A friend of mine told me a story about Thanksgiving, a holiday American people celebrate on the fourth Thursday of November. It is their custom to give thanks to God for the harvest. A big dinner is prepared, and turkey is the main dish.
One Thanksgiving Day, a teacher of a primary school asked her first graders what they were grateful for. She asked them to draw a picture of it. These children were from poor neighborhoods. Their families could hardly provide them with a big dinner most of them would draw pictures of turkeys on tables, because they had looked forward to having turkey for a long time. The teacher was surprised and puzzled by the picture that Jack handed in — a hand, a simple childishly (幼稚地) drawn hand!
But whose hand? The class was excited by the strange painting. “I think it must be the hand of God that brings us food,” said one child. “It must be the farmer’s hand,” said another, “because he raises turkeys.”
Finally, when the others were back at work, the teacher bent over Jack’s desk and asked whose hand it was. “It’s your hand, Teacher,” he said in a weak voice.
She remembered she had taken Jack, a poor shy child, by the hand several times. She often did that with the children. But it meant so much to Jack. Perhaps this was everyone’s Thanksgiving, not for the material things given to us, but for the chance, in whatever small way, to give to others.
1. What does Thanksgiving mean to Americans?2. What happened on Thanksgiving Day at a primary school?
3. Why was the teacher surprised?
4. What did the class say about it?
5. It is the teacher’s hand, isn’t it?
6. What is the true meaning of Thanksgiving according to the author?
An American friend has invited you to visit his family. You’ve never been to an American’s home before, and you’re not sure what to do. Should you take a gift? What should you dress? When should you arrive? Glad you asked. When you’re the guest, you should just make yourself at home.
The question of whether or not to bring a gift often troubles guests. In American culture, a guest is not obligated (强迫) to bring a present. Of course, some people do bring some small gifts to their hosts. Proper gifts generally might be flowers, candy or—if the family has small children—toys. If you choose not to bring a gift, don’t worry. No one will even notice that.
For most informal (非正式的) dinners, you should wear everyday clothes. Plan to arrive on time, or call to tell your hosts about the delay (延迟). During the dinner conversation, it’s customary to compliment (称赞) the hosts about the wonderful meal. Of course, the biggest compliment is to eat lots of food! When you’ve had plenty, you might offer to clear the table or wash the dishes. But since you’re the guest, your hosts may not let you do that. Instead, they may invite you to move to the living room for dessert with tea or coffee. After an hour or so of general talking, it’s probably time to head for the door.
Americans usually like to have advance notice (提前通知) when people come to see them. Only very close friends drop by without any notice. This is especially true if the guests want to stay for a few days. Even relatives don’t usually stay for several weeks at a time. Here’s some good advice for house guests: Short stays are the best. While you’re staying with an American family, try to keep your living area clean and tidy. Your host family will be thankful for your consideration. And they may even invite you back!
| How to be | ||
| Gift | ☆Proper gifts: flowers, candy or toys. ☆No present is also OK. | |
| Before the dinner | ☆Try to arrive on time. *If you can’t ☆Wear everyday clothes. | |
| During the dinner | ☆Compliment the hosts about the meal. ☆ | |
| After the dinner | ☆Offer to do some cleaning work, though your hosts may not let you do that. ☆Leave after about an hour after dinner. | |
| A short stay | ☆You are ☆Don’t stay too long. ☆Keep your living area clean and tidy. | |
3 . The Chongyang Festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month and is also called the Double Ninth Festival. As both the month and the day are nine, it got this name. To celebrate the day, people usually climb mountains and enjoy chrysanthemum（菊花）, so the festival is also known as the Height Ascending（登高）Festival or the Chrysanthemum Festival. In China, nine has the similar pronunciation with the word“forever”, meaning long life. So the Chinese government set the day as the Seniors’ Day.
The festival has a history of over 2,000 years. During the Warring States Period, there was the Chongyang Festival. But it was only celebrated in the imperial（皇帝的）palace. From the Han Dynasty, it began to be popular among the common people. The name of the Chongyang Festival first appeared in the Three Kingdoms Period. During the Jin Dynasty, there were customs of enjoying chrysanthemum and drinking wine on the day. It was not officially（官方地）set as a festival until the Tang Dynasty. Since then, all the people have spent the festival with kinds of activities. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people in the imperial palace all ate flower cakes to celebrate. The emperor climbed the mountain on the day as well. In 1989, the Chinese government set the day as the Seniors’ Day.
1. How many other names does the Chongyang Festival have ?2. Did the Chinese government set the day as the Seniors’ Day in 2000 ?
3. What does the passage mainly talk about ?
4. What should we do on the Chongyang Festival ? Why ?
First, a company called Lava Mae came up with the idea of mobile showers (移动淋器) for the homeless. Now, two young Australian men have created a similar laundry service (洗衣服务), called Orange Sky, for the homeless.
Lucas and Nicholas have been volunteering at the city’s charities for several years. They came up with the idea in July, 2017. They noticed that when the organizations handed out free clothes, many homeless people took more than they needed and threw them over the next few weeks.
Then they realized that it was simply because the clothes were dirty. Though there are two places in the city that provide a free washing service, one is open only three days a week, while the other is always booked up. On the other hand, most homeless people don’t have any money to wash their clothes at a laundry. So a mobile laundry seemed to be the perfect idea.
Setting it all up was not easy. The first challenge they faced was figuring out how to fit two washing machines into the old van (厢式送货车) they bought for their mobile laundry. Their bigger challenge was getting the city to consider them as a charity. Finally, by October 2017, Orange Sky Laundry was open!
Now they offer their services at six locations. In the last four months, Lucas and Nicholas have not only been able to help homeless people, but also attracted 120 volunteers. With their support, the young men hope to set up similar services in fifteen Australian cities by the end of 2018.
Why did they choose the name, “Orange Sky”? Because orange is their favorite color and also the title of their favorite song.
1. Was the laundry service called Orange Sky?2. What was the first challenge that Lucas and Nicholas had to face?
3. What is the main idea of this passage?
4. Will you help the homeless like the two young men in the future? Why or why not?
You may not realize it, but you are doing much more than just studying when you are at school．School is also the place where you learn to get along well with people．But this is not always easy．What can you do if you just don't like one of your classmates?
If you discover that you have problems getting along with your classmates or friends, the most important thing to learn is tolerance．Tolerance is the ability to realize and respect the differences in others．We cannot change the way that other people do, so it is important to learn to live happily with them．
Tolerance will make everyone get on better with each other．Knowing others constantly makes us understand others' differences．
Something different does not exactly mean that it is bad．Tolerance teaches us to keep an even temper and an open mind．
You need to remember an old saying ,“Treat others how you want to be treated．”You would like to be treated kindly by your classmates. If you tolerate something, it does not mean that you have to like it．No one is asking you to change who you are or what you believe in．Tolerance just means that you should respect the differences in others and not try to make them change．
It is important to practice tolerance, because it will make everyone's life easier．Learn to accept people for their different abilities and interests．The world is very different, and practicing tolerance in your own school and city can help make a difference．
1. Can you learn how to get on well with people at school?2. What is the most important thing to learn to get along with your classmates?
3. What is tolerance?
4. Why is tolerance important?
5. What is the passage mainly about?
6 . Note-taking is a skill that can help you do well in all your schoolwork.It can make you confident when you are studying.But unluckily, most students don’t know how to take notes.
If your teacher writes notes on the blackboard, that's great.You can copy them or write down the most important facts of all in class.Different teachers do things differently.For example, some teachers may focus on (关注) lots of dates and facts in class, but they only write the important ones on the blackboard.Other teachers may not write anything down, but they may repeat them.
Don't try to write down every word in class, or you might miss some important points.Some students really learn better with the help of these notes.Don't be afraid to ask your teacher to repeat what you've missed.If your teacher speaks too fast and you can't follow what he is saying, you can ask him after class.
Comparing your notes with your classmates' can be good for your learning.It can also help you and your classmates correct some mistakes.
Note-taking also needs organization.Keep notes for each subject in one place, so that you can find everything easily when a test comes.
Good note-taking takes time.If you decide to recopy your notes every evening, you’ll surely have less time to watch TV.But you'll save time in the coming test.
1. While you are learning, taking notes can2. What can you do if you can't follow what your teacher is saying?
3. Why do you keep notes for each subject in one place?
4. 找出并写下全文的主题句
5. 将文中画线句子译成汉语
Merry Christmas！
Lisa lives in an apartment near a busy street. One Christmas Eve, she was walking back and forth in her room, with a cup of coffee in her hand when she saw a woman, alone and upset from her window. Without thinking about anything, she went out and down to the street and asked whether she was okay.
Lisa could see that all was not well. She invited the woman into her apartment, and the woman asked if she could shower. Lisa gave her a fresh towel, and clean pajamas to wear. About an hour later, she came out. She said she was alone in the city and had nowhere to stay. It was late on Christmas Eve, so it would be impossible to get social agency assistance（紧急救助）. Lisa made her stay on the couch for the night. The woman stayed there naturally.
The next morning, Lisa wrapped a small gift for this woman, wishing her Merry Christmas. She also gave her breakfast, washed and dried her clothes which she wore when she had arrived the night before. Then Lisa began to help her plan her next steps. The woman said that she had thought of somewhere to go, thanked Lisa and left.
One year later, a phone call from the woman came to Lisa. "Merry Christmas!" she said, "Today reminds me of the last Christmas Eve. Thanks very much." Lisa said, "You're welcome." Then they began to talk with each other. The woman told Lisa she was from a poor family and came here to make a living. Unfortunately, she was robbed of everything valuable. Lisa appeared when she was depressed and helpless. The woman wondered why Lisa had helped a stranger like her. She had been refused many times before she met Lisa.
Lisa smiled, saying, "Actually, I didn't think too much then. Everyone would have trouble in the city, so I just did what I could to help. If I were in the same condition as you did, I would look forward to getting others' help." The woman was touched and promised that she would help people in need in the future.
1. What was Lisa doing when she saw the woman?2. Where did the woman stay for the night?
3. What happened to the woman when she came here to make a living?
4. Why did the woman ask Lisa the reason for helping her?
5. What does the story want to tell us?
The ants and the grasshopper (蝗虫) lived in a big field. The ants always worked hard, and tried to prepare enough food for winter. Their happy neighbour, the grasshopper couldn’t understand them. He just kept singing.
The coming of winter ended the work of the ants and the party of the grasshopper. One day, the ants were busy spreading their food in the sun to dry. The grasshopper was nearly dying of hunger, so he went to the ants to ask for some food.
“Good day to you,” said the grasshopper. “Could’t you lend me a little food? I will pay back before this time next year.” “Why don’t you have any food of your own?” asked an old ant. “There was a lot of food in the field all summer. What did you do?”
“Oh,” said the grasshopper, forgetting his hunger, “I sang all day long, and all night long.” “Well, then,” said the ant, “If you can sing all summer, you should dance all winter.” With these words, the old ant went back to work. In the end, the grasshopper reaized he shouldn’t be lazy and he must work hard to live a happy life.
1. What were the ants doing when the grasshopper was singing? (不超过10个词)2. Why did the grasshopper go to the ants to ask for food? (不超过10个单词)
3. What can we learn from the story? (不超过15个词)
9 . It's true that you can learn new words when you read or listen, but you should also study new words seriously. Here are a few things I do:
Make flash cards(识字卡)：(A) I find this is really the best way to learn new words. Make some small cards and write the new English word on one side and the word in your language or in easy English on the other side to test yourself. To really make this work, you have to review often(You need a system! ). I think this is the best method for learning English vocabulary.
Make sentences with the new words: This is great if you can ask someone to check them. It's also great to make some really crazy sentences-that way you won't forget them! I also collect example sentences of the words I'm trying to learn一if I see the word in a book, I write down the sentence.
Make up a mnemonic：A mnemonic is a way to remember something, like a little story. For example, (B) 我在厨房的门上贴上单词 kitchen. The problem with this is that it works for a while but then you get used to the words and forget to read them!
1. 把文中(A)处句子翻译成汉语.2. How does the writer collect example sentences of the words he is trying to learn?
3. 把短文中(B)处的句子翻译成英语.
4. 从文中找出与下列句子意思相同的的句子。
It is great for you to ask someone to check them.
5. What does the passage mainly tell us?
Sometimes even the best friends have fights. They disagree with each other and begin to argue. Sometimes they even stop talking to each other.
What can be done to help the two friends make up? Finding a good friend who knows about both of them very well to be a peacemaker is a good way. Maybe one day you will be a peacemaker for your good friends. Here are some useful communication strategies for you to use：
◆ State your feelings clearly but don't criticize them. Begin with “I feel…” instead of “You always…”
◆ Don't stop the other person's sentences.
◆ Listen carefully to what the other person is saying. Try to see the other person's side of the disagreement.
◆ Look at the other person's eyes when you are talking.
◆ Ask questions to make sure that you understand the other person.
◆ Repeat the other person's ideas as you understand them.
◆Never put anyone down. Saying things like “You're stupid.” makes communication difficult.
Try to find a solution that makes the two friends happy. Never decide who is right and who is wrong. Instead, help them to find their own “winwin” solution. A “winwin” solution allows both of them to feel good. In this way, their friendship can be continued.
1. 完成句子A “winwin” solution is a way that makes2. 完成句子Finding a good friend who knows about both of them very well to be
3. 简略回答问题What should you do to make sure that you understand the other person?
4. 找出并写下全文的主题句
5. 将文中画线句子译成汉语
