Like most cultures around the world, the Zulu people of Africa tell stories that have animals as heroes. These stories are meant to have fun, but they are also used to teach important lessons to children. This is one of those stories.
One hot afternoon, Jackal was walking along the rocky road sniffing (嗅) the ground. He was hoping to smell a mouse or a lizard (蜥蜴), or something else that would be good to eat. He was so much lost in sniffing that he wasn’t really paying attention to what was around himself.
Suddenly, Jackal looked up to see his neighbor, Lion, walking straight toward him. He did not have enough time to run way. Jackal had played many tricks on Lion over the years, so he knew he would be in trouble if he was caught. Jackal needed to think of something quickly.
“Help! Help!” cried Jackal as he quickly jumped upon a large rock hanging over the road. “The rocks are falling down, and I can’t hold them much longer. We shall both be crushed (压碎) if you do not do your best to hold these rocks back, Lion”
At once, Lion pushed his strong shoulder against the rocks to keep them from moving any further. “I’ll just run over here to get something to stop the rocks.” shouted Jackal as he ran way to safety. Lion stayed leaning against the unmoving rocks for quite a long time before he realized that Jackal had tricked him yet again! Why was Jackal sniffing the ground?
| A．To play with Lion. | B．To push a rock |
| C．To run after a mouse | D．To look for something to eat. |
What does the underlined word ‘leaning’ mean?
| A．supporting | B．sleeping | C．running | D．sitting |
Why did Jackal cry for help?
| A．Because Lion was rushing to him. |
| B．Because he was caught under a rock. |
| C．Because he got an idea to get away from Lion. |
| D．Because he saw a large rock moving toward him. |
What lesson does the story teach us?
| A．Trust（信任） your friend, trust yourself |
| B．Work hard, and you’ll succeed. |
| C．Help others when they are in trouble. |
| D．Try to find a quick way out when in trouble. |
Which words can describe Jackal’s characteristics?
| A．selfish and stubborn | B．silly and unkind | C．clever and creative | D．impolite and dishonest |
English Reading Salon（沙龙） ● Johnson Library Room 208 ● Read |Talk| Have free tea ● Thursday, June 30（7:00 p.m.~8:30 p.m.） ● Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
For more information, you can visit www.englishreadingsalon.com |
(1). How long will the salon last?
| A． | 60 minutes. |
B． | 90 minutes. |
C． | 120 minutes. |
(2). What can you do for free at the salon?
| A． | Eat cookies. |
B． | Have dinner. |
C． | Drink tea. |
阅读短文，将文后的五个选项还原到短文当中。
Why do you need hobbies? A study has found that people are more positive (积极的) when they take part in a relaxing activity. ___(1)___ Scientists also think they might be good for your brain.
How do you choose the right hobby? Start with what you enjoyed in the past. Did you once play football? ___(2)__ If you find it isn’t for you, stop and tum to something new. Probably joining a class or a team will give you a chance to meet other people.
Which relaxing activities are good for physical health? It’s clear that exercise is going to be good for your body, for example walking. ___(3)__ A review of 94 studies found that dancing three times a week improved balance in older people. Getting out in nature is helpful, whether you’re hiking or doing something less active.
Which hobbies keep your mind active? __(4)___ Playing the piano or listening to your favorite band can help you make it. Researches have found reading is also good for your brain.
___(5)__ So let’s take up great hobbies.
A. Dancing is wonderful exercise.
B. Take it up again or start something else.
C. Hobbies let you forget your worries and have fun.
D. Learning an instrument and reading are the best choices.
E. Other studies have shown that hobbies can give you a sense of achievement.
The brush pen, one of the “Four Treasures of the Study”, was invented thousands of years ago. However, the oldest pen was just a stick or a piece of bamboo. It was difficult for people to write well on thin silk.
It is said that Meng Tian, a general of the Kingdom (王国) Qin, improved the pen. When Meng was leading an army to fight against the Kingdom of Chu, he had to report the situation to his king in time. But his pen was too hard and caused him much trouble, so he was thinking of ways to improve it.
One day after hunting (狩猎), Meng made his way home with some wild rabbits on the horse back. Fat and heavy, one rabbit’s tail left a long trail (痕迹) on the ground when they moved on. Suddenly a good idea came to his mind when he saw it, “If I tie the rabbit’s hair to a stick, would it be easy to write with?”
On arriving home, he tied the rabbit’s hair to a stick and tried writing with it. But the rabbit’s hair was too smooth to write well and wasted a lot of silk. Meng was so disappointed that he threw away his “invention” into a stone hole in the yard.
However, Meng never gave up and kept trying all the time. A few rainy days later, he happened to find his “invention” fatter in a stone hole. He picked it up with hope. The brush worked beautifully on silk. It turned out that the special water had cleaned the oil from the hair. Meng succeeded at last.
Thanks to Meng, the brush pen is playing a key role in Chinese culture. Today, students are taught to use the brush pens in school. It makes their life more colorful and helps them better understand Chinese culture.
(1). Why did Meng Tian want to improve the pen?
| A． | Because the king asked him to do so. |
B． | Because he wanted to be an inventor. |
| C． | Because he didn’t have silk to write on. |
D． | Because the pen brought him much trouble. |
(2). When did Meng think of the good idea in Paragraph 3?
| A． | Before hunting animals. |
B． | When he saw the trail. |
| C． | During cleaning the hair. |
D． | After he wrote a report. |
(3). Which is the right order of improving the brush pen?
a. The brush pen could write well.
b. Meng tied the rabbit’s hair to a stick.
c. The special water washed the oil away.
d. Meng dropped the stick into a stone hole.
| A． | b-d-a-c |
B． | d-b-a-c |
C． | b-d-c-a |
D． | c-d-b-a |
(4). How can the students understand Chinese culture better?
| A． | By learning to use brush pens. |
B． | By playing a role. |
| C． | By planting more bamboo. |
D． | By inventing things. |
(5). What can we learn from the passage?
| A． | Make friends with animals. |
B． | Value fantastic memories. |
| C． | Keep trying and never give up. |
D． | Build a peaceful world. |
During work hours in Becker’s bread shop, the kitchen is especially quiet except the sound of the machine. The quiet environment is not the result of the strict rules, but because all the workers are deaf. They use sign language to communicate with each other from time to time.
Becker’s shop is in Changsha City, Hunan Province. It sells many kinds of German bread, cakes and coffee. It is very popular for the story of Becker who opened it.
Over twenty years ago, Becker and his wife heard about a Chinese public project. It provided language training for the disabled children, but it was short of trainers in Changsha. So they came in 2002 with a common wish to do something meaningful in life.
In Changsha, together with other Chinese trainers, they helped children improve their hearing and language pronunciation. Every little progress each child experienced was a great encouragement to them, and they achieved their goal in life.
After ten years of working for this project, they found that the disabled adults couldn’t be independent because they had no professional skills. Then Becker and his wife set up a bread shop to teach these people how to make bread. With their help, all of them were able to live on their own.
Luckily, Becker and his wife have also got the support from the local government. More people join them and understand that disabled people can work as well as others when they have the same chances.
(1). What makes Becker’s bread shop popular according to the passage?
| A． | Its owner’s story. |
B． | Its quiet environment. |
| C． | Its strict rules. |
D． | Its good location. |
(2). How long have Becker and his wife lived in China?
| A． | For about 10 years. |
B． | For about 15 years. |
| C． | For about 20 years. |
D． | For about 30 years. |
(3). Who does the underlined word “ they ” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
| A． | The local people. |
B． | Becker and his wife. |
| C． | The Chinese trainers. |
D． | The disabled children. |
(4). Where can we probably read the passage?
| A． | In a travel guide. |
B． | In a notice. |
C． | In a science report. |
D． | In a magazine. |
(5). What’s the best title for this passage?
| A． | A Silent Bread Shop |
B． | A Training Course |
C． | A Beautiful City |
D． | Delicious Local Food |
Have you ever tried writing a poem? Maybe you think it is impossible especially if you do not think you are naturally creative. But if you follow the steps below, you can also write a better poem than you expected. ___(1)___
◆Pick a theme (主题) that interests you. Find the theme that you are interested in. ___(2) __ “Love and friendship” is always the theme for a poem.
◆Choose a form for your poem. Get your creative minds working by picking a poetic form. You may choose a poetic form that you find easy.
◆Use your imaginations. You should always try to describe something using the five senses. ___(3)__ Using imaginations will lead your readers into the world of your poem and make images (意象) come alive for them.
◆__(4)___ You could use “the heart of stone”, “as white as snow” and so on. With these expressions, your poem will be different. They can make your poem a piece of wonderful work to your readers.
◆Read the poem out loud. Once you have completed a poem, you should read it aloud to yourself. __(5) __ Pay attention to how each line of your poem moves into the next smoothly. Keep a pen close by so you can mark any lines or words that sound difficult and strange.
根据材料内容，从下面五个选项中选出能填入文中空缺处的最佳选项，使文章意思通顺、内容完整。
| A． | Make use of special expressions. |
| B． | Start your poem with a clear idea. |
| C． | Notice how the words sound on the page. |
| D． | They are smell, taste, touch, sight and sound. |
| E． | You will be proud to share it with your friends. |
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