-
Coloring is an activity that children worldwide have long enjoyed. With a picture already made for them, kids simply chose a crayon,pencil or marker of their favorite color and fill it in. Today, it also becomes more and more popular among teenagers and even adults, who are enjoying relaxing hours of coloring. In December, five of the top ten best-selling books in the United States were coloring books.
They are fun,but are coloring books good for you?
The good feedback(反馈)from customers is encouraging. Trina Lucida, a popular artist creating coloring books, says that many of her customers are buying the coloring books for others who are sick or going through a hard time. She adds that the "big idea" behind her latest book is to encourage people to do something creative.
Lucida is right,according to Allan Rohan,a psychology(心理学)professor. "Many customers think of coloring books as a new creative stage," he said in an interview,"but what's more important is that people spend time coloring in order to reduce stress after a long day." Research shows that coloring can reduce stress by guiding people to focus on(专注)one simple task. When a person is filling in a flower with a light purple color,he focuses on the flower and forgets about all his troubles in life.
Experts add that coloring may relieve a certain kind of pain. Doing the coloring helps people relax their mind and calm down. Also,coloring helps people's brain in a healthy way. The shape of the drawing makes one side of the brain active, while the color of the drawing improves the other. Coloring can bring out your imagination and take you back to your childhood. Interesting,isn't it?
"It's very relaxing," said Susan Jackson,a big fan of Lucida's coloring books. "Coloring frees my mind. And it's not just to try to fill blank(空白的)pages. The pictures make me happy and there is just something about them. So I'm saving the pictures I like best to the very end."
1.Trina Lucida wants her coloring books to .
A. encourage people to be creative B. be one of the best-sellers
C. let people enjoy relaxing hours D. help develop their friendship
2.Why can coloring reduce stress?
A. Because it brings out imagination.
B. Because it shows the beauty of nature.
C. Because it helps people to be more focused
D. Because it can take people back to childhood.
3.What does the underlined word "relieve"mean?
A. reduce B. seuarate C. drive D. balance
-
Coloring is an activity that children worldwide have long enjoyed. With a picture already made for them, kids simply chose a crayon,pencil or marker of their favorite color and fill it in. Today, it also becomes more and more popular among teenagers and even adults, who are enjoying relaxing hours of coloring. In December, five of the top ten best-selling books in the United States were coloring books.
They are fun,but are coloring books good for you?
The good feedback(反馈)from customers is encouraging. Trina Lucida, a popular artist creating coloring books, says that many of her customers are buying the coloring books for others who are sick or going through a hard time. She adds that the "big idea" behind her latest book is to encourage people to do something creative.
Lucida is right,according to Allan Rohan,a psychology(心理学)professor. "Many customers think of coloring books as a new creative stage," he said in an interview,"but what's more important is that people spend time coloring in order to reduce stress after a long day." Research shows that coloring can reduce stress by guiding people to focus on(专注)one simple task. When a person is filling in a flower with a light purple color,he focuses on the flower and forgets about all his troubles in life.
Experts add that coloring may relieve a certain kind of pain. Doing the coloring helps people relax their mind and calm down. Also,coloring helps people's brain in a healthy way. The shape of the drawing makes one side of the brain active, while the color of the drawing improves the other. Coloring can bring out your imagination and take you back to your childhood. Interesting,isn't it?
"It's very relaxing," said Susan Jackson,a big fan of Lucida's coloring books. "Coloring frees my mind. And it's not just to try to fill blank(空白的)pages. The pictures make me happy and there is just something about them. So I'm saving the pictures I like best to the very end."
1.Trina Lucida wants her coloring books to .
A. encourage people to be creative B. be one of the best-sellers
C. let people enjoy relaxing hours D. help develop their friendship
2.Why can coloring reduce stress?
A. Because it brings out imagination.
B. Because it shows the beauty of nature.
C. Because it helps people to be more focused
D. Because it can take people back to childhood.
3.What does the underlined word "relieve"mean?
A. reduce B. seuarate C. drive D. balance
-
Reading is an important activity for many Americans. Today, thousands of men, women and children are members of groups to discuss the books they read.
No one knows how many Americans belong to reading groups called book clubs. Yet publishers(发行人) and bookshops report that more and more throughout the United States are joining the clubs.
Most of the clubs work the same way. Members read the same book at the same time. Then they meet to talk about the book. Members may be friends or people who live near each other. Or, they may be people who work together.
Book clubs may be for only women or only men. Or, they can be for husbands and wives together. Some are family groups where parents attend with their children. Children may belong to book clubs of their own.
Some book clubs in the United States are for husbands and wives. One woman says this is a great idea for a book club. She says husbands and wives often talk to each other only about their children, work, or money problems. "Talking about books," she says, "opens a whole new level of communication."
American children belong to book clubs, too. They may be as young as four years old or as old as eighteen. Some children's clubs get help from the Great Book Foundation (基金). This educational organization provides lists of books to read. It also trains people to lead discussions about the books.
1. It is reported that _____ in the United States.
A. reading is important for men
B. a lot of people are joining book clubs
C. all the people are reading their books
D. fewer and fewer people in the USA are joining the clubs
2.Most book clubs want their members ______.
A. to read the same book at the same time
B. to buy a lot of books at the same time
C. to read different books at the same time
D. to read as many books as they can
3.Before joining the book club, husbands and wives often talk about ______.
A. housework and work B. computer games
C. books and writers D. children, money or work
4.The best title of the passage might be _______.
A. An Important Activity in the USA
B. Reading Clubs for Children
C. Book Clubs in the USA
D. All Kinds of Clubs in the USA
-
Actually, long-distance bicycle camping is one of the happiest activities I have ever experienced. I generally sleep poorly at night, but in the woods on a tour, I sleep like a baby with the music of insects. In the morning, birds wake me up. I eat a snack before getting up, and then I quickly pack my sleeping bag, tent, and other things and get on the road. Usually I have less speed. Traveling by bike allows me to stop anywhere, such as lakes（especially places to swim）, woods, and scenic spots（景点）.
Somewhere near lunch, I find a small drugstore and buy some bread, sandwich materials, and fruit. In the afternoon, my speeds are higher, and I spend less time at stops. In the late afternoon, I start thinking about stopping. I finally find a place in the early evening, cook a simple meal, and rest and cool off. As it starts to get dark, I put up my tent, and fall asleep.
There are exciting times and difficult times as well. Visiting strange or famous places are always exciting to me. I meet and talk with interesting people along the way. Enjoying beautiful scenes, meeting wild animals（usually at my camping site）, and traveling up and down hills also make me cheerful. On the other hand, I may run into rainy or hot days, have to repair my bike, or just find myself in a bad state. The problems are easily dealt with. The pleasures remain in my mind for years.
1. Where does the writer usually have a good sleep?
A. In a hotel. B. At home.
C. In the woods. D. In a drugstore.
2.From the passage, we know the writer has the following abilities EXCEPT ___.
A. Cooking outside B. Talking with animals
C. Putting up tents D. Fixing up bikes
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The writer has to sleep late during the tour.
B. The writer doesn’t want to get up early.
C. The writer always has fruit for breakfast.
D. The writer rides faster in the afternoon.
4.It can be inferred from the passage that the writer _______.
A. enjoys a free and pleasant bike ride
B. rides a bike to work every day
C. is afraid to meet animals on the road
D. is unhappy to ride a bike alone
-
完形填空。（10分）
根据短文内容，从A、B、C、D 四个选项中选出一个能填入相应空格内的最佳答案。
Hiking is an activity of going out ________ a long walk for pleasure.
People often go hiking in mountains. The activity is so popular that there are a large number of hikers throughout the world. Some hikers enjoy ________something from nature; some like to see different________ of trees, rocks and animals; ________ love this activity because it helps people release pressure (减压) and stay________ .
People like hiking because________two reasons. Hiking ________ people ________ money. A good pair of hiking boot (靴) and some________clothes are enough. What’s more, hiking suits people in any season and almost in any weather. Since we have known hiking is so helpful, let’s ________ hiking this Sunday!
1.A. of B. for C. to D. on
2.A. learn B. to learn C. learning D. to learning
3.A. kinds B. kind C. ways D. way
4.A. other B. the other C. others D. another
5.A. health B. healthier C. healthily D. healthy
6.A. in B. of C. / D. at
7.A. don’t cost B. didn’t cost C. isn’t cost D. doesn’t cost
8.A. many B. too many C. much D. much too
9.A. comfortable B. beautiful C. expensive D. thick
10.A. go B. to go C. going D. goes
-
As we know, English is an important subject in middle school. Everyone knows that they must learn English well, but some people don’t know how to learn it well. Here are many suggestions which may help you with your English.
The biggest problem is people’s own fear. They worry that they won’t say things correctly or that they will look foolish so that they don’t talk at all. Don’t be afraid of being laughed at. Only when we aren’t afraid of making mistakes can we learn English well.
The fastest way to learn anything is to do it again and again until you get it right. Like anything, learning English needs practice. Don’t let a little fear stop you from getting what you want.
The best way to learn English is to have a good environment. Take notes in English, put English books around your room, listen to English language radios, watch English news, movies and television, and speak English with your friends whenever you can. The more English material that you have around you, the faster you will learn it.
Many people think that exercises and tests aren’t much fun. However, by doing exercises and taking tests, you can really improve your English.
If you never test yourself, you will never know how much progress you are making.
1.The fastest way to learn English well is ______.
A.listening to it every day B.practising it over and over again
C.going over the fear D.going to a foreign country
2.To create a good environment, you need to do many things EXCEPT______.
A.putting English books around your home
B.taking all kinds of notes
C.listening to English radios
D.watching English news and movies
3.According to the passage, English exercises and tests are______.
A.very boring B.not helpful at all C.not important D.very necessary
4.What’s the best title for the passage?
A.English is very important to everyone.
B.The biggest problem of learning English.
C.English exercises and tests aren’t fun.
D.The ways on how to learn English well.
-
In order to deal with the work and pressure that seem boring, we have to take an active part in beautiful acts of love and kindness. So get to it!
1. In order to solve the problem, we must face it bravely. This can include people in your life who may be bringing you down, the environment or even a person that makes you upset and worried. It’s up to you to handle them.
In order to live a meaningful life, you must love yourself. 2. Take care of your actions and how you live each day. Love yourself fully in order to love others fully.
3. It’s not easy to make a decision about what is worth your time and effort or what is not. If situations are seriously terrible and are not repaired, it’s time to let go. Are there broken relationships or friendships but you know they are worth the time? Fix them and find peace. Do what you can to find love in situations.
4. Give our time, energy, love, and sometimes money, please. It is “The True Meaning of Life”. Everything we put into the world comes back to us. At the end of the day, no matter what you have, you are likely in a position to give something small to someone else who needs it.
Things that make us smile, laugh and feel good are just amazing. This one is pretty simple…Just do MORE of it. 5. I truly believe that in the super fast paced world we live in, happiness may not come as easily as we wish.
阅读短文，把A—E五个句子填入文中空缺处，使短文内容完整。
A.Do more of what makes you happy.
B.Take care of yourself and your needs.
C.Mend what’s broken or give it up.
D.Don’t avoid trouble.
E.Give back.
-
Over the years, fried chips have become known worldwide and been enjoyed by adults and children in almost all countries. But do you know the world's First Potato Fry Museum was opened in November, 2013 in Belgium? For the fans of fried chips (French fries), they have a museum of their own!
The world's first museum of chips, was set up by Eddy Van Belle and his son in Belgium. The museum calls itself "the first and only museum for potato fries".
Eddy and his son are always proud of their favorite food. Eddy said, "Over the years, fries have become popular throughout the world. We are so proud that they originated from Belgium."
"So it is normal and necessary that the first fried chips museum is opened in Belgium," Eddy added.
The museum is in an ancient building with two floors. The museum shows a lot of exhibits, including ancient potato cutters, chip-making machines, and the pictures about the history of potatoes. You can see different potatoes and chips. You can also learn to make chips. It's a great place to learn about the history of fries and enjoy eating them, too! Do you know the biggest fun in the museum? You can eat many kinds of chips!
1.The World’s First Potato Fry Museum was built in __________.
A. America B. Belgium C. England D. Australia
2.Why did Eddy and his son set up the museum in Belgium?
A. Because there are more people interested in fried chips here.
B. Because they are proud that Belgium is their motherland.
C. Because they are the fans of fried chips.
D. Because they want people to know about the history of fries.
3.Which of the following is NOT true about the museum according to the passage?
A. You can see the oldest chip-making machine.
B. You can make the chips by yourself.
C. You can see different kinds of potatoes and chips.
D. You can have fun eating many kinds of chips.
-
Biking is an amazing family activity，but finding a route that is suitable for different，ages is a little difficult．Lee McNeil and his family ate crazy about biking．They have seven children，from 4 to 24 years old．When looking for a route，they look for enough protection from traffic，good surface condition and interesting views．
Here are some great routes for biking with your whole family which are suggested by McNeil．
Iron Horse Trail
This is the McNeil family's favorite ride．The route ~s 26 miles and goes through the 2．1 mile Snoqualmie Tunnel．"Beautiful views，the tunnel，and places to stop and watch the rock climbers make it special，" McNeil said．"All our kids have taken their turn to go through the black tunnel bravely for the first time and we celebrate it at the end of the ride．" If you prefer，check http://bit，ly/Mlt9y4 for more information．
Centennial Trail
The Centennial Trail runs for 23 miles from Snohomish to Bryant．The trail is wide and smooth，and is safe for kids as it is off the roads．A nice stop is Lake Cassidy east of Marysville．A dock（码头） on the lake is fun to explore．It also has picnic tables and washrooms for a convenient（方便的） lunch-time stop．For a map，go to http：//bit．ly/L5qCeY．
Cascade Trail
The Cascade Trail is 23 miles．The slope（斜坡） is gentle and it makes for an easy family ride．McNeil said it is a "beautiful ride up the Skagit Valley，with lots of places to watch wildlife along the river"．Go to http://bit，ly/PR4wOW to see a map showing the trail，parking areas and bus stops．
Other good choices
Snoqualmie Valley Trail: http : / / L．usa．Gov/n WGWO
Guemes Island: http://bit，ly/LJ3RxL
Burke-Gilman Trail: http : / /l．usa．gov/ s33li
1.Which of the following route do McNeil's family like best?
A．Cascade Trail． B．Iron Horse Trail．
C．Centennial Trail． D．Burke-Gilman Trail．
2.If you choose the Centennial Trail，you can ____．
A，watch the rock climbers B．see a small valley
C．go through a tunnel D．have a picnic for lunch
3.The main purpose of the passage is to ____．
A．ask people to learn from Lee McNeil
B．tell people how to make a family ride
C．introduce some routes for family rides
D．encourage more people to ride bikes
-
An ________ is an unplanned event that happens by chance or mistake.
A.accident B.achievement C.activity