When I was in junior high school, I was a really bad boy. My history teacher — Mr Oven criticized me a lot because I was naughty in his class. By the end of the first semester, I’d had enough of his words and had decided that I would get my revenge on him.
The opportunity arose one morning when Mr. Oven was called to the office for a certain reason. While Mr. Oven left, my company Billy and I grabbed Mr. Oven’s lunch bag from under his desk. I opened his sandwich and placed a bug in between the two slices of bread. We put it back and closed it. To keep it in memory, Billy took photos of the whole process. We laughed for weeks over this.
Well, it all went south during Thanksgiving break. Billy’s Mother found the pictures in his room, and demanded that he should tell her where these pictures were from. Billy told his mother the whole story, and Mr. Oven was informed. Not only was I punished from school for two weeks, but also I was kicked off the football and basketball team. Before I could return to school, I had to turn in a 1000-word essay on what I did and why I did that. I really felt embarrassing every time I saw Mr. Oven in the hallway for the rest of the school year. I felt a little regret that Mr. Oven left our school the next year.
1．Mr. Oven criticized the writer a lot because _________.| A．he was naughty in his class | B．he didn’t go to his class |
| C．he didn’t answer his question | D．he was good at his class |
| A．He would be glad to eat his delicious sandwich. |
| B．He would eat it as usual when he had his sandwich. |
| C．He would cry because he was afraid of the bug in his sandwich. |
| D．He would be very angry when he found the bug in his sandwich. |
| A．It was until Thanksgiving break that the secret was let cut. |
| B．All the students left on Thanksgiving break. |
| C．All the students went south on Thanksgiving break. |
| D．Billy and I went south during Thanksgiving break. |
| A．Fired. | B．Punished. | C．Scolded. | D．Hit. |
Chinese fans seem to have special meanings in Chinese culture. I’ve
Men also use fans. But these fans are quite often much
A disabled woman with only one leg is seeking to break a world record by completing 102 marathon-length runs in 102 days.
Jacky Hunt Broersma, who lost the bottom half of her left leg to a rare form of cancer in 2001, set her goal in mid-January. And every day since then, she has been running the distance of a marathon (马拉松). “Part of my body was gone. For me the most difficult problem was accepting my disability,” she told the reporter.
Until five years ago, she was not very active. But then she looked into running and decided to give it a try. The sport ended up being quite costly. Currently, the carbon fiber blade (碳纤维叶片) she uses, which is designed specifically for running, costs about $10,000. “Running really changed my life,” she said. “It helped me accept myself as a person with disability. It gave me a sense of freedom. I fell in love with the process of pushing my body further just to see what I could do.”
However, she has faced both physical and mental difficulties during her record-breaking attempt. On one recent day, Hunt Broersma felt breakdown at 24 kilometers and began to cry. In that moment, she felt like her planned goal might not happen at all. By dividing it into little goals, she finally picked herself up and carried on.
Hunt Broersma’s main support team is her husband and their two young children. She is posting her progress online and has also got a large social media following.
As she nears the end of her goal, Hunt-Broersma is hoping to inspire a single thought in others: You’re stronger than you think and you’re capable of so much more.
1．What was the most challenging to Hunt-Broersma?| A．Taking part in a marathon. | B．Breaking a world record. |
| C．Living with disability. | D．Fighting against cancer. |
| A．She was crazy about running. | B．Running helped her realize her life goal. |
| C．Running freed her from her housework. | D．She spent much money on running. |
| A．She felt hopeless about her goal. | B．She lost a record-breaking chance. |
| C．She got no support from her family. | D．She missed a sense of freedom. |
| A．Better late than never. | B．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. |
| C．Many hands make light work. | D．Good things come to those who wait. |
China has made all the preparations for further space
Sending civilians into space
Accents are a sign of belonging and something that separates communities. Yet we can probably think of people who seem to have lost their accent and of others whose accent stays firmly in place. Given the personal and social importance of how someone speaks, why would anyone’s accent change?
A conscious or subconscious desire to fit in can influence the way you speak. If someone moves from Australia to America to work, for example, they will probably at least change their accent in order to get a better sense of belonging. This may be out of a need or desire to be more clearly understood and to be accepted in a new community. They might also want to avoid ridicule for the way they speak.
For people whose accents do shift, the way they speak may be less important to their sense of identity, or their identity with a social or professional group may be more pressing. Even before we are born, we are exposed to the speech patterns of those around us. We progress through various stages of speech development that result in us having speech patterns similar to those around us.
For others whose accent does not seem to change, it could be because they feel safe in their identity, and their accent is much part of that identity — or that keeping the difference is valuable to them.
Meanwhile, brain damage may result in foreign accent syndrome (FAS), which results from physical changes that are not under the speaker’s control. Suffering from FAS, speakers may lose the ability to speak at all or experience strange changes in the way they pronounce. In some cases, listeners might look down upon a person with FAS as they believe them to be foreigners. It’s no wonder many people unconsciously protect themselves by adapting their speech to those around them.
1．What does the underlined word ”This“ in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．The desire to fit in. | B．The change of career. |
| C．The adjustment of accents. | D．The influence on language. |
| A．The result of brain damage. | B．Their strong sense of identity. |
| C．Their desire to learn about locals. | D．The need to adapt to new environment. |
| A．They may be taken as foreigners. |
| B．They can not help making a sound. |
| C．They suffer from emotional changes. |
| D．They may change accents to gain respect. |
| A．To explain the loss of accents. |
| B．To introduce the history of accents. |
| C．To analyze why accents are lost or kept. |
| D．To show the significance of accent changes, |
The research by OECD that was analyzing the homework of 15-year-old school kids has shown that Italian children are busy with homework as they have to spend over 9 hours on it weekly. The other countries where children have to work over 6 hours on their tasks are Ireland, Poland, the USA and Australia.
Additional practice
It teaches students responsibility
When students only visit classes they have no idea how difficult it is for teachers to prepare for the lessons and may behave badly.
It teaches important life skills
When we say that students do their homework we add many meanings in this phrase. Pupils learn to manage time effectively, set priorities, and improve self-discipline.
If teenagers would have too much time for leisure activities, the possibility that they will be involved in some illegal or criminal issues rises greatly. Being busy with tasks they do not waste their time and spend it with the unmatched benefit.
| A．It keeps students busy. |
| B．It enriches students’ knowledge. |
| C．Therefore, it’s high time that homework should be banned. |
| D．Not all the information is grasped by students at the lessons. |
| E．That is a good preparation for future career and meeting deadlines set by bosses. |
| F．At the same time, each person realizes that homework is extremely important in studying. |
| G．When they are given assignments on a regular basis, they raise responsibility, punctuality (守时), and performing. |
I was so glad to go to Beijing with you during the holidays.
I can’t wait for the holidays to come and meet you.
Yours,
Li Hua
Social network Facebook has announced that it is pausing work on Instagram Kids, a young people’s version of Instagram, the photo and video-sharing app that Facebook owns. Instagram Kids would have been for 10 to 12-year-olds, who cannot officially use Instagram because it has an age limit of 13.
However, Facebook has recently been criticized for the effect that Instagram can have on teenagers’ mental health, and in particular how girls feel about their bodies.
Facebook has since published its own research which suggests that Instagram more often has a positive effect. However, the criticism has made the company decide that now is a bad time to develop the app for people who are younger than teenagers.
Adam Mosseri, the boss of the Instagram, said that this would give the company time to listen to and work with parents, experts, public officials and politicians and to show that Instagram Kids would take into account concerns around the mental health and wellbeing of its users.
Instagram Kids has not been completely cancelled, but if it is eventually launched in the future, you’ll need a parent or guardian’s permission to sign up. There will be no advertisements and you will only be able to access “age-appropriate” photos and videos.
Mosseri said that he understood people’s worries about the project and that these steps should help the company to get things right. However, several US politicians have called on Instagram not to restart work on the app. “A pause is not enough,” said a statement from four politicians who are keenly opposed to Instagram Kids. “Facebook has completely given up the benefit of the doubt when it comes to protecting young people online and it must completely abandon this project,” the statement said.
1．What has Facebook especially criticized for recently?| A．Leaking teenagers’ privacy. | B．Publishing its own research result. |
| C．Damaging teenagers’ physical health. | D．Affecting girls’ feelings about their bodies. |
| A．The official age limit of 13 | B．Joint efforts of all walks of life. |
| C．Pausing work on Instagram Kids. | D．Concerns about the mental health. |
| A．Parents’ or guardians’ permission to sign up. | B．Facebook’s determination in pausing the app. |
| C．Access to “age-appropriate” photos and videos. | D．Rules to protect online teenagers in the restarted project. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Opposed | C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
Here are four books online, aiming to strengthen spoken and writing skills for English- language learners.
Arnie the Doughnut
Suggested grade level: lst- 2nd
Arnie looks like an average doughnut made by one of the best bakeries in town. Still, a doughnut is just a doughnut, right? WRONG! Click to see what happens.
Themes in the story:lmagination, Humor, Friendship
Brave Irene
Suggested grade level: lst- 2nd
Brave Irene is a dressmaker's daughter. One day, Irene volunteers to send the dress made by her mum to the palace on time, in spite of the snowstorm. Click and see how she overcomes difficulties.
Themes in the story: Courage, Overcoming difficulties
The Empty Pot
Suggested grade level: lst-2nd
The Chinese Emperor announces a test to choose the country's next king. The child who raises the best flowers from a seed given by the Emperor will be the one. Ping is unable to get his seed to come out-but Ping's empty pot is the best of all. Why?
Themes in the story: Honesty, Learning from failure
Clark the Shark
Suggested grade level: Kindergarten- 2nd
Clark i,s a shark who loves life, but his enthusiasm is too much for his friends, so his teacher helps him find a way to turn it down. Finally, Clark knows how to get along with his friends.
Themes in the story:Self-Control, lVLanners, Friendship
1．What can children learn from Brave Irene?| A．How to make friends. | B．How to learn from failure. |
| C．How to face difficulties. | D．How to control themselves. |
| A．Arnie the Doughnut. | B．The Empty Pot. |
| C．Brave Irene. | D．Clark the Shark . |
| A．Its themes include friendship. | B．It teiis us how to overcome difficulties. |
| C．It aims to improve children's writing skills. | D．It is also suitable for kindergarten children. |
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