A few weeks ago, while I was reading the morning paper, I turned the radio up to listen to a Saturday morning talk show and I heard an old sounding gentleman, with a golden voice. He was telling whoever he was talking with something about “a thousand marbles”.
I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say …
“Let me tell you something, Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities (优先考虑的事).”
He continued, “You see, I sat down one day and did a little math. The average person lives for about seventy-five years. Now then, I multiplied 75 by 52 and I came up with 3,900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with (继续倾听……的话) me, Tom. I’m getting to the important part.”
“It wasn’t until I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays that I started thinking about all this in any detail,” he went on. “I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought 1,000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away.
“I found that by watching the marbles diminish (变少), I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.
“It was nice to meet you, Tom. I hope you spend time with your family, and I hope to meet you again.”
You could have heard a pin drop on the radio when the old man signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had panned to work that morning. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. “Come on, honey, I’m taking you and the kids to breakfast. And can we stop at a toy store while we’re out? I need to buy some marbles.”The underlines word “intrigued” in Paragraph 2 probably means “ ________”.
| A．encouraged | B．moved | C．worried | D．attracted |
The old man started practicing the theory of “a thousand marbles” ________.
| A．in his twenties | B．in his fifties |
| C．in his seventies | D．in his eighties |
What life lesson does this text teach us?
| A．Spending more time with our family. |
| B．Enriching our life with marble games. |
| C．It’s never too late to love our family. |
| D．Learning to live life to the fullest. |
| Basketball Match BULLS Vs LAKERS Friday June 11 2 o’clock Bull Basketball Club For detailed information see Paul Burton before Friday Lunch time |
TICKY’S DISCO Non-stop music Light show 15 Pembroke Road Weekdays: 7p.m.-11p.m. Saturday late night special: 8 p.m.-3 a.m. Sundays: Closed Over 18s only |
KKARMA Health Food Restaurant 6 Castle Street Hot and cold vegetarian food Lunch(11:00-14:00) Self-service Dinner(17:00-21:00) Table service For bookings ring: 0865-53060 |
Who can’t go dancing in Ticky’s Disco?
| A．A 30-year-old teacher | B．A 21-year-old assistant |
| C．A 15-year-old student | D．A 40-year-old worker |
If you have lunch in Karma, who will serve you at the table?
| A．The waiter | B．The waitress |
| C．Your friend | D．Yourself |
Who will tell you the information about the basketball match?
| A．Howard Brenton | B．GP. Lewis |
| C．Paul Burton | D．Dotley Marston |
Which of the following food can you have at Karma?
| A．Fish | B．Chicken | C．Tomato | D．Beef |
When US student Olivia Priedeman, 17, woke up one morning, she thought she had had a dream about making plans with a friend. But it wasn’t a dream. Her phone showed that during the night, Priedeman had read a text message from her friend. She did it while she was fast asleep.
Reading and responding (反应) to text messages while asleep – called “sleep texting” – is an unusual sleep behavior, similar to sleepwalking. It’s also a growing concern among doctors: young people can’t live without their cell phones.
One in three teenagers sends more than 100 text messages a day, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. And at least four out of five teenagers said they sleep with their phone on or near their bed.
Elizabeth Dowdell, a professor at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, has studied sleep texting. She said that having a phone nearby all night is a big part of the problem.
“That phone is in bed with them or sometimes on top of their chest when they’re sleeping or even in their hand. So the response is kind of automatic (自动的),” she said.
Andrew Stiehm, a sleep medicine expert with Allina Health in Minnesota, agrees. It’s possible for the part of the brain that controls motor (运动神经) skills to wake up, while the part of the brain that controls memory and judgment may remain asleep. That’s why some people can perform basic movements – such as walking, talking, texting or even driving – while they’re sleeping.
Some of Dowdell’s students have admitted that they’re disturbed by their nighttime texting behavior. But because sleep texting is unconscious (无意识的), it’s a difficult habit to break.
Dowdell said she knows of some students who wear socks on their hands to keep themselves from texting.
Marjorie Hogan, a doctor at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, suggests keeping all electronic devices outside the bedroom at certain times.
Shay Radhakrishnan, 16, admits that she sleeps with her phone. But now the practice is giving her some pause (停顿).
“A lot of people leave their phones on their side tables, but for some reason I leave mine on my bed,” she said. “It is probably dangerous because it will probably wake me up a lot more – and probably cause me to start sleep texting.”What happened to Olivia Priedeman?
| A．She sleepwalked to a friend’s house. |
| B．She phoned one of her friends during the night. |
| C．She dreamed of making plans with a friend. |
| D．She read a text message from her friend while asleep. |
How does sleep texting happen?
| A．Some parts of the body are out of control during sleep. |
| B．The brain part controlling motor skills wakes up during sleep. |
| C．The brain part controlling judgment stays awake during sleep. |
| D．The brain part controlling memory becomes unconscious during sleep. |
What does doctor Hogan suggest people who sleep text do?
| A．Stop texting during the daytime. |
| B．Keep their phones out of their bedrooms while they sleep. |
| C．Take some medicine to control the behavior. |
| D．Wear socks on their hands to stop themselves from texting. |
Which of the following statements about sleep texting is TRUE?
| A．Sleep texting can reduce the quality of one’s sleep. |
| B．It’s easy to break away from a sleep texting habit. |
| C．Sleep texting does more harm to one’s health than sleepwalking. |
| D．One in three teenagers has a sleep texting habit. |
Mark Twain (1835-1910) – we’ve all heard the name, but what makes him “the father of American literature” as classic US author William Faulkner once called him?
Mark Twain is someone Americans are taught to love. Older relatives, English teachers and the media always praise him. But when you actually take the time to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, you find that his work is more wonderful than you could’ve ever imagined.
The novel describes a young boy named Tom Sawyer growing up in a small town along the Mississippi River. He explores the countryside on a riverboat with his friends, falls in love with girls, starts secret clubs and searches for treasure. Twain’s idea of childhood is magical – a time of imagination, wonder and, of course, adventure.
More importantly, through the eyes of Tom Sawyer, Twain cleverly makes fun of US culture. For example, Tom hates going to church, and Twain uses scenes of Tom there to mock religion (宗教) and its old traditions. “Often, the less there is to justify a traditional custom, the harder it is to get rid of it,” he writes in one chapter.
Twain’s writing is full of these kinds of critical (批判的) points about culture and politics. That’s why he is so loved in the US – he wasn’t afraid to state his opinions, and he did so clearly. For instance, Twain didn’t like US wars abroad. In 1900, after the US invaded (入侵) the Philippines, Twain wrote in a newspaper article: “We do not intend to free, but to subjugate (征服) the people of the Philippines… We have gone there to conquer.” He also believed strongly in women’s right to vote in elections and gave a famous speech on the subject, called “Votes for Women”, in 1901.
“Tom was a glittering hero once more – the pet of the old, the envy of the young,” Twain writes in Tom Sawyer. But he could just as well be describing himself.According to the author, after reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, you are likely to think _____.
| A．it’s even better than you expected |
| B．it’s as wonderful as you expected |
| C．it’s better to read it with teachers |
| D．it’s not worth all the praise |
What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
| A．A brief description of the novel. |
| B．Where Twain’s idea of childhood comes from. |
| C．How naughty and adventurous Tom Sawyer is. |
| D．What makes Tom Sawyer’s adventures so wonderful. |
What does the underlined word “mock” mean?
| A．make changes to | B．make fun of |
| C．give reasons for | D．give examples of |
Why is Twain so loved in the US according to the article?
| A．He wrote bad things about US wars abroad. |
| B．He supported women’s right to vote. |
| C．He criticized American culture and society clearly and cleverly. |
| D．He showed readers a magical childhood that everyone would love. |
Now, it’s time for some brief news items.
Teens Go Online
Some 13 million European children under 18 use the Internet for schoolwork, games and music according to research done by Nielsen’s “Net-rating”. The study covered Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Experts advised parents to limit the time their kids on line and keep them away from chat rooms.
Chat to the magic Mum
British author J.K.Rowling, mother of magic boy Harry Potter, will do an Internet interview about her new book ”Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” on June 26. Before the event, children are invited to send their questions about Harry to the website. The book will hit stores in the US and UK on June 21 and will arrive in China in August.
School Soldiers
Russian school students will have to do basic military training (军训) in their final year of school, the government has decided．The lesson will include learning to fire guns, marching drills and how to deal with a chemical, nuclear or biological attack. The activity is seen as part of a drive toward the education of their love for their country.
_____________________
Is it hard for you to get up early and get ready for classes? Some students at Winter Park High School just roll out of bed in their pajamas(睡衣) and go to class in their own bedrooms. Of course, their teachers and classmates do not see them because all their class work is on the computer. The Florida High School, the state’s only online school, has 250 students who are taking classes at home by computer. Students in this first online program take classes in algebra(代数), American government , chemistry, computer, economics, and web-page design. They also have to go to regular school to attend other classes.Why will Russian school students have basic military training?
| A．To get ready for being a military. |
| B．To learn to protect themselves. |
| C．To gain some military knowledge. |
| D．To develop their love for the country. |
About Florida High School, which of these facts is true?
| A．Some of the students have to attend classes at home instead of in the school. |
| B．There are altogether 250 students who take classes in the classrooms. |
| C．At the online school, 250 students are taking classes not only by computer. |
| D．Students can’t take classes in algebra, chemistry, computer and so on. |
The news from Florida can be given a title “ ” .
| A．Get up Late | B．Online School |
| C．Magical Computers | D．No Teachers |
What is the second news item mainly about?
| A．J.K.Rowling will have an Internet interview. |
| B．Children will meet Harry Potter’s mother. |
| C．The Harry Potter book will be sold on the Internet. |
| D．The Harry Potter book will arrive in China in early June. |
“Let the world know China and let China know the world.” I can’t remember exactly where I have seen this slogan(口号) in Beijing. Considering the simple fact of the wish people have for learning foreign languages and the number of people going abroad each year, everyone can tell how hard China and Chinese people are trying to know the world. But I didn’t know how equally important and urgent(迫切的) it is for the world to know China until I came to the UK.
In the self-introduction during our first class in a PhD course, when I told them I wanted to finish the degree as soon as I could and then go back to China, the British students looked at me in both surprise and disbelief. Their idea is that everybody who comes to the UK, including the Chinese, will stay here to look for a better life and that this is the only place where one can find a better life.
When I asked my friend for advice about buying a new car, she looked at me, asking in surprise, “A new car?” Later I found out that her surprise was because of the popular image of Chinese students: either too poor or too economical.
When we Chinese students for the first time joined the monthly performance hour of the department and sang some traditional songs and gave a short humorous introduction, all the teachers and students were surprised. To them, Chinese students are so serious and shy. These ideas have been because of the fact that Chinese students are sometimes not seen among the students.
So “let the world know China” should no longer remain an empty slogan. It is something we all should do, home and abroad, and something we should do with confidence and openness.In British students’ opinion, Chinese students come to the UK mainly because .
| A．they want to get a British degree |
| B．the education in UK is the best in the world |
| C．they want to know more about British |
| D．they want to look for a better life in Britain |
The general image of Chinese students in British students’ mind is_____.
| A．very rich | B．very common |
| C．very humorous | D．very poor or economical |
The British students think Chinese students were serious and shy because Chinese students_____.
| A．always spoke poor English |
| B．didn’t show themselves bravely in public |
| C．didn’t have much money |
| D．had problem communicating with them |
By writing the passage, the writer wants the reader _____.
| A．to be as humorous as possible |
| B．to take away the empty slogan |
| C．not to be too poor or too economical |
| D．to show ourselves with confidence |
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