I work as a volunteer for a group that helps the poor in Haiti. I decided to take my son Brain there for a week, hoping to educate(教育) him.
Before getting out, I told Brain this trip would be tiring and hard. For the first two days, he said almost nothing. Then on the third day, when we were climbing over high rocky mountains(高山), he turned to me and smiled, “Really hard.”
After that, a five-year-old girl, wearing a too large dress and broken shoes, followed Brain around. Later he said, “I wish I could speak French.” I was surprised that this was from a boy who always hated French classes.
However, the moment that really reached my heart occurred in a village in the mountains. I was interviewing(采访) a woman villager for an article. By working hard, she learned to read and write and became one of the leaders of the village.
Learning her story, Brain was greatly touched. His eyes were wet and there was love and respect(尊重) on his face. He finally understood the importance of my work. When leaving for home, Brain even offered to stay in as a volunteer. This trip was very meaningful.
1.Why did the writer take his son to Haiti?
A. Because they wanted to take a trip there.
B. Because they went there to visit a friend.
C. Because his son wanted to help the poor there.
D. Because the writer wanted to educate his son.
2.What does the underlined word “occurred” mean?
A. Left. B. Offered. C. Happened. D. Reached.
3.What did NOT the boy learn from this trip?
A. To love and respect poor people.
B. To be an excellent leader.
C. To offer help to people in need.
D. To be a kind and hard-working man.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. An exciting trip.
B. How to be a volunteer.
C. A story of a volunteering trip.
D. The importance of voluntary work.
How could we tell time if there were no watches or clocks anywhere in the world?
The sun was probably the world’s first “clock”, except in the far north, where the Eskimos (爱斯基摩人) live. There, it’s dark most of the winter, and light most of the summer. But in most of the world, people used the sun for a clock. Even today, if you don’t have a clock, you still know that when the sun shines, it’s day, and when it’s dark, it’s night. The sun can also tell you if it’s morning, noon, or afternoon.
People near the sea can tell time from the tides(潮汐). In the daytime, for about six hours, the water rises higher and higher on the beach. And then it goes down and down for about six hours. The same thing happens again at night. There are two high tides and two low tides every 24 hours.
Seamen on a ship learn how to tell time by looking at the moon and the stars. The whole sky is their clock. In some places in the world the wind comes up at about the same time every day or changes direction or stops blowing. In these places the wind can be the clock.
A sand(沙) clock is an even better clock. If you had fine dry sand in a glass shaped like the one in the picture, you would have what is called an hourglass. The sand in the hourglass goes from the top part to the bottom(底部) part in exactly one hour. When people turn over the hourglass, the sand will take another hour to go back again.
1.How many ways does the passage show us to tell time including the watches and clocks?
A. 8 B. 7 C. 5 D. 4
2.The Eskimos in the far north can’t use the sun for a clock because ____________.
A. They know very little about the sun
B. The sun there never goes down in winter
C. It’s too cold for them to go out to watch the sun
D. It has long dark winters and long light summers
3.The writer thinks ____________.
A. there are no more than two tides in a day
B. a sand clock is a better clock than the tide
C. only the moon is a good “clock” for seamen
D. the wind can be a clock all over the world
4.In which column(栏目) of a newspaper can you most possibly read this passage?
A. Science. B. News.
C. Advertisements. D. Sports.
Dear Basketball
From the right moment
I was crazy about you.
A love so deep I gave you my all —
From my mind & body
To my spi rit & soul(灵魂).
As a six-year-old boy
Deeply in love with you
I never saw the end of the tunnel.
I only saw myself
Running out of one.
And so I ran.
I ran up and down every playground
I gave you my heart
Because it came with so much more.
I played through the sweat(汗水) and hurt
Not because challenge(挑战) called me
But because YOU called me.
I did everything for YOU.
You gave a six-year-old boy his dream
And I’ll always love you for it.
Love you always.
……
1.What was the writer crazy about?
A. A playboy. B. Running.
C. Basketball. D. Playground.
2.From the excerpts(节选) of the poem, we can learn ____________.
A. The writer began to practise a lot for his dream when he was a little boy
B. Challenge called the writer to do everything for it
C. The writer loved running when he was six
D. The writer loved his father from his mind and body
完形填空
Learning to Accept
I learned how to accept life as it is from my father. However, he did not teach me acceptance when he was strong and healthy, but when he was _______ and ill.
My father was once a strong man who loved being active, but a terrible illness _______ all that away. Now he cannot walk any m ore, and he must sit quietly in a chair all day, even talking is _______ . One night, I went to visit him with my sisters. We started talking about life, and I told them about one thing I believe in. I said that we must very often give things up as we grow—our youth, our beau ty, our friends—but it always needs that after we give something up, we get something new in its place. Then suddenly my father _______ up. He said, “But, Peter. I gave up _______ ! What did I get?” I thought and thought, but I could not think of anything to say. _______ , he answered his own question. “I _______ the love of my family.” I looked at my sisters, and saw them crying, along with hope and thankfulness. I was also moved by his words. After that, when I began to feel angry at someone, I would remember his words and become_______ . He could replace his great sadness with a feeling of love for others, then I should be_______ to give up my small anger. In this way, I learned the power of acceptance from my father.
Sometimes I _______ what other things I could learn from him if I had listened more carefully when I was a boy. For now, I am thankful for this gift.
1.A. tired B. weak C. poor D. slow
2.A. took B. threw C. sent D. put
3.A. impossible B. difficult C. helpless D. hopeless
4.A. spoke B. turned C. got D. opened
5.A. something B. anything C. nothing D. everything
6.A. Surprisingly B. Excitedly C. Naturally D. Certainly
7.A. made B. accepted C. got D. enjoyed
8.A. quiet B. calm C. sad D. happy
9.A. ready B. difficult C. free D. able
10.A. learn B. wonder C. know D. guess
— Sorry! We lose again.
— Come on, guys. _______
A. Not at all. B. You’re welcome.
C. Sorry to hear that. D. Let’s forget it!
— Dad, I can’t stay with Leo any more. He is such a big mouth!
— _______ you are with him, _______ you will like him, dear.
A. The more; the longer
B. The better; the more
C. The less; the better
D. The longer; the better
