When Jan and Brian Dutcher moved to San Diego for Brian’s new job at San Diego State University, the neighbors smiled and introduced themselves. But there were no “ bring a plate” invitations, no car pooling for her daughters Liza, 12 and Erin, 15.
“The family really didn’t know each other, and we missed that,” says Jan. “We are far from relatives. Neighbors are our family.”
So Jan, an artist, decided to repeat a project she had done for Liza’s fifth-grade class: ask each person to paint his or her face on a big canvas(帆布). The finished piece would become the new family photo.
First , Jan painted a grid(网格) on the canvas and put it up in the garage with a table of paints nearby. Then whenever she was home, the “art room” door was up , with an open invitation for neighbors to paint. The first to stop in were kids riding by. “They thought it was cool,” says Jan, but the adults weren’t so keen. “ Most said they hadn’t picked up a paint brush since kindergarten,” she says. “They were afraid they’d mess it up.” But as word slowly spread, they came, some using their driver’s license photos as models.
Then something started to happen. They returned ---to see who had painted, or if they could recognize who was who. In Jan’s garage, they began to chat about schools, jobs, and families. Almost daily. Wendy, who lived across the street and was seriously ill, came in her wheelchair to watch the fun. Neighbors began to offer their support.
When the worst things happened and Wendy died, they stood by her husband, Bill and invited him over for dinners.
This year has been different in the neighborhood. Families take turns hosting happy hours. “We ‘re watching over each other now just like in the painting.” says Jan.
1. Why did the Dutchers move to San Diego?
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2. Where did people paint, on a wall, a car or a canvas?
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3. Who joined in the project first after a grid was done?
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4. What did the adults in the neighborhood think of the project at first?
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5. With the project on and on, what happened in and out of the garage?
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6. How do you understand the underlined sentence“We’re watching over each other now just like in the painting”?
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Some people think they know everything, Anansi the Spider didn’t think that. He knew that to have real wisdom, he had to learn more.
One day, Anansi found an empty basket and he had an idea. “If I get advice from others and put it in this basket, then I’ll be wiser than anyone else in the world.”
So, he went from house to house and asked the other creatures, “What’s your best piece of advice?” And they were all happy to share their wisdom.
The worm said, “You should never judge people by their looks. Under an ugly coat, there’s often a beautiful heart.”
The snail(蜗牛) said, “Don’t be in a hurry. Life isn’t a 100-meter race.”
The ant said, “You’ll never be great on your own. Everyone needs the help of others.”
The fly said, “Work for eight hours, sleep for eight hours, and play for eight hours.”
Anansi was happy with the advice he got. He thought, “I have more wisdom now but I must hide it, so no one can steal it.” He looked around and saw a hole high up in the tree. “That’s where I’ll hide the wisdom,” he said.
But the basket was so big that Anansi could hardly climb the tree. His son was nearby watching him. “Daddy, why not tie the basket to your back to climb the tree?” “Cool. Thank you for sharing your advice,” said Anansi, and at that moment he realized that advice is only useful when we share it with someone.
So, he climbed the tree with the basket on his back. When he reached the top, he held the basket up to the wind. All the advice flew into the sky and traveled across the land. And wisdom came to everyone.
1. Where did Anansi put the wisdom he got?2. Why did he want to hide the wisdom at first?
3. How did he deal with the wisdom at last?
4. What wisdom would you like to share with Anansi?
5. What do you think of Anansi the Spider?
Many years ago, in a small Indian village, a farmer owed (欠) a lot of money to a village moneylender. The moneylender looked old and ugly, but he liked the farmer’s beautiful daughter. So he said that the farmer didn’t need to pay off the debt (债务) if he could marry (与……结婚) the farmer’s daughter.
Both the farmer and his daughter wouldn’t do that, but they were afraid of the moneylender. So he suggested that they let God decide the matter. He told them that he would put a black pebble (鹅卵石) and a white pebble into an empty bag. Then the girl would have to pick one pebble from the bag.
If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her father’s debt would be forgiven (免除). If she picked the white pebble, she didn’t need to marry him and her father’s debt would still be forgiven. But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into prison.
They were standing on a pebble—strewn path in the farmer’s field. As they talked, the moneylender picked up two pebbles. As he picked them up, the sharp—eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag.
The girl put her hand into the bag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it she let it fall onto the path which was full of pebbles. So it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles.
“Oh, how clumsy (笨拙的) of me!” she said. “But never mind. If you look into the bag for the one left inside, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.”
The moneylender wouldn’t let them know his dishonesty, so the girl needn’t marry the moneylender and her father was free of debt now.
1. What did the farmer owe the moneylender?2. How did the moneylender look?
3. What colour was the pebble for the girl to wish to pick?
4. What did the moneylender put in the empty bag?
5. What do you think of the farmer’s daughter? (请自拟一句作答)
【推荐3】阅读下面短文，并用英语回答问题（请注意每小题后面的词数要求）。
A beautiful and colorful Macaw (金刚鹦鹉) watched a brown beetle (甲虫) as it climbed across the forest. “Where are you going, my friend?” Macaw called out. “I am going to the sea.” Beetle answered.
Just then, a paca (无尾刺豚鼠) passed by. “You?” Paca laughed. “You’re so slow and it will take you a hundred years!” Macaw looked down and said, “You shouldn’t say that, Paca. Why don’t you race with him? I’ll give a new coat to whoever first reaches the big tree beside the river as a prize.” Paca laughed harder, “There is no need to have a race! You may give me the coat right now!” But Beetle said, “I will race. If I win, I would like a coat like yours, Macaw.”
Paca hurried away. Then he thought, “I am so much faster than slow Beetle. I can take my time.” When Paca reached the tree, however, he was amazed to see Beetle on a tree stick waiting for him. Paca asked, “How did you get here?” “I flew,” Beetle answered with a smile. So there is no doubt that Beetle was the winner of the race.
Macaw smiled at Beetle, and Beetle’s hard back began to shine with the colors of a rainbow (彩虹) ever since. Paca learned that he shouldn’t show off what he has, but he can use it when necessary.
1. Where was Beetle going when Macaw met him? (不超过5个词)“It’s so cold.”
“Yes, it is. I’m wearing my long johns (秋裤) today.”
This short conversation may happen when you meet your classmate at school. The conversation is a good example of small talk.
In many cultures, small talk is a big deal. Although it may seem like a meaningless conversation to pass the time or avoid an embarrassed silence, sometimes it is actually very important for communicating and connecting with others.
According to American expert Melissa Wadsworth, small talk is about finding out possibilities (可能性). Having good small talk skills is the best way to meet new people, which can lead to friendships, jobs or other goals (目标). Besides that, small talk can also encourage empathy (感同身受), making you consider what another person feels or thinks.
What’s the best way to break the ice and start talking to people? Well, some of the most common topics include the weather, hobbies, work, family and travel. These topics are all easy for people to talk about. Sometimes, it may seem a little bit difficult to start a conversation with people you don’t know. That’s OK! Everyone has this problem sometimes. Remember that small talk might just be the first step to something much bigger.
1. What did the writer introduce to us by giving an example?2. What can small talk help people do?
3. List at least two advantages (优点) of starting small talk.
4. Why can common topics help people break the ice?
5. Which word can take the place of the underlined words in the last paragraph?
The relationship between parents and children is one of the longest lasting connection in life. How can you show love for your parents? Here are some ways.
Spend time together. 3. Doing activities that you all enjoy can help you understand your parents better. For example, if you like rock climbing, invite your parents to an easy climbing wall with you. This gives you the chance to teach them something and that may support your hobby more if they’ve experienced it with you.
Remember that quarreling is normal. Say sorry if you have done or said something hurtful. Learn other ways to express your anger such as writing to a friend for advice. If your parents are doing something that annoys you, try to deal with it calmly and suggest a good way.
Talk to your parents about the things they do that upset you. Your parents don’t know what’s bothering or annoying you, they won’t be able to try to change their behavior. Choose a quiet moment to have a talk with them. Plan what you want to say first in order not to have disagreements with your parents.
Talk to your parents about the challenges you’re facing. As questions about your parents’ experience of being a teenager, because they have useful experience about growing up. 4.Use an example from a TV show or an article as a way to break the ice.Sometimes it’s easier to begin a difficult topic by expressing yourself in writing.
A.根据短文内容简要回答问题。
1. What should you do if your parents are doing something that annoys you?
2. Why do you plan what you want to say first before you talk to your parents?
B.将短文中划线的句子译成汉语。
3.
4.
C.请给短文拟一个适当的标题。
5.
【推荐3】You probably talk to friends more than you talk to your parents. That’s natural. Still, most of us want a parent’s help, advice, and support at times. But talking to the parents may be difficult or terrible—especially when it comes to certain subjects. Here are some suggestions (建议) to make it easier.
Talk about everyday life and do it every day. The more you do something, the easier it gets. Talking to parents about everyday life can help you discuss something more serious with them later.
Find something to chat (聊天) about each day. Talk about how your team did at the sports meet. Share something one of your teachers said. Even small talk about what’s for dinner can keep your relationship comfortable.
It’s never too late to start. If your relationship with your parents makes you feel nervous, try getting into conversations slowly. Tell them the cute thing the dog did. Talk about how well your little sister is doing in math. Chatting with parents every day not only keeps the present relationship strong, it also can help a might-be-worse relationship get better.
When parents feel connected (连接) to your daily life, they can be there for you if something really important happens.
l题完成句子；2、3题简略回答问题；4题找出并写下全文的主题句；5题将文中画线句子译成汉语。
1. Talking to parents about
2. What do most of us want from parent at times?
3. How many suggestions does the writer give?
4.
5.
