Reading is very important. World Book Day falls on April 23 every year. It was set up by UNESCO (联合国教科文组织) in 1955 to encourage people, especially teenagers, to discover the pleasure of reading.
Many countries celebrate World Book Day. On that day in the UK, millions of students can buy books of special price, much lower than usual in any bookstore. It has been done every year since1998. World Book Day is also celebrated in China. Premier Wen is an avid reader. He does lots of reading though he’s very busy. On World Book Day 2009, he called on people to do more reading. He suggested that young people should spend more time reading. “Books can’t change the world, but people can change the world by changing themselves through reading,” he said.
Reading can benefit (有益于) people in many ways. Reading helps us become more knowledgeable and more intelligent. Reading helps us to follow the latest developments of science and technology. Reading provides us with information about other culture and places of the world. When we read, we may find many things that are unknown to us. We would have to use our brain to think about them or do more reading to find out the answers. The more we read, the more we know. The more we know, the smarter we become. Reading is also one of the most important ways to learn a foreign language like English. We all know that we can’t learn everything at school, for example, the ways English people are speaking and writing today.
“Reading makes a full man.” Books, magazines, newspapers and other kinds of reading materials can help us to know more about the outside world and perfect us. Therefore, it is necessary for us to form the habit of reading every day.
1.When is World Book Day?
A. August 8 every year. B. March 12 every year.
C. April 23 every year. D. June 6 every year.
2.An avid reader is a person who .
A. loves reading B. never reads C. does some reading D. hates reading
3.World Book Day was set up in order to encourage people to .
A. learn foreign languages B. do more reading
C. buy more books D. know more about science
4.According to the passage, reading can help people in many ways EXCEPT .
A. learning English better B. knowing more about cultures
C. improving your health D. knowing more about the outside world
5.What’s the best title for the article?
A. World Book Day in England. B. Suggestions on reading.
C. World Book Day in China. D. World Book Day and the Advantages of Reading.
It happened two years ago. It was Mother’s Day morning. I was doing my shopping at our local supermarket with my five-year-old son, Tenyson. As we were leaving, we found that only minutes earlier an elderly woman had fallen over at the entrance and had hit her head on the ground. Her husband was with her, but there was blood everywhere and the woman was embarrassed(尴尬的) and clearly in shock. Walking towards the scene, Tenyson became very sad about what had happened to the couple. He said to me, “Mum, it’s not much fun falling over in front of everyone.”
At the front of the supermarket a charity group had set up a stand selling fish and chips and flowers to raise funds. Tenyson suggested that we should buy the lady a flower. “It will make her feel better,” he said. I was amazed that he’d come up with such a sweet idea. So we went over to the flower seller and asked her if we could buy a flower for the lady to cheer her up. “Just take it,” she replied. “I can’t take your money for such a wonderful gesture(姿势).”
By now paramedics（救援人员）had arrived, and were attending the injured(受伤的) woman. As we walked up to her, my son became intimidated by all the blood and medical equipment(器具). He said he was just too scared to go up to her.
Instead I gave the flower to the woman’s husband and told him, “My son was very sad for your wife and wanted to give her this flower to make her feel better.”
At that, the old man started crying and said, “Thank you so much, you have a wonderful son. Happy Mother’s Day to you.”
The man then bent down and gave his wife the flower, telling her who it was from. Though badly hurt and shaken, the old lady looked up at Tenyson with love in her eyes and gave him a little smile.
1.What does the writer want to tell us?
A. One can never be too careful. B. Actions speak louder than words.
C. Love begins with a little smile. D. A small act of kindness brings a great joy.
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The elderly woman was knocked down by Tenyson.
B. Tenyson’s idea of buying a flower gained his mother’s support.
C. Tenyson’s care for the elderly woman surprised the flower seller.
D. The elderly woman was moved to tears by Tenyson’s gesture.
3.The underlined word “intimidated” in the passage probably means “___________”.
A. surprised B. pleased C. frightened D. excited
4.Choose the right order of the events given in the story. _________
a.The paramedics arrived and attended the injured woman.
b.We bought a flower for the lady to cheer her up.
c.I did some shopping at our local supermarket with my five-year-old son.
d.My son became very sad about what had happened to the couple.
e.An elderly woman fell over at the entrance.
A. c, e, a, b, d B. a, c, e, d, b C. c, a, e, d, b D. c, e, d, b, a
5.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. The Power of Flower B. Mother’s Day
C. An Accidental Injury D. An Embarrassing Moment
Ronny’s Book
Ronny looked like every other kid in the first-grade classroom where I volunteered as the Reading Mom. However, Ronny was different from his classmates in other ways. He had a speech problem so he couldn’t _______ like other kids in his grade.
I worked with all the students in Ronny’s class one by one to improve their reading skills. On the days when it was Ronny’s _______, I’d give him a silent smile, and he’d fly out of his chair. He sat very close to me and opened the book as if he was opening a treasure nobody had ever seen.
I watched his _____move slowly under each letter as he struggled (努力) to read out. Every time he ___ to read a word with a strange pronunciation, the biggest smile would spread across his face and his eyes would shine with _______. It broke my heart each and every time.
A few weeks _______ the school year ended, I held an awards ceremony (颁奖典礼). I_______ Ronny with a book — one of those Little Golden Books that only cost $5. Tears ran down his face as he held the book close to him and went _______ to his seat. I stayed with the class for the rest of the day. Ronny never let go of (放开) the _____, not once. It never left his hands.
A few days later, I returned to the school to visit. I _______ Ronny on a chair near the playground, the book open in his lap. His teacher said, “He hasn’t put that book down since you gave it to him. Do you know that’s his _______ book he’s ever actually owned?”
Keeping back my tears, I walked towards Ronny, placed my hand on his shoulder and asked, “Will you read me your book, Ronny?” And then, for the next few minutes, he read to me more_______ than I’d ever thought possible from him. The pages were already dog-eared (卷角的), like the book had been read thousands of ___ already. When he finished reading, Ronny closed his book and said with great satisfaction(满意), “_______ book!”
What a powerful contribution the writer of that Little Golden Book had made in the life of a disadvantaged child. At that moment, I knew I would become _______ about my own writing and do what that writer had done, and probably still does — care enough to write a story that changes a child’s life, care enough to make a difference.
1.A. read B. copy C. write D. listen
2.A. team B. term C. turn D. tour
3.A. fingers B. arms C. legs D. ears
4.A. forgot B. decided C. refused D. managed
5.A. fear B. pride C. promise D. silence
6.A. after B. before C. since D. when
7.A. covered B. shared C. presented D. compared
8.A. out B. up C. away D. back
9.A. hand B. class C. book D. chair
10.A. followed B. noticed C. heard D. realized
11.A. first B. second C. third D. fourth
12.A. coldly B. slowly C. clearly D. quietly
13.A. mistakes B. sales C. chances D. times
14.A. Small B. Good C. New D. Old
15.A. serious B. nervous C. worried D. surprised
—Father’s Day is coming. Could you tell me ?
—What about a red silk tie? He’ll like it.
A. when I will give my father a surprise B. what gift I shall give my father
C. where I will have a big meal with my father D. if I will have a party for my father
— we had _______ Disneyland in Shanghai on May Day!
A. How fun; visiting B. What fun; visiting
C. How fun; to visit D. What fun; to visit
I think this piece of music sounds ______ than the song sung by Jay Chou.
A. more excited B. more exciting C. more excitedly D. more excitingly
