Thanksgiving Day is a very special day for people in the United States. They celebrate it on the last Thursday in November. Canadians also celebrate Thanksgiving Day, but they do it on the second Monday of October. In Britain, where this festival is called Harvest Festival, people celebrate it earlier in the year, in September.
A harvest is the fruit you take from the trees and the crops you take from the ground.
In North America and Britain, harvest time for most fruit and crops is in autumn. In these countries and other Christian places, people give thanks to God on a special day of the year. They thank God for the good things that have happened during the year and for the good harvest they have had. People usually take small boxes of fruit, flowers, and vegetables to their churches to show their thanks.
The first thanksgiving service in North America took place on December 4th, 1619 when 38 English people arrived in America to make their homes in the new country. They held this service not to thank God for the harvest, but to thank God for their safe journeys. The next year, many more English people arrived. They had a bad winter, but fortunately the harvest was good. They decided to celebrate it with a big meal. They shot and killed small animals to eat and cooked everything outside their houses and played games together. The festival lasted three days.
Nowadays, North Americans around the world get together with their family on this day to eat good food and have a happy time.
1.Day | ||
Where | People in the United States 2.and the UK celebrate it. | |
When | Americans celebrate the festival on the last 3.of November. Canadians celebrate it on the second Monday of October. The British celebrate it earlier, in 4. | |
Why | People thank God for the good things that have happened during the year and for the good 5.they have had. | |
How | In the past | The first thanksgiving service in North America was held by 38 English people to thank God because they arrived 6.. The next year people celebrate it with a big 7..They cooked everything outside their houses and played games 8. |
9. | North Americans 10.with their family to eat good food and enjoy themselves. | |
Surtsey was born in 1963.Scientists saw the birth of this island. It began at 7.30 a.m. on 14th November. A fishing boat was near Iceland. The boat moved under the captain's（船长）feet. He noticed a strange smell. He saw some black smoke. A volcano（火山）was breaking out. Red-hot rocks, fire and smoke were rushing up from the bottom（底部）of the sea. The island grew quickly. It was 10 meters high the next day and 60 meters high on 18th November. Scientists flew there to watch. It was exciting. Smoke and fire were still rushing up. Pieces of red-hot rock were flying into the air and falling into the sea. The sea was boiling and there was a strange light in the sky. Surtsey grew and grew. Then it stopped in June 1967.It was 175 meters high and 2 kilometers long. And life was already coming to Surtsey. Plants grew. Birds came. Some scientists built a house. They want to learn about this young island. A new island is like a new world.
1.Surtsey is ______.
A. an island not far from Iceland B. a new volcano C. a fishing boat D. a place in Iceland
2.Scientists flew there ______.
A. to watch the birth of the island B. to save the fishing boat
C. to learn about the island D. to build a house
3.When did scientist fly there to watch?
A. Before the volcano broke out. B. As soon as the volcano broke out.
C. About four days after the volcano broke out. D. After the volcano stopped rushing up.
4.Put the following sentences in correct order.
a. The captain found the boat was moving.
b. A new island appeared in the sea.
c. Fire, smoke and rocks were seen rushing up.
d. A fishing boat was near Iceland.
e. The island grew quickly.
A. d-a-c-b-e B. a-b-c-d-e C. a-b-e-c-d D. b-e-d-a-c
5.The best title of this article is ________.
A. A new island B. The birth of an island C. A new world D. Scientists discovered Surtsey
Victor had to stay late at the hospital that night to do an operation. He finally left at about 11 p.m. He drove home slowly because the weather was terrible--the wind was blowing and it was raining heavily. He was turning into a road when a man suddenly ran in front of his car. Victor almost hit the man, but he stopped just in time. Victor was afraid and the man looked afraid too. Victor got out of the car but the man ran away before Victor could ask if he was all right. It was very strange.
When Victor got home, the lights were on but it was very quiet. He called his wife but there was no answer. Then Victor remembered that she was out at a concert.
Victor was still very upset about what happened on the road, so he made himself a drink. Then he went upstairs to have a bath. He saw that the window in bedroom was open. This was strange because his wife always locked the doors and windows before she went out. She was afraid of burglars. When he went to close it, he found Ellen. She was lying on the floor. He rushed over and felt for her pulse(脉搏) but she was dead. He sat on the floor beside her body and was too afraid to do anything.
1.What did Victor do?
A. A doctor. B. A policeman. C. A judge. D. A taxi driver.
2.What happened when Victor was turning into a road that night?
A. A man stopped him and asked him the way.
B. His wife called him from the concert hall.
C. A man suddenly ran in front of his car.
D. A man hit his car with a big stone and ran away.
3.What did Victor find when he got home?
A. The bedroom window was closed. B. A burglar was in his house.
C. Ellen was waiting for him. D. Ellen was lying on the floor.
4.What did Victor do when he found Ellen dead?
A. He called the police at once.
B. He called out for help.
C. He tried to find out who killed his wife.
D. He sat beside his wife's body without knowing what to do.
One Sunday morning, I decided to buy a computer to use for school. I went to the biggest store in town, which sold all kinds of computers. There were so many computers there that I didn’t know how to choose a right one.
“Hi! What can I do for you?” A young man greeted me with a sweet smile. He looked like not a salesman but a student like me. I sensed a strange feeling -- as if I had met him before. He began patiently showing me each model. With his help, I decided to buy one computer with enough functions at a very low price. I enjoyed this shopping experience because of his smile. A few months later, something was wrong with my computer. I went back to the store to have it fixed. When I arrived there, what I saw was still his smile. As soon as I told him my problem, he comforted me immediately and tried his best to solve the problem for me. I was quite grateful for his sweet smile and good service.
When I went back to school, his smile often appeared in my mind. I don’t know whether we’ll meet each other again, but his sweet smile will stay there in my memory and deep in my heart. Smiling is the most peaceful language in the daily life.
1.After reading the story, we can know that the writer is a __________.
A. student B. salesman C. doctor D. reporter
2.According to the passage, why was the writer grateful to this salesman?
A. Because the salesman recommended the cheapest computer.
B. Because the salesman gave the writer his sweet smile and good service.
C. Because the salesman recommended the computer with enough functions.
D. Because the salesman showed how to use the computer correctly.
3.What does the writer mainly want to tell us in the story？
A. The way to choose a right computer.
B. The way to use a computer correctly.
C. The importance of smiling in the daily life.
D. The importance of computers in the daily life.
As she walked round the large shop, Edith realized how difficult it was to choose a suitable Christmas ______ for her father.
She wished that he were as easy to please as her mother, who was always_______ with all kinds of perfume(香水). Besides, shopping at this time of the year was a most ______ job. People in shops ______ on your feet, pushed you with their shoulders and almost _______ you over in their hurry in order to ______ something cheap ahead of you.
Partly to have a rest, Edith paused in front of a counter, where some beautiful ties were on show. "They are ________ silk," the shop assistant told her with a smile, trying to _______ her to buy one. But Edith knew from past ______ that her choice of ties hardly ever pleased her father.
She moved on slowly and then, quite by chance_______ where a small crowd of men had gathered round a counter. She found some fine pipes on sale and the _______ were very beautiful. Edith did not hesitate(犹豫) for long,_______ her father only smoked a pipe once in a while, she believed this was_______ to please him.
When she got home, with her small but well-chosen present hidden in her handbag, it was time for supper and her parents were already________ table. Her mother was in great excitement. "Your father has at last decided to stop smoking," she told her daughter happily. Edith was very ______ . She could not say a single word.
1.A. stocking B. card C. tree D. gift
2.A. tired B. mad C. satisfied D. familiar
3.A. unhappy B. careful C. exciting D. boring
4.A. walked B. stepped C. landed D. stood
5.A. turned B. rolled C. covered D. knocked
6.A. watch B. find C. grasp D. sell
7.A. real B. cheap C. poor D. exact
8.A. order B. ask C. force D. advise
9.A. experience B. experiment C. knowledge D. education
10.A. stopped B. left C. started D. remained
11.A. models B. colours C. shapes D. materials
12.A. because B. since C. although D. unless
13.A. luckily B. impossibly C. possibly D. certainly
14.A. on B. by C. beside D. at
15.A. glad B. happy C. surprised D. excited
--Andy was really a dark horse in the competition!
-- . Few people expected him to win in it.
A. I can't agree B. Me too
C. That's right D. Good idea
