It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers (祖先) had lived in the same way for centuries.
Then one day, some visitors from the city arrived. They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frogs’ legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places.
This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was to catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent to the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a better future. But the dream didn’t last long.
The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if (好像) the crops(庄稼) were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and there seemed to be more insects around lately.
The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money they’d just had to buy pesticides (杀虫剂) and medicine. Soon there was no money left.
Then the people realized that what was happening. It was the frogs. They hadn’t been useless. They had been doing an important job—eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, soon there were more and more insects. They were doing harm to both crops and people.
Now, the people are still poor. But in the evening they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of night now have a much deeper meaning.Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?
| A．They needed money to buy medicine. |
| B．They wanted to please the visitors. |
| C．The frogs were easy money. |
| D．The frogs made too much noise. |
What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?
| A．The crops didn’t do well. |
| B．There were too many insects. |
| C．The visitors brought in disease. |
| D．The pesticides were overused. |
What can we learn from the last sentence of the passage?
| A．Good old days will never be forgotten. |
| B．Health is more important than money. |
| C．The harmony between man and nature is important. |
| D．Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country. |
Literature is a word used to describe written as well as spoken material. Generally speaking, it is often used to describe anything from creative imagination, including works of poetry, drama and fiction.
Then why read literature, since it is often imaginary and seems unconnected with real life?
A lot of us read literature for enjoyment and relaxation. It’s always pleasant to read some interesting books in our spare time. In a modern life full of stress, it is our common wish to read some imaginary works and look for relaxation from the stress in life.
Reading literature is more than fun, it also allows us to get knowledge. As a general rule, literature represents a language of a people, and it often helps us know more about the traditions, attitudes and values of the age in which it was written.
Sometimes literature can even offer us new, creative ways to have a better understanding of the world. It introduces us to new worlds of experiences. We enjoy the comedy and the tragedy of poems, stories and plays, and we may even grow through our literary journey with books. At last we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the writer says and how he or she says it. In some ways, we explore the human condition and study the way they think and feel the way they feel. Literature helps us think clearly and encourages us to open minds.
So we can certainly say literature is of great importance to us. Why not get going with one poem, drama or fiction at once?
| Topic |
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| Explanation |
It |
| Types |
It |
| ◇ To get enjoyment and relaxation to forget stress in ◇ To get ◇ To offer people ways to ◇ To help us think |
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| Suggestion |
Literature is |
Recently, I happened to hear a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport as the daughter prepared to leave.
They hugged and the mother said “I love you and I wish you enough.” They kissed and the daughter left.
The mother walked over to the window where I sat. Standing there, I could see she was going to cry. I tried not to disturb her but she welcomed me by asking “Have you ever said goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?”
“Yes,” I replied. “But may I know why this is the final goodbye?”
“I am ill and she lives so far away. It’s highly possible that the next trip back will be for my funeral(葬礼)” she said.
“When you were saying goodbye, I heard you say ‘I wish you enough’. May I ask what that means?”
“That’s a wish that has been handed down from past generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.” She paused for a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more.
“When we say ‘I wish you enough’, we want the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to be with them”. Then turning to me, she shared the following:
“I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
“I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.” What did the mother mean by saying it was a “forever goodbye”?
| A．She will never leave her daughter far away. |
| B．The goodbye will last forever in their hearts. |
| C．Her daughter has never said goodbye to her before. |
| D．She won’t get to see her daughter before her death. |
Which of the following about “I wish you enough” is TRUE?
| A．The woman’s parents used to say it to others |
| B．The woman couldn’t remember the details. |
| C．It is used by children to show their love for their parents. |
| D．It is a secret wish shared by the woman and her daughter. |
What do you think of the mother mentioned in the article?
| A．Kind and selfless. | B．Careless and kind. |
| C．Lazy and polite. | D．Rich and weak. |
What is the article mainly about?
| A．How to see somebody off at the airport. |
| B．How to start a talk with a person you don’t know. |
| C．How the mother showed love for her daughter. |
| D．How the writer got to know “I wish you enough”. |
Some people make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you have known them half your life. These people have something in common. And once we know what it is, we can try to do it ourselves.
How is it done? Here are several skills that good talkers have. If you follow the skills, they’ll help people feel relaxed and make friends with them quickly.
First of all, good talkers ask questions. Almost anyone, no matter how shy he is, will answer a question. One well-known businesswoman says, “At business lunches, I always ask people what they did that morning. It’s a common question, but it will get things going.” From there you can move on to other matters—sometimes to really personal questions. And how he answers will let you know how far you can go.
Second, once good talkers have asked questions, they listen to the answers. This point seems clear, but it isn’t. Your questions should have a point and help to tell what type of person you are talking to. And to find out, you really have to listen carefully and attentively. Real listening at least means some things. First it means not to change the subject of conversation. If someone sticks to one topic, you can take it as a fact that he’s really interested in it. Real listening also means not just listening to words, but to tones of voice. If the voice sounds dull, then, it’s time for you to change the subject.
Finally, good talkers know well how to deal with the moment of saying goodbye. If you’re saying good-bye, you may give him a firm handshake and say, “I’ve really enjoyed meeting you.” If you want to see that person again, don’t keep it a secret. Let people know what you feel, and they may walk away feeling as if they’ve known you half their life.Asking questions might be a quite good and suitable way _______.
| A．for you to make new friends |
| B．to begin your business talks |
| C．to get the conversation going smoothly |
| D．for you to impress others with your questions |
After having asked somebody a question, it’ll be polite of you to _______.
| A．make clear what kind of person he is |
| B．listen to his or her reply carefully |
| C．sit quietly without saying anything |
| D．go on asking him more questions |
Generally speaking, good talkers are persons who _______.
| A．know how to change the topic properly |
| B．are good at making any topic interesting |
| C．always speak in a gentle way |
| D．never talk too much or too little |
If you really want to meet someone again, _______.
| A．you may take him as your lifelong true friend |
| B．it seems necessary for you to let him know it |
| C．you are sure to have further understanding of him |
| D．it’s proper for you to give him a second handshake |
When you are about to do something brave, a cheerful wish of “Good luck!” from a friend can be helpful. But if you think you need lots of luck, what else might you do?
In the UK and US there are some strange traditions for bringing yourself a little more good luck. Some are hundreds of years old and some are much newer.
Have you heard the saying “When you wish upon a star”? If you are looking up at the sky on a clear night and you see a sudden flash of light, it is probably a shooting star! Seeing one doesn’t happen very often. The saying goes that you have been very lucky if you see one, and so if you make a wish, it will come true.
Maybe you have heard of the lucky rabbit’s foot. Some people believe that rabbits are lucky animals, so they carry a part of the rabbit, its foot, for good luck. There are all kinds of strange, unclear rules about which of the rabbit’s feet is the luckiest. It is said that this good luck tradition is the oldest one of all. However, as the funny saying goes, “Depend on the rabbit’s foot if you will, but remember it didn’t work for the rabbit!”
People in Britain love trees. If it is autumn and leaves are falling from the trees, some people try to catch the leaves as they fall because they think each leaf they catch will bring them a lucky month in the following year—they will need to catch 12 falling leaves to have a whole of good luck! Which thing is said to be the oldest good luck tradition?
| A．A falling leaf. | B． A foot of a rabbit. |
| C．A shooting star. | D．A wish from friends. |
According to Paragraph 3, we know that ______.
| A．people can see a shooting star on a rainy night. |
| B．shooting stars can often be seen by people |
| C．people believe that it’s unlucky to see a shooting star. |
| D．your wish may come true if you see a shooting star. |
British people try to catch 12 falling leaves because ______.
| A．the leaves fall in autumn. |
| B．there are so many leaves to catch. |
| C．they want to have a whole year of good luck. |
| D．the leaves can bring them a lucky month. |
In Paragraph 5, the underlined word “them” refers to (指) ______.
| A．leaves | B．people |
| C．trees | D．years |
Sunshine School Picnic Notice
Dear Parents
The school is planning a picnic for Grade 9 students. They will have an exciting experience on a nearby farm at the foot of South Mountain. Six experienced teachers will be there to take care of the children. Parents need to pay 50 yuan for the picnic. Let us know if you want your children to go for the picnic by 21st June 2015.
Important information:
| Parents will drop and pick up the children from Sunshine School Date: Sunday, 21st June 2015 Time: 9:00 a.m.一5:00 pm Lunch: It will be offered by the schoo1 Dress: Comfortable dress and sports shoes Things to be carried: Water bottle & towel |
Where will they have the picnic?
| A．In a park. | B．At school. |
| C．On a farm. | D．On a mountain. |
How long will the picnic take?
| A．4 hours. | B．5 hours. |
| C．8 hours. | D．9 hours. |
What can we learn from the notice?
| A．No teacher will go for the picnic. |
| B．Parents don’t need to pay for the picnic. |
| C．Children will have a class after the picnic. |
| D．Water bottles can be taken during the picnic. |
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