Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. Every day they are busy trying to earn money in order to pay the high tuition for my brother and me. They don't act in the romantic way that I read in books or I see on TV. In their opinion. “I love you” is too luxurious(奢侈的)for them to say. Sending flowers to each other on Valentine's Day is even more out of the question. Finally my father has a bad temper when he's very tired from the hard work, it is easy for him to lose his temper.
One day, my mother was sewing a quilt. I silently sat down beside her and looked at her.
“Mom. I have a question to ask you.” I said after a while.
“What?” She replied, still doing her work.
“Is there love between you and Dad?” I asked her in a very low voice.
My mother stopped her work and raised her head with surprise in her eyes, She didn't answer immediately. Then she bowed her head and continued to sew the quilt.
I was very worried because I thought I had hurt her. I was in a great embarrassment and I didn’t know what to do. But at last I heard my mother say the following words：
“Susan,” she said thoughtfully. “Look at this thread. Sometimes it appears, but most of it disappears in the quilt. The thread really makes the quilt strong and durable(结实). If life is a quilt then love should be a thread. It can hardly be seen anywhere or any time, but it’s really there. Love is inside.”Why does the writer doubt the love of her parents?
| A．Because they hardly meet each other. |
| B．Because they hardly speak to each other. |
| C．Because they often argue with each other. |
| D．Because they hardly express their love. |
In the writer's opinion, ________________.
| A．her mother enjoys doing chores at home. |
| B．her parents often act in romantic ways. |
| C．her parents love to make money. |
| D．love means sending flowers on Valentine's Day and saying |
“I love you.”Here in the passage, “thread” may mean __________________.
| A．the writer's family. |
| B．the relationship between her parents |
| C．the love between her parents |
| D．the daily life |
The phrase “out of the question” in the passage means __________________.
| A．impossible | B．unbelievable |
| C．enjoyable | D．comfortable |
What’s the best title of passages?
| A．Life without love. | B． My parents’ love. |
| C．Life like sewing the quilt. | D．Love in mind. |
My Year Abroad
This month in Travelers Corner there are three teenagers’ experiences in year-abroad programmes.
Mariko Okada – Tokyo
My year abroad in the United States was a fantastic experience. I’m not a shy person, and I was very comfortable speaking to everyone. So I got lots of speaking practice. I also learned lots of interesting things about American culture. When I got home, my friends all said that I had improved so much! I hope to go back again in the future.
Carla Fonseca – Rio de Janeiro
I spent last year studying English in London. I’m from a small town, and London is a very big city. Sometimes I felt it was too big. There were so many people to talk to, but I always felt bad about my English. I missed my family, and I really missed my two cats. My roommate was always using our telephone, so I hardly had the chance for a nice long talk with my parents. I think it was a good experience for me, but I’m glad to be home!
Alvin Chen – Hong Kong
Studying in New Zealand was an interesting experience for me, but it was also lots of hard work! I had English classes six hours a day, five days a week——with lots of homework. I also kept a diary of my experience. I like to write, and I wrote two or three pages in my diary every day. On Saturdays, my home stay family took me to lots of interesting places and showed me so many wonderful things about the culture. I’m really glad I went!
All the three teenagers went abroad .
| A．to study English | B．to visit friends |
| C．to have a holiday | D．to find a job |
Who didn’t really enjoy the stay in a foreign country very much?
| A．Mariko. | B．Carla. | C．Alvin. | D．None of them. |
Travelers Corner is most probably .
| A．a sports club newsletter | B．a science documentary |
| C．a travel magazine | D．a news website |
阅读与回答问题
Sixteen is a special age in the United States. There’s often a special celebration for a girl’s 16th birthday---a big party called Sweet-16. It is like a wedding reception(结婚晚宴) in the number of guests and gifts handed out.
About a month before the party, the girl’s family sends out invitations to the guests. They must buy a special present for the birthday girl and the girl guests find good dresses to wear. A sweet-16 present usually costs $40 to $60. This is about $20 more than the usual-cost of a birthday present.
The party itself is not held at someone’s house. The hostess rents(租赁) a reception hall for the event. Food, cake and a DJ are provided. Around 6’clock, guests arrive and meet the birthday girl. Then the girl and her father have a special father-daughter dance. After that, guests dance for about 30 to 45 minutes.
Then there is the most important part of the Sweet-16 party, the candle-lighting ceremony.
The sweet-16 hostess stands behind 16 unlit(未点燃的) candles and dedicates(献给) each candle to her friends, family, and anything that she feels is important to her. A lot of crying and hugging goes on at this time.
Afterwards, people sit and eat. Most guests begin leaving around 11 o’clock.
This school year, I have been to two Sweet-16s. I am one of the youngest students in my grade (My birthday is in December). I’ll have to wait another year before I can have my own special Sweet-16 party. I can’t wait for it!
Why is sixteen a special age for an American girl?
How much does a usual birthday present for a teenager cost in the USA?
What is the most important part of the Sweet-16 party?
How old is the writer?
What do you think of the Sweet-16 party in the USA? (请自拟一句话作答)
The Man of Many Secrets — Harry Houdini — was one of the greatest American entertainers(表演者) in the theater. He was a man famous for his escapes（逃走；逃生） — from prison cells（囚室）, from wooden boxes floating（漂浮） in rivers, from locked tanks full of water. He appeared in theaters all over Europe and America. Crowds came to see the great Houdini and his “magic” tricks.
Of course, his secret was not magic, or supernatural powers. It was simply strength. He had the ability to move his toes as well as his fingers. He could move his body into almost any position he wanted.
Houdini started working in the entertainment world when he was 17, in 1891. He and his brother Theo performed card tricks in club in New York. They called themselves the Houdini Brothers. When Harry married in 1894, he and his wife Bess worked together as magician and assistant. But for a long time they were not very successful. Then Harry performed his first prison （监狱）escape in Chicago in 1898. Harry persuaded（说服） a detective（侦探） which to let him try to escape from the prison, and he invited the local newspapermen to watch.
It was the publicity(宣传) that came from this that started Harry Houdini’s success. Harry had fingers trained to escape from handcuffs(手铐) and toes trained to escape ankle chains. But his biggest secret was how he unlocked the prison doors. Every time he went into the prison cell, Bess gave him a kiss for good luck — and a small skeleton key, which is a key that fits many locks, pass quickly from her mouth to his.
Harry used these prison escapes to build his fame. He arranged to escape from the local prison of every town he visited. In the afternoon, the people of the town would read about it in their local newspapers, and in the evening every seat in the local theater would be full. What was the result? Worldwide fame, and a name remembered today.According to the passage, Houdini’s success in prison escapes depends on ________.
| A．his special tricks and supernatural powers |
| B．his unusual ability and a skeleton key |
| C．his magic tricks and inhuman powers |
| D．his wisdom and magic tricks |
In the fourth paragraph, the underlined word “this” refers to (指的是)______.
| A．his first prison escape | B．the year 1898 |
| C．the publicity | D．Harry Houdini's success |
Which of the following statement is right?
| A．Someone gave him a key that fits many locks. |
| B．He made a key that could open every door. |
| C．Everyone hated him very much. |
| D．He was trained to escape again. |
The followings help him succeed EXCEPT ________.
| A．his brother's help | B．his wife's help |
| C．his fingers | D．his toes |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．A Skeleton Key | B．Many Secrets |
| C．World-wide Fame | D．Great Escapes |
Idioms(成语) are phrases and sentences that do not mean exactly what they say. Even if you know the meaning of each word you see or hear, you may not understand the idiom because you don't understand the culture behind it.
For example, if an American boy asks his mother what's for dinner tomorrow, she may say “I'll play it by ear”, that means she doesn't have plans for dinner and she will decide later. “Play by ear” used to mean playing music using the sheet music(活页乐谱), but now people often use it when they're not talking about music.
There're many idioms in English. If you learn to use them, your English will be more vivid and colorful. English idioms are more common in spoken English. They can be difficult to remember sometimes. Next time when you hear somebody saying to you, “Give me a hand”, you don't necessarily reach out your hand to him/her, but you do need to be helpful. And when the situation is out of hand, you usually can do very little to manage all that. What about a green hand? It's not about the color of your hand! You're a green hand when you are very new at your work and don't have much experience. If you and your partner always work together hand in glove, you two certainly work together very well.
Can you guess the meanings of some common English idioms to do with parts of your body?
An idiom is _______.
| A．a phrase or a sentence that means exactly what the words say |
| B．a phrase or a sentence that doesn't mean exactly what every word says |
| C．so difficult that nobody can understand |
| D．something to do with parts of your body |
If a mother says “I’ll play it by ear” to talk about the dinner, she means _______.
| A．she will cook dinner while listening to music at the same time |
| B．she doesn't hear what others are talking about. |
| C．she will play music using the sheet music instead of cooking dinner |
| D．She doesn't have plans for dinner and will decide later |
When one says “Can you give me a hand?”, he means _______.
| A．he needs to hold your hand. |
| B．he works well with you |
| C．he needs your help |
| D．he is a new comer and can't help with the situation |
What does the word “vivid” mean?
| A．生动的 | B．恰当的 | C．独特的 | D．有意义的 |
Here are four common English idioms to do with parts of your body and their meanings.
Can you match them?
1) to learn something by heart a. to depend on oneself
2) to have sticky fingers b. to know something very well
3) to stand on one's own feet c. to do something secretly
4) to go behind someone's back d. to have the habit of stealing
| A．1-b; 2-a; 3-d; 4-c | B．1-b; 2-d; 3-a; 4-c |
| C．1-c; 2-b; 3-a; 4-d | D．1-c; 2-d; 3-b; 4-a |
Friendship Restaurant
We have different kinds of Japanese food here. The food menu is in Japanese and Chinese. All the waiters and waitresses can speak at least one foreign language.
Tel: 312-9997
Time: 11:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Volunteer Project
Maybe you want to help others but don’t know how to do it. Then Volunteer Project will help you. Here you will get the best idea of volunteering.
Call 822-5566 to join it.
E-mail address:lisa@hotmail.com
Dream corner
Do you want to improve your English? Do you want to practice your English with native speakers? If yes, why not join the Dream Corner? Come here on Friday afternoon every week.
Red Bird club
Do you like dance? Do you want to show off your cool dance at parties? Join us and make your dream come true.
Closed on Tuesday.
Call 822-3331 for more information.
The Underwater World
Here you will find different kinds of fishes and even some kinds of sharks. You will feel you are in the sea but of course this is not true. If you like fishes, I suggest that you pay a visit to it.
Tel: 846-3809
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
根据上面广告内容，选择正确答案。You can eat __________food in the Friendship Restaurant.
| A．English | B．Japanese | C．French | D．Chinese |
Maria wants to do some volunteer work. She can call ___________.
| A．822–3331 | B．312–9997 |
| C．822–5566 | D．846–3809 |
You can’t go to the Red Bird Club on ____________.
| A．Tuesday | B．Monday | C．Thursday | D．Saturday |
According to the ad, you can visit the Underwater World during ______________.
| A．11:30 a.m.- 10:00 p.m. | B．10:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. |
| C．9:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. | D．8:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. |
If you want to practice English with native speakers, you can join _________________ .
| A．the Red Bird Club | B．the Volunteer Project |
| C．the Dream Corner | D．the Underwater World |
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