"Meow, meow, meow," is what I heard as I walked through the alley（小巷；胡同）. I approached the noise and noticed a tail sticking out from under a piece of wood. Under the wood was a _______ black and white cat. I picked him up and _______ he must be freezing to death. I _______ home with the cat held in my jacket.
My new best friend, who soon became known as Little Bit, received his name because he was almost _______ when I held him in my hands. He stood about five inches tall. Little Bit's small size had a great advantage - he _______ perfectly in the pocket of my jacket, which made _______ him everywhere very easy. Any time I was home, he wouldn't leave my _______. He was always eager to play with me. When I fell asleep at night, he would always _______ up around my head to ensure that I was warm.
Unfortunately, I grew up. My teenage life _______ my relationship with Little Bit. I lived at such a fast pace that I stopped ________ time for him. My free time was spent with my friends instead. I would come in the house on my phone and not ________ him at all. His meows became an annoyance to me, but it wasn't his ________ that he wanted his best friend back.
Time had caused a ________ to Little Bit. His body began ________ down and by the time I realized something was wrong with him, he had already lost his balance. He lay there and looked at me, and ________ this day I still remember the ________ look in his bright green eyes. I took him to the vet (兽医), but there was nothing he could do. The last time I ________ him he wasn't the same tiny cat I had found ten years before. Little Bit filled my arms and he was put to sleep that day.
Little Bit's ________ made me realize how much he meant to me. He was always there for me when I needed him. I ________ our last years together and I feel sorry for not always being there for him. I will always ________ the special memories we made.
1.A. lovely B. tiny C. pretty D. friendly
2.A. agreed B. insisted C. realized D. proved
3.A. left B. stayed C. drove D. hurried
4.A. weightless B. useless C. breathless D. hopeless
5.A. grew B. fitted C. played D. existed
6.A. showing B. keeping C. taking D. guiding
7.A. mind B. heart C. body D. side
8.A. rise B. stand C. wake D. roll
9.A. weakened B. fastened C. deepened D. sharpened
10.A. making B. losing C. wasting D. gaining
11.A. overlook B. interrupt C. acknowledge D. recognize
12.A. desire B. purpose C. fault D. greed
13.A. fear B. loss C. delay D. concern
14.A. dropping B. tearing C. calming D. shutting
15.A. on B. to C. in D. for
16.A. shameful B. hateful C. harmful D. sorrowful
17.A. helped B. protected C. held D. cured
18.A. illness B. death C. sadness D. pressure
19.A. regret B. bother C. confuse D. dream
20.A. treasure B. admire C. evaluate D. explore
For the love of reading
The importance of nurturing (培养) young children as readers has become more and more apparent. 1.
Read aloud.
A six-year study found reading aloud to children every day puts them almost a year ahead of children who do not receive daily read-alouds. It is a way to bathe children in the power of the written words. Using texts above the children’s levels gives them the chance to hear high-level vocabulary and absorb complex language structures. 2.
Encourage close reading from the youngest age.
We can do this by asking them questions. Use picture book illustrations to strike up deeper questions and conversations. Ask questions you don’t know the answers to so that children will be able to answer in ways that reflect their own ideas.
3.
Entering the world of stories and knowledge should feel like an exciting discovery process. Create visual ways to track the journey. From a reading minute tracker to a “words we learned” or “our big ideas” chart, we can use these visuals to pause for “hip hip hooray (欢呼)” moments.
Honor each child’s unique identity.
Children become great readers by finding connections as they read. 4.“I notice you like books where animals are the main characters.” “I notice you like books where girls are strong characters.” Even the youngest child will begin to recognize that each person’s reading choices matter.
5. A child who sees reading as a lifelong, constant companion is more likely to have a lifetime of success.
A. Make the journey a celebration.
B. Hand them a pen when it is necessary.
C. All in all, young children can read early and should be reading all year.
D. Name what you notice about why a child is drawn to a text.
E. Here are four ways to help your child become a reader.
F. The child builds the knowledge that is necessary for being a reader.
G. Reading aloud below their levels also allows them to relax and enjoy beloved texts.
As more and more people speak the global languages of English, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic, other languages are rapidly disappearing. In fact, half of the 6,000-7,000 languages spoken around the world today will likely die out by the next century, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
In an effort to prevent language loss, scholars from a number of organizations- UNESCO and National Geographic among them –have for many years been documenting dying languages and the cultures they reflect.
Mark Turin, a scientist at the Macmillan Center, Yale University, who specializes in the languages and oral traditions of the Himalayas, is following that tradition. His recently published book, A Grammar of Thangmi with an Ethnolinguistic Introduction to the Speakers and Their Culture, grows out of his experience living, looking and raising a family in a village in Nepal.
Documenting the Tangmi language and culture is just a starting point for Turin, who seeks to include other languages and oral traditions across the Himalayans reaches of India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. But he is not content to simply record these voices before they disappear without record.
At the University of Cambridge Turin discovered a wealth of important materials- including photographs, films, tap recordings, and field notes- which had remained unstudied and were badly in need of care and protection.
Now, through the two organizations that he has founded-the Digital Himalaya Project and the World Oral Literature Project- Turin has started a campaign to make such documents, found in libraries and stores around the world, available not just to scholars but to the youngers.
Generations of communities from whom the materials were originally collected.Thanks to digital technology and the widely available Internet. Turin notes, the endangered languages can be saved and reconnected with speech communities.
1.Many scholars are making efforts to ________.
A. promote global languages
B. rescue the disappearing languages
C. search for language communities
D. set up languages research organizations
2.What does “that tradition” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Having first records of the languages.
B. Writing books on language searching.
C. Telling stories about language users.
D. Linking with the native speakers.
3.What is Turin’s book based on?
A. The cultural statics in India.
B. The documents available at Yale.
C. His language research in Britain.
D. His personal experience in Nepal.
4.Which of the following best describe Turin’s Work?
A. Write sell and donate.
B. Record, repeat and reward.
C. Collect, protect and reconnect.
D. Design, experiment and report.
Captain Henry, a 98-year-old American retired fisherman, has become a first-time author, having written and published his autobiography in a Fisherman’s Language after learning to read at the age of 91.
Mr. Henry spent most of his life without even his closest family members knowing he was illiterate (不识字的). Forced to quit school in the third grade to take odd jobs, he kept the secret close to his chest, only telling his late wife. Henry’s granddaughter, Marlisa, told reporters how he used tricks, like waiting for others to order at restaurants first, to avoid the issue.
A family dispute in his nineties, she said, aroused his desire for education. “He signed a document he could not read about where he was going to live,” Marlisa said. Starting with his name, he eventually moved on to the ABC’s and children’s books. He put them down since his wife fell ill. After the tragic loss of his wife, he went back to reading and began to log his life. He wrote about his family’s voyage from Portugal to the US, how he went on to captain a boat, and his many journeys at sea.
His life stories have become so popular that nearly 800 copies were sold in the first two weeks after the book’s release. One thousand more have been printed as requests for the book flood in as far as Germany. And now even Hollywood producers have approached Mr. Henry about buying the rights to his life stories for a big screen adaptation.
The family also now has a book agent and a deal in the works to publish a second edition. Meanwhile, the family says they are reconnecting and closer than ever as a result of Henry’s late-life efforts. “Everyone has a story, and it teaches that when you’re down, never give up.” Marlisa said.
1.When did Henry begin writing his life story?
A. After his wife passed away.
B. Before his wife passed away.
C. When he was at the age of 91.
D. After he retired from work.
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A. Henry didn’t love his wife.
B. A Hollywood producer wishes to make a movie out of Henry’s book.
C. Henry began his reading with some famous novels.
D. Henry’s book was well-received by Americans and he made a lot of money.
3.How did Henry’s family benefit from the 2nd edition?
A. The family got known in the US.
B. His family moved from Portugal to the US.
C. The family ties were rebuilt and strengthened.
D. His family spread abroad.
4.What message can Henry’s story give us?
A. Writing can make people rich.
B. A person should write his story.
C. One is never too old to learn.
D. Everything comes to him who waits.
When I began my freshman year of college at the age of fifty, I was scared and felt frustrated by the experience. It seemed as if I didn’t blend in(融入) with my classmates, and I found myself struggling academically. I searched to find some help in the college, but wasn’t able to find much.
My experience made me realize that there was a need for a group who could help the non-traditional students become successful and be better used to college life. I worked to help ESU (educational service unit) create such a group. We have to deal with study, family and our jobs at the same time. I wanted to provide resources to help make the change easier and less scary than my own experience was.
The group I set up has now grown to over seventy members who help old students and support one another. We’re currently working on a program to provide free babysitting for any college student that might need childcare. This would make things like studying in the library during the final weeks much easier.
Helping to found this student organization makes me feel wonderful inside. I would love to know that by forming this group, it has helped so many non-traditional students on their college journey. Success can be measured in many different ways. I measure my success by helping others and giving back when I can. My grandmother often told me the world would be a better place if we cared about and helped each other. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care—show them your care.
1.What’s the purpose of the first paragraph?
A. To complain about the difficulties in college.
B. To ask for help in academics.
C. To introduce the background of the topic.
D. To describe the author’s interesting experience.
2.It can be inferred from the passage that the author’s group ________.
A. aims to reduce old students’ pressure from life
B. mainly deals with academic problems
C. wants to help others get used to the jobs
D. mainly looks after children for old students
3.Through the group, the author ________.
A. feels successful
B. realizes her dream
C. understands her grandmother’s words
D. is happy to know she is cared about
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Mr. H also has these features (特点)
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1.What can you do with help of a Mr. H?
A. We can stop using batteries.
B. We can finish our homework on time.
C. We can remember our teacher’s instructions.
D. We can get our room tidied on our way home.
2.What can A PENGO WATCH CONTROL help you do?
A. Repair the TV.
B. Organize our homework.
C. Be a James Bond.
D. Know what the weather is like.
3.How much will cost you if you want to get your Mr. H?
A. ＄499 B. ＄299
C. ＄199 D. ＄99
4.Where would you be most likely to find the two texts?
A. On a notice board
B. In a company brochure.
C. On a teenage website
D. In a college newspaper.
