Suspended (待用的) Coffee
This story will warm you better than a coffee on a cold winter day.
One day, my friend and I entered a little coffeehouse and ordered two cups of coffee. While we were waiting, two young men came in and began to order, “Five cups of coffee, please. Two of them for us and three suspended.” They paid for their order, took the two and left. I asked my friend:“What are those 'suspended' coffees?” Instead of giving me the answer, he told me to wait and see.
Some more people came. Two girls asked for one coffee each, paid and went away. Thencame three lawyers who paid for seven coffees—three for themselves and four suspended. While I still wonderedwhat the suspended coffees were, I enjoyed the sunny weather and the beautiful view in front of the coffeehouse. Suddenly a poor man like a beggar(乞丐) came into the coffeehouse. He kindly ordered a suspended coffee and sat there to drink it.
At that moment, I knew the meaning of the suspended coffees. It's simple — people pay the coffee in advance(预先) for someone who can't afford it. The tradition with the suspended coffees started inItaly, but it has spread all over the world. Meanwhile, I understood suspendedcoffee is not only a cup of coffee, but also the warmth and love to someone in need.How many cups of coffee did the two young men order?
| A．One. |
| B．Four. |
| C．Five |
| D．Seven. |
Who ordered a suspended coffee ?
| A．My friend. |
| B．Two girls. |
| C．Three lawyers. |
| D．A poor man. |
The tradition with the suspended coffee started in ______.
| A．America |
| B．Italy |
| C．England |
| D．Canada |
The writer wants to tell us to ______.
| A．pay for others |
| B．enjoy the sunshine |
| C．help someone in need |
| D．order more than before |
Four years ago when I was a boy of 11, I got into the biggest trouble as a kid. It was a Saturday morning. Both my parents were out, leaving me and my 10—month—old sister became alone. Anyway, my sister was still asleep in her room. In fact I had the house to myself. I decided to do some drawing. Soon I gave up. Nothing was on TV, so I felt bored and touched the candles on the shelp…I had an idea! What would happen if I see fire to some kitchen paper? Well, of course it went on fire, but it wasn’t the tiny flame(火箭)I’d expected, and I couldn’t blow it out. I threw it on the floor, and then luckily got my dad’s boots(靴子)and stamped it out.
I thought I was safe until there was a HCGE hole in my room. When my mum came home later, she smelt the smoke immediately. She dropped the shopping bag, luckily for me, over the hole. I thought this meant she would never see it. However, after running round the house checking for a fire, she of course picked up the bag and saw the hole. Next I was grounded(关禁闭)and in trouble for months. Even though, the hole was still there, reminding me of what I did.How old was the writer when he wrote the passage?
| A．11 years old. | B．13 years old. |
| C．15 years old. | D．17 years old. |
The underlined words “stamp out” in the first paragraph mean ____.
| A．吹灭 | B．扑灭 | C．杀灭 | D．浇灭 |
Put the sentences in the right order according to the passage.
①The boy set fire to some kitchen paper.
②The boy did some drawing.
③The boy was grounded.
④The boy stamped the fire out.
⑤His mother checked for a fire.
| A．②④③①⑤ | B．②①④⑤③ |
| C．②①④③⑤ | D．①③④②⑤ |
Who put out the fire at last?
| A．The writer. | B．The writer and his sister. |
| C．The writer’s mother. | D．The writer’s father. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．It’s difficult to put out a fire. |
| B．The boy didn’t look after his sister. |
| C．The boy made a big trouble when he was 11. |
| D．Don’t leave children home alone while shopping. |
Pakistani girl Malala Yousafzai is the youngest ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She has become the voice of girls throughout the world.
Born in Swat Valley in Pakistan in 1997, Malala lived a quiet life until 2009, when the Taliban（塔利班）, an Islamic organization of violence（暴力）took control of her village. they believe educating girls is against Islam. But Malala didn’t agree. She wouldn’t give up her education and kept going to school.
“What is wrong with us girl students? We want all girls to get their schools back," she wrote. Her hard work encouraged many young girls in Swat Valley.
On Oct 9, 2012, when Malala was taking a bus home, a Taliban man got on the bus with a gun in hand. A bullet immediately hit her in the face. Luckily, the shot didn’t kill her. She was taken to a hospital in the UK. The shot didn’t kill her courage, either.
Her courage made her famous.
She has spoken at the United Nations, met world leaders and written a book, I Am Malala.
On Oct 10, 2013, the EU awarded Malala their top human rights prize. They said, “She is an icon（符号）of courage for all teenagers who dare to follow their aspirations（愿望).”
| A. However, her actions also put her in danger. B. They stopped girls from getting an education. C. Now she is still calling for education rights for girls. D. And she started to write a blog against the Taliban. |
What may be the best title for this passage?
| A．Dreams of peace | B．A gun shot in Pakistan |
| C．Voice of courage | D．Education rights for girls |
Have you noticed your life becoming a little easier? Now, when you go to a certain shopping mall, you can enjoy its free Wi-Fi there. When you want to take a taxi, you can book one with your phone. In fact, all these can be seen as the basic parts of a smart city.
The idea of a smart city was brought up by US company IBM in 2010. Generally, a smart city is a city that uses digital technologies such as the Internet to improve city planning, save money and resources, and make our life convenient. How smart can a city be? Here are great examples that we can learn from.
In 2009, Dubuque became the first smart city in the US. The city used smart water meters to take the place of traditional water meters. They can detect（探测〉water waste and leakage（泄漏）and send data to let the house owner know. The same system is used for other city resources like electricity and natural gas. This way, people know how they use their resources and are glad to help reduce waste.
Santander in Spain also gives us a look at the future. If people point a phone toward a nearby bus stop, the phone immediately shows all bus lines that serve the stop as well as their arrival times. The government organized a research team and provided an App（应用程序〉that collects data on almost everything: light, temperature, and the movements of cars and people. Opening the App near a supermarket provides immediate information on special
According to the passage, which of the following is RIGHT?
| A．Digital technologies are used in smart cities. |
| B．An English company first raised the idea of a smart city. |
| C．A smart city is mainly made up of free Wi-Fi and phones. |
| D．A smart city is still an idea and hasn’t come into being. |
The underlined word “convenient” is the closest in meaning to _____.
| A．useful | B．normal | C．suitable | D．easy |
Compared to traditional water meters, smart water meters do better in .
| A．cleaning water | B．supplying water |
| C．saving water | D．producing water |
The example of Santander shows the use of smart systems in aspects（方面）EXCEPT _____.
| A．business | B．health care |
| C．traffic controlling | D．public transportation |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Digital technologies help improve city planning. |
| B．Smart cities will make our future life better and smarter. |
| C．Smart cities are very common in both Dubuque and Santander. |
| D．Spain and the US take the leading position in building smart cities. |
Canada Day
Since 1982, July 1st has been officially known as Canada Day. Canadians of all ages take part in this festival across the country.
Canada Day is the year’s biggest national party. In many towns and cities, the government organizes a lot of events, often outdoors. These include parades（游行）, concerts, festivals, firework displays and ceremonies for new Canadian citizens（公民）.The celebrations often have a patriotic mood. Canada’s national flag, a symbol for Canada Day, can be seen everywhere and a lot of people paint their faces red and white, which are Canada’s national colors. The celebrations in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, are especially grand and exciting.
In the province of Quebec, many home rentals（租赁）start on July 1st and last for exactly one year, and many people in Quebec spend Canada Day moving from one house to another. So in Quebec, Canada Day is also known as Moving Day.
Many organizations, businesses and stores are closed this day. Only some bookstores, hospitals and gas stations may be open. Post offices are closed, too. As Canada Day falls in the Canadian summer holiday period, all schools are closed as well. In some areas, special services are provided for large events. The concerts, parades and festivals may cause some traffic jams.
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Canada Day falls on the first day of June. |
| B．Canada Day was celebrated before 1982. |
| C．Canada Day is celebrated throughout Canada. |
| D．Canadians except new citizens celebrate Canada Day. |
The underlined word “patriotic” means _____ in Chinese.
| A．温馨的 | B．爱国的 | C．肃穆的 | D．紧张的 |
Canada Day is known as Moving Day in Quebec because on this day _____.
| A．people think it lucky to move to new houses |
| B．people look for houses from one place to another |
| C．people like moving from house to house to visit friends |
| D．people move home when new home rentals go into effect |
From Paragraph 4, we know that on Canada Day _____.
| A．no student goes to school |
| B．traffic jams happen everywhere |
| C．all Canadians stop working |
| D．few businesses and stores are closed |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned about Canada Day?
| A．Background | B．Symbol. |
| C．Public life. | D．Events and activities. |
Flow like the river of change
Little stream ran down from a high mountain through many villages and forests. Then it reached a desert. “I went through so many difficulties. I should have no problem crossing the desert,” she thought. As she started, she found herself slowly disappearing into the sand. After many tries, she still failed. “Maybe I can’t reach the ocean,’’ she said sadly to herself.
At this time, a deep voice said, “If a breeze（微风）can cross the desert, so can a river.” It was the voice of the desert. But the little stream answered, ‘‘That’s because a breeze can fly, but I cannot.”
“That’s because you can’t give up what you are. Let yourself evaporate（蒸发）into the breeze, and it can take you across,” said the desert. “Give up what I am now? No! No!” The little stream could not accept this idea. “The breeze can carry the vapor（蒸汽）across the desert and let it leave as rain. The rain will form a river again,” said the desert. “And whether you’re a river or vapor, your nature never changes.” Hearing this, the little stream went into the open arms of the breeze. It carried her to the next stage of her life.
The course of our lives is like the experience of the little stream. If you want to go through difficulties in your life to head for success, you should also change the way you are.
The little stream aimed to reach _____.
| A．the forest | B．the ocean |
| C．the desert | D．the river |
The little stream _____ before she got to the desert.
| A．didn’t meet much difficulty |
| B．was worried about herself |
| C．knew well about the desert |
| D．was confident about herself |
At first, the little stream didn’t accept the desert’s advice because _____.
| A．she failed many times |
| B．she was afraid of the breeze |
| C．she wasn’t able to fly |
| D．she wouldn’t give up what she was |
The little stream finally crossed the desert by _____.
| A．evaporating into the breeze |
| B．forming a river |
| C．disappearing into the sand |
| D．changing her nature |
What does the story mainly tell us?
| A．The road to success is not always easy and smooth. |
| B．Whatever others say, we should always be ourselves. |
| C．To succeed, we should change the way we are if necessary. |
| D．We may experience difficulty in life just like the little stream. |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号