People in the United States honour their parents with two special days: Mother's Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father's Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days offer an opportunity to think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child-care.

　　These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother's Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honour parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery. On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father's Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.

　　Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts.” Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.

True or false:

(1) Parents do lots of work to raise and educate their children.

(　　)

(2) Now more fathers must help their wives with child-care.

(　　)

(3) On Father's Day people wear carnations.

(　　)

(4) Families get together at home or in restaurants to celebrate these two special days.

(　　)

(5) A mother will probably like hand-made presents more than the ones bought in stores.

(　　)

(6) People often have outdoor barbecues for Mother's Day.

(　　)

My summer hols wr CWOT. B4, we usd 2 go 2 NY 2C my bro, his CF & thr 3:-@ kids FTF ILNY, its gr8.

　　Can you understand this sentence? If you can't, don't feel too bad: neither could the middle school teacher in England who received this as homework. This is Netspeak: the language of computerized communication found on Internet or cellphones. To newcomers, it can look like a completely foreign language. So, what is the "translation" of the sentence above? My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend, and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York; it's great.

　　Schoolteachers and parents say this new form of writing is harming（破坏）the English language. Increasing spelling and grammatical mistakes cxan be seen in students' writing. They fear the language could become corrupted（面目全非的）.

　　Everyone should just relax, say linguists（语言学家）. They believe Netspeak is in fact more of a good thing. David Crystal, from the University of Wales, argues that Netspeak and Internet create a new language use and the almost lost art of diary writing has been picked up again. Geoffrey Nunberg, from Stanford University, agrees. "People get better at writing by writing," he says, "Kids who are now doing text messaging, e-mail, and instant messages will write at least as well as, and possibly better than, their parents."

　　Linguist James Millroy says, for centuries, it is believed without exception that young people are harming the language. And you can bet your bottom dollar that when today's teenagers become tomorrow's parents, they too will think this way. Milroy argues that languages do not and cannot become "corrupted"; they simply change to meet the new needs.

　　However, Netspeakers do agree that it is important to teach young people how to speak and write Standard English. Cynthia McVey says, "I can understand Netspeak worries teachers and it's important that they get across to their pupils that text messaging is for fun, but that learning to write proper English is a must for their future."

　　Perhaps we should give teenagers a little more trust anyway. Erin, age 12, says, "I wouldn't use text language in my homework. Texting is just for fun"

　1.What is the main purpose of the first paragraph?

　　A. To give an example of a foreign language.

　　B. To show an example of creative methods.

　　C. To express worries about using Netspeak.

　　D. To lead in the topic of Netspeak.

　2.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

　　A. Cynthia McVey points out teenagers can deal with Netspeak properly.

　　B. Geoffrey Nunberg believes Netspeakers can write Standard English.

　　C. David Crystal thinks Netspeak helps develop the habit of writing.

　　D. James Milroy says that language is changing and improving.

　　3.The expression "bet your bottom dollar" in Paragraph 5 means ______.

　　A. be fairly sure          B. be greatly surprised

　　C. think it a pity          D. find it interesting

　　4. What can be the best title for the passage?

　　A. Netspeak: A Widely-Used Language on Internet

　　B. Is Netspeak Harming the English Language?

　　C. Is Netspeak Helpful in Language Learning?

　　D. Netspeak: Advantages and Disadvantages

 

An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation(手术) could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money.

　　When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother， “Only a miracle(something couldn’t happen) can save him now，” the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully.

　　She hurried to a drugstore(药店)with the money in her hand.

　　“And what do you want？” asked the salesman. “ It's for my little brother，” the girl answered. “He's really，really sick and I want to buy a miracle. ”

　　"Pardon？”said the salesman.

　　“My brother Andrew has something bad growing in-side his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost？”“We don't sell a miracle here，child. I'm sorry，”the salesman said with a smile.

　　“Listen，if it isn't enough，I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs. ”

　　A well-dressed man heard it and asked， “What kind of a miracle does your brother need？”　　“I don't know，” she answered with her eyes full of tears. “He's really sick and mum says he needs an operation. But my daddy can't pay for it， so I have brought all my money. ”

　　“How much do you have？” asked the man. “$ 1.11， but I can try and get some more，” she answered.

　　“Well, what luck，”smiled the man. “$ 1.11， the price of a miracle for little brothers. ”

　　He took up the girl's hand and said， “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need. ”

That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a famous doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn't long before Andrew was home again.

　　How much did the miracle cost？

1.What was the trouble in the little girl's family？

A. Her brother was seriously ill.

B. They had no money.

C. Nothing could save her brother.

D. Both A and B.

2.In the eye of the little girl,a miracle might be _______.

A．something interesting

B．something beautiful

C．some wonderful medicine

D．some good food

3.What made the miracle happen？

A．The girl's love for her brother.

B．The girl's money.

C．The medicine from the drugstore.

D．Nobody can tell.

4.From the passage we can infer(推断) that _______.

A．The doctor didn't ask for any pay

B．A miracle is sure to happen if you keep on

C．The little girl is lovely but not so clever

D．Andrew was in fact not so sick as they had thought

 

Have you ever heard the saying "If you want a friend, be one"? If you want to make friends with others, you should be friendly to them first.

      Here is how one new teacher made friends with the students in her class on the first day of school. As the bell rang, the teacher smiled （微笑） at each student. Then she said in a quiet voice,"Good morning. How nice it is to have all of you in my class this year. I'd like to know each of you. I am sure we will enjoy working together." Her voice was sweet（甜美的） and her look was friendly, so everyone felt happy.

      She told the students her name and wrote it on the blackboard. Then she told them some of the things she liked to do and she hoped to do with them during the year. Then she said to the boys and girls, "Now you know my name and the things I like and I want to know your names and the things you like."

      Could you make friends by doing the same as this teacher did?

      One way of getting to know girls and boys in your class is to find out more about them. People often make friends with those who are the same as them. You play the same games and go on vacations together. It is a good way to make friends.

1.判断正误。The teacher's voice was sweet. 【　　】

2.完成句子。She told the students                          and wrote it on the blackboard.

3.完成句子。One way of getting to know girls and boys in your class is to                           .

4.找主题句。从文中找出一句能概括本文主旨大意的句子。

                                                                                         

5.将文中画线句子翻译成汉语。