Where did that number come from?
Eleven and Twelve
The reason behind the change in number naming is that eleven comes from the German term ainlif, which translates to “one left”. Twelve follows the same rule. It comes from twalif—“two left”. Why teen is used instead of lif for 13 through 19? There is something sadly lost in history.
911 for US Emergency (急救) Calls
Early phones didn’t use phone numbers—the operator had to connect your call by hand—and this led to the need for an emergency code (信号). But later phone numbers became popular, that changed. In 1967, 911 was chosen as the nationwide emergency call because it was easy to remember and could be quickly dialed (拨) on the phone.
26.2 Miles in a Marathon (马拉松)
The story began with an ancient Greek soldier carrying message from a battlefield (战场) in Marathon to Athens. The modern marathon was born as a flagship event in the first Olympic Games, in 1896, with a distance (距离) of about 25 miles (40 km), as long as the distance from Marathon to Athens. But race organizers for the 1908 Olympic Games in London wanted to add something special. The race began at Windsor Castle and ended at White City Stadium, with runners finishing only after passing the royal (皇室的) box. The distance was 26.2 miles (42.1 km). And since 1924 this distance has been kept in marathon.
28 Days in February
Before using the Gregorian calendar that we use today, one of the first Roman calendars had only 304 days and ten months (March through December), with six months of 30 days and four of 31 days. The second king of Rome improved the old calendar. He added 50 days for January and February. To make the new months longer, he took one day from each of the 30-day months, making 56 days to divide between January and February (or 28 days each). Later January was given one more day to add up to 355 days a year, but February still had 28 days. That’s how it became the shortest month and it stayed that way ever since.Which language do eleven and twelve come from?
| A．English. | B．German. | C．French. | D．Russian. |
When was the number 911 chosen for US emergency calls?
| A．In 1896. | B．In 1908. | C．In 1924. | D．In 1967. |
The marathon distance was made longer at London Olympic Games because ______.
| A．the British was a little weak in maths |
| B．the British didn’t like the Greek story |
| C．the British loved the royal family very much |
| D．the British wanted to make the race different |
How many days were there in each month after the king improved the old calendar?
| A．28, 29 or 31. | B．28, 30 or 31. |
| C．28, 29 or 30. | D．29, 30 or 31. |
B
A man stopped his car at the door of a flower shop. He planned to order flowers and asked the shopkeeper to deliver (递送) them to his mother, who was far away in the man’s hometown.
The man saw a little girl crying on the road when he was about to enter the shop. The man asked her: “Why are you crying?”
“I want to buy a rose for my mother, but I haven’t got enough money,” said the girl.
The man took the girl’s hand and entered the flower shop. He first ordered the bouquet (花束) for his mother and bought a rose for the girl.
Walking out of the shop, the man asked the girl if she would like a ride home.
“Will you really drive me home?” she asked.
“Of course,” the man replied.
“Then drive me to my mother. But the place where my mother lives is very far.”
The man drove along the mountain road and finally came to the cemetery (墓地).
The little girl put the flower onto a new grave. In order to present a rose to her mother who had passed away a month before, she had gone on a very long journey.
The man drove the girl to her home and then returned to the flower shop. He cancelled the bouquet and bought a big bunch of fresh flowers instead. He drove directly to his mother’s home, a five-hour drive from where he was. He would present the flowers to his mother in person.Whom did the man go to a flower shop to order flowers for?
| A．His girlfriend. | B．His mother. |
| C．His wife. | D．A little girl. |
Why was the little girl crying?
| A．She lost her way home. |
| B．She was late for school. |
| C．She couldn’t afford a rose. |
| D．Her mother died a month ago. |
What changed the man’s mind?
| A．Roses in the shop. | B．The girl’s behavior. |
| C．The girl’s mother. | D．The shopkeeper. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The man didn’t love his mother. |
| B．The man didn’t live very far from his mother. |
| C．The little girl loved her mother very much. |
| D．The man was a friend of the little girl’s mother’s. |
What does the story mainly tell us?
| A．We should often give flowers to our mothers. |
| B．We should help those people who need help. |
| C．It’s a good idea to deliver flowers to one’s mother. |
| D．Expressing our love in person is best. |
A
Do you like sports? Do you only watch sports on TV? Please join(加入)our school
sports clubs(俱乐部). Let’s play sports and have fun!
| Tennis Club A great tennis collection. Many tennis bats and tennis balls. For boys and girls. Call Mrs. Black at 822-8787. |
Ping-pong Club A great ping-pong collection. Many ping- pong bats and ping-pong balls. For boys and girls, Phone number:821-4466. |
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| Volleyball Club The sport is fun. For girls only. Phone number:826-9432. |
Soccer Club A relaxing sport. Only for boys. Call Mr. Brown at 828-3848. |
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| Baseball Club An interesting ball game. For boys and girls. Call Miss. Hand at 881-5610. |
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Call Mrs. Black and join the_________ club.
| A．soccer | B．volleyball |
| C．baseball | D．tennis |
_________ clubs are for boys and girls.
| A．Two | B．Three |
| C．Four | D．Five |
Boys can't go to the_________ club.
| A．volleyball | B．basketball |
| C．ping-pong | D．soccer |
If(如果) you want to join the baseball club, you can call_________.
| A．826-9432 | B．828-3848 |
| C．881-5 610 | D．821-4466 |
Soccer is a_______ sport.
| A．difficult | B．last |
| C．relaxing | D．boring |
D
Feeding a crowd of hundreds doesn’t make Kenny Seals-Nutt nervous.In fact, he thrives in the kitchen. He’s in his perfect place when dicing tomatoes, making salads and baking cakes.
By the time Kenny, 16, reached his third year of high school at Hickory Grove, North Carolina, US, he had become vice president of his school’s cooking club. He also opened his own food company, called Modern Fusion.
Kenny said he developed his love of cooking by watching his mother, and his grandmother, who owned a catering (饮食业) business herself. Kenny helped them both in order to remember their tips: how long to cook chicken so it stays wet, and the right amount of tomatoes to add to a spaghetti dish.
At the age of 5, he cooked his first dish of shrimp and broccoli. Taking it for his school lunch, he warmed it up in the school’s microwave, while the other kids ate their sandwiches.
“I love to eat, and it started to become more fun to cook than to use a microwave,” he said.
Cooking came easy to Kenny, and he enjoyed adding new ingredients into common dishes. “It started with a passion (热情) and I wanted to know more,” he said. He began to watch the Food Network and read chef blogs.
Last summer, Kenny put his skills to the test by working with his grandmother to cater his uncle’s wedding. While she cooked traditional dishes, Kenny wanted to add new to the expected flavors (风味).
Now Kenny spends his weekends catering his own events: weddings, birthday parties, baby showers. Kenny’s dishes are always a hit.
Chef Frederick Mookie Hicks, owner of a catering business, said Kenny’s success comes from his ability to multitask in the kitchen. Hicks said he has asked Kenny to cook with him on jobs three times now, and he presents Kenny as a positive example of a passionate chef to the students in his cooking classes.
“He’s so vigorous (精神饱满的) about cooking that he doesn’t let anything stop him,” Hicks said. “I knew in the first five minutes of working with the kid that he is something special.”How is Kenny different from other students?
| A．He opened a cooking club in his high school. |
| B．He is famous on the Food Network. |
| C．He owned a food company at 16. |
| D．He loves to multi-task. |
What does the underlined word “thrives” probably mean?
| A．works energetic | B．grows fast |
| C．learns quickly | D．makes progress |
Which of the following best describes Kenny’s cooking?
| A．Traditional. | B．Creative. |
| C．Simple. | D．Strange. |
We can conclude from the article that ______.
| A．Kenny proved himself by catering his uncle’s wedding alone |
| B．Kenny likes to follow his mother’s recipe when cooking |
| C．Kenny was able to cook his first dish in primary school |
| D．Kenny’s success in cooking has a lot to do with his family |
C
Some people think only school children do not agree with their parents, however, it is not true.
Communication is a problem for parents and children of all ages. If it’s hard for you to communicate with your parents, don’t worry about it. Here are some advice for you to bridge the generation gap (消除代沟).
Don’t argue (争辩) with your parents. Don’t get to your parents when you are angry. Your parents probably won’t consider your ideas if you are shouting at them. And you can’t express yourself well if you are angry. Go someplace to cool off. Make sure you understand why you are unhappy. Then think about what you want to say to your parents. If you don’t think you can speak to them at the moment, try writing a letter.
Try to reach a compromise (和解). Perhaps you and your parents disagree on something. You can keep your disagreement and try your best to accept each other. Michael’s mother didn’t agree with him about buying a motorcycle. They argued over it. But they finally came to a compromise. Michael bought the motorcycle, but only drove it on certain days.
Of course, your parents might refuse to compromise on something. In these situations, it is especially important to show love and respect (尊敬) to them. Showing respect will keep your relationship strong.
Talk about your values. The values of your parents are probably different from those of your own. Tell your parents what you care about, and why. Understanding your values might help them see your purposes in life.
A good relationship with your parents can make you a better and happier person. It is worth having a try!The passage tells us _______ have a communication problem.
| A．parents and other people |
| B．school kids and their parents |
| C．teachers and their students |
| D．parents and children of all ages |
Your parents probably won’t consider your ideas if you _______.
| A．don’t get to them often |
| B．write a letter to them |
| C．don’t speak to them politely |
| D．express yourself well |
From the passage we learn that _______.
| A．parents and children should not have a generation gap |
| B．parents should show love and respect to their children |
| C．there are some good ways to bridge the generation gap |
| D．there are so many serious problems in families today |
B
It is well-known that the “prom”, a formal dance held at the end of high school or college, is an important date in every student’s life. What is less well-known is that the word “prom” comes from the verb “to promenade”, which means to walk around, beautifully dressed, in order to attract attention. The idea is that you should see and be seen by others.
The prom is not just an American tradition, though most people believe that it started in America. In Canada the event is called a “formal”. In Britain and Australia the old fashioned word “dance” is more and more frequently being referred to as a “prom”. Most countries have some form of celebration when students finish high school: after all, it means the end of life as a child, and the beginning of life as an adult.
The prom is expensive to organize and the tickets can cost students a lot of money. The tradition is that students themselves have to raise the money to pay for it. Selling the students newspapers is one way to raise money; so is taking a part-time job at the weekend.
Although the prom should be the experience of a lifetime, it also worries many students. There is the problem of what to wear, who to take as your partner, who will be voted “prom queen”, etc. And it is not only students who feel worried. What many parents find difficult is the realization that their children’s school days are almost over. However, for most people at the prom, once the music starts playing, everyone relaxes and stops worrying.In which country is the prom called a “formal”?
| A．America. | B．Canada. | C．Britain. | D．Australia. |
Why is the prom important in the students’ lives?
| A．It’s the sign of becoming an adult. |
| B．It’s an old tradition in many countries. |
| C．There are many problems to work out. |
| D．The students can raise money by themselves. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The history of the prom. |
| B．The traditions of the prom. |
| C．The development of the prom. |
| D．The general information of the prom. |
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