Thomas Edison lost his first job. For the next five years he went around the country from job to job. At last Edison went to New York. He had little money. He could not buy enough food to eat. He had no place to sleep.
For many days Edison looked for work. He was hungry. At last he found work fixing machines. He could repair the old machines. He could also make new ones. The head man liked Edison’s new machines. He was going to give Edison $40, 000 for them. Edison would now have money to do what he wanted.
Thomas Edison was then 23. He used the money to build a shop in New Jersey. He had many people working for him. But he worked harder than any of them. He rested very little. Soon he was making more than 40 new things at one time.
In 1876 Alexander Graham Bell made a telephone. But it could carry voices only a short way. Edison wanted to make a better telephone. He soon made one. It could carry voices a long way.
根据短文内容，选择正确答案.
1. After he lost his first job, Edison ________.
| A．found no jobs in the next five years |
| B．worked in New York for the next five years |
| C．had a bad time in the next five years |
| D．had enough food to eat |
| A．Edison did not get a job |
| B．Edison found the work to fix machines |
| C．Edison got ＄40, 000 by fixing machines |
| D．Edison made more money by fixing old machines |
| A．Thomas Edison |
| B．the old machines |
| C．the new machines |
| D．Edison’s telephone |
| A．was the first one in the world |
| B．carried more voices |
| C．carried voices more clearly |
| D．carried voices much farther |
| A．The First Telephone |
| B．Thomas Edison’s Shop |
| C．Thomas Edison’s New Job |
| D．Thomas Edison—An Inventor |
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1. What problem do people in Paris face?
| A．The coming 2024 Olympic Games. |
| B．More and more bedbugs. |
| C．The heavy environmental pollution. |
| A．help disabled people get into the sea |
| B．help disabled people swim in the sea |
| C．help disabled people walk on beaches |
| A．America | B．France | C．China |
【推荐2】Several months ago, an old man in Dalian failed to travel by underground. At the station, he was asked to show his health QR code (二维码) on the smartphone. “What is a QR code?” the old man asked. “I have money to buy a ticket. Why do I need a smartphone?” In the end, he had to leave the station.
Over 10 years ago, people still had to leave their house to buy a train ticket or pay their bills. Now all these can be done with a smartphone, and, in some cases, only with a smartphone. On the one hand, the fast development of science and technology is making our life easier. But on the other hand, it is creating problems for old people.
Many old people have devoted their whole life to working for the society, but now it seems the society has left them behind. What can be done to make a difference? Some volunteers are trying to help. They teach the elderly to use smartphones. However, it only helps to solve part of the problem.
Many old people have physical problems. Poor eyesight makes reading on small screens difficult. And their less sensitive (灵敏的) fingers make it hard for them to use touch screens. Perhaps these are problems that smartphone makers should try to deal with.
Moreover, if you have grandparents or know some elderly people, lend a helping hand to them when they need it. And remember to be patient. Technologies that you think are easy to learn may be a huge problem for them.
1. The old man in Dalian left the station because ________.| A．he had no money to buy a ticket |
| B．he didn’t have a health QR code |
| C．he refused to show his smartphone |
| D．he didn’t want to travel by underground |
| A．technology is improving people’s life |
| B．old people cannot get used to the society |
| C．technology has caused problems for old people |
| D．old people should learn to use the smartphone |
| A．working hard for the society |
| B．making old people’s life easier |
| C．old people being left behind by the society |
| D．teaching old people to use smartphones |
| A．improve the eyesight of the elderly |
| B．improve the screen of the smartphone |
| C．make the words on the screen fewer |
| D．make the fingers of the elderly more sensitive |
| A．SOCIETY | B．BUSINESS | C．HEALTH | D．EDUCATION |
How can people in ancient times do calculations(计算)? In the very beginning, the cleverest thought of using stones and seashells. Then, around the 2nd century BC, they invented the abacus. Some researchers consider the invention to be the world’s oldest “calculator”. In China, people used abacuses to do calculations quickly for thousands of years before electronic calculators became popular.
The abacus is usually made of wood. It has many beads(珠子). Each bead above the horizontal divider(横向分隔竿) stands for five, and each bead below the divider stands for one. As for the vertical rods(竖向分隔竿), each one stands for a different digit(数位). The rightmost is ones, the second is tens, the third is hundreds, and so on. Each bead in the central area has a value. Those away from the horizontal divider are ready to use. By moving the beads up or down, one can do all kinds of calculations. Because of this, abacus computations are also called “bead computations”.
It is a joy to watch a skilled hand use an abacus. Fingers move, beads knock and after a few seconds, the result comes out. It requires lots of practice to use the abacus well. In the past, the use of the abacus was taught in all schools. It was considered to be an important skill that everybody needed to pick up.
Today, abacuses are no longer widely used. However, we can still feel the important roles they once played. Abacuses have become a symbol. Because they used to be a must—have for business people, some have come to believe that abacuses can help their owners gather wealth. People often gift a newborn a golden abacus—shaped amulet. It is believed that the amulet will help the kid grow up to become a wealthy person!
1. How did Chinese people in ancient times do calculations quickly?| A．They used stones and seashells to do calculations. |
| B．They used electronic calculators to do calculations. |
| C．They used electronic abacus to do calculations. |
| D．They used abacuses to do calculations. |
| A．45 | B．41 | C．14 | D．15 |
| A．捡起 | B．采摘 | C．习得 | D．接送 |
| A．What the world’s oldest “calculato” is. |
| B．How people used the abacus before. |
| C．Which gift is the best for a newborn. |
| D．Why abacus computations are called “bead computations”? |
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1. Which is NOT said about Carefree Helpline?
| A．They listen to people in trouble. |
| B．People can talk face to face with them. |
| C．They collect money for people in need. |
| D．People can call them anytime, any day. |
| A．Your dog bites other people. |
| B．Your dog does not care about you. |
| C．Your dog is kicked and runs away. |
| D．Your dog cannot find its way home. |
| A．Cook. | B．Cleaner. | C．Singer. | D．None. |
| A．cleaner | B．cook | C．singer | D．waiter |
| A．They are looking for singers and bands for weekend music shows. |
| B．They need cooks who can work both at lunchtime and dinner time. |
| C．One who knows about tea-making has a better chance of working there. |
| D．The waiters will be paid over USD$60 a day for working during lunchtime. |
【推荐2】After something bad happens, what do you think about it? Do you like to look at the good side or the bad side?
Jerry is a manager of a restaurant. When he leaves for another restaurant, many workers go with him, too. They want to work with Jerry. It is because Jerry is always happy and always has something good to say. If a worker is having a bad day, Jerry is there telling the worker how to look at the good side of things.
I ask him, “I don’t understand it! How can you always be a positive (乐观的) person?”
Jerry answers, “Each morning I wake up, I say to myself, ‘Jerry, you can choose to be in a good mood (心情) or you can choose to be in a bad mood.’ ▲ . Each time something bad happens, I choose to learn from it, not choose to be sad. Every time someone comes to me in a bad mood, I choose to help him or her see the positive side of life.”
“Yeah, right. But it isn’t that easy, is it?” I ask.
“Yes, it is,” Jerry says. “It’s up to you. Life is all in your hand. You can choose to be happy or sad. Why not choose a happy life?”
1. Why do many workers go with Jerry?| A．Because Jerry asks them to. | B．Because Jerry is the manager. |
| C．Because they like to work with Jerry. | D．Because Jerry has many restaurants. |
| A．bad job | B．I get an ‘E’ too |
| C．maths brings you good luck | D．work hard and you can get an ‘A’ next time |
| A．I don’t like it. | B．I choose to stay in bed. |
| C．I can’t choose by myself. | D．I choose to be in a good mood. |
| A．Life is not easy. | B．A kind manager. |
| C．Choose the good side. | D．Everything has two sides. |
【推荐3】One day, as two little boys were walking along the road, they passed a woman carrying a large basket of apples.
The boys thought the woman looked very pale and tired, so they said, “Are you going to town? If you are, we will carry your basket.” “Thank you,” replied the woman. Then she told them that she had a disabled son. She lived in a small house three miles away, and was now going to the market to sell the apples which grew on the only tree in her little garden. She needed the money for their living.
“We are going the same way as you are,” said the boys and they took hold of the basket one on each side, and trudged along with merry hearts. The poor woman looked glad, and said that she hoped their mother would not be angry with them. “Oh, no,” they replied. “Our mother has taught us to be kind to others, and to be useful in any way that we can.”
The woman then offered to give them a few apples for their help. “No, thank you. We want nothing for what we have done,” said the boys. When the woman got home, she told her son what had happened on the road, and they were both made happier that day by the kindness of the two boys.
Another day, the woman saw his son stop and pick up a piece of orange peel, which he threw into the dustbin. “I wish people would not throw orange peel on the sidewalk,” said the son. “Someone may walk upon it, and fall.” “That is right, my dear,” she said. “It is a little thing for you to do what you have done, but it shows that you’re thoughtful and considerate.”
1. Why did the two boys help the woman carry the basket?| A．They wanted to eat some apples. | B．Their teacher told them to do that. |
| C．They were asked by the woman to help her. | D．Their mother taught them to be helpful. |
| A．The woman had a lot of apple trees in her garden. |
| B．Everyone can begin with small things to help others. |
| C．The woman didn’t have money to send her son to school. |
| D．Poor people were in need of more help than rich people. |
| A．walked | B．danced | C．jumped | D．climbed |
| A．cousins | B．classmates | C．friends | D．brothers |
| A．A Basket of Apples | B．A Small Act of Kindness |
| C．Mother and Her Son | D．On the Way to the Town |
【推荐1】“I will think of it.” It is easy to say this, but do you know what great things have come from thinking?
Sir Isaac Newton was sitting in his garden when he saw an apple fall from a tree. He began to think and tried to find out why the apple fell. Then he discovered how the sun, moon, and stars are kept in their places.
A boy named James Watt sat quietly by the fire, watching the lid of the kettle (水壶盖) move up and down. He wanted to find out why the steam in the kettle moved the lid. From that time he went on thinking and thinking. And when he became a man, he improved the steam engine (蒸汽机) so much that it could easily do the work of many horses.
James Ferguson was a poor boy. Once, seeing the inside of a watch, he wondered. “Why should I not make a watch?” But how could he get the materials to make the mainspring (钟表的主发条)? He soon found he could make it with whalebone (鲸骨). He then made a wooden clock which kept good time. His motto (座右铭) was “I will think of it.” And he made his thoughts useful to himself and the world.
Boys and girls, when you have a difficult lesson to learn, don’t lose heart, and don’t ask someone for help before helping yourselves. Think, and by thinking you will learn how to think to some purpose.
1. The achievement of James Watt was that he ________.| A．kept thinking | B．found the steam in the kettle |
| C．improved the steam engine much | D．watched the lid move up and down |
① James Ferguson made a wooden clock.
② James Ferguson saw the inside of a watch.
③ James Ferguson made the mainspring with whalebone.
| A．③②① | B．②③① | C．②①③ | D．①③② |
| A．Learn to ask for help. |
| B．A difficult lesson to learn. |
| C．It is easy to say “I will think of it.” |
| D．Think, and by thinking you will learn how to think to some purpose. |
【推荐2】Professor Stephen Hawking was born on 8th January, 1942 in Oxford, England. When he was eight, his family moved to St. Albans, a town about 20 miles north of London. At the age of eleven, Hawking went to St. Albans School and then went to University of Oxford in 1959, where his father once studied. Hawking wanted to study maths although his father asked him to learn medicine. Since maths was not a choice at that university, he chose to study physics instead. Three years later, he won a very important prize in natural science. In 1963, Hawking suffered from a serious disease and was told that he couldn’t live more than two years. In fact, he lived for another fifty-five years, until he died in March, 2018, but he had to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
Hawking was also a famous writer. His first book, A Brief History of Time, came out in 1988 and became an international best seller. He also wrote a children’s book, George and the Big Bang, with his daughter, while he was on a visit to Hong Kong for the first time over 10 years ago. Hawking said the book would be a bit like Harry Potter but without the magic. “It explains the wonderful universe (宇宙),” said Hawking.
In 2014, a movie called The Theory of Everything was shown in cinemas. It was based on (以……为根据) Hawking’s life. Hawking liked the film and said it made him think over his own life. “Although I’m disabled, I have been successful in my scientific work.” Hawking wrote on Facebook in November, 2014. “I have traveled widely and I hope to go into space one day.”
1. What does the underlined word “It” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．George and the Big Bang. |
| B．A Brief History of Time. |
| C．Harry Potter. |
| D．The Theory of Everything. |
a. His first book came out.
b. He got a serious disease.
c. He went to University of Oxford.
d. A movie based on his life was shown in cinemas.
e. He moved to a town about 20 miles north of London.
| A．b-c-d-a-e | B．c-b-a-e-d |
| C．e-c-b-a-d | D．e-b-c-a-d |
| A．He won a very important prize in match. |
| B．His father was a student of Oxford before. |
| C．He chose to study medicine because his father wanted him to. |
| D．He suffered from a serious disease in 1963 and died soon. |
| A．Stephen Hawking’s lifetime. |
| B．Stephen Hawking’s hard work in science. |
| C．How Stephen Hawking fought against his disease. |
| D．Why Stephen Hawking’s books are sold well. |
Alexander Graham Bell is considered as a great inventor.
| A．He did a lot of experiments |
| B．He was born in Scotland, in 1847 |
| C．He was very happy when he succeeded |
| D．He read a book written by a German physicist （物理学家） |
| E．At the age of 10, Alexander learnt to use Visible Speech from his father |
