My favourite book is The Adventure of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Tom lives with his aunt Polly in a quiet street of St. Petersburg, Missouri. He's a lively and clever young boy, and he finds himself in many exciting adventures. He runs away with his two friends, Huck Finn and Joe, to an island in the middle of the Mississippi River for several days. With Huck he goes looking for treasure, with Becky he gets lost in a cave. And finally, they find a box of gold.
My favourite scene in the book is when everyone thinks Tom is dead. He decides to go to his own funeral. He hides and watches for a time and then suddenly he appears. Everyone is astonished to see him but they're also pleased to see him alive.
Tom is the hero of the story, but there are other important characters. Huck is an outsider and everyone is afraid of him. Becky is pretty with fair hair, Joe is Tom's best friend. And Injun Joe is the bad man of the story.
The theme of the story is about children growing up. It describes how strangers are seen in small towns of America. Finally, it talks about freedom, social rules and how people are punished for bad behaviour.
Why do I think The Adventure of Tom Sawyer is a great book? Mark Twain wrote the story in 1876, but it's still read and loved by people all over the world today. And although it's only a story, Twain wrote it in the everyday English of the southern states of America in the 19th century, so it sounds very real. Today it's thought to be one of the greatest books in American literature. Go on—read it! I know you'll enjoy it, too.
1.Where does Tom run away with his two friends?
A. To a quiet street. B. To a small town.
C. To an island. D. To a forest.
2.Who is the bad man in the story?
A. Huck Finn. B. Injun Joe.
C. Becky. D. Polly.
3.How did people feel when Tom appeared at his own funeral?
A. They were surprised and happy.
B. They were surprised and sad.
C. They were worried and excited.
D. They were frightened and happy.
4.The writer writes the article to .
A. ask us to read the book
B. tell us how popular the book is today
C. tell us when Mark Twain wrote the story
D. tell us why the story sounds very real
5.The whole book is mainly about .
A. freedom and social rules
B. children's bad behaviour
C. the growth of young children
D. strangers in American small towns
College is a lifetime investment(投资)—the gift of a college education can open the door to a world of opportunity for your child or grandchild. Savings(储蓄), even not so many at a time, can make a big difference.
With the cost of a college education continuing to rise, the key is to start saving early and regularly. By saving a set(固定的) amount at set times, your money can grow as your child does. According to the College Board, the average cost for four-year public colleges has increased by nearly 51% over the last 10 years and these costs will almost certainly continue to rise. Saving for college can help with the increasing cost of a college education and help you be well prepared when your child is ready for college.
Saving for your child's college education is an investment in their future. The savings you make today will pay off in increased earnings(收入) in the future. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, college graduates earn an average of $1 million more than high school graduates during their careers. The value of your investment in a college education will continue to grow for a lifetime.
Set your college saving goals realistically(现实地). You may not be able to save enough for all four years' fees, but you could save enough to give your child the right start.
More and more families depend on student loans(贷款) to pay for college. By saving for college, families will have less burden of paying off loans and help their children leave school without worrying about paying off loans.
1.From the second paragraph we can learn that .
A. the College Board increased public college costs
B. public college costs will increase by 51% in the next ten years
C. it's not too late to start saving when your child is ready for college
D. saving can help deal with the rising cost of college education
2.Savings for college education .
A. will increase in the value in the future
B. make one earn a lot
C. help create good jobs
D. are wise for businessmen to invest
3.Which of the following is TRUE about saving for college?
A. You should save to help children get scholarships more easily.
B. It's better to increase the savings as the child grows.
C. It's better to save early and regularly.
D. You should set a further and bigger saving goal.
4.Who are the expected readers of the passage?
A. Parents. B. High school students.
C. Educators. D. Bankers.
5.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. When to Save for Children's College Costs
B. How to Make a Good Investment
C. Why We Should Save for Children's College Costs
D. How Much Four-Year College Costs
America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while, then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending(延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality(好客) easily.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don't show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home.
1.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families.
B. Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives.
C. Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy.
D. Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break.
2.From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be .
A. warmly welcomed at the airport
B. treated hospitably at his home
C. offered a ride to his home
D. treated to dinner in a restaurant
3.The underlined words “generous with our time” in Paragraph 3 probably mean .
A. willing to spend time B. serious with time
C. careful with time D. strict with time
4.A suitable title for this passage would probably be “ ”.
A. Friendships Between Chinese
B. Friendships Between Americans
C. Americans' and Chinese's Views of Friendships
D. Americans' Hospitality
The weather is getting hotter. You are thirsty playing basketball or riding home from school. A cold drink may be just the thing. But be careful what you are drinking. Something that looks cool may not be good for your health.
There are plenty of "energy drinks" on the market. Most of them have beautiful colors and cool names. The lists on them tell you they are helpful to your health. Sounds great!
But after a careful check you may find that most energy drinks have lots of caffeine(咖啡因) in them. These drinks are especially aimed at young people, students, busy people and sports players. Makers sometimes say their drinks make you better at sports and can keep you awake. But be careful not to drink too much.
Caffeine makes your heart beat fast. Because of this, the International Olympic Committee has limited(限制) its use. Caffeine in most energy drinks is at least as strong as that in a cup of coffee or tea. Possible health dangers have something to do with energy drinks. Just one box of energy drink can make you nervous, have difficulty sleeping and can even cause heart problems. Scientists say that teenagers should be discouraged from taking drinks with a lot of caffeine in them.
1.Many people like drinking energy drinks because of the following EXCEPT that .
A. they have beautiful colors and cool names
B. they have lots of caffeine
C. they can keep them awake and better at sports
D. they are said to be helpful to health
2.The main reason for people not to drink too much energy drinks is that they may cause .
A. heart problems B. nervousness
C. sleeping difficulty D. possible health dangers
3.The underlined word "discouraged" can be replaced(替换) with " ".
A. encouraged B. stopped
C. helped D. disliked
4.From the passage we can know that .
A. advertisements are important in getting people to buy energy drinks
B. energy drinks are helpful to teenagers' study
C. sports players need to drink a lot of energy drinks
D. energy drinks are especially aimed at teenagers
5.Which of the following can be the best title(标题) of the passage?
A. What's the Use of Energy Drinks
B. Who Can Drink Energy Drinks
C. What's That in Energy Drinks
D. Why Can't We Buy Energy Drinks
Two little children were sitting by the fire one cold winter night. Suddenly, they heard a knock at the door. "Who can it be?" they wondered. One ran 1.(curious) to open it. There, outside in the cold and the darkness, stood a child 2. no shoes on his feet and clad(穿……的衣服) in old thin garments. He 3.(tremble) with cold, and he asked to come in and warm himself.
"Yes, come," cried both the children. They drew the little stranger to their warm seat, shared their supper with him, and gave him their bed, and they slept on 4. hard bench.
On the night, they were awakened by sweet music,5. was played by a band of children in shining garments. Suddenly the strange child stood before 6.: no longer cold and ragged, but clad in silvery light. He said, "I am the Christ Child,7.(wander) through the world to bring peace and 8. (happy) to good children as you. As you have helped me so much, this tree will give rich fruit to you every year."
9. he was saying that, he broke a branch from the tree that grew near the door, and planted it in the ground and disappeared. But the branch grew 10. a great tree, and every year it bore wonderful golden fruit for the kind children.
One day, a kind woman happened to say something that hurt her best friend of many years. She _________ immediately and would do anything to take the words back. What she said hurt the friend so _________ that this good woman was herself hurt for the _________ she caused. In an effort to undo what she had done, she went to an older, wiser woman in the village, explained her _________, and asked for advice.
Listening to her, the older woman sensed the younger woman's worry and knew she must _________ her. She also knew she could never _________ her pain, but she could teach. She knew the outcome would only _________ the character of the younger woman. She said, "Tonight, _________ your best feather pillows and put a single feather on the _________ of each house in town before the sun rises."
The young woman hurried home to prepare for it, even though the feather pillows were very dear to her. All night long, she labored alone in the cold. Finally the sky was getting light. She placed the last feather on the step of the last house. Just as the sun rose, she __________ to the older woman.
"Now," said the wise woman, "Go back and __________ your pillows with the feather you have put on the steps. Then everything will be as it was before."
"You know that's impossible! The wind __________ away the feathers as fast as I placed them on the steps!" The young woman was surprised.
"That's true," said the older woman. "Never forget. Each of your __________ is like a feather in the wind. Once spoken, no amount of __________, no matter how heartfelt or sincere, can return them to your __________. Choose your words well and, most of all, guard them in the presence of those you love."
1.A. replied B. forgot C. laughed D. regretted
2.A. deeply B. slightly C. powerfully D. certainly
3.A. mercy B. intention C. pain D. mess
4.A. lecture B. situation C. shortcoming D. position
5.A. help B. scold C. praise D. punish
6.A. feel B. resist C. remove D. find
7.A. contribute to B. focus on C. depend on D. recover from
8.A. show B. hide C. throw D. take
9.A. roof B. step C. wall D. mailbox
10.A. appealed B. returned C. waved D. nodded
11.A. sew B. decorate C. refill D. preserve
12.A. blew B. gave C. put D. drove
13.A. words B. friends C. promises D. expectations
14.A. loss B. effort C. idea D. joke
15.A. ears B. eyes C. mouth D. face
