As a teenager, school was difficult for me. I had a kind of attention disorder, which means I couldn't direct my attention to what I was doing. So when everyone else in the class was centering their attention on tasks, I could not.
In my first reading class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all finished in 45 minutes. I immediately put up my hand and said, "Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to finish the task. "
She looked down at me through her glasses, saying, "You are not different from your classmates, young man. "With her encouragement, I tried. But I didn't finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.
In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braille. He Lived in a time when the blind couldn't get much education. But Louis didn't give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots(点), which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.
Wasn't I the "blind" in my class, being made to learn like the "sighted " students? With thoughts running through my head, I found myself deeply attracted in reading and writing. I completed the task in less than 40 minutes. I realized that I was not different from others. I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problem, why should I ever give up?
I didn't expect anything when I handed in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day with an "A" on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words, "See what you can do when you keep trying?"
① Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it.
② I read the story again in my quiet room.
③ Mrs. Smith gave an "A" on my paper.
④ I had a kind of attention disorder.
The Qingming Festival is a time for Chinese to pay respect to relatives and ancestors who have passed away. However, it is not only the Chinese who remember the dead. People in other countries also have holidays to honor their ancestors, such as in Japan and Mexico.
In China, we name the festival Tomb-Sweeping Day while in Japan it's called Obon, and in Mexico its name is the Day of the Dead.
It is held on different days in different countries. Every year in early April, people in China visit the tombs (墓地) of their relatives and ancestors. It is held from August 13th to 16th in Japan. In Mexico, it usually falls on November 2nd.
On this day, Chinese families tidy up the tombs and clean the ground around them. Then, they burn paper money and put flowers and fruit in front of the tombs. During Obon, Japanese people return to their hometown and visit their ancestors' tombs. During the Day of the Dead, Mexican families almost do the same things as Chinese. The different point is that Mexicans doesn't burn paper money, but they eat , sing and tell favorite stories about those who have passed away.
In China, they hope the dead can enjoy these items and bring the family good luck. For Japanese, it is a time for family to get together. Mexicans think celebrating the Day of the Dead is a true celebration of life.
(a)根据短文内容,从方框中选出每段的主旨大意。其中有一项是多余选项。
A. Names of the festival. B. Countries that celebrate the festival. C. Foods of the festival. D. Dates of the festival. E. Activities of the festival. F. Meanings of the festival |
(b)根据短文内容,补全下面的语段,每空不超两词。
In China, on Tomb-Sweeping Day, people visit the tombs of their ancestors, the tombs , burn paper money and put the flowers and fruit before the tombs. They hope the ancestors can enjoy the items and bring them . |
In Japan, Obon is from 13th to 16th. They visit their ancestors' tombs. They think it's a time for family to . |
In Mexico, people celebrate the Day of the Dead is a true celebration of. |
A: Hello, Jason.
B: Hello, Ken. You don't look well. ?
A: I've got a terrible cough, and I cough day and night.
B: I'm sorry to hear that. ?
A: For about 2 weeks. The doctor said the cough was caused mainly by air pollution. I think we should do something to protect environment.
B: . What should we do?
A: First, we'd better drive car less and walk to work more often.
B: All right. But my home is far from my workplace.
A: is it?
B: It's about ten kilometers away.
A: take a subway to work?
B: You're right! From now on, I'll do as you said.
Nowadays, people see small cars that look more like (color) eggs than common cars. These cars are called the EN-V. They use electricity, run on two wheels instead of four and hold only two passengers. People don't need to worry they can park such small cars or not. They can park themselves. So far, the company (build) another electric car named Lean Machine, too. But
different from EN-V, it has three small wheels and only one seat.
Scientists are finding new ways to make cars safer and smarter. New cars may care about your health by reminding you (take ) medicine. They will also help drivers watch out for other drivers and reduce traffic accidents on the street. One day, such small electric cars might carry people around, (especial) in crowded cities.
Do you sleep well every night? Studies show if we have a good rest, we must have more energy to study. At the same time, we will be healthier.
The sleep environment is very important to us. The bedroom is the main place where we sleep at night, so its environment directly affects the quality of our sleep.
____ So we should advise our parents to pay attention to our bedroom environment.
____The bedroom light should be neither too bright nor too dark. If the light is too dark, it will affect people's eyesight. If the light is too bright, it can affect the speed of falling asleep. So we should choose a kind of yellow light that gives feeling of warmth.
____ Many old people like to put a lot of flowers in the bedroom. Of course these flowers can make us relaxed and feel well. But there are too many plants in the bedroom, which can really affect people's sleep quality. ______
Our bedroom should be ventilated (通风) often, ______ Otherwise, we may find it difficult to breathe, which can affect our sleep quality.
A. We should sleep at night with windows open. B. Our bedroom should have proper light. C. There shouldn't be too many flowers in our bedroom. D. And good sleep plays an important role in our health. E. So don't put too many plants in our bedroom. F. We should often open the window so that fresh air can come in. |
Let's take a look at some of the most interesting high school and university graduation traditions around the world.
China | College graduates in China celebrate their graduation as they wish. Many female graduates run to rent (租赁) wedding dresses instead of wearing graduation gowns (长袍) and caps. Parents usually don't attend graduation ceremonies, so the day is more about celebrating with classmates. |
Japan | Celebrations for senior high school level graduation usually last about an hour and take place during the week. Students often wear their school uniforms. Ceremonies usually take place in March just before the beginning of a new school year. |
The United States | Students can expect several graduation ceremonies: preschool(学前), elementary school (小学), high school, college, etc. So the families have more chances to take family photos to cherish (珍藏) forever. |
The United Kingdom | Graduation ceremonies only appear at the university level. The graduates are always waiting in line until their names are called aloud. |
Philippines | At many high schools, ceremonies usually take place in April. Graduating students will wear beautiful garlands (花环) and are encouraged to wear only their school uniforms. |
Once there were four beggars (乞丐). One day, they met at an old temple at night. They were very upset because none of them had much to eat.
"I only got this piece of meat today. " the first said. "I almost got nothing, " the second said, "I just picked up a potato outside the vegetable store during the day. " The third said that all he had was a small bottle of salt. The fourth beggar had not done much better, "I only got some old beans, but they aren't very mice!"
As they sat around the fire, the beggar with only a bottle of salt had a great idea "Let's put all our things together and boil them. In this way, we can make a tasty dish and share it. " They all agreed. However, the first beggar thought, "I don't want to share. I'll just pretend to throw my meat into the pot. They'll never know and I'll eat my meat alone later. " So he pretended to put the meat into the pot. And at the same time the other beggars had similar ideas to him. At that time, the temple was too dark for the beggars to see what the others were doing.
Finally, one of them suggested that the dish should be ready and, in turn, each of them helped himself to it. They drank the hot water in silence, learning that selfish- ness (自私) doesn't taste all that good.
A. while B. consider C. refuse D. environment E. from F. successful G. new H. awful I. always J. advantages K. angry L. discover |
Sometimes we get a gift that we either don't like or don't need. It's impolite to
____ it, of course. Then you may give it to someone else. That's called re-gifting.
Some people say re-gifting makes good use of an unwanted gift ______ others worry that re-gifting might hurt the original (最初的) gift giver's feelings.
In my opinion, re-gifting has many _____. It's a fantastic way to deal with things you don't need. It's also a simple form of recycling. It gives a _____ life to unwanted gifts and stops them from being left in rubbish bins. It's also good for the _____.
If you are thinking about re-gifting, you must follow some rules in order to be a( n )_____ re-gifter and avoid making some mistakes.
Firstly, don't re-gift anything within the same circle of friends or family. If the original gift giver finds out you have re-gifted his or her gift, he or she will certainly get _____.
Secondly, keep in mind that the gift isn't _____ another man's " treasure". If you are re-gifting something, make sure your receiver will really like the gift. If the gift is something that you are sure nobody will like, you can _____ giving it away to a charity(慈善机构).
Lastly, check that there aren't any notes or cards _____ the original gift giver inside.
Mary: Hey, Peter. We will graduate in a few months.
Peter: Well, I am not sure yet. It's just what I'm worrying about recently.
Mary: Why do you say so?
Peter: My parents want me to go to the best high school. But I'm not sure.
Mary: But I know you always get good grades.
Peter: I don't know. Maybe because I'm afraid of failure. And I don't want to let them down.
Mary: You should believe in yourself. Just do your best and you won't regret. That's enough.
Peter: OK, Mary, I will. Thanks a lot.
Mary: No problem, Peter. Good luck.
A. I don't think I can make it. B. Do you have any plans for your future life? C. Why are you so worried? D. I think I am the best. E. Take it easy. F. You are so nice. |