According to research, an average (普通的) American kid watches TV for about 3 to 4 hours a day. That means he or she spends more than one and a half months a year in front of the TV. But some American kids are just saying “No” to TV.
Take Meghan Kelley from Pembroke, Massachusetts for example. She used to spend a lot of her free time in front of the TV. But several years ago, Meghan gave up her TV habits. Her days of watching TV ended when she and her classmates took part in Screen-Free Week. Screen-Free Week is on the first week of May every year. It is an event where children, families and schools are encouraged to turn off their TVs, computers, DVD players, iPads and so on and “turn on life” — read, enjoy nature, and spend time with family and friends.
After the first week, Meghan decided to test herself further (进一步). “I wanted to see how long I could go without TV,” said Meghan. “Could I do it for a year?” The answer was yes!
Although sometimes she misses TV, Meghan finds life without TV more interesting. She joined two soccer clubs and now plays basketball. Because Meghan is studying more, she’s also getting much better grades.
根据材料内容判断正（T）误（F）。
1.An average American kid watches TV for more than 20 hours a week.
2.The writer thinks older kids could watch TV more often.
3.Screen-Free Week helped Meghan Kelley give up her TV habits.
4.Meghan Kelley found it hard to live without TV at first.
5.Meghan Kelley has never missed TV since she gave up her TV habits.
There are many different kinds of festivals around the world. Here are four of them.
Saint Patrick’s Day in Ireland
Ireland is an island country. It’s in the west of Europe. There are wide green fields.
Saint Patrick’s Day is on March 17. It’s an important holiday in Ireland. This holiday is to remember Saint Patrick. He did good things for the people of Ireland.
During the holiday, there are parades (游行) and lots of green. You can see people in green clothes, and you can even see green buildings.
Red Wednesday in Iran
Red Wednesday is a fire jumping festival in Iran. It is on the eve of the last Wednesday of the year. People jump over the fire. They hope that it will take all the bad things away.
The Winter Carnival in Canada
When winter comes, it’s party time in Quebec City, Canada. The Quebec Winter Carnival is all about outdoor fun. It starts from the first Sunday in February and lasts for 10 days.
One of the most popular events is the dog sled (雪橇) race. It has more than 30 teams and the race goes on for 6 kilometers. You can see joy and happiness on every face.
The Desert Festival in Tunisia
Tunisia is a very important country in North Africa. Every year on the last Sunday in December, the Desert Festival is held in Tunisia. As “ships of the desert”, camels have the leading role in the festival. There are camel racing and camel wrestling (摔跤).
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。（5分）
1.On Saint Patrick’s Day, you can see the following EXCEPT ______.
A. camels B. parades C. people in green D. green buildings
2.What do people do on Red Wednesday in Iran?
A. They run in the snow. B. They wear red clothes.
C. They jump over the fire. D. They watch the camel racing.
3.Which of the following is TRUE about the dog sled race according to the passage?
A. The race happens on March 17. B. The race goes on for 6 kilometers.
C. The race has a history of about 10 years. D. About 30 people go to the race every year.
4.When is the Desert Festival in Tunisia every year?
A. On the first Sunday in February. B. On the last Sunday in December.
C. On the eve of the last Friday of the year. D. On the eve of the last Wednesday of the year.
5.Where can we probably find this passage?
A. In a storybook. B. In a cookbook. C. In a travel magazine. D. In a sport magazine.
Are you learning English and do you need help with grammar? Do you want to learn new vocabulary or slang (俚语)? Well, you can find help online with these top 5 free English as a Second Language websites.
Dave’s ESL Café
This is a complete website that can help you learn and practice English. You can read many stories and do a lot of exercises to test your self. You c an also post questions and answers onto the help center.
About.com
You can get free English courses from About.com and you’ll get regular e-mails that will help you learn English.
The Classroom by Voice of America
You can watch videos and listen to news stories to improve your listening and vocabulary skills. You can also hear English words and their meanings.
Heinle’s Newbury House Dictionary of American English
Do you need to find the definition of a word? Use this online dictionary to find simple and clear definitions, as well as example sentences and idioms (习语). You can also find different cultural facts.
Perso nal English Portal (门户网站) on YouTube
You can watch this series of videos on YouTube to develop your listening skills. You can also do a search for “learn English” on YouTube to find other videos. This is a good way to practice English and have fun.
1.If you want to do English exercises and test yourself, you can go to .
A. About.com B. YouTube
C. Dave’s ESL Cafe D. the Classroom by Voice of America
2.You can at the help center on the website Dave’s ESL Cafe.
A. watch videos and pictures
B. listen to news and music
C. watch movies and matches
D. read questions and answers
3.About.com often sends e-mails to its visitors to help them .
A. get relaxed B. have fun
C. become famous D. learn English
4.The underlined word “definition” means “ ” in Chinese.
A. 来源 B. 释义
C. 意图 D. 背景
5.From Heinle’s Newbury House Dictionary of American English, you can find .
A. cultural information B. online libraries
C. interesting news D. many storybooks
What do children think about when it comes to Christmas?
Many children______the world think about holidays, Christmas trees and special times with the family. They think about a big Christmas lunch and_________carols.
Christmas is_____December 25 every year. Preparations for Christmas start many weeks_____.Younger children write a letter to Santa Claus to tell him what presents they want. Saint Nicholas lived many years ago. He was a good Christian man who helped and gave_________to poor children. Children are often well behaved this time of year because they are told that Santa won’t visit them_________they have been good.
Children, with their parents and grandparents, made up their home. They_________some colored paper on the windows. A Christmas tree_____ with lights, colored balls and fake snow. Many children make their own at school and are very_________of putting them up for their family.
Christmas cards arrive in the post from friends and family near and_______. The fridge is filled _____ food, fruit, nuts and chocolates. A day or two before Christmas, the turkey appears in the fridge and takes up all the _______.
Children are encouraged to give something to the _____ lucky at Christmas time. They should also remember people who are______ and do not have family. Children buy or make presents for their family members. Adults try to teach them that it is______ to give than to receive.
1.A. around B. over C. about D. near
2.A. sing B. singing C. to sing D. will sing
3.A. for B. at C. in D. on
4.A. before B. after C. later D. since
5.A. flowers B. gifts C. love D. smell
6.A. unless B. until C. if D. while
7.A. put away B. put out C. put up D. put on
8.A. cover B. covers C. is covered D. is covering
9.A. relaxed B. happy C. pride D. proud
10.A. away B. far C. except D. besides
11.A. with B. of C. in D. on
12.A. food B. fruit C. chocolates D. space
13.A. more B. much C. less D. even
14.A. alone B. lonely C. brave D. dangerous
15.A. better B. best C. less D. least
A:Li Mei, as a ninth-grade student, you must be very tired, right?
B:Yes. We’re going to take the most important examination and we must review every subject.
A:(51) 1.
B:No. I have to get up at a quarter past six every morning and go to bed very late.
A:Why do you get up so early?
B:(52) 2.
A:Does your mother also get up so early?
B:Yes. She cooks breakfast for me. (53) 3.
A:Your mother is so kind. Well, how do you memorize English words?
B:(54) 4.
A:Sounds great. (55) 5. I want to learn from you.
B:OK, if you think it will help.
A.By making word cards.
B.I have trouble learning new words.
C.Do you feel tired?
D.Can you get enough sleep every day?
E.She wants me to keep healthy.
F.What did you do?
G.Because I have to memorize English words.
—We’re going to have a party for mothers on Mother’s Day.
—______.May I join you?
A. No problem B. Have a good trip
C. Sounds like fun D. Sorry to hear that
