"Can I see my baby?" the happy new mother asked. When the baby was lying in her arms and she moved the cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped(吃力地喘着气). The doctor turned quickly and looked out of the hospital window. The baby had been born without ears. Luckily, time proved that the baby's hearing was perfect. Though the misfortune(不幸)happened to him, he grew into a handsome boy. Yet he felt ashamed when he communicated with others.

“You should get in touch with other young people,” his mother told him, with a kindness in her heart. The boy’s father talked with the family doctor about his ears. “Could nothing be done?” the father asked. “I believe I could give him a pair of outer ears, if they could be got,” the doctor replied.

Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, “You are going to the hospital, Son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need, but it’s a secret.” The operation is a big success. Later he married and entered the diplomatic(外交的)service. One day, he asked his father, “Who gave the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her.”

“You could, my son,” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know…not yet.”

The years kept their secret, but one of the darkest days did come. He stood with his father over his mother’s casket(棺材). Slowly, the father stretched forth(伸出) a hand

and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to reveal the mother had no outer ears.

"Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut," his father whispered gently, "and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful, did they?"

1.Why did Mother gasp when she saw her newborn baby?

A. Because her son had a tiny face.    

B. Because she saw her son crying.

C. Because her son was in her arms.    

D. Because her son was born imperfect.

2.Who gave the son the ears?

A. His mother.      B. His father.      C. A doctor.        D. A stranger.

3.The underlined word “reveal” in the last but one paragraph means “________”．

A. see              B. show             C. find             D. search

4.The best title for the passage would be ________.

A. Mother’s hair                     

B. An unforgettable memory

C. Who gave me the ears?              

D. Who is my best respectable person?

5.The main purpose of the passage is to tell readers that ________.

A. The secret was kept until the mother died. 

B. Real love lies in what is done but not known.

C. The operation on the boy was a great success.

D. The boy entered the diplomatic service when he grew up.

 

The weather is getting hotter. You are thirsty playing basketball or riding home from school. A cold drink may be just the thing. But be careful what you are drinking. Something that looks cool may not be good for your health.

There are plenty of "energy drinks" on the market. Most of them have beautiful colors and cool names. The lists on them tell you they are helpful to your health. Sounds great!  

But after a careful check you may find that most energy drinks have lots of caffeine (咖啡因) in them. These drinks are especially aimed at young people, students, busy people and sports players. Makers sometimes say their drinks make you better at sports and can keep you awake. But be careful not to drink too much.

Caffeine makes your heart（心脏）beat fast. Because of this, the International Olympic Committee has limited(限制) its use. Caffeine in most energy drinks is at least as strong as that in a cup of coffee or tea. Possible health dangers have something to do with energy drinks. Just one box of energy drink can make you nervous, have difficulty sleeping and can even cause heart problems. Scientists say that teenagers should be discouraged from taking drinks with a lot of caffeine in them.

1.The main reason for people not to drink too much energy drinks is that they may cause      .

A．heart problems                         B．nervousness

C．sleeping difficulty                       D．possible health dangers

2.The underlined word "discouraged" can be replaced(替换) with "________".

A．encouraged        B．stopped           C．helped           D．disliked

3.From the passage we can know that _________.

A．advertisements are important in getting people to buy energy drinks

B．energy drinks are helpful to teenagers' study

C．sports players need to drink a lot of energy drinks

D．energy drinks are especially aimed at teenagers

 

Asking for information or help is a very common and necessary activity, especially when we visit a foreign country. So knowing how to ask for information politely is important. In English, "Where are the restrooms?" and "Could you please tell me where the restrooms are?" are similar requests—both are correct English, but the first could sound rude. It's important to use correct language, but sometimes this alone is not enough—we need to learn how to be polite when we make requests.

In English, just like in Chinese, we change the way we speak when talking with different people. The expressions you use might depend on whom you are speaking to or how well you know them. If you say to your teacher, "Where is my book?" this will sound rude. But if you say, "Excuse me, Mr West. Do you know where my book is?" your question will sound much more polite. On the other hand, it might be alright to say "Where is my book?" in some situations, perhaps with people you know well.

And you would not usually say, "Peter, lend me your pen. " A very direct order like this can sound rude in English. Usually in English polite questions are longer and include extra language, such as "Could you please...?" or "Can I ask...?" It sounds more polite to say, "Peter, could you please lend me your pen?" Sometimes we might even need to spend some time leading in to a question or request. For example, if you stop a stranger in the street, we might first say, "Excuse me. I wonder if you can help me. " or "I'm sorry to trouble you but," before asking them for help.

It might seem that speaking politely is more difficult than being direct, and in a way this may be true. However, in order not to offend people, learning about the language etiquette is just as important as learning grammar or vocabulary. And doing this will also help you become better at English, or any other language you wish to speak.

1. It's important to know how to_     _in English when we visit a foreign country.

2. When you talk with different people, you need to__       _.

3. Extra words are used to help__      ___.

4.._      _is as important as learning language structure.

5. How do you say " Don't smoke here. " politely? "_         __*

 

Dr.Jack Todd is very interested in clean water .__1._,so it's natural that he is to developer of a small and affordable system(系统）to clean waste water, His “Living  Machine" can clean wastewater in your home or in your business.

__2._ The wastewater goes into a big plastic tank where bacteria(细菌）start to break down the waste.A few days later after it is dealt with, the water is brought into a greenhouse filled with plants and fish.With the help of sunlight, the plants and animals remove more chemicals from the water,making it cleaner,Then the water can be reused for washing or bathing _3.__ but the water is clean enough for watering the flowing, washing the dog, or even for bathing or swimming.

The advantage of this technology is that it is affordable and good for the environment. __4.__. It can help to use less fresh water, and it can help keep the water supply unpolluted.

 

If enough homes and businesses use “Living Machines” People like to plant trees around their houses He is also interested in saving money It cannot be used for drinking or cooking The “Living Machine” is a system for cleaning wastewater

 

 

 

1. What is necessary to know when we speak English besides using grammar?

A. Introduction.    B. The culture.       C. Grammar.            D. Topics.

2. "When speaking to a stranger, ask them where they are from and then make a connection (联系) with that place" can be used as a sentence to_______.

A. speak about location                                      B. talk about sports

C. address people                                                D. talk about work

3. We can learn from the text that_______.

A. Americans shake hands when greeting same sex friends

B. different sex friends should hold hands when first meeting

C. when you speak to others, it's polite to look into their eyes

D. smoking is not allowed in the modem United Sates

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A. American English Tips.                          B. Language Differences.

C. The Different Language Culture.         D. American Customs.