On my eighth birthday, Dad bought me an accordion(手风琴） and said excitedly, "Once you learn to play, it'll stay with you for life." But I didn't want to play it. I just wanted to play games, But Dad asked me to take accordion lessons.
One day, I found a box in a corner. When I opened it, I saw a beautiful violin. "It was your father's," Mum said. "His parents bought it for him. I guess he got too busy on the farm to learn to play it."
I had to practice half an hour every day, and every day I tried to get out of it. But Dad didn't allow. I asked why. He answered, "Because you can bring people joy. You can touch their hearts." He added softly, "Someday you'll have the chance I never had: you'll play beautiful music for your family. And you'll understand why you've worked so hard." I was speechless.
The lessons stopped after I finished high school. When I grew up, I got married and moved into a new house. I put the accordion in the attic（阁楼）.
One afternoon, my two children found the accordion by accident (偶然). They got very excited. "Play it. Play it," they laughed and said. I started to play some simple songs. I was surprised I could still remember them. Soon the kids were dancing. Even my wife was laughing and clapping to the beat.
At that moment, my father's words came back to me, "Someday you'll have the chance I never had. And you'll understand." I finally knew why Dad had asked me to practice hard. Dad never learnt to play his violin. But I told my family, "This is my father's music."My father didn't learn to play his violin when he was young because _____.
| A．he didn't like to play the violin |
| B．he didn't keep on practicing |
| C．he wanted to play games |
| D．he had to make money for his family |
How might the writer feel when he had to practice playing the accordion?
| A．Bored | B．Excited. |
| C．Delighted | D．Relaxed. |
"Dad didn't allow" means "_______".
| A．Dad didn’t keep me doing it. |
| B．Dad didn't agree with me. |
| C．Dad didn't help me do it. |
| D．Dad didn't see me do it. |
Dad asked me to learn to play the accordion so that _______.
| A．I could go to a better school |
| B．I could give myself much joy |
| C．I could make people happy |
| D．I could be a useful |
About 21,000 young people in 17 American states do not attend classes in school buildings.
Instead, they receive their elementary and high school education by working at home on computers. The center for Education Reform says the United States has 67 public “cyberschools(网络学校)” and that is about twice as many as two years ago.
The money for students to go to a cyberschool comes from the governments of the states where they live. Some educators say cyberschools receive money that should support traditional public schools. They also say it is difficult to know if students are learning well.
Other educators praise this new form of education for letting students work at their own speed. These people say cyberschools help students who were unhappy or unsuccessful in traditional schools. They say learning at home by computer ends long bus rides for children who live far from school.
Whatever the judgment of cyberschools, they are getting more and more popular. For example, a new cyberschools called Commonwealth Connections Academy will take in students this fall. It will serve children in the state of Pennsylvania from ages five through thirteen.
Children get free equipment for their online education. This includes a computer, a printer, books and technical services. Parents and students talk with teachers by telephone or by sending emails through their computers when necessary.
Students at cyberschools usually do not know one another. But 56 such students finished studies at Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School recently met for the first time. They were guests of honor at their graduation.What do we know from the text about students of a cyberschools?
| A．They have to take long bus rides to school. |
| B．They study at home rather than in classrooms. |
| C．They receive money from traditional public schools. |
| D．They do well in traditional school programs. |
What is a problem with cyberschools?
| A．Their equipment costs a lot of money. |
| B．They get little support from the state government. |
| C．It is hard to know students' progress in learning. |
| D．The students find it hard to make friends. |
Cyberschools are getting popular because__________.
| A．they are less expensive for students |
| B．their students can work at their own speed |
| C．their graduates are more successful in society |
| D．they serve students in a wider age range |
Street Markets Around the World
There are many ways of shopping. You can shop by telephone, by post or through your home computer, but for many people, the most exciting way to shop is also the most traditional—at a street market. You can find markets anywhere in the world. Here are four of them:
There are many “floating markets” in Asia; perhaps the most unusual is in Thailand(泰国), at a place called Damned Saduak. It’s open from six in the morning to the noon every day. People sell fresh fruit from their boats.
Many Belgians(比利时人) say that the Grand Place is the most beautiful square in the world. It’s the home of a colourful flower market. It’s open every day except Monday. On Monday, instead of flowers, there’s a wonderful bird market.
One of the world’s famous markets is in Mexico City(墨西哥城)—the Sonora Market. You can buy toys, birds, herbs and medicine. There’re all kinds of things. It’s open every day from early in the morning till late at night.
In England, every weekend, thousands of young people from all over London travel to the Camden Market—it’s the place to go for street fashion, CDs and tapes. Many people also go there for fun.
根据以上内容，完成下列表格，每空一词
| Names |
Feature(特征) |
Things to Sell |
Open Time |
|
| the Damned Saduak |
Thailand |
fresh |
every day |
|
| the Grand |
Belgium(比利时) |
beautiful |
every day except |
|
| birds |
Monday |
|||
| the Sonora Market |
Mexico |
all kinds of |
every day |
|
| the Camden Market |
fashionable |
fashion things |
Every |
One day when some government officials were rebuilding a barn(谷仓), they found a mouse hole in a corner and used smoke to force the mice inside the hole to come out. A while later they indeed saw mice running out, one after another. Then, everyone thought that all the mice had escaped. But just as they began to clean up, they saw two mice squeezing（挤）out at the mouth of the hole. With some efforts, the mice finally got out. However, it was strange that after they came out of the hole, they did not run away at once. Instead, one chased after the other near the mouth of the hole. It seemed that one was trying to bite the tail of the other.
Everyone was puzzled, so they stepped nearer to take a look. They realized that one of the mice was blind and could not see anything, and the other was trying to allow the blind mouse to bite on his tail so that he could pull the blind one with him to escape.
After seeing what happened, everyone was speechless and lost in thought. During the meal time, the group of people sat down in a circle and started to chat about what happened to the two mice.
One serious American official said: “I think the relationship between those two mice was that of king and guard.” The others thought for a while and said: “That was why!”
A smart French said: “I think the relationship between those two mice was that of husband and wife.” Again the others thought for a while, and all felt it made sense.
A Japanese said: “I think the relationship between those two mice was that of mother and son.” Once again the others thought for a while, and felt this was more reasonable. So they expressed agreement another time.
At that moment, one Chinese asked: “Why did those two mice have to have a certain relationship?”
Suddenly, the group looked back at the Chinese and remained speechless. The American official, the French and the Japanese who had spoken earlier all lowered their heads in shame, and did not dare to answer.
In fact, the true love is not built on friendship, loyalty or blood relationship. Instead, it is based on no relationship. “it made sense” probably means ______.
| A．it was strange | B．it was correct |
| C．it was sweet | D．it was funny |
Why did they lower their heads in shame according to the passage？
| A．They did not dare to answer. |
| B．They regretted（后悔）driving a poor blind mouse away. |
| C．They had mistaken the relationship of the mice. |
| D．They did not express themselves much better. |
It is clear that ______.
| A．all the mice came out of the hole easily |
| B．the people knew one of the mice was blind at the first sight |
| C．the people wanted to kill the mice with smoke |
| D．each of the people understood the relationship differently |
The best title for the passage is ______.
| A．Two lovely mice | B．Help produces love |
| C．Love is all | D．Friends in need |
It was Mother’s Day, but the young mother was a little unhappy, because she was 800 miles away from her parents. In the morning she phoned her mother to wish her a happy Mother’s Day, and her mother told her about the beautiful lilacs(丁香花)in the garden.
Later that day, when she told her husband about the lilacs, he said, “I know where we can find all that you want. Get the children and come on.” So they went, driving down the country roads. There on a small hill, they saw a lot of beautiful purple lilacs. The young woman ran quickly to enjoy the flowers. Carefully, she picked a few here and there. On their way home there was a smile on her face.
When they were passing an old people’s home, the young woman saw an old granny sitting in a chair. They stopped the ear and the young woman walked to the old woman, put the flowers in her hands, and smiled at her. The old granny thanked her again and again. She smiled happily, too.
When the young mother came back to her car, her children asked her, “Who is the old granny? Why did you give our flowers to her? I don’t know her,” their mother said. “But it’s Mother’s Day, and she has no children. I have all of you, and I still have my mother. Just think how much those flowers meant to her.”The young woman was a little unhappy on Mother’s Day because________.
| A．she didn’t have a present |
| B．she was far away from her mother |
| C．she didn’t know it was Mother’s Day |
| D．she wanted to see her father |
Which of the following pictures do you think matches well with Paragraph 2?
| A． | B． | C． | D． |
The young woman gave the flowers to the old granny because _____________.
| A．the old granny was her mother |
| B．she didn’t like those flowers |
| C．her mother asked her to do so |
| D．she wanted the old granny to be happy too |
The following words can be used to describe the young woman except __________.
| A．kind | B．understanding | C．friendly | D．surprised |
“Who needs a shopping mall if you have Taobao?” says Wang Lin, 28, a writer in Beijing.
Taobao, China’s largest online shopping site (网上购物站), has become an important part of Wang Lin’s life. She spends lots of money on Taobao.
A growing number of Chinese Internet users like Wang have found the joys of online shopping. Most online shoppers are students or young people. More women shop online than men. Clothing and home-use products (产品) are the most popular online.
It was reported that more than 250 billion yuan was spent on online shopping last year, 80% through Taobao.
Taobao means “looking for treasure” in Chinese. People can find almost everything they need on Taobao, from clothes to books, from candies to DVD players.
You may question the security of online shopping, Wang Lin said, “It’s very safe and convenient. Unless you receive the products from the sellers and are satisfied with them, the shop owner will not get the money. You can also get your money back if you want to return the products.”What are the most popular online?
| A．Candies and DVD players. |
| B．Treasure products |
| C．Clothing and home-use products. |
| D．Clothes and books. |
Taobao is_______________.
| A．a shopping mall |
| B．an online shopping site |
| C．an online shopper |
| D．the China’s largest website |
In the last paragraph, the underlined word “them” refers to (所指) “_____________”.
| A．the shop owners | B．products | C．sellers | D．online shops |
Which is the best title of the passage?
| A．Wang Lin’s life |
| B．Online shopping in China |
| C．China’s online shoppers |
| D．Shopping online is not safe |
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