Children’s Storybooks and Tales: This site is dedicated to Children’s Story Books and how to tell Children’s Stories. If you enjoy a child’s story or have kids of your own then please browse (浏览) this site to find some great stories and how to read them.
The Cat in the Hat---Dr. Seuss
In the first book featuring the character (The Cat in the Hat, 1957), the Cat brings chaos (混乱) to a household of two young children on one rainy day while their mother is out. Bringing with him two creatures appropriately named Thing One and Thing Two, the Cat performs all sorts of tricks to amuse the children, with mixed results. The Cat’s tricks are vainly opposed by the family pet, who is a conscious goldfish. The children (Sally and her older brother) finally prove good ones, capturing the Things and bringing the Cat under control. He cleans up the house on his way out, disappearing seconds before the mother comes back.
The Famous Fire---Enid Blyton
The Famous Fire is Enid Blyton’s most popular and celebrated series of children’s books. The sequence (顺序) began life in 1942, when the first book, Fire on a Treasure Island was published and it has won great praise from both fans and critics. The series has gone on to become amongst the best-loved stories ever to have been written for children.
Tom and Pippo in the Garden---Helen Oxenbury
In 1988 Helen Oxenbury created a series of books featuring Tom, a naughty young boy, and his beloved stuffed monkey, Pippo. Ms. Oxenbury remarked that Tom was very much like her son “when he was a little boy”. Like Tom, her son would often blame his misdeeds on his trusted buddy, the friendly family dog.
The BFG---Roald Dahl
The story is about an orphan girl named Sophie. One night when Sophie cannot sleep during the “witching hour” and sees a giant blowing something into bedroom windows down the street. The giant sees her, and although she tries to hide in the bed, he reaches through the window and carries her away to his home.

1. 1.

   It can be inferred from the The Cat in the Hat that ________.

   1. A.
      the goldfish likes to keep company with the cat
   2. B.
      all tricks performed by the cat are not amusing
   3. C.
      Sally has to clean up the house before her mother comes back
   4. D.
      the cat finally takes control of the Things
2. 2.

   From the book Tom and Pippo in the Garden, we know ________.

   1. A.
      Pippo is a naughty dog causing trouble in the family
   2. B.
      Tom likes to keep a pet dog at home
   3. C.
      Ms. Oxenbury complained about her son’s dishonesty
   4. D.
      Pippo always gets the blame for everything that goes wrong
3. 3.

   According to the book The BFG, “the witching hour” may refer to a time ________.

   1. A.
      when magic things can happen
   2. B.
      when a girl can’t fall asleep
   3. C.
      when a person dreams a nightmare
   4. D.
      when a child can be taken away
4. 4.

   For whom is the passage most likely intended?

   1. A.
      Children.
   2. B.
      Parents.
   3. C.
      Teachers.
   4. D.
      Writers.

C

Geniuses amaze us, impress us and make us all a little jealous．How do they differ from the average person? Scientists are working hard to figure out that answer．Tune in to the National Geographic Channel to find out about the discoveries they’re making in the series My Brilliant Brain.

When Marc Yu was only two years old, he began to play the piano．After a year, he started learning pieces by Beethoven．Now he’s a world-famous concert pianist at age eight．He learns newer and more difficult pieces with ease and can identify any note he hears．He seems to be specially designed for music．In Born Genius, National Geographic looks at the science behind child prodigies (神童) to explain why some children seem to be born without limits.

Genius didn’t come naturally to Tommy McHugh．His came only after he nearly died from bleeding in his brain．After recovering, McHugh’s head was filled with new thoughts and pictures．So, he began to express them in the form of poetry and art．Now, he’s a seemingly unstoppable creative machine．Sufferers of autism and brain injury have shown that great mental ability can sometimes come from damage or disease．Accidental Genius explores this puzzling relationship.

Can normal people be trained to be geniuses? Susan Polger has shown no signs of extraordinary intelligence．Yet, during her childhood, she studied thousands of chess patterns and learned to recognize them immediately．As a result, she was able to beat skilled adult players by age 10 and can now play up to five games at the same time without even seeing the boards．Make Me a Genius examines what it takes to turn an ordinary brain into that of a genius.

If becoming a genius were easy, we’d all be one．Yet, there is much more to super intelligence than simply being born lucky．Learn more about amazing brains this month on National Geographic’s My Brilliant Brain.

51．My Brilliant Brains is most probably from _______.

       A．a website            B．the radio                C．a magazine           D．a newspaper

52．The author takes Marc Yu as an example to show that a child prodigy is        .

       A．a person who learns something easily

       B．a child who is eager to learn new things

       C．a student who practices an instrument a lot

       D．a kid who works hard to do well in school

53．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

       A．New things about the brain are still being discovered.

       B．People without natural abilities can learn to do things well.

       C．Some people naturally have more active brains.

       D．People are usually smarter when they recover from brain injury.

54．From the passage, we know that ___________

       A．scientists completely understand the brain

       B．people can only be born as geniuses

       C．there’s no such thing as a true genius

       D．there are many factors in being a genius

55．The author develops the passage mainly by ___________.

       A．providing typical examples

       B．following the natural time order

       C．presenting a cause and analyzing its effects

       D．comparing opinions from different scientists

According to the message board,Orinon Books_______.

A.opposes the reading of original classics

B.is embarrassed for cutting down classics

C.thinks cut-down classics have a bright future

D.is cautious in its decision to cut down classics

In Mr.Edwards’ opinion,Orion Group is shortening classics to_______.

A.make them easier to read

B.meet a large demand in the market

C.increase the sales of literary books

D.compete with their original versions

By describing the shortened classics as “a breath of fresh air”,Ms.Weir_______.

A.speaks highly of the cut-down classics

B.shows gailty of the original classics

C.feels guilty of not reading the classics

D.disapproves of shortening the classics

Mr.Crockatt seems to imply that_______.

A.reading the classic works is a confusing attempt

B.shortening the classics does harm to the original

C.publishing the cub-down classics is a difficult job

D.editing the classic works satisfies children’s needs

We are all interested in equality，but while some people try to protect the school and examination system in the name of equality，others，still in the name of equality，want only to destroy it．

Any society which is interested in equality of opportunity and standards of achievement must regularly test its pupils．The standards may be changed—no examination is perfect--but to have no external(外部的)tests or examinations would mean the end of equality and of standards．There are groups of people who oppose this view and who do not believe either in external examinations or in any contr schools or on teachers.This would mean that everything would depend on luck every pupll would depend on the efficiency(效率)，the ideal and the purpose of teacher．

Without external examinations， employers will 1ook for employees from highly respected schools and from families known to them--a form of favoritism will  replace equality．At the moment，the bright child from an ill—respected schoo1 can show certificates(证书)to prove he or she is suitable for a job，while the lack of a certificate shows the unsuitability of a dull child attanding a well—respected schoo1.This defence of excellence and opportunity would disappear if external examinations were taken away，and the bright child from a poor family would be a prisoner of his or her school’s fame(名誉)，unable to compete for employment with the child from the favored schoo1．

The opponents(对手)of the examination system suggest that examinations are an evil force because they show differences between pupils．According to these  people，there must be no special，different，academic class． They have even suggested that there should be no form of difference in sport or any other area：all jobs or posts should be filled by unsystematic selection．The selection would be made by people who themselves are probably selected by some computer．

The word “favoritism” in paragraph 3 is used to decribe the phenomenon that _____. 

A.bright children also need certificates to get satisfying jobs.

B.Pooor children with certificates are favored in job markets.

C.Children attending ordinary schools achieve great success.

D. children from well-respected schools tend to have good jobs.

What would happen if examinations were taken away according to the author?    

A.Children’s job opportunity would be affected by their school reputation. 

B. Schools for bright children would lose their reputation

C.There would be more opportunities and excellence.

D.Children from poor families would be able to change their schools.

The opponents of the examination system will agree that _____.

A.Computers should be selected to take over many jobs.

B.Special classed are necessary to keep the school standards.

C.Jobs should not be assigned by systematic selection.

D.Schools with academic subjects should be abolished.

The passage mainly focuses on ____.

  A. schools and certificates   B opportunity and employment

C. examinations and equality  D. standards and reputation

A

The choice to adopt and hold gratefulness is the one that is different from those who suffer misfortune and those who enjoy a full life.

My mother died when I was 24. It was a very difficult time in my life — everything seemed to fall apart. I lost my job, and then my utilities were turned off. I had to take cold showers for six months. A neighbor who knew about my situation came to my house and made me an offer. I took care of her children as a job, and I no longer went hungry. I was surprised that someone would trust me — a young woman with her children. And it was with the very confidence that before long I began taking care of other people’s children, too. I have since moved 300 miles from Boise, Idaho. For more than 23 years I have made every effort to reach out to all the kind-hearted people who helped me when I was down and out. Without their trust, I don’t know what I would have done. I am very involved in my community and volunteer at the local food bank, and I help out whenever I can. I’d like to owe what I am to whoever has offered me generosity.

If you are grateful for what you already have, the world will work together to give you more to be grateful for. Otherwise, the world will give you more to complain about.

Moreover, the true master learns to be grateful, in advance, for the things that are desired, because, being grateful in advance for some attainment or accomplishment does two very important things: one…it tricks your subconscious into believing that the goal is certain and two…it convinces other people, with whom you must interact to achieve your desires, that you know what you are about, that you are a winner, not a whiner (哀诉者).

The underlined word “utilities” refers to __________ in the passage.

    A. water and gas supplies                  B. gas and electricity supplies

    C. shower equipment and water supply       D. heating and TV signals

The writer was grateful mainly for ___________.

        A. his neighbor’s donation        B. his community   

    C. having got the job       D. others’ trust

The writer’s personal story in the second paragraph tells us that __________.

        A. to be grateful will get you nowhere but away from home

        B. a grateful person is most likely to be successful

        C. we need to be grateful to be helpful and useful

        D. the fragrance (芳香) stays in the hand that gives the rose

The best title for the passage would be ____________.

        A. A Thank-You Note to Trusting Neighbor       

        B. You Are a Winner, Not a Whiner

        C. Be Grateful to Life in Advance     

        D. Gratefulness Brings a Great Fullness to Life