A girl became a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, which meant visiting and taking care of a patient suffering from an incurable disease with days numbered.

The girl was assigned to look after an old man suffering from cancer whose children lived abroad. Their living conditions were not satisfactory while the old man had a lot of savings. She was expected to comfort him and keep up his spirits.

Every Saturday the girl came on time to keep him company, telling him stories. When he was having an intravenous drip (静脉滴注), she would help massage his arms. The doctor found the patient much improved mentally. The old man began to involve himself actively in the medical treatment and he seldom shouted at others.

But something that happened made the doctor uneasy and puzzled. Each time the girl left, the old man would give her some money. The doctor did nothing to interfere (干涉), unwilling to offend the old man. A month later the old man showed evident signs of decline after suffering coma (昏迷) a few times.

When rescued from the latest coma, the old man told the doctor his last wish, “I have deep sympathy for the girl. Will you be kind enough to help her finish her studies？”

But the doctor knew that her family was well­off and she had no difficulty pursuing her studies. Sometimes she even came to the hospital in her father’s car.

When the girl came at the weekend after the death of the old man, the doctor told her the bad news. She was very sad and burst into tears. Then she handed $ 500 to the doctor, saying, “The old man had all along thought I came to do the job because of poverty. He gave me money so that I could continue my schooling.” Now he got the answer to the puzzle. In the last period of his life, the old man found it a real pleasure to be able to help a girl badly in need.

1.If you’re a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, what kind of people do you have to attend to?

A. Patients with a lot of money.

B. Patients suffering from cancer.

C. Patients without many days left.

D. Patients living alone.

2.What can we learn from the passage?

A. The doctor told the old man the truth.

B. The old man’s children were wealthy.

C. The girl’s father encouraged her to accept the money.

D. The girl didn’t accompany the old man when he died.

3.What is the real reason resulting in the old man’s mental improvement?

A. The girl’s love and great care.

B. The pleasure of helping people in need.

C. The doctor’s medical treatment.

D. His children’s progress in life.

A girl became a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, which meant visiting and taking care of a patient suffering from an incurable disease with days numbered.
The girl was assigned to look after an old man suffering from cancer whose children lived abroad. Their living conditions were not satisfactory while the old man had a lot of savings. She was expected to comfort him and keep up his spirits.
Every Saturday the girl came on time to keep him company, telling him stories. When he was having an intravenous drip (静脉滴注), she would help massage his arms. The doctor found the patient much improved mentally. The old man began to involve himself actively in the medical treatment and he seldom shouted at others.
But something that happened made the doctor uneasy and puzzled. Each time the girl left, the old man would give her some money. The doctor did nothing to interfere (干涉), unwilling to offend the old man. A month later the old man showed evident signs of decline after suffering coma (昏迷) a few times.
When rescued from the latest coma, the old man told the doctor his last wish, “I have deep sympathy for the girl. Will you be kind enough to help her finish her studies？”
But the doctor knew that her family was well­off and she had no difficulty pursuing her studies. Sometimes she even came to the hospital in her father’s car.
When the girl came at the weekend after the death of the old man, the doctor told her the bad news. She was very sad and burst into tears. Then she handed $ 500 to the doctor, saying, “The old man had all along thought I came to do the job because of poverty. He gave me money so that I could continue my schooling.” Now he got the answer to the puzzle. In the last period of his life, the old man found it a real pleasure to be able to help a girl badly in need

1. 1.

   If you’re a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, what kind of people do you have to attend to?

   1. A.
      Patients with a lot of money
   2. B.
      Patients suffering from cancer
   3. C.
      Patients without many days left
   4. D.
      Patients living alone
2. 2.

   What can we learn from the passage?

   1. A.
      The doctor told the old man the truth
   2. B.
      The old man’s children were wealthy
   3. C.
      The girl’s father encouraged her to accept the money
   4. D.
      The girl didn’t accompany the old man when he died
3. 3.

   What is the real reason resulting in the old man’s mental improvement?

   1. A.
      The girl’s love and great care
   2. B.
      The pleasure of helping people in need
   3. C.
      The doctor’s medical treatment
   4. D.
      His children’s progress in life

A girl became a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, which meant visiting and taking care of a patient suffering from an incurable disease with days numbered.

The girl was assigned to look after an old man suffering from cancer whose children lived abroad. Their living conditions were not satisfactory while the old man had a lot of savings. She was expected to comfort him and keep up his spirits.

Every Saturday the girl came on time to keep him company, telling him stories. When he was having an intravenous drip (静脉滴注), she would help massage his arms. The doctor found the patient much improved mentally. The old man began to involve himself actively in the medical treatment and he seldom shouted at others.

But something that happened made the doctor uneasy and puzzled. Each time the girl left, the old man would give her some money. The doctor did nothing to interfere (干涉), unwilling to offend the old man. A month later the old man showed evident signs of decline after suffering coma (昏迷) a few times.

When rescued from the latest coma, the old man told the doctor his last wish, “I have deep sympathy for the girl. Will you be kind enough to help her finish her studies？”

But the doctor knew that her family was well­off and she had no difficulty pursuing her studies. Sometimes she even came to the hospital in her father’s car.

When the girl came at the weekend after the death of the old man, the doctor told her the bad news. She was very sad and burst into tears. Then she handed $ 500 to the doctor, saying, “The old man had all along thought I came to do the job because of poverty. He gave me money so that I could continue my schooling.” Now he got the answer to the puzzle. In the last period of his life, the old man found it a real pleasure to be able to help a girl badly in need.

56. If you’re a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, what kind of people do you have to attend to?

A. Patients with a lot of money.

B. Patients suffering from cancer.

C. Patients without many days left.

D. Patients living alone.

57. What can we learn from the passage?

A. The doctor told the old man the truth.

B. The old man’s children were wealthy.

C. The girl’s father encouraged her to accept the money.

D. The girl didn’t accompany the old man when he died.

58. What is the real reason resulting in the old man’s mental improvement?

A. The girl’s love and great care.

B. The pleasure of helping people in need.

C. The doctor’s medical treatment.

D. His children’s progress in life.

The Festival of Cultures

August 11 – 14

City Park

The Festival of Cultures is a yearly event to celebrate the wide range (范围) of cultures found in our great state. People representing 40 cultural groups will share their traditions and customs. Here are just a few of the festival’s many activities.

Crafts(手艺): See the fine art of basket weaving from Vietnam and Zimbabwe. Watch the delicate art of making paper umbrellas from Thailand and the decorative craft of paper picado, or paper cutting, from Mexico. All craft demonstrations (示范) provide a first-hand view of how things are made. You will appreciate the process involved in making these products.

Music and Dance: Experience musical instruments that you have never heard before. Listening to the music of a sho from Japan, a bull-roarer from Australia, a sitar from India, and a chakay from Thailand. You will also be entertained by folk dances from around the world, such as the troika from Russia and the mayim from Israel. From 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. on August 14, special folk-dancing classes for children will be offered. Children ranging in age from 6 – 8 can learn the kinderpolka from Germany. Children ranging in age from 9 – 12 can learn the raspo from Mexico.

Storytelling: Listen for hours as professional (专业的) storytellers charm you with captivating tales. Fables, folktales, and ballads from various countries will be told. By popular demand, Gwendolyn Washington, a famous African American storyteller, is back.

Food: Enjoy delicious foods from countries, such as gyros from Greece, seafood paella from Spain, crepes from France, and tandoori chicken from India. These tasty dishes will be difficult to pass up.

Tickets August 11 - 13

Adults            $3

Ages 13 – 18       $2

Ages 6 – 12        $ 1

Ages 6 and under    Free

The festival of Cultures is organized by the World Marketplace. For more information about the festival, call (800) 555 – 0199.

60．Which of the following are from Mexico?

A. The paper picado and the raspo.      

B. The kinderpolka and sitar.

C. The paper cutting and the troika.     

D. The mayim and the gyros.

61．A couple with two children at the age of 8 and 16 are going to the festival on August 12. How much money will they pay for the festival?

A. $5.     B. $6.     C. $8.     D. $9.

62．What do we know about the festival?

A. Children will have a chance to learn different folk-dancing.

B. Storyteller Gwendolyn is invited to the festival for the first time.

C. People will be offered opportunities to play musical instruments.

D. Visitors can make paper umbrellas from their first-hand experience.

63．What’s the purpose of writing this passage?

A. To advertise (做广告) for the World Marketplace.

B. To introduce a wide range of cultural traditions.

C. To explain the great importance of popularizing the festival.

D. To persuade (说服) readers to attend the festival held in the City Park.

Your children’s teacher will be providing extra time for test preparation. This school year’s test will be held on January 8 and 9. The test preparation time is open to all students, and we strongly encourage your children to attend.
This year we are changing the time for our test preparation: it will be on Thursday mornings from 8:10 to 8:50. This helps children who ride the bus and cannot stay for the after-school period. It also helps avoid conflicts with after-school activities.
Danielle and Marina will be working with the recent new test takers 6 days on the following Thursdays: 15^th, Nov; 29^th, Nov; 6^th, Dec; 13^th, Dec.; 20^th, Dec. and 3^rd, Jan.
Besides the test preparation lectures on these dates, teachers are already putting test preparation into their usual courses. We are finding that we can help our students to be both skillful and whole-hearted readers and test takers — after all, we all know that the best test preparation is good reading and writing training.
What can you do at home? Again, the best and most effective test preparation for the ELA test is reading and more reading. The research is quite clear — students who do well in the tests are those who are good readers. Reading not only builds reading ability, it also helps build confidence — important for successful test taking! But do discourage your children from spending too much time on books that are too hard or even a bit too hard. Children best develop comprehension skills when they are reading books just right for them (too easy doesn’t hurt here either).
Finally, on Friday, December 7, we will have a morning lecture on the ELA. Please pay attention!
【小题1】The text is mainly about ________.