Susan was a shy but clever girt. She ________thick glasses, which were often made fun of by her classmates. The ________thing was that Lewis had started calling her “Four Eyes”, and the nickname had become very________. Now everyone knew her as “Suzy Four Eyes”.
One day, the class went to visit some famous caves. When walking to the caves, Lewis put his right________in a hole and slipped(滑倒). While ________, he caught Susan, who was walking next to him, and they both fell into the hole.
They ________in a dark cave. There was only a ray of light coming from the cave roof. Susan and Lewis shouted for help, ________no one came. Sitting together in the cold, dark cave, they ________a long night. .
The next morning, they still hadn’t been________. Lewis continued shouting for help, ________ to look for a way out. But nothing was found.
Hours later, Susan noticed that the light was ________into the hole in a straight line. Quickly, she gathered some leaves. ________her glasses as a magnifying glass(放大镜), she focused the ________onto the leaves until a little flame came out. Lewis watched all this with ________and excitement.__________the light from fire, they began to explore the cave.
________, they found a way out and Lewis gave Susan his sincere thanks. Now he ________having named Susan “Four Eyes”, ________after seeing that it was her glasses that had ________them both. Lewis told everyone________had happened and said, “I couldn’t have been with a better friend than Laser Light Suzy!”
And from that day there was no longer any Four Eyes at their school, but Laser(激光)Light Suzy instead.
1.A. made B. sold C. wore D. took
2.A. best B. least C. most D. worst
3.A. funny B. popular C. interesting D. successful
4.A. foot B. hand C. fingers D. arm
5.A. walking B. jumping C. falling D. catching
6.A. stopped B. landed C. left D. moved
7.A. since B. because C. but D. so
8.A. shared B. passed C. entered D. missed
9.A. found B. reached C. followed D. solved
10.A. failing B. managing C. trying D. preferring
11.A. growing B. building C. recovering D. shining
12.A. Turning B. Knowing C. Putting D. Using
13.A. eye B. hole C. light D. fire
14.A. surprise B. sadness C. patience D. anger
15.A. For B. With C. From D. Or
16.A. Strangely B. Suddenly C. Luckily D. Usually
17.A. enjoyed B. remembered C. forgot D. regretted
18.A. generally B. especially C. gradually D. normally
19.A. escaped B. organized C. saved D. kept
20.A. what B. it C. that D. which
Years ago, the American writer Kurt Vonnegut often said there was one story that would always make a million dollars: Cinderella.
Cinderella made more like $ 70 million in ticket sales when it opened last weekend. But the movie got a mixed reaction. David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter praised the movie and said, “Anyone will find something to enjoy in it.” Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer called the movie “a winning re-do”. Richard Corliss of Time magazine wrote that “Disney finally got Cinderella right. ” Other people were not as happy with the movie. Sara Stewart of the New York Post wrote, “This Cinderella is all dressed up with nowhere very interesting to go.”
Although different people think differently towards the movie, what is clear, however, is the movie’s business success. It is not only popular in the theaters but also in sales. And Disney has widened its usual market for Cinderella products.
There are products connected to the Disney movie targeted (面向) not only at little girls, but women, too. For example, the famous shoe designer Jimmy Choo worked with Disney to create Cinderella’s shoes”. You can buy them for about $ 5,000. At that price, you would not want to lose one at the party, even if that is the way you get your prince (王子).
The make-up (化妆品) company MAC quickly sold all its products connected to Cinderella. HSN is a popular website selling clothing and objects for the home. The marketer is now also selling Cinderella products.
So, is there anything left for the children, those people we think of as the traditional audience (观众) for the age-old tale? Yes, you can find toys and other children’s products at the American store JCPenney. Of course, you can also visit a Disney store.
1.The underlined part “a mixed reaction” in Paragraph 2 probably means.
A. many changes B. different stories
C. advantages and disadvantages D. agreements and disagreements
2.Products connected to Cinderella .
A. do not sell very well
B. are all very expensive
C. are mainly targeted at little girls
D. are designed for a wide group of buyers
3.Where can children buy toys connected to Cinderella?
A. At MAC. B. At MAC and HSN.
C. At JCPenney and a Disney store. D. At HSN.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. Sellers of Cinderella Products B. Cinderella Is More than a Movie
C. What Makes Cinderella so Popular D. Unknown Stories behind Cinderella
A black hole is created when a large star burns out. Like our sun, stars are unbelievably hot furnaces(熔炉) that burn their own matter as fuel. When most of the fuel is used up, the star begins to die.
The death of a star is not a quiet event. First there is a huge explosion. As its outer layer is blasted off into space, the dying star shines as brightly as a billion suns.
After the explosion, gravity pulls in what's left of the star. As the outside of the star sinks toward the center, the star gets smaller and smaller. The material the star is made of becomes tightly packed together. A star is so solid that a teaspoon of matter from it weighs billions of pounds.
The more the star shrinks(收缩), the stronger the gravity inside it becomes. Soon the star is very tiny, and the gravity pulling it in is unbelievably strong. In fact, the gravity is so strong that it even pulls light into the star! Since all the light is pulled in, none can go out. The star becomes black when there is no light. Then a black hole is born!
That's what we know about black holes. What we don't know is this: What happens inside a black hole after the star has been squeezed into a tiny ball? Does it keep getting smaller and smaller forever? Such a possibility is hard to imagine.
But if the black hole doesn't keep shrinking, what happens to it? Some scientists think black holes are like doorways to another world. They say that as the star disappears from our universe, it goes into another universe. In other words a black hole in our universe could turn into a "white hole" in a different universe. As the black hole swallows(吞噬) light, the white hole shines brightly--somewhere else. But where? A different place, perhaps, or a different time--many years in the past or future.
Could you travel through a black hole? Right now, no. Nothing we know of could go into a black hole without being crushed(挤压). So far the time being, black hole must remain a mystery.
Black holes are a mystery--but that hasn't stopped scientists from dreaming about them. One scientist suggested that in the future we might make use of the power of black holes. They would supply all of Earth's energy needs, with plenty to spare. Another scientist wondered if a black hole could some day be used to swallow earthly waste--a sort of huge waste disposal(处理) in the sky!
1.When the star begins to die ______.
A. there is no fuel left in it B. a huge explosion will happen
C. its outer layer goes into space first D. it doesn't give off light any longer
2.Which of the following doesn't help produce a black hole?
A. The dying star shines less brightly.
B. The light can't go out of the star.
C. The star becomes smaller and smaller
D. The gravity inside the star is very strong.
3.The black hole ______.
A. continues becoming smaller and smaller all the time
B. goes into another universe and becomes a white hole
C. will appear at another place at a different time
D. can pull in everything we know of in the world
4.What's the best title for this passage?
A. A New Scientific Discovery: Black Holes
B. What Are Black Holes?
C. How Do Black Holes Swallow Light?
D. Travel Through A Black Hole
The British are known for their sense of humor. However, it is often difficult for foreigners to understand their jokes. The main point to remember is that the British often use understatement.
Understatement means saying less than you think or feel. For example, if someone gets very wet in a shower of rain, he might say, “It’s a little damp (潮湿的) outside.” Or, if someone is very impolite and shouts at another person, someone else might say, “She isn’t exactly friendly.” Understatement is often used in unpleasant situation or to make another person look silly. Understatement plays an important part in British humor.
Another key to understanding British humor is that the British like to make fun of themselves as well as others. They often laugh about the silly and unpleasant things that happen to our everyday life when someone accidentally falls over in the street. They also like to make jokes about people from different classes of society. They like to make jokes about their accents, the way they dress and the way they behave. What’s more, the British love to watch comedies (喜剧) about people who do not know how to behave in society. The comedies series Mr. Bean is a good example of this kind of humor.
Mr. Bean is the character created by British actor Rowan Atkinson in 1990. Mr. Bean doesn’t talk often, and instead he uses his body movement and facial expressions to make people laugh. Perhaps what makes Mr. Bean so funny is that he does things that adults in the real world cannot do. Mr. Bean is popular in many countries around the world because you do not have to speak English to understand the humor. Because of this, many people have become familiar with the British sense of humor.
1.Why is it difficult for foreigners to understand British jokes?
A. The British often enlarge the fact.
B. British jokes are connected with many different cultures.
C. British jokes are not as funny as jokes in other countries.
D. The British try to make out that something is less important than it is.
2.The author explains understatement by _______.
A. describing a process B. making comparisons
C. following time order D. using examples
3.Mr. Bean makes laugh by ______.
A. using his body movement and facial expressions
B. making jokes about others’ accent
C. copying how others behave
D. telling funny stories
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A. British Humor in Comedy B. Humor in Different Cultures
C. Understanding British Humor D. Developing Your Sense of Humor
Letter One
Dear Editor,
After I finish my homework, I often go online and chat with my friends. Sometimes I play computer games. But my parents hate to see me playing games on the computer. Maybe they have heard too much news about how QQ and computer games harm children. Once I went to a net bar(网吧) to play games after school. But after that I told my parents that I was playing basketball at school. I said so because I didn't want to make them unhappy. I feel bad about it. However, I need to rest for a while by playing computer games after studying for a long time. I really want my parents to understand that. Do foreign parents do the same to their children? Please help me.
Li Ping,
Beijing
Letter Two
Dear Li Ping,
I don't think it's strange for parents to keep their children away from anything bad. Foreign parents will do the same as your parents! They may not let their children watch TV for too long a time, or like your parents, they don't want their children to play computer games.
Talk to your parents and be honest to them, I think. Tell them what you are doing and why you are doing so to make them understand you. It's never good to do things behind your parents. They aren't fools as you think sometimes! Our parents seem to know what is the best for us.
Remember: to be honest is the best way.
Good luck,
Rebecca
1.From the passage we can learn that Li Ping often__________ .
A. talks with his friends on the Internet
B. plays basketball after school
C. plays computer games at home
D. chats online before homework
2.The boy goes online_____________.
A. to get news on QQ B. just to have a rest
C. to show he hates study D. to make new friends
3.The editor thinks ____________.
A. children should play computer games in the net bar secretly
B. playing computer game can be very helpful to children’s studies
C. children should be honest and try to make their parents understand them
D. foreign parents don’t care for their children as much as Chinese parents
SummaryWriting
Sociologists have long recognized that organization of less than 200individuals can operate through the free flow of information among the members.Once their size goes beyond this figure, the organizations are getting lessflexible. So it seems necessary to prevent total disorder resulting fromfailures of communication.
One solution to this problem would, of course, be tostructure large organizations into smaller units of a size that can act as agroup. By allowing these groups to build reliance on each other, largerorganizations can be built up. However, merely having groups of, say, 150 willnever of itself be a complete solution to the problems of the organization.Something else is needed: the people involved must be able to build directpersonal relationships. To allow free flow of information, they have to be ableto communicate with each other in a casual way. Maintaining too formal astructure of relationships inevitably prevents the way a system works.
The importance of this was drawn to my attention twoyears ago by the case of a TV station. Whether by chance or by design, it sohappened that there were almost exactly 150 people in the station. The wholeprocess worked very smoothly as an organization for many years until they weremoved into purpose-built accommodation. Then, for no apparent reason, the workseemed to be more difficult to do, not to say less satisfying.
It was some time before they work out what the problemwas. It turn out that, when the architects were designing the new building,they decided that the coffee room where everyone ate their sandwiches at lunchtimes was an unnecessary luxury and so did away with it. And with that, theyaccidentally destroyed the close social networks that strengthened the wholeorganization. What had apparently been happening was that, as people gatheredinformally over their sandwiches in the coffee room, useful information wascasually being exchanged.
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