If you were asked to recite lines of poetry that have the Chinese character “hua”—which means flower—how many could you recite?

He Liran, 13, had to tack on this challenge on a TV show aired by Shandong TV. He Liran, a student at the Harbin No 163 Middle School in Heilongjiang, competed with over 100 other students. The competitors took turns reciting lines of poetry that used the word “hua”, with He Liran replying to each one.

One competitor used the line “As if the vernal breeze had come back over night; adorning thousands of pear trees with blossoms white.” He Liran replied with “After one night of wind and showers; how many are the fallen flowers!”

At the end, He Liran won, reciting more than 60 out of the 127 lines that were recited in the competition.

Her lifelong love of reading helped her win. Her father started reading poems to her when she was just 4 years old. She has been a bookworm ever since.

Though busy with schoolwork, she spares time to study at least one poem each day. She thinks ancient poetry is still important, even in modern times.

“Once, I walked along a small path in a forest. The scenery was the same as what is described in the line ‘On the sandy path between pine-trees there is no mud’, which comes from one of Su Shi’s poems. At that moment, the line from his poem naturally came to my mind and I realized that poems can be part of our daily lives,” she said.

1.He Liran started to learn about poetry at the age of________.

A.4 B.6 C.8 D.l3

2.The underlined line in Paragraph 3 probably mans “________” in Chinese.

A.一树梨花压海棠 B.雨打梨花深闭门

C.千树万树梨花开 D.梨花满地不开门

3.According to the text, the competitor________will probably win the competition.

A.that likes ancient poetry best B.that studies at least one poem each day

C.that has recited the most poems with “hua” D.that can recite 127 lines of poems

4.Which of the following is TRUE about He Liran?

A.She competed with over 163 other students. B.Poetry plays an important role in her life.

C.She won the competition in her school. D.She thought of Li Bai’s poem when walking in a forest.

5.What can we learn from the passage?

A.Interest is the best teacher. B.One tree can’t make a forest.

C.Better late than never. D.Actions speak louder than words.

NASA has a new job listing, and it’s no joke. The US space agency is looking for a “joker” to join their planned mission (任务) to Mars.

A mission to Mars is no laughing matter. The red planet is 140 million miles away from Earth. A trip there would take around 8 months in a small spaceship.

“When you’re living with others in a confident space for a long period of time, problems are likely to take place,” Jeffre Johnson a scientist at the University of Florida said.

This is probably why NASA wants an astronaut with a sense of humor (幽默感). “There are people that have the ability to pull everyone together,” Johnson said.

In stressful situations, perhaps humor is a way to know we aren’t alone. By laughing together, we share our stress. Then we can pay more attention to our jobs instead of just worrying.

There are other examples of team “clowns (小丑)”. One example is the journey to the South Pole (南极) led by Norwegian explore (探险家) Roald Amundson. It was a difficult journey, full of danger. Adolf Lindstorm, A cook at Amundson’s team, was a “clown”. He made people laugh through the whole journey. Amundson later wrote that Lindstrom was the most valuable member of the team.

But if you’re hoping that your favorite TV comedian (喜剧演员) will fly to Mars, that probably won’t happen.

“Being funny won’t be enough to land somebody the job,” Johnson said. “They also need to be an excellent scientist and engineer.” Besides, they must be in top physical condition.

1.NASA is looking for a________.

A.funny engineer B.talented clown C.good cook D.popular comedian

2.In Paragraph 3, “a confident space” means a/an ________ space.

A.empty B.different C.open D.small

3.The US space agency is looking for a “joker” in order to________.

A.make the astronaut excited B.find an excellent astronaut

C.encourage team work D.make the trip unforgettable

4.In Paragraph 6, the writer uses the example of a cook to show that________.

A.the explorers’ meals on their journey is very important

B.humorous people can cheer up people in difficult situations

C.a cook can play a more important role than the explorers

D.the journey to the South Pole is harder the mission to Mars

5.Which would be the best title for the text?

A.A sense of humor B.A mission to Mars C.Let the humor fly D.Laugh together

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