This was a luxurious hall of a beautiful restaurant with modern cars parking around and people wearing beautiful clothes were sitting at the round tables enjoying their delicious food. Mary, a young waitress , worked here for just a month.

One day, an old man in an old jacket and broken shoes walked slowly into the restaurant with his cane(拐杖).He looked unusual in this big hall. Mary watched him move toward a table by the window. She ran over to him, and said with a smile, “Here, sir. Let me give you a hand.”

Without saying a word, he gave her a smile. She pulled the chair away from the table and helped him sit down. Then she put his cane against the table so that he could reach it. In a soft, clear voice he said, “Thank you, Miss.”

“You’re welcome, sir,” she replied, “I’ll be back in a moment, and if you need anything, just wave at me!”

After he had finished a good meal, Mary brought him the change. She handed him his cane, and walked with him to the front door. Holding the door open for him, she said, “Come back and see us, sir!” The old man turned around and smiled.

When Mary went to clean his table, she was shocked. Under the dish, she found a business card, a 100-dollar bill and a note. The note said, “Dear Mary, I respect you very much, and you respect yourself, too. It shows the way you treat others. You have found the secret of happiness.”

In fact, the old man was the owner of the restaurant. That was the first time that she, or any of his waitresses, had seen him.

1.What does the underlined word “luxurious” in the first paragraph probably mean in Chinese?

A. 宏伟的 B. 豪华的 C. 简陋的 D. 空旷的

2.Mary was of a beautiful restaurant.

A. a young waitress B. a young guest

C. a young owner D. a young boss

3.As soon as the old man entered the restaurant, Mary greeted him and .

A. helped him politely

B. moved to him slowly

C. put his cane away angrily

D. ran away from him quickly

4.What did Mary do after the old man had finished the meal?

A. She went to clean his table quickly.

B. She paid for his bill.

C. She walked with him to the front door.

D. She found the secret of happiness.

5.How did Mary feel when she saw the business card, the 100-dollar bill and the note?

A. Pleased. B. Interested.

C. Surprised. D. Worried.

Dear Sunday Globe,

I am writing to tell you about your article Smartphones Make Life Easier in last Sunday’s newspaper. You did an excellent job explaining the good points of smartphones, but you didn’t talk about their bad points at all. So, I hope you’ll let me give your readers some advice on smartphone etiquette (礼仪).

The first point I’d like to address is loudness. When you talk on your smartphone in public, please don’t shout. In fact, the microphones in smartphones are very sensitive (灵敏的). So, you can be heard even if you speak quietly.

Another point is about personal space. I don’t think it is polite to make calls in small spaces full of people. This makes others uncomfortable and forces them to listen to your personal business. What’s worse, it stops many face-to-face conversations from ever beginning.

Lastly, doing two things at the same time is dangerous. For example, making calls while driving is a bad habit. Pay attention to the road! Similarly, when staying with your friends, turn off your smartphone and enjoy their company.

Yours truly,

Amber Jala

1.Amber Jala wrote the letter to ________ .

A. find a good job B. provide advice

C. make her life easier D. buy a smartphone

2.What does the underlined word “address” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A. 致函 B. 称呼 C. 陈述 D. 选址

3.According to Paragraph 3, what makes people around you uncomfortable?

A. Discussing face-to-face. B. Speaking quietly on your phone.

C. Minding your own business. D. Calling in small spaces full of people.

4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. It is dangerous to drive on the road.

B. It is easy to start a company with others.

C. It is bad to turn off our phones while driving.

D. It is important to use our smartphones properly.

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to believe or what to do. According to a report on the World Economic

Forum (2016), critical thinking, creativity, and their practical application are widely accepted as the top three skills that young people need to possess in their future career.

A good critical thinker usually takes the following steps before he decides what to do. Whenever he needs to do something, he would, first of all, reason. He checks why he needs to do it and whether he really needs to do it. Then, analyze. He tries to find out what it really is and the best way to do it. After that, evaluate. He makes sure whether he is able to do it and how to do it well. Finally, he makes the decision and takes action. Take the “Double 11” (a popular online shopping day in China) as an example. A few days before it, he checks carefully what he needs and whether he really needs them, and makes a shopping list. He goes to the online shops to compare the quality and the prices of the things that he is going to buy. He compares the shops that sell these things. Then he checks whether he can afford them and in which shops he is going to buy them. Although it takes him some time to make the decisions, he would not regret after the shopping.

Then what would happen if he didn’t think critically before he made the decisions? After the crazy “Double 11”, there were usually a lot of complaints on the Internet. There were regrets about buying more things than they needed. There were complaints about the poor quality and the prices of the things they bought. There were also complaints because they received wrong things or simply received nothing. There were all kinds of regrets and complaints. Why so? They had not thought critically before they made the decisions.

Critical thinking helps you make wiser decisions. It helps you avoid wasting time, money and so on. Therefore, do look before you leap.

1.According to the passage, critical thinking is a thinking skill that .

A. helps make better choices

B. will appear in the future

C. helps make quick decisions

D. makes us spend more money

2.In Paragraph 2, how does the critical thinker analyze the things he may buy?

A. He checks what he needs to buy.

B. He studies the quality and the prices.

C. He makes a proper shopping list.

D. He checks how much money he has.

3.The underlined word “complaints” means that the people .

A. are not satisfied

B. are not confident

C. are not interested

D. are not responsible

4.Which of the following examples is the use of “critical thinking”?

A. Daming did a new science experiment before reading instructions.

B. Lingling’s parents became very angry when they knew her bad marks.

C. After looking at the other team’s weak points, the coach made a new plan.

D. After hearing the stranger’s words, the girl followed him into a supermarket.

We spoke to three students from around the world about different national holidays. There are different customs for each festival.

Tan Xiaodong, 15, Hong Kong, China

“It’ll soon be Chinese New Year. Before it, We’ll clean the house and decorate(装饰) it for good luck. Every shop is going to close for a few days and we’ll go out a lot to celebrate in the streets. We might go and see the lion and dragon dances in the city center. I love this festival.”

Wendy, 16, Sydney, Australia

“Australia Day is on 26th January and it’s an important holiday here. We always have a Monday off, so we celebrate for three days. My parents and I go to the countryside for a picnic and friends always come over. Many people go to beach parties or street parties and there are lots of music and dancing. What fun!”

Amy, 14, New York, USA

“The first Thanksgiving Day was hundreds of years ago when Europeans who came to America thanked God for his help. It’s still a very important day for families to be together. This year we’re going to visit my grandparents and we’ll eat a delicious meal of turkey. Thanksgiving Day is on the fourth Thursday in November every year.”

1.How many festivals are mentioned in the passage?

A. Two. B. Three. C. Four. D. Five.

2.During the Chinese New Year, tourists might according to the passage.

A. do a lot of shopping

B. eat turkey

C. go to beach parties

D. see lion and dragon dances

3.On Australia day, Wendy and her parents often .

A. have a picnic in the countryside

B. go to a swimming pool

C. have a party at school

D. clean the house and dance

4.What do you think “turkey” is in this passage?

A. A country. B. A festival.

C. A kind of food. D. A kind of drink.

5.What can we learn from the passage?

A. Amy is from Sydney, Australia.

B. Different festivals have different customs.

C. Many people go out for a picnic with friends before Chinese New Year.

D. Thanksgiving Day is on 26th January in USA.

Once upon a time there was no tea at all in England. People there used to drink a light beer(啤酒). No coffee or milk but large glasses of beer stood on the breakfast table!

When tea was first brought to England, an old couple got some as a special treat. But they did not know how I t should be used. They cooked the leaves in hot water, and spread them on a piece of bacon(熏肉) which they were going to have for dinner. They ate the leaves, and threw the tea away! However, tea is becoming as popular as coffee and milk in England today.

Tea is the leaf of a plant which grows widely in China, Japan and some other countries. Tea famers usually grow many tea plants on a large piece of land. When the tea leaves are ready to be picked, it is the busiest time for tea farmers in a year. They pull off on the leaves and dry them. In their spare time, they pick out the best leaves and get them ready for market. In china, whenever a visitor comes into a house, he is served with a cup of tea.

1.What was served for breakfast in England long ago?

A. Beer. B. Tea. C. Coffee. D. Milk.

2.How did the old couple deal with the tea leaves?

A. They sold them. B. They ate them.

C. They burnt them. D. They threw them away.

3.Tea farmers are the busiest in a year when they _____.

A. serve visitors at home B. sell tea in the market

C. pick and dry tea leaves D. look for a piece of land

4.In which part of a magazine can read the text?

A. Nature. B. Culture. C. Environment. D. Technology.

During the 2016 Rio Olympics, people were surprised to see the round, purple marks on the body of the famous American swimmer Michael Phelps. What happened to him? In fact, he just visited a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and

had “cupping”(拨火罐).

Massage(按摩) and acupuncture(针灸) are two other important kinds of TCM. Chinese massage can make you relaxed and fresh. In acupuncture, doctors put long needles(针) into the patients’ heads, faces, arms. It takes away pain, though the look is funny.

TCM is an important part of Chinese culture. The earliest medical classic in China, Huangdi’s Classic on Medicine, came out more than 2,000 years ago. The book is about the relationship between man and nature. In Chinese culture, yin and yang are the two parts of nature. Nature keeps balanced(平衡) if yin and yang work well together. The human body needs such a balance, too. TCM helps to do that. Quite specially, for some health problems, a doctor of TCM will not give you medicine. Instead, he may give you just a food plan and right ways to eat.

For example, it is common to eat on the way to school, at our desk, or in front of the TV. But TCM thinks it’s wrong. Here are the correct ways: Sit down to eat. While eating, turn off the TV and get away from the work desk. Eat seasonal foods. Do not miss any of the three meals. Also, get your body moving often, just as the saying goes, “Running water is never stale.”

Nowadays, traditional Chinese medicine is becoming more and more popular around the world. A government report says that people in 183 countries and areas are now using TCM.

1.In the first paragraph, the writer mentioned Michael Phelps __________.

A. to introduce a doctor of TCM B. to give an example of using cupping

C. to introduce the Rio Olympics D. to give an example of a good swimmer

2.About Huangdi’s Classic on Medicine, which of the following is NOT TRUE?

A. It is the earliest medical classic in China. B. It came out over 2,000 years ago.

C. It is mainly about how to take medicine. D. It is an important book on TCM.

3.The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 means “__________” in Chinese.

A. 水到渠成 B. 流水不腐 C. 柔情似水 D. 绿水长流

4.If we put the passage into three parts, which of the following is the best?

(1=Para.(自然段) 1 ?2=Para. 2 ?3=Para. 3 „4=Para. 4 …5=Para. 5)

A. 1;234;5

B. 12;3;45„

C. 12;34;5???„

D. 1;2;345???„

Once upon a time there lived a cloth businessman in a village with his wife and two children. They were quite rich. They had a beautiful hen which laid an egg every day. It was not an ordinary egg, rather, a golden egg. But the man was not satisfied with what he got daily.

The man wanted to get all the golden eggs from his hen at one go. So, one day he thought hard and at last got a plan. He decided to kill the hen and got all the eggs together.

So, the next day when the hen laid a golden egg, the man caught it, took a sharp knife, and cut its body open. There was nothing but blood all around. He was very sad because now he would not get even one single egg.

His life was going on smoothly with one golden egg a day. But now, he himself made his life miserable(悲惨的). His greed(贪婪) made him poorer and poorer day by day. At last, he became a beggar.

How foolish he was!

1.How many people were there in the businessman’s home?

A. 2. B. 3. C. 4. D. 5.

2.Why does the author say it was not an ordinary egg?

A. Because it was beautiful.

B. Because the hen was beautiful.

C. Because it was a golden egg.

D. Because the hen only laid one egg each day.

3.Which is correct according to the passage?

A. The man thought there were many golden eggs in the hen’s body.

B. The man killed the chicken because he didn’t like it.

C. The man killed the chicken for its meat.

D. The man didn’t want the hen to lay eggs any more.

4.What can we learn from the passage?

A. Everyone should get a hen.

B. Everyone should treat his hen well.

C. One should always desire more to get more.

D. One should remain satisfied with what he gets.

Years ago, I lived in a building in a large city. The building next door was only a few feet away from mine. There was a woman who lived there, whom I had never met, yet I could see her seated by her window every afternoon, sewing or reading.

As several months had gone by, I began to notice that her window was dirty. Everything was unclear through the dirty window. I would say to myself, “I wonder why that woman doesn’t wash her window. It really looks terrible.”

One bright morning, I decided to clean my flat, including washing the window inside.

Late in the afternoon when I finished the cleaning, I sat down by the window with a cup of coffee for a rest. What a surprise! Across the way, the woman sitting by her window was clearly visible. Her window was clean!

Then it dawned on me. I had been criticizing (批评) her dirty window, but all the time I was watching hers through my own dirty window.

That was quite an important lesson for me. How often had I looked at and criticized others through the dirty window of my heart, through my own shortcomings

Since then, whenever I wanted to judge (评判) someone, I asked myself first, “Am I looking at him through my own dirty window”

Then I try to clean the window of my own world so that I may see the world about me more clearly.

1.Why couldn’t the writer see everything clearly through the window?

A. Because the woman’s window was dirty.

B. Because the writer’s window was dirty.

C. Because the woman lived nearby.

D. Because the writer was near-sighted.

2.The writer was surprised that .

A. the woman was sitting by her window

B. the woman’s window was clean

C. the woman did cleaning in the afternoon

D. the woman’s window was still terrible

3.The underlined sentence “it dawned on me” probably means “ ”.

A. I began to understand it

B. it cheered me up

C. I knew it grew light

D. it began to get dark

4.What can we learn from the passage?

A. One shouldn’t criticize others very often.

B. One should often make his windows clean.

C. One must judge himself before he judges others.

D. One must look at others through his dirty windows.

Summer Programs at Museums

1.When can you join in the programs at the Postal Museum?

A. From July 17 to 23. B. From July 29 to 30.

C. From August 7 to 20. D. From August 21 to 27.

2.Which number can you phone if you are interested in the program about video arts?

A. 965-0400. B. 654-0930.

C. 357-3030. D. 272-0560.

3.A 15-year-old student can take part in the programs at .

A. the Building Museum B. the Postal Museum

C. the Air and Space Museum D. the Science Museum

4.In the Air and Space Museum, you can .

A. create a stamp B. build a house

C. make a paper airplane D. explore a future city

International Poetry Competition

World Poetry Day is celebrated on 21 March. Its purpose is to improve people’s ability to read, write, and teach poems all over the world.

This year, the International Poetry Centre is holding a poetry competition to celebrate the festival! The competition is open to all the poets(诗人) aged 18 and over from all over the world, and they will be divided into two groups

Open Group(open to all the poets aged 18 and over)

ESL Group(open to all the poets aged 18 and over who can write in English as a Second Language)

The winners of each group will receive ￡1000.

RULES

◆All the poems must be unpublished(未出版的) works.

◆Poems will not be returned, so please keep a copy.

◆The poem(s) must be in English and created by the poet himself/herself.

◆Poems can be written on any proper subject. No subject on violence(暴力) or drugs.

The competition begins on 3 March, 2017 and ends on 28 August, 2017.