My name is Chelsea Chowderhead. A chowder is a kind of soup. I was laughed at because of my last name as soon as I started school. So when my family moved to South Carolina, I asked my dad if I could change my name.

“You shouldn’t change who you are. Let people get to know you first and your name later. When you meet someone new, ask them a good question, something you’re really interested in. Once people start talking about themselves, they don’t judge(评价) you.”

Two days later I headed to my new school for the first day of class. At lunch, I noticed that there were twin brothers who were talking to each other. I remembered my dad’s advice, so I decided to try.

I noticed that their lunchboxes were identical. “What’s it like being a twin?” I asked.

They looked surprised. Then one said, “No one has ever asked us that!”

“Most of the time it’s good,” the other said. “When you’re a twin you always have someone to talk to and have lunch with.”

In no time we were laughing and talking. Then one of the brothers said, “I’m Nicholas, and this is my brother, Nathaniel. What’s your name?”

I took a deep breath and said, “I’m Chelsea Chowderhead.”

“Chowder? Like the soup?” asked Nathaniel.

“Yes,” I replied, looking down.

“Hey, cool! Do you want to come over after school and play basketball with us?” Nathaniel asked. I nodded.

And that is how I became friends with the twin brothers.

1.Why did the writer want to change his name?

A．People made fun of it.

B．He wanted to make more friends.

C．It was hard to remember.

D．He wanted to be cool in the new school.

2.The writer’s father advised him to ____________.

A．move to a new class                     B．say hello to others

C．share his interests                       D．ask good questions

3.The underlined word “identical” in Paragraph 4 probably means _____________.

A．same             B．beautiful          C．big               D．full

4.When the twin brothers asked his name, the writer felt ________________.

A．surprised         B．angry             C．nervous           D．proud

5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．One can order a chowder in some restaurants.

B．The twins said hello to the writer first.

C．The twins also didn’t like the writer’s name.

D．At last the writer changed his name.

 

— Would you like to go to London with us next week? 

— I’d like to, but my parents ______ that I am too young.

A. are against        B. oppose         C. object         D. explain

C

One Sunday, my family had gathered at my parents’ house to feast upon Mom’s wonderful cooking. During the normal dinner chatter (闲聊), I noticed that my father was slurring (说话含混) his words. No one mentioned this during dinner, but I felt compelled to discuss it with my mother afterward.

We decided that there was something seriously wrong and that Dad needed to see the doctor.

Mom phoned me two days later. “The doctor found a brain tumor (肿瘤). It’s too large at this point to operate. Maybe they can do something then, but the odds are long.”

Even with the treatment, my father’s condition worsened, and the doctor finally informed us that this condition was terminal (晚期的). During one of his stays in the hospital, we brought our baby daughter Chelsey with us when we visited him. By this time he had great difficulty speaking. I finally figured out that he wanted Chelsey to sit on his stomach so he could make faces at her.

Watching the two of them together, I realized I was living an experience that would stay with me forever. Though grateful for the times they could share, I couldn’t shake the feeling of a clock ticking in the background.?

On the visit to my parents’ home during what we all know was my father’s last days, my mother took Chelsey from my arms and announced, “Your father would like to see you alone for a minute.”

I entered the bedroom where my father lay on a rented hospital bed. He appeared even weaker than the day before.

“How are you feeling, Dad?” I asked. “Can I do anything for you?”

He tried to speak, but he couldn’t make out a word.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t understand you,” I said.

With great difficulty he said, “I love you.”

We don’t learn courage from heroes on the evening news. We learn true courage from watching ordinary people rise above hopeless situations. In many ways my father was a strict, uncommunicative man. He found it difficult to show emotion. The bravest thing I ever saw him do was overcome that barrier to open his heart to his son and family at the end of his life.

1.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．The writer accompanied his father to a medical examination.

B．The writer’s father got worse after the removal of the brain tumor.

C．The writer was quick to notice the strange condition of his father.

D．The writer’s father had known about his illness before the writer discovered it.

2. What does the underlined sentence “the odds are long” mean?

A．There’s little possibility for Father to recover.

B．It takes a long time for Father to recover.

C．Father needs love and care from his family.

D．They need a proper time to operate on Father.

3.The father had never said “I love you” to the writer before because ________.

A．he believed in strictness and punishment

B．he was not so attached to the writer

C．he thought there was no need to tell the writer

D．he was not used to openly showing his emotions

4.What does the writer attempt to tell us?

A．We don’t often value health until we lose it.

B．Don’t wait to see a doctor till it is too late.

C．Life is short, so live your life to the fullest.

D．Bravely express your love for your family.

 

下面是一位同学对自己英语老师的介绍，请参照写篇文章介绍你的语文老师，100词左右。

注意：文章中不能使用真实人名和地名。

My English teacher Mr. Tang is our English teacher. He is a very good teacher. And we all like him very much. Mr. Tang is in his fifties. He is short and fat and always wears glasses. He has been a teacher for over 30 years, so he is very experienced. Mr. Tang always thinks of ways to make his classes lively and interesting. Not only have we learnt a lot of English from him but we have also learnt a lot about the customs and cultures of foreign countries. He is very friendly and helpful but strict with us. We are proud to be the students of such a great teacher.

My Chinese Teacher

 

A traveler lost his way and got off the highway to see where he was. As he drove by, he saw rows and rows of pigpens and pigs running in fields. Suddenly, his eyes caught something really strange. It looked like a pig with a wooden leg.

   He drove up into the arm, where he met the farmer. “ Excuse me, ” the traveler said. “ I was just driving by and looking at all your pigs, and I just had to stop and ask about it. Tell me, is there really a pig out there with a wooden leg?” The farmer smiled. “ Oh, that would be old Caesar you saw. He’s the finest pig I’ve ever had ---and smart! Well, let me tell you a little about that pig.”

   “ One night a couple of years ago I got to drinking and I guess I had more than I should have. I fell down and knocked over a lamp. That started a fire in the house and old Caesar smelled the smoke. He came in the back door, got the wife and kid out, roused me up and got me out. There is no question about it ---- that night old Caesar saved all our lives. You know that I’m not going to forget it too easily.”

   “ Why,” the traveler said, “ this is amazing! I have never heard of a pig like this before! This is fantastic! But tell me, how did he get that wooden leg?”

   The farmer laughed and said, “ Well, when you have a pig so smart, you don’t want to eat him all at one time!”

1.The farmer thought the pig _______.

A. very fat    B. very clever    C. very kind    D. very strange

2.The passage indicates that _______.

A. the pig lost a leg in the fire

B. the farmer deeply thanked the pig

C. the pig had a very good keeper

D. the real leg had been eaten by the farmer

3.The author wants to _______.

A. report a piece of news

B. tell us a moving story

C. tell us a humorous story

D. have a joke with us