A Lesson

Joe was a farmer. His farmland was so poor that he hadn't had good harvests for years.

"If God lets me control the weather, then everything will get better," he complained. "I'm a farmer. I know what's the best for crops to grow than God does."

God told him that he would control all kinds of weather. "Let's see what your crops will grow like." God said.

On hearing this, Joe was excited and immediately shouted, "Sunny!" Suddenly the clouds went away.

He was pleased and shouted again, "Rainy!" The sky was covered with dark clouds right away, then after a while, heavy rain poured down.

Watching the seeds growing bigger and bigger and becoming crops, Joe felt much satisfied. Then, the harvest season came.

He went to the field to get his crops. But his heart suddenly sank（下沉）when he found the strong crops even hadn't grown a grain. He was quite confused and started to cry. Once again, God heard him.

"Do you want to know why you still don't get the good harvest you want?" God asked. "That's because you never asked for wind, rainstorm, snow and ice, or anything that could make the air fresher and the roots stronger. Without strong roots, of course the crops won't grow any fruit. "

After he realized this, Joe asked God to take back the power. It turned out that only through life's challenges would we reap（收獲）the fruit of life.

【1】Was Joe a farmer?

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【2】Why was Joe so excited?

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【3】What kinds of weather did Joe ask for?

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【4】What can we learn from the story?

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When I was in the ___________grade, I joined a piano competition. I practiced for four

___________every day and my piano teacher came three ___________ a week to help me. Then the big day finally arrived. I was so nervous when they called ___________ name. I went up and started to play. ___________ I was playing, everyone ___________ still and listened. I played the song without ___________ mistakes. Then I waited for them to call out the ___________. When I heard my name, my heart beat so _________ I thought I would stop breathing. I couldn’t believe it. I won! It was the__________day of my life!

【1】__________________

【2】__________________

【3】__________________

【4】__________________

【5】__________________

【6】__________________

【7】__________________

【8】__________________

【9】__________________

【10】__________________

At first, they would exchange something they had for something they needed. For example, if the shoemaker needed some bread, he would give the baker shoes and the baker would give him bread. This was called "bartering". Bartering worked fine for a while. But after the baker had too many shoes, the shoemaker still needed more bread. What could they do? The solution to this problem was money.

Money is basically an agreement among people. People agree that some metal or paper will be worth a certain amount of bread or a certain number of shoes. There were many earlier forms of money, such as cattle, salt, grain（谷物）and shells. But it was not easy to move them or store them.

So coins began to take the place of things. Coins had a set value and could be stored long. A coin says right on it how much it is worth. Different coins are worth different amounts. It became possible for people to trade in a standardized（標(biāo)準(zhǔn)）way.

About three hundred years ago, paper money came into wider use. Paper money is cheaper to make than coins. It is also easier to carry around. Now people use paper money and coins in most countries. We call these kinds of money cash.

Cash has been popular for hundreds of years. But these days, things seem to have changed. Cashless payment（無現(xiàn)金支付）has come into our lives and changed our world.

China was the first country in the world to use paper money. Now, centuries later, analysts（分析家）believe that China may soon become the first cashless society. Cashless payment apps such as Alipay and WeChat Pay are becoming more common in China. The buyer just scans（掃描）the quick-respond code（二維碼）of the seller, or the other way around. Then they can get the things they want. No physical money is needed in this process. Is tomorrow already here?

【1】Which is the correct order of the development of money?

①Coins

②Bartering

③Paper money

④Cashless payment

⑤Cattle, grain and shells

A.②⑤①③④B.⑤③②①④C.②⑤①④③D.⑤④③②①

【2】What can we learn from the passage?

A.Coins are the earliest form of money in the world.

B.People cannot buy things by showing the quick-respond code.

C.Both coins and paper money are very popular around the world.

D.Paper money costs more to make than coins because they are worth more.

【3】What does the author want to tell us in the last paragraph?

A.China is the first cashless country in the world.

B.People will start using cashless payment tomorrow.

C.People won't use any physical money in the future.

D.Cashless payment is the new stage of money development.

—Sounds great. I believe ____will be difficult for robots in the future.

A.nothingB.everythingC.something

Jaime, a new immigrant（移民）of the USA, was going to watch his daughter's first show in a school play. His daughter, Carol, was five years old. She was a student at the local public school. Carol did not have a very big role in the school play. She was just playing a rain cloud in a play about the drought in California. Carol had just one line. Her line was, "I am sad enough to cry about how dry the state is."

Jaime and his wife made sure to arrive early so that they could get a good seat to watch the show. They found seats in the front row. Before the show began, the schoolmaster made an introductory speech. The speech was about how hard the students and teachers worked together to make the play possible. At the end of the speech, the schoolmaster said, "Let's give the school staff a hand".

Jaime, whose English was not very good, stood up when the schoolmaster said this. He knew that when people said "to give someone a hand" they meant they needed help. Jaime always wanted to help, especially at his daughter's school. Jaime thought maybe they needed help backstage.

Jaime's wife put her arm in front of her husband. "Where are you going?" she asked in a low voice. "They need a hand," Jaime replied. His wife explained that "to give someone a hand" could also mean to applaud（鼓掌）someone. When you applaud someone you clap your hands（拍手）after their performance. You are not supposed to stand up and try to help others. "They don't need help. They just want us to clap," Jaime's wife explained. Jaime felt a little embarrassed. He sat back down and began clapping along with the rest of the audience.

Jaime thought to himself that someone needed to give the English language a hand. How could one phrase mean two different things? He meant the English language needed help.

【1】Why did Jaime and his wife arrive at the play early?

A.To talk to other parents.B.To wish their daughter good luck.

C.To get good seats to watch the show.D.To listen to the speech of the schoolmaster.

【2】Jaime thought "giving someone a hand" meant __________.

A.helping someoneB.clapping your hands

C.holding someone's handD.giving your hand to someone

【3】What can we learn from the passage?

A.Jaime stood up to applaud.B.Jaime is a warm-hearted man.

C.Jaime was better at English than his wife.D.Jaime's daughter played an important role in the show.

【題目】任務(wù)型閱讀 根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容完成表格中所缺信息，在答題卷上相應(yīng)的橫線上填寫答案，每空限填一個單詞。
Online schools are becoming very popular with many people today. And now, even regular students are going in for online education. As it leaves them with enough time to do other things, such as a part-time job or a hobby, along with studying. However, as with everything, there are two sides about online schooling.
Let's start with the good side. Online schools cost very little. You don't have to spend money on books, or bus fees. Also, since you can work along with studying at an online schools, you would not need to take an education loan. Another benefit of going to school online is the freedom it provides. You can study wherever you want—in your house, at a cafe or even in a park. Some people who want to study further, now no longer have to take a break in their jobs, thanks to online schools.
However, those students who often need a push from their teachers to do well have a very high chance of not doing well at online schools. When studying in a class, different topics in a given subject are discussed and different students give their points of view. This is something that online schooling cannot provide.
Also, there are many employers who prefer students with a regular and traditional degree to those who have an online degree. The employers feel that students who go to full-time colleges have more knowledge compared to those who have online degrees.
In general, it can be said online schools are good for some, while others should give them up! A person should see the situation he is in and then decide whether or nor to choose an online school.

【題目】閱讀理解。
Have you ever experienced the feeling of falling as you start to fall asleep? Sometimes you may come to realize this feeling. If so, don't worry. Many people have felt the same thing.
In fact, these muscle twitches (肌肉抽搐) in the arms, legs or other parts of the body are called hypnic jerks (入睡抽動) or sleep starts. And they are very common. Up to 70 percent of people experience them sometimes, Huffington Post reported. But what causes it?
There are some theories(理論). Some scientists believe that the feeling of falling comes from the body relaxing itself, especially if the person is anxious or unable to get comfortable. As you're about to sleep, your muscles become relaxed. But your brain stays awake. It misunderstands the relaxing of your muscles as a sign that you're falling.
Then the brain jerks the body awake as if it's trying to protect you.
Other scientists believe that different phases of sleep might cause the hypnic jerks. When we sleep, we experience two phases: non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM). During REM, our heart rate (心率), breathing and nervous system can act irregularly (不規(guī)律地). If the body experiences flashes (一瞬間) of REM while entering sleep, these irregularities could cause twitches.
If you don't want to experience hypnic jerks, scientists have some suggestions. When you become deeply relaxed, you can learn how to reconnect slowly by moving your fingers and toes a little bit. Then start to move your head and open your eyes, while being aware of yourself as you get out of the relaxed state.
But experts agree that hypnic jerks, though sometimes scary, are harmless. If it wakes you up, simply roll over and go back to sleep. But keep in mind: a caffeinated (含咖啡因的) drink, exciting evening activities or stress may make hypnic jerks happen more often.
（1）The third paragraph mainly tells us_____________.
A.there are all kinds of theories about hypnic jerks
B.different phases of sleep might cause hypnic jerks
C.People sometimes get anxious or uncomfortable
D.the feeling of falling comes from the body relaxing itself
（2）How many theories on what causes hypnic jerks are mentioned?
A.Two
B.Four
C.Three
D.Five
（3）Which of the following can make hypnic jerks happen more often?
①Drinking caffeinated drink ②Singing songs for a long time before sleep
③Too much stress ④reading a book quietly
A.①②③
B.①②④
C.②③④
D.①③④
（4）What is the best title?
A.How to Experience Hypnic Jerks
B.What causes Hypnic Jerks
C.Feelings of Falling While Going to Sleep
D.Sleeping Is Good for Our Health

【題目】閱讀理解。
Have you ever been sad because you failed in something? If so, please remember, for often, achieving what you expect is not the most important thing. Here is a story to tell you why.
One day a little boy decided to dig a hole behind his house after watching a science program. As he was working, a couple of boys stopped by to watch. “What are you doing?” asked one of the visitors. “I want to dig a deep hole all the way through the earth!” the boy answered excitedly. The older boys began to laugh, telling him that it was impossible to do it. Then they left.
The little boy kept on digging and digging. Suddenly, a few small colorful stones caught his eyes. He collected them and put them into a glass jar (罐) patiently. Humming (哼唱) a song, he went on digging. The jar was full soon. Then he talked to himself calmly and proudly, “Maybe I can't finish digging all the way through the earth, but look at what I have found in the process (過程) of digging!”
The boy's goal (目標(biāo)) was too difficult, but it did cause him to go on, in other words, to cause us to keep working!
Not every goal will be achieved. Not every job will end up with a success. Not every dream will come true. But when you can't achieve your goal, maybe you can say, “Yes, but look what I've found along the way! There are so many wonderful things that have come into my life because I tried to do something!” It is in the digging that life is lived. It is the unexpected joy on the journey that really has a meaning.
（1）What did the boy do after watching a program?
A.He bought a glass jar.
B.He played with some visitors.
C.He started to dig a hole.
D.He went on watching the program.
（2）What did the older boys think of the little boy?
A.He was silly.
B.He was strong-minded.
C.He was strict.
D.He was energetic.
（3）What does the underlined sentence “It is in the digging that life is lived.” mean according to the article?
A.Life is to make a big success.
B.Life is difficult but colorful.
C.Life is to find the colorful stones.
D.Life is on the way to achieve the goal.

On the tube（the underground in London）, a mother kept looking at her phone screen and playing a game with her daughter sitting beside her. The little girl, about 5 years old, was talking to her mother about her day, repeating the next stop's name cheerfully, praising her mother's long nails, trying to ______ her mother's attention. Her mother just nodded and mumbled （含糊地說）"Mm, hm" with her eyes glued to the screen, busy passing the levels of the game. I watched the girl give a final try to at least get her mum to ______ her, but it was no use. Then the little girl turned _____ , and was in low spirits. It was a shame the mother didn't notice that.

It broke my heart and got me wondering what kind of ______ would make the mother forget she has the most beautiful thing in the world, the human she created, the person she loves with all her heart? What it meant when she couldn't look into her daughter's eyes and even stop to listen to the girl?

Some parents are almost like the teenagers, always on their phones with mindless games or going through Facebook. Perhaps parents have many things to deal with, but sometimes they are ______ to their kids.

This is not an isolated example. I've seen too many such examples. I might not be a parent myself, and probably still have a long way ______ becoming one, but I know what I saw isn't right.

The scene used to be seen among teenagers very often when parents complained how their children were crazy about their mobile phones. Look how the situation has ____! The parents have become "technology slaves", that is to say, they can't ______ themselves while using mobile phones. Now some middle-aged parents hold their smart phones and play the simple games every day. I'm uncertain whether to laugh or to cry. But my hope is that this storm passes.

【1】A.giveB.payC.drawD.hold

【2】A.look atB.think aboutC.talk toD.care for

【3】A.excitedB.silentC.surprisedD.noisy

【4】A.programB.computerC.phoneD.game

【5】A.somethingB.nothingC.everythingD.anything

【6】A.beforeB.afterC.sinceD.until

【7】A.developedB.improvedC.changedD.monitored

【8】A.controlB.enjoyC.trustD.behave

I was weak after a long illness, so I wanted to 【1】 ! Then a friend suggested, "Why don't we 【2】 before school?" So we started running a week ago. But I do not enjoy running, and when I get to school, I feel awful. My legs hurt and I am hot all over. Perhaps I am 【3】 do any exercise. What do you think?