"I just gave birth to 5 babies last weekend." Isn't that exciting? Oh, you don't believe me? "Okay then, I stole some money from a bank on Saturday night." Now do you believe me? Actually, I hope you don't. April 1st, or April Fool's Day is the day when we play jokes on people. Do you have it in your country?
April Fool's Day started in the sixteenth century in Europe. Before that time, New Year's Day was celebrated on April 1st. If they were teased, they were called fools.
Nowadays we play jokes on people on April 1st. For example, someone might put salt in the sugar bottle, so another person could put it in his coffee "by accident". Or someone might change the time on another person's alarm clock so that the person would unknowingly wake up earlier or later than planned. Or maybe a person would tell a lie to make someone else shocked.
After we play the trick, we say "April Fool". Then the poor person realizes he has been fooled. It is generally done in the spirit of fun and doesn't cause any real harm to anyone. Do you have any great jokes to play on anyone? Try it out.
1.Before the sixteenth century, New Year's Day was on _______.
A.April 1st B.January 1st C.October 1st D.February 1st
2.Which of the following situations doesn't make you "April Fool"?
A.Someone might put salt in the sugar bottle, then I could put it in my coffee "by accident".
B.A man might take my bag by mistake, then he could say sorry to me.
C.Someone might change the time on my alarm clock, then I would unknowingly wake up earlier or later than planned.
D.A person would tell a lie to make me shocked.
3.Sometimes people lie to shock someone on_______.
A.New Year's Day B.Christmas Day C.April Fool's Day D.Thanks giving Day
4.In the 2nd paragraph, the closest meaning of the underlined word "teased" is in English.
A.hit B.criticized C.laughed at D.shocked
5.What should be the right attitude(态度) towards "April Fool"?
A.It is generally done in the spirit of fun and doesn't cause any real harm to anyone.
B.It is done for the real fools.
C.We needn't say "April Fool" when we play jokes on people on April 1st.
D.Don't play jokes on others.
Cars make our lives more convenient. But they can also be a problem. For example, fossil fuel(化石燃料) cars mainly cause air pollution.
To improve the environment, many countries are developing electric vehicles (EVs, 电动车). Among them, China is taking a leading role and has created the world's largest EV market.
Last year, over 40 percent of the 753,000 EVs sold in the world were sold in China, more than twice as many as the number sold in the United States.
"Filling up a fossil fuel car with gas(汽油) is more expensive than charging (充电) an electric car，" said Wu Hao, who bought an electric car this year.
However, there are still some problems. It can be hard to find charging piles(充电桩) and the cars can't go far before needing to be recharged.
Some of these problems are being solved. In 2014，China had 31,000 charging piles. Now China has the world's largest EV charging network, with more than 167, 000 charging piles in total.
Developing EVs is one of many efforts that China has made to cut down pressure on its environment after the government promised to stop increases in carbon dioxide emissions(二氧化碳排放量) by 2030.
"As China goes, so will the world's car industry," The Wall Street Journal said. China has taken a leading role in the world's electric vehicle industry.
1._______ mainly cause air pollution according to the passage.
A.Subways B.Sharing bikes C.Electric vehicles D.Fossil fuel cars
2.Over _______ electric vehicles were sold in China last year.
A.150, 600 B.167,000 C.301, 200 D.753,000
3.What does Wu Hao think of charging an electric car?
A.It's more expensive than filling up a fossil fuel car with gas.
B.It's less expensive than filling up a fossil fuel car with gas.
C.It's as expensive as filling up a fossil fuel car with gas.
D.It's as cheap as filling up a fossil fuel car with gas.
4.Which country has the world's largest EV charging network now?
A.America. B.Germany. C.China. D.England.
5.What is the passage mainly about?
A.China has taken a leading role in the world's electric vehicle industry.
B.Electric cars will disappear in the future.
C.There is no problem using electric cars.
D.How to deal with air pollution.
The coffee shop Starbucks will give people a discount if they bring their own cups. It wants to cut down on the number of paper cups that are put in the rubbish bins. It is part of a two-month experiment in cafes in England. Starbucks wants to reduce waste and recycle more, The president of Starbucks in the UK said, "We are very happy to increase recycling rates(比率)，and reusable cups are a key part of our waste reduction plan." Bosses will decide later if they will continue the discounts. People who bring their own cups will not get a discount on the cafe's cheaper filter coffee.
The problem of paper cups has been in the news a lot. Around seven million cups are thrown away every day. Reporters say that some cafes lie about how many paper cups they recycle. The reporters say the cafes do not recycle as many cups as they say. Customers wrongly believe that a coffee shop is environmentally friendly. Less than one in 400 paper cups at coffee shops are recycled. A coffee drinker said she would bring her own cup. She said, "I am so sad that cafes recycle so little. I thought they were more responsible."
1.Starbucks will give people discounts if they bring their _______.
A.families B.pets C.cups D.friends
2.How long will the discounts of the experiment in cafes last in England?
A.Two weeks. B.Two months. C.Two years. D.Ten years.
3.What do people waste in the cafes?
A.Cheaper coffee. B.Filter coffee. C.Paper cups. D.Water.
4.People feel _______ when they know cafes waste a lot of paper cups.
A.surprised B.excited C.happy D.sad
5.The passage is mainly about _______.
A.food B.drinks C.health D.environment
Inventions | |
| The first telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. It made communications easier. But the telephones were only fixed in post offices. People had to go there to make calls to faraway people and the fees were very high. Later, a cellphone was developed in 1973 in America. It was one of the most useful inventions. People can use cellphones to communicate with others much more easily. They can take them anywhere to make private calls, even vision calls (可视电话). Cellphones have many other functions, such as sending messages, taking photos and reading online. |
| The first TV set was invented by an English scientist, John Baird, in 1926. The invention helped people watch films at home instead of going to the cinema as before. At first, TV sets only broadcast black - white pictures. Several years later, colored TV sets made the pictures lively. However, they were heavy and thick, so it was difficult to move them. Then, digital TV sets came into being. They are light and thin. Many TV programs are available (可获得的) at any time. At present, people can use the IPTV( 网络电视) to record and replay programs. |
| The first modern computer was invented in America in 1946. It was as big as a room. It improved the speed and exactitude of calculation (计算). In the 1950s, desktop computers were invented in the same country. They became smaller and could be put on the desk. Since then, they have become very important in many fields of work and leisure. Before the 1970s, the computers were single. It was the Internet that joined the computers into a big family, so they could share information with one another. Around 1985, laptops were developedin Japan. They were much smaller and could be put on people's laps. They were light and easy to take. |
1.The first cellphone was invented.
A.in 1876 B.in 1926 C.in 1946 D.in 1973
2.People could watch films before 1926.
A.in the cinema B.on the computer
C.on the cellphone D.on TV
3.A scientist from _invented desktop computers.
A.China B.the USA C.the UK D.Japan
4.The first modem computer was used for?
A.calculating
B.joining the computers into a big family
C.playing games
D.sharing information with one another
5.Which of the following is right?
A.Cellphones can't be used for making vision calls.
B.Digital TV sets are light and thick.
C.The first modem computer was as big as a desktop computer.
D.The Internet connects computers together.
Years ago, I celebrated my 40th birthday with my friends. I arrived at the restaurant ahead of time, ________I waited outside the restaurant. Then a homeless man came up to me and asked for ________. I had been given strict orders by my friends not to bring my wallet in case(以防) I paid for the meal. So I told the man that I had________money. He quietly smiled at me, and then left.
Just then a friend who just arrived called out "Happy birthday!" Hearing this, the man turned and asked, "Hey man, it's your birthday today?" "Yes, it is", I said. He________, smiling and said loudly, "Happy birthday, man!" But I could hardly imagine what happened next. The man reached into his pocket, pulled out a dollar bill and said "Here man, take this."
Though I was________his action, I didn't want to accept money from a homeless man. I said, "Thanks. That's really________of you, but that's OK." The man looked directly into my eyes and said, "Please take this." I still hesitated (犹豫)to accept this________, but I heard a voice within me shouting, "TAKE THE MONEY!" I hesitantly reached out and said, "Thank you". Excitedly, he caught my________, gave me the dollar and said, "No, thank you brother!"
That experience made me feel like I had got far more than $1! This was one of my greatest life________: No matter how poor we may be, we always have something valuable to__________with others.
1.A.until B.if C.so D.but
2.A.money B.food C.opinions D.directions
3.A.some B.no C.much D.enough
4.A.returned B.appeared C.jumped D.explained
5.A.angry about B.worried about C.surprised at D.proud of
6.A.nice B.silly C.wrong D.clever
7.A.news B.invitation C.job D.gift
8.A.leg B.hand C.feet D.eyes
9.A.meetings B.plans C.competitions D.lessons
10.A.share B.learn C.remember D.find
—My zipper won't work. Could you help me repair it, Bill?
—________
A.Don't mention it. B.Sure, with pleasure.
C.Never mind. D.It doesn't matter.
