Dear Volunteers，

The service you will provide to elderly individuals in Abilene as a Meals on Wheels volunteer is deeply appreciated. I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the many miles you will travel and all of the hours you will contribute to help make this one of the best programs in the entire state.

We have our staff members make a home visit before adding each person to the program and try to visit everyone at least once every year. That is hardly enough, and we depend on your contact a great deal! It is important that you report back when you do not get an answer to your knock on the door. The person inside may be hurt or ill. They may be in hospital or out of town and fail to inform us. If they are frequently absent, we may need to determine if they still need meals.

If you find someone with a medical emergency, please call 911 to request medical assistance, and then call the Meals on Wheels office. If you find someone who needs assistance other than for a medical emergency, please call the Meals on Wheels office at 6725050, and we will try to find the appropriate agency or individual to call.

Let us know when a certain person needs extra food. We have a food preparation room of shelf stable items to share with them. Please feel free to take a few magazines when you deliver meals. Many of those we serve cannot afford magazines and enjoy reading. If someone is interested in getting books from the Abilene Public Library, let us know. We can sign them up for the Books on Wheels program. Call if you smell gas strongly when you deliver meals, or if someone needs a space heater, a blanket, or an electric fan. Please convey all needs to us, and we will try to see that they are met. Some of the elderly people who we offer our service may have cancers, liver diseases, AIDS, etc. If you do not want to deliver meals to the people with certain types of health problems, such as these, please let us know.

Sincerely,

Betty L. Bradley, LBSW,

Executive Director

1.Why does the author write this letter?

A．To express great thanks to volunteers.

B．To explain how the old people get help.

C．To tell volunteers what they are tasked with.

D．To describe the life situation of the old people.

2.What can we learn about the volunteers from the passage?

A．They order books for needy people.

B．They design programs to help people.

C．They offer medical help to sick people.

D．They deliver food to the elderly people.

3.How does the author learn about the needs of the people served?

A．The volunteers report back the information to him.

B．His staff members call them to get the information.

C．He visits them now and then to get the information.

D．The family members send the information to his office.

 

Swimming is one of those activities that can be learned early in life. Little children can learn to swim as soon as they walk. In fact, you need the same skills in walking as in swimming. However, I believe that five is the best age to learn. By five or six, a child knows fear of water, a very important thing to know. It’s wise to be afraid, to recognize true danger. Young ones understand that the water can sometimes be very dangerous.

To really benefit from swimming, every swimmer should learn          ; butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and crawl. I feel that one of these — the breaststroke — is different from the others, since some young swimmers use this stroke naturally, without any training.

In swimming, there are certain rules every swimmer should follow:

(1) Never swim alone! No matter how good you are in the water, don’t risk drowning by swimming alone. If you swim by yourself, with no life guards or friends with you, you may get into trouble.

(2) Don’t go beyond your abilities. Most swimmers know enough not to swim too far from the bank or the beach. Showing off by doing dangerous tricks is no good. Swim safely and you will continue to swim and alive.

(3) Don’t smoke .Swimming depends on a healthy body; good lungs are part of it.

(4) Work at any activity that builds muscles.

1.What is the main idea of the passage?  (no more than 10 words)

2.Which age is best for a child to learn swimming? ( no more than 2 words )

3.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words. ( no more than 7 words )

4.Why can’t you swim alone according to the passage? ( no more than 10 words)

5.What does the underlined word “it” probably refer to? ( no more than 3 words )

 

Directions: Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage.

“Let’s Talk”：The Free Advice Project

A few weeks ago, I took a walk around Washington Square Park. I met all the usual people：street performers, the Pigeon Guy, a group of guitarists singing in harmony. But off to the side, sitting on a bench was a woman doing something vastly different—giving free advice.

A week or two later, I set up an interview with her and we discussed her project at length.

Lisa Podell, 32, started the Free Advice Project this past May. It began as an experiment；she sat in Washington Square Park for a day with a sign that read “Free Advice” as a simple way to reach out to people. Podell was astonished at the strong response.

Podell admits that she was doubtful at first, but now she describes the project as mutually (相互地) beneficial. People learn from her—but she also learns from them. She says that the majority of those who come to her are dealing with some pretty heavy issues, and they expect her not only to listen, but also provide real answers.

Having worked as a full time teacher and now as an adolescent advisor, Podell believes that talking things out is an important in the decision-making process.

Sometimes, people walk around all day, keeping their problems in their own head and thinking about them in the same way. Podell simply strives to provide people with perspective.

I asked if there is a future plan for the Free Advice Project. Podell said she would like to promote it to each public space in New York, which would be carried out by various volunteers across the city. 

It was truly inspiring to meet someone with such a big heart, especially in New York—where it is sometimes very hard to find anybody to listen. (303 words)

1.In what way was Podell different from other people in the park? (No more than 6 words)  (2 marks)

___________________________________________________________________________________

2.What do people in need expect Podell to do? (No more than 10 words)  (3 marks)

___________________________________________________________________________________

3.According to Podell, what should people do when making decisions?

(No more than 6 words)  (2 marks)

___________________________________________________________________________________

4. How would Podell promote her project in New York?  (No more than 15 words)  (3 marks)

___________________________________________________________________________________

 

When Charles Strattion was five, he stopped growing. His mother took him to see the famous showman, P. T. Barnum, and thought a small person would be the perfect addition to his show. He hired Charles’ parents along with him, and they traveled around the world together.

He gave the two-foot-tall Charles a new name, general Tom Thumb. He taught Tom how to sing, dance, act, and tell jokes. When he felt Tom was ready to perform on stage, he made up ads. To stir up great interest, he said that Tom was eleven years old and had come from England.

Tom’s act was very popular and brought in a lot of money. By the time Tom was an adult, he had grown very rich. He had become a billionaire at the age of twenty-five.

Fortunately for Tom, Mr. Barnum added more little people to his show, and Tom became lucky in love as well. One of the little people was Lavinia Warren, a school teacher. Tom was able to win her love, and they married.

The ceremony and reception were the talk of the town. They were attended by many rich and famous people and by about two thousand guests. Crowds filled the street of New York to have a look at their tiny wedding carriage. The couple even met with President Abraham Lincoln on their honeymoon, just before going to live in Tom’s house in Connecticut.

Their wedding, which took place during the Civil War, provided a welcome escape from the sad problems of war. Not willing to let this bit of sunshine fade, communities throughout the country held Tom Thumb’s weddings. In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun.

1.“the talk of the town” means      .

A．they were in the newspaper

B．people spread many rumors about them

C．they were the most popular things happening

D．they were discussed in a city meeting

2.What does the author think about Tom Thumb’s wedding?

A．People gave it too much of their attention.

B．It helped people cheer up in a dark time

C．It was funny and ridiculous

D．Tom and Lavinia were stupid.

3.Which of the following is the best description of the fact that Tom was smart?

A．He became a billionaire at twenty-five

B．He learned how to sing, dance, and act at a very young age.

C．He met with President Lincoln during his honeymoon

D．He married a school teacher.

4.It was very funny when Tom danced on a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall because      .

A．the wooden plate would make it sound as of Tom were tap dancing

B．it made Tom feel taller

C．the eight-foot-tall man was the only tall person Tom trusted

D．the difference between them would make Tom look even smaller

5.What does the author imply in the last paragraph?

A．Weddings always make people feel full of sunshine

B．People are always disappointed during wartime

C．Entertainment can serve an important purpose

D．People should be married even if they are small

 

Yesterday, I entered the website “ Topic for today”, I feel ____1____ (interest) in the report on middle school students’ using cellphones on campus. In fact, many students now come to school ____2____ cellphones. My schoolmates have different opinions. Some think ____3___it is convenient to get in touch with others with the cellphone, which also ____4____(let) you feel safe especially in time of trouble. Besides, it is nice to enjoy various functions of different cellphones. ____5____ think differently. First, the cellphone is not a must in school, as ___6_____ are some IC phones in the school _____7___(make) it easy to call others. Second, many students often play e-games and send e-messages with their cellphones, even in class, ___8____ will surely have bad effects on their study. What’s more, it will result in a great waste of time. In my opinion, the cellphone is _____9___ useful tool in our daily life. But it doesn’t mean we can use it ____10____(free) in school.