Hi, Louis!
I’m writing to tell you something about the customs(风俗) and festivals.
Everyone loves holidays since one doesn’t need to go to school or work. Although all holidays mean no school and work, but not all of them are the same. On some of them you go out with friends; on others you stay home to eat, talk, and have fun with your family. For example in the USA, everyone thinks New Year’s Eve and New Year are both for playing with friends. Christmas is the time to stay home and exchange gifts with family members. The opposite (相反) is true in Japan though. For example, in Japan, New Year is for spending time with the family to eat, talk, have fun, and go to the temples. But Christmas is for boy and girl friends to go out and exchange gifts. Originally Christmas should be to celebrate(庆祝) the birth of Christ.
I have been interested in foreign customs since I was little. If you learn these different holiday customs, you will learn about different histories and cultures. This is much more interesting than learning them at the library from morning to evening.
Loves,
Judge the following sentence true(T) or (F)Usually, nobody goes to school or works during holidays.
Christmas is the time to stay home to eat, talk and have fun with the family.
All the countries have the same way to celebrate the holidays.
Being interested in foreign customs means being interested in different histories and cultures.
This passage is about the customs and holidays in Japan.
Little Tommy was doing very badly in math. His parents had tried everything—tutors (家庭教师), cards, special learning centers—in short, everything they could think of. Finally they took Tommy to a catholic (天主教的) school.
After the first day, little Tommy came home with a very serious look on his face. He didn’t kiss his mother hello. Instead, he went straight to his room and started studying. Books and papers were spread (铺开) out all over the room and little Tommy was hard at work. His mother was surprised. She called him down to dinner and as soon as he finished eating, he went back to his room, without a word. In no time he was back hitting the books as hard as before. This went on for some time, day after day while the mother tried to understand what was happening.
Finally, little Tommy brought home his report card. He quietly put it on the table and went up to his room and hit the books. His mom looked at it and to her surprise, little Tommy got an A in math. She could no longer hold her curiosity (好奇心). She went to his room and asked, “Son, what was it? Was it the nuns (修女)?”
Little Tommy looked at her and shook his head, “No. ”
“Well then,” she asked again. “WHAT was it?”
Little Tommy looked at her and said, “Well, on the first day of school, when I saw that man nailed (钉) to the plus sign (加号), I knew they weren’t joking. ” Why did Tommy’s parents send him to a catholic school?
| A．Because he could eat well there. |
| B．Because he could earn more about nuns. |
| C．Because his parents wanted him to do better in his math. |
| D．Because his parents didn’t want him to learn math any more. |
Tommy’s mother felt surprised that his son _______.
| A．was still the same as usual |
| B．ate so much at dinner |
| C．kissed her hello after school |
| D．worked hard but said little |
“Hitting the books” means “_______” in Chinese.
| A．用功 | B．捶书 | C．发泄 | D．振作 |
The last sentence in the passage shows that _______.
| A．Tommy felt sorry for the mail |
| B．Tommy was afraid of being nailed |
| C．Tommy didn’t like the plus sign |
| D．Tommy liked playing jokes on others |
From the passage, we can infer (推断) that _______.
| A．teachers should be strict with their students |
| B．mistaking (误解) might do good sometimes |
| C．a catholic school is much better than other ones |
| D．nuns are good at helping children with their math |
The word, “photography”, was first used in 1839. It comes from the Greek words that mean “to write with light”. But photography could only give peoplestatic pictures. So scientists were trying hard to find ways to make pictures that can move. They made lots of experiments, but failed again and again. It was Eadweard Muybridge who finally succeeded. He was the first photographer to try this successfully. But how did he make it? It was an interesting story.
Back in 1872, people didn’t know exactly whether all four of a horse’s hooves (蹄) left the ground at the same time when it was running. A gentleman called Leland Stanford made a bet with his friend about it. Most people believed that a horse always had one hoof on the ground, or it would fall over. But Stanford didn’t think so.
At that time, it was hard to know who could win the bet, because a horse’s legs move so fast that it is impossible to tell just by looking. So they needed a way to record the movement of a running horse. Then Stanford offered $25,000 to the famous photographer, Muybridge, to help find the answer. In the beginning, Muybridge failed to get clear images, but he didn’t give up. He continued to improve his cameras. In 1878, after many experiments, he managed to get a sequence (连续) of 12 photos. One of them clearly showed that all four of the horse’s hooves were off the ground at the same time. And when the photos moved fast, people could see a horse running.
Though is usually considered as the person who created the first movie in 1889, it was the work of Eadweard Muybridge and the bet that led to Edison’s invention.The underlined word“static”in Paragraph 1 most probably means _______.
| A．pretty | B．dark | C．moving | D．still |
What did Leland Stanford make a bet with his friend about?
| A．Whose horse ran faster. |
| B．whether a horse would fall over while running. |
| C．whether it was possible for scientists to make moving pictures. |
| D．Whether a horse’s hooves all left the ground at the same time while running. |
Muybridge finally found the exact answer to the bet _______.
| A．next year. | B．at the same year. |
| C．after six years. | D．after seventeen years. |
Which is TRUE from the passage?
| A．The word, “photography” means to make pictures that can move from the Greek words . |
| B．Leland Stanford made a bet with Edison in 1872. |
| C．It is very easy for Muybridgea to record the movement of a running horse. |
| D．Stanford believed all four of the horse’s hooves were off the ground at the same time. |
The passage mainly tells us _______.
| A．that Thomas Edison created the first movie . |
| B．that Eadweard Muybridge created the first static pictures |
| C．how photography helped people know more about animals |
| D．how Eadweard Muybridge got pictures of motion (移动) successfully |
Did you ever wonder how some of your favorite foods, products or toys came about? Believe it or not, they may have been an accident, or a failure of some other intention. Below, we found three mistakes we’re thankful for turned out to be what they are.
1. Most historians hold that the Chinese invented fireworks in the 9th century when they discovered how to make gunpowder. Story has it that a Chinese cook accidentally mixed together what were then considered common kitchen items and noticed they burnt. When put tightly(紧紧地）in a bamboo tube(管子and lit, it blew up.
2. In May of 1886, a law led John Pemberton, a pharmacist(药剂师), to rewrite the formula(配方) for “Pemberton’s French Wine Coca”, his popular headache treatment. Containing sugar instead of wine as a sweetener, the outcome became something for Coke, which was later mixed with carbonated(碳酸) water. His bookkeeper suggested the name Coca-Cola because he thought the two C’s would look good together, which is how what we call Coca-Cola, a world-wide drink came into being.
3. During World WarⅡ, scientists at the University of Birmingham invented the magnetron(磁控管)—an important heat-producing part of the microwave oven. While working for Raytheon Corporation after the war, the American engineer Percy Spencer was testing the magnetron when a chocolate bar in his pocket melted. He went on to test other foods including popcorn kernels(仁), and found it to be a much more efficient way to cook. In 1947 Raytheon came out with the first restaurant microwave oven, which was six feet tall and weighed 750 lbs.The underlined phrase “ blew up” might mean _______ in Chinese.
| A．爆炸 | B．膨胀 | C．升华 | D．蒸发 |
Percy Spencer found the microwave efficient in cooking when he was ________.
| A．looking for a way to melt his chocolate |
| B．trying to know tow a magnetron could cook |
| C．working to know how the magnetron works |
| D．asked to invent a restaurant microwave oven |
The right time order of the three inventions should be ________.
| A．fireworks, the microwave and Coca-cola |
| B．fireworks, Coca-cola and the microwave |
| C．Coca-cola, fireworks and the microwave |
| D．the microwave, Coca-cola and the fireworks |
What can we learn from the above invention stories?
| A．Experiments makes great inventors of our time. |
| B．Nothing is impossible if one tries each day. |
| C．Inventors come out of hard work at any time. |
| D．A small incident may lead to a great invention. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．What great inventions they are! |
| B．Inventions from Three Countries. |
| C．Stories of Accidental Inventions. |
| D．The Human Inventions of time. |
Born in Ghana，West Africa，in 1989，Freddy Adu has become one of the most promising young soccer players in the world.Soccer fans have been crazy about him since 2003，when he became the youngest player to join a professional sports team in the United States.The next year，he became the youngest athlete ever to play in an allstar game，a match in which the best players from many professional teams compete.
As a child，Adu did what many children in Ghana love to do—play soccer.His mother recognized her son's talentand encouraged it by providing soccer balls，which were expensive for them.Since he had soccer balls，other children always came looking for him and played together.
Education was very important to Adu's mother，and she wasn't sure that her son could receive a good education in Ghana.So she tried hard and moved to Maryland，U.S. in 1997，when he was eight years old.His new school friends soon noticed his talent for soccer，and the parents of one friend encouraged him to join a soccer club.This was his first time playing organized soccer，and he helped his team from the Potomac Soccer Association win a tournament in Italy in 2000.One professional Italian team was so impressed by Adu that they offered him $750，000 to play for them.Adu's mother refused the offer and thought that her eleven-year-old son needed to finish school first.
Adu did finish high school at the age of 14.Nowadays，he is playing professional soccer and living with his mother in a house he bought for her.His salary with the D．C. United team is $500，000 a year，and Adu is also paid to advertise products such as sports shoes and drinks.Adu is happy that his mother no longer has to work at two jobs，and his fans are happy that they can watch him play their favourite sport for many years to come.
Freddy Adu was ____ years old when he became the youngest ever allstar team player.
| A．eight | B．ten | C．thirteen | D．fifteen |
Adu's mother helped him develop his talent by ____．
| A．making him play soccer every day |
| B．finding him a soccer coach |
| C．offering him soccer balls |
| D．making him join the school team |
Which is the correct order of the following events？____
a．Adu became the youngest professional soccer player in the USA.
b．Adu's family moved to the United States.
c．Adu's mother noticed his special ability to play soccer.
d．Adu is paid to advertise sports shoes and drinks.
A．b—c—d—a. B．a—c—b—d.
C．d—c—a—b. D．c—b—a—d.
What can we learn from the passage？____
| A．As a child，Adu taught other children to play soccer in his hometown. |
| B．Adu moved to the USA because there were no soccer teams in Ghana. |
| C．Adu helped his team win a tournament and got $750，000 in Italy in 2000. |
| D．Adu gets more than $500，000 a year and lives happily with his mother now. |
What is the secret of the success of Adu according to the passage?
| A．His mother noticed his talent and encouraged him all the time. |
| B．He received a good education in the United States. |
| C．The parents of his friend encouraged him to join a soccer club. |
| D．All of the above |
When I was young, my father used to grow carnations — a kind of flower that was red, pink or white. He took care of them with much love and devotion. Every day he came home from work, he would enjoy watching them. And he used to tell us, “No one should touch my flowers.”
One day, my younger sister Clemence, who loved dad very much, wanted to help him. So she cut the carnation from their stems (枝干) one by one and arranged (排列) them on the ground. She believed that dad would be very happy to see them that way.
When mom and I realized what my sister had done, we became completely silent. However, my sister didn’t know why no one showed her any appreciation (感谢). When dad arrived, he went as usual straight to watch the flowers. Seeing his flowers lying on the ground like dead animals, he was shocked at first. He looked towards the street to see if it was any of the neighbors’ children who could have done it. Then he looked at mom in silence. Finally mom, who always taught us to tell the truth no matter what, said, “No bad neighbors did this great job, only your lovely daughter Clemence.”
Dad’s face changed into a smile and then he said, “Do I have better flower than my lovely daughter?” My younger sister smiled and hugged (拥抱) dad strongly.
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。What is NOT a color of carnations?
| A．White | B．Red | C．Black | D．Pink |
How did Clemence feel when she had the carnations cut?
| A．Sorry. | B．Worried. | C．Upset. | D．Happy |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．No one knew what my sister had done with the carnations. |
| B．Dad had thought someone outside had cut the flowers from the stems. |
| C．My younger sister told my father the truth about the carnations. |
| D．Dad asked my sister to help arrange the carnations on the ground. |
What caused my younger sister to smile and hug dad strongly?
| A．Clemence’s words. | B．Mom’s words. |
| C．Dad’s words. | D．My words. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．My Neighbors | B．Dad’s Best Flower |
| C．Growing Carnations | D．Telling the truth |
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