-
John sent his mother expensive presents on his mother's birthday every year. He liked to show her how rich he was.
"I must find something wonderful for her, and it must be the only one in the whole world. "John thought.
He advertised (登广告) in the newspapers. " Wanted—the best present for the woman who has everything. "
For many days his telephone did not stop ringing. People phoned him from all over the world. They wanted to sell him "the best present". But they did not have anything that was the only one in the whole world.
Then less than a week before his mother's birthday, a man came to his office. He was carrying a cage, and in the cage there was a large bird.
"This bird, "the man said, "can speak ten languages and sing any pop song. There is no other bird like it in the world. "
"I will listen to it, "John said. "If what you said is true, I will buy the bird from you. "
The man spoke to the bird. "Talk to me in French, " he said. The bird spoke to him in French. "Tell me a joke in Japanese, " he said. The bird told him a joke in Japanese. "Sing a famous pop song, "he said. The bird sang a famous pop song.
"I'll buy it, "John said. "How much do you want?"
"One hundred thousand dollars, "the man said. This was a lot of money but John paid him. Then he sent the bird to his mother with a birthday card.
The day after his mother's birthday he phoned her. "Well, mother, "he said, "Is the bird wonderful?"
"Oh, it was delicious, dear, "she said.
1. Why did John send her mother expensive presents for her birthday every year?
A. Because he loved his mother very much.
B. Because his mother needed these presents.
C. Because he wanted to show he had a lot of money.
D. Because he was the richest man in the world.
2. How did people know John wanted the best present in the world?
A. They rang John up.
B. They knew it from the newspapers.
C. John phoned them one by one.
D. They knew it on TV.
3.When did the man with a bird come to visit John?
A. Two weeks before John's mother's birthday.
B. On John's mother's birthday.
C. About five days before John's mother's birthday.
D. Less than a week after John's mother's birthday.
4. Why did John pay the man a lot of money for the bird?
A. Because it was such a beautiful bird.
B. Because he wanted to help the poor man with the bird.
C. Because the bird could look after his mother.
D. Because John thought the bird could make his mother happy.
5. What does the sentence "It was delicious, "really mean in the story?
A. His mother ate the bird.
B. His mother let the bird fly away.
C. His mother began to learn languages from the bird.
D. His mother thought it was the most expensive present in the world.
-
Bamboo (竹子) is one of nature's (自然) most surprising plants. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass.
Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist reported one bamboo plant which grew 1. 5 metres(4 feet) in 24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe. There are more than 1, 000 kinds of bamboo.
Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimetres wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimetres (1 foot) across. This plant also comes in different colours, from yellow to black to green.
Bamboo has been used to make many things such as hats and kitchen tools( 厨房用具). Because it is strong, bamboo is also used to build buildings.
Many Asian countries have used bamboo for hundreds of years. They often use bamboo for buildings and supporting (支撑) new buildings and bridges while they are being built.
In Africa, poor farmers are taught how to find water using bamboo. These African countries need cheap way to find water because they have no money, and their fields often die from no rain and no water. Bamboo pipes( 管子) help poor farmers bring water to their thirsty fields without spending a lot of money.
1. How is bamboo like grass?
A. It grows quickly. B. It's wood. `C. it is easy to cut. D. It is very thin.
2. Though you can see bamboo everywhere, it doesn't grow________ .
A. in China B. in Europe C. on mountains D. in Africa
3. Why is bamboo used by African poor farmers? Because________.
A. it is cheap B. it has different colours
C. it is strong D. it has been used by Asians
4. Bamboo pipes can________ .
A. make money B. be trees C. grow quickly D. carry water
5. In Asia, bamboo has been used for________ .
A. a short time
B. many thousands of years
C. many hundreds of years
D. about 100 years
-
Most people around the world are right-handed. This also seems to be true in history. In 1799, scientists studied works(作品) of art made at different times from 1, 500 B. C. to the 1950s. Most of the people shown in these works are right-handed, so the scientists guessed that right-handedness has always been common through history. Today, only about 10% to 15% of the world's population is left-handed.
Why are there more right-handed people than left-handed ones? Scientists now know that a person's two hands each have their own jobs. For most people, the left hand is used to find things or hold things. The right hand is used to work with things. This is because of the different work of the two sides of the brain (大脑). The right side of the brain, which makes a person's hands and eyes work together, controls(控制) the left hand. The left-side of the brain, which controls the right hand, is the centre for thinking and doing problems. These findings show that more artists should be left-handed, and studies have found that left-handedness is twice as common among artists than among people in other jobs.
No one really knows what makes a person become right-handed instead of left-handed. Scientists have found that almost 40% of the people become left-handed because their main brain is damaged(损害) when they are born. However, this doesn't happen to everyone, so scientists guess there must be another reason (原因) why people become left-handed. One idea is that people usually get right-handed from their parents. If a person does not receive the gene (基因) for right-handedness, he/she may become either right-or left-handed according to the chance (偶然性) and the people they work or live with.
Though right-handedness is more common than left-handedness, people no longer think left-handed people are strange or unusual. A long time ago, left-handed children were made to use their right hands like other children, but today they don't have to.
1. After studying works of art made at different times in history, the scientists found________ .
A. the art began from 1, 500 B. C.
B. the works of art ended in the 1950s
C. most people shown in the works of art are right-handed
D. most people shown in the works of art are left-handed
2. How many people in the world are left-handed now?
A. Less than one sixth.
B. More than a half.
C. About 40%.
D. The passage doesn't tell us.
3. What is the left hand for most people used to do?
A. It's used to find or hold things.
B. It's used to work with things.
C. It's used to make a person's eyes work together.
D. It's the centre for thinking and doing problems.
4. According to (根据) the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. No one really knows what makes a person become right-handed.
B. Left-handedness is cleverer than right-handedness.
C. Today children are not made to use their right hands only.
D. Scientists think there must be some reason why people become left-handed.
5.The best title(标题) for this passage is________ .
A. Scientists' New Inventions
B. Left-handed People
C. Which Hand
D. Different Brains, Different Hands.
