1 . Returning to a book you’ve read many times can feel like drinks with an old friend. There’s a welcome familiarity — but also sometimes a slight suspicion that time has changed you both, and thus the relationship. But books don’t change, people do. And that’s what makes the act of rereading so rich and transformative.
The beauty of rereading lies in the idea that our bond with the work is based on our present mental register. It’s true, the older I get, the more I feel time has wings. But with reading, it’s all about the present. It’s about the now and what one contributes to the now, because reading is a give and take between author and reader. Each has to pull their own weight.
Why does the author like rereading?
| A．It evaluates the writer-reader relationship. |
| B．It’s a window to a whole new world. |
| C．It’s a substitute for drinking with a friend. |
| D．It extends the understanding of oneself. |
2 . My life as a tax-paying employed person began in middle school, when, for three whole days, I worked on an assembly (装配) line. My best friend Betsy’s father was an executive (管理者) at Hough Bakeries, which, at special festivals, made little rabbit-shaped cakes for all its stores. The plant downtown needed eight kids for temporary help, and the shift (轮班) fell over spring break, during which I had no plans. Cake? I loved cake-icing especially. I’d earn minimum wage. I’d see how a factory worked. My parents thought all of this was a grand idea for a girl like me and called Betsy’s dad with their permission.
Our roles on the line were simple: Place cakes on conveyor belt. Attach icing ears. Apply icing eyes and nose. Remove the cakes from belt; place onto trays. This was harder than it sounds. With your mind wandering, the cakes pile up. As I told my parents that first night, it was all a little more high-pressure than I’d expected. Dad smiled. This was the sort of work that made you appreciate the money you earned, he told me. And if your feet hurt or the minutes felt like hours, well then that was just motivation to keep those grades up and get that college education.
And the icing? We kids were allowed to eat as much as we wanted. By noon the first day, I could barely look at the stuff. To borrow a favorite phrase from my father: The executives weren’t born yesterday.
1. Why did the writer decide to take the job?| A．To earn lots of money. |
| B．To enjoy her spring break. |
| C．To help Betsy’s father temporarily. |
| D．To learn of the operation of the plant. |
| A．The writer found the job simple. |
| B．The job needed great concentration. |
| C．The writer quit the job the first night. |
| D．Father laughed at the writer’s performance. |
| A．Inspiring. | B．Doubtful. | C．Critical. | D．Sympathetic. |
| A．She found the icing ugly. | B．She was tired from the work. |
| C．She had eaten too much icing. | D．She felt depressed with the job. |
3 . Some Questions About Coronavirus
How long does coronavirus last?
Every case of coronavirus is different, but experts have a general idea of how long the typical course of the illness lasts. Most people can expect to recover within two weeks after the onset of symptoms, but more severe cases could last up to six weeks — and for some, dubbed “Covid long haulers,” symptoms can linger for months.
What are the symptoms of the coronavirus?
Symptoms of the coronavirus can seem a lot like the flu. Initially, a fever, cough, and shortness of breath emerged as the three most common symptoms of COVID-19. Now, other signs such as muscle pain, fatigue, and loss of taste and smell are on the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) symptoms checklist.
How long does coronavirus live on surfaces?
Though the conronavirus is typically transmitted through the air via respiratory droplets (from an infected person sneezing or coughing) rather than by touching objects and materials, the virus can still remain viable on variety of surfaces, according to the CDC, though it’s not exactly clear for how long.
How is coronavirus spread?
According to the CDC, COVID-19 is spread mainly from person to person, usually through close contact (within six feet). Being near an infected person who coughs, sneezes, or talks can expose you to their respiratory droplet carrying the virus — and they can spread the virus even if they don’t have any symptoms yet. If those virus-containing particles are inhaled (吸入) or land in your eyes, nose or mouth, you could become infected.
1. How long does coronavirus stay on surfaces?| A．Two weeks. | B．Six weeks. | C．Months. | D．Unclear. |
| A．contacting close (within six feet) |
| B．being near an infected person |
| C．talking with a healthy person |
| D．inhaling some virus-containing particles |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Health. | C．Education | D．Travel. |
4 . Thanks to Arizona's tax credit program, taxpayers can make a big difference with their dollars. Learn how these four organizations are making a difference and how you, too, can be part of the solution to help the underserved through donations.
Catholic Charities Community Services
Catholic Charities Community Services provides adoption for foster（领养）children as well as education and certification for foster families throughout central and northern Arizona. But they can't do it without your help. You can change the life of a child.
Visit Catholic Charities at www. catholiccharitiesaz. org to learn the impact your gift makes.
Catholic Community Foundation（CCF）
Established in 1983. CCF aims to build the future of faith by providing sustainable support for those who serve the community. Since 1995, CCF has given more than $ 27 million back into the community through donor-advised funds, savings and growth funds, etc.
You can learn more by visiting ccfphx. Org.
Catholic Education Arizona
Catholic Education Arizona has been creating future leaders for 23 years. And it has raised 268 million and awarded underserved youth 138,000 scholarships to change lives, strengthen families and transform culture. With more than $9 million remaining to claim, interested corporations are encouraged to contact our office for more information.
You can learn more by visiting catholiceducationarisona. Org.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul
The staff and volunteers at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul packaged more than 4,000 meals for individuals and families to pick up on a daily basis. St. Vincent de Paul's family dining room, food boxes, medical and dental care, shelter and other services are nearly 100% funded by private donations. Donors can claim up to $800 in Arizona charitable tax credits.
Learn more at svdptaxcredit. info.
1. Taxpayers can learn more about their charitable gifts to foster children by visiting _________.| A．cefphx. org | B．www. catholiccharitiesaz. org |
| C．svdptaxcredit. info | D．catholiceducationarizona. org |
| A．Serving the community. | B．Supplying food to those in need. |
| C．Aiding foster children or families. | D．Financially supporting underserved youth. |
| A．They only offer service to families. | B．They provide help for patients. |
| C．They bring hope to the underserved. | D．They are profitable organizations. |
5 . France will gradually ban the use of wild animals in circuses, phase out orca（虎鲸）and dolphin shows and will ban mink（貂）farming for fur, the environment minister said on Tuesday. The transition will take several years and existing animal shows will receive government support to switch to a new model, Environment Minister Barbara Pompili told a news conference, "Today. I announce the progressive end of the presence of wild animals in travelling circuses, a ban on the presence of orcas and dolphins in dolphinariums not adapted to the needs of marine mammals, and the end of mink farming for fur," she said. She added the measures would affect about 80 circuses, which have some 230 animals, including big cats, elephants, hippos, wolves and others.
France, which has three dolphinariums, will not allow the opening of new ones and wants the closure of existing ones within seven to ten years. She also wants the closure of four mink farms within five years. The state will provide an aid package of more than 8 million euros to help animal shows switch to a new business model. Some European countries have already banned or limited the presence of wild animals in circuses. In France, many cities already do not allow circuses with wild animal shows to put up their tents.
Head of the French animal shows association William Kerwich said the ban is "a knife in the back" of an industry already hurting from coronavirus crowd limits.
"It will put people out of work. And who will take care of the animals, they are born in captivity（圈养）, they cannot be set free in the wild," he said on BFM television, Animal Rights Foundation Brigitte Bardot said in a statement it would welcome all circus animals, "who are currently kept captive and exploited in terrible circumstances".
1. What new regulation has been announced by Barbara Pompili?| A．A ban on pet shows. | B．A ban on fur industry. |
| C．A ban on wild animal shows. | D．A ban on raising marine mammals. |
| A．To help animal shows |
| B．To aid more dolphinariums. |
| C．To support the mink farming. |
| D．To help circuses switch to a new business model |
| A．Many animals will die. |
| B．Many people will get hurt. |
| C．Many animal shows will disappear. |
| D．Many people will be affected by coronavirus |
| A．They will be set free in the wild. |
| B．They will be adopted by famous people. |
| C．They will be raised by the government. |
| D．They will be accepted by Animal Rights Foundation. |
6 . CHINA'S FOUR GREAT NOVELS
China's Four Great Novels came out in the 14th to 18th centuries during the Ming（1368﹣1644）and Qing（1644﹣1911）Dynasties， concurrent with the European Renaissance ﹣ which popularized the use of everyday language in Chinese literature. Professor Andrew Plaks， in his book Four Masterworks of the Ming and Qing Novel， observes that these fictional works used popular storytelling styles to increase societal norms and juxtaposed （把…并列）them against a set of flawed characters in order to raise serious questions about heroism， selfhood， and love.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Luo Guanzhong （1330﹣1400）
Chinese literature's first chapter﹣based novel which draws from the historic power struggle between the Three Kingdoms of Wei， Shu， and Wu （220﹣280）.
Sample line： "The long divided must unite， the long united must divide； thus it has ever been."
Western similarity： Game of Thrones
Journey to the West
Wu Cheng'en （1500﹣1582）
Most widely told story of the four， it is a fictionalized account of the real pilgrimage（朝圣）to India of the Buddhist monk Xuanzang （602﹣664）.
Sample line： "Heaven and earth were once a chaotic whole， borderless and shapeless， without any beings whatsoever."
Western similarity： The Lord of the Rings and Don Quixote （《唐•吉诃德》）
Water Margin
Shi Nai'an （1296﹣1370）
A work of controversial authorship based on the true story of the bandit Song Jiang and his 36 rebels in the late years of North Song Dynasty（960﹣1127）.
Sample line："It's easier to draw a tiger than to sketch its bones；it's easier to know someone's look than the contents of his heart."
Western similarity： Robin Hood
Dream of the Red Chamber
Cao Xueqin （1715﹣1763）
Semi﹣biographical work，on the basis of author's personal experience，with over 600 named characters，about the decline of Qing Dynasty society. Sold over 100 million copies.
Sample line： Pages full of idle words； penned with hot and bitter tears； all men call the author fool；none his secret message hears.
Western similarity： Shakespeare with a dose of Jane Austen.
1. Which novel is released in the Qing Dynasty？| A．Romance of the Three Kingdoms. |
| B．Journey to the West. |
| C．Water Margin. |
| D．Dream of the Red Chamber. |
| A．Robin Hood. |
| B．Game of Thrones. |
| C．Don Quixote. |
| D．Shakespeare with a dose of Jane Austen. |
| A．They are all concerned with the personal heroism. |
| B．Each sample line is the main idea of each novel. |
| C．The four novels more or less draw from true stories. |
| D．The four novels are all related to the authors' lives. |
7 . It was the homecoming parade in Rockwall, Texas, and cheerleader Tyra Winters was riding on one of the school’s floats (彩车). As it slowly made its way down the avenue, the 17-year-old enthusiastically waved at the crowd, all the while absorbed in the music, laughter, and applause.
Suddenly, a terrible scream came from the cheering crowd. Looking down, Winters saw a two-year-old on the sidewalk gasping for air and his mother desperately begging for help. The boy had been enjoying a piece of candy when it slid down the back of his mouth, sticking in his throat and blocking his windpipe (气管).
“I saw a little bright red face and his mom’s begging for help,” Winters told KTVT.
“There was no coughing; there was no breathing,” the mother, Nicole Hornback, later told news station NBCDFW. “He was just gasping for air. ” No one seemed to know how to help.
Except for Winters. A senior with dreams of becoming a doctor, she had learned the first-aid method of Heimlich maneuver and CPR. Knowing that the clock was ticking, she jumped off the moving float and ran to the child. By the time she got to him, his face had turned purple. “I got him!” she yelled to Nicole as she grabbed the boy from her. “I held him face down and gave a good three back pushes,” she told the local CBS station. Soon, the boy coughed up the piece of candy, and began breathing again. Without another word, Winters handed the boy back to his mother and ran back to her float before it could leave her behind.
It all happened so fast. Nicole never had time to thank the teen. “She didn’t need to,” says Winters. “I knew how she was feeling. I saw her tears. I saw her face. ”
And for Nicole, she says, “I don’t really have any words,” she says. “The words that you would say to anyone who does something for you is ‘thank you. ’ But that doesn’t seem good enough. ”
1. It can be learned from paragraphs 1-4 that ________.| A．the cheering crowd ignored the scream for help |
| B．Winters panicked at the mother’s desperate cry |
| C．the mother gave the boy first aid but in vain |
| D．the little boy choked on a piece of candy |
| A．Her dream of being a doctor. | B．Her timely rescue of the boy. |
| C．Her enthusiasm for the parade. | D．Her cooperation with the crowd. |
| A．The media’s attention to the matter left her at a loss. |
| B．The crowd’s concern for the boy deeply touched her. |
| C．Her memory of the unexpected incident made her speechless. |
| D．Her gratitude for Winters’ heroic actions was beyond expression. |
8 . The morning she left for Camp Kanawa, Maria awoke with an ache in her stomach. She had gone on plenty of parties. She'd even spent a whole weekend at Aunt Jolie and Uncle Ed's. So what happened to her？
No breakfast today, she thought, imagining the ache turning into throwing up and a horrible road trip after a full meal. As usual, Maria felt hungry as soon as the room smelled of French toast. On the other hand, maybe a good breakfast was exactly what she needed.
"There's my big camper!" said her mom. Then, she walked to the stove, placed two pieces of French toast on a plate and powdered sugar snowing down. "Just like you like it." At the meanwhile, Maria was already in position, armed with knife, fork, napkin and a full glass of milk.
"Get started while it's hot. Your father's coming down in a minute. I told him to shave. I don't want the beard﹣I mean, the bushy black beard. "
"Okay, okay," Maria's dad said with a smile. "Clean as a whistle. Just like you ordered."
"Really" Maria's mom shrugged.
"I think it's fashionable," Maria said.
"Well, your old man is fashionable," her dad said, moving his head the way he did when he wanted to look like a cool surfer man but looked more like an Egyptian robot." In fact, I was the most popular kid at my camp."
"For the record, it was a science camp," Maria's mother reminded her, looking her straight in the eyes." In all seriousness, Maria, popularity is not important and finding the people who like you for you-that's what matters."
"Your mom speaks the truth, sugar," said Maria's dad, wiping his thick beard with a napkin." Just be yourself. You'll enjoy it."
1. Why did not Maria want to have breakfast？| A．Because she was on a diet. |
| B．Because she never had breakfast. |
| C．Because the breakfast didn't taste good. |
| D．Because she was worried that she would be sick. |
| A．It was fashionable. |
| B．It was too thick. |
| C．It was beautiful. |
| D．It was too dirty. |
| A．To advise her to love science. |
| B．To invite her to join in the science camp. |
| C．To tell her that popularity is not important. |
| D．To prove her that old men enjoy a science camp. |
| A．A Good Breakfast. |
| B．Father's Thick Beard. |
| C．Importance of Popularity. |
| D．Family Talk About a Camp. |
9 . Raffles EL Week
Be absorbed in the world of words, metaphors and imagery in our annual Raffles EL Week! Come and participate in the exciting activities we have for you!
The learning adventures begin from 20 May 2021 to 24 May 2021. Read on to find out where the actions are!
Activities that add fun to your recesses!
ONCE UPON A TIME... A fan of fairy tales? This activity is definitely right up your alley!
Let our student librarians tell you fairy tales from all over the World! Suitable for all levels. Date: 20 and 23 May Time: 9:30 am Venue: School library | HOW WELL CAN YOU SPELL? Show your spelling skills in this Spelling Bee challenge! Get to compete with peers from different classes too! Date: 20 and 21 May (P1 & P2 pupils)
22 and 23 May (P3 & P4 pupils) 24 May (P5 & P6 pupils) Time: 9:30 am Venue: Lower canteen area |
Story Writing Competition Do you love writing stories? Take part in our annual story writing competition! The theme this year is “Fractured Fairy Tales”. Rules & Regulations: ·In less than 500 words, pick a fairy tale you like and modify it to make us laugh at an unexpected characterization, plot development or a different point of view. ·You may submit only one story and we will pick one winner from each level (P1-P6). ·The winning entries will be published in our Raffles Magazine in Term 4. ·Email your entry to: elweek@raffles.com by 30 May 2021. ·If you have any questions, go to the General Office and approach any of the friendly staff there. | |
Organized by: The English Department Partners: Writers’ Association
1. How often is Raffles EL Week held?| A．Once a month. | B．Every two years. | C．Once a year. | D．Every two months. |
| A．Writing an original fairy tale. |
| B．Not going over the word limit. |
| C．Being a member of Raffles Magazine. |
| D．Submitting your entry at the General Office. |
| A．Students at all levels can go to the Spelling Bee challenge every day. |
| B．There will be one winner for the school story writing competition. |
| C．Student librarians will be telling fairy tales in the school library. |
| D．Its purpose is to get pupils to compete with peers from other classes. |
10 . For people who struggle to read text, technology can be a lifeline. Actually, assistive technology (AT) tools for reading can also be useful to students who just need some extra assistance to aid reading fluency or comprehension. These tools are inexpensive and easy to find. They open up the wonderful world of reading, making text accessible to students of all abilities. But with so many tools out there, it’s not always easy to know which ones to use.
To help, here’s a guide to some best ones.
Graphic organizers
They are visual representations, like diagrams and mind maps, of ideas and concepts. You can use graphic organizers to help with comprehension while reading. Graphic organizers can be digital or pen and paper.
Annotation aids
They let you take notes and write comments while reading. This can make it easier to keep information. Annotation aids can be part of software or apps, or they can be traditional pens, markers, and sticky notes.
Display control
It allows you to control how text is displayed. When reading on a screen, you can change the font(字体), font size, and spacing of text. You can also cover parts of the screen to lessen distractions(干扰) while reading.
Text-to-speech (TTS)
It lets you see text and hear it read aloud at the same time. To use this tool, you click on words, and you’ll hear the words read by computer-generated voices. You can even read after it and record your own voice. TTS can also be used to change any digital text files into audio files.
Optical character recognition (OCR)
It can read aloud text from images and pictures. You can use OCR by taking photos of worksheets, paper documents, and even objects like street signs. Like TTS, OCR uses computer-generated voices.
Keep in mind that using AT reading tools won’t prevent people from learning to read. For example, experts say audiobooks can actually help kids become better readers.
1. If a reader prefers taking his feelings down while reading, he’d better use ________.| A．graphic organizers | B．annotation aids |
| C．display control | D．text-to-speech |
| A．Changing file types. | B．Editing photos of documents. |
| C．Reading words in pictures. | D．Using computer-generated voices. |
| A．accessible and beneficial | B．expensive but worthwhile |
| C．helpful and energy-efficient | D．innovative but complicated |
