The worker I hired to repair my house had just finished a difficult first day on the job. A broken wheel made him an hour late; his ladder( 梯子)fell down when he was painting the roof and now his old truck wouldn’t start. With each problem he shouted angrily more at himself than at his things. As I drove him home, the man didn’t say a word.
I tried talking to the man to kill time. I managed to find out that he had come up from Blue Hills in Victoria with his family six months ago to find a job. This was his first job since moving here. I now knew why his price was lower than any other worker I could find in the local newspaper. He really needed the job. His clothes told me as much.
On arriving, much to my surprise, he invited me to meet his family. As we walked through his front garden he suddenly stopped at a small tree and placed his hands on it. Then , when he opened the door he completely changed. Instead of his troubled face, there was now a warm smile, hugs for his two children and a kiss for his wife.
The following day, I asked him about the tree.
“That’s my trouble tree,” he answered. “Work troubles aren’t welcome at home with my wife and children. So I hang them on that tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again.”
“And you know what else?” he said smiling, “The next morning I find that there aren’t as many as I remember hanging up the night before.”Which of the following things did NOT happen to the worker?
| A．His truck broke down. |
| B．He was late for work. |
| C．He fell onto the roof. |
| D．His ladder fell down. |
When did the worker first arrive in this town ?
| A．Today. | B．Last night. |
| C．Six weeks ago. | D．Six months ago. |
Where did the writer find the worker ?
| A．Through a newspaper. | B．Beside the trouble tree. |
| C．In his old house. | D．In Blue Hills, Victoria. |
Why did the worker touch the tree ?
| A．To get good luck. |
| B．To leave his trouble outside. |
| C．To send good wishes to his family. |
| D．To clean his hands. |
What can we learn from the passage ?
| A．Looking for a job can make trouble. |
| B．It is important to get to work on time. |
| C．Often our problems are worse than what we think. |
| D．A happy family can make many problems go away. |
Someone is singing next door, but you feel unhappy because her singing is terrible. So you think she is just making noise. We know that too much noise makes people feel terrible.
Scientists are still trying to find out more about noise, but already it is known that a noise of over 85 decibels(分贝) can make some people tried and anxious(焦虑的).
In the past we thought only workers in very noisy places became deaf easily. Today, scientists believe that 10% of all workers in Britain become deaf in their work.
There are also new dangers from noise. Pop music, for example, can reach 120 decibels when it is played loudly five feet away! Only a plane can make such loud noise when it takes off.
There was an experiment in the United States. Some people would be given a lot of money if they stood below a jet when it was taking off over their heads. No one got the money after the jet flew past because all of them died in the noise.
People can’t pay their attention on what they are doing when there is much noise. Workers in noisy offices, for example, do their work more slowly than workers in quiet offices. Another study shows that workers in factories can do dull(枯燥的) jobs better when lively music is played for them.
| Topic |
Too much noise makes people feel ___1____ |
| Sources(源) of noise |
. terrible singing . pop music when it is played ___2____ nearby . loud noise made by a plane taking off overhead |
| Harm of noise |
. A noise of over 85 decibels can make people feel tired and anxious. . 10%of all workers in Britain become ___3___ in their work. . Some people lose their ____4___ in the noise of a plane taking off over their heads. . Workers in noisy places do their work more ___5___ than those in quiet places. |
Mrs. Baker’s sister was ill. She had someone to look after her from Monday to Friday, but not at the weekend, so every Friday evening Mrs. Baker used to go off to spend the weekend with her at her home in a neighbouring town. But as Mr. Baker could not cook, she had arranged (安排) for his sister to come over and spend the weekend looking after him at their home. This meant that Mr. Baker had busy time when he came home from work on Friday evenings. First he had to drive home from the railway station. Then he had to drive his wife to the station to catch her train. And then he had to wait until his sister’s train arrived, so as to take her to his house.
Of course, on Sunday evening he had to drive his sister to the station to catch her train back home, and then wait for his wife’s train, so as to bring her home.
One Sunday evening, he had seen his sister off on her train and was waiting for his wife’s arrival when a porter ( 搬运工 ), who had often seen him at the station, came over and spoke to him, “You are having a lot of fun,” he said, “ But one day one of those women is going to catch you with the other, and then you will be in real trouble!” Who was ill? ___________
| A．Mr. Baker | B．Mrs. Baker | C．Mr. Baker’s sister | D．Mrs. Baker’s sister |
Who looked after the sick person on weekdays?
| A．Mr. Baker’s sister | B．Mrs. Baker’s sister |
| C．Mrs. Baker | D．Someone acting as a nurse |
Why did Mr. Baker go to the railway station on Friday and Sunday evening? __________
| A．Because he had to see his wife and sister off and brought them home. |
| B．To take his sister to his own home. |
| C．To bring his wife back home. |
| D．To look after his sister. |
Where did Mr. Baker spend the weekend? ___________
| A．At home | B．In his office | C．In his sister’s home | D．In a neighbouring town |
Why did the porter say Mr. Baker would be in trouble? Because __________.
| A．Mr. Baker was making fun of the two ladies |
| B．Mrs. Baker would laugh at her husband |
| C．He thought the two women are Mr. Baker’s girl friends |
| D．The two ladies were playing games with Mr. Baker |
We are all busy taking about and using the Internet. But how many of us know the history of the Internet?
Many people are surprised when they find that the Internet was set up in the 1960s. At that time, computers were large and expensive. Computer networks didn’t work well. If one computer in the network broke down, then the whole network stopped. So a new network system had to be set up. It should be good enough to be used by many different computers. If part of the network was not working, information could be sent through another part. In this way, computer network system would keep on working all the time.
At first the Internet was only used by the government (政府). But in the early 1970s, universities, hospitals and banks were allowed to use it, too. However, computers were still very expensive and the Internet was difficult to use. By the start of the 1990s, computers became cheaper and easier to use. Scientists had also developed software that made “surfing” the Internet more convenient.
Today it is easy to get on-line and it is said millions of people use the Internet every day. Sending e-mails is more and more popular among students.
The Internet has now become one of the most important parts of people’s life.The Internet has a history of more than _________ years.
| A．fifty | B．ten | C．forty | D．twenty |
A new network system was set up to_______.
| A．make computers cheaper |
| B．make itself keep on working all the time |
| C．break down the whole networks |
| D．make computers large and expensive |
At first the Internet was only used by __________.
| A．the government | B．universities | C．hospital and banks | D．schools |
________ made “surfing” the Internet more convenient.
| A．Computers | B．Scientists | C．Software | D．Information |
Which of the following sentences is true?
| A．In the 1960s, computer networks worked well |
| B．In the early 1970s, the Internet was easy to use. |
| C．Sending e-mails is more popular among students than before. |
| D．Today it is still not easy to get on-line. |
When we talk about how teenagers are getting worse and worse now, most young people don’t agree. Teenagers always say they are growing up. They can have part-time jobs. And they can even drive a car.
Their parents say, “Our children are very good. They like pop music and they play it in their own rooms. They help us in the house. You know they feel bored sometimes because there’s nothing interesting in the neighbourhood, no clubs, and no sports.”
A teacher says that he believes most young people are very kind. He thinks that it’s not bad for young people to like loud music because it can give them lots of energy and makes them feel excited. Also, a lot of young people work very hard at school, and they can get good jobs later.
Lewis, a sixteen-year-old boy said, “I have passed all my examinations but I can’t get a part- time job because older people always think I’ m lazy.”
In my opinion, a lot of teenagers are very kind. They belong to community(社区) work groups. They help old people, and they also volunteer in local hospitals or primary schools to help look after patients and younger students.
| Title: teenagers aren’t getting worse and worse |
|
| Teenagers’ opinion |
They can do 1_______ jobs and drive a car. |
| Parents’ opinion |
They help do 2._______ at home. There should be some clubs for teenagers to join so that they3. _______ feel bored. |
| Teachers’ opinion |
Young people are kind and 4._______. |
| Writer’s opinion |
Teenagers are kind and help look after patients and younger students in 5______ hospitals or primary school. |
An old farmer lived with his little grandson. Every day the farmer got up early to read books.
One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa! I want to read books just like you, but I don’t understand them. What are the advantages of reading?” The grandfather said, “Take this litter basket to the river and bring me back a basket of water.” he boy did, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, “ You’ll have to walk faster next time.”
This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. The boy said, “ See Grandpa, it’s useless!”
So you think it is useless?” the old man said. “Look at the basket.”
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket was different. It was clean, inside and out.
“That’s what happens when you read books. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read them, you will be changed, inside and out.”The grandfather got up early to __________.
| A．repair a basket | B．do farm work | C．wake up his grandson | D．read books |
The underlined phrase “leaked out” means “______” in Chinese.
| A．出现 | B．保留 | C．漏出 | D．爆发 |
The passage might be written for ___________ to read.
| A．children who like asking questions |
| B．children who like playing with water |
| C．children who dislike farming |
| D．children who dislike reading |
The basket was ________ in the end.
| A．light | B．clean | C．useless | D．dirty |
What can we know from the passage?
| A．The old farmer might be changed by reading. |
| B．The old farmer played tricks on his grandson. |
| C．The little boy got a full basket of water at last. |
| D．The old farmer was angry when he saw the empty basket. |
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