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Each December， I promised to make Christmas a relaxed and peaceful experience. I didn’t spend too much time on card writing， endless cooking and decorating. Yet still， I found myself tired， unable to enjoy the valuable family moments， and of course， to understand the true meaning of .
Christmas came again. My son， Nicholas， was in primary school that year. It was a very season for a six-year-old. For weeks， he’d been memorizing songs for his school’s “Winter Celebration.” All the parents were invited to be present at their show.
I didn’t have the heart to tell him I’d be working. Unwilling to his shining moment， I spoke with his teacher. She told me there’d be a dress rehearsal(彩排) the morning of the presentation. All unable to be present that evening were welcome to come then.
So， on the of the dress rehearsal， I arrived ten minutes early. Around the room， I saw several other parents. Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as “Christmas”， I didn’t anything other than fun. So， when my son’s class rose to sing “Christmas Love”， I was a little bit surprised by its title.
Nicholas was excited， as were all of his classmates. Those in the front row held up large letters， one by one， to out the title of the song. As the class would sing “C is for Christmas，” a child would hold up the letter C. Then， “H is for Happy，” and on and on all the children presented the complete message “Christmas Love”.
The show was going smoothly， until suddenly， a small， quiet， girl in the front row held the letter “M” upside down — totally not knowing her letter “M” appeared as a “W”. The audience(观众) laughed at this little girl’s . But she had no idea why they were laughing at her， so she stood tall， holding her “W”. The laughter continued until the last letter was raised， and we all saw it together. A sudden came over the audience and eyes began to widen. At that moment， we understood why we were there and why we the holiday.
For when the last letter was held high， the message read loud and clear： “CHRIST WAS LOVE”.
1. A. family B. love C. Christmas D. school
2.A. fresh B. exciting C. successful D. golden
3.A. miss B. waste C. forget D. change
4.A. officers B. children C. teachers D. parents
5.A. morning B. noon C. afternoon D.evening
6.A. enjoy B. expect C. find D. have
7.A. spell B. pick C. check D. carry
8.A. since B. before C. until D. when
9.A. letter B. mistake C. appearance D. gesture
10.A. politely B. honestly C. quietly D. proudly
11.A. cry B. anger C. silence D. sadness
12.A. celebrated B. remembered C. invented D. recorded
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
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Survey： What’s your favorite restaurant?
Lola Lopez
Jim Janssen
“I’m an actress. There’s a small French restaurant near my apartment. It’s my favorite. The service is great. The food is always cooked well and served beautifully. And the atmosphere is very romantic…”
“I’m a high school student. I’m interested in fast food. Chicken， burgers， fish， French fries — I love it all. My mom says I should eat healthier food but it tastes so good! Also， I’m not rich and the price of fast food is just right for me.”
Gina Mangino
Raul Sanchez
“I’m a housewife. With three kids， I look for a place that has good food at a reasonable price. I look for a place that’s comfortable for children and serves the food quickly. That’s why I like Sam’s Chinese restaurant.”
“I’m a doctor. I can’t remember the last time I ate out… maybe that’s because my wife and I really like to cook. Instead of eating out， we look through a cookbook and cook at home.”
1.Jim Janssen is ______.
A. an actress B. a doctor
C. a student D. a housewife
2. ______ likes a French restaurant very much.
A. Lola Lopez B. Jim Janssen
C. Gina Mangino D. Raul Sanchez
3.Gina Mangino likes the restaurant which ______.
A. offers fast food B. serves the food quickly
C. offers cookbooks D. serves the food beautifully
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
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Christian Bucks may be young， but he sure knows how to be a good friend. When the York， Pennsylvania， second-grader noticed that some of his schoolmates didn’t have anyone to play with during the break time， he came up with a way to help them. He suggested having something called a “buddy bench” put in on his school’s playground.
A buddy bench is a special bench where students can sit if they are feeling bored or lonely. It’s usually brightly colored with “BUDDY BENCH” in big letters. Other students can then go to the bench and ask them if they would like to play or talk.
“We show we care about others when we ask others to play，” Christian told reporters.
Christian first learned about buddy benches when his family was considering moving to Germany. He saw a buddy bench in a handbook for a German school and thought it would be a great way to fight loneliness on the playground at his own school， Roundtown Elementary School.
Christian told Roundtown’s headteacher， Matthew Miller， about his idea at the end of last school year. Miller immediately decided to get a buddy bench. He had Christian pick out its style and bright colors.
“I was the first person who got to sit on the bench when it arrived at Roundtown，” says Christian. He hopes the bench will help “grow our dream circle of friends”.
1.Christian Bucks suggested having a buddy bench to help ______.
A. his teachers B. his students
C. his parents D. his schoolmates
2.Christian learned about the buddy bench ______.
A. in a textbook B. from his father
C. in a handbook D. from his headteacher
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. The buddy bench can help to develop friendships.
B. The buddy bench is designed and made in Germany.
C. Students can realize their dreams on the buddy bench.
D. Students love the style and the color of the buddy bench.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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You change the channels for the fourth time and realize that once again there’s nothing on television that gets your attention. Not a problem! Throw on some running shoes and comfortable clothes and go for a run.
One of the coolest things about the sport of running is that you don’t need expensive equipment(装备). All you need is a good pair of running shoes and a safe environment. But just because you don’t need much equipment don’t be fooled into thinking the sport of running is easy. No one wakes up and decides to run a marathon without training.
Running makes your heart， lungs， and muscles stronger. It makes you know more about your body. Running also gives you energy by increasing your oxygen(氧气) intake， so you don’t get sick easily. It can even help you keep your mind on school work because exercise helps you to think more clearly.
How do you take part in the sport if you don’t know much about it? Most schools offer cross-country and track programs， but there are also running clubs open to all ages. A simple Internet search can help you find some in your area. The programs show you how running can offer competition or just be for fun. They also teach runners to set realistic goals and take care of their bodies.
Runners have great respect for each other because they know how difficult the sport can be. If you go to a race， you’ll see people cheering for all the runners， from the first place finisher to the last place finisher. Running isn’t always about how fast you are or how far you’re going. It’s about getting out there and doing it. Taking part is more important than competition， and effort is recognized over gift.
If you’re looking for more than just a sport， running may be the perfect choice for you.
1.Which of the following is true?
A. Running helps you win a marathon.
B. Running helps you improve your study.
C. Running helps you think more about yourself.
D. Running helps you set realistic goals in your life.
2.What is the most important for runners in a race?
A. Having fun.
B. Receiving respect.
C. Trying their best.
D. Winning the competition.
3.What is probably the best title for this passage?
A. Running and Runners
B. Running： Easy or Difficult
C. Running and Watching TV
D. Running： a Sport or a Way of Life
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
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Music education hasn’t changed much since the 1970s. Students are still taught to read notation(乐谱) so they can recite compositions that they would never listen to on their MP3 players or play with friends. Playing music enriches life. The question is： Why do schools teach music in a way that turns off so many young people rather than catch their imagination? Can we do a better job of using the power of music to get kids excited about school?
The experience of an organization called Little Kids Rock suggests the answer is yes — if we change the way music is taught. Little Kids Rock has helped music programs in over a thousand public schools and served 150，000 children. The organization has given 30，000 free instruments out， mainly guitars， and trained 1，500 teachers to run music classes in which students quickly experience the joys of playing their favorite songs， performing in bands(乐队)， and writing their own music.
The key to Little Kids Rock is that it teaches children to play music the way many musicians learn to play it — not by notation， but by listening， imitation(模仿) and meaningful experimentation. “The knowledge you need to get started playing rock music is very limited，” explains Dave Wish， the founder of Little Kids Rock. “In high school， my friend Paul taught me a couple of chords(和弦) and my life was changed forever. On the first day of class， Little Kids Rock teachers place guitars in the hands of their students and get them practicing chords that will enable them to play thousands of songs. The kids decide what songs they want to learn and the class is off and running. Their progress is surprising. Within a year， eight and nine-year-olds are playing musical instruments， and giving concerts， even performing their own songs.
One of the biggest advantages that music offers is the ability to encourage students who are otherwise bored by school. “I’ve had students start coming back to school because of this program，” said Adkison Thomas， who heads up music for the Dallas Independent School District. He added， “One of the best things is that the teachers discover a new side of their students. They see kids become successful who weren’t before.”
1.The expression “turn off” in Paragraph 1 means “______”.
A. make kids feel cool
B. make kids feel bored
C. make kids feel confident
D. make kids feel nervous
2.How did Little Kids Rock help the school?
A. By writing music for kids.
B. By playing kids’ favorite songs.
C. By making instruments for school.
D. By training teachers for music classes.
3. Little Kids Rock is successful because ______.
A. it encourages kids to experience music
B. it helps kids learn from great musicians
C. it allows kids to decide how to learn music
D. it offers musical programs all over the country
4. What does the writer want to tell us?
A. Learning music is a good way to become successful.
B. Teaching in a proper way benefits students’ development.
C. It’s necessary for students to practice a lot in learning music.
D. It’s important for teachers to discover the new sides of students.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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We’ve all heard of mermaids. They are the beautiful half-human， half-fish creatures(生物). They have the head and body of a human and the tail of a fish. We also know that mermaids only exist in fairy tales. But where did all the stories about these creatures come from? If you have ever seen a manatee， then you might have an idea.
Manatees， which are also called sea cows， are mammals(哺乳动物) that live in the sea. Since they are mammals， they have to swim up to the surface to breathe air. Many people believe that the story of the mermaid began with the ancient sailors who saw the manatees putting their heads out of the water to breathe. Because manatees are upright when they do this， it looks like they are standing. If a sailor saw a manatee doing this from far away across the sea， it is possible that the sailor would mistake the manatee for a creature that is half-human， half-fish.
Mermaids are described as having very long hair. This is probably because manatees like to swim up to the surface of the water in areas where there is sea grass. Manatees eat all kinds of plants in the sea， including sea grass. The sea grass around the manatee’s head when they eat could create a picture of long hair.
Manatees also have powerful tails that are very similar to the fish-like tail of a mermaid. The sailors probably watched manatees come up for air and then swim back below the surface， using their paddle-shaped tails. This would explain why the sailors thought mermaids had fish-like tails.
1.What are mermaids?
2.Where do manatees live?
3.Do manatees need to breathe air out of water?
4.What do manatees eat?
5.Why did the ancient sailors mistake manatees for mermaids?
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
