About 150 years ago, the person who sent the letter did not have to pay. The person who got the letter had to pay the postage (邮资) which cost a lot.
In a small village in England, “Here’s a letter for Miss Alice Brown,” said a mailman. “I’m Alice Brown,” a girl of about eighteen said in a low voice. The mailman gave her the letter.
Alice looked at the envelope(信封) for a minute, and then handed it back to the mailman.
“I’m sorry I can’t take it,” she said. “I don’t have enough money to pay the postage.”
The people standing around were very sorry for the girl. Then a gentleman came up to the mailman and paid the postage for Alice’s letter.
When the gentleman gave her the letter, she said with a smile, “Oh, thank you very much, sir. This letter is from my brother who went to London to look for jobs. I’ve waited a long time for this letter, but now I don’t need it. I don’t have to open the envelope because there is nothing inside.”
“Really?” the gentleman said in surprise. “How do you know that?” “He told me that he would put some signs on the envelope. Look, sir, this cross in the corner means that he is well, and this circle means he has found a job. That’s very good news.”
The gentleman was Sir Rowland Hill. He did not forget Alice and her letter.
He thought and thought for many years. “The postage has to be much lower,” he said at last. “What about a penny (便士) for a letter? And the person who sends the letter pays the postage. He has to buy a stamp and put it on the envelope.”
The government decided to adopt (采纳) the plan. The first stamp was put out in 1840. It was called the “Penny Black”. It had a picture of the Queen on it.
根据短文内容填空，每空填一词。
1. About 150 years ago, the person who sent the letter didn’t have to pay for the postage_________ the person who _________ the letter had to.
2.The gentleman felt very __________ when the girl said there wasn’t _________ inside the envelope.
3. Alice’s brother was such a _________ young man that he just put some ________ on the envelope to tell her sister he was well.
4.In 1840, the first stamp _________ the “Penny Black” was put out ________ a picture of the Queen on it.
5.After that, people needed to ________ a penny buying a _______ to send a letter.
Dick was born in a poor family. His father had a small boat and went fishing in the morning and sold the fish in the market in the afternoon. Then he bought some food for his family. When winter came, they were often hungry. One morning the hungry man fell into the river and wasn't found. 1.___________ His aunt had to look after him.
Twenty years passed. 2.___________ He found work on a farm. He worked hard and wanted to get more money. 3.___________ The woman was very happy but one day she died in a traffic accident. The young man was very sad. After he buried her, he decided to buy a beautiful tombstone(墓碑) for her. 4.___________, but all the tombstones were too expensive. He asked, "Do you sell an old tombstone, sir?" "Yes, we do, sir, " answered the shopkeeper. "Is it as expensive as the new one?"
"No, it's much cheaper," said the man. "5.___________ " "It doesn't matter, " said Dick. "My aunt couldn't read. "
A. Dick became a tall, strong man. B. But another name was engraved(刻) on it. C. He went to town and came in a shop D. Dick's mother left her three-year-old son without saying good-bye. E. He often went to see his aunt with some nice presents. |
Read the following four pieces of news and answer the questions:
1.The singer of the song “Fa Hai, you don’t know love” is ________.
A. Wang Baoqiang B. PSY
C. Gong Linna D. Hunan TV
2.Where is PSY from?
A. He is from China.
B. He is from Korea.
C. He is from every corner of the world.
D. He is from the Horse Ride Dance.
3.When can you get the ticket of the movie “Lost in Thailand”?
A. On Dec. 15th.
B. Before Dec. 12th.
C. Any time you like.
D. Only during Spring Festival.
4.What does the underlined sentence “The documentary made our mouth water.” really mean?
A. There is water here and there in the documentary.
B. People had a lot of water in their mouths when they were watching the
documentary.
C. The food showed in the documentary was so delicious.
D. The documentary made people drink a lot of water.
5.Which of the following sentence is NOT true?
A. Gong Linna was hot before she sang the song on the New Year’s Eve of Hunnan TV.
B. Everyone in the world likes the Horse Ride Dance.
C. Lost in Thailand was a movie which was not made by Chinese.
D. Many people including those who never watches TV would like to watch the documentary.
Janel gave her 13-year-old son Jim an iPhone for Christmas. But she also had a contract (契约)about how Jim’s new toy can and can’t be used.
Contract
Rule 1: It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am lending it to you. Aren’t I the greatest?
Rule 2: If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say “hello”, use your manners.
Rule 3: Hand the phone to one of your parents at 7:30p.m. every school night & every weekend night at 9:00 p.m.. It will be shut off for the night and turned on again at 7:30a.m..
Rule 4: Turn it off, silence it, put it away in public. Especially in a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another people. You are not a rude person, do not allow the iPhone to change that.
Rule 5: Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe. It is not all for you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than it.
Rule 6: Don’t take too many pictures and videos. There is no need to record everything. They will be stored in your memory for ever.
Rule 7: If it falls into the toilet, breaks on the ground, or lose, you should pay for it. You can take care of the baby, and wash dishes to save some money.
I hope you can agree to these terms and enjoy your new iPhone.
Mom
1.From the contract, who is the real owner of the iPhone?
A.Jim B. Jim’s parents
C. Janel D. Jim’s father
2. From Rule 2 & Rule 4, we know mom hoped Jim can __________.
A. be a person with good manners B. say hello
C.speak with another people D. answer the phone
3. Can Jim use his iPhone at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday evening?
A. Yes, he can.
B. No, he can’t.
C. We don’t know.
D. If he finishes his homework, he can use it.
4. What does the underlined word “stored” mean in Chinese?
A. 储存 B. 供给 C. 消除 D. 取代
5.The best title of the passage should be ‘‘____________”.
A. A Christmas Present B. Jim’s iPhone Contract
C. How to use an iPhone D. Enjoy Your New iPhone
GIY stands for “grow it yourself” and is about a new fashion for growing your own food.
There are a lot of reasons why growing your own food is a good idea. GIY helps reduce carbon dioxide(CO2) emissions(排放物). Food in supermarkets travels a long way and that produces a lot of CO2. If you grow as many vegetables as you can at home, you can help save the earth.
Vegetables you grow are also good for your health because they have more nutrients than supermarket vegetables and they don’t have chemicals.
How much money can you save? First of all, seeds are a lot of cheaper than vegetables, and secondly, you can save more by planting the most expensive and the most productive(多产的) vegetables. You can give your vegetables to fiends and neighbors. It can make you very popular.
Don’t worry if you don’t have much space. To GIY, you don’t even need a garden. You can use pots on your balconies(阳台). And don’t worry if your space doesn’t get much sun. You can plant vegetables that don’t need a lot of sun to grow.
Grow your own vegetables now. You will have both a healthier body and a healthier social life.
1.During the course of _______, food in supermarkets produces a lot of CO2.
A. growing B. collection
C. transportation D. producing
2.How many reasons do people have to grow their own food?
A. One. B. Two.
C. Three. D. Four.
3.What do people mostly need if they want to grow their own vegetables?
A. Some seeds. B. A garden.
C. Some chemicals. D. A pot.
4.From the passage, we can learn that _________.
A. all vegetables need a lot of sun to grow
B. we can plant vegetables on our balconies
C. vegetables from supermarkets must be a little cheaper
D. we need much space to plant vegetables
5.Where is the passage probably taken from?
A. An advertisement. B. A science fiction.
C. A story book. D. A newspaper.
There is nothing wrong with being shy. In fact, happy, successful people are shy. You can try to say goodbye to your shyness. Here’s how to do so.
1. Start Small. At home, practice and saying hi while looking at yourself in the mirror. Then try this at school with kids you know well. Once that becomes a habit, try doing the same with kids you don’t know as well.
2. Are Key. Once you smiling and saying hi, it’s time to start a conversation. All you really have to do is to ask a question or two about a person’s : What’s your favorite movie? Do you like playing tennis? Just be careful not to ask questions that are too personal __ might be hurtful.
3. Choose Face-to-face Time. Many shy girls say it’s easier for them to talk to people . In a recent survey, nearly two out of every 10 shy girls said being online has made them even shyer in real life. So your cell phone, step away from the computer, and put in some face-to-face time with the people in your life.
4. Star in Your Own Life. Looking people in the eye, saying hi with a smile, and starting conversations will probably feel strange at first, but every time you practice your new skills, it will become a little .
you keep working at it, you will become more comfortable talking to other people.
1.A. few B. some C. many
2.A. crying B. smiling C. thinking
3.A. Talks B. ConversationsC. Questions
4.A. are used asB. are used toC. are used for
5.A. questions B. problemsC. interests
6.A. or B. andC. but
7.A. face to faceB. onlineC. at home
8.A. put down B. take down C. take out
9.A. hard B. easyC. easier
10.A. WhenB.As long as C. Unless
