I believe that we get out of this world what we put into it. Usually, the rewards are indirect and sometimes hard to
A couple of days ago my step-son, Josh, was preparing for an event. Children from his primary school were going for their first trial day at the secondary school，so that they could know what they would meet after the summer holidays. A big
I was in the middle of softie stuff when I noticed him
“Josh,” I said in a deep，serious voice. “I
Almost like someone had planned it! It is so
| A．recognize | B．receive | C．offer | D．change |
| A．believe | B．prepare | C．accept | D．give |
| A．appointment | B．decision | C．day | D．excuse |
| A．collecting | B．searching | C．playing | D．selecting |
| A．so | B．for | C．but | D．and |
| A．old | B．pretty | C．colorful | D．tidy |
| A．busy | B．important | C．happy | D．fortunate |
| A．considered | B．hated | C．insisted | D．stopped |
| A．favorite | B．expensive | C．golden | D．new |
| A．mend | B．choose | C．lose | D．exchange |
| A．lend | B．present | C．take | D．point |
| A．sleeping | B．drinking | C．reading | D．working |
| A．still | B．even | C．also | D．ever |
| A．satisfied | B．Excited | C．Moved | D．Surprised |
| A．valuable | B．strange | C．simple | D．true |
Every year in May, museums prepare shows to honor Leonardo Da Vinci, who died in France on May 2,1519. He is remembered as one of the greatest artists and creative thinkers of all time. His most famous paintings are The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
Recently, researchers have been studying a painting, Landscape8P which they think is Da Vinci’s earliest-known artwork. They used special lighting to study the artwork and discovered there were two images (图像), not one. One drawing is on the back of the piece, which dates back to August 5, 1473.
The drawing on the front was painted when Leonardo was 21 years old. It shows a river valley and a castle outside the city of Florence. There is little left of the drawing on the back, perhaps because it was wiped off. Only a bridge over a river can be seen. But there is writing on both sides.
The writing on the front gives the date and goes from right to left. Some people would call this “mirror-writing”. It’s a way Leonardo often wrote in his notebooks. The writing on the back goes from left to right and tells about an agreement, probably to produce a work of art.
Cecilia Frosinini is an art historian. She said, “Leonardo was born left-handed, but was taught to write with his right hand from a very young age. By looking at his writings, including from this drawing, we can see his right-handed handwriting is educated and well done.”
Experts compared the two handwriting samples (样本) and said they were both made by Leonardo. They show he could write well using his left hand or his right hand.
The drawing is known as Landscape 8P from its number in an art list. It will be part of an exhibit at Italy’s Uffizi Gallery. The museum director, Eike Schmidt, said by studying the drawing researchers gave us a new way of looking at Leonardo’s drawing techniques and his abilities in writing.
1．Which of the following mentioned in the text has been studied by researchers recently?| A．The Mona Lisa. | B．The Last Supper. |
| C．Landscape 8P. | D．Mirror-writing. |
| A．A statement about the painting. | B．An introduction about Leonardo. |
| C．Something about the city of Florence. | D．An agreement to produce a painting. |
| A．He could write with either of his hands. |
| B．He did bad in right-handed handwriting. |
| C．He wasn’t good at writing with his right hand. |
| D．He taught himself to write with right hand. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Positive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Cold. |
A year back I received a full scholarship to attend the University of San Francisco. All of my hard work had paid off. My mom had spent a lot in my attending a private high school, so I made sure to push myself: I volunteered, joined different clubs, and graduated with honors.
I was so excited to start a new life. I had totally packed two weeks and wanted to go to college at once before it was time to leave.
Soon enough, the big day came, but it wasn’t like what I had thought. The first two weeks were the most difficult days of my entire life. Every night I would cry myself to sleep.
I was so homesick (想家) and I didn’t know how to deal with my broken heart. To distract myself, I threw myself into my studies and I applied for a lot of jobs. In any remaining free time, I started forcing myself to the gym. I wanted to keep every part of my day busy so I wouldn’t think how lonely I felt.
Soon after, I began to limit food, and then I became worse. Finally, I went to see a doctor. When the doctor weighed me, I was crazy about the number of my weight. So I continued to lower my goal, and convinced that controlling this number was the solution to my homesickness. But when I was told that I had no choice but to spend time on my studies. I quickly started recovery in my mind.
How could I do? I told myself that school was what I was best at. I decided to get rid of my homesickness and took exercise actively. My first term of college had passed by at last and I had gotten straight A’s. That’s why I want to share my story—to help other students feel less lonely.
1．How was the author during the two weeks before she left for the college?| A．She was as normal as before. |
| B．She couldn’t wait to leave for the college. |
| C．She was afraid to leave her home. |
| D．She didn’t enjoy her mother’s company. |
| A．Her weight. | B．Her diet. |
| C．Her homesickness. | D．Her bad study habit. |
| A．achieve my dream | B．earn money by myself |
| C．improve my studies | D．take my attention away |
| A．To look back at her past middle school life. |
| B．To help girls to lose weight. |
| C．To help lonely college students. |
| D．To increase her own confidence. |
It’s been over 40 years since I rode a bike on Saturday afternoons. But I bought myself a bike for Christmas this year. As one of the children growing up in the country, I had never had a bike of my own. Dad had managed to save an old bike from the local waste yard and gave it to me. But I found it hard to love the second-hand bike, which didn’t even have a proper seat.
Before I bought myself a bike, I didn’t think riding a bike was my thing. I was in my sixties and therefore I thought I was too old to start something new and possibly dangerous. And I often asked myself questions: Would my body cope with this tiring sport? Would I be truly willing to spend hundreds of dollars only to leave the thing in the garage (车库) until it will finally be broken? Would I be safe on the road?
But then I read an interview with Cadel Evans, a winner of the Tour de France, about his annual charity work for bike riders. He said cycling is good for our heart and muscles and that it will improve our body if done regularly. It’s also a good way for us to go outside and exercise. More importantly, he said his mother still chose to ride in a 65km race at an old age and that she didn’t feel fear while riding. Reading this, I felt inspired and I wanted to be just like his mother. Then I headed to the bike shop immediately and there was no turning back.
There were different kinds of bikes in the shop. I tried many of those bikes but they were just not what I wanted. Then I saw an amazing blue bike at the comer of the shop. That was it. I was happy that I found “my bike”. And it felt right the first time I sat on it. So it didn’t take me much time to make my choice. I bought it though it was expensive.
It didn’t fit in the back of my car, so I rode it home.
I’ve completely fallen in love with this sport.
Theme parks are magical places where adults can act like children have the time of their lives. Here are the top four theme parks across the world.
Ferrari World-Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi in the Middle East is home to the world’s largest indoor theme park. The main attraction is the Ferrari Rossa-officially the fastest roller coaster in the world. The ride goes from 0 to 240 kilometres per hour in less than five seconds. The force is so strong that those brave enough to go on it have to wear safety glasses.
Tickets: £40 per adult and half price for children under 1.2 metres tall.
Alton Towers-Staffordshire, England
Alton Towers is the most visited theme park in the UK. The park offers rides such as the popular 800-metre long roller coaster. Or if you’re interested in experiencing the sense of flying, head for the famous ride Air, where you’ll need to avoid objects and trees as you fly. The park also has many other attractions, including live shows.
Tickets: £43 per adult and £ 21 per child. Children under the age of 3 get in for free.
Disneyland Paris-Paris, France
Disneyland Paris, two theme parks create a fantasy world that both children and adults can enjoy. Disneyland Park gives girls the chance to meet their favourite Disney Princesses and to explore Sleeping Beauty’s castle. Exciting roller coasters will keep the whole family entertained for hours on end.
Tickets: £34 per adult and £ 27 per child. Children under the age of 3 get in for free.
Oakwood Theme Park-Pembrokeshire, Wales
For those who are eager to experience fast turns and drops, this is the park for you. Be brave and go on the Megaphobia roller coaster, a wooden coaster making you scream. Tickets: £48 for adults, £22 per child. Children under 3 years get in for free.
1．Where can live shows be enjoyed according to the text?| A．In Ferrari World. | B．In Alton Towers. |
| C．In Disneyland Paris. | D．In Oakwood Theme Park. |
| A．£60. | B．£64. |
| C．£70. | D．£80. |
| A．Live shows. | B．The ride Air. |
| C．The castle. | D．The roller coaster. |
Tips for Developing Your Artistic Talent
Everyone has an artistic talent. You might not even know it.
1. Art takes a variety of forms
Most people think that art can only be found in museums and is only for the elite(精英). You can look around you.
2. Try things out
If you want to develop your artistic talent, start trying things out.
3. Appreciate
4.
Don't expect to create a masterpiece(杰作)with your first try. There must be mistakes. Many artists spent years studying and perfecting their skill. You might not want to reach their level, but don't feel shy about your work. Even if it's not perfect, it will be. Try out，learn from your mistakes, and improve your skills.
| A．Take art classes |
| B．Don't be afraid to make mistakes |
| C．You'll find art and beauty are everywhere |
| D．You might have always thought that you don't have any skills in the arts |
| E．Another way to develop your artistic talent is to learn how to use your eyes |
| F．There are many things you can try from painting, costume, dance and singing |
| G．Discuss the art with other art lovers to see what they think and then form your own opinion |
The U. S. Thanksgiving holiday is symbolized (象征) by its traditional food-roast turkey. But turkey is certainly not from Turkey. In fact, its English name is based on one big mistake. We could say it is a case of mistaken identity. The word "Turkey" has meant "the land of the Turks" since ancient times. In the mid-1500s, the word "turkey" was first used to refer to the bird in the English language.
The misunderstanding over the word happened because of two similar-looking kinds of birds.
There is an African bird called the guinea fowl(珍珠鸡). It has dark feathers with white spots and a patch of brown on the back of its neck. Traders brought the guinea fowl to Europe through North Africa. This foreign bird came to Europe through Turkish lands. So, the English thought the bird as a "Turkish chicken".
When Europeans came to North America, they saw a bird that looked like the guinea fowl. This bird was native to the North American continent. But they thought that it was the guinea fowl，which. at that time, was called the “turkey cock"，so they gave it the same name.
Hundreds of years later, we continue to call this North American bird ‘turkey", even though it has no connection at all with the country Turkey, or even with Europe.
But English is not the only language with interesting names for this North American bird.
The Turkish call turkey “hindi”, the Turkish name for India. The reference(涉及)to India probably conies from the old. wrong idea that the New World was in Eastern Asia.
The French call it "dinde", a name that also connects the bird to India. "Dinde" means "from India" in the French language. "Turkey" has similar names in several other languages.
1．What can we know from paragraph 1?| A．The word "turkey" appeared in modern times. |
| B．Turkey's English name is based on correct identity. |
| C．Americans like eating turkey in Thanksgiving holiday. |
| D．Both Turkey and turkey have similar meanings in English. |
| A．Europe. | B．Africa. |
| C．America. | D．Asia. |
| A．Eastern Asia. | B．The French language. |
| C．The New World. | D．The bird turkey. |
| A．How did Thanksgiving "turkey" get its name? |
| B．How did Americans spend their Thanksgiving holiday? |
| C．Why was the guinea fowl so popular with Americans? |
| D．Why was the guinea fowl different from American turkeys? |
In much of Asia, especially the so-called “rice bowl” cultures of China, Japan, Korea,
Chopsticks are usually two long, thin pieces of wood or bamboo. They can also be made of plastic, animal bone or metal. Sometimes chopsticks are quite artistic. Truly elegant chopsticks might
The Chinese have used chopsticks for five thousand years. People probably cooked their food in large pots,
Food in small pieces could be eaten easily with twigs which
Some people think that the great Chinese scholar Confucius,
Chopsticks are not used everywhere in Asia. In India, for example, most people traditionally eat
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