Music can be a great power (力量) to change people’s lives. Regina del Carmen Sanchez, 14, always believes this. The girl from Kansas City, US, leads a hard life. She lives in a small house with her mom and grandparents. Her mom gets a very low pay.
But it doesn’t stop Sanchez’s love of music. She wrote her first song Keep Your Head Up when she was 12. It described the bad situation(情况) at her home, but it also sent the message of hope: “My house is old and poor, but it beats (胜过) being homeless… Love yourself and never give up. You’ll see a better life if you keep your head up…”
It took Sanchez several months to finish the song. Sometimes during a break in class, when lyrics (歌词) came into her head, “I would have to write them down right then,” she told the local newspaper The Kansas City Star.
Jeremy Lillig was a spokesman for Bright Futures, a charity fund. When he saw the video of the song, he was moved. He shared it through social media (社交媒体). The fund has provided money for poor students in Kansas City.
Now Sanchez often plays the song in public. “I want to help people understand what is happening in the world in an easy way,” she said.
【小题1】 There are          people in Sanchez’s family.

A．three

B．four

C．five

D．six

【小题2】What’s true about Keep Your Head Up?  ______________________

A．It was written two years ago.

B．It showed a feeling of hopeless.

C．It described the good situation of a house.

D．It took Sanchez several weeks to write the song.

【小题3】The word “moved” can be replaced (代替) by         .

A．surprised	B．interested
C．touched	D．excited

【小题4】The best title of the passage can be          .

A．A girl and her song

B．Poor home is better than being homeless

C．Charity changes the girl’s life

D．Let’s support poor students.

Everybody has hobbies for fun or relaxation. For me, soccer is my 1. It’s part of my life and life will be boring 2 it.

3 countries like Vietnam, soccer is the 4 of sports. Everyone likes playing it or watching it. That is 5 it is not surprising that I have grown up with soccer. My mom told me that I liked kicking (踢) the 6 around and had so much 7 with it when I was only about two years old.

It is 8 and amazing, especially when I score a goal (射门得分) or my teammates do it. Playing soccer also helps me 9 after class. For example, after studying all day long, I feel 10. However, by having fun with the ball such as kicking it 11 the wall or trying to do some tricks, all my stress 12.

Soccer is not about passing and kicking the ball with no rules 13 about the spirit and 14. It has taught me the teamwork and sportsmanship (运动员精神). Also, I have 15 a lot about how to play soccer well.

1.                A．hobby          B．fun            C．activity   D．practice

 

2.                A．with           B．without         C．by   D．through

 

3.                A．Beside         B．Between        C．In   D．On

 

4.                A．adult           B．character       C．baby D．king

 

5.                A．when          B．why            C．where    D．how

 

6.                A．door           B．shoes          C．sand D．ball

 

7.                A．freedom        B．fun            C．work D．housework

 

8.                A．boring         B．bad            C．terrible   D．interesting

 

9.                A．surprise        B．relax           C．worry    D．fail

 

10.               A．tired           B．excited         C．energetic  D．active

 

11.               A．behind         B．on            C．up   D．against

 

12.               A．runs out        B．takes place      C．goes away D．gets on

 

13.               A．but            B．only           C．also  D．so

 

14.               A．rest           B．money         C．jobs  D．skills

 

15.               A．taught         B．learned        C．sent  D．thought

 

 

I do not need a calendar to tell me when it is winter. All I need is my nose. When I wake up in the morning and smell the tasty treats my mom is cooking downstairs, I know winter has arrived.
The first one is the smell of chocolate. During the holiday season (from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day) my mother makes her special hot chocolate. She always adds a peppermint candy cane (薄荷味拐棍糖) to the drink and tops it with cream.
The hot chocolate gets me out of bed, but it is my mother’s chocolate fudge (软糕) that makes me run downstairs. It is a thick chunk (块) of chocolate that tastes like heaven. My mother adds nuts. That gives it more texture (质感).
But my mother isn’t done yet. She also makes a treat she calls “window panes (窗玻璃)”. She takes a few different colored marshmallows (棉花糖) and melts them together with chocolate. The final product looks like a colorful church window, so we call it “window panes”.
These tasty holiday treats are usually eaten after a meal as a dessert. But don’t tell Santa Claus because I secretly eat them all day long.
【小题1】What wakes “me” up in the morning?

A．The alarm clock.

B．My mom.

C．The noise upstairs.

D．The smell of food.

【小题2】 In the author’s eyes, the taste of the chocolate fudge is ____.

A．terrible

B．wonderful

C．awful

D．so so

【小题3】With nuts, the chocolate fudge tastes _____.

A．softer

B．sweeter

C．harder

D．hotter

【小题4】The “window panes” the author mentions refer to _____.

A．special hot chocolate drink	B．decorations on the window
C．chocolate cake with fruits on it	D．a mixture of marshmallows and chocolate

【小题5】Why does the author look forward to the winter?

A．There is plenty of time to play around.	B．The food his mom cooks is mouthwatering.
C．It’s great fun to play outdoors.	D．He can have a good rest during the winter.

What do you like most when you can get one of such things: freedom, true friends, love, honesty and so on? Here are some choices of students:

Chen Cheng, 14, Jiangsu: I think I need a true friend. I had some friends before. However, it seemed that they didn't treat me well. I told them my secrets but they didn't share theirs with me. What's worse, they told my secrets to others, which made me very unhappy. I hope to find a true lifelong（终身的）friend who can share happiness and sadness with me and keep my secrets.

Gan Xiaoning 14, Heilongjiang: Freedom is what I want most. I am a bird in two cages. In school, I have to follow the school's rules and listen to teachers. At home, my parents don't allow me to do what I like, either. I have to do everything that they tell me to do: study, study and study some more. So, freedom is the only thing I really want!

Yuan Siyu, 15, Guangxi: I am a boy from a poor family. My father works very hard but only makes a little money every month to support the family. I want to go to a key university （重点大学）so that I can find a good job in the future. Then, I can earn enough money to get my family out of poverty(贫困) and offer my parents a happy life.

Qu Yi, 15, Hebei: I want a complete family. My parents got divorced(离婚) three years ago. Since then, I have had no chance to be together with both of them any more. Now, I am living with my mom and get her love, but I also want my dad's love. I am envious(羡慕) of my classmates who live with their parents. So, I would have a complete family if I could.

1. What is not mentioned in the passage?

A．freedom          B．love              C．a true friend       D．hobby

2.Who is facing the problem of poverty and decides to fight?

A．Qu Yi             B．Chen Cheng        C．Gan Xiaoning       D．Yuan Siyu

3.As for Chen Cheng, she wants a friend_______.

A．who often tells lies to her                 B．who only cares about her own happiness

C．who can play with her                    D．who can share her feeling and keep secrets

4.What does the underlined word “earn” mean in this passage?

A．Gave             B．Make             C．Lend             D．Borrow

5.Which of the following is true?

A．Qu Yi's father works very hard and makes much money to support his family.

B．Chen Cheng gets along very well with his friends

C．If Qu Yi's parents didn't get divorced, he would be much happier.

D．Gan Xiaoning says he is a bird because he wants to fly like a bird.