Play Ball!
If someone asks you to go to an association football（英式足球）game， will you be interested? Association football is known as soccer in the US. It is the world most widely played sport. Games similar to soccer were played as long as two thousand years ago in China! Modem soccer got its name from association football, a game played in England in the mid-1800s. The word association was shortened to assoc and it was finally turned into soccer.
The first soccer clubs were formed in England in the 1850s. The first professional（职业的）players joined in the 1880s. Soccer quickly spread across Europe and became very popular in countries such as Spain, Italy, and Germany. Soccer even spread to countries in faraway South America. People seemed to like how simple the game is. All you need to play are a ball and two goals. Everything else comes from the players. Soccer still remains very popular in both Europe and South America.
One of the best and most famous of these professionals is Edson Arantes do Nascimento. He is better known by his
Nickname, Pelé. Pelé was born in Brail, a country in South America. With Pelé's help, Brazil won three World Cup titles from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. Today, he is still one of the all-time leading scorers in World Cup history with12 goals. The International Olympic Committee named Pelé Soccer Player of the Century in 1999.
The World Cup is the worldwide soccer competition that is held every four years, once for women and once for men. Millions of people worldwide watch the matches on television. The first Women's World Cup match was played in 1991 in China.
It took longer for soccer to be accepted in the US than it did in other places around the world. A different kind of football was already played in this country. People were not eager（热切的）to try another form. After Pelé joined the New York Cosmos in 1975, soccer became more popular in the US. It continues to grow in popularity. Today, soccer is the second favorite sport for kids in the US!
1.What is association football known as in the US?
2.When were the first soccer clubs formed in England?
3.How many World Cup titles from the late 1950s to the early 1970s did Brazil win?
4.Where was the first Women's World Cup match played?
5.Why did it take longer for soccer to be accepted in the US?
Imagine you could remember everything that ever happened to you. The detail（细节）of every book you have ever read. Every moment in class you have ever taken. A perfect memory sounds like a wish come true, doesn't it?
But as the old saying goes, Be careful what you wish for. Believe it or not, there are some people in the world who have near perfect memories of their experiences. They remember almost every detail about almost every day of their lives. People with this ability have a "highly superior autobiographical memory（超级自传体记忆）," or HSAM.
If you are asked this evening to describe the events of your day in as much as detail as possible, you will probably do pretty well. But if I ask you to provide details about what you did on March 3, 2012, do you know what day of the week it was? What did you eat for lunch? Was it cold that day? You would have no idea where to even begin.
A person with HSAM would be able to provide all those details for almost any day of his or her life. In addition to（除了）every great moment they remember, they also remember each time they were embarrassed（难堪）or deeply sad. The negative（消极的）events replay in their minds in equal detail as the great moments. Sometimes，forgetting isn’t such a bad thing.
In fact, for most of us, forgetting is a natural part of how our brains function（运转）. If we don't need to remember something or try to make an effort to remember it, the information fades away（消逝）and is lost. But for those people with HSAM, the problem is that they are unable to forget. All of their experiences, even the most unimportant， remain clear to them all the time.
Research has shown that the brains of people with HSAM do not simply function differently than other brains; their brains are structurally different. By studying the brains of people with HSAM, scientists may be able to find ways of helping others have better memories—not perfect memories with an inability to forget, but better memories.
1.The writer mentions three questions in Paragraph 3 to show that .
A.many people would like to share their life experience with others
B.few people can describe the events of the present moments
C.some people find it difficult to tell others about their life
D.most people can't remember lots of details in the past
2.People with HSAM .
A.often feel sorry or deeply sad for others
B.want negative events to stay clear in their minds
C.remember both great and bad moments in details
D.forget their unimportant experiences in daily life
3.The writer probably agrees that .
A.practice makes memory perfect
B.forgetting is important and helpful
C.people should remember everything
D.scientists should help people with HSAM
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.The Importance of Memory
B.The Imperfect Gift of Memory
C.The New Research of Memory
D.The Advantages of People with HSAM
Green Roofs （屋顶）
Why would anyone want to plant a garden on a roof? People are finding out that it is good for the environment and good for them.
Cities can be as much as four to ten degrees warmer than the countryside. Green rooftops can help cool the air in cities. One green roof will not do much to change the temperature of a city. However, when more buildings begin to convert their rooftops to green spaces, it can make a real difference. Buildings that are cooler also use air conditioning less often. This reduces the amount of energy a building uses.
Cities are usually more polluted than other areas. The plants on the rooftops can even help clean the air. Gardens in the city can also provide a place for birds and bugs to live.
One unusual rooftop garden is on the rooftop of Children's Hospital in Missouri. The garden covers an area of 7,500 square feet. It is a place for the children and parents to relax and be close to nature without leaving the hospital. The garden has flowers, fountains（喷泉）, and even a goldfish pond.
Another interesting garden is on the rooftop of the Royal York Hotel in Canada. The hotel's cooks can pick herbs（草本植物）they use fresh from the roof. Some other hotels and restaurants have rooftop gardens to grow plants. They just need gardeners to care for them. Rooftop gardens can dry out quickly in the summer sun, and vegetables need frequent watering.
Not all buildings have green rooftops. For one thing, green rooftops can be more expensive than traditional rooftops. Also, a roof needs to be flat and strong enough to support the weight of the garden.
In the past, not many people knew about rooftop gardens and how good they could be for the environment. But it is changing. You may want to keep your eyes on the skies when you walk the streets in your town or city. You never know when you might catch a look of a secret garden many feet above the ground.
1.The word "convert" in Paragraph 2 probably means“ ” .
A.connect B.move C.change D.take
2.The sixth paragraph is mainly about .
A.why it is difficult to have green rooftops
B.when all buildings can have green rooftops
C.what buildings need to have green rooftops
D.how to make all buildings have green rooftops
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Cooks of hotels and restaurants care for plants in rooftop gardens.
B.Rooftop gardens in hospitals should be larger and more beautiful.
C.Rooftop gardens help people save a lot of money.
D.More and more people begin to know rooftop gardens.
Take a Moment to Really See
I was driving to a meeting and I was planning in my mind what I was going to say. I came to a very busy crossroads but the stop light just turned red. "All right，" I thought to myself. "I can beat the next light if I race ahead of the line."
Suddenly my thought was broken by an unforgettable sight（情景）. A young couple, both blind, were walking am-in-arm across the busy crossroads. They couldn't see. Cars were running by in every direction. Each of them held a white cane（手杖） which helped them to cross the road.
I was moved. They were fighting against blindness. "Wouldn't it be terrible to be blind?" I thought. My line of thought was quickly broken by what I saw: the couple were not walking in the crosswalk， but into the path （路） of oncoming cars. I was frightened.
But I didn't see an accident. Something wonderful happened. Every car in every direction came to a stop almost at the same time. Suddenly a driver stuck（伸出） his head out of his car and shouted, "To your right. To your right!" Other people followed, shouting, "To your right!" They all wanted to help.
Without a stop, the couple changed their direction. They trusted their white canes and the help of some caring people. They came to the other side of the road safely..
I have thought of this situation many times since it happened and have learned something from it. "Slow down and smell the roses." Do yourself a favor as you walk through life. Take time to look around and really see what is going on around you right now. Maybe you are missing something wonderful.
1.What was wrong with the couple?
A.They couldn't hear.
B.They couldn't talk.
C.They couldn't walk.
D.They couldn't see.
2.The writer felt when the couple were walking into the path of oncoming cars.
A.excited B.proud C.frightened D.tired
3.A driver shouted "To your right. To your right!" because .
A.he was very angry B.he wanted to help
C.he was in a hurry D.he waited for a long time
What's your favorite book? |
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1.What's Ann's favorite book?
A.Grand Canyon.
B.The Airport Book.
C.Linnea in Monet 's Garden.
D.Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul.
2.Who likes the book The Airport Book?
A.Ann. B.Tim. C.Ben. D.Sara.
3.If you like , you may like the book Grand Canyon.
A.art B.geography C.music D.history
Born to Swim
Molly sat in the backseat of the car nervously. Her mom and Uncle Connor were talking about the days when they competed in school sports.
"Your mom was a great_________, Molly," said Uncle Connor. "She wasn't as fast as you are, but she was so graceful（优雅的）in the water. As soon as your mom_________the water, she was a fish. I'm sure you got your talent from her."
Molly smiled and thought about her mom swimming as easily and gracefully as a fish. For a moment, she even _________that they were on the way to her first swim competition of the season. "What about you, Uncle Connor?" she asked.
Uncle Connor laughed. "Your uncle sinks（下沉）like a rock，" said Molly's mom，"He knows how to swim, because I taught him myself, but it isn't_________ to watch."
Before Molly knew it, they were arriving at the school. Her mom gave her a quick kiss. "We'll see you after the _________, Miss Molly," Uncle Connor said, " Just do your best."
Molly took a deep breath as she headed over to her coach（教练）and teammates. When she was_________, she talked to herself. You can do it. Just stay calm and stay focused.
Finally, Molly heard the sound of the whistle（哨子）.She pushed off the starting block and moved through the pool with strong, sure strokes（划水）. Molly_______ she could hear the voices of her mom and uncle in the crowd.
She increased the speed of her strokes and_________ felt her hand touch the blue tile（瓷砖）on the wall.
Molly pulled herself from water. Number one! Molly's hard work during the summer had paid off!
1.A.swimmer B.driver C.teacher D.runner
2.A.got B.hit C.found D.used
3.A.hoped B.realized C.worried D.forgot
4.A.boring B.easy C.pretty D.special
5.A.lesson B.competition C.practice D.show
6.A.swimming B.playing C.writing D.waiting
7.A.agreed B.feared C.complained D.thought
8.A.probably B.nearly C.finally D.continuously
