Early one morning, more than a hundred years ago, an American inventor called Elias Howe finally fell asleep. He had been working all night on the design of a sewing machine but he had run into a very difficult problem: It seemed really hard to get the thread(线) to run smoothly around the needle(针).
Though he was tired, Howe slept badly. He turned and turned. Then he had a dream. He dreamed that he had been caught by terrible soldiers whose king wanted to kill him and eat him unless he could build a perfect sewing machine. When he tried to do so, Howe ran into the same problem as before. The thread kept getting caught around the needle. The king flew into the prison and ordered his soldiers to kill Howe. They came up towards him with their spears(矛) raised. But suddenly the inventor noticed something. There was a hole in the tip of each spear. The inventor awoke from the dream, realizing that he had just found the answer to the problem. Instead of trying to get the thread to run around the needle, he should make it run through a small hole in the center of the needle. This was the simple idea that finally made Howe design and build the first really practical sewing machine.
Elias Howe was not the only one in finding the answer to his problem in this way. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric light, said his best ideas came into him in dreams. So did the great physicist Albert Einstein. Charlotte Bronte also drew in her dreams in writing Jane Eyre.
To know the value of dreams, you have to understand what happens when you are asleep. Even then, a part of your mind is still working. This unconscious(无意识的), but still active part understands your experiences and goes to work on the problems you have had during the day. It stores all kinds of information that you may have forgotten or never have really noticed. It is only when you fall asleep that this part of the brain can send messages to the part you use when you are awake. However, the unconscious part acts in a special way. It uses strange images(图像) which the conscious part may not know at first. This is why dreams are sometimes called“secret messages to ourselves ”.
1.According to the passage, Elias Howe was _______.
A. the first person that solved problems in his sleep
B. much more hard-working than other inventors
C. the first person to design a sewing machine that really worked
D. the only person at the time who knew the value of dreams
2.The problem Howe was trying to solve was _______.
A. what kind of thread to use
B. where to put the needle
C. how to design a needle which would not break
D. how to prevent the thread from getting caught around the needle
3.Thomas Edison is spoken of because _______.
A. he also tried to invent a sewing machine B. he got some of his ideas from dreams
C. he was one of Howe's best friends D. he also had difficulty in falling asleep
4.What does the underlined phrase “secret messages to ourselves” mean?
A. Strange images are used to communicate ideas.
B. Images which have no meaning are used.
C. We can never understand the real meaning.
D. Some specially trained people can know them.
Depression(抑郁症)is a serious problem today. One expert says that depression is like cancer because it is “widespread, costly and deadly”. Depression hits one person in five around the world. Over any six-month period, between five to seven percent of the world's population will be suffering from a serious depression．
A recent research shows that the more teenagers watch television, the more likely they are to develop depression as young adults.
The researchers used a nationwide long-term survey of teenage health to investigate(调查) the relationship between media(传播媒介) use and depression. They based their findings on more than four thousand teenagers who were not depressed when the survey began in 2000.
As part of the survey, the young people were asked how many hours of television or videos they watched daily. They were also asked how often they played computer games and listened to the radio. Media use totaled an average of five and one-half hours a day. More than two hours of that was spent watching TV.
Seven years later, in 2007, more than seven percent of the young people had signs of depression. The average age at that time was twenty-one.
The researchers say they did not find any such relationship with the use of other media such as movies, video games of radio etc. But the study did find that every extra hour of television meant an eight percent increase in the chances of developing signs of depression. Young men were more likely than young women to develop depression given the same amount of media use.
The study didn’t explore if watching TV causes depression. But one possibility is that it was taking time away from activities that could help prevent depression.
Last December, the journal Social Indicators Research published a study of activities that help lead to happy lives. Sociologists from the University of Maryland found that people who describe themselves as happy spend less time watching television than unhappy people. The study found that happy people are more likely to be socially active, to read, to take part in religious services and to vote.
1.The survey shows that of all the media uses.
A. most teenagers prefer to listen to the radio
B. teenagers enjoy watching TV very much
C. computer games are teenagers’ favourite
D. magazines are mentioned in the survey
2.The result of the research seems to prove.
A. media uses do no harm to teenagers
B. teenagers are more likely to develop depression
C. those who don’t watch TV won’t develop depression
D. TV probably causes teenagers to grow up with depression
3.According to the passage, we can infer that _______.
A. watching TV may lead to happiness
B. social activities can prevent depression
C. a teenager should play more video games instead of watching TV
D. it was easier for young women to develop depression than young men
4.What is the best title for this passage?
A. Media use is harmful to teenagers
B. Adults, Media use and Depression
C. Teens, Television and Depression
D. Take great care of teenager’s depression
While good grades and test are the basic requirements for getting into college, after-school activities are becoming more important in the college selection process in the US. As entrance into college has become more difficult, colleges have looked more at what skills you have. Taking part in after-school activities is a great way to succeed in school.
High School Clubs
Most high schools have a lot of clubs and activities, so it is easy to find something that you are interested in. Colleges look for students who will also be active other than test scores. There are many clubs in school, such as the drama club and a book club. You may even be able to find a club related to a job, such as Future Teachers of America.
High School Sports
If you want to go to college and want to take part in sports at a college level, then this fact just might give you a chance. It is generally a good idea to focus on one single sport. If you plan on sports opening college doors and leading to college scholarships, it would be better if you decide which sport to do. In this way, you will have enough time to build their skills.
High School Publications(出版物)
Another smart way to be active in high school and show colleges that you are interested in activities more than academics(学术) is to be a part of their school’s newspaper or magazine. There may be an actual class you can join or you may join a club. Being in high school publications can be very helpful, particularly if you want to major(主修) in English or in education in college.
1.After-school activities include all of the following except ________.
A. joining a club B. doing a part-time job
C. taking part in sports D. working on school’s newspaper or magazine
2.Being a club member may help students ________.
A. improve their EnglishB.get higher scores in subjects
B. make more good friends D.know something about jobs
3.We can learn from the passage that ________.
A. the US colleges like good grades and test better
B. the US colleges consider it important to be good at sports
C. you should be a part of school’s newspaper or magazine
D. you have to find a club to join in high schools in the US
4.Which of the following students will get useful information from this passage?
A. Sarah is thinking about starting her own business after graduation.
B. Ann likes writing and she would like to choose English as her major in college.
C. Leon is interested in acting and he wants to join the school’s drama club.
D. Chris has difficulty in getting along with the other members in the basketball team.
A LITTLE PRINCESS Author(作者): Frances Hodgson Burnett ￥18.3 (online) Motherless Sara Crewe was sent home from India to school at Miss Minchin’s. Her father was very rich and she lived a rich and comfortable life. Then her father died and Sara lost everything. She had to learn to do with her changed life. Her strong character made her able to fight successfully against anything. It’s an excellent book with 4 tapes for children. |
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| PETER PAN Author: J.M Barrie ￥15 (in bookstores) ￥12 (online) It is a children’s story full of imagination and adventures, which is about Wendy, John and Michael Darling’s adventures in Never-Never Land with Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up. The children are happy and lovely. (with 2 tapes) | ||
UNCLE TOM’S CABIN Author: Harriet Beecher Stowe ￥20 (in bookstores) The most famous novel in American history, Uncle Tom’s Cabin talked about the struggle(战争) between free states and slave(奴隶) states during the American Civil War（内战）and is as powerful today as when it first came out 165 years ago. |
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| THE SECRET GARDEN Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett ￥35 (in bookstores) ￥30 (online) Mary Lennox, a sick orphan, finds herself in her uncle’s dark house. Why are so many rooms locked? Why is one of the gardens locked? And what is that crying she hears at night? Through the power of hope, friendship and the magic of nature, the brave girl brings the house and a long-lost garden back to life. | ||
1.We can know from the passage that _________.
A. there are three books with tapes
B. we can buy the 4 books in bookstores
C. two of the books are written by Frances Hodgson Burnett
D. the books are cheaper in bookstores than online
2.Which of the following is about UNCLE TOM’S CABIN?
A. It first came out in the 1950s.
B. It’s about the struggle during the American Civil War.
C. A brave girl successfully fought against slaves.
D. It’s a famous American novel full of imagination and adventures.
3.In ________ Mary brings the house and a garden back to life with the help of the power of hope, friendship and nature’s magic.
A. A LITTLE PRINCESS B. PETER PAN
C. THE SECRET GARDEN D. UNCLE TOM’S CABIN
When Roy entered the tiny bookshop, Mr. Banner looked up at him, annoyed.
‘‘You’re late again,” he said.
“Sorry,” Roy said. “I had a lot of ___ to do.”
Mr. Banner rolled his eyes and walked away.
Roy’s mother had a tiny apartment but a big ___. She was so kind-hearted. Ever since Roy could ___, a lot of orphans (孤儿) had lived with them. So he had to help in the house.
Roy worked his way up one side of a narrow aisle (过道) and back down the other. Every now and then（不时地）, he glanced（瞥一眼）at Mr. Banner who gradually fell into ___ in his chair. Roy walked ___ to the back of the aisle and reached for the top shelf. He carefully ___ a book The Little Book of Fairy Tales, then sat on the floor and opened it. Within minutes, Roy went into a world of giants, queens and talking wolves. Every day, Roy got ___ in the fairy-tale world while Mr. Banner was dreaming in his chair. Every day he would find a new place to put the book so that no one could see it and ___ it.
Roy felt bad about ___ the book. He thought Mr. Banner would be ___ if he knew. But Roy loved those fairy-tale worlds. Most importantly, he could tell the children the fairy tales in the book and they always listened to him with great ___.
Then one day, something ___ happened. Mr. Banner told Roy he had ___ the bookshop and then he showed him a book. It was The Little Book of Fairy Tales. “Maybe those kids at home will like this,” Mr. Banner said. Mr. Banner had known his ___ all along! Roy tried to say “Thank you,” but his voice was too ___. He took a deep breath, and said loudly, “Thank you.” The old man smiled, “You’re welcome.”
1.A. homework B. reasons C. housework D. problems
2.A. heart B. head C. decision D. smile
3.A. imagine B. remember C. think D. guess
4.A. silence B. thought C. sadness D. sleep
5.A. proudly B. shyly C. quietly D. calmly
6.A. took down B. turned down C. showed off D. knocked off
7.A. lost B. hurt C. sick D. tired
8.A. borrow B. steal C. discuss D. buy
9.A. reading B. hiding C. copying D. borrowing
10.A. mad B. thankful C. frightened D. pleased
11.A. effort B. interest C. purpose D. help
12.A. similar B. rare C. bad D. unfair
13.A. sold B. locked C. owned D. broken
14.A. history B. way C. dream D. secret
15.A. clear B. soft C. tired D. hopeless
Do you mind my smoking here ? . Look at the sign . It says “No Smoking”.
A. Of course not B. Never mind C. No , I don’t D. You’d better not
