1 . Four Not-So-Scary Books for Halloween
These seasonal picks are fun to read and aren’t meant to be frightening.
Halloween Ball
By Perdita Cargill and Honor Cargill, illustrated by Katie Saunders
(Tiger Tales)
In this new Diary of an Accidental Witch series, Bea is on the planning committee for her school’s Halloween Ball. She’s excited and a little scared too. Bea wants to come up with good ideas, but she’s nervous her dad will find out about her magic powers.
Ages 9 and under
Lumber-Jackula
By Mat Heagerty, illustrated by Sam Owen
(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
Jack’s mom is a lumberjack, and his dad is a vampire. But Jack doesn’t want to follow in their footsteps.(He loves to dance more than anything and will have to get up a lot of courage to follow his dreams. The art in this graphic novel has many fun details.
Ages 8-12
The Pug Who Wanted to Be a Pumpkin
By Bella Swift
(Aladdin)
Peggy, a pug, is worried that going trick-or-treating with Chloe, the little girl in her family, will be scary. After all, Peggy is afraid of monsters, ghosts, and most certainly the dark. Will she be brave enough to put on her pumpkin costume and be by Chloe’s side on Halloween?
Ages 7-10
The Pumpkin War
By Cathleen Young
(Wendy Lamb Books)
In Madeline Island, Wisconsin, it’s a tradition to grow pumpkins that can be hollowed out and used as a type of paddle boat. During last year’s boat race, Sam’s pumpkin ran into Billie’s pumpkin and broke it. Billie hasn’t forgiven Sam for what happened. Will they become friends again before this year’s race?
Ages 8-12
![](https://img.xkw.com/dksih/QBM/2023/12/9/3385563884298240/3387126237380608/STEM/5eb75a386563479da2fd2c615df4fc90.png?resizew=86)
![](https://img.xkw.com/dksih/QBM/2023/12/9/3385563884298240/3387126237380608/STEM/1bdbcd3acbd540dfa574c625eda2c562.png?resizew=91)
![](https://img.xkw.com/dksih/QBM/2023/12/9/3385563884298240/3387126237380608/STEM/1dd59992575e4addb29c5add7ab9577a.png?resizew=89)
![](https://img.xkw.com/dksih/QBM/2023/12/9/3385563884298240/3387126237380608/STEM/436d8f33462441a78ce514b31b6b4d01.png?resizew=90)
1. Which book is recommended to five-year-old readers?
A.Halloween Ball. | B.Lumber-Jackula. |
C.The Pug Who Wanted to Be a Pumpkin. | D.The Pumpkin War. |
A.Care. | B.Friendship. | C.Courage. | D.Family. |
A.Western Festival. | B.Book Club. |
C.Seasonal Favourites. | D.Novel Review. |
Arriving in New York There are three airports in New York. When you arrive at one of them, you can take buses or taxis to any place in New York. | Eating Out There are many kinds of food in New York and you needn’t eat at McDonalds every day. There are good restaurants in Little Italy and Chinatown, for example. |
Hotels There are lots of good hotels in New York. The best is The Plaza on Fifth Avenue but you don’t have to pay a lot to stay in the city. There are also lots of smaller hotels and the YMCA near Central Park is great for the young people. | Public Transport In New York, there’s a good bus and subway service. If you are planning to use the subway a lot, you should buy a subway ticket for the journey because it’s cheaper. But you don’t have to use public transport—there are lots of places you can go to on foot, such as the Empire State Building, Fifth Avenue and Central Park. The New York taxis are a part of the city experience, so you should take at least one taxi during your visit! |
Places to See Finally, there are a lot of places to see in New York-Times Square, the Statue of Liberty. And you shouldn’t go home without climbing the Statue of Liberty to enjoy the scenery of the city. | Shopping Shopping in New York is fun. There are big shops on Fifth Avenue. They are open seven days a week. But be careful when you look at the prices, because you have to pay a special 8% tax (税) on everything you buy in New York. |
1. “The Plaza” is the name of ________ in the passage.
A.a hotel | B.a restaurant | C.a park | D.a McDonald shop |
A.$20.16 | B.$21.6 | C.$20 | D.$28 |
A.You can only take buses at airport. |
B.You must stay in the best hotel. |
C.You had better climb the Statue of Liberty. |
D.You have to be disappointed by shopping. |
3 . “I feel unlikable, lonely and hopeless,” said Lisa, a bright teenager from a loving home. “It seems that nobody wants to become my friend. What’s wrong with me? ”
Like Lisa, many of us experience loneliness. The truth is that all people, no matter what their age or character — even the most outgoing, wealthy and popular — experience loneliness at least sometimes. It’s healthy and natural to want to be around people who care. After all, we’ve all heard “No man is an island.” That’s true. We all need others in our lives.
Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, explains that if we want friends, we must be friendly and reach out to others. But it has risk. Because we are often afraid of rejection (拒绝), many of us are unwilling to reach out to others. We take a safer way and wait for others to make friends with us. But if we want friends, we’ve got to get beyond this.
If making friends is your goal as well, you need to consider taking some measures (措施).
Be willing to take the initiative (主动权). If you see someone whom you would like to know, don’t wait for her to make the first move. Get close to her and begin a conversation. Let her know in a non aggressive (无攻击性的) way that you are interested in being friends with her.
Reach out to those who are lonely. When you see someone at school sitting alone, go over and talk to her. And don’t let popularity decide whom you reach out to. You’ll often be surprised at the beautiful qualities behind a shy appearance.
Ask questions. Start your first conversation by asking this possible friend what she likes to do or asking about her family. Be sure to ask questions that cannot be replied with “yes” or “no”. For example, don’t ask “Do you have a dog?” Instead, say “So, tell me about your pets.” Avoiding asking “yes” or “no” questions makes your possible friend not end your communication with a one word answer.
1. Why does the author begin the text with Lisa’s worry?A.To set a sad tone. | B.To share Lisa’s pain. |
C.To introduce the topic. | D.To teach readers a lesson. |
A.Being refused by others. | B.Putting ourselves in danger. |
C.Being treated in a rude way. | D.Losing interest in communicating. |
A.Shy people are hard to talk to. | B.Popular people are often easy going. |
C.Just waiting for chances will waste our time. | D.A proper manner is important in making friends. |
A.It is considered unfriendly. | B.It will leave a bad first impression. |
C.It shows the poor quality of the speaker. | D.It isn’t good for keeping a conversation going. |
4 . In my early teens, I was once given a film camera as a gift. On receiving it, I jumped on my bike, headed to Wimbledon Common and took photos, just for me: photos of trees and wildlife. I was out all day. On my way home I spotted a tree lit up by street lighting and tried to capture its splendour. Rushing home, I popped the spent film in a special little envelope and sent it off to a photography store, desperate to see how it came out. I took many photos then and loved the fact that when you processed your film you got back colour photos which froze the precious moments, gently encouraging the hobby and the payments for processing.
As I grew into adulthood, that simple, deep happiness gradually faded away. One weekend when I was busy answering the work calls, my eyes caught a box in the corner of the room. I suddenly felt a sense of sadness. The stress growing over these years had pushed the camera from beside my pillow to the box in the corner. I thought I needed a change.
I took out the camera and dusted it down. It was a great joy that it still worked. I bought new film and took the camera everywhere I went. Now it is always on hand to accompany me on journeys, to allow me time to myself. Even if the day is full and busy, I can seize some moments for myself to take photos, to observe the world around me.
The wall of my room now holds all my camera equipment along with photos I’ve taken. To me, the room represents how I’ve found happiness: by reconnecting to the younger part of myself I laid aside, by allowing room in my life for pleasure to exist, and by creating an environment that allows opportunities for delight.
1. What did the author think of taking photos as a young boy?A.Inspiring and practical. | B.Troublesome yet delightful. |
C.Complicated yet engaging. | D.Thrilling and rewarding. |
A.He was struck by sudden sorrow. |
B.He was faced with increasing pressure. |
C.He intended to focus on his work |
D.He attempted to behave like an adult. |
A.More enjoyment in the daily routine. | B.New journeys in the wild. |
C.Better skills of observation. | D.Different styles of photography. |
A.Revisiting Lost Childhood Memories |
B.Appreciating Beauty Behind the Lens |
C.Regaining Pleasure Through Photography |
D.Escaping Teenage Sadness with Camera |
5 . Jim Dwyer was once in the United States Air Force. Although he is retired, he is still
Every Thursday, Dwyer starts his day at Meals on Wheels in Westminster,
“It’s
Dwyer was
His
“Jim is great. He has been one of our committed
As the saying goes, “It’s never too late to learn.”
A.serving | B.building | C.promoting | D.missing |
A.introducing | B.selling | C.delivering | D.returning |
A.picking up | B.coming out | C.looking for | D.leaving aside |
A.responsible | B.wonderful | C.awkward | D.suitable |
A.given up | B.turned down | C.laid off | D.shut in |
A.impression | B.confidence | C.satisfaction | D.adventure |
A.required | B.allowed | C.inspired | D.scheduled |
A.demanded | B.pretended | C.happened | D.attempted |
A.organizers | B.drivers | C.cooks | D.designers |
A.refusing | B.continuing | C.learning | D.failing |
A.recommended | B.challenged | C.admired | D.doubted |
A.smiles | B.curiosity | C.pride | D.honour |
A.graduates | B.generations | C.advisers | D.volunteers |
A.Actually | B.Hopefully | C.Occasionally | D.Gradually |
A.formal | B.constant | C.advanced | D.obvious |
In elementary school, George wasn’t
Team China bagged a total of 383 medals, including 201 gold, 111 silver and 71 bronze,
The first gold of the Games was awarded
The 19th Asian Games, which featured 40 sports, 61 disciplines, and 481 events,
Chinese swimmers Zhang Yufei and Qin Haiyang were jointly awarded the Most
8 . I used to think my life was perfect. My mom had her dream job and a beautiful office and I had my own room with a computer and a garden to look after. But one Sunday, everything changed. A hurricane
But something
We started a new
I
Looking back, I realize that the hurricane
A.visited | B.exchanged | C.approached | D.swept |
A.affected | B.changed | C.destroyed | D.cleaned |
A.invisible | B.unexpected | C.impossible | D.awkward |
A.mind | B.contact | C.aid | D.sense |
A.belief | B.request | C.wealth | D.kindness |
A.really | B.obviously | C.naturally | D.clearly |
A.sold | B.rented | C.showed | D.opened |
A.business | B.project | C.tradition | D.life |
A.destinations | B.gatherings | C.journeys | D.memories |
A.family | B.survivors | C.community | D.supporters |
A.soon | B.never | C.already | D.also |
A.fortune telling | B.story telling | C.mind reading | D.house keeping |
A.brought about | B.resulted from | C.made up | D.gave out |
A.rescued | B.unearthed | C.enriched | D.recorded |
A.legend | B.effort | C.party | D.disaster |
9 . “Just sign here, sir,” the deliveryman (送货员) said as he handed Oscar Reyna a package.
The package consisted of (装有) a long, narrow box
Oscar was 16 when he first saw the
Oscar
Oscar talked his grandparents into going by Mrs. O’Brien’s house on their way home. He rang the bell, the door opened, and an elderly woman appeared. “May I
Years later, Oscar was staring at the finely carved handle of the umbrella as he remembered Mrs. O’Brien. It was in perfect condition, considering how
A.strictly | B.carefully | C.seriously | D.carelessly |
A.Opening | B.Seizing | C.Watching | D.Searching |
A.After | B.When | C.Since | D.Although |
A.ordinary | B.unusual | C.simple | D.typical |
A.beauty | B.shape | C.size | D.history |
A.persuaded | B.forced | C.encouraged | D.advised |
A.until | B.before | C.which | D.where |
A.invite | B.help | C.bother | D.know |
A.putting up | B.turning out | C.picking up | D.holding out |
A.wide | B.confident | C.proud | D.shy |
A.patience | B.kindness | C.courage | D.determination |
A.clearly | B.naturally | C.exactly | D.probably |
A.old | B.rare | C.valuable | D.nice |
A.in turn | B.in return | C.in exchange | D.in answer |
A.attractive | B.mean | C.selfless | D.selfish |
1.对 Tony的到来表示欢迎。
2.建议他:
①早上去广州酒家尽情喝早茶吃点心,因为这是广东人的传统,你一定会惊叹于点心的多种多样;
②早餐后去西关观光,在那里可以欣赏岭南的特色建筑——骑楼,其独特建筑风格会给你留下深刻印象;
③最后不可错过的一站是珠江夜游,欣赏着沿江景色,很多游客会发现自己被广州的一切所吸引,以至于忘却世上的所有烦恼不安。
3.希望以上推荐符合他的需要,期待他的到来。
注意:
1.词数130左右,短文的开头和结尾已为你写好,不计入总数。
2.内容可以适当发挥,注意行文连贯。
【参考词汇】珠江夜游 night cruise along the Pearl River
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________