Asha looked out of the window on the plane. What a 1 ! The buildings were so tall. The city was large, much larger than her small town.
Asha was on vacation in New York City. She was very 2 as she had always wanted to come since she was young. She read stories about it and studied its 3 . She knew how the island of Manhattan was bought from native Americans 300 years ago. She 4 knew people from all over the world came to live here. These people, like Asha, 5 a new life in New York.
But Asha was only staying for fourteen 6 . She thought of these two weeks as a time to 7 herself to move back to New York. She would return to her small 8 , stay for one year, and then come to live in New York forever. So she had to plan this vacation 9.
In New York Asha wanted to do10things. First, she wanted to look for a job. Next, she would find a place to live. She knew it was expensive to live in New York and that finding a good place to live was 11. And the third thing she wanted to do was to 12 her English. She had studied English for 12 years but didn't know 13 she could understand “real” English.
Before leaving, her friends told her that New York was a14place. But Asha wasn't worried. She had studied New York carefully. She believed she would be safe.
15 Asha saw the Statue of Liberty! The plane flew around it, and then began to slow down. Soon Asha was on the ground, getting ready to leave the plane — to greet her future.
阅读下面四篇短文,从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
Do you like to know how other people see the world? Listed below are three of the best books for children.
Oliver and Patch |
Oliver is a lost little boy. He doesn't know anybody and is afraid in a big city. One day he meets Patch, a little dog who is also lost. The two become best friends. They help each other. Together they have an adventure in the city. However, Oliver knows that Patch's owner must be very worried and missing Patch. What should Oliver do? |
A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream |
This is a young girl's story about how she wants to become a ballerina (芭蕾舞演员). She will do anything to make her dreams come true. She lives in a poor place, and it is very difficult. The young girl fights through a hard life, but she never gives up. This story comes from the true life of the first African-American ballerina, Janet Collins. |
Absolutely Almost |
Alfie is not very smart and he is not sporty, either. He is not very tall, and he is not good at art. Because of this, he feels like he will not be good at anything. Now he meets Calista, his new babysitter(保姆). Calista helps Alfie see all of the good things he can do. Alfie learns to be proud of being himself. This story is full of feeling and laughter. |
阅读下面四篇短文,从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
If you meet a British person in the street, it is very likely that he or she will apologize whether it is his or her fault (过错) or not.
It seems that Britain is becoming a nation where everyone is saying sorry. Almost each person says sorry about eight times each day—and one in eight people apologize as many as 20 times a day.
As you may have seen, the British apologize more often than members of other cultures. A research shows that in many cases, people's love of saying sorry in Britain goes a little further than it does for Americans. For example, about 15 British people would say ”sorry” while only 10 from the US would do this if they sneezed, if they corrected someone's mistake of if someone knocked into them.
In the old days, “sorry” was used to express regret and sadness for having done something wrong. But now British people use the expression as a way of showing good manners. For example, they might say “sorry” instead of “excuse me”, “pardon”, “what” or “whatever”.
People in Britain also use sorry when they share the same feeling with others—so they might say “sorry about the rain”.
However, British people's use of “sorry” may make things very confusing (迷惑不清) and difficult for foreigners who are not familiar with their ways. But actually, people in Britain pay much attention to the feelings of others. This is the very reason why they apologize every day.
For many years, scientists have known that laughing is good for the health of our minds and bodies. Now we are learning that it's not just laughter. Having fun and playing are also good for us! Researchers have found that play is good for people of all ages. Play actually leads to the growth of more nerve connections in the brain and gives us more brain power.
Play is necessary during childhood. As children play, they learn how to make friends and relate to others. They develop their imaginations and become more creative. Kids carry these qualities with them as they grow older.
Amy Whitcomb teaches maths at a school in San Francisco. For several years, she has used games to teach maths. In one class, students play a game with small bags of candy to figure out how many pieces in the bags are red. When they get the correct answer, they can eat the candy! Amy says, ”If it's not fun, they're not going to want to be there. They're not going to want to learn.”
The spirit of playfulness continues through the teenage years into adulthood (成人期). The famous company Google, for example, keeps a lot of toys and games at different places in their offices and encourages people to use them. Their motto is “Work hard. Play hard.” They know that people often get their best ideas when they are just “playing around ” and let their imaginations go wild.
So next time you have to solve a difficult maths problem or can't think of a topic for an article, take a short play break. Do a little dance, or play a quick game. Then come back to it. Maybe you'll be surprised at what your brain can do.
阅读下面四篇短文,从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
Huw Thomas fell in love with Megan. But then an accident changed his life, and he had to move to Canada. Megan promised to write to him. But Huw never heard from her ... until one day a letter arrived.
He saw the letter came from where he and his father had lived in their early years. Who was writing to him? He turned the envelope (信封) over in his hands several times. Then he took out the letter and read:
Dear Huw,
I don't know if this letter will reach you, and I don't really know why I'm writing to you after all these years, but ...
Huw turned to the end of the letter and saw:
Best wishes
Megan
He couldn't believe it. He turned back to the first words of the letter and read:
... after all these years, but I've just found your letters to me from Canada. Believe me, this was the first time I'd read them and they made me cry, even after 50 years. I found them in a box of my father's papers. They were never opened.
Huw, I never knew that you'd written to me. I thought your new life in Canada had made you forget me. Now I realize that my father kept your letters. I can still remember asking him if there was any letter for me, and he always said “ ▲ , my girl. I told you he was no good.” Finally, after about a year, I believed him.
But why did he keep the letters? Do you think he wanted me to find them when it was too late? Anyway, he's dead now, so I can't ask him. All I can say is I'm sorry. Sorry for what my father did, sorry that you never heard from me and sorry for… everything.
I hope that at least this letter reaches you. Of course, I'll understand if you don't want to write back to me, but if you do, I am still Megan Jenkins, and I still live at the same address.
Best wishes,
Megan
Huw read the letter again. Everything with Megan came back to him. He had never forgotten her. He couldn't. Every day he looked at her face on the wall. He had a drawing of her. It had traveled everywhere with him. But to hear from her again …
“Are you all right, Dad?” asked Mike, coming into the room.
(Adapted from Two Lives by Helen Naylor)
four winner as long as ring honest |
Deep under the sea
Imagine a trip to the deep ocean. What would you (期待) to see? Would it be possible that you find (奇怪的) new animals and plants?
As we know, sunlight warms the surface (部分) of the ocean. Plants and animals which need sunlight and warm water live there. But deep in the ocean, other animals live in water that is cold and (黑暗的).
The deep ocean is freezing cold. The water pressure of very deep water can (伤害) you. So what animals live in the ocean? Where do they live? How many are there? Scientists have studied and counted animals for ten years to find out. The (报告) is surprising.
The first surprise is where things live: everywhere! They live in the hottest and coldest places. Some live in deed places (没有) light or air.
The second surprise is that there are over 230,000 (种类) of animals and plants under the sea. Over six (千) have never been seen before.
So what (别的) is living in the deep ocean? Will there be surprises to come?
I was looking through my old photos last Sunday. One photo (catch) my eye. In the photo, I was sitting in a chair, hugging Duke, my best friend in the whole world.
Duke was an interesting name for such little dog. But he was my friend from the moment I could walk. He stayed with me in that chair when I read (book). When I went outside (play) games, he would drive our cats up to the trees and then walk off feeling proud of (him). When he was hungry he would carry his food dish in his mouth and drop at my mom's feet. When I was sick, he refused to leave my bed until I got (well) than before.
I learned a lot from Duke. I learned that a short sleep at noon could be good you. I learned that simplest dinner can be delicious you eat it with great enjoyment. I learned that life can be good when you live it with love and joy. (sad), I also learned that life is short, especially if you are a dog.
To me, Duke is like a teacher who has taught me how to love and to be loved.
To: | liming123@sina.com | From: | ronnie@hotmail.com |
Subject: | Tips for a trip to San Francisco | ||
Hi, Li Ming, I'm glad that you are coming to San Francisco next month. But I think there is still something I should let you and your friends know before you leave. First, bring a warm jacket and sweater so that you're prepared for changes in the temperature. Even in the summer months of July and August, it gets cold. Second, many of the phone boxes at San Francisco airport and in the center of the city only accept prepaid(预先付款的) calling cards. So a prepaid phone card is needed. I suggest you buy one at the airport. Third, it's not easy to find a hotel room when you arrive. Hotels fill up quickly in San Francisco all year, especially in summer. You'd better book your room before you come. One more thing. San Francisco is a great walking city—but there are hills! Bring a comfortable pair of walking shoes if you're planning to go around on foot. Lastly, there are many wonderful cultural activities in San Francisco year round. Use the Internet to get the latest information about the activities all the time of your visit. Wish you a pleasant trip. |
Things you need to bring | Things you need to do |
1)Some clothes for cold weather 2)A pair of shoes for going around | 1)Buy a card at the airport 2) a hotel room before you leave 3) the latest information about the cultural activities in San Francisco |
Key points(要点) | Words and expressions for reference(参考词汇) |
Like to do | make friends, … |
Able to do | good at, know English culture, ... |
Family | friendly, helpful, able to speak English, ... |
注意:(1)短文内容可适当增加;(2)文中不得出现真实的人名和校名;(3)词数:80~100;(4)短文首句仅供选择使用,不计入总词数。
短文首句:I am Li Hua, a student from No. 2 Middle School.
Dear friend,……
Yours,
Li Hua