"What worries you, boy?" said Mrs Bell to a little boy called Tom Blair, who sat near a wall. He had a book in his hand, tears in his eyes, and looked really frustrated.
"We have all got a poem called ‘Little Jim' to learn, " said Tom, "The one who says it best is to get a prize from the teacher. But I don't think I can learn it. "
"Why not?" said Mrs Bell.
"The boys say that I can't and that I should not try, " said Tom in a sad voice, "It is so long, and some of the words are so difficult. "
"Well, dear, " said Mrs Bell, in a kind voice, "if you are slow, and can't help it, try to be ‘slow and sure', as they say. Look at that snail on the wall. How slow it is! And yet, if you watch it, you will see it will get to the top in time. So just try to learn a few lines each day, and you may gain the prize in the end. And when you lose heart, think of the snail on the wall. "、
When Mrs Bell said this, she went on her way. Tom thought he might run a race with the snail. So he decided to try to learn his poem by the time the snail got to the top of the wall.
At last, the day came on which the teacher was to give the prize. She called up the boys to repeat the poem. When five or six had recited, it was Tom's turn. He did not miss a word. His heart was full of joy when the teacher said, "Well done, Tom Blair!" Finally Tom gained the prize!
"And now tell me, " said the teacher, "how you learnt the poem so well. "
"It was a snail on the wall that taught me how to do it, " said Tom. "I saw it climb up the wall bit by bit. It did not stop, nor turn back, but went on and on. So I learnt it bit by bit, and did not give up. When the snail got to the top of the wall, I learnt it all. "
Everyone was glad that "Slow Tom" won a prize at last.
a. He decided to try and practiced a lot.
b. He got a poem and found it difficult to learn.
c. Mrs. Bell reminded him of the snail and encouraged him.
d. He succeeded in repeating the poem and got the prize.
All countries have their own ways that make them stand out. One thing that visitors to the UK always notice is how good British people are at waiting, especially in queues(队伍). Everywhere in the UK, it's common to see queues. People wait in long lines at bus stops, in shops and in cinemas.
Queuing in the UK isn't just about having kind feelings toward other people. Indeed, British people also like everything to be in perfect order, so being shouted at for jumping the queue is something that most British people try to avoid.
The British people's love for queuing goes back to World War I. During the wartime, people had to wait in line to get important goods in shops, especially food. The government at the time was worried that trouble and disorder would break out, so it told people that queuing was necessary and a British thing to do. And that message is still alive today.
There's probably only one thing that will influence the British to stand patiently in line —— the weather, which can change quite quickly in the UK. If people are queuing in bad weather, their main hope is that the bus arrives soon, or the people in front of them give up and decide to leave. If someone breaks queuing rules in bad weather, most British people will surely become unhappy and tell the queue-jumper to get to the back of the line immediately.
But if the weather is good, queuing can be fun. Although people are waiting, they may be excited about the thing they're waiting for. There's an air of expectation when people are standing in line for a pop concert, for example. This can create a great feeling, which can make queuing for something an enjoyable experience all of its own.
In India, there are many ironing vendors (熨烫商贩) who press people's clothes for a living. Their main tool is an iron box powered by charcoal(木炭). India's Science and Technology Department found out that there are about 10 million ironing carts (手推车) in the country. Each of them uses more than 5 kilograms of charcoal each day, Reuters(NPR) reported.
After seeing her neighbourhood ironing vendors throw the used charcoal away on the street side, Vinisha Umashankar, a student from Tamil Nadu, India, told NPR that she started to think about the amount of charcoal burned every day and the harm it does to the environment. Burning charcoal gives out greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide(CO2), which leads to global warming.
Vinisha had the idea of ▲ . She spent six months working on a new wheeled cart. The cart has solar panels which take in sunlight to provide electricity. The rest energy can be stored for use on cloudy days, according to Time Magazine. Five hours of bright sunshine is enough to use the cart for six hours.
To complete the invention, Vinisha lost herself in reading college-level physics textbooks to find out how solar panels work. Then, she reported her idea to the National Innovation Foundation, run by the Indian government. Engineers there helped her build a model, NPR reported.
Now, her idea is getting worldwide attention. "I am not just a girl from India. I am a girl from the earth, " Vinisha said in her speech. "All of us should understand that environmental problems are real and can't be fixed at a later date, " Vinisha continued, "There is no immediate stop. There are no magic ways. "
Many people do not read the classics. Their reasons begin with the language being too difficult and end with the storyline being too far from our present life. Love for great books is not at first sight. We begin as strangers and become close friends at last. So how does one start to read and love the classics?
Research, research, research. Before you turn to page one, do some digging. Researching the background can help you read difficult passages. The writer's experience, viewpoint, and historical background might help you make the connections you might not have.
The order of the story and the plot are important in the same way. Make sure that as you read, you make a quick note of what happens in each part. This will help you bring the things you have noticed about the character, setting, language and so on together. It's also a great help for you to retell the story.
Great books are written by famous writers, many of whom are known for their excellent writing skills. Some of them use language in a special way to make stories work.
Remember: there is no right answer. There is no perfect way to read a classic text. Your goal as a reader is to find out what subjects and ideas are meaningful to you. Consider what you like, read with a purpose, and think independently. Even if your understanding of the work isn't quite perfect, it is still worthy!
A. It's your own reading, so just enjoy it. B. It might take you some time to do it. C. You need to find out how the story begins and ends. D. Enjoy the beauty of language itself. E. Pay attention to the plot(剧情). |
Give one more piece of advice about how to read classic books. (不超过15词)
When someone speaks of holidays, l will think of family, food and lights. Living in Southern California, we have so many chances to experience the beautiful holiday 1 show. In our area, a new one is the Chinese Lantern Festival in Pomona at the Fairplex.
My family and I are going to experience this fantastic journey this year. We can get there by 2 because it is easier for us to travel around. When we arrived at the Fairplex, it was 3 after the sun set. My husband got a surprise and asked 4 we were in the right place. Suddenly we saw lights and they 5 brightly. How 6 they were!
When we got close to the lights, we saw that they showed in different shapes. When we walked towards the lanterns, I realized 7 were 30 feet tall. I felt like I was walking in a beautiful 8 , something in wonderland. The festival showed four kinds of nature and animals 9 . It was like an adventure(冒险) 10 the Amazon Jungle(丛林). When you traveled from one season to another，you couldn't 11 what you saw with your eyes. It took me less than one minute to experience what was going on. It was really 12 .
The art of hand-made Chinese lanterns 13 in China 2, 000 years ago. The Festival of Chinese Lanterns not only keeps the tradition but adds some 14 elements(元素). At the festival, you can also enjoy Chinese folk music, traditional dance, 15 tasty food. We hoped that we would visit it again next year.
In the past, children didn't have smart phones, iPads or computers to get pleasure. , they came up with fun games which they could play in their childhood.
Flying kites is a good way for children (have) fun for centuries. Kites have quite a long history. The (early) kites in the world were made of wood, instead of paper. Today, the three most famous (kind) of kites are the Beijing kite, the Tianjin kite and the Weifang kite. Each has (it) own special style. The bird-shaped kite is a well-known Beijing style.
During the Qing Dynasty, kicking a stone ball around was popular sport in North China, especially among children in winter it could help them get warm. Stones were made into small balls and kicked along feet. In 1999, the sport (include) in the 6th National Sports Meeting in Beijing.
Hide-and-seek is another traditional game for children, popular around the nation. There are (usual) two ways to play. When one kid covers his eyes, other kids run around to touch him, or others hide and one child must try to find them.
whatever volunteer surprise keep in person |
Hanfu is making a comeback in China and it's （广泛地）known by the young. A growing number of young people now take p in wearing the traditional Han Chinese clothing. It has e drawn some foreigners' attention. Among them is Rick, a young man from Canada.
Rick teaches English in Hangzhou. In the city, people are often seen in the streets wearing Hanfu. "My （第一）taste of Hanfu was the Tang style, " said the young man. When he puts it on, he feels as if he has traveled back to a times. Rick's （兴趣）in Hanfu grows. It has also （帮助）him learn more about China. In the past, he knew China has a long history and great culture. But Hanfu has shown him more details a Chinese culture.
Rick plans to go on working as an English teacher in Hangzhou while making short videos about Hanfu. He hopes more people can know more about Hanfu and China through his videos. "I want to （传播）Chinese culture to the world and hope more people will f in love with it, " said the Canadian.
Plan | A | B |
Activity (What is it) | making a short English video | having an English concert |
Methods (How we do it) | § choose a topic § write a script (剧本) § … | § choose some singers § design a poster § … |
Advantages (Why we do it) | § develop creative thinking § … | § love singing English songs § … |
注意：（1）短文必须包含表中你所选方案的所有信息，并适当发挥。（2）文中不得出现与你身份相关的信息（3）词数：90～100，短文开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear classmates, I'm very proud to share our plan with you today. The plan we choose is
That's all. Thank you!
