I will never forget the very moment that caused me to leave my gift behind because I wanted the gift that my older sister Maria had.
My family was spending a week at the beach. One morning, Maria went to the beach early, but I stayed behind to finish a drawing of a seashell. After finishing the drawing, I walked to join Maria. She was a top gymnast (体操运动员). Her show was perfect as she wheeled along the beach. The beauty of that sight froze me, and I decided immediately that I too would become a gymnast like her.
I knew that I had never been very good at sports. However, when I told my parents I wanted to take a gymnastics class, they agreed with me in surprise. The next week, I went to a beginners’ class.
If only my parents had talked me out of this misguided plan! Five minutes into the first class, it was clear that I didn’t have the gift of a gymnast. But I kept at it.
During this time, drawing and painting—which had been my two favorites—all but left my mind. It must have been hurting for my family as they watched my hopeless efforts. I blindly decided to be like Maria. I just would not give up.
At the same time, on the advice of Ms. White, my art teacher, I hurriedly handed in my seashell drawing for an art contest in our town. One night as I was having a hard time practicing, the phone rang. It was Ms. White. “Alice, you won the contest!” she said loudly.
“Really?” was all I could reply.
“Yes,” Ms. White said. “They’re going to give you a prize. And that’s not all. The winner is also accepted into Wildale’s Summer Fine Arts Institute.” I couldn’t believe what I heard. Only a handful of young artists were accepted each summer.
That night I didn’t go back into the living room to continue practicing. Gymnastics was Maria’s gift, not mine. It had taken me a while, but I realized that I had a gift of my own.Alice wanted to be a gymnast because ________.
| A．she had been good at sports | B．her sister’s show was perfect |
| C．she hated drawing and painting | D．her parents wanted her to do so |
How did Alice feel about learning gymnastics at last?
| A．Satisfied. | B．Worried. | C．Hopeful | D．Regretful. |
From the story, we can infer that ________.
| A．Alice’s parents disagreed with her choice of gymnastics |
| B．Alice did not realize her gift in drawing and painting at first |
| C．Alice spent a hard time preparing for the art contest in the town |
| D．Alice couldn’t believe the news that she got the prize for painting |
What does the writer want to tell us according to the passage?
| A．We should value our own gifts. | B．It takes time to find one’s gifts. |
| C．We could develop different gifts. | D．It’s never too late to show our gifts. |
A woman saw three o1d men sitting in her front yard.She said,“I don’t think I know you,but you must be very hungry. Please come in and have something to eat. ”
“We don’t go into a house together,”they replied．
“Why is that?” she asked.
One of the old men answered.“His name is Wealth，this is Success, and I am Love.” Then he said,“Now go in and discuss with your family which one of us you want in your house.”
Then the woman went in and told her family what was said. She said “Let’s invite Wealth. Let him come in and bring us nice things.We have been so poor.”His husband disagreed,“My
dear,why don't we invite Success? Don’t you want me to be a successful man?.”
Then the daughter asked,“Would it be better to invite Love? Our life will then be filled with 1ove!” “Let’s take our daughter's advice(建议)s,” said the father and mother.
So the woman went out and asked, “Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our Guest. ”Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other two also got up and followed Him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success, “I only invited Love. Why are you coming along?” The two o1d men answered,“If you had invited Wealth or Success, two of us would have stayed out, but since you have invited Love, wherever he goes, we go with him. Where there is Love, there is Wealth and Success.”
根据短文内容，判断以下句子的正误。你认为正确的在题前括号内写“T”，错误的写“F"。This is a true story that happened a 1ong time ago．
Wealth could make the family very rich．
The family had different ideas and didn't know whom to invite．
The three o1d men all went into the house to get something to eat.
The story tells us that 1ove is the most important of al1．
任务型阅读
Pollution problems are becoming more and more serious. One of them is called “white pollutions” caused by plastic, such as shopping bags, boxes and cups. In China, about three billion plastic shopping bags are used every day, which results in a great waste of resources(资源) and heavy environment pollution. Luckily, the government has stopped us from using free plastic bags, telling all stores and supermarket not to provide customers(顾客) with free plastic bags since June 1,2008. From then on, people have been supposed to use cloth bags and shopping baskets instead of plastic bags in order to protect our environment.
Now, more and more people have realized the importance of using the cloth bags and shopping baskets. For one thing it can protect our environment, for another it can also save energy. Yet we have more things to do to solve the problem of “white pollution”!Is “white pollution” caused by plastic?
__________________________________________How many plastic shopping bags are used every day in China?
_____________________________________________What are the advantages of using cloth bags or shopping baskets？
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Healthy eating habit along with regular exercise is the only way to become fit. If you have the correct number of calories and exercise regularly, you will lose weight, keep fit, and feel great, too.
During your teenage years, it is important to give your body the energy it needs. If you skip (跳过) meals, you won’t get enough calories, and then you will feel tired. By the way, calorie is just another word for energy. About 50% of your calories should come from rice, bread, vegetables and fruit. You also need to drink a lot of water, 6 to 8 glasses a day. Water helps keep your system clean. Drinking enough water will make your skin better and make you healthy.
Exercise is something that can help to make you look good, feel good and be healthy. Experts suggest that teenagers spend at least 30 minutes exercising a day, five times a week. That is easy to do! You can walk or ride your bike to school, and do sports at school. However, teenagers often give up sports, saying they have no time left after their studies. In fact, doing exercise can help them sleep better at night and increase their ability to focus on their study.
If you follow the suggestions above, you will look and feel much better and become fit.What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A．How to eat food. | B．How to keep fit. |
| C．How to lose weight. | D．How to exercise. |
The underlined word “calories” means ________ in this passage.
| A．营养 | B．强壮 | C．能量 | D．锻炼 |
Teenagers should spend at least _______ minutes exercising a week according to this passage.
| A．5 | B．50 | C．30 | D．150 |
If you ________, you will become fit.
| A．exercise regularly |
| B．drink lots of water |
| C．have a healthy eating habit along with regular exercise |
| D．eat rice, bread, vegetables and fruit |
Do you know why different animals or pests have their special colors? Colors in them seem to be used mainly to protect themselves.
Some birds like eating locusts. but birds cannot easily catch them. Why? It is because locusts change their colors together with the change of the colors of crops. When crops are green, locusts look green. But as the harvest time comes, locusts change to the same brown color as crops have. Some other pests with different colors from plants are easily found and eaten by others. So they have to hide themselves for lives and appear only at night.
If you study the animal life, you'll find the main use of coloring is protecting themselves. Bears, lions and other animals move quietly through forests. They cannot be seen by hunters. This is because they have the colors much like the tree.
Have you ever noticed an even more strange act? A kind of fish in the sea can send out a kind of very black liquid when it faces danger. While the liquid spread over, the enemies cannot find it. And it immediately swims away. So it has lived up to now though it isn't strong at all.
根据短文内容, 指出能完成所给句子或回答所提问题的最佳答案。From the passage we learn that locusts ___ .
| A．are small animals |
| B．are easily found by birds |
| C．are dangerous to their enemies |
| D．change their colors to protect themselves |
Bears and lions can keep safe because they ___ .
| A．have the colors much like the trees |
| B．move quickly |
| C．like brown and grey colors |
| D．live in forests |
The kind of fish live up to now because ___ .
| A．it is very big and strong |
| B．the liquid it sends out help it escape from its enemies |
| C．the liquid it sends out can kill its enemies |
| D．it swims faster than any other fish |
Which is the best title for this passage?
| A．The Change of Colors for Animals and Pests |
| B．Colors of Different Animals and Pests |
| C．The Main Use of Colors for Animals and Pests |
| D．Some Animals and Pests |
To save yourself from embarrassment (尴尬)， it’s good to read a few books or research online about the culture and customs of the country you plan to visit.
Clothing: Wearing shorts in public is generally not acceptable in most parts of the world, including some European countries.
Greetings: Handshake is a usually accepted form of greeting, although in some countries, like Japan, a traditional bow(鞠躬) is preferred. Be careful how you talk with someone; don’t use first names unless you are invited to do something.
Language/Gestures: learn some polite expressions (hello-goodbye-thank you) and relax. English is pretty common worldwide, especially in tourist areas and you can always use body language to get your message across. However, some Americans gestures have different meanings in other countries. For example, in Bulgaria, shaking your head usually means “yes”; shaking it “vertically” means “ no”.
Food/Drink: you may find yourself looking down at a local delicious snake soup in china, sheep’s eyes in Saudi Arabia… and wonder what to do; especially you are guests in someone’s home. Be brave, take small bites, and pretend it tastes like something you like. Remember that some Buddhists don’t eat beef, and Muslims don’t eat pork. If you are eating with Muslims, never touch food with left hand (the left hand is for bathroom use).
Conversations: if you know the history and culture of the country, you will be confident. The French are angry at the classic American question: “What do you do for a living?” and so on.You should learn about _______ of the country if you want to go to another country.
| A．the people and the food |
| B．the culture and customs |
| C．the language and people |
| D．the behavior and conversations |
A Japanese meet you for the first time, he/ she will ________.
| A．shake hands with you | B．hug with you |
| C．kiss you | D．bow to you |
In Bulgaria, shaking your head usually means______________.
| A．yes | B．no | C．victory | D．calm down |
Which of the following isn’t right?
| A．You can’t wear shorts in public in most parts of the world. |
| B．You can use body language to communicate with people. |
| C．You can use your left hand to touch food when you eat with Muslims. |
| D．You can get along well with people you visit if you know their culture and customs well. |
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