Big Brothers Big Sisters is based on the simplicity and power（力量） of friendship．It is a program which provides friendship and fun by matching vulnerable young people (ages 7-17) with a volunteer adult who can be both a role model and a supportive friend.
Volunteer tutors come from all walks of life—married, single, with or without children. Big Brothers and Big Sisters are not replacement parents or social workers. They are tutors: someone to trust, to have fun with, to talk and go to when needed.
A Big Sister and Little Sister will generally spend between one and four hours together three or four times each month for at least twelve months. They enjoy simple activities such as a picnic at a park, cooking, doing sports or going to a football match. These activities improve the friendship and help the young person develop self-respect, confidence and life direction.
Big Brothers Big Sisters organizations can be found throughout the world. It is the largest and most well-known provider of tutor services internationally and has been operating for 25 years.
Emily and Sarah have been matched since 2008. Emily is a 15-year-old girl who has experienced some difficulties being accepted by her schoolmates at school. “ I was pretty sure there was something wrong with me.”
Emily’s mum came across Big Brothers Big Sisters and thought it would be of benefit to Emily by “providing different feedback about herself other than just depending on schoolmates to measure(测量) her self-worth.
Sarah wanted to get involved(使参与) in a volunteer program. “I googled it and found out how to be a part of it. I thought it would be fun for me to get involved in making time to do something because sometimes it is all work and no play.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters has been of great benefit and enjoyment to both Emily and Sarah. They love and look forward to their time together and the partnership has certainly helped Emily be more comfortable in being the wonderful and happy girl she is!According to the passage, “vulnerable young people” are probably those who are _________.
| A．popular at school | B．rather weak physically |
| C．easily hurt emotionally | D．confident in themselves |
A volunteer is usually expected to work within a year for at least______．
| A．72 hours | B．48 hours | C．36 hours | D．24 hours |
Why did Sarah want to get involved in the program?
| A．She felt a bit bored with her life. |
| B．She used to be a volunteer. |
| C．She needed a part-time job. |
| D．She wanted to get a difficult job. |
What is the purpose of Big Brothers Big Sisters?
| A．To offer students public services． |
| B．To help students improve their grades． |
| C．To organize funny sport activities for young people． |
| D．To provide partnership and fun for young people． |
Where has the Time gone? is the hottest song that has moved thousands of Chinese. Chinese parents give their children endless love and ask nothing in return. However, sometimes, daughters and sons are too busy growing up and forget that their parents are getting older and older. What should we do? Let’s have a look at a letter of a father’s.
Dear son，
One day if you see me old and I am not myself, have patience and try to understand me. If I get dirty when eating…, if I cannot dress…, have patience. Remember the hours I spent teaching it to you.
If, when I speak to you, I say the same things one thousand and one times, do not stop me and listen to me. When you were small, I had to read to you one thousand and one times the same story until you get to sleep.
When I do not want to have a shower, neither shame（羞辱） me nor scold（责备） me. Remember when I had to chase you with a thousand excuses I invented, in order that you wanted to bath.
When you see me meet something new, give me the necessary time and don’t laugh at me. I taught you how to do so many things… to eat well, to dress well… to face life.
If I do not want to eat, do not force me. I know well when I need to and when not. When my legs do not allow me to walk, give me your hand the same way I did when you gave your first steps.
When sometimes I lose the memory during our conversation, let me have the necessary time to remember. And if I cannot do it, do not become nervous because the most important thing is not my conversation but to be with you and to have you listen to me.
Yours,
FatherWhat do the Chinese parents often do?
| A．They often get dirty when eating. |
| B．They often read stories to their children at night. |
| C．They give their children endless love and ask nothing in return. |
| D．They often refuse to take a shower. |
What would the father do, if he wanted his son to go to sleep?
| A．He would read the same story many times to make his son sleep. |
| B．He would invent many excuses. |
| C．He would scold his son. |
| D．He would teach his son to count sheep. |
According the father, what should you do, when your old parents lose the memory during your conversation?
| A．Go on talking with them. | B．Leave them alone. |
| C．Go for a walking with them. | D．Be with them and listen to them. |
Why does the writer write this passage?
| A．To introduce the song, Where has the Time gone? |
| B．To show what we should do when our parents are old. |
| C．To show a father’s love to his son. |
| D．To complain that we are too busy. |
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and her family have just ended their one-week trip in China. The whole world has paid attention to the two elegant and beautiful first ladies who have made a difference in the relationship(关系) between China and the U.S.A.
Mrs. Obama has visited the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, and the pandas. She has tasted Peking Duck and experienced some other Chinese traditional culture. It is hoped that this trip to China can bring a real understanding of our eastern world to the first family of the United States.
Today, the number of exchange students between China and the U.S. has reached more than 4 million every year. There are more than 11,000 people traveling to and from each side of the Pacific（太平洋）. If the two countries can increase the exchange in travel, language, cuisine, and cultural understanding, this will help a lot in improving the understanding between the two countries.
Education was an important theme of Mrs. Obama’s visit, and it is crucial to the development of Sino-US relationship. China has an ancient tradition of placing a high value on education, and the first lady herself is an outstanding example of a person who changed her own destiny(命运) through education. She took education as the key theme of her speech at Peking University, encouraging students from the two countries to learn more about and get wider experience of each other.The whole world has paid attention to the two wonderful ladies because ___________.
A. they are elegant and beautiful
B. they have made a difference in the relationship between China and the U.S.A.
C. they pay attention to education
D. they hope students can learn from each otherMrs. Obama has visited the following places except___________.
| A．Terracotta Warriors | B．the Forbidden City |
| C．the Great Wall | D．the Summer Palace |
The underline word “Sino” in the fourth paragraph probably means ______
A. China B. Japan C. Canada D Australia The theme of Mrs. Obama’s speech at Peking University is_________
| A．understanding | B．education | C．Sino-US relationship | D．exchange students |
Travel in Europe
France
France is a great place for all the people in the world to travel. The Eiffel Tower(埃菲尔铁塔), which is 320 meters high, is the symbol of Paris. It was built in 1889. The Triumphal Arch(凯旋门) was finished in 1836. It’s a world famous building, too. Besides, you can also enjoy the colorful streets, the beautiful river Seine, the glorious palaces, the romantic people, and the old history.
Spain (西班牙)
When traveling in Spain, you shouldn’t miss Madrid(马德里), the capital of Spain. It has many fantastic travel sights including Royal Palace of Madrid.（马德里皇宫） Royal Palace of Madrid is the third largest palace in Europe. You can’t imagine how beautiful it is until you take a trip there. If you happen to be in Madrid in the bullfighting(斗牛) season, you can try watching it, because bullfighting(斗牛) plays a crucial role in Spanish culture!
Switzerland （瑞士）
As we all know Switzerland is the land of watches. Whatever you do, don’t miss watching its clock and watch museum. And you can find it in Geneva, the capital of Switzerland. If you like skiing（滑雪）, Switzerland has the world's best Ski resorts, Mount Titlis(铁力士雪山).It’s known as the Ski paradise(天堂) all over the world. Where can you enjoy the beautiful river Seine?
| A．In France | B．In Spain | C．In Britain | D．In Switzerland |
If you are crazy about skiing, which travel spotlight might you go to?
| A．The Eiffel Tower. | B．Royal Palace of Madrid |
| C．The Triumphal Arch | D．Mount Titlis |
The three passages above may be from____________.
| A．story books | B．travel magazines |
| C．science books | D．newspapers |
What is the first thing you want to do when you see someone yawn（打哈欠）？You want to yawn, too! Yawning is contagious.
Scientists have found that all people yawn. Babies start to yawn even before they are born. The earliest yawn takes place when a baby is still inside its mother. When young children are about one year old, they start to yawn when they see others yawning. That’s why scientists seem to think yawning is contagious.
It’s no secret that yawning is contagious, but why do we yawn? Well, scientists are not really sure.
Some think we yawn because we feel bored. Recently scientists studied two groups of students between the ages of 17 and 19. One group watched music videos, and the other watched a boring color test. Scientists compared the numbers of their yawns and found that the color test group yawned more times than the video group.
Another reason for yawning has to do with breathing. Some scientists believe that when we are bored or tired, we breathe more slowly. As our breathing slows down, we cannot get rid of （去除）enough carbon dioxide, our bodies will tell the brains（大脑）to breathe deeply. The result is a big yawn.
In 2007, scientists suggested a new reason. They said that the reason why people yawned was to cool down their brains. These scientists found that people who were warmer than others yawned more often.
Scientists are still trying to find out why yawning happens and why it is so contagious. But they are only sure that when one person yawns, almost everyone else nearby wants to yawn, too.The underlined word “contagious” in Paragraph 1 means _________.
| A．helpful to our health |
| B．passing from one person to another |
| C．hard to understand |
| D．getting into one trouble after another |
According to the scientists, people start to yawn when they are _______.
| A．born | B．one year old | C．17 or 19 years old | D．inside their mothers |
Which of the following are the possible reasons for yawning according to the passage?
①People yawn because they are bored
②People yawn to catch others’ attention
③People yawn to cool down their brains
④People yawn to get rid of carbon dioxide.
| A．①②③ | B．②③④ | C．①②④ | D．①③④ |
We can probably read this passage in a ____________
| A．storybook | B．travel guidebook | C．movie poster | D．science magazine |
Try reading the following sentences as fast as you can. “ She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. So if she sells shells in the seashore, I’m sure she sells seashore shells.”
Not very easy, was it? What you’ve just read is called a tongue twister（绕口令）. It is an exercise made up of sounds that are hard to pronounce in order to help people pronounce words faster and more correctly. Try the next example.
“Peter Piper picked a peck of picked peppers, Did Peter Piper pick a peck of picked peppers? If Peter Piper picked a peck of picked peppers, where’s the peck of picked peppers Peter picked?”
Tongue twisters usually do not have much meaning. They are just designed to improve people’s ability（能力）to pronounce words. Although they may be very difficult, these exercises are very important to people who are trying to speak English correctly. This is because tongue twisters help people to tell the differences between similar sounds.
So if you wish to pronounce words more smoothly, you’d better try picking out some tongue twisters and practicing them.Tongue twisters are helpful in improving ________ skills.
| A．listening | B．writing | C．pronunciation | D．communication |
The first tongue twister is hard because _________.
| A．it is very boring to read |
| B．it teaches us a lot of knowledge |
| C．we don’t know who “she” is |
| D．the sounds of “s” and “sh” are similar |
What does the “ability” mean in Paragraph 4?
| A．Pronouncing words faster and more correctly. |
| B．Pronouncing words faster |
| C．Knowing the meaning of words. |
| D．Picking out tongue twisters smoothly. |
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