1.If I _______ another chance tomorrow, I will do it better.
2.It _________ all day yesterday, so the ground is all wet now.
3.The more careful you are , the fewer mistakes you _______.
4.—Haven’t seen you for ages！Where have you been?
— I __________ in Ningxia for one year , teaching as a volunteer.
5.─Why are you in such a hurry？
─My father’s car _______ down on the way．I have to go to help him．
1.Two_______ of the land in that district is covered with trees and flowers．
2.On my desk is a photo that my father took of__________when I was a baby．
3.He behaves so__________ in public that no one likes him．
4.They run to __________, away from the fire.
5.To make a green world，we should try to reduce air _______ by walking more and driving less．
1.Your can never imagine how much difficulty they had __________(控制) the ship in the storm．
2.We are_________(期待) to speak to the old politely.
3.The match is nice and it is __________(expensive) than others in the shop.
4.Pay no attention to those who laugh at you. What ______ (be important) most is how you see yourself.
5.The washing machine was running __________ after it was repaired.
It was the worst day of my professional life. My publisher shut down, and we had no idea if another publisher would take over my novel. In addition, my second novel hadn’t sold as well as the first one. It seemed that I was watching my career going downwards. It was so terrifying.
However, as I shared my fears with my mother, she said something I would never forget: “I would love you if you were a garbage man.” She wasn’t looking down upon garbage men. She was just saying that whatever my job was, she loved me. It was just her honest feeling at that moment, but those simple words are still the ones I use to fight so many of my fears today.
To this day, when I sit down to write every day, I say those words to myself, “I’d love you if you were a garbage man.” I can still feel the selflessness of my mother’s love.
A few years ago, my mother passed away because of breast cancer. It was she who set me on the path of writing a series of children’s books to give strength to my own children. The first two are I’m Amelia Earhart and I’m Abraham Lincoln. In six months, we’ll publish I’m Rosa Parks. For me, this isn’t just a book series. It’s my dream for my own daughter, for my sons, and for all of us who need to see the power and potential (潜力) in each of us.
This series was born also because I was tired of my daughter thinking that reality TV stars were heroes. I tell my kids all the time: That’s fame (名气). Fame is different from being a hero. I wanted my kids to see real heroes who are no different than themselves. For this reason, each book tells the story of the hero when he/she was a kid. We see them as children. So it’s not just Amelia Earhart and Abraham Lincoln being famous; it’s them being just like us.
Look around. We live in a world that desires heroes. Our solution is what my mother taught me with her words: the power of an ordinary person. I can proudly repeat my mother’s words to my kids. They’ll understand how I love them.
1.The author felt terrified because .
A. he was experiencing a difficult time in his career
B. his mother passed away because of breast cancer
C. he had no idea how to sell his second novel
D. he was given a job as a garbage man
2.What was the author’s understanding of his mum’s words?
A. Mum wanted him to be a garbage man.
B. Mum loved him no matter what he did.
C. Mum was looking down on garbage men.
D. Mum didn’t want him to continue writing novels.
3.What does “themselves” in the fifth paragraph refer to?
A. Real heroes. B. Children’s books. C. The author’s kids. D. Reality TV stars.
4.The author is trying to teach his children to .
A. respect real heroes B. behave themselves
C. be ordinary people D. realize their own potential
It’s no secret that reading is helpful. But can it help kids lose weight In the first study to look at the influence of literature on overweight teenagers, researchers at Duke Children’s Hospital discovered that reading the right type of novel may make a difference.
The Duke researchers asked overweight girls aged 9 to 13 who were already in a weight loss program to read a novel called Lake Rescue. It was carefully created with the help of pediatric experts (儿科专家) to include specific healthy lifestyle and weight management guidance, as well as positive messages and strong role models.
Six months later, the Duke researchers found the 31 girls who read Lake Rescue experienced a significant decrease (fall) in their BMI scores (-.71%) when compared to a control group of 14 girls who hadn’t (+.05%), explained Alexandra C. Russell, a fourth-year medical student at Duke who led the study.
“As a pediatrician, I can’t count the number of times I tell parents to buy a book that might provide useful advice, yet I’ve never been able to point to research to back up my recommendations,” says Sarah Armstrong, director of Duke’s Healthy Lifestyles Program where the research took place. “This is the first probable interventional (介入的) study that found literature can have a positive influence on healthy lifestyle changes in young girls.”
Obesity(肥胖） is becoming more widespread in children, according to the CDC (Centres for Disease Control), which reports that 16 percent of children aged 6 to 19 are overweight or obese, a number that has increased since 1980. Researchers are looking at a lot of ways to help kids stay healthy, lose weight and be more active, but Armstrong says, “most don’t work very well. The weight loss choices that are effective typically involve taking powerful medications with side effects, or require long-lasting surgical procedures.”
While the BMI decrease because of the book is small, Armstrong says any decrease in BMI is encouraging because BMI typically increases in children as they grow and develop. That’s okay as long as it follows a normal, progressing curve(曲线）. In overweight kids, however, BMI usually increases more quickly. “If their BMI percentile (百分位) goes down, it means they are either losing weight or getting tall and not gaining weight. Both are seen as positive signs in kids who are trying to lose weight,” she explains.
1.What did researchers at Duke Children’s Hospital do?
A. They tried to find out the reasons why kids are overweight.
B. They focused on the research into girls’ healthy lifestyle.
C. They studied whether literature could help lose weight.
D. They helped the girls to choose right books to read.
2.The underlined phrase “back up my recommendations” probably means “_____”.
A. influence my research B. change my opinion C. respect my study D. support my advice
3.Which of the following statements about the research is TRUE?
A. The researchers interviewed the girls and studied information.
B. Pediatric experts offered specific guidance to the research.
C. 16 percent of children aged from 9 to 13 were overweight.
D. The girls read a certain novel and gave their reports.
4.What’s the finding of the research?
A. That the girls all grew tall and lost weight after 6 months.
B. That the girls showed great interest in reading literature works.
C. That the girls who read Lake Rescue had a decrease in BMI.
D. That the girls needed to take powerful medications to lose weight.
Birthday Traditions in Different Countries
England
Certain symbolic objects are mixed into the birthday cake as it’s being prepared．If your piece of cake has a coin in it，then you will be rich．Also，when it’s your birthday，your friends give you the“bumps”．They lift you in the air by your hands and feet and raise you up and down to the floor；one for each year you lived，then another one or two for luck．
Denmark
A flag is flown outside a window to show that someone who lives in that house is having a birthday．Presents are placed around the child’s bed while he/she is sleeping，so he/she will see them at once upon awakening．
Holland
Special year birthdays such as 5，10，15，20，21 are called“crown”years．The birthday child receives an especially large gift on a crown year birthday．The family also decorates the birthday child’s chair at the dining room table with flowers，paper streamers and balloons．
Canada
The birthday child’s nose is greased（涂抹）with butter for good luck．The greased nose makes the child too slippery for bad luck to catch him/her．In some parts of Canada，the birthday person even receives a punch（一拳）for each year he/she is alive and then one for good luck．
Brazil
The birthday child receives a pull on the ear for each year he/she has been alive．The birthday person also gives the first plece of cake to his/her most special friend or relative，usually mom or dad．
Korea
There is a big family party on the first birthday．The table is set with food，and four items：a pencil，a ruler，thread，and money．The item that the baby chooses is said to forecast his/her future：excellent student，good with hands，long life or riches．
South Africa
On the twenty-first birthday，a key made of anything from paper to silver to gold is presented by the parents as a sign that the child is ready to unlock the door to their future．
1.If a British friend is raised up and down to the floor 21 times on his birthday，he is most likely（可能的）to be ．
A. 23 B. 22 C. 21 D. 20
2.The following tradition is mentioned in the passage EXCEPT for ．
A. receiving a pull on the face B. having a big family party
C. greasing butter on the nose D. placing presents around the child’s bed
3.In which countries do people celebrate their 21st birthday specially？
A. Canada and England． B. Holland and South Africa．
C. Brazil and Holland． D. Denmark and Korea．
4.The passage mainly tells us ．
A. people in different countries have their own special year birthdays
B. people always have a big birthday party at home in different countries
C. people in different countries celebrate their birthday in different ways
D. people always know a 1-year-old baby’s future from the item he chooses
