阅读短文，根据短文内容，从短文后的五个选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余选项。（共8分，每小题2分）
One day, my friend Judy called and told me that she was going to join an oil painting class on Friday evenings. 1. . I was hesitant (犹豫) to join her because I had never painted before. But she encouraged me to join the class just for fun. Finally I agreed.
The first day in the class we met our teacher, Mr. Chou, who just came back from France. 2. and told us some knowledge about art history. He said, “I know most of you have no experience in painting, but in fact everyone is an artist and every
one can draw or paint. Don’t lose your heart! Just do it!”
3. . We also painted the most beautiful and the ugliest things in our minds. When I was painting, I forgot everything that I worried about. Sometimes I even forgot the time.
Mr. Chou not only opened the door of art for me but also gave me a way to broaden (拓宽) my life. I started to borrow art books from the library and visit museums in my free time. 4. .
Every painting shows the artist’s personality and feelings. After I started to paint, I felt my dried-out brain began receiving a new source(资源) of refreshing water.
A. We started to paint the things we liked or hated B. She asked me to join the class together with her C. I’m not really good at painting, but I certainly enjoy it D. Mr. Chou was strict with Judy, so she made great progress E. He showed us a lot of pictures of paintings all around the world |
There are some very good inventions which, for one reason or another, don’t become popular. These inventions should be better known, even though I think that some of them are crazy. Let’s have a look at some of these inventions and see if you agree that they should be more successful.
The Australians had a great idea to stop people from drinking and driving. The idea was that if a driver wanted to start the car, she or he would have to blow into a bag first. If there was too much alcohol(酒精) in their breath, the car wouldn’t start. It sounded like a great idea to me, but people said that they might need to drive the car in an emergency even if they had drunk too much alcohol. Another idea I liked was an invention by a scientist who thought his children watched too much TV. He linked the TV to an exercise bike so that the electricity to power the TV was generated(产出) by the bike. If the children wanted to watch a lot of TV, they had to pedal(踩踏板) very hard. I found another invention on the Internet which was intended (倾向于) to encourage good habits. Believe it or not, this invention was an ashtray(烟灰缸) which spoke to you when you lit a cigarette! The “voice” of the ashtray was activated (启动) by the heat from the cigarette and reminded you how dangerous it is to smoke.
One of the strangest inventions I have come across is a bicycle which can cross rivers! The idea was that when you came to a river, you could inflate a huge plastic ball all around the bike. You would then get into the ball which would float on the river while you pedaled the bike inside the ball! Why not use a bridge instead? A friend of mine at school once bought a strange pair of football shoes. On the bottom of the shoes there was a rotating pad of studs (转动钉垫). The idea was that you would change direction more quickly if the studs rotated with you. The problem was that every time you stopped you changed direction whether you wanted to or not! I think he wore those shoes twice! One thing I would like is a baseball cap with a built-in radio so you can listen to sport all day with your hands free. While we are on the subject of sport, the Americans invented a kind of robot for sports fans. If you were watching your team on TV on your own, you could press a button and the robot would do “high fives” with you! Fantastic! I wonder if you have any good ideas for inventions like these.
1.What’s the writer’s attitude towards the inventions mentioned in Paragraph 2?
A. The writer regrets he knew nothing about
the inventions.
B. The writer doubts if the inventions will be popular soon.
C. The writer thinks people will benefit from the inventions.
D. The writer finds these inventions are the strangest of all.
2.What can we know from the passage?
A. The father used his invention to stop children watching too much TV.
B. It was very bad for the drivers to blow into a bag before their driving.
C. The bike crossing rivers was considered one of the best inventions.
D. The invention of new shoes would make players run much faster.
3.The underlined word “inflate” in the third paragraph means __________.
A. check outB. blow up
C. look intoD. turn over
4.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Popular Inventions Today.
B. Technology and Invention.
C. The History of Invention.
D. Inventions with a Difference.
Are you aged between 14 and 19 years old? Do you care about the environment around you? Would you please help make the area you live in cleaner and safer?
If your answers are “yes”, “yes” and “yes”, then read on! You may be surprised to hear that you can actually (事实上) get money for improving your community (社区).
The “Big Lottery” is giving money to groups of teenagers who want to become active citizens(公民). We have ￡80,000 to give away. We’re looking for young people to take part in schemes (规划) and projects near to the places they live in.
Here are some easy things you could do to get started:
Meeting the neighbors
Everybody needs good neighbors. Knock on people’s doors and find out what they need to improve in your areas. Set a date for a meeting and then make some plans together. If you don’t want to go around to their houses, you could always put a note through their doors.
Neighborhood watch
Neighborhood watch schemes are very popular in the UK. If you go away on holiday and leave your house, it’s very nice to know that a neighbor is keeping an eye on it. You could set one up easily and quickly.
Lending a hand
There are elderly people living in the neighborhood who may not be able to do the things that you can. Offer to do their shopping once a week, look after their gardens or walk their dogs!
No littering
Nobody likes picking up rubbish, but a clean street can make all the difference. Take it in turns to go out once or twice a week and see what you can find. You never know, one day you might find something valuable!
Recycling
Nearly two-thirds of your rubbish can be recycled. Some areas already provide places for people to recycle bottles, tins, plastic and paper
. Find out if this is done in your neighborhood. If it is not, do something about it.
So go on…help make your neighborhood “street ahead”. Just tell us what kind of project you want to get involved in. Then we’ll send you more details. Take positive (积极的) action and help make your neighborhood a better place to live in!
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Why we should care about the elderly people in our community.
B. What we can do to improve the environment of our community.
C. How we can recycle daily rubbi
sh properly in our community.
D. When we should get the neighbors together to meet their needs.
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The writer doesn’t agree to work for the “street ahead”.
B. Teenagers aged from 14 to 19 are not allowed to join in.
C. It is hard to find a neighbor to watch your house in the UK.
D. We will get money if we give any help in our community.
3.What can you infer from the passage?
A. The center for elderly people will be larger.
B. The writer is a member of the “Big Lottery”.
C. Communities will take the place of schools.
D. The writer is the manager of the community.
Christopher’s mother now is sitting proudly and watching TV as Christopher is given the “Child of Courage” prize by his favorite TV star. This makes her remember the accident happened to them.
Christopher was sitting in the car with his mother, father, sister Rosie, 10, and brother Mac, 7, when his father drove onto a metal barrier(障碍物). Unluckily, the car fell down from a hill into a deep river. Christopher, then 12, swam through a broken window and got out for the fresh air. Then he realized his brother and sister were still in the car.
Christopher took a deep breath and swam back into the car. He saved Mac first, then he swam back to look for Rosie, who was under the cold, dark water, in the car. Christopher had to feel for her seatbelt because he couldn’t see anything in the water. He took the seatbelt off her, and went up for air. Finally he went back to pull her out of the car.
Christopher’s mother and father were thrown out before the car rolled down the hill. When his mother came back to her life, she looked for her children hurriedly. She could see Mac on the bank, but she couldn’t find the other ones. She was so worried. Then she saw Christopher come up out of the water like a dolphin with Rosie on his shoulder. She shouted excitedly to Christopher down to the river, “I’m so proud of you.”
The family called for an ambulance (救护车). It took 
Christopher’s father who was badly hurt to a nearby hospital immediately.
1.What is Christopher’s mother watching on TV?
A. Christopher is accepting a prize.
B. Rosie is singing with a TV star.
C. Mac is taking part in a TV show.
D. Her husband is lying in hospital.
2.What happened to Christopher’s family?
A.
They got lost on their way to a wild park.
B. Their car fell down from a hill into the river.
C. A man broke into their car and drove it away.
D. Their car broke down and caught a big fire.
3.How do you feel about Christopher?
A. Brave.B. Careful.C. Polite.D. Humorous.
Melissa is a reporter from a health center. Now she is talking to Mark while he is eating his lunch in the dining hall of Sun Flower School. | |||
Name: Mark | Age: 13 | Grade: 8 | Class: Four |
Q1: Why do you eat lunch at school? My mother is a nurse. She often goes to the work very early and doesn’t have time to make me a packed lunch. But she makes sure I eat a healthy dinner. | |||
Q2: What do you eat for your lunch today? The cooks make different things today. I choose noodles, an apple, a cookie and a glass of milk. | |||
Q3: Do you always drink milk? It’s not my favorite. I like juice best, but they haven’t got any juice today. | |||
Q4: What do you often have? I often have a cookie. It isn’t healthy, but it is my favorite. | |||
Q5: Do you usually eat an apple? No, I don’t like it. Sometimes I give my apple to my friend Sam. Sam gives me some chocolate for the apple. | |||
Q6: Does Sam like chocolate? Yes, but he likes apples too. His mother gives him lots of chocolate! | |||
Reported by Melissa March 25, 2014 | |||
1.What does Mark have for his lunch today?
A. Chocolate.B. Oranges.C. Noodles.D. Juice.
2.Where are they talking now?
A. In physics lab.B. On the playground.
C. At the library.D. In school dining hall.
3.What does Melissa want to know from her questions?
A. The arts festival.B. The parents’ meeting.
C. The school meals.D. The school website
“But I feel good doing this!” the little boy’s voice rang in my ears when I entered the mall. He stood 
raising for cancer research. In the cold wind, he pulled his hat down over his ears. He warmed one hand in his pocket and held a list with the other hand. I noticed him greeting the people passing by gloves on his hands.
I checked my purse but I didn’t find any change. I was ready to give money because I wished cancer could be cured (治愈) one day.
“I’ll bring you some money when I returned” I the little boy.
“Thank you!” he smiled and he seemed almost in the cold air. I suggested he come inside the mall, but he said, “The guard there said is allowed to raise money for charities (慈善) in the mall. But I feel good doing this here. It’s OK.”
I did my shopping and about buying something for him. Finally, I bought a pair of gloves, brown ones. The cashier (收银员) felt curious when I the boy’s words “But I feel good doing this!”
The boy still stood where he had been. I offered some money to him and in the list that he handed to me. Then he told me that his best friend George had leukemia (白血病). He did this in order to help him out of .
With tears full of my eyes, I put the gloves that I bought for him into his hands.
“Will the cancer research give you something to thank you for doing this?”
“Oh yes!” the boy said and his eyes up with joy, “They sure do! Now I can stand here much than I expected!”
“What do you receive then?” I asked. He answered with a smile, “I get another new, empty list.”
1.A. cardsB. money C. bottlesD. information
2.A. withoutB. except C. intoD. from
3.A. neverB. seldomC. sometimesD. always
4.A. cheatedB. refusedC. promisedD. praised
5.A. relaxedB. boredC. frozenD. pleased
6.A. everyone B. anyoneC. someoneD. no one
7.A. thoughtB. worriedC. talkedD. cared
8.A. introducedB. repeatedC. heardD. kept
9.A. calledB. filledC. gaveD. got
10.A. sightB. workC. troubleD. breath
11.A. litB. cameC. caughtD. took
12.A. lowerB. lessC. earlierD. longer
