I’m afraid to grow old—we’re all afraid. In fact, the fear of growing old is so great that every aged person is an insult and a threat to the society. They remind us of our own death, that our body won’t always remain smooth and responsive, but will someday betray(背叛) us by aging. The ideal way to age would be to grow slowly invisible, gradually disappearing, without causing worry or discomfort to the young. In some ways that does happen. Sitting in a small park across from a nursing home one day, I noticed that the young mothers and their children gathered on one side, and the old people from the home on the other.
Whenever a youngster would run over to the “wrong” side, chasing a ball or just trying to cover all the available space, the old people would lean forward and smile. But before any communication could be established, the mother would come over, murmuring embarrassed apologies, and take her child back to the “young” side.
Now, it seemed to me that the children didn’t feel any particular fear and the old people didn’t seem to be threatened by the children. The division of space was drawn by the mothers. And the mothers never looked at the old people who lined the other side of the park. These well-dressed young women had a way of sliding their eyes over, around, through the old people; they never looked at them directly. The old people may as well have been invisible; they offended the aesthetic eye of the mothers.
My early experiences were somewhat different; since I grew up in a small town, my children had more of a nineteenth-century flavor. I knew a lot of old people, and considered some of them friends.People are afraid of growing old because it is usually associated with ______.
| A．insult | B．threat | C．death | D．betrayal |
In the author’s opinion, it is a perfect way to ______.
| A．grow old slowly and then die unnoticed |
| B．grow old suddenly and then die |
| C．shut oneself up from others when growing old |
| D．remain young all one’s life and then die suddenly |
It can be inferred that young mothers would try to keep their children away from the old because ______.
| A．they feared their children might hurt the old |
| B．they didn’t like their children to take up the space belonging to the old |
| C．they felt it was wrong to play balls near where the old stayed |
| D．they didn’t want their children to have anything to do with the old |
The author believes the division between the old and the young is _____.
| A．made by people | B．understandable |
| C．formed naturally | D．traditional |
From the passage, we learn that the author ______.
| A．used to have the same experience as the young have today |
| B．has never been afraid of getting old |
| C．was quite free to know and befriend old people in his childhood |
| D．both B and C |
Read this article and find out which one is a must-read for your children for Thanksgiving.
Clifford’s Thanksgiving Visit
Clifford has to stay home with his neighbors, as Emily Elizabeth’s family goes visiting her grandmother. At first, Clifford feels lonely, thinking of his own family, but then he decides to visit his mother too. He travels many miles, crosses bridges, and he even gets into the subway! Follow Clifford’s trip to the big city! At http://www.powells.com. it is $3.99. The author is Norman Bridwell. It is for children aged 4-8.
The Magic Tree House
The Magic Tree House describes how Jack and Annie return back to the eve of the first Thanksgiving. There they meet the pilgrims(移民) as well as Squanto, a native American who helped them. The story offers an age-appropriate, in-depth picture of what life was really like for early settlers, as well as their adventures and excitements. It is for ages 4-8. The book costs
$2.50 at http://www.powells.com. The author is Sal Murdocca.
Franklin’s Thanksgiving
Franklin thinks that there will be an over-abundance of food for Thanksgiving dinner. So he invites his teacher and friends for Thanksgiving dinner. It costs $2.50 at www.Powells.com. The book is for children aged 4-8. The author is Paulette Bourgeois.
The First Thanksgiving
The First Thanksgiving is for ages 4-8 and it tells about the story of the pilgrims’ learning languages. It is beautifully illustrated with plenty of beautiful watercolors(水彩画). The author is James Waiting and the price of the book is $2.50. You can find it on http://www.powells.com.Clifford travels to the big city probably because ________.
| A．he is eager to visit his grandmother | B．he is not happy at home |
| C．he misses his neighbors very much | D．he likes traveling very much |
If you are interested in the pilgrims’ life you can read ________.
| A．Clifford’s Thanksgiving Visit | B．The Magic Tree House |
| C．Franklin’s Thanksgiving | D．The First Thanksgiving |
Kids can understand The First Thanksgiving better with the help of ________.
| A．teachers | B．other readers | C．pictures | D．computers |
Mr. Patrick was new to the school and to us. Even though he was a great teacher, he seemed rather like a character out of a horror movie. He didn’t look that bad, but somehow, he looked extremely scary to me.
Some kids began to believe that he was a murderer or a ghost; some believed he was mad and a few believed that he might have suffered a lot in his life. I was one of those ‘few’.
One day I gathered up my courage and headed towards the school garden. He was, as usual, sitting on a bench alone. I breathed heavily a few times and then walked towards him.
“How are you?” I asked with my voice crackling.
He managed to say, “Fine.”
“Well, good to know,” I tried to be happy.
“Hmmm…” was all I heard.
“What’s up with you?” then seeing a puzzled look on his face, I tried to be more formal and respectful. “I mean, why aren’t you like all other people in the school? Why are you always so quiet and sad? Why…”
“No dear, some things are better left unsaid,” he said gloomily.
“Oh no sir, nothing is better left unsaid. If you want to share your feelings with me and reduce the pain of your heart, you are free to do so. I promise I will never ever tell anyone.”
“With you? You are just a little girl; what will you understand?”
I was somehow offended but still I managed to persuade him, “So what, Sir? You see, if you tell me your problem, you will have a light heart and you will have the feeling that someone somewhere cares about you.”
“Oh okay, that was a very nice belief indeed; let’s take a walk and I will let you know everything.”
Soon after our little talk, there was a visible change on his face. Later that day in the class, there was a smile on his face.From the text, we can know about Mr. Patrick that he .
| A．once acted a character in a horror movie |
| B．scared his students with his looks |
| C．often punished the students for bad marks |
| D．did better in teaching than others in the school |
Mr. Patrick was thought by the author to .
| A．be a murderer or a ghost | B．be mad |
| C．have suffered a lot | D．have a special personality |
While walking towards Mr. Patrick in the school garden, the author felt .
| A．excited | B．nervous | C．worried | D．happy |
THE WAY TO READ FAST
Perhaps you have been told about some habits（习惯） which stop a person reading fast、and have been strongly asked to break those habits which you might have.
Do you still have any of these bad habits7 Check yourself by answering "yes" or "no" to
these questions:
1. Do you move your lips(嘴唇) when reading silently？
2. Do you point to words with your finger as you read?
3. Do you move your head from side to side as you read?
4. Do you read one word at a time?
If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, start at once to break the habit.
If you move your lips, hold your fingers over them, or hold a piece of paper between your lips while you are reading. Then if your lips move, you will know it and can stop them.
If you point to words, hold the two sides of your book, one side with your left hand, the other side with your right hand. Then you will not have a free finger to use in pointing while reading.
If you move your head, place your chin（下巴）in one hand, and hold your head still(不动地，静止地).
If you read no more than one or two or three words at a time, you need to work very hard in learning to take in more words at each glance(看一眼) as your eyes travel across the lines of words.You may hold your fingers over your lips while reading
| A．to hold a piece of paper between them |
| B．to stop yourself talking to others |
| C．to tell others to be silent |
| D．to feel whether y our lips move or not |
When your eyes travel across the lines of words,
| A．you need to read the words out |
| B．you need to look at every word carefully |
| C．you need to read several words at a time |
| D．you need to remember every word |
When you read,
| A．don’t use your finger to point to words |
| B．don’t hold your books with your hands |
| C．don’t hold your head still |
| D．don’t do any of the things mentioned(提到)above. |
When other nine-year–old kids were playing games , she was working at a petrol station．When other teens were studying or going out , she struggled to find a place to sleep on the street．But she overcame these terrible setbacks to win a highly competitive scholar and gain entry to Harvard University．
Her amazing story has inspired a move , “ Homeless to Harvard : The Liz Murray Story ”, shown in late April．
Liz Murray , a year- old American girl , has been writing a real-life story of willpower and determination．
Liz grew up in the shadow of two drug-addicted．There was never enough food or warm clothes in the house．Liz was the only member of the family who had a job．
Her mother had AIDS and died when Liz was just 15 years old．The effect of that loss became a turning point in her life．Connecting the environment in which she had grown up with how her mother had died , she decided to do something about it．
Liz went back to school．She threw herself into her studies , never telling her teachers that she was homeless．At night , she lived on the streets．
“ What drove me to survive had to do with understanding , by understanding that there was a whole other way of being．I had only experienced a small part of the society , ” she wrote in her book “ Breaking Night ”．
She admitted that she used envy to drive herself on．She used the benefits that come easily to others , such as a safe living environment , to encourage herself that “ next to nothing could hold me down ”．
She finished high school in just two years and won a full scholarship to study at Harvard University．But Liz decided to leave her top university for a couple of moths earlier this year in order to take care of her father , who has also developed AIDS．“ I love my parents so much．They are drug addicts．But I never forget that they love me all the time．”
Liz wants moviegoers to come away with the idea that changing your life is “ as simple a making a decision．”In which order did the following thing happen to Liz ?
a．Mum died b．Worked at the petrol station
c．Got admitted into Harvard d．had trouble finding a place to sleep
| A．b-a-d-c | B．a-b-d-c | C．d-b –a –c | D．b-d-a –c |
What decision did Liz make that changed her life ?
| A．To go back to school | B．To go to the best university |
| C．To survive | D．To live a different life from her parents |
What actually drove her on towards her goal ?
| A．Envy | B．Her love for her parents |
| C．He Mum’s death | D．Her willpower and determination |
When she wrote “ I had only experienced a small part of the society ”, she _____
| A．wanted to encourage herself |
| B．suggested something she wanted for her life |
| C．suggested people often look back |
| D．meant that she had little experience |
I came to study in the United States a year ago .Yet I did not know the real American society until I was injured in a car accident because after the accident I had to see a doctor and go to court.
After the accident .my roommate called a doctor for me. I was very grateful and determined to repay him one day. But the next day, he asked me to pay him $200 for what he had done. I was astonished. He had good reason to charge me, he said. And if I wanted to collect money from the person who was responsible for my injury, I’d have to have a good lawyer. And only a good doctor can help me get a good lawyer .Now that he had helped me find a good doctor, it was only fair that I should pay him.
But every day I went to see the doctor, I had to wait about 50 minutes. He would see two or three patients at the same time, and often stop treating one so as to see another. Yet he charged me $115 each time .The final examination report was made up of ten lines, and it cost me $215.
My lawyer was all smiles the first time we met. But after that he avoided seeing me at all. He knew very well the other party was responsible for the accident, yet he hardly did anything. He simply waited to collect his money. He was so irresponsible that I decided to dismiss(解雇) him. And he made me pay him $770.
Now I had to act as my own lawyer. Due to my inexperience, I told the insurance company（保险公司） the date I was leaving America. Knowing that, they played for time…and I left without getting a cent.A good doctor is necessary and important for the author to __________.
| A．be properly treated |
| B．talk with the person responsible for the accident |
| C．recover before he leaves America |
| D．eventually get the responsible party to pay for his injury |
The word “charge” in the third paragraph means_________ .
| A．be responsible | B．accuse | C．ask as a price | D．claim |
Both the doctor and the lawyer in this passage are very__________.
| A．friendly | B．selfish | C．professional | D．busy |
What conclusion can you draw from the story?
| A．Going to court is something very common in America. |
| B．One must be very careful while driving a car. |
| C．There are more bad sides in America than good sides. |
| D．Money is more important than other things in the US. |
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