—Maybe he had something important to do.
— __________. Watching them is just a waste of time.
—Yes, Marie Curie.
—That's right. They will taste ______ with cream.
—Oh, we should write a report about them.
—Well, . But the ending is OK.
—__________. Thank you very much.
—Let me see. Oh, it's ________.
—All of them ________ the museum.
Once upon a time, a little fish lived in a pond. But she wanted to go to the forest. The pond was deep, and high banks keep it from the view of the forest. Wanting to see the forest, the fish would jump out of water now and then, reaching 1 over the pond with the strength of her tail. It seemed to her that, with a little more effort, she could fly, but unfortunately each time she would fall right back into the 2.
The fish's mother—a big fish with kind eyes would 3, “What would you want the forest for? We fish must live in water, and that is the way it is.”
The fish would answer, “I want to go to the forest and that is my 4. And it must come true.”
So she went to the little fairy(仙子) who had been friends with her for her whole life and pleaded(恳求), “Oh little fairy! I have been living in the water all the time. Now I am 5 my small world. I want to see those big trees covered with beautiful flowers, leaves and fruits. I want to meet 6 and animals.”
To make her friend happy, the little fairy swung her little wand(魔杖). The rain started falling on the earth, and a few days later, the forest around the pond was covered with water,
7 the small pond into a lake. The fish swam to the forest. How 8 it was! The fish was very excited because her dream would come true soon.
“Hello,” the fish said to the flowers and the trees. She 9 on and saw animals sitting on fallen trees which were sticking out of the water. But as soon as she swam closer to the trees, she saw that all the animals were very sad. “We are without 10. The water has flooded the whole forest,” the animals told the fish 11. All this made the fish very unhappy.
“I am 12 with this rain but my friends—trees and animals are quite unhappy. Oh little fairy! Please 13 the rain. I will go back to my pond. I will be more pleased when trees, animals and birds are happy,” pleaded the fish. The water began to 14 , and the animals were very glad and ran off, and the fish 15 to the pond and she was happier than ever before.
The art of happiness is to serve all. To be really happy, we must think not only of how we can help ourselves, but how we can help others.
A new report says African governments are ill prepared to handle the growing number of people over age 65. The population in Africa as in other parts of the world, is getting older. Currently, there are 36 million people on the continent 65 years and above. which is 3.6 percent of the population. up from 3.3 percent 10 years ago. That could rise to 4.5 percent by 2030 and 10 percent by 2050. The African development Bank is raising concerns over the shortage of health insurance and pensions (养老金).
The African Development Bank says. "Aging is highly linked with long-term physical and mental disability and a number of long-term chronic (慢性的) conditions."
"Africa is not well prepared to care for its aging population right now. And it needs to prepare for this fact." said Professor Mthuli Ncube. the African Development Bank's chief economist. African nations spend far less on healthcare than developed nations do___ about $26per person per year. Not so many countries have well developed medical aid plans for the elderly, whether they are privately provided plans or indeed government plans. If you look at the pension plans, you will find the pension industries are not well developed in some of the countries.
Professor Mthuli Ncube said African governments failed to take action on health insurance and pensions because they were busy with economic reforms.
Another challenge for Africa is the worsening of informal systems of social protection. That is cash and support from both the extended family and community sources.
The African Development Bank recommends governments help carry out health insurance and pension plans. Ncube said African governments didn't have to handle the health insurance burden alone. "It is not only a must but also an opportunity for private companies to add their bit in this regard", he said. The report also recommends that African governments consider providing ways of free health services. medications and long-term health care facilities for the elderly.
This was the first real task I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. As I searched the name, I found that there were two famous people having the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts（花生）, while the other led some sort of army across America. I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice: let the coin decide. I flipped(掷) a coin and Ah! Tails (背面)! My report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.
Weeks later, I stood in front of the classroom and proudly read my homework. But things started to get strange. I looked around the room, only to find my classmates with big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes and my stone-faced teacher. I was completely lost. “What could be causing everyone to act this way?”
Oh well, I dropped the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong. As a classmate began his report, it all became clear, “My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American War of Independence.” The whole world became quiet! How could I know that my teacher meant that George Washington?
Of course, my subject result was awful. Sad but fearless, I decided to turn this around. I talked to the headmaster Miss Lancelot, but she said firmly(坚决地): No re-dos; no new score. I felt that it was not fair, and I believed I should have a second chance. So I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year. Ten months later, I sat in the headmaster's office again, but this time a completely different conversation. I smiled and flashed back to the terrible moment at the beginning of the year when the headmaster told me I was good enough to skip(跳过) the 6th grade and started the 7th grade next term.
阅读下列短文,从每小题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出一个最佳选项。
You know how much your telephone has changed over the past 10 years? Your car will change even more than that in the next 10 years.
One of the biggest changes is that cars will drive themselves. Some day you may not need to drive a car. You will just tell the car where you want to go and it will drive itself.
The American company Google has been working on a self-driving automobile for years. These cars are already on the roads in the United States, mainly in California.
Google cars are truly self-driving. These cars have no steering wheels(方向盘) or pedals(刹车踏板).
Last week, police ordered one of Google's cars to stop for driving too slowly on a public road. The car was not against any law, so no one was punished. But police did speak to the operators of the vehicle(车辆).
According to Google, its self-driving cars have been driven nearly 2 million kilometers. That is equal to the distance the average person drives in 90 years.
So far, no Google self-driving car has gotten a traffic ticket. Some of them have been in accidents when other cars hit them.
Tesla
Another American company, Tesla, added an “Autopilot(自动驾驶仪)” feature to its cars last month. Tesla put the feature, a computer software program, in cars that were built after September 2014.
With the Autopilot turned on, the vehicle drives itself. The car will speed up, slow down, brake and steer by itself.
You can take over driving any time by turning the steering wheel or touching a pedal. Your car will slow down if the vehicle in front of you gets closer. It will turn at bends and change lanes if you use the turn signal.
Tesla Autopilot takes over driving at speeds over 29 kilometers per hour when you press a button twice. Autopilot is made for cross-country driving. It keeps you in the lane and helps you avoid hitting other cars.
Other Self-Driving Cars and Buses
Other companies such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW, Volvo and Toyota are working on self-driving cars. Another company called BestMile is also working on self-driving buses in Switzerland. The buses can hold up to nine people and will be tested for two years.
How do we know what's right or wrong in English? Languages such as French and Spanish each has an official(官方的) organization that tells you what's correct. But there is nothing like that in English. So what can we do?
There is, of course, Standard English. This is the kind of English you read in newspapers or in formal letters. It is also the English you learn at school or in textbooks.
However, Standard English is not official English. And unbelievably, linguists（语言学家） think Standard English is on the same level as all other types of English such as Cockney English, Yorkshire English, South African English, Australian English, Singaporean English… And according to linguists, there is no such thing as Standard Spoken English.
English is changing all the time. Every year, new words appear and others disappear. Words change too. For example, for many years, the Latin word “agendum” was the accepted singular form and “agenda” was the plural form. However, these days, very few people use the Latin-sounding“agendum”, with “agenda” being the accepted singular form, and “agendas” the plural.
Newspapers each has their own style when they write certain things. For example，The Guardian puts dates like “21 July 2011”(with the day first, followed by the month and no commas). However, the news agency Reuters writes them like this “July 21, 2011”(with the month first, and a comma(逗号) between the day and the year). Other newspapers have different ways of doing it too. So, as you can see, there's no one “correct” way —there's a variety of ways and each one is acceptable.
Next time someone tells you that something is wrong, tell them that it isn't wrong, It is just English.
(Each answer should be no more than four words)
Members of an international organization are called the Global Greeters. They offer travelers the chance to get to know a city as well as local people do.
Unlike the professional guides(专业导游), the volunteer greeters act more like neighbours. They take visitors to visit the city–either on foot or public traffic—to discover favourite neighbourhoods, cafes and parks.
All the programs work a little differently, but the basics(基本项目) are the same. The tours are free and last anywhere for two or four hours. Volunteers can be all ages, and their ages and interests try to match the travelers.
New York City(USA)
Big Apple Greeter is the pioneer “welcome visitor” program founded in 1992 by New Yorker Lynn Brooks. More than 300 volunteers now can welcome guests from all over the world in 22 languages. Greeters explain the New York City subway and bus systems and show guests around one or more of their favourite neighbourhoods. Like many greeter organizations, Big Apple accepts online donations to help with its daily costs.
Houston(USA)
Houston Greeters will organize activities such as golf, biking or an outing to an Astros game(太空人队的比赛). Another activity is to arrange a tour in need of a particular interest.
Chicago(USA)
Chicago Greeters help visitors visit one of the city's many famous neighbourhoods. The group organizes walks through Ukrainian Village on the Near North Side and Andersonville, home to Scandinavian restaurants and shops and Middle Eastern bakeries. Guides will also organize tours around themes such as fashion, film or public art.
France
In France, English speaking volunteers for Parisien d'un Jour lead visitors through hidden corners of Paris, often ending with a lively discussion on a café balcony. Guides in Lyon organize walks around themes such as shopping, markets and sports.
Global Greeters | |
Volunteer greeters travelers with the chance to know a city well. They act like to show the visitors around the city. Although greeters work in ways, the basics are the same. | |
New York City | Big Apple was founded in 1922. 300 volunteers can serve visitors in languages. |
Houston | In Houston, some activities golf, biking or an outing to an Astros game will be organized. |
Chicago | With the of Chicago Greeters, visitors can visit Ukrainian Village on the Near North Side and Andersonville, home to Scandinavian restaurants and shops and Middle Eastern bakeries, can also enjoy fashion, film or public art. |
France | Volunteers who can English for Parisien d'un Jour will lead visitors through hidden corners of Paris, and near the of the tour, they may have a lively discussion on a café balcony. |
—Sorry, I (park) my car in the parking lot.
姓 名 | David |
班 级 | 九年级一班 |
性 格 | 乐于助人，有条理。 |
爱好和特长 | 喜欢绘画，擅长……。 |
喜欢看电影，擅长……。 | |
喜欢读关于……的书，特别喜欢读关于……的书。 | |
经 历 | 曾经帮助警察抓住了小偷。 |
加入俱乐部后的打算 | ……（至少一点）。 |
注意：1）文中不得出现真实的校名、人名。
2）内容完整、层次清楚、语法正确、上下文连贯。
3）请不要逐句翻译，可以适当发挥。
4）文章开头已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Mr Smith,
I am David. I am a student in Class One, Grade Nine. I would like to join the Drama Club in our school.
Yours Sincerely
David
