Going back to school is a very exciting event for my two boys. It means getting new school bags and books, and seeing friends again after the summer holiday.

My oldest son, 9-year-old Salem, asked me several times where we would go to buy a backpack, while my other son, 6-year-old Abdullah, asked what school would be like this year.

For the last three years, school was a nightmare for many children and their parents as violence increased and there were more attacks on schools and teachers. As a result, many parents prevented their children from going to school. One of six children in this country did not attend primary school in 2009. Many kids who did attend school were accompanied by a parent for the entire day to make sure nothing happened to their children.

For poor families or those with large families, back to school can be an expensive time. The government gives some help to those living in poor neighborhoods, and school bags, note books and other items(商品) are given for free.

Most of the merchants who sell notebooks and pens now sell their products out on the street instead of in stores. They sit on the ground and lay their items on the ground or they have a small table to sell their goods.

The bags cost between $10 and $20, while clothes and shoes cost between $20 and $30. I found all the things I needed for my sons and even bought something for myself. I spent about $50 on each of them, including school uniforms.

At the end of the day, we returned to our home carrying many shopping bags filled with items that made my children happy and excited to go back to school. I just hope this school year will be a peaceful one.

1.The author’s children are ________ to go to school.

A．eager            B．afraid             C．unwilling          D．surprised

2.The underlined word “nightmare” is the closest in meaning to ________.

A．fantasy           B．dream world       C．prison            D．terrible situation

3.Many children are not going to school mainly because of ________.

A．the terrible education system              B．security problems and poverty

C．parents’ distrust in schools              D．the government’s inability

4.As a parent, the author ________.

A．is unable to afford his kids’ schooling       B．is unwilling to send his kids to school

C．hopes his kids have a happy school life       D．complains school education costs too much

5.Which of the following statement is NOT true?

A．Many parents prevented their children from going to school for great study pressure.

B．School bags, note books and other items(商品) are given to those living in poor neighborhoods for free.

C．The author spent about $100 for her two sons.

D．The items the author bought made her children happy and excited to go back to school.

 

A young student was one day taking a walk with a professor, who was commonly __36_ the students’ friend. As they went  37, they saw lying in the path a pair of old 38_, which they supposed to belong to  a poor man who was working in a 39 . The student turned to the professor, saying: “Let us play the man  40: we will hide his shoes, and 41ourselves behind those bushes, and wait to see his 42 when he cannot find them.”  

“My young friend,” answered the professor, “we should never  43  ourselvesat the 44of the poor. But you are  45, and may give yourself a much greater 46 by means of the poor man. Put a coin into each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and 47 how the discovery affects him.” The student did so, and they both placed themselves behind the bushes. The poor man soon finished his work and came   48the field to the path  49 he had left his coat and shoes. While  50his coat he slipped his foot into one of his shoes; but feeling something 51, he bent down to feel  52 it was, and found the coin. Astonishment and wonder were seen upon his face. He then looked around him on all sides, but no person was to be seen. He now put the money into his pocket, and continued to put on the other shoe; but his53was doubled on finding the other coin. He fell upon his knees, looked up to heaven and said aloud a fervent(热烈的) thanksgiving, in which he  54 his wife, sick and helpless, and his children without bread. The student stood there deeply55, and his eyes filled with tears. 

1.                A．held           B．kept           C．named   D．called

 

2.                A．along          B．on             C．over D．back

 

3.                A．socks          B．gloves          C．shoes    D．trousers

 

4.                A．field           B．factory         C．company  D．shop

 

5.                A．a game         B．a trick          C．a joke    D．a word

 

6.                A．hide           B．have           C．let   D．make

 

7.                A．pleasure        B．sorrow         C．disappointment D．anxiety

 

8.                A．make          B．treat           C．amuse    D．laugh

 

9.                A．price          B．expense        C．value D．pay

 

10.               A．poor           B．kind           C．honest    D．rich

 

11.               A．pleasure        B．money         C．thought   D．good

 

12.               A．notice         B．watch          C．realize    D．find

 

13.               A．about          B．across          C．into  D．by

 

14.               A．where         B．that           C．there     D．which

 

15.               A．wearing        B．dressing        C．putting on D．pulling

 

16.               A．soft           B．terrible         C．strange    D．hard

 

17.               A．what           B．how           C．whether   D．why

 

18.               A．confidence      B．embarrassment   C．surprise   D．joy

 

19.               A．mentioned      B．remembered    C．recommended  D．reminded

 

20.               A．amazed        B．defeated       C．puzzled   D．affected

 

 

"If you want to see a thing well, reach out and touch it!"

That may seem a strange thing to say. But touching things can help you to see them better.

Your eyes can tell you that a glass ball is round. But by holding it in your hands, you can feel how smooth and cool the ball is. You can feel how heavy the glass is. When you feel all these about the ball, you really see it. With your skin, you can feel better. For example, your fingers can tell the difference between two coins in your pocket. You can feel a little drop of water on the back of your hand, too. You can even feel sounds against your skin. Have you ever wanted to know why some people like very loud music? They must like to feel the sounds of music.

All children soon learn what "Don't touch!" means. They hear it often. Yet most of us keep on touching things as we grow up. In shops, we touch things we might buy: food, clothes. To see something well, we have to touch it. The bottoms of our feet can feel things, too. You know this when you walk on warm sand, cool grass or a hard floor. All feel different under your feet.

There are ways of learning to see well by feeling. One way is to close your eyes and try to feel everything that is touching your skin. Feel the shoes on your feet, the clothes on your body, the air on your skin. At first, it is not easy to feel these things. You are too used to them!

Most museums are just for looking. But today some museums have some things to touch. Their signs say, "Do touch!" There you can feel everything on show.

If you want to see better, reach out and touch. Then you will really see!

1.By touching things ______.

A. you will have a strange feeling

B. you will learn how to reach out your hand

C. you can learn more about them

D. you can tell what colors they really are

2.Which of the following can be the best title of the story?

A. Touching by Feeling                 B. To See or to Feel

C. To See Better-Feel                    D. Ways of Feeling

3.Which of the following parts can tell you the difference between two coins in your pocket?

A. Your fingers.   B. Your eyes.        C. Your foot.        D. Your back.

4.What can't your skin feel?

A. Sounds.                  B. Darkness. C. Water.              D. Coins.

5.Which of the following is NOT true?

A. Touching is helping us to see better.

B. Our skins may help us enjoy music.

C. Feeling is a good way to learn.

D. Visitors can't feel the things on show in any museums.

 

Have you ever considered all the English expressions that include words about clothes? Let’s see if I can name a few proverbs “off the cuff” since I haven’t prepared for it.

English expressions with “pants”

People wear pants to cover the lower part of their bodies. We sometimes say that people who are restless or nervous have “ants in their pants.” They might also “fly by the seat of their pants” -- they use their natural sense to do something instead of their learned knowledge. Sometimes, people may “get caught with their pants down” -- they are found doing something they should not be doing. And, in every family, one person takes control. Sometimes a wife tells her husband what to do. Then we say “she wears the pants in the family.”

When people want to say something about money

Pants usually have pockets to hold things. Money that is likely to be spent quickly can “burn a hole in your pocket.” Sometimes you need a belt to hold up your pants. If you have less money than usual, you may have to “tighten your belt” -- you may have to live on less money and spend your money carefully. But once you have succeeded in budgeting your money, you will have that skill “under your belt.”     I always praise people who can save their money and not spend too much. I really “take my hat off to them.” Yet, when it comes to my own money, I spend it “at the drop of a hat” -- immediately, without waiting. And sadly, you cannot “pull money out of a hat” -- you cannot get money by inventing or imagining it.

English expressions with “shoes”

Boots are a heavy or strong kind of shoes. People who are “too big for their boots” think they are more important than they really are. I dislike such people. I really do. You can bet your boots on that!     Yet, truly important people are hard to replace. Rarely can you “fill their shoes” -- or replace them with someone equally effective.

English expressions with “shirt”

My father is an important person. He runs a big company. He wears a suit and tie and a shirt with sleeves that cover his arms. Some people who do not know him well think he is too firm and severe. They think he is a real “stuffed shirt.” But I know that my father “wears his heart on his sleeve” -- he shows his feelings openly. And, he knows how to “keep his shirt on” -- he stays calm and never gets angry or too excited.

1.. What is this passage mainly about? 

A. How to say English correctly and properly.

B. Why English expressions include words about clothes.

C. Which words can be used to describe my father.

D. What people mean when they use some proverbs.

2.. Which of the following proverbs are not related to money?

A. tighten one’s belt                            B. burn a hole in one’s pocket

C. get caught with their pants down             D. take one’s hat off to them

3.. Tim often considers himself the most important person in the world, which is far from the truth. We may say __________.

A. he is “too big for their boots”.                           B. he “bet his boots on that”.

C. he “fill their shoes”.                                             D. he “wears his heart on his sleeve”.

4. If you want to praise somebody for his calmness when facing danger, you may say__________.

A. “You really fill your shoes.”                      

B. “Awesome! You wear your heart on your sleeve!”

C. “Amazing! How can you keep your shirt on at that time!”  

D. “Cool! You are truly a stuffed shirt”.

 

There are two kinds of physical activity which require special training. The first demands exact careful movements of the muscles. This kind of activity must be strictly controlled because even a slight movement in the wrong direction will lead a mistake. To type quickly, for example, a person needs training; the slightest movement of a finger in the wrong direction may cause a spelling mistake. A dancer who has to dance on the point of her shoes or turn around on one foot must be trained for a long period of time before she can sense her own center and balance herself. You may have seen a girl walking on a rope across an empty space, which, too, requires a lot of practice.
The second kind of physical activity needs greater strength or extra effort. Most of us get tired if we try to run half a mile without stopping, but a specially-trained person can do this without much effort. Three years ago, some scientists carried out experiments, which produced meaningful and unexpected results. They wanted to find out whether a certain amount of physical exercise would injure those suffering from heart problems. They selected some male patients and trained them in continuous bicycle riding. They were surprised to find that the harmful effect of given amount of physical effort was actually less on the hearts of these trained patients than on those of the patients who were not similarly trained. This is important because it shows that regular physical exercise enables us to make better use of the oxygen we breathe in and that this training, in fact, reduces the amount of work our hearts do. Many tasks which are hard for untrained people are not hard at all for trained people.
【小题1】The first kind of physical activity must be strictly controlled because _________.

A．a mistake in the wrong direction is dangerous to the fingers

B．a wrong movement in a direction will cause no mistakes

C．a movement in the wrong direction will cause a mistake

D．a slight movement of a finger will lead to a mistake

【小题2】What must a dancer do before she can balance herself?

A．She must dance on the point of her shoes.

B．She must receive long-time training.

C．She must turn around on one foot.

D．She must perform again and again.

【小题3】The experiments done by some scientists showed that ________.

A．some male patients were asked to ride bicycles regularly in the experiments

B．the physical exercise had more harmful effect on the hearts of the untrained patients

C．the physical exercise was harmless to the male patients with heart trouble

D．the physical exercise could be helpful for the patients to take in more oxygen

【小题4】What would be the best title for this text?

A．Training Our Bodies	B．Physical Activities
C．Movement Training	D．Extra Body Effort