Christian Bucks may be young, but he sure knows how to be a good friend. When the York, Pennsylvania, second-grader noticed that some of his schoolmates didn’t have anyone to play with during the break time, he came up with a way to help them. He suggested having something called a “buddy bench” put in on his school’s playground.
A buddy bench is a special bench where students can sit if they are feeling bored or lonely. It’s usually brightly colored with “BUDDY BENCH” in big letters. Other students can then go to the bench and ask them if they would like to play or talk.
“We show we care about others when we ask others to play,” Christian told reporters.
Christian first learned about buddy benches when his family was considering moving to Germany. He saw a buddy bench in a handbook for a German school and thought it would be a great way to fight loneliness on the playground at his own school, Roundtown Elementary School.
Christian told Roundtown’s headteacher, Matthew Miller, about his idea at the end of last school year. Miller immediately decided to get a buddy bench. He had Christian pick out its style and bright colors.
“I was the first person who got to sit on the bench when it arrived at Roundtown,” says Christian. He hopes the bench will help “grow our dream circle of friends”.
1.Christian Bucks suggested having a buddy bench to help ______.
A. his teachersB. his students C. his parentsD. his schoolmates
2.Christian learned about the buddy bench ______.
A. in a textbookB. from his father
C. in a handbookD. from his headteacher
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. The buddy bench can help to develop friendships.
B. The buddy bench is designed and made in Germany.
C. Students can realize their dreams on the buddy bench.
D. Students love the style and the color of the buddy bench.
Survey: What’s your favorite restaurant? | |
Lola Lopez | Jim Janssen |
“I’m an actress. There’s a small French restaurant near my apartment. It’s my favorite. The service is great. The food is always cooked well and served beautifully. And the atmosphere is very romantic…” | “I’m a high school student. I’m interested in fast food. Chicken, burgers, fish, French fries — I love it all. My mom says I should eat healthier food but it tastes so good! Also, I’m not rich and the price of fast food is just right for me.” |
Gina Mangino | Raul Sanchez |
“I’m a housewife. With three kids, I look for a place that has good food at a reasonable price. I look for a place that’s comfortable for children and serves the food quickly. That’s why I like Sam’s Chinese restaurant.” | “I’m a doctor. I can’t remember the last time I ate out… maybe that’s because my wife and I really like to cook. Instead of eating out, we look through a cookbook and cook at home.” |
1.Jim Janssen is ______.
A. an actressB. a doctor C. a studentD. a housewife
2.______ likes a French restaurant very much.
A. Lola LopezB. Jim JanssenC. Gina ManginoD. Raul Sanchez
3.Gina Mangino likes the restaurant which ______.
A. offers fast food B. serves the food quickly
C. offers cookbooks D. serves the food beautifully
Christmas Love
Each December, I promised to make Christmas a relaxed and peaceful experience. I didn’t spend too much time on card writing, endless cooking and decorating. Yet still, I found myself tired, unable to enjoy the valuable family moments, and of course, to understand the true meaning of .
Christmas came again. My son, Nicholas, was in primary school that year. It was a very season for a six-year-old. For weeks, he’d been memorizing songs for his school’s “Winter Celebration.” All the parents were invited to be present at their show.
I didn’t have the heart to tell him I’d be working. Unwilling to his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She told me there’d be a dress rehearsal(彩排) the morning of the presentation. All unable to be present that evening were welcome to come then.
So, on the of the dress rehearsal, I arrived ten minutes early. Around the room, I saw several other parents. Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as “Christmas”, I didn’t anything other than fun. So, when my son’s class rose to sing “Christmas Love”, I was a little bit surprised by its title.
Nicholas was excited, as were all of his classmates. Those in the front row held up large letters, one by one, to out the title of the song. As the class would sing “C is for Christmas,” a child would hold up the letter C. Then, “H is for Happy,” and on and on all the children presented the complete message “Christmas Love”.
The show was going smoothly, until suddenly, a small, quiet, girl in the front row held the letter “M” upside down — totally not knowing her letter “M” appeared as a “W”. The audience(观众) laughed at this little girl’s . But she had no idea why they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, holding her “W”. The laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A sudden came over the audience and eyes began to widen. At that moment, we understood why we were there and why we the holiday.
For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: “CHRIST WAS LOVE”.
1.A. familyB. loveC. ChristmasD. school
2.A. freshB. excitingC. successful D. golden
3.A. missB. wasteC. forget D. change
4.A. officersB. childrenC. teachersD. parents
5.A. morningB. noonC. afternoonD. evening
6.A. enjoyB. expect C. findD. have
7.A. spell B. pick C. checkD. carry
8.A. sinceB. before C. untilD. when
9.A. letterB. mistakeC. appearance D. gesture
10.A. politelyB. honestlyC. quietly D. proudly
11.A. cryB. angerC. silence D. sadness
12.A. celebratedB. rememberedC. inventedD. recorded
Nobody knows ______ yesterday.
A. how the accident happens
B. how does the accident happen
C. how the accident happened
D. how did the accident happen
The park gates ______ at 10:00 every evening.
A. lockB. lockedC. are lockedD. were locked
Mum told Andrew ______ quiet in the museum.
A. keepB. to keepC. keepingD. kept
