Megan McDonald is the writer of the popular Judy Moody and Stink books. McDonald, the youngest of five girls, grew up in a suburb outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I talked with her for our magazine recently. Here are some questions I asked and her answers to them.
Q: What was the inspiration for your characters Judy Moody and Stink?
A: My original inspiration came from growing up with so many sisters.
We grew up in a family of readers and storytellers. I had all these funny stories about my sisters that I wanted to tell. The first Judy Moody book probably has the most stories that came from my childhood. After that, Judy and Stink really took on a life of their own. Everyone knows a “Judy Moody” in his/her life.
Q: Who are some of your favorite authors and what are some of your favorite books?
A: Beverly Cleary with the Ramona books. Harriet The Spy by Louise Fitzhugh was also a really important book for me growing up. And now, I would say that one of my most favorite authors is Katherine Paterson. I love her book called The Great Gilly Hopkins. Gilly is so individual, strong-minded and willful. She’s not always perfect. Judy Moody was sort of inspired by that character. I love that book.
Q: What advice do you have for kids who want to write books?
A: It’s really simple. I think the best thing anybody — a kid or an adult — can do if he/she wants to write is to read. I feel really strongly about that because I think reading is not only what inspires us, but it’s a way that we learn languages, and it’s a way that we learn how stories work with beginnings, middles, and ends. For me, it all begins with reading.
1.According to Megan McDonald, growing up with so many sisters .
A. kept her from reading
B. wasn’t a very good experience
C. helped her write books in later life
D. made her different from other girls
2.The underlined sentence means Judy and Stink .
A. became popular with readers
B. wanted to become independent
C. were just ordinary people in our lives
D. developed no longer based on McDonald’s childhood
3.McDonald’s last answer mainly shows reading is .
A. simple B. important
C. private D. basic
4.Who talked with Megan McDonald in the text?
A. A teacher. B. A TV reporter.
C. A fan. D. A journalist
We’ve got two dogs, Roxie and Cosita. My childhood memories are full of the cats we’ve loved, from my dad’s cat, Bandit, to our beloved white cat Cecelia, whose gray fur formed a perfect heart shape across her stomach. But since our last cat friend, Sunny the orange cat, died too young, we’ve been cat-less. The sudden loss of Sunny was hard to move on from, especially for my mom.
This year, Mom finally thought she was ready for a new kitten. It was all she wanted for her birthday on June 16. “Roxie and Cosita need a new friend!” she said. In the week leading up to her birthday, something happened. She started to hear a kitten’s meow (喵叫声) in the garage. Every time she went in and out of the garage, she could hear the soft cries but couldn’t tell the exact position of the sound. She asked my dad if he heard it too. He only shrugged (耸肩). At last, Mom’s birthday was arriving. She kept her fingers crossed, hoping for a kitten.
Over the past week, my dad had heard the kitten’s meow every time he walked past my mom’s car. One day he opened the hood (车盖) of the car, and a yellow kitten stared back at him. How in the world did she get there? And where did she come from? Dad didn’t know, but he fed the kitten every day, waiting for the day he’d give her to Mom.
The little kitten was such a perfect birthday gift, and Dad even didn’t need to leave the house to find her for my mom’s happy birthday! When it came time to name our new furry friend, we took inspiration from a song famously performed by Wilson Pickett and called her “Sally”.
1.What was difficult for Mom to forget?
A. The young orange cat’s death.
B. The moving of one of her friends.
C. The sudden death of the cat Bandit.
D. The heart shape across Cecelia’s stomach.
2.What gift did Mom hope for?
A. A new car. B. A little cat.
C. A little dog. D. A new cassette.
3.What can we learn about Sally?
A. Dad hid her in Mom’s car.
B. Sally was bought for Mom.
C. Sally was named after a song.
D. Mom received her ahead of the birthday.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A. A new home for Sally B. My pet friends in memory
C. My mom’s happy birthday D. An unexpected birthday gift
Zoos give people a chance to get close to animals from every continent in the world. But zoos that offer more than just a chance to see animals are worth visiting. Singapore Zoo
At Singapore Zoo, enjoy breakfast while a family of orangutans (猩猩) sits nearby enjoying theirs. A zookeeper tells the breakfast crowd about each member of the family. Or join the Wild Discoverer tour for a detailed look at some of the animals.
Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo in New York City houses 6,000 animals. Those who want to sleep with zebras (斑马) have a chance at this zoo. Special overnight journeys allow families to camp out on the zoo grounds and meet some amazing animal guests.
Taronga Zoo
The Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia offers special animal contact. Visitors can see a koala up close, feed a giraffe or hold a reptile. For those who want to learn what it’s like to work at a zoo, Taronga offers a “Keeper for A Day” program for anyone over 18 years old.
San Diego Zoo
At Southern California’s San Diego Zoo, animals live in natural-looking areas. Wildlife photography (摄影) lovers can take a class to learn the secrets of photographing animals. The zoo offers people opportunities to meet a lion or feed a rhino. The zookeepers also teach people how to talk to the animals so they will talk back.
1.Where can you breakfast with orangutans?
A. At Bronx Zoo. B. At Taronga Zoo.
C. At Singapore Zoo. D. At San Diego Zoo.
2.The “Keeper for A Day” program is intended for .
A. animal protectors B. wildlife researchers
C. adults working with keepers D. adults interested in keepers’ life
3.At San Diego Zoo, you can .
A. sleep with lions or rhinos
B. join the Wild Discoverer tour
C. camp out overnight on the zoo grounds
D. have a better communication with animals
过去, 我国的一些基层艺术馆的使用率较低。随着艺术馆即将在2012年底前全面免费开放, 公众可以有更多的机会接触艺术作品。某艺术馆英文网站就此话题展开讨论, 请你写一篇100词左右的短文参加讨论。内容应包括:
1.过去艺术馆使用率较低的原因;
2.艺术馆免费开放给公众带来的好处。
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短文改错
Dear Mary,
I receive your e-mail just now.Don’t worry about me.I’m getting on well with my research work in the lab.But to my greatly surprise you say you will give up learn English.The reason is because you have not done well in it recently and you have lost interests.I’m afraid I couldn’t agree with you.I know it is difficulty to learn English,and English is widely used in the world today.It will be important tool in our future work.Beside,it is becoming more and more important in our daily life.If you study hard,you will be succeed.Do remember that where there is a will there is a way.I am looking forward to hearing good news from you.
Yours,
Li Hua
One of the founding fathers of the Internet has predicted the end of traditional television. Vint Cerf, who helped to build the Internet while working ______ a researcher in America, said that television was ______its “iPod moment”.
In the same way that people now ______ their favorite music onto their iPod, he said that viewers would soon be downloading most of favorite programs ______their computers.
Mr Cerf, who is now the vice-president of Google, says that, “You’re still going to need_____television for certain things—like news, sporting events and emergencies—but ______it is going to be almost like the iPod, where you download content to ______at later.”
Although television on demand has not yet become a ______activity in the UK, the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 have all invested vast ______of money in technology which ______ viewers to watch their favorite shows ______ their computers.
But some critics(批评家),______some Internet service providers, have warned that the Internet will collapse ______ the stress of millions of people downloading programs at the same time. But Mr. Cerf dismissed the warnings, saying that critics had predicted 20 years ago that the net would ______ when people all around the world started to use it all together.
“In the past 30 years it has ______a million times...We’re ______exhausting the capacity,” he said.“It’s a ______worry when they see huge amounts of information being moved around online.”
______ out his vision for the future of the Internet, he said he wanted it to reach as ______ people as possible.
“I want more Internet,” he said. “I want everyone on the planet to be ______ to connect to the Internet.”
1.A. as B. like C. at D. with
2.A. achieving B. approaching C. finishing D. arriving
3.A. write B. download C. read D. remember
4.A. into B. at C. in D. onto
5.A. live B. present C. past D. late
6.A. greatly B. harmfully C. increasingly D. hopefully
7.A. watch B. look C. notice D. see
8.A. mainstream B. famous C. important D. well-known
9.A. sums B. deals C. lots D. numbers
10.A. has B. let C. enables D. makes
11.A. by B. with C. on D. at
12.A. containing B. including C. naming D. calling
13.A. with B. in C. on D. under
14.A. collapse B. fall C. rush D. jump
15.A. developed B. increased C. enhanced D. enlarged
16.A. close to B. far from C. far away D. next to
17.A. miserable B. surprising C. understandable D. imaginable
18.A. Taking B. Finding C. Turning D. Setting
19.A. many B. much C. more D. a few
20.A. able B. easy C. happy D. willing
