Bringing a giraffe into the world is a tall order. A baby giraffe is born 10 feet high and usually lands on its back. Within seconds it rolls over its legs under its body. Then the mother giraffe rudely introduces its children to the reality(现实) of life.
In his book, A View from the Zoo, Gary Richmond describes how a new-born giraffe learns its first lesson.
The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she puts herself directly over her child. She waits for about a minute, and then she does the most unreasonable(不合情理的) thing. She throws her long leg and kicks her baby, so that it’s sent sprawling(四脚朝天).
When it doesn’t get up, the process is repeated again and again. The struggle to rise is important. As the baby giraffe grows tired, the mother kicks it again. Finally, it stands for the first time on its shaky(摇晃的) legs. Then the mother giraffe kicks it off its feet again. Why? She wants it to remember how it got up. In the wild, a baby giraffe must be able to get up as quickly as possible to stay with its group, where there’s safety.
Another writer named Irving Stone understood this. He spent a lifetime studying greatness, writing stories about such men as Michelangelo, Vincent van Gogh, Sigmund Freud, and Charles Darwin.
Stone was once asked if he had found something that runs through the lives of all these great people. He said, “I write about people who sometime in their life have a dream of something. They’re beaten over the head, knocked down and for years they get nowhere. But every time they stand up again. And at the end of their lives they’ve realized some small parts of what they set out(着手) to do .”What does the underlined part “a tall order” in Paragraph 1 mean?
| A．A happy thing. | B．A difficult task. |
| C．A big dream. | D．A beautiful scene. |
What does the book A View from the Zoo talk about?
| A．A new-born giraffe’s first lesson. |
| B．A mother giraffe’s story. |
| C．The lives of some great people. |
| D．The way for a giraffe to stand up. |
Why were some great people mentioned in the passage?
| A．Because they all worked hard. |
| B．Because they all liked to read some special stories. |
| C．Because they were born with some illnesses. |
| D．Because they were similar to giraffes in some ways. |
Which of the following statements is True according to the passage?
| A．This passage is a description of giraffes’ living habits. |
| B．Baby giraffes can’t stand up until three months old. |
| C．Irving Stone spent a lifetime studying and writing stories about great people. |
| D．The great people can’t stand up after they’re knocked down for years. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．How to Raise a Baby Giraffe. |
| B．Learning to Get Back Up. |
| C．Stories about the great people. |
| D．A Mother Giraffe and Its Baby Giraffe. |
| Paperboy By Vince Vawter  |
What’s the basic story line? Little Man works as a paperboy for the summer, but has no idea that it will change his attitudes towards life forever. His unexpected adventure leads him to new friends, problems, and worries. The job even puts his life in danger. What would you say about this book? It tells an interesting story, providing a deep understanding of the life of someone in a special situation. — By Zach Lewis |
| House of Secrets By Ned Vizzini  |
What’s the basic story line? A man writes a novel called The Book of Doom and Desire. The book is magical and has powers that could be harmful if misused. The writer puts a spell (符咒) on the book so nobody can use it. Some people want to find the book. Their search is very dangerous. What happens during their adventure? Read the book and find out. What would you say about this book? It includes funny stories, bravery and love. It is a great book from start to finish. — By Abhinav Piplani |
| Better to Wish By Ann Martin  |
What’s the basic story line? Abby Nichols is 8 years old and living with her parents in a small town in Maine during the Great Depression. She can’t imagine what her future holds for her. But Abby’s world is changing fast. There will be good-byes to say and hard choices to make. The story follows the ups and downs of Abby’s life. What would you say about this book? It is a book about how a girl deals with her problems. The writer shows readers the way a family grows. The story is about hope and life. — By Alaa Osman |
| My Brother Is A Big, Fat Liar By James Patterson  |
What’s the basic story line? Georgia Khatchadorian is entering Hills Village Middle School and thinks everything is going well. But things are different at HVMS. Her brother, Rafe, was kicked out because he broke all the rules. The teachers think that Georgia is just like her brother, so they give her bad grades. To make matters worse, some boys often pick on her. Will Georgia be able to change her reputation? What would you say about this book? It is very humorous, and readers will never want to put it down! — By Rylan J. Daniels |
What do Paperboy and House of Secrets have in common?
| A．They both tell honest people’s stories. |
| B．They both include some adventure stories. |
| C．They both present a deep understanding of life. |
| D．They both give advice on how to solve problems. |
According to My Brother Is A Big, Fat Liar, why is Georgia given bad grades?
| A．She puts her brother’s life in danger. |
| B．She breaks all the rules like her brother. |
| C．Her teachers believe that she will behave badly. |
| D．She doesn’t study well and picks on her classmates. |
Where can we probably read this text?
| A．A personal diary. | B．A website book review. |
| C．A science report. | D．A chemistry textbook. |
Lost Cat Returned To Owner 12 Years Later
April 3, 2014 – Linda Edwards of Las Vegas, Nevada is full of happiness because her long lost cat Spaz has been returned to her – 12 years after he first went missing!
Spaz first went missing in 2002 and Edwards looked for him every day for three months. She searched all around her town and even wrote letters to some newspapers for help and was never able to find him. At the end of the three months, on New Year’s Eve of 2002 her searching stopped.
But someone recently discovered a dirty, thin stray cat (流浪猫) and took him into a West Flamingo Animal Hospital. The people working in the hospital checked the cat and were sure enough that his name was Spaz and he belonged to Edwards!
“An old lady found a kitty on Sunday and brought him here. We scanned (扫描) him for a microchip (微芯片) and we were able to find out his owner. The kitty, whose name is Spaz, has been missing for 12 years!” the animal hospital wrote on their Facebook page early last week.
Microchipping pets is a way to recognize if a stray animal belongs to anyone who could be missing them. Microchipping pets allows animal services to learn if they have a family waiting for them. Microchips are only about the size of a grain of rice and can only be removed by operation.
Edwards is very thankful she had Spaz microchipped and was so excited to get him back!
“I feel like I have a second chance,” she said. “This would have never happened if it weren’t for microchips.”The cat got lost ______.
| A．three months ago | B．12 years ago |
| C．on April 3, 2014 | D．on New Year’s Eve, 2002 |
After the hospital checked the cat, they knew ______.
| A．its feeling | B．its hobby | C．its stray life | D．its owner’s name |
______ make(s) it possible for owners to find their lost pets.
| A．The microchip | B．Animal hospitals |
| C．The newspaper | D．Family members |
Long Lake Camp For Teens
Have fun every minute of every day at Long Lake Summer Camp! Every day is perfect because you can not only enjoy activities but also make new friends.
Long Lake Rock Camp
Our Rock Camp is different from anywhere else. We can offer you all the band lessons. We add a special Rock Guitar this summer. You can practice with your friends every day.
Long Lake Dance Camp
All our wonderful dance camp teachers are returning this summer. We will again offer you all the very best dance camps for modern dance, hip hop, musical theater and more.
Long Lake Music Camp
There is something for every interest, whether you sing or play an instrument. You also can develop your music skills.
Long Lake Film Camp
Long Lake Film Camp offers great film making chances. With our help, you can make your own film. Try it! Most importantly, our video experts share their experience of the art of film making.
Cost: $1000 — $1999
Ages: From 10 to 16
Camp Address: 199 Washington Avenue, Dobbs Ferry , New York 10522
Tel: 800 767 7111
E-mail: marc@longlakecamp.comHow many kinds of camps are mentioned in this passage?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
If you want to practise dancing, you can choose ______.
| A．Long Lake Rock Camp | B．Long Lake Dance Camp |
| C．Long Lake Music Camp | D．Long Lake Film Camp |
What can you do at Long Lake Film Camp?
| A．Watch some famous films. | B．Learn how to make a film. |
| C．Ask for advice on dancing. | D．Create a special rock band. |
阅读短文, 根据短文内容回答问题。
Have you ever wondered what an American high school is really like? This article will describe a typical (典型的) high school and its students.
A typical American high school has several large buildings and enough space for about 1,500 students. Every student is given a locker. When students first arrive at school, they go straight to their lockers to put away or get their textbooks and to hang up their outdoor clothes. As American textbooks are expensive, students would rather borrow than buy them. Students must pay back if they lose any of them.
American students have different types of school transport. They usually take a yellow school bus or walk to school if they live close enough. Sometimes their parents drive them to school. When they turn 16 years of age, most take a free driving class at school for one term. If students get passing grades in the class and also pass their state driver’s exam, they can begin driving themselves to school.
Each day, students take six or seven classes. They must take science, maths, English and social studies. They can choose art, homemaking, clothes making and other classes. In some schools students are asked to take one or more of the following special classes: health education, physical education or foreign language studies. Students move to different classrooms for each subject. This is because each teacher has their own classroom. There is a five-minute break between classes, to give the students the time to hurry to their next class.
The school day usually ends early in the afternoon. After school more than half of the students take part in after-school activities. These activities include sports --- especially football, basketball, baseball and soccer or clubs, such as yearbook, speech, school newspaper, and photography and student government.
Seeing a volcano erupt (喷发) is a wonderful experience, and you can really feel the heat by climbing to the summit of Pacaya for a close-up view. There are guided tours every day up this highly active volcano from Antigua. Giving travelers a chance to see Mother Nature at her most powerful (强大的).
Pacaya is an easy drive from Antigua, a beautiful city with many colorful houses along its old streets that are turned into art-works during its Holy Week festival. No matter when you come to Antigua, you won’t miss the Pacaya-tour companies.
But climbing Pacaya is no easy job: it is 2,560 metres high and reaching the summit takes two to three hours of seemingly one-step-forward and two-step-back movements. As you climb, you hear the sounds of eruptions high above. Smoke, hot remains from recent eruptions begin to line the path as you near the active summit: the McKenney Cone (火山锥). Just as though you were going to walk over to the edge of the cone, the road turns to the left and up to the safety of the old, inactive summit.
Many tours are timed so that you arrive at the cone of the volcano in plenty of time for sunset and the full scene of the erupting red lava (熔岩) in the darkening sky. On a good day the view from the summit is really exciting. The active mouth boils, sending red lava over its sides, and once in a while shoots hot streams up to 100 metres into the air. There is a strong bad smell in the air even if you take care to be upwind of the cone. As evening turns deeper into the night, the burning lava quietly falls down the side of the volcano. For you, too, it is time to get down.
| A．get down the mountain in time when night falls |
| B．avoid the smell from the upwind direction of the cone |
| C．enjoy the fantastic eruption against the darkening sky |
| D．appreciate the beauty of the 2,560-metre-high mountain |
| A．remained, cooled rocks along the path |
| B．loud sound and terrible smell in the air |
| C．the most exciting happening in a place |
| D．the top point of a mountain or hill |
| A．To have more tourists come to Pacaya. |
| B．To describe the beauty of Pacaya. |
| C．To introduce guided tours to Pacaya. |
| D．To explain the power of nature at Pacaya. |
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