I am not sure when I started listening to the radio. In the evening, I like listening to some talk programmes. The host’s (主持人的) beautiful voice makes me relax. The host often has the same feelings as the audience about love, friendship, life and so on. I am often moved (被感動) to tears. I usually go to bed at 9:30 pm and then I begin to listen to the play on the radio in bed. I can only listen to the sound, but I am always interested in guessing who they are and what they look like. I often fall asleep while listening. During lunch and supper time, I listen to the radio, too.

I like listening to music because it can make me quiet. I also like thinking about something while listening to music, for example, what I shall do tomorrow, that I have to call my family tonight and that I should send short messages to my friends on Christmas Day.  

You see, radio is important in my life, like a friend.

1.In the evening, the writer likes listening to some ____ programmes. 

A．talk

B．sports

C．news

D．music

2.At 9:30 pm, the writer begins to _______.

A．think about what to do tomorrow	B．listen to the play
C．send short messages to his friends	D．call his family

3. According to the passage, when does the writer listen to the radio?

A. When he is having breakfast.    B. When he is having lunch.

C. When he is having supper.      D. Both B and C.

4.The writer likes ______ while listening to music.

A．singing

B．talking

C．thinking

D．dancing

5.Which of the following is RIGHT? 

A．Radio is important in the writer’s life.

B．The writer often talks to the radio like a friend.

C．On Christmas Day the writer must listen to the radio.

D．The writer should send short messages to his friends while listening to the radio.

 

I will never forget the very moment that caused me to leave my gift behind because I wanted the gift that my older sister Maria had.
My family was spending a week at the beach. One morning, Maria went to the beach early, but I stayed behind to finish a drawing of a seashell. After finishing the drawing, I walked to join Maria. She was a top gymnast (體操運動員). Her show was perfect as she wheeled along the beach. The beauty of that sight froze me, and I decided immediately that I too would become a gymnast like her.
I knew that I had never been very good at sports. However, when I told my parents I wanted to take a gymnastics class, they agreed with me in surprise. The next week, I went to a beginners’ class.
If only my parents had talked me out of this misguided plan! Five minutes into the first class, it was clear that I didn’t have the gift of a gymnast. But I kept at it.
During this time, drawing and painting—which had been my two favorites—all but left my mind. It must have been hurting for my family as they watched my hopeless efforts. I blindly decided to be like Maria. I just would not give up.
At the same time, on the advice of Ms. White, my art teacher, I hurriedly handed in my seashell drawing for an art contest in our town. One night as I was having a hard time practicing, the phone rang. It was Ms. White. “Alice, you won the contest!” she said loudly.
“Really?” was all I could reply.
“Yes,” Ms. White said. “They’re going to give you a prize. And that’s not all. The winner is also accepted into Wildale’s Summer Fine Arts Institute.” I couldn’t believe what I heard. Only a handful of young artists were accepted each summer.
That night I didn’t go back into the living room to continue practicing. Gymnastics was Maria’s gift, not mine. It had taken me a while, but I realized that I had a gift of my own.
【小題1】Alice wanted to be a gymnast because ________.

A．she had been good at sports	B．her sister’s show was perfect
C．she hated drawing and painting	D．her parents wanted her to do so

【小題2】 How did Alice feel about learning gymnastics at last?

A．Satisfied.

B．Worried.

C．Hopeful

D．Regretful.

【小題3】 From the story, we can infer that ________.

A．Alice’s parents disagreed with her choice of gymnastics

B．Alice did not realize her gift in drawing and painting at first

C．Alice spent a hard time preparing for the art contest in the town

D．Alice couldn’t believe the news that she got the prize for painting

【小題4】 What does the writer want to tell us according to the passage?

A．We should value our own gifts.	B．It takes time to find one’s gifts.
C．We could develop different gifts.	D．It’s never too late to show our gifts.

I will never forget the very moment that caused me to leave my gift behind because I wanted the gift that my older sister Maria had.
My family was spending a week at the beach. One morning, Maria went to the beach early, but I stayed behind to finish a drawing of a seashell. After finishing the drawing, I walked to join Maria. She was a top gymnast (體操運動員). Her show was perfect as she wheeled along the beach. The beauty of that sight froze me, and I decided immediately that I too would become a gymnast like her.
I knew that I had never been very good at sports. However, when I told my parents I wanted to take a gymnastics class, they agreed with me in surprise. The next week, I went to a beginners’ class.
If only my parents had talked me out of this misguided plan! Five minutes into the first class, it was clear that I didn’t have the gift of a gymnast. But I kept at it.
During this time, drawing and painting—which had been my two favorites—all but left my mind. It must have been hurting for my family as they watched my hopeless efforts. I blindly decided to be like Maria. I just would not give up.
At the same time, on the advice of Ms. White, my art teacher, I hurriedly handed in my seashell drawing for an art contest in our town. One night as I was having a hard time practicing, the phone rang. It was Ms. White. “Alice, you won the contest!” she said loudly.
“Really?” was all I could reply.
“Yes,” Ms. White said. “They’re going to give you a prize. And that’s not all. The winner is also accepted into Wildale’s Summer Fine Arts Institute.” I couldn’t believe what I heard. Only a handful of young artists were accepted each summer.
That night I didn’t go back into the living room to continue practicing. Gymnastics was Maria’s gift, not mine. It had taken me a while, but I realized that I had a gift of my own.
【小題1】Alice wanted to be a gymnast because ________.

A．she had been good at sports	B．her sister’s show was perfect
C．she hated drawing and painting	D．her parents wanted her to do so

【小題2】 How did Alice feel about learning gymnastics at last?

A．Satisfied.

B．Worried.

C．Hopeful

D．Regretful.

【小題3】 From the story, we can infer that ________.

A．Alice’s parents disagreed with her choice of gymnastics

B．Alice did not realize her gift in drawing and painting at first

C．Alice spent a hard time preparing for the art contest in the town

D．Alice couldn’t believe the news that she got the prize for painting

【小題4】 What does the writer want to tell us according to the passage?

A．We should value our own gifts.	B．It takes time to find one’s gifts.
C．We could develop different gifts.	D．It’s never too late to show our gifts.

 

I will never forget the very moment that caused me to leave my gift behind because I wanted the gift that my older sister Maria had.

My family was spending a week at the beach. One morning, Maria went to the beach early, but I stayed behind to finish a drawing of a seashell. After finishing the drawing, I walked to join Maria. She was a top gymnast (體操運動員). Her show was perfect as she wheeled along the beach. The beauty of that sight froze me, and I decided immediately that I too would become a gymnast like her.

I knew that I had never been very good at sports. However, when I told my parents I wanted to take a gymnastics class, they agreed with me in surprise. The next week, I went to a beginners’ class.

   If only my parents had talked me out of this misguided plan! Five minutes into the first class, it was clear that I didn’t have the gift of a gymnast. But I kept at it.

   During this time, drawing and painting—which had been my two favorites—all but left my mind. It must have been hurting for my family as they watched my hopeless efforts. I blindly decided to be like Maria. I just would not give up.

   At the same time, on the advice of Ms. White, my art teacher, I hurriedly handed in my seashell drawing for an art contest in our town. One night as I was having a hard time practicing, the phone rang. It was Ms. White. “Alice, you won the contest!” she said loudly.

 “Really?” was all I could reply.

“Yes,” Ms. White said. “They’re going to give you a prize. And that’s not all. The winner is also accepted into Wildale’s Summer Fine Arts Institute.” I couldn’t believe what I heard. Only a handful of young artists were accepted each summer.

That night I didn’t go back into the living room to continue practicing. Gymnastics was Maria’s gift, not mine. It had taken me a while, but I realized that I had a gift of my own.

1.Alice wanted to be a gymnast because ________.

A. she had been good at sports                  B. her sister’s show was perfect

C. she hated drawing and painting               D. her parents wanted her to do so

2. How did Alice feel about learning gymnastics at last?

A. Satisfied.           B. Worried.             C. Hopeful          D. Regretful.  

3. From the story, we can infer that ________.

A. Alice’s parents disagreed with her choice of gymnastics

B. Alice did not realize her gift in drawing and painting at first

C. Alice spent a hard time preparing for the art contest in the town

D. Alice couldn’t believe the news that she got the prize for painting

4. What does the writer want to tell us according to the passage?

A. We should value our own gifts.           B. It takes time to find one’s gifts.

C. We could develop different gifts.        D. It’s never too late to show our gifts.

 

My Year Abroad                                                           

This month in Travelers Corner there are three teenagers’ experiences in year-abroad programmes.

Mariko Okada – Tokyo

My year abroad in the United States was a fantastic experience. I’m not a shy person, and I was very comfortable speaking to everyone. So I got lots of speaking practice. I also learned lots of interesting things about American culture. When I got home, my friends all said that I had improved so much! I hope to go back again in the future.

Carla Fonseca – Rio de Janeiro

I spent last year studying English in London. I’m from a small town, and London is a very big city. Sometimes I felt it was too big. There were so many people to talk to, but I always felt bad about my English. I missed my family, and I really missed my two cats. My roommate was always using our telephone, so I hardly had the chance for a nice long talk with my parents. I think it was a good experience for me, but I’m glad to be home!

Alvin Chen – Hong Kong

Studying in New Zealand was a fun experience for me, but it was also lots of hard work! I had English classes six hours a day, five days a week——with lots of homework. I also kept a diary of my experience. I like to write, and I wrote two or three pages in my diary every day. On Saturdays, my homestay family took me to lots of interesting places and showed me so many wonderful things about the culture. I’m really glad I went!

1.All the three teenagers went abroad           .

A．to study English                         B．to visit friends

C．to have a holiday                        D．to find a job

2.Who didn’t really enjoy the stay in a foreign country very much?

A．Mariko.           B．Carla.             C．Alvin.             D．None of them.

3.Travelers Corner is most probably         .

A．a(chǎn) sports club newsletter                  B．a(chǎn) science documentary

C．a(chǎn) travel magazine                       D．a(chǎn) news website

 

My Year Abroad                                                           

This month in Travelers Corner there are three teenagers’ experiences in year-abroad programmes.

Mariko Okada – Tokyo

My year abroad in the United States was a fantastic experience. I’m not a shy person, and I was very comfortable speaking to everyone. So I got lots of speaking practice. I also learned lots of interesting things about American culture. When I got home, my friends all said that I had improved so much! I hope to go back again in the future.

Carla Fonseca – Rio de Janeiro

I spent last year studying English in London. I’m from a small town, and London is a very big city. Sometimes I felt it was too big. There were so many people to talk to, but I always felt bad about my English. I missed my family, and I really missed my two cats. My roommate was always using our telephone, so I hardly had the chance for a nice long talk with my parents. I think it was a good experience for me, but I’m glad to be home!

Alvin Chen – Hong Kong

Studying in New Zealand was a fun experience for me, but it was also lots of hard work! I had English classes six hours a day, five days a week——with lots of homework. I also kept a diary of my experience. I like to write, and I wrote two or three pages in my diary every day. On Saturdays, my homestay family took me to lots of interesting places and showed me so many wonderful things about the culture. I’m really glad I went!

25. All the three teenagers went abroad           .

A. to study English        B. to visit friends    C. to have a holiday       D. to find a job

26. Who didn’t really enjoy the stay in a foreign country very much?

A. Mariko.             B. Carla.         C. Alvin.         D. None of them.

27. Travelers Corner is most probably         .

A. a sports club newsletter           B. a science documentary

C. a travel magazine                     D. a news website