I used to be lazy, but now I am hard-working. Washing dishes, cooking and making the bed…all of these tasks have become part of my daily life.
This big change is the result of a new program at my school. Starting from last term, Huaxi No.1 Middle School has made housework part of its students’ homework in order to improve our life skills. At the beginning of each month, every student gets a list of housework to do every weekend. Some of the tasks are quite specific (具体的), such as cleaning out closets (衣柜), washing cups and cooking food.
My best friend Wan Li, a 14-year-old girl, also learned some life skills through the program. “I used to be afraid of fire,” she said. But she managed to overcome her fear and complete her cooking tasks. At the same time, she has also realized how tired her mother gets after doing housework every day.
On April 27, 2023, No.17 Middle School in Yunnan held a housework competition. Students had to complete many tasks, including cooking and folding clothes, They showed their skills and proved (证明) that they are growing up. The winner of the competition, Zhou Min said, “I learn how to be an independent person by doing housework.”
1. Why does the writer become hard-working now?2. What do the students get at the start of each month?
3. Please translate (翻译) the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 into Chinese?
4. What did Zhou Min learn by doing housework?
Mark is a thirteen-year-old boy. He does a lot of things at home to help his mom.
In the morning, he makes his lunch and puts it in his lunchbox. After school he takes Max, his dog for a walk first. Max is Mark’s pet. It’s also his good friend. Mark often tells Max stories about his school and Max likes them. Mark also cleans his room every day—usually in the evening and sometimes in the morning. Mark does his homework after dinner. After that he helps his mom wash the dishes.
Mark’s parents are very proud (自豪的) of him. Every week they give Mark five dollars. Mark usually buys school things with it, and he also saves some every week. Now Mark has about 50 dollars. He has a big plan (计划)—his friend Jeff wears very old shoes. Jeff and his mother have a very difficult life. His mom can’t buy him a pair of new shoes. Mark knows that Jeff’s birthday is coming, and Mark wants to give him a surprise (惊喜).
1. What does Mark do first after school?（回答不少于7个单词）2. When does Mark usually clean his room?（回答不少于3个单词）
3. How much money do Mark’s parents give him every week?（回答不少于2个单词）
4. Are Mark and Jeff brothers?（回答不少于3个单词）
5. What may (可能) be Mark’s surprise for Jeff?（回答不少于5个单词）
My name is Anna. I am 13 years old. I am a student in Grade 7. I like to play badminton and I am strong.
For breakfast, I usually eat a piece of bread and some eggs, and I drink a cup of milk. This gives me about 400 calories (卡路里) for the morning. I often have rice and some beef or fish and also a banana for lunch. But I don’t like apples. This gives me 900 calories for the afternoon and for a game of badminton after school.
For dinner, I usually have bread, meat and vegetables. I don’t have hamburgers or Coke because they are not healthy for me. But sometimes I have a cake or an ice cream. At dinner, I take in about 750 calories.
I need to eat a lot of healthy food. It is also healthy to do sports every day.
1. What does Anna have for lunch?2. What game does Anna often play after school?
3. What do you think of Anna’s day?
任务二：请将划线句子翻译成中文。
4.
You may know well what you are supposed to do or not to do in your own country. But do you know the customs in other countries? Here are some manners you should pay attention to.
Taking off your shoes or not
It's bad manners to take off your shoes at the door of a London dinner party. But in Asia if you don't take off your shoes before entering a home, you are not polite enough.
What you should do instead: If you see shoes at the door, take off your shoes. If not, keep the shoes on.
Talking over dinner
In some countries, like Japan, don't start talking while everyone else is having dinner. You'll meet with silence—not because your group is unfriendly, but because mealtime is for eating, not talking. Also don't talk in places like churches (教堂) in Europe.
What you should do instead: Keep quiet!
Knowing your right from your left
Some cultures in Africa and the Middle East still like to eat in traditional ways—using their hands. When people eat in this way, food is often offered for several people to share at the same time. That is why it's important to wash your hands before eating. While eating, you have to follow the rule: Eat using your right hand, and use your left hand to do other things.
What you should do instead: Follow the others and use your right hand. Even left-handed children in these cultures are taught to eat with their right hands. If you really can't, explain yourself to others before you eat.
1. How many manners are mentioned in the passage?2. What are you supposed to do if you see shoes at the door?
3. How can you behave well when having dinner in Japan?
4. There are some table manners in Chinese culture. Please give an example.
5 . Money makes the world go around, yet the best things in life are free. A penny saved is a penny earned, but you get what you pay for. You probably have your own ideas about spending money. Now is a great time to learn how to spend money wisely.
When you are considering buying something you want, run through this checklist first.
How much do you really want it?
Seeing a $25 gum ball (口香糖球) machine, Ben wanted it. But after thinking about it, he decided that it would be exciting only for a day or two. “Besides, it’s not possible for me to chew that much gum,” he said wisely.
Do you still want it a week later?
If the thing passes the “really wanting-it” test, try to wait for some time to see how strong the desire (欲望) is. This strategy works for grown-ups, too!
How will you pay for it?
After the first two steps, Ben found he really wanted a toy pirate ship (海盗船), but it cost $50. He had $22 in his pocket and gets $1.50 a week to spend. His mother helped him work out how many weeks he would need to save to get the ship: 19.
Are there ways to earn the money?
Ben agreed to wash the downstairs windows at a dollar each. So he got $10 for himself and sparkling (闪亮的) sunlight for the rest of the family.
Can you get it cheaper?
After deciding to buy it, it is necessary for you to look for less expensive ways to buy it: search for what you want on the internet or in shops and flea markets (跳蚤市场). Sometimes you can find the same thing at a much lower price. If these suggestions work well, they can save you a lot of money. You will be a really smart shopper.
Answer the following questions according to the passage above. (根据上面的短文内容，回答下列问题。)
1. Did Ben finally buy the gum ball machine? Why or why not?2. Why did Ben agree to wash the downstairs windows?
3. Where can you search for what you want if you want to buy something?
4. What is the passage mainly talk about?
The name of my best friend is Joyce. She cares about me a lot. She is my true friend because she understands me very well and cares about my every need.
She is similar to me in many ways. She is an open-minded girl and never feels bad about my misbehaviour. She always encourages me to do better in class and exams. We are good at sports and academic activities.
1. Why does the writer (作者) think Joyce is a true friend?2. What’s Joyce like?
3. What are they good at?
7 . Hi, my name is Jiang Meimei. I am a 14-year-old girl. I am a middle school student in Beijing. I often have an egg, an apple and some bread for breakfast. For lunch, I have some rice, chicken and vegetables. When I am busy (忙的), I only have a hamburger for lunch. And for dinner, I often have tomatoes and salad.
My friend Linda is 13 years old. She likes unhealthy food. She often has some hamburgers and French fries. She likes dessert very much. And she eats ice-cream every day.
1. Is Linda Jiang Meimei’s friend?2. Does Jiang Meimei often have rice for breakfast?
3. How old is Linda?
4. What does Jiang Meimei often have for dinner?
Cynthia and her friends were walking in the mall (商场). They went there twice a month. “Look, Cynthia! Your favorite singer is in Forever 21,” said Martha. When Cynthia was turning around, she knocked (碰撞) an ice-cream out of a woman’s hand and it dropped onto the woman’s shirt. The woman was upset.
Cynthia said sorry and started taking the ice-cream off the woman’s shirt. The woman was even more upset. “Don’t touch me!” she said. Cynthia said sorry again. “You have to pay for this shirt and the ice-cream!” the woman said. Cynthia’s friends started laughing. They thought it was funny that she was making a big deal out of the situation. “Can’t you just put the shirt in the washing machine? Why does she have to pay for your shirt?” asked Martha. “The stain (污迹) is not going off,” the woman said. “It’s all right, Martha. I’ll just pay for it,” Cynthia said.
Cynthia asked the woman how much the shirt was. “It is $147,” she said. Cynthia reached into her wallet. “Cynthia, this woman is clearly lying (撒谎) to you,” Martha said. Cynthia thought Martha was probably right! She asked for proof (证据). The woman could not give it to her and then walked away. Cynthia was thankful for Martha’s help.
1. What happened when Cynthia was turning around to see her favorite singer?2. Why did Cynthia’s friends laugh when hearing the woman’s words?
3. Do you need a friend like Martha? Why or why not?
9 . 亲爱的同学们，本学期我们学习了如何制作食物，并且知晓了如何按照指示语做事情。请根据下面的提示和要求，完成下面的strawberry smoothie (奶昔) 的制作。
A) Look at the pictures and match with the right phrases.
| A. cut the banana in slices B. clean the strawberries C. add some ice cubes (块) into the mixture D. enjoy the delicious smoothie E. put all the ingredients into the blender |
B) The following recipe (食谱) got dirty and in the wrong order, but your mother needs it to make the strawberry smoothie. Please write it in the right order for her.
Cold air swept across the north part of China in the first week of November. At the same time, a global (全球的) meeting on climate (气候) change was held in Scotland. There, leaders around the world tried to control global warming.
Why are we experiencing such a cold winter on a warming planet? The cold winter and global warming, two opposite facts, are not contradictory (对立的).
Global warming has changed Earth’s air condition and the weather. For example, in October, Li Nina affected China. It was caused by strong winds from the Pacific Ocean.
Another reason for the cold weather is the warming Arctic. It’s warming almost three times as fast as any other places on Earth.
Will the earth be much colder? It’s reported that a cold winter is likely. Northern China will probably see more snow, and southern China will see less rain.
1. Why did leaders hold a global meeting on climate change in Scotland?2. What caused Li Nina according to Paragraph 3?
3. What can you do to stop the global warming?
