1 . A project, under which senior people living alone take care of students who are not their grandchildren while the parents are still at work, is useful in cutting down the pressure of working parents and the loneliness of senior people.
The project was started by a neighborhood in Chengdu, Sichuan. Besides picking up the students after school, the old people also cook dinner for them and help them with homework. All services are paid nothing.
Yang Qiong, founder of the project, said the idea came from a personal experience of hers. The 33-year-old community worker has two children who would be unattended (没人照顾的) after school when she and her husband were still at work. One day, she asked an old woman in her community to take care of her children and found that the three had a good time together. And after several old people told her that they wanted to do something for the community, she decided to give the idea a try.
After a simple survey, she learned that 40 percent of the students in the neighborhood were in such a situation. And their parents strongly hoped this could be solved. When the project began in July 2019, old people showed great interest in it.
According to Yang, the grannies take care of 30 to 40 children a day. A granny named Zhang was the first to sign up for the project. “Though I’m old, I still want to help,” she said.
Families receiving help visit the old people often, buying vegetables and cooking dinners for them on weekends.
1. What can we know about the project from the first two paragraphs?a. Where it was started. b. Why it was started.
c. When it was started. d. How it started.
| A．ab. | B．bc. | C．cd. | D．ad. |
| A．In a school. | B．In an old people’s home. |
| C．In a hospital. | D．In a community. |
| A．Senior people who are living alone often feel very lonely in their lives. |
| B．Most parents who are still at work are under much stress from their jobs. |
| C．Senior people provide free care service for unattended children after school. |
| D．A woman has set up a project to cut down the loneliness of senior people. |
2 . On a snowy evening, a rich woman was standing by the road. She was very worried. Her
The woman wondered, “Is the man going to
After forty minutes, the car was at last fixed (修理) by Robert. The woman wanted to pay him.
“No, that’s nothing, madam,” he said. “I was just helping someone in
A few minutes later, the woman saw a shabby (破旧的) house by the road. She
The hostess (女主人) was very happy to see her,
Robert came home later than before, thinking how
His wife went up to him, gave him a kiss and said softly, “Don’t worry, dear! Everything is going to be all right. A stranger has helped us out.”
Let’s always be ready to help others because helping others is helping ourselves.
1.| A．bike | B．car | C．boat | D．bus |
| A．help | B．hit | C．drive | D．find |
| A．chose | B．left | C．stopped | D．agreed |
| A．public | B．rain | C．danger | D．need |
| A．remembered | B．questioned | C．completed | D．research |
| A．carefully | B．warmly | C．safely | D．finally |
| A．lost | B．forgot | C．spent | D．left |
| A．exciting | B．boring | C．hard | D．happy |
3 . A Girl Who Loves Animals
When Abbi Hickman was just a little girl, she made friends with many animals. Chickens, cats, dogs, rabbits, and sometimes goats were just some of the animals she cared for. At the age of nine, Abbi went to the Tracy Animal Center to adopt (收养) Sheldon, her cat. In the center, she saw that the animals did not have enough food and they lived in poor conditions. Abbi knew that she must do something to help those animals.
For the last three years, she has held different activities to collect money for the Tracy Animal Center. She has collected more than＄30,000 resulting in a better home for the animals.
“The center gets the money and pays for the vet (兽医) care and food. It’s nicer and they have more space. It’s cleaner. It is far better, a hundred percent better,” Abbi says.
To show Abbi has done something excellent to protect animals, she was named the 2015 ASPCA (美国防止虐待动物协会) Kid of the Year.
“I was pretty excited. I’m really happy to receive it,” she says.
Offering time and effort to help animals can sometimes be difficult, but Abbi hopes to do more. “I just hope that more people can come and join us. If more people can give money to the program, we can help more animals. I really hope people are kinder to animals and respect them more,” says Abbi. She is also working on “welcome home boxes” for the Tracy Animal Center. These boxes of pet supplies (宠物用品) would go home with everyone adopting a dog or cat at the center.
The advice she has for kids like her is, “Nothing is impossible. You can do anything if you put your mind to it. Even if it is something small, it can make a huge difference.” Abbi’s work has made the lives of animals better, and she plans to keep coming up with new ways to help them.
1. What did Abbi do when she was nine years old? ________| A．She adopted a cat. | B．She held activities. | C．She learned vet care. | D．She collected money. |
| A．Because she did well at school. | B．Because she built the animal center. |
| C．Because she helped protect animals. | D．Because she taught kids how to care for animals. |
| A．The success Abbi has made. | B．The better lives Abbi has had. |
| C．The advice Abbi gave for kids. | D．The new plan Abbi has thought up. |
Can you imagine being an inventor with one arm at the age of 10? Well, it’s possible, and Jordan Reeves is one example. Jordan was born with a condition called limb (肢体) difference, as her left arm stopped growing before she was born. But she is active and outgoing, and has used every chance to share her story and encourage others.
She got attention when she took part in what she calls “Project Unicorn”. She created a superhero character called “Glitter (闪光的) Girl”—a doll with a prosthetic (假体的) arm that could shoot glitter—to share her joy with thousands of people with limb differences all around the world.
She continued to work with a professional designer as her idea gained popularity, and she went on to display her story on national television when she was only 11 years old. “When people hear about disabilities, they think, ‘Oh, that is so sad.’ But this turned it into something joyful.”
In the years since, Jordan has done a lot. For one, she created an online activity to speak for kids with limb differences. In addition, Jordan later worked with Mattel, the company known for creating the Barbie doll, and a doll was made in her likeness.
Not only has Jordan become an inventor and designer, but she has also become an encouraging speaker. Most recently, she started her own workshops called Design with US. There youth with disabilities can find encouragement from their own lives. They also find experiences to create original designs there.
Jordan has no plan to stop. She said, “if you have a passion (激情) or a want to change something, go for it. What you say can make a difference no matter how big ... Youth voices matter and need to be heard.”
1. Was Jordan born with limb differences?2. Why did Jorden create “Glitter Girl”?
3. What can youth with disabilities find in Jorden’s workshops of “Design with US”?
4. What do you think of Jordan Reeves?
5 . Anderson Carey is 12 years old. One day, he saw a magazine article that interested him. It was about prosthetics (假肢), which can be used to replace a missing body part, like a hand, arm or leg.
The article said people are using 3-D printers to build these devices (装置). Anderson thought this was very cool. He wanted to learn more about it. So Anderson talked to his science teacher, Dr. Holly Martin, about building a prosthetic together. The timing was perfect. Martin had just heard about a group called Enabling the Future. This group asks volunteers to help build robotic arms and legs. The volunteers build them for people who share their stories on the website.
Anderson and Martin looked through the website together. They decided to help a man from the country of Romania. His name is Comel Crismaru, who lost his leg, hand and part of his arm.
In February, Anderson and Martin got to work. Building the robotic arm was not easy. Anderson had some problems. He had hoped to use a 3-D printer at his school. One of the pieces for the arm was bigger than the size of the printer, though.
Soon Anderson had an idea to solve this problem. He reached out to a 3-D printing company in Woodstock, Georgia. The company agreed to help. Anderson and Martin could use their big 3-D printers. After that, Anderson worked on the arm for about three months.
Anderson and Martin sent the arm to Crismaru in May. In August, they received a note. It was from Crismaru’s son. He thanked Anderson and Martin for their help.
Martin said she hopes children and grown-ups who hear about Anderson’s projects will realize that it may be hard to change the world, but they can start with small acts. Some of these can help a person in a “huge way”.
1. The volunteers build ________ for people who share their stories online.| A．3-D printers | B．robots | C．robotic arms or legs | D．companies |
| A．By using big 3-D printers. | B．By buying a 3-D printer. |
| C．By building a prosthetic. | D．By starting a website. |
| A．knowledge comes from practice | B．we should have a good teacher |
| C．interests can help build confidence | D．starting with small acts can make a difference |
6 . Sally was a student. It was going to be her mother’s birthday. She wanted to buy her a present that would be nice and useful but not expensive.
She went shopping after a quick and simple lunch. After she looked for half an hour, she found a shop that was selling cheap umbrellas, and she decided to take a black one.
She thought, “Mom can carry it when she is wearing clothes of any color.” So she bought a lovely black umbrella and took it to school with her until her classes finished.
On her way home on the train she felt hungry because she had so little for lunch. So she went to the buffet car(餐车). She left the umbrella on her seat.
But when she got back, it had gone!
Sally began to cry. The other passengers felt very sorry for her and asked what the matter was. She told them the black umbrella she bought for her mother had gone, and she had to get off at the next station. After the three passengers heard this, they asked her for her mother’s address so that they could send the umbrella to her if someone took it by mistake and brought it back.
And now a week passed. Sally got a letter from her mother. It said, “Thank you very much for your lovely gifts, but why do you send me three black umbrellas?”
1. Which sentence has the same meaning as “Mom can carry it when she is wearing clothes of any color”?| A．Mom must carry it when she is wearing any clothes. |
| B．Mom is beautiful in any clothes. |
| C．The color of the umbrella is OK for Mom’s clothes of any color. |
| D．Mom can buy any clothes that she likes to wear. |
| A．On the train. | B．At her school. |
| C．A t the train station. | D．In the shop. |
| A．Sally’s mother would write to her if she didn’t receive the gift |
| B．one of the umbrellas must be sent by Sally |
| C．the three umbrellas were sent by the three passengers |
| D．nobody on the train took away the umbrella |
| A．A lucky girl | B．The story of an umbrella |
| C．On the train | D．A happy mother |
No matter how old you are, you can always help the people in need. Shane is a 9-year-old boy and he loves to help out. On a school trip, Shane’s class visited a special place, and people gave food and clothes to the homeless people there. Shane had an idea after he saw the workers. When he got home, he told his mom that he wanted to go help out, too.
A week later, Shane’s mom told him the good news. They were going to help out at a kitchen. There, they can give food to the homeless. Shane was excited. On their way to the kitchen, Shane saw some homeless people sleeping on the street. Some of these people didn’t even have shoes. He became sad and told his mom that he wanted to make sure everyone had shoes food and blankets（毯子）.
When they got there, the manager of the kitchen thanked Shane and his mom for coming down to help. They started giving food to the homeless and everyone thanked them for their help. Shane felt safe and started talking to the homeless people. He said he wanted to help them. When they finished, Shane didn’t want to leave, but he had to.
Shane told his mom that he wanted to do more. At school. he told his teacher and classmates about what he saw. If his friends and his teacher had any clothes they didn’t wear, Shane could give them to the homeless. The next day, his friends brought some clothes. His teacher did something better. She brought her friend, a reporter（记者）, who ran a story about Shane helping the homeless. Thousands of people gave clothes and food. Shane and his mother couldn’t believe it.
1. What did Shane do to help the homeless people?2. What do you think of Shane? Why do you think so?
I am a little helper in the school library. Usually the library is
Usually, I do some cleaning with the librarian first. We
After we put all the books back, we turn on (打开) the computer to work. The students can come in and borrow books. We’re always very
| A．cold | B．closed | C．open | D．over |
| A．thank | B．help | C．call | D．know |
| A．clean | B．shop | C．run | D．drink |
| A．teachers | B．vegetables | C．students | D．tables |
| A．money | B．luck | C．dreams | D．time |
| A．same | B．different | C．difficult | D．delicious |
| A．sad | B．easy | C．busy | D．free |
| A．read | B．play | C．eat | D．speak |
Stella the bloodhound (警犬) is taking a nap next to a police officer Enzo Diaz when Diaz gets a call on his car radio late one night. A 13-year-old girl is missing (失踪了).
Her families, friends and neighbors all joined in finding her, but they couldn’t. Even a helicopter pilot flying over the area couldn’t find her. But the police hope Stella can. As a search-and-rescue dog (搜救犬), she is trained to find
Arriving at the girl’s house, Stella smells a pillow from the girl’s bedroom so she gets to know her scent (气味). Then Diaz gives Stella the
Stella leads Diaz into the nearby woods (树林), where a neighbor
Stella runs around trees and jumps over stones with the help of her
Back in the car, Diaz gives Stella some wet food as a treat. “Stella eats at once,” Diaz says. “And then she goes right back to her nap.”
1.| A．dead | B．different | C．helpful | D．missing |
| A．food | B．order | C．love | D．phone |
| A．almost | B．last | C．never | D．still |
| A．ears | B．eyes | C．nose | D．mouth |
| A．quietly | B．excitedly | C．happily | D．secretly |
| A．waits | B．prepares | C．thanks | D．looks |
10 . Acting the Part
After school, Rose rushed off the bus and raced to the Old Pcople’s House, glancing back several times to make sure no one saw her. She loved spending her afternoons with her great uncle and the other seniors, but she didn’t think her friends would
Mr. Matthews, the assistant in the Old People’s House, greeted her at the door and joked if she kept coming here to act for the old people, they would pay her. He then laughed at his joke and held the door open for her.
For Rose, acting was just as much fun for her as it was for the old people here. She walked to the dressing room and opened her backpack. Her purple dress was inside, getting wrinkled. But how else could she get her costurmes here to perform for the old people here? She then smiled and held up the dress. The show she was
Rose tensed up at the sound of her best friend Tyler’s voice. Even though they’d grown up together and were next-door neighbors, Rose had managed to keep her performances at the Old People’s House a
“What are you doing here?” Rose asked.
“I was just going to ask you the same thing. I followed you from the bus.”
“I didn’t see you on the bus. I thought you had a bascball match.” Rose said, not sure if she was ready to tell Tyler what she’d been doing. No one knew she wanted to be an actress when she grew up.
“It has been put off because the coach is sick.”
“Oh. Well, I am just here visiting Uncle Albert.”
Uncle Albert cocked his head, “I thought you were performing Rapuncel for us.”
“Rapuncel? Are you putting on shows for the old people here?” Tyler asked.
Rose put the dress back in her bag. “1—”
Tyler was into sports. He would never understand Rose’s love for
“Do you need help?”
“What?” Rose’s eyes
Tyler shrugged. “I’ve never acted before, but it could be fun.”
“I thought you’d think it was silly.”
“No way. You might be in movies someday if you keep practicing. That’s really
Rose smiled. “I think we can find you one.”
1.| A．agree | B．pay | C．understand | D．join |
| A．holding | B．putting | C．passing | D．turning |
| A．game | B．problem | C．service | D．secret |
| A．dressing | B．singing | C．acting | D．dancing |
| A．widened | B．opened | C．lowered | D．watched |
| A．cozy | B．tiring | C．hard | D．cool |
