January 16, 2014 – We know the saying “The early bird gets the worm”, but today you’re going to learn about the interesting saying “The early fish gets the bird.”
An African tigerfish(老虎鱼) was seen jumping out of the air and catching a flying bird. The African tigerfish has bright red fins and very sharp teeth. There have been rumors(传闻) this kind of fish preys on(捕食) birds since the 1940s, but no one was able to catch one.
"The whole action of jumping and catching happens so quickly that after we saw it, it took all of us a moment to really understand what we had just seen," said Nico Smit from Environmental Sciences and Management at North-West University.
Smit and his research team saw it at a lake in the Mapungubwe National Park in South Africa during summer. They found about 20 fish feeding on birds in the morning. Those birds may be out early to look for food, but we will never know for sure!
1.The tigherfish ___________.
A. is from the USAB. has bright black fins
C. has very sharp teethD. was seen in a forest
2.The underlined word “one” in Paragraph 2 means _______.
A. a tigerB. a fishC. a birdD. a person
3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Nobody has heard of the rumors about the tigerfish before.
B. It took Smit a moment to understand what he had seen about the fish.
C. The interesting findings happened in a lake in the afternoon.
D. The birds were caught by the tigerfish because they were out too early for food.
4.Where is the passage likely to be read?
A. In a poster.B. In a tour guide.C. In a newspaper.D. In a story book.
5.Which is the best title for the passage?
A. The early fish gets the bird.
B. Nico Smit and an African tigerfish.
C. Nico Smit and his research team.
D. The Mapungubwe National Park
Sherlock Holmes is thought to be the greatest detective in stories. He is, in fact, more famous than his writer — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
In the stories, Holmes is “tall and manly (有男子气概的)”. Holmes’ flat was shared by the lovable, but sometimes clumsy (笨拙的) Dr. Watson. He went around with Holmes and tried to solve problems before Holmes. But poor Dr. Watson lost out to (被某人战胜或取代) Holmes every time. Conan Doyle said that the idea of Holmes came from Dr. Joseph Bell, one of his teachers at Edinburgh University, where he studied medicine.
The name of Sherlock Holmes first came to the readers in Doyle’s book “A Study in Scarlet” in 1887. Holmes was so loved by all people that when the writer Doyle killed him off in one of his stories, readers got angry. They refused to allow Holmes to die! So Holmes was brought back to “life” and appeared in further stories.
The stories of Sherlock Holmes have been reprinted many times ever since then. Today we can watch Holmes in cinema and television screens as well as on stage.
1.When do people first knew the name of Sherlock Holmes ?
A. In 1887B. In 1987
C. In 1877D. In 1788
2.Sherlock Holmes was ________.
A. the greatest detective who ever lived B. a teacher
C. Arthur Conan DoyleD. only a character written by Conan Doyle
3.Readers were angry when Doyle ________.
A. couldn’t write any more stories of Holmes
B. wrote badly of Holmes
C. wrote too many stories of Holmes
D. killed Holmes off in one of his stories
If you see a group of people dancing and singing on the street or in the railway station, you don’t need to feel surprised. They are flash mobbers (快闪族). Who are they? Are they mobs(犯罪团伙)? Don’t feel afraid hearing their name. In fact, like a mob, they are a large group of people, but they have a good purpose. They usually get together in a place, do some simple actions, and then quickly disappear.
Flash mob is now becoming more and more popular. People use it to do many things. For example, in 2009, Michael Jackson’s fans took part in a flash mob to remember him. Hundreds of his fans organized through Internet and got together outside the railway station in Liverpool. They were singing and dancing Michael’s famous song “Beat It” together. And in another example, some people took part in a flash mob to tell more people not to use negative words (消极语言).
Flash mobs give different people a chance to come together to create a good memory.
1.Where may you see a flash mob?
A. In schools. B. In villages.
C. In the railway stations. D. On the playground.
2.In 2009, hundreds of people took part in a flash mob in Liverpool railway station to ________
A. to show themselves
B. to remember Michael Jackson
C. tell people not to use negative words
D. to make a film
3.Which of the following ideas about flash mobbers is NOT right?
A. They are usually a large group of people.
B. They usually do simple actions like singing and dancing.
C. They usually get together for a good purpose.
D. After simple actions they usually go away slowly.
1.The purpose(目的) of this notice is____________．
A．to ask people to visit the springs B．to make visitors know the area
C．to tell visitors what not to do D．to tell the visitors to have a rest
2.The notice is written for____________.
A．visitors B．children C．workers D．managers
3.____________is NOT mentioned in the notice．
A．How long visitors can stay in the area
B．What visitors cannot bring to the area
C．Who looks after the visitors’ things
D．Whether smoking is allowed in the area
4.The Chinese meaning for “slippery” is____________．
A．平坦的 B．湿滑的 C．狭窄的 D．冰凉的
What can you do in two minutes? Cyrus Siu, 12, made a great speech in English and the hearts of everyone.
Siu studies at Singapore International School in Hong Kong. He the Junior high category (初中组) of the 11th “21st Century Cup” National High School and Primary School English Speaking Competition in Xiamen, Fujian March 22.
His speaking skills and good English won him the top .
Siu said his first secret to success was many English books. He has read all the seven Harry Potter books, each four to five . Now he is reading Steve Jobs: A Biography(《乔布斯传》)
“These books may be for my age, but reading helps to learn new words,” he said.
Siu likes movies. Super hero movies, Iron Man(《钢铁侠》) and The Avengers(《复仇者联盟》), are his favorite.
“Every boy has the dream of becoming a super one day. Sometimes I imagine to be one of the heroes and shout out the English lines(台词). It’s good to combine(结合) your with learning English.
It’s also important to an English-speaking environment for yourself. Siu talks to his classmates and teachers in English all day long at school. his parents talk to him in Cantonese(粤语) at home, he still tries to answer in English.
“There is no shortcut(捷径) to studying English. Just practice, practice and practice!” Siu said.
1.A. won B. lost C. broke D. made
2.A. dropped out of B. worried about C. gave up D. took part in
3.A. in B. at C. on D. for
4.A. shape B. price C. prize D. work
5.A. selling B. making C. losing D. reading
6.A. copies B. times C. buttons D. seconds
7.A.interesting B. difficult C. helpful D. easy
8.A. me B. you C. him D. them
9.A. Chinese-speaking B. French-speaking C. German-speakingD. English-speaking
10.A. such as B. instead of C. because ofD. above all
11.A. teacher B. doctor C. heroD. inventor
12.A.herself B. myself C. ourselvesD. itself
13.A.answers B. questions C. interests D. problems
14.A. buy B. build C. invite D. publish
15.A.Before B. Though C. Since D. Because
________ clever girl she is! She got a good mark in the math exam again.
A. What B. What a C. HowD. How a
