Last week, my granddaughter started kindergarten(幼儿园), and certainly I wished her success. I was saying something that is not true. What I actually wish for her is failure. I believe in the importance of failure.
Success is boring. Success is proving that you can do something that you already know you can do, or do something correctly the first time, which can often be a problem for the future. First-time success is usually a fluke(侥幸). First-time failure, in fact, is the natural order of things.
Failure means how we learn. I have been told of an African phrase(短语) describing a good cook as “she who has broken many bowls”. If you’ve spent enough time in the kitchen and have broken a lot of bowls, probably you know a lot about cooking. I once had a dinner with a group of cooks, and they spent time comparing knife wounds and burn scars. They knew how much their failures gave them.
My younger daughter is a dancer. She spent three years getting ready for an act. She did it successfully for years. There was no reason for her to change the act—but she did anyway. She said she was no longer learning anything new and she was bored; and if she was bored, she couldn’t play well. So she changed the act. She risked failure in order to feed her heart.
My granddaughter is a perfectionist. But I will also, I hope, remind her of what she learned, and how she can do whatever it is better next time. I probably won’t tell her that failure is a good thing, because that’s not a lesson you can learn when you’re five. I hope I can tell her, though, that it’s not the end of the world. Indeed, with luck, it is the beginning.What did the writer really wish for her granddaughter in the kindergarten?
| A．Success. | B．Failure. | C．Kindness. | D．Care. |
The third paragraph mainly tells us .
| A．what “a good cook” means | B．a cook should often cook |
| C．a cook must break many bowls | D．failure means how we learn |
Why did the younger daughter change the act?
| A．Because she didn’t do well in it. |
| B．Because she was asked to change it. |
| C．Because she wanted to feed her heart. |
| D．Because she wanted to try a failure. |
What does the writer hope to tell the granddaughter?
| A．Failure is a good thing. |
| B．She can’t fail any more. |
| C．Failure is not the end of the world. |
| D．Success is the end of the world. |
Little Mike’s grandmother died weeks ago. He missed her very much. One afternoon Mike went to the city park where his grandmother used to go. There he saw an old lady. She looked very kind. She was sitting there, watching pigeons（鸽子）. Little Mike went up and sat next to her. He took out his food and drinks and gave some to her. She smiled at him. Her smile was very sweet and Mike wanted to see it again. She seemed to understand him, so once again she smiled. Mike was very happy.
They sat there all the afternoon, eating and talking. As it was dark, Mike got up to leave. Before he left, he hugged the old lady and she gave him her sweetest smile.
When Mike got home, his mother was surprised by the happy look on his face. “ I met an old lady in the park. Her smile was like the smile I used to see on Grandmother’s face.”
The old lady also returned to her home happily. She told her son she had food and drinks with a little boy. “ He was as lovely as Bill.” She said. Her son was surprised, because he had never been so happy since Bill, her grandson, died weeks ago.Little Mike went to the park and ________.
| A．played with pigeons |
| B．fed pigeons |
| C．met an old lady |
| D．saw a friend of his grandmother’s |
The old lady’s smile showed ________.
| A．she hated to meet the boy |
| B．she wanted to get some drinks |
| C．she missed her son |
| D．she liked the little boy |
Mike felt very happy because ________.
| A．he gave the old lady some food and drinks |
| B．the old lady’s smile was like his grandmother’s smile |
| C．he met his grandmother in the city park |
| D．he saw many lovely pigeons in the park |
Mike and the old lady ________.
| A．were good to each other(相互) |
| B．knew each other well |
| C．often met in the park |
| D．did nothing that afternoon |
What do we learn from the story?
| A．When one feels unhappy, he must go to a park. |
| B．Old people are always kind and happy |
| C．Children should be polite to old people . |
| D．When people get on well, they feel happy. |
阅读短文，根据短文内容回答问题。
Ants may be very tinny, but they’re serious eaters! Ants love a picnic and they have their “ant-picnics”.
Favorite Foods
Want to find out what the ants like to eat? Place different foods on the edge of an upside-down plate. You can use butter, honey or seeds. Put this feeding station in the places where there are lots of ants. Wait three minutes and count the number of ants feeding on each food. Count them every three minutes. Watch and find out!
Do ants prefer sweet foods or less sweet ones? Here’s test: Give ants a choice between full-strength honey and a honey-water mixture. Offer a few drops of each choice side-by-side. Then count the number of ants you see near each site every three minutes.
How Far Will They Go?
Want to see how far ants travel to collect food? First find an ant nest(巢) by following some ants when they carry food home. Now you know how far the ants traveled to your food station. Next, move the food station about one foot (30cm) farther. Keep moving it until the ants no longer show up.
Spreading the News
Once ants find food they like, usually they try to get their nestmates to help. To find out how long it takes an ant to tell others there’s food nearby, offer their favorite food and watch. After the first ant finds it, begin counting the ants at the food station every minute. Also, watch their behavior, when the first ant heads home, what does it do when it gets near other nestmates?Do ants love a picnic?
____________________________________________________Where can we put the feeding station to find out ants’ favorite food?
____________________________________________________How can we find an ant nest?
____________________________________________________What do ants usually do once they find food they like?
____________________________________________________What is the passage mainly about?
____________________________________________________
Nearly all kids have had the same experience. They are eating in a restaurant with their parents. They finished the spaghetti minutes ago. Now, they are bored. Their little brother is kicking them under the table. He is also complaining about the desserts(餐后甜点). Yet their parents are still eating and talking…and talking…and talking.
“Be patient.” One parent says. “We’ll have dessert soon.”
All kids know what happens next. After dessert, their parents drink coffee. Then they talk some more. Again, the children must wait. They have been in school all day and would rather be running and playing. Instead, they must sit in a chair and stare at a wall.
Going to a restaurant doesn’t have to be this way. Many restaurants say they are “family-friendly”. Family restaurants, such as fast-food restaurants should play areas for children. At these restaurants, almost every play area is a big room full of climbing equipment. The room is usually, packed with happy kids. Parents can eat while the children play. Everyone is happy.
The real problem begins when families want to eat a fancier meal(大餐). The parents don’t want to hurry through the meal but talk to each other. They do not have bored children pestering(烦扰) them about leaving. That’s no fun for kids either. For them, going to a nicer restaurant means just one thing: sit still and be quiet.
On family blogs across the Web, dozens of parents post the same question all the time; are there any nicer restaurants with play areas for kids? Research shows that some nicer restaurants do have play areas. In warmer cities, it is easier for restaurants to build play areas outside. For example, at one restaurant kids can sail tiny little motor boats in a small, shallow pond. Parents can sit on a beautiful yard and watch the kids play. Some nicer restaurants even have indoor play areas. Research also shows that these restaurants serve more than just burgers, chickens and fries.
So, it’s possible for a restaurant to provide both food and a place where kids can play. These restaurants seem to be popular, too. For some, families must have reservation days in advance. For others, families might be forced to wait in long lines. Clearly, quality food and safe play areas are both good for business.Why do children get unhappy at the restaurant?
| A．Because they can’t join in their parents’ talk. |
| B．Because the dessert isn’t served in time. |
| C．Because they can do nothing but wait. |
| D．Because the food there isn’t delicious. |
What is the real problem mentioned in the passage?
| A．Children don’t like eating fancier food. |
| B．Not many nicer restaurants provide play areas. |
| C．Parents don’t trouble to comfort their bored kids. |
| D．People have to wait for seats in nicer restaurants. |
What conclusion can we draw from the research?
| A．It’s common for nicer restaurants to provide good food and play areas. |
| B．Building play areas is more difficult for restaurants in colder cities. |
| C．Serving more kinds of foods may help restaurants to make more money. |
| D．It’s possible for restaurants to find a balance to make both happy. |
What does the writer mainly want to tell us?
| A．Cities need to help develop restaurant business. |
| B．Children are supposed to be much more patient. |
| C．Restaurants are supposed to give kids some space. |
| D．Parents need to care more about their kids when eating. |
Most of the things around you will be replaced or thrown away someday. Where will they go when they are thrown out? What kinds of waste will they create, and how will it affect the environment
Most of our crash goes to places called landfills. A LANDFILL is a low area of land that is filled with garbage（垃圾）.Most modern landfills are lined with a cover of plastic to keep dangerous liquids（液体）from polluting earth and ground water supply. The problem is that more than half of the states in this country are running out of places to landfill their garbage. Because of the unhealthy materials, landfills do not make good neighbors，and people don’t want to live near them. Many landfills are set in poor neighborhoods.
The Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island, New York, was the largest garbage landfill in the world. For years, people who live nearby complained about air and water pollution caused by the enormous pile of trash. They say that the smoke have made people sick. The landfill closed in
April 2001.Now can a harmful waste—material that can pollute air, land, and water –be disposed of in a safe way.
Another way to get rid of trash is to burn it. Trash is burned in an incinerator._ Because incinerators in operation can get rid of almost all of the trash, some communities would rather use incinerators than landfills. There is a problem, though. Leftover ash and smoke from burning trash may have dangerous chemicals, and even make it hard for some people to breathe. They can harm plants, animals, and people.
You can help reduce（减少）waste by reusing bottles, batteries, and paper. You can also recycle newspaper, glass, and plastics t to provide materials for making other products.
From recycled materials, many things are made. For example, from recycled paper we can get newspapers, boxes and so on. From recycled plastic we can get soda bottles, tables, and backpacks.Why don’t landfills make good neighbors?
| A．Because there are unhealthy materials in them. |
| B．Because people prefer to live in the city center. |
| C．Because landfills are not big enough for trash. |
| D．Because most states are running out of places. |
What does the underlined word “incinerator”_probably mean?
| A．An area to collect trash. | B．A machine to burn trash |
| C．A method that is used to burn trash. | D．A station that is run by selling trash. |
What is probably the best title for the passage?
| A．How Is Trash Burned? | B．What Can Be Reused. |
| C．Why Is Waste Dangerous? | D．Where Does Garbage Go? |
Tom and his best friend Rob were out of school for the summer. They had been swimming, gone to the movies, played video games, and even built a castle out of some old cardboard boxes. But today they were so bored. “At least we would have something to do.” Tom thought for a while and suggested, “Let’s make some popcorn and lemonade and sell it outside.”
The boys went to the kitchen and asked Tom’s mom if she would help them make some lemonade while they popped the popcorn. Tom’s mom got the lemons from the refrigerator and also a small amount of sugar. She mixed up the lemonade while the boys started popping the popcorn.
Tom and Rob got a small table from the garage and set it up near the sidewalk. They made a red sign telling everyone that popcorn and lemonade was for sale. The boys sat for about ten minutes before they got their first sale. Mrs. Jenkins, one of their neighbors, was walking her dog. “It’s so hot today.” “I sure can use a drink,” she said. Soon the boys were busy handing out popcorn to Mr. Baker. He was walking down the street sending the mail. “I need a break,” he said. “Walking all over the neighborhood gave me an appetite.”
The boys had only three popcorn bags left and enough lemonade for three more cups. “Wow, I didn’t think the popcorn and lemonade would sell that fast. We made six dollars,” said Tom. “If we get bored again before school starts, we can try selling more lemonade with cookies(饼干) next time,” laughed Rob.What did Tom suggest?
| A．Swimming with their friends. |
| B．Buying some sugar and cookies. |
| C．Making some popcorn and lemonade. |
| D．Going to the movies and playing games. |
Where did Tom and Rob set up the table?
| A．Near the sidewalk. | B．In the kitchen. |
| C．At the supermarket. | D．Outside the school. |
What did Tom and Rob learn from this experience?
| A．People might prefer to buy things on sale. |
| B．They could do something new to have fun. |
| C．Mr. Baker liked sending mails very much. |
| D．Mrs. Jenkins needed help to walk the dog. |
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