It was a touching moment at the National Zoo in Washington, US: tens of thousands of people from all over the country, and even the world, came to say goodbye to one of the area’s most popular residents(居民), BaoBao—a 3-year-old panda.
BaoBao left for her new home in Chengdu, China on Feb 22. She’s the first female panda born in the US and has won the hearts of many Americans. A number of goodbye events were held, including a dumpling party and cake feedings. Information about her flight was even made available online so that people could keep learning about her journey.
It had been decided that BaoBao must return to China according to an agreement between China and the US. In fact,most pandas around the world are borrowed from China and baby pandas born abroad will be sent back before they’re four.
Being native to China and loved around the world, the cute black-and-white animals have played an important role in the country’s diplomacy (外交). This is known as“Panda Diplomacy”. Animal diplomacy dates back to the Tang Dynasty(唐朝), when Empress Wu Zetian sent a pair of pandas to the Japanese emperor. China restarted panda diplomacy in the 1950s when China sent two pandas to the Moscow Zoo. By 1982, China had given 23 pandas to nine different countries. The most famous was China’s gift of two pandas, Ling-Ling and Xing-Xing, to the US in 1972 after President Richard Nixon’s visit to China.
However, since early 1980s, China has stopped giving away pandas for free because their number is becoming smaller. For example, zoos in the US, UK and France“rent”pandas from China. The money they pay for the pandas, which are from tens of thousands to millions of US dollars, was used to protect and breed(繁育) the endangered animals.
Besides pandas, elephants and dogs have also been given as diplomatic gifts. In 1953, Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh sent Chairman Mao Zedong two Asian elephants as gifts as a symbol of the friendship between the two countries.
1.According to Paragraph 2, we can learn that ___________.
A.people ate dumplings and cakes to celebrate BaoBao’s leaving
B.some of BaoBao’s fans would travel back to China with her
C.fans of BaoBao could find out her flight information online
D.BaoBao’s everyday activities were open to her fans in the world
2.Why did BaoBao have to return to China?
A.Because her mother was in China. B.Because of serious illness.
C.Because she was already 5 years old. D.Because of the agreement.
3.Which of these countries is not mentioned to have received pandas from China as gifts?
A.Vietnam B.UK C.France D.USA
4.From Paragraphs 4 and 5, the writer is telling us ___________.
A.Zoos in the US, UK and France “rent” pandas to make much money
B.China is not giving away pandas to foreign countries for free any more
C.Ling-Ling and Xing-Xing were gifts for the US president himself
D.The money from those foreign countries was used to help build zoos
5.Which of the following statements is TRUE about panda diplomacy?
A.Wu Zetian was the first empress to give away pandas as diplomatic gifts.
B.China has been sending pandas as gifts to foreign countries for over 60 years.
C.The panda diplomacy has never been stopped in Chinese history.
D.By 1982, China had sent pandas to 23 foreign countries as diplomatic gifts.
Last summer vacation, I got a job working at a coffee shop. One rainy day, a young customer came in.
He looked upset. He said he wanted to get in bed, pull the quilt up over his head, and stay there for a few years. I knew that he was unhappy.
Before he left, I handed him a bag along with his coffee. He was surprised, since he didn’t order anything but coffee. I had given him a cookie in the bag.
“It’s on me,” I told him.
“Have a nice day!”
He smiled and thanked me before heading into the rain.
The next day, it was still raining. I spent my afternoon hanging out the window handing people their orders. I was wet and cold. Worse, no one was tipping(给小费)that day.
In the evening, the customer from the day before drove up to the window. He handed me a pink rose and a note. He said that not many people took time to care about others today. With a friendly wave, he drove away.
I ran to the back of the shop and read the note. It said:
Miss,
Thanks for being so sweet, kind yesterday. It is so nice to meet someone who’s so nice. Please don’t change your ways! Have a great day!
—Hank
After that, whenever I felt upset, I thought of Hank and his words. Then I would smile, hold my head up high, clear my throat and ask politely, “How can I help you?”
1.The writer worked in a ___________.
A.coffee shop B.quilt shop C.bag shop D.cookie shop
2.At the beginning of the story, the customer was ___________.
A.angry B.excited C.upset D.happy
3.The customer ordered ___________ that day.
A.a bag B.a coffee C.a cookie D.nothing
4.The customer came back the next day to ___________.
A.buy another coffee B.pay for the cookie C.give her a rose and a note D.change his way
5.What does the customer think of the writer?
A.Wet and cold. B.Clean and smart. C.Busy and tired. D.Sweet and kind.
阅读对话，从每题 A、B、C、D 四个选项中，选出一个最佳答案完成对话。
Miss Wu: You look worried, Paul.
Paul: I am, Miss Wu.__________
Miss Wu: How come? You said she cared about you.
Paul: She did. But she always tries to manage my life.__________ She chooses TV programs for me.
Miss Wu: Well, actually that's not a big deal, is it? It's her way to take care of you.
Paul: I don't feel good. I know she cares about me, but I can't stand that she stops me from playing
with my friends.__________
Miss Wu: Maybe you should have a talk with her.
Paul: I guess I should.__________
Miss Wu: And you could invite her when you do something interesting with your friends.
Paul: Oh, yes.__________ Because she likes skating as much as my friends and I do.
Miss Wu: Sounds great. You've got it.
Paul: Thank you so much, Miss Wu.
Miss Wu: No problem.
1.
A.I don't like getting up early in the morning. B.My bike was broken on the way to school.
C.My sister and I both study English hard. D.I am having trouble getting on with my elder sister.
2.
A.She helps mom do many chores. B.She decides what books I need to read.
C.She likes action movies instead of comedies. D.She left her homework at home today.
3.
A.What should I do? B.When is the best time to watch TV?
C.How can I ride a bicycle? D.Where is my sister going?
4.
A.My friends have very bad habits. B.I don't think my sister is good at painting.
C.She hasn't known much about my friends. D.My father has a meeting this afternoon.
5.
A.No one can play with her. B.We can do nothing together.
C.I wouldn't like to skate. D.We can skate together.
As a child, I was truly afraid of the dark and of getting lost; these fears were very real and___________ me some uncomfortable moments.
Maybe it was strange that things in my room often frightened me at night. There was never total darkness, but a streetlight or passing car lights___________clothes hung over a chair take on the___________ of a wild animal. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the curtains seem to move when there was no ___________. A tiny sound in the floor would seem a hundred times ___________than in the daylight. My imagination would ___________ wild, and my heart would beat fast. I would lie very still so that the "enemy" would not discover me.
Another of my childhood fears was that I would get lost,___________ on the way home from school. Every morning I got on the school bus right near my home. That was no ___________. But after school, when all the buses were ___________up along the street, I was afraid that I’d get on the wrong one and be taken to some____________ neighborhood. On school or family trips to a park or a museum, I wouldn’t let the leaders out of my ____________.
Perhaps one of the worst fears of all I had as a child was that of not being liked or____________ by others. Being popular was so important to me____________, and the fear of not being liked was a powerful one.
One of the processes of growing up is being able to recognize and____________ our fears. Understanding the things that frightened us as children helps us ____________greater success later in life.
1.A.accepted B.caused C.refused D.did
2.A.got B.forced C.caused D.made
3.A.shape B.height C.body D.spirit
4.A.breath B.air C.wind D.sound
5.A.quieter B.louder C.easier D.softer
6.A.run B.win C.regard D.change
7.A.directly B.simply C.probably D.especially
8.A.solution B.problem C.answer D.question
9.A.called B.lined C.backed D.packed
10.A.old B.crowded C.unfamiliar D.poor
11.A.task B.mind C.order D.sight
12.A.accepted B.guided C.wondered D.protected
13.A.once B.there C.then D.anyway
14.A.avoid B.leave C.overcome D.need
15.A.make B.achieve C.discover D.record
—Was James hurt badly?
—Yes. He has ________ for 3 days.
A.fallen down from the tree B.cut his knee
C.knocked into the wall D.been in hospital
These two big factories ________ half the world’s coffee trade and make lots of money.
A.appear B.control C.consider D.describe
