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Most schools in England require children to wear a school uniform.
There are at least four advantages. Firstly, when they go on a school trip they all look the same and so they can’t get lost. Secondly, it stops kids worrying about what to wear each day. Everyone is equal. Thirdly, parents don’t have to shop for expensive and different clothes for their children to show off. Fourthly, wearing a uniform gives a sense of being proud and discipline(纪律约束) in them.
1.What colour are the shoes that the English students wear in school?
A. White B. Grey
C. Black D. Yellow
2.Which of the following is one of the advantages of wearing a uniform?
A. It gives students a sense of being proud
B. It helps children show off
C. It helps children choose different clothes
D. It makes children strange
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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My favourite great book is The Adventure of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain．Tom lives with his aunt Polly in a quiet street of St. Petersburg, Missouri．He’s a lively and clever young boy，and he finds himself in many exciting adventures(冒险)．He runs away with his two friends，Huck Finn and Joe，to an island in the middle of the Mississippi River for several days．With Huck he goes looking for treasure, with Becky he gets lost in a cave．and finally，they find a box of gold．
My favourite scene in the book is when everyone thinks Tom is dead．He decides to go to his own funeral．He hides and watches for a time, and then suddenly he appears. Everyone is surprised to see him but they’re also pleased to see him alive．
Tom is the hero of the story，but there are other important characters．Huck is an outsider and everyone is afraid of him．Becky is pretty with fair hair，Joe is Tom’s best friend．and Injun Joe is the bad man of the story.
The theme of the story is about children growing up．It describes how strangers are seen in small towns of America. Finally, it talks about freedom，social rules and how people are punished(惩罚)for bad behaviour.
Why do I think The Adventure of Tom Sawyer is a great book? Mark Twain wrote the story in 1876，but it's still read and loved by people all over the world today．And although it’s only a story. Twain wrote it in the everyday English of the southern states of America in the 19th century，so it sounds very real. Today it’s thought to be one of the greatest books in American literature. Go on--- read it! I know you’ll enjoy it，too.
1.Who is the bad man in the story?
A. Huck Finn． B. Injun Joe．
C. Becky． D. Polly．
2.How did people feel when Tom appeared at his own funeral ?
A. They were surprised and pleased．
B. They were surprised and sad
C. They were worried and excited．
D. They were frightened and happy．
3.The whole book is mainly about _______ ．
A. freedom and social rules
B. children’s bad behaviour
C. the growth of young children
D. strangers in American small towns
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Now the VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.
( MUSIC)
Many everyday American expressions are based on colors.
Red is a hot color. Americans often use it to express heat. When they are red-hot, they are very angry about something. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say such music is red-hot.
Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the 20th century. It probably comes from the fact that many babies are born with a nice pink color that shows that they are in good health.
Blue is a cool color. The blues music in the United States is the opposite of red-hot music. Blues is slow and sad. Someone who is blue is very sad.
The color green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural color for humans. A person who has a sick feeling in the stomach may say he feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green. Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has, like a fast new car. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks. Dollars are called greenbacks because that is the color of the back of the paper money.
The color black is used often in expressions. People describe a day on which everything goes wrong as a black day.
(MUSIC)
I’m Warren Scheer. Listen again next week for another Words and Their Stories program in Special English on the Voice of America.
1.We say you are in the pink when you are _______________.
A. very sad B. very happy
C. in good health D. feeling well
2.What does the word “ upset” mean ?
A. happy B. sad
C. satisfied D. active
3.We describe a day on which everything goes wrong as a __________ day.
A. red B. green
C. pink D. black
4.Which of the following sentences is TRUE according to the passage?
A. People in the USA use black to express heat.
B. If you are blue, you are very happy.
C. Green is a natural color for humans.
D. If you have a sick feeling in the stomach, you feel a little green.
5.What is this passage probably written for?
A. A radio program. B. A news report.
C. A telephone call. D. A TV play.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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British people are famous for drinking tea. But brother and sister, Sarah and Bobby Green, became young millionaires when they opened a chain of American-style coffee shops in the UK.
Having the idea: It started when Sarah took a weekend trip to New York to visit her brother Bobby. One evening, in a Thai restaurant, Sarah told Bobby how much she wished she could buy American-style coffee in London. Bobby suggested they started their own coffee shop. Sarah fell in love with the idea.
Doing the Research: Back in London, she spent a whole day on the London subway, getting off the train at different stations to taste the coffee. “It was terrible, and I knew there was a gap (空缺) in the market.” In 1995, they opened their first Coffee Republic shop in central London.
Making it work: The first year was very difficult. British people were not used to the names of American coffees, like latte and macchiato. But being successful was their dream and they were not going to give up. Today, there are over 100 Coffee Republic shops all over the country and the company has ￡30 million a year.
Advice for others: Sarah has now written a best-selling book about their experience, called Anyone Can Do It! She hopes it will help other young people to start their own businesses. She says, “If you think you have the energy, then get out and follow your dream.”
1.What kind of company do they run?
A. A fast-food restaurant. B. A tea shop.
C. A coffee shop. D. A big hotel.
2.Where are their Coffee Republic shops?
A. All over the UK. B. All over the US.
C. In central London. D. In New York.
3.Which of the following information is mentioned(提到) in the passage?
A. Sarah was not interested in Bobby’s idea.
B. British people never drank coffee before 1995.
C. Sarah’s best-selling book is about how to make coffee.
D. Sarah found a business chance while doing the research.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Sarah’s life.
B. Sarah’s weekend trip.
C. The American-style coffee.
D. The success of a family business.
5.Where may this passage come from?
A. In a film.
B. In a newspaper.
C. In a sports magazine.
D. In a novel.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析