Next autumn when you see wild geese heading south for the winter flying in a V formation, you might think about what scientists have discovered as to why they fly that way.

As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift(提升) for the bird immediately following. By flying in a V formation the whole group adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flies on its own.

People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the push of one another.

When a wild goose falls out of the formation,it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go alone and quickly tries to get back into the formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. When the head goose gets tired,it flies back into the formation and another goose flies to the front. It is wise to take turns doing difficult jobs whether it is people or wild geese flying south.

Wild geese honk (发出雁叫声) from behind to inspire those up front to keep up their speed. What can we learn from this?

When a wild goose gets sick or wounded by gunshots,and falls out of the formation,two other geese will fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They will stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies,and only then will they go on with their own or with another formation to catch up with their group.

1.Wild geese fly in a V formation in order to________.

A. protect themselves from danger

B. fly more quickly and easily

C. help the sick and wounded

D. fly much higher in the sky

2.What can we learn from the fifth paragraph?

A. We should try to lead others to move forward.

B. We should give people facing difficulties encouragement.

C. We should believe in those who offer us help.

D. We should care more about the old and sick.

3.When a wild goose becomes sick or is wounded,________.

A. it will be left alone and will fall on the ground

B. the whole group will stop flying

C. two other geese will stay with it to offer help

D. other geese will honk to give it encouragement

4.What do we know from the passage?

A. A wild goose can help the one following it by flapping its wings.

B. A person who works alone can work better than one who doesn’t.

C. It is not good for wild geese to take turns being the head goose.

D. The wild geese that fall behind are unlikely to catch up with their group.

Once, when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter.

This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of twelve. You could tell they didn’t have a lot of money.

Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly talking about the clowns, elephants, and other acts they would see that night with their brothers or sisters in a low voice.

One could sense they had never been to the circus before. It promised to be highlight of their young lives. The father and mother were at the head of the pack, standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband’s hand, looking up at him as if to say, “You are my knight in shining armor.”

He was smiling and responding in pride, looking back at her as if to say, “You got that right.” The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, “Please let me buy eight children’s tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus.”

The ticket lady gave the price. The man’s wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, and his lips began to shake. The father leaned a little closer and asked, “How much did you say?”

The ticket lady again quoted the price. The man didn’t have enough money.

How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight children that he didn’t have enough money to take them to the circus?

Actually we were not wealthy in any sense. So I understand how the kids would feel. I felt sorry for them.

注意:

所需写的短文词数应为150左右;

应使用5个以上短文标有下划线的关键词语;

续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已经为你写好;

续写完成后,请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词。

Paragraph 1

Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand in his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 2

That day my father and I went back to our car and drove home without any tickets. ___________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

People often ask which is the most difficult language to learn, and it is not easy to answer because there are many factors to take into consideration. Firstly, in a first language the differences are unimportant as people learn their mother tongue naturally, so the question of how hard a language is to learn is only relevant when learning a second language.

A native speaker of Spanish, for example, will find Portuguese much easier to learn than a native speaker of Chinese, for example, because Portuguese is very similar to Spanish, while Chinese is very different, so first language can affect learning a second language. The greater the differences between the second language and our first, the harder it will be for most people to learn.

Many people answer that Chinese is the hardest language to learn, possibly influenced by the thought of learning the Chinese writing system, and the pronunciation of Chinese does appear to be very difficult for many foreign learners. However, for Japanese speakers, who already use Chinese characters in their own language, learning writing will be less difficult than for speakers of languages using the Roman alphabet.

Different cultures and individuals will find different languages more difficult. In the case of Hungarian for British learners, it is not a question of the writing system, which uses a similar alphabet, but the grammatical complexity, though native speakers may find it easier, struggling with languages that the British find relatively hard.

No language is easy to learn well, though languages which are related to our first language are easier. Learning a completely different writing system is a huge challenge, but that does not necessarily make a language more difficult than another. In the end, it is impossible to say that one language that is the most difficult language in the world.

1.Who might find Portuguese an easier language to learn?

A. The Chinese. B. Russians.

C. Spanish people. D. The Japanese.

2.Why do Japanese speakers find the Chinese less difficult to learn?

A. They use Chinese characters.

B. Japan is the neighbor of China.

C. Chinese is their second language.

D. Many Japanese are learning Chinese.

3.Which is the most difficult of Hungarian for British learners?

A. Writing. B. Pronunciation.

C. Grammar. D. Alphabet.

4.What might be the author’s opinion?

A. Chinese is the hardest language.

B. Native language is always easy to learn.

C. No languages are difficult to learn well.

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