but this pain doesn’t compare to the feeling of _______ that comes with playing. When you’re running with a wooden stick in your hand, running after a white ball, there’s no need to worry about _______. It offers an amazing way to be free from the stress of school.

21.

A．friends

B．sisters

C．family

22.

A．boring

B．scary

C．cool

23.

A．on

B．in

C．at

24.

A．makes

B．forgets

C．leaves

25.

A．happiness

B．pain

C．sadness

26.

A．something

B．anything

C．nothing

读短文，用括号中所给词的适当形式填空，使短文完整、通顺。

Book Fair (书展) Brainstorming

“This is a lot of responsibility, Caleb,” said Tanika. “I     34     (not have) much experience planning an event like this. I’m glad Mr. Rutledge trusted us to work out all the details, but I’m still worried that we     35     (forget) something important.”

“I’m not worried, Tanika,” Caleb said. “I believe that the best book fair     36     (organize) in George Washington Middle School. We’ll raise so much money for the library that they’ll have to build a new room to put all the books they’ll be able to buy,” he joked.

Tanika looked at Caleb. “You might be just a bit too optimistic (乐观的), but I agree with you that somehow we’ll manage to make this book fair a     37     (succeed).”

Caleb took out some paper. “Do we have the list of books the librarians ordered?” he asked.

“We should think of some interesting display ideas,” he said thoughtfully. “The book fairs that we     38     (have) in the last few years have been kind of boring. I want this one to make everyone feel excited about reading.”

“What if we set up areas with different themes (主题)?” suggested Tanika. “We can borrow different kinds of sports equipment from Ms. Spisak and make a display near the sports books.”

Caleb     39     (sit) up in his chair writing. “That is a fantastic idea, Tanika!” he said excitedly. “We can have a different exhibit for each area. My class has a turtle and some fish that we could display in the area with books about animals.”

“What about trying to see     40     we could get a few writers to come in on the day of the book fair? They could sell autographed (亲笔签名的) copies of their books and answer questions students have about being a writer.”

“Rachael Weinstock’s mom wrote a picture book a few years ago,” said Tanika. “She’s done several author events around town, and there’s a good chance she’d be willing to help us.”

“And Carson Davies’s dad used to be an editor for a children’s book publisher. He might know some local authors, too,” added Caleb. “Are you still worried about being able to succeed finishing this book fair, Tanika?” he asked.

Tanika     41     (shake) her head. “Now I just can’t wait for it to get here,” she said. “I think a little of your optimism has started to rub off on me!”

42. 虽然我来美国已经三个多月了，但还是不习惯住在这里。
___________________________________________________

43. 前几个星期里我很多都听不明白，因为每个人都说得很快。
___________________________________________________

44. 我发现很难理解美国的一些风俗。
___________________________________________________

45. 这里的日常英语与我们在中国学习的有很大不同。
___________________________________________________

46. 为了让我不想家或感到孤单，我的同学在我业余时间组织了许多活动。
____________________________________________________

47. 他们告诉我如果没有重要的事情要处理的话，不要在晚上外出。
____________________________________________________

Getting Up to Speed

The best way to begin training is by alternately (交替地) walking and running. This allows your body to become used to the challenge of running without overdoing it. Begin your first week with running for two minutes and walking for four minutes. Do this sequence (连续) five times in a row, four times a week.

If you feel comfortable doing this sequence after a week, you’re ready to progress to the next level. If it still feels challenging, continue with it for another week.

When you decide to move to the next level, you’ll run three minutes and walk for three minutes. Continue to progress each week, increasing the time you spend running and decreasing the time you spend walking, until you reach 30 minutes of continuous running.

When you are running, you should be able to comfortably talk with your running friend. If you are pushing yourself too hard, talking will be difficult because you’ll be short of breath.

The days of the week that you don’t run, try some different kinds of fitness activities, like hiking, ice skating, jumping rope, or playing basketball. You’ll find that these activities use different muscles (肌肉) than running does. This kind of cross-training can help you get into even better shape than only repeating a single activity. Don’t forget to schedule at least one day of rest every week. It’s always a good idea to give your body a chance to recover from your daily workouts (锻炼).

Consider keeping a runner’s log or journal. You can record the weather, your route, the distance you ran, and how you felt. You might notice that you prefer running early in the day or that eating an orange before you go for a run gives you a good boost in energy.

Most of all, remember to have fun. Running is just one of many different activities you can do to stay in shape. Change your routine enough to keep it interesting, and bring along a friend to keep you company.

Note: Children under the age of 14 should not regularly run more than three miles at a time. Children’s bones are still growing, and the cartilage (软骨) at the ends of the bones is softer than adult cartilage, which means that it is easier to injure.
48. What are some types (类型) of fitness activities mentioned in the passage besides running?
_____________________________________________
49. What do you think cross-training is?
_____________________________________________
50. Write a summary (总结) sentence for paragraph 5.
_____________________________________________
51. What kind of information could record in a runner’s log?
_____________________________________________
52. Why shouldn’t children under the age of 14 regularly run more than three miles at a time?
_____________________________________________
53. Do you think the author is trying to persuade (说服) the reader of anything in the passage? Explain.
_____________________________________________

54. 初中你交了不少朋友吧？请你介绍其中一位朋友，至少包括以下要点：

（1）When and where did you first meet?
（2）What were you doing?
（3）How did you become friends?
（4）How do you make friendship last long?
注意：
（1）词数为100词左右；
（2）适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
（3）文中不能出现真实姓名及学校名称。
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