I’m sure you know the song “Happy Birthday”. But do you know who wrote the song and for whom it was written?

    The retired professor, Archibald A. Hill in Lucasville, USA could tell us the story. Ninety-seven years ago, two of Mr. Archibald Hill’s aunts, Miss Patty Hill and Miss Mildred Hill were asked to write some songs for a book called “Song Storied for the Sunday Morning”. Miss Patty Hill and Miss Mildred Hill were both kindergarten teachers then. They loved children very much and wrote many beautiful songs for the book. One of them was the famous “Good Morning to You.” The song said, “Good morning to you, good morning to you, dear children, good morning to all.” This song was very popular at that time among kindergarten children. But not many grown-ups knew it. A few years later little Archibald was born. As his aunt, Miss Patty Hill sang the song “Happy Birthday” to the melody(曲调)of “Good Morning to you” to her little nephew(侄子). She sang the song like this: Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Archie! Happy birthday to you!

    Miss Patty Hill and her sister had never expected that this song would become so popular, but it really did. People all over the world like the song because of its simplicity in tune(曲调简单)and friendliness in words.

Archibald A. Hill was __________.

   A. English      B. Russian          C. American    D. Australian

Professor Archibald A. Hill was Miss Mildred Hill’s __________.

   A. son           B. student          C. brother      D. nephew

The song “Happy Birthday” has a history of __________ years.

   A. 97                B. about 90     C. more than 90     D. less than 90     

Why did Miss Hiss wrote songs?

   A. Because they are musicians.

   B. Because they love children.

   C. Because they were asked to write for a book.

   D. Because their nephew asked them to do so.

The sentence “it really did” means __________.

   A. The song really became popular     

B. Their wish would really come true

   C. People all over the world like to listen to the song

   D. Yes, but the song didn’t become popular

Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meetings, funding cuts, and many other administrative chores (杂务). I started to dream of retirement. Sitting in traffic on a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering, I would imagine spending time with my grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books. I told myself that I wouldn’t sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anything requiring a schedule.

My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great breakfast for my wife and me, leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends. On the second day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper … On the third day, … This is retirement? I tried to tell myself that it was just the transition(过渡), that those golden moments were right round the corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough. But something was missing.

    A former colleague asked a favor. A group of students were going to Jamaica to work with children in the poorest neighborhoods. Would I interrupt my new found “happiness” and return to the students, just this once? One trip. That’s all. My bags were packed and by the door.

The trip was very inspiring. I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by the sense of responsibility of the young people on the trip. When I returned home, I offered to work one day a week with a local youth organization. The experience was so positive that I was soon volunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them in their voluntary work.

Now, it seems, the tables have turned. Some days I am the teacher, other days I am the student. These young people have reawakened my commitment  (责任感)  to social justice issues by challenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poor and suffer because of greed, corruption and war. Most importantly, they have given me the opportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions. In return, I help them do their charitable projects overseas. I’ve gone from running one school to helping oversee the construction of schools in twenty-one countries!

What did the writer expect to do after he retired?

    A. To stay away from busy schedules.       B. To write some great books.

    C. To do some voluntary work.             D. To plan for his future.

Why did the writer decide to go to Jamaica?

    A. He missed his students in that country.    B. He couldn’t refuse his colleague’s favor.

       C. He was concerned about the people there.  D. He was not satisfied with his retired life.

Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?

A. My Retired Life.                     B. Being the Head of a High School.

C. My Attitudes towards Life.             D. An Experience of Being a Volunteer.

What does the writer think of his retired life now?

A. Disappointing.    B. Troublesome.           C. Promising.               D. Meaningful.

Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meeting, funding cuts, and many other administrative chores (杂务). I started to dream of retirement. Sitting in traffic on a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering, I would imagine spending time with my grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books. I told myself that I wouldn’t sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anything requiring a schedule.
My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great break fast for my wife and me, leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends. On the
second day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper … On the third day, … This is retirement? I tried to tell myself that it was just the transition(过渡), that those golden moments were right round the corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough, But something was missing.
A former colleague asked a favor. A group of students was going to Jamaica to work  with children in the poorest neighborhoods. Would I interrupt my newfound “happiness” and return to the students, just this once? One trip. That’s all, My bags were packed and by the door.
The trip was very inspiring. I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by the sense of responsibility of the young people on the trip. When I returned home, I offered to work one day a week with a local youth organization. The experience was so positive that I was soon volunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them in their voluntary work.
Now, it seems, the tables have turned. Some days I am the teacher, other days I am the student. These young people have reawakened my commitment  (责任感)  to social justice issues by challenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poor and suffer because of greed, corruption and war, Most important, they have given me the opportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions. In return, I help them do their charitable projects overseas. I’ve gone from running one school to helping oversee the construction of schools in twenty-one countries!
60.What did the writer expect to do after he retired?
A. To stay away from busy schedules.          B. To write some great books.
C. To do some voluntary work                D. To plan for his future.
61.Why did the writer decide to go to Jamaica?
A. He missed his students in that country.      B. He couldn’t refuse his colleague’s favor.
C. He was not satisfied with his retired life.    D. He was concerned about the people there.
62.The underlined part “the tables have turned”(Paragraph 5) means that the writer        .
A. improved the situation in his school   B. felt happy to work with students again
C. became a learner rather than a teacher    D. changed his attitude toward his retired life
63.What does the writer think of his retired life now?
A. Disappointing     B. Meaningful      C. Promising            D. Troublesome

Every Saturday or Sunday night my family and I go out and feed the homeless people in the city of Orlando. There are thousands of people across the United States without any food or shelter. My family and I have been doing this for several months.

We all get together in the kitchen and prepare the food. Some of the meals are sandwiches, cookies and a bottle of water. Sometimes my mom prepares a steaming hot delicious meal. We then bag them all up to feed 30 or more people.

I like to write special notes on the bags like “God loves you.” Before my family and I get into the car we ask God for protection in a family prayer. A lot of people misunderstand homeless people. Not all homeless people are drug addicts or bad people. Some are really nice. Some of them just had bad things that happened to them.

At first when my family and I went out on the street we had to earn their trust. A lot of people are unkind to them for no good reason. But now that they see us every week, they trust us. We even know some of their names. We all have to remember that these are people that have feelings. Some of them shake our hands for giving them food, and thank us. Some of them do really funny dances because they are happy.

We have become really close with this man named Tony and his wife. They have all of their personal belongings in shopping carts. After meeting with them several times he has told us a lot about his life. He graduated from Harvard University and has a PHD. He used to teach French and Spanish. He lost his job after the economic crisis began.

After we get done feeding the homeless, it makes me appreciate what I have at home. Sometimes it makes me sad, and makes my mom cry. I love feeding the homeless, and making a difference in someone’s life.

1.The following statements are all right except _________.

A.we feed the homeless every Saturday or Sunday night

B.I write some encouraging words on the food

C.we offer food for about 30 or more people every Saturday or Sunday night

D.my family and I have been feeding the poor for several months

2.What do many people think of the homeless in America?

A.They are homeless because of taking drugs.

B.They are bad people against the society.

C.They must have done something bad.

D.All of above.

3.Why do the homeless believe in the author and his family?

A.They don’t ask the homeless to do something bad.

B.They always bring more food every time.

C.They often give food to them at fixed time.

D.They never ask about the names of the homeless.

4.What made Tony lose his job?

A.The falling economy across the whole country.

B.He hasn’t got a suitable university degree.

C.He graduated from a common university.

D.He doesn’t like the teaching of the French language.

5.The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph most probably refers to _________.

A.the loss of the job of Tony

B.the poverty of the author’s family

C.the feeding of the homeless

D.the leaving from the homeless

 

During his life Dr James Naismith worked as a doctor, taught P.E and wrote several books. While he never thought it very important, Dr Naismith is today best known for one thing. He was the inventor of basketball.

Dr James Naismith was born in Canada in 1861 and his first job was at a special sports school in the USA. One day the school principal told James he was having a problem with the students. Because of heavy snow, the students could not go outside. He told James that they needed a sport the boys could play indoors and gave the teacher two weeks to think of something.

It was on the very last day that James came up with his idea. The “birth of basketball” is said to be on December 21, 1891, when two teams from the school played the first game. It was quite different from the basketball games of today. It had 9 players on each team and footballs were used instead of basketballs. Soon after, the game changed to 5 players on each side, using special “basketballs” through nets.

Although Dr Naismith did not live to see basketball become the worldwide game it is today, in 1936, just three years before his death, basketball became an Olympic sport at the Games in Berlin.

1.

Which of the following things did Dr James Naismith NOT do?

   A. Teach P.E in school.                                  B. Write some books.

   C. Work at a hospital.                          D. Take part in the Olympic Games.

2.

 In which season did Dr Naismith invent basketball?

   A. Summer.                 B. Winter.                 C. Spring.                  D. Autumn.

3.

Why is December 21 thought to be the birthday of basketball?

  A. It was on this day that Dr Naismith came up with his idea for basketball.

  B. It was the day on which Dr Naismith was born.

C. It was the day on which Dr Naismith was asked by his boss to invent a new game.

D. It was on this day that the first game of basketball was played.

4.

At the time of Dr Naismith’s death, which of the following was true?

   A. Basketball was already a worldwide game.

   B. Basketball was played with 9 players on each side.

   C. Basketball was an Olympic sport.

   D. Basketball was still played using footballs.  

 

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