Sometimes I feel lonely,
Like I’m by myself with no one here.
When I’m that way, I call a friend.
My lonely mood soon disappears(消失).
Sometimes I feel excited,
Like I have some news to share!
My friends open their ears to me.
They always ________, talk, and care.
Sometimes I feel so sad,
Like my world is cold and darkest blue.
At those times my friends let me know,
They’ re with me, standing strong and true.
Sometimes I feel mixed up,
Like I just don’t know how I should feel.
My friends then help me figure out,
What is right and wrong;
what is false and real!
1. Which can be the missing word in Line 8?
| A．hear | B．think | C．listen | D．read |
| A．Look out. | B．Feel better. | C．Say something good. | D．Find out. |
| A．what friends are for | B．how we develop friendship |
| C．who can be friends | D．why I can be a true friend |
| A Happy Rain on a Spring Night | |
| Good rain knows its time right; It will fall when comes spring. With wind it steals in night: Mute, it moistens each thing.  | O’er wild lanes dark cloud spreads; In boat a lantern looms. Dawn sees saturated reds. The town’s heavy with blooms. —Translated by Xu Yuanchong |
This famous poem, with four couplets (对句), was written by Du Fu (712—770), Tang Dynasty.when he was living and farming in Chengdu. His farming experience taught him to be thankful for nature.
The very first word, “Good”, shows the poet’s joy and love for the spring rain. The rain is good because it “knows” the proper time to come. Here the poet uses personification (拟人化), as if the rain were smart enough to come in time for the farmer’s busy season.
When the rain comes, it appears during the night without making any noise. Unlike the summer storms, the spring rain finishes is task without being known.
In the third couplet, the poet describes a peaceful scene to us. In the night sky, the clouds look dark and heavy. It’s a sign that there will be enough rain during the night. The light from the riverboat makes the dark scene a bit livelier.
Lastly, the poet starts to imagine. Tomorrow morning, he thinks, the city of Chengdu will become beautiful when all of the flowers bloom (盛开) after the rain.
1. The Chinese title of the poem is “Ye Yu. Ji Bei”.2. The rhyme (韵律) for thus poem is ab—ab—cd—cd.
3. The word “quiet” can be used to describe the rain in thus poem.
4. Xu Yuanchong wanted to show that he’s thankful for nature in this poem.
3 . When she was alone, Mary felt lonelier than ever. She went out of the house and ran around the garden ten times. Ben Weatherstaff was working in it.
“Spring is coming,” he said to Mary. “I can smell it in the air. Soon there will be spring flowers. At this moment, the robin flew toward them and landed at Mary’s feet.
“He remembers me,” she said.
“He knows everything that happens here,” Ben said. “Only he knows what’s happening in the garden that has no door into it. No one else has been inside it for ten years.”
Ben walked away to continue his work. Mary bent down and began talking to the robin. She felt happier than she had ever felt.
The robin trusted her and did not fly away. It began pecking at the ground, looking for a worm to eat. Mary looked closely at the ground. She saw something that looked like metal. She picked it up. It was dirty and rusty. She cleaned it and saw that it was a key.
“It’s been in the ground for many years,” she thought. “I wonder if it is the key to the garden. If it is, then I must find the door.”
Mary skipped around the garden. The robin followed her. Mary stopped skipping and spoke to the robin.
“He showed me where to find the key,” she thought. “Can you show me where the door is?”
The robin sat on the top of the garden wall. It began to sing. The wall was covered with ivy. Mary pulled at a piece of the ivy. It came away from the wall. Behind the wall was a door. Mary put the key in the lock of the door and turned it. The door opened. Only seconds later, Mary was inside the secret garden.
Mary thought it was the most beautiful garden she had ever seen.
1. Which is the right order for the robin?a. It followed Mary around the garden.
b. It sat and sang on the top of the garden wall.
c. It pecked at the ground and looked for a worm.
d. It flew toward Ben and Mary and landed at Mary’s feet.
| A．b-c-d-a | B．b-a-d-c | C．d-c-a-b | D．d-a-b-c |
| A．The key. | B．The robin. | C．The flower. | D．The lock. |
| A．sad | B．worried | C．lonely | D．excited |
| A．Mary Discovers the Door | B．Mary Finds a Secret Garden |
| C．Mary Remembers the Robin | D．Mary Helps Her Best Friend |
