A small ,white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree and it has been there for the past ten years or so.
It all began because my husband Justin hated Christmas—oh, not the true meaning of Christmas. Overspending was one thing, but compared to the difficult experience of choosing gifts—running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and a pair of gloves for Grandma…,spending money is nothing. I felt too tired to think of any special gifts.
Knowing Justin felt the same way, I decided one year not to buy the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so on. I reached for something special just for Justin. The inspiration came in an unusual way.
Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling （摔跤）at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a match against a team sponsored (赞助) by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in such worn-out shoes that shoe strings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, while our boys were in their blue and gold uniforms and new wrestling shoes.
As the match began, I was shocked to see that the other team were wrestling without wearing helmets (头盔) to protect their ears. Well, our boys ended up defeating them. We took every weight class.
Justin, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot potential (潜力) , but losing like this could take the heart out of them.” Justin loved kids—all kids, and he knew them, having coached little league football and baseball. That’s when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought different kinds of wrestling helmets and shoes. I sent them to inner-city church without leaving my name.
On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Justin what I had done and that was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and since then the envelope has become the highlight of our Christmas.
1.Justin hated Christmas because _____.
A. he didn’t enjoy receiving gifts
B. he had a hard time choosing gifts
C. he spent too much money buying gifts
D. he disliked putting gifts under the Christmas tree
2.We know from the passage that the team sponsored by inner-city church_____.
A. were well dressed
B. paid no attention to safety
C. feared Kevin’s team
D. couldn’t afford a helmet
3.How did Justin feel about the team’s failure ?
A. Upset B. Angry C. Hopeless D. Shameful
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. The Church Gift
B. A Special Note
C. The White Envelope
D. A Christmas Card
The Internet is full of false information. It is important for us all to avoid being fooled by such information. Here are three examples of Internet hoaxes.
On his website, a man by the name of Tony has asked for money to save the life of a pretty little rabbit named Toby that he saved from under his house. A cat must have attacked the rabbit, the man said, so he took it in. he gave Toby loving care and nursed him back to health. There is a very cruel point, however. If the man doesn’t receive enough money, he will eat poor little Toby. (Don’t worry, though. Remember, it’s just a hoax!)
While the streets of New Orleans, the USA, were still flooded after a terrible hurricane (飓风), a frightening e-mail was sent around the Internet. It included a photograph of a large crocodile(鳄鱼) over five meters long. According to the message, it had been swimming around the flooded city eating people. It was later discovered that the photographs of the crocodile were of one that was caught in the Congo (刚果) years before.
The following e-mail hoax takes in many people. It says that a large British company will pay you to send their e-mail to as many people as possible. For every person that you send the e-mail to, it promises you will receive $5.00; for every person that you send it to that sends it to someone else, you’ll get $3.00; and for every third person that receives it, you will be paid $1.00. To make it even more believable, the sender says that at first he thought it was a hoax, but the company soon sent him $800.00.
1.The underlined word “hoaxes” means .
A. games B. websites C. lies D. stories
2.The crocodile in the photograph actually lived in________ .
A.New Orleans B. the USA
C. Britain D. the Congo
3.Some people believe that they can_________ if they send e-mail.
A. become famous B. find friends
C. make money D. keep promises
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The city of New Orleans was flooded because of the terrible hurricane.
B. If the man doesn’t receive enough money, he will eat poor little Toby.
C. The crocodile swam around the flooded city and ate several people.
D. Someone received $800.00 from the company because of the e-mail.
5.The main idea of the passage is to _________.
A. teach how to create a professional website with attractive stories
B. show that anyone can create good Internet hoaxes with some facts
C. explain that, even though they seem false, Internet hoaxes might be true
D. tell people to be careful of Internet hoaxes by giving some examples
Tony and Jane give their opinions about keeping pet dogs.
Keeping pet dogs is a good idea, says Tony I think people should be allowed to keep pet dogs. There are lots of reasons for this. First, dogs are really cute. It’s nice to pick them up and hold them in our arms, and it’s wonderful to see them growing up quickly. Second, your dog might not be dangerous but by simply barking he can keep away a burglar who might think of entering your house. Finally, we can also learn about life and death from dogs. Young people can learn how to care for others and how to respect all living things by keeping a pet dog. I think keeping pet dogs is something everyone can enjoy. | Keeping pet dogs is not a good idea, say Jane In my opinion, it is never a good idea to keep a pet dog. Firstly, pet dogs create a lot of mess. They leave fur and hair on the floor, on beds and on sofas, and they need to be washed daily. Secondly, we should remember that not all dogs are friendly. Some dogs bark at people they do not know. A few dogs bark all night. This stops their neighbors from getting any sleep. A small number of pet dogs even bite people. Lastly, you have to make sure pet dogs are in good health and provided with good pet products. Paying for dog food and seeing the vet when dogs are ill can be expensive. I believe that people should not keep pet dogs. |
1.Tony would probably think it____ to put pet dogs on beds.
A. uncomfortable B. acceptable
C. dangerous D. untidy
2.From the underlined part, we can guess “vet” means“ ____”.
A. places where people can buy dog food
B. places where people can treat dogs
C. people who can train dogs to do something useful
D. people who provide medical care for dogs
3.Tony and Jane disagree on ____.
A. the growth of pets
B. the sound made by dogs
C. the money paid for pets
D. whether dogs need washing daily
完形填空
先通读下面的短文,掌握其大意,然后在每小题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项徐黑。
It was getting dark. Paul looked out of the window and signed (叹气). Dad said he could come home by 5:30, but it was almost 7:00. Even if Dad came back, it wouldn’t be much fun playing __________ in the dark. Paul walked into his room and threw his baseball into the corner. He tried to do some homework, but couldn’t.
The phone rang at about 8:00. It was Dad: “Paul, I’m ____________ , but I couldn’t play baseball with you tonight. I have to finish my work at the office. Maybe we can play this weekend. Oh no. How about next weekend?....”
Paul couldn’t understand why Dad was so busy. He threw ___________ into the sofa and soon fell asleep. His book was still opened to the first page.
The next day at school, Paul didn’t hand in his homework and _____________ a test. Mrs. Green, his teacher, asked him to stay after school. “Paul, you didn’t do your homework. You didn’t pass the test and only got a D. This isn’t like you. What’s wrong?”
Paul just sat there____________ . “Paul, if you don’t want to talk, I will. I know that something’s worrying with you, but you have to get it out. You need to tell someone.”
As Paul walked home, he thought of what Mrs. Green said. Maybe he didn’t do his homework because he wanted to get his dad’s ____________ . He knew Mrs. Green was right. He decided to take her advice.
When Paul got home, he _____________ his dad. But there was no answer. Then it went to voicemail. Paul began talking: “Dad, I can’t play with you next weekend. I’ve got lots of problems with my homework. Also, I really don’t want to spend another day looking out of the window and waiting. Whenever you ____________ our plans, Dad, it hurts me. It’s not too late to rebuild our relationship, but we have to start small. Maybe you can help me with my ____________ sometime. Dad, I love you.”
As Paul ended the call, he felt much relaxed. He didn’t know whether his dad would be different, but it didn’t matter. He himself ____________ . He expressed his feelings to the right person. He had a clear head as he was doing his homework that evening.
1.A. baseball B. cards C. chess D. toys
2.A. lucky B. sorry C. surprised D. pleased
3.A. it B. them C. him D. himself
4.A. made B. missed C. failed D. chose
5.A. cheerfully B. angrily C. hopefully D. quietly
6.A. attention B. message C. praise D. trust
7.A. saw B. thanked C. called D. greeted
8.A. make B. break C. follow D. forget
9.A. choice B. homework C. speech D. decision
10.A. regretted B. complained C. insisted D. changed
—The radio says there will be a rainstorm this weekend, so we have to cancel the hiking to Nanshan．
— I'm looking forward to it．
A．Never mind． B．What a pity!
C．My pleasure． D．No problem．
—Excuse me, could you tell me ?
—In five minutes.
A. when the film would begin
B. how soon the film will begin
C. how long the film has been on
D. that if the film has been on
