After visiting family in Rutland, Tay, together with her three-year-old son and his “favourite companion”, a cuddly toy monkey, caught the train to go back to their home in Bristol.
As they switched trains at Birmingham New Street station, Tay realized that the monkey had been left behind. Her son, she said, was heartbroken.
“He just burst into tears,” Tay said. “He just kept asking ’Where’s my monkey?’ I told him ‘it’s just like playing hide and seek’ and reassured him that lots of kind people were looking for the monkey and the postman would send it back.”
Tay called Network Rail but it was too late, and the CrossCountry train had already left the station. Tay was not hopeful about a reunion but the monkey was a gift to her son on the day he was born, so she passed its sentimental (情感的) value to the train staff.
As she and her disappointed son made their way home, staff at various train companies worked together to track down the toy. They managed to locate the monkey. Tay was kept informed of the progress and told that, as it was by then too late that day, the monkey would be kept overnight in the Lost and Found at Birmingham. Determined to give the monkey a comfortable stay, staff at the station found it a hand-knitted sweater that had been previously used as a Christmas decoration. Next morning, the monkey, which usually slept with its owner every night, was on an early train from Birmingham to Bristol, where Tay was waiting.
“I collected it on my bicycle and brought it home. I just said to my son ’guess what I’ve got for you’ and pulled it out my bag. ” She added that the monkey’s new sweater had been a “lovely surprise” and the railway logo on there reminded them of the journey it made.
In total, four train companies helped the monkey home and it covered an extra 619 miles. Tay said, “The monkey’s been with my son ever since and we are keeping it close, so no more adventures for it in the future.”
1. What was the son’s reaction when he found the monkey lost?2. How did the mother comfort her son?
3. Why was the monkey precious to the boy?
4. What added to the pleasure of their reunion with the monkey?
5. What qualities do you think the railway staff have?
“Twin”Kitties "
When you look at the two cats in the picture, you may think that they are related (有关的). After all, they look just the same, don’t they? Yes, the two cats do look alike but in fact, they are not related at all.
They are Suzume and Unagi. The two lovely cats now live with their owner in Japan.
They were saved separately. The owner took Suzume into the family first. Later, she saw a cat that looked exactly like Suzume on the website of an animal shelter that provides protection for animals by chance (偶然). She knew that cats could only stay at the shelter for one week. If nobody was willing to take them into the family in a week, they would be killed.
Just before Unagi ended his stay at the shelter , Suzume’ s owner saved him. She brought him home to meet Suzume. The two cats developed a close relationship quickly. Unagi would follow Suzume everywhere around the house, and Suzume didn’t mind that at all.
The two cats are best friends now. Maybe luck brought them together !
根据短文内容回答问题，每题答案不超过6个词。
1. Why do people believe that Suzume and Unagi are related?
2. Where do Suzume and Unagi live now?
3. Suzume and Unagi were taken into the owner’s family together, weren’ t they?
4. What would happen to the cats at the shelter if nobody took them into the family in a week?
5. What do you think of the cat owner?
The Forgotten Pages
Once upon a time, there was a small village surrounded by mountains and trees. The villagers were used to their robotic daily tasks and none of them had the imagination or the will to try something new, except for one girl named Hannah.
Hannah was an adventurous spirit with an imagination far beyond her time. She loved to explore and would spend hours in the woods looking for new things.
One afternoon, she came upon an abandoned cottage which looked very old. She tip - toed slowly to the door and opened it. In front of Hannah was a room full of books! Hannah’s excitement was visible on her face as she jumped up and down with joy!
Hannah realized she had found a hidden treasure. She shared everything with her friends but heard roars of laughter! Confused and hurt by this reaction, she did not give up. She eagerly read these books full of adventurous tales and was inspired by the characters who struggled for good with their determination, learning the power of love and friendship, and that the true strength lies within one’s own heart!
With the good in heart, she decided to share the tales with the villagers. She knew it would be a difficult journey, but she wanted to share the gold with everyone. Hannah started telling tales every day at the cottage.
From the start, only her very good friend, Sanuki, and her family came to the readings. But the word of her famous tales spread rapidly causing more and more people to come to the readings.
Everyone would gather in the old cottage as she told her stories. They transformed it into a holy place full of adventures and imagination.
Hannah reminded everyone through her tales of the importance of human connection, empathy, and love. She helped the lost find their bright path.
She became a beacon (灯塔)of hope, a reminder for everyone that even in the dustiest corners, there can be a hidden treasure. And that treasure is not always gold, it can be a tale simply waiting to be shared. The forgotten treasure lying in the old cottage transformed Hannah, whose passion and dedication blew life into the tales, and her words breathed new life into villagers’ uninformed（蒙昧的）souls.
1. How did Hannah feel when finding the cottage full of books?2. What influenced Hannah?
3. Why did the villagers laugh at her when Hannah shared her discovery?
4. What’s Hannah’s character?
5. Why did the author consider Hannah as a beacon of hope?
It was about eleven o’clock at night, and a large woman was walking alone, when a boy ran up behind her and tried to grab her purse. But the boy’s weight and the weight of the purse caused him to lose his balance, so he fell on his back on the sidewalk.
The large woman simply turned around, picked the boy up by his shirt front, and shook him until his teeth rattled. Firmly gripped and sweat rolling down on his face, the boy whispered. “I’m very sorry, lady, I’m sorry.” But the woman just dragged him up the street. When she got to her door, she dragged the boy inside and turned on the light.
“You go to that sink and wash your face,” said the woman, “Let the water run until it gets warm,” she said. “Here’s a clean towel. I would lake you nowhere. We’ll eat,” said the woman.
“I wanted a pair of shoes,” said the boy. “Well, you didn’t have to grab my purse to get some new shoes,” said the woman. “You could have asked me.” “Madam?” The water dripping from his face, the boy looked at her.
“I was young once and I wanted things I could not get.” She said. Silence. “Now you sit down while I fix us something to eat.”
She heated some beans and ham, made the cocoa, and set the table. The woman did not ask the boy anything. Instead, as they ate, she told him about her job in a hotel. Then she cut him a half of her ten-cent cake. “Eat some more, son,” she said.
When they finished eating, she got up and said, “Now, here, take this ten dollars and buy yourself new shoes. And next time, behave yourself, son, from now on.”
She led him down the hall to the front door and opened it. “Goodnight! Behave yourself, boy!” she said. The boy wanted to say something else other than “Thank you, Madam” to her, but he couldn’t. In fact, he barely managed to say “Thank you” before he shut the door. And he never saw her again.
1. How did the boy feel when he was caught by the woman?2. Where did the woman take the boy?
3. Why did the boy try to grab the woman’s purse?
4. What else might the boy say to the woman besides “thank you” at the end of the story?
5. What was the woman like?
Perhaps he was a defender,
Protecting France.
Perhaps he was an aggressor(侵略者),
Occupying others.
Perhaps he was a revolutionary,
Propagating democratic idea(民主思想).
Perhaps he was a traitor(背叛者),
Becoming an empire builder.
Perhaps he was a god of war,
frustrating London.
Perhaps he was a loser,
Defeated by wellington.
Perhaps he is a man of dubious merit(功过难辨),
But remember his word,
“Able was I ere I saw Elba.”
By Li Jiahang
1. Who does “he” refer to in the poetry?2. What’s the type of this poem? What are the characteristics of this type of poetry?
3. What words can best describe “him?”
Puffin Books, the publisher of UK writer Roald Dahl’s classic children’s books like Matila and The Witches, came under fire in February due to their choice to edit out hundreds of offensive or outdated words such as “fat” and “ugly” in the late author’s stories.
Although the publisher defended the changes, saying that they were meant to allow DahI’s books to continue to be enjoyed by all today, many were still angered by the move. Notable figures like writer Salman Rushdie called the changes “absurd censorship (荒谬的审查)” while UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that “it’s important that works of literature and works of fiction are preserved”, noted Sky News.
DahI’s books and other children’s literature have a unique problem compared to literature for adults when it comes to preservation vs adaptation. Children can be vulnerable to influences which can shape the way they grow up and understand the world. According to The Conversation, “children’s literature implicitly(潜移默化地) shapes the minds of child readers by presenting particular social and culture values as normal and natural .[AKA] ‘socialization’.”
Personally, I believe in the intelligence of children to navigate and explore the world around them. It is the job of teachers, parents and other adult guardians to help children understand that books are products of their times and that authors – even the best among them – are ultimately human beings with their own flaws(缺点).
After all, just as Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, a nonprofit organization that protects writers and freedom of expression, wrote on her Twitter, “If we start down the path of trying to correct for perceived slights(自以为的鄙视) instead of allowing readers to receive and react to books as written, we risk distorting the work of great authors and clouding the essential lens that literature offers on society.”
With this kind of understanding in mind, we can empower children with the tools for critical thinking and improve their ability to judge and sort out the contexts of what they learn and are exposed to. This is a skill needed now more than ever in an era of “fake news” and the rapid spread of fakes.
1. Why did Puffin Books decide to edit Roald Dahl’s books?2. What is the unique problem with children’s literature, according to the text?
3. What does the underlined word “distorting” most probably mean?
4. What does the author believe is important when raising children?
“When I was little, I was always enchanted (迷住) by buildings,” said Edna Blaise, 29,from Haiti, “but it was not until I started my journey in China that I realized Chinese architecture has so many things to offer.”
Blaise is currently studying architecture at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. Before coming to China, Blaise expected the local buildings to be in a traditional style just like the ones she would encounter when watching movies. “But after I came here, I realized that it’s more developed now,” said Blaise.
It was her interest in geometry (几何) and math as well as her love for art that prompted her to study architecture, with the subject perfectly complementing(互补) and combining these two fields. “And because China is one of the oldest civilizations...I think there’s a lot I can learn here,” Blaise said. “The technique they have is more mature than that in a lot of other countries.”
Although being a foreign student in China can lead to academic challenges, Blaise noted that her classmates were always friendly and the teachers were approachable(亲切的).“If we have a personal problem, my teacher could even tell us: You can add my WeChat...I can help you solve whatever problem you have,” she recalled. Showing her Caomo of a primary school project, the model that presents the main structures of her design. Blaise said that the teacher would keep working to improve the design with her team until the final product was completed.
“Outside of class, I like to go to” different places around the city where I can see ancient Chinese architecture like ‘Gugong’ and ‘Qianmen’. I’m hoping to find some inspiration from these beautiful landmarks,” Blaise said. She usually has her camera with her on these trips so she can capture interesting details of the buildings. By doing this, she can gradually learn from Chinese traditional architecture and incorporate traditional ideas into her designs.
“I am still finding a way to try to combine old and modern architecture together.” Blaise said, adding that she wished to employ the traditional designs in modern technology to come up with something more interesting and innovative.
1. What inspired Blaise to study architecture?2. What does paragraph 4 mainly talk about?
3. What does Blaise like to do the buildings in her outside of class?
4. What is the most suitable title for the text?
When I was eight or nine years old, I wrote my first poem. My mother read the little poem and began to cry. “Buddy, you didn’t really write this beautiful, beautiful poem!”
Shyly, proud-bursting, I stammered that I had. She poured out her praise. Why, this poem was nothing short of genius! I glowed.
I spent the best part of that afternoon preparing for the arrival of my father. But he did not return until an hour late for dinner. “Ben, a beautiful thing has happened,” my mother began. “Buddy has written his first poem! And it’s beautiful, absolutely amazing.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to decide that for myself,” Father said.
That poem was only ten lines. But it seemed to take hours. I could hear my father breathing. “I think it’s lousy,” my father said.
“Ben, these are the first lines of poetry he’s ever written,” my mother was saying. “He needs encouragement.”
They quarreled over it. I couldn’t stand it another second. I ran from the dinning room bawling.
Up in my room I threw myself on the bed and sobbed.
A few years later I took a second look at that first poem; it was a pretty lousy poem. But it wasn’t until years later that the true meaning of that painful “first poem” experience dawned on me. As I became a professional writer, it became clearer and clearer to me how fortunate I had been. I had a mother who said, “Buddy, did you really write this? I think it’s wonderful!” and a father who shook his head no and drove me to tears with “I think it’s lousy.” A writer — in fact every one of us in life — needs that loving-mother force from which all creation flows; and yet alone it is incomplete, even misleading, finally destructive, without the father force to caution, “Watch. Listen. Review. Improve.”
1. How do you understand the underlined part in Paragraph 2?(no more than 8 words )2. Why did the writer’s parents quarrel at dinner?(no more than 10 words )
3. What did the writer think of his first poem when he grew older?(no more than 8 words )
4. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?(no more than 15 words )
5. What kind of parents do you need in life?(no more than 20 words )
ALJAY’S NEW SMILE
Anita is a mother who clearly adores her son. From the moment she found out that she was to give birth to a son with a cleft (唇裂), she protected him, loved him, and dreamed of the day his lip would be healed.
Anita lives in a small village about two hours from Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines. She already had six children when they found out she would have Aljay, her seventh.
When the doctor performed an ultrasound (超声波扫描检查) in Anita’s seventh month of pregnancy (妊娠期), he saw that her unborn child had a cleft. “He told me to get rid of him” Anita said, tears pouring down her cheeks. “I told him that you don’t just give birth and then give it up. I told him I want this child.”
When Anita showed her new baby to her neighbors, they were horrified. “Your son looks like a monster.” they told Anita, “Get rid of him.” In many places around the world there is widespread and severe social stigma (耻辱) associated with cleft conditions.
Hearing her son being ridiculed (嘲笑) was not the worst of it. “When I tried to feed him, the milk came out of his nose. I was worried that he could die.”
Aljay survived and loved school, but the pain he endured from the other children was hard to bear. They teased him, laughed at him, and called him a monster.
When the teasing became too much, Anita would take Aljay to the cornfields so he was hidden from view and nobody could tease him anymore.
When the family heard that Operation Smile was coming to Cagayande Oro, they began saving money to afford transport to get to the city. At the medical mission Anita finally received the news she was waiting for: Aljay was healthy enough to receive surgery. After just over 45 minutes his lip was repaired and his life was transformed.
Today Aljay is a happy and cheerful boy who loves going to school and playing with other children.
1. How did Anita treat her son with a cleft?2. What was Anita’s response when hearing what the doctor said?
3. What did the neighbors think of the new baby?
4. Why did Anita hide Aljay in the cornfield?
5. Why is Aljay a happy and cheerful boy today?
The Make-up Guy
Dave was a make-up(化妆) artist who regularly held makeup artistry classes at the local community college. He was well known as an excellent trainer and enjoyed great popularity.
Usually, the majority of his students were middle-aged housewives, who wanted to improve their make-up skills so as to make themselves more attractive. But this time, it was beyond him that his class was attended by a man as well.
The new student was a gentleman in his best years with a seemingly boundless interest in make-up artistry. He was keen(热切地) to learn as much as he possibly could and asked questions whenever and wherever possible. He was so absorbed in learning that he wouldn’t stop until he was satisfied with the result of his work.
Understandably, the man was the number one subject of conversation when the other women were alone.
Speculations(猜测) quickly started to spread. Why did he learn make-up? Was he to seek for a woman to be his life partner? How about my neighbor’s youngest daughter? Why on earth would he attend such a woman class? Who could it be?
Doubts like this came crowding in.
The community college was placed in a remote rural area, which was why the other participants were quite doubtful of the man's intentions.
Throughout the lessons, ignoring the curious women around him, the man carefully listened and wrote everything down learned, leaving the women more and more curious and puzzled.
When the day and class were slowly coming to an end, the gossiping women simply could not hide their curiosity any longer, for they knew it was time to remove their doubts, otherwise?
Finally, one of them couldn’t resist her curiosity, so she picked up the courage and asked him why he was so interested in make-up artistry.
What followed was a dead silence. After what seemed a century, he slowly opened his mouth and here came the most inspiring beautiful reply.
1. Why were the women so curious about the man’s attendance at the makeup class?2. How did the man respond to the women’s curiosity?
3. According to your imagination, what will the most inspiring beautiful reply be?
