1、1 Chinese New YearChinese New Year is the most important festival for Chinese people all over the world. It is also called the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year. The exact date of the Spring Festival on the Western calendar changes from year to year. However, Chinese New Year takes place between
2、 January 1 and February 19. On the Chinese calendar every year has an animals name. These animals are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. A Chinese legend says that these twelve animals had a race. The first year was named after the rat, the winner. T
3、he other eleven years were named according to the order in which the animals arrived in the race. The clever rat jumped onto the oxs back, and then at the end jumped over the oxs head to arrive first! The Chinese believe that a person born in a particular year has some of the characteristics of that
4、 animal. lunar 月(亮)的 exact 确切的calendar 日历 rat 鼠 ox 公 牛 rabbit 兔子 ram 公羊 rooster 公鸡 legend 传说name after 按.命名 particular 特殊的 characteristic 特征2 A Teenagers Joke: Guidelines for Doing SchoolworkMy school had a policy about homework. Students should not spend more than ninety minutes per night doing hom
5、ework. This is how I use the time for my work. Fifteen minutes looking for assignment; Eleven minutes calling a friend for the assignment; Twenty three minutes explaining why the teacher is mean and does not like teenagers; Eight minutes in the bathroom; Ten minutes getting a snack; Seven minutes ch
6、ecking the TV Guide; Six minutes telling my parents that the teacher never explained the assignment; Ten minutes sitting at the kitchen table waiting for Mom or Dad to do the assignment. guideline 指导方针 policy 政策 per 每 assignment 作业 mean 低劣的 snack 小吃 TV guide 电视指南3 The Toad and the FrogA toad saw a f
7、rog near the road. He was a fat old frog. He sat and moaned and groaned. The toad said, “Do not moan and groan, Mr. Frog. Hop like me. Hop down the road.” So the frog and the toad went down the road to a big oak tree. “I am home,” said the toad. “Come in and I will make tea.” But Mr. Frog said, in a
8、 deep croak, “I must not roam far from home. I will be off to my home near the pond.” toad 蟾蜍,癞蛤蟆 moan 呻吟hop 跳跃 oak 橡树4.A was an apple pie A是一个苹果(APPLE)派 B bit it C cut it D dealt with it E ate it F fought for it G got it H had it I inspected it J jumped for it K kept it L longed for it M mourned fo
9、r it N nodded at it O opened it P peeped in it Q quartered it R ran for it S stole it T took it U upset it V viewed it W wanted it X，Y，Z and ampersand all wished for a piece in hand. XYZ。bit bite 咬的过去时dealt with deal with 处理的过去时inspect 检查 long for 渴望mourn 哀悼nod 点头 peep 窥视quarter 分成四份upset 弄翻的过去时view
10、 观察ampersand 记号名称 5 Homestay in the USMy name is Jenny and I did a homestay in America. When I first met my host mother, Mary, she gave me a big hug. I was really shocked because I had never been hugged before, and I wasn sure how to respond. By the time I left America, though, I came to enjoy huggi
11、ng and being hugged. Shaking hands was also a challenge. My homestay father, Peter, looked at me straight in the eye and squeezed my hand firmly. Both Mary and Peter wanted me to call them by their first names because they, as Americans, like informality. By using first names only, we felt friendlie
12、r towards each other. homestay 家庭寄宿 host 东道主 hug 拥抱 shock 震惊 respond 回应 challenge 挑战 straight 直接地 squeeze 挤压 firmly 紧紧地 informality 随意6 Brothers and SistersMy sister is a year older than me and weve been sharing a room since I was 3 years old. We are very close, but we also fight all the time. Our f
13、ights are never serious. I cant remember the cause of our fights now, but they were always over small things. Sometimes it was just over a particular word I used or maybe just because my sister gave my teddy bear a hug and I was unhappy about it. We dont take our fights very seriously as if all the
14、fights are a game. I think its perfectly okay for kids to fight with their brothers or sisters. Now Im a teenager, and I even think that theyre sweet memories!share 分享 serious 认真的 cause 原因 fight 打架 particular 特别的，特殊的 teddy bear 玩具熊 teenage 青少年 perfectly 完全7 Thirty Days Hath September （Nursery Rhyme）
15、Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November; All the rest have thirty-one, Except for February alone, It has twenty-eight days clear, And twenty-nine on each Leap Year.hath （古英语）=has leap year 闰年8 Two DumplingsA young man had a small business. He worked very hard, and he made a lot of mone
16、y. One day, he had dinner with a businessman. He wanted the man to become his business partner. When they finished the dinner, there were two dumplings left. The young man told the waitress: “ Please pack them in a doggy bag and Id like to take them home. Soon the businessman decided to work togethe
17、r with the young man. He said, “The young man is great. He has lots of money but he wont waste it.dumpling 饺子 partner 伙伴 waitress 女服务员 pack 包 doggy bag （饭店里客人将吃剩食物打包带走时用的）纸包9 A Visit to the City CentreOn their first day in the capital, Diana and Peter visited the Old Tower which stood on a hill near
18、 the city centre. There were stairs leading to the top, but Diana and Peter decided to take the lift. At the top there was a caf ? and a balcony where visitors could stand and enjoy the view. It was magnificent you could see the whole city, the river and the hills beyond. On their way back from the
19、Tower, Diana and Peter went past the main square in the city centre. They stopped at a stall to have some orange juice, and sat and watched the traffic for a while. The square was very busy, with cars, buses, bicycles and pedestrians going in all directions. In the centre of the square there was a p
20、oliceman controlling the traffic. stair 楼梯 take the lift 乘电梯 balcony 阳台 magnificent 壮观的 stall 摊点 pedestrian 行人 control 控制10 Rain, Rain, Go Away（Nursery Rhyme）Rain, rain, go away, Come again another day. Rain, rain, go to Spain, Never show your face again. Rain, rain, pour down, But not a drop on our
21、 town. Rain on the green grass, And rain on the tree, And rain on the housetop, But not on me. Rain, rain, go away, Come again on washing day. Rain, rain, go to Germany, And remain there permanently. Rain, rain, go away, Come on Marthas wedding day. remain 保持，逗留 permanently 永远地11 An Embarrassing Sho
22、wThe day of the school science fair had finally arrived, and Lisa was both nervous and excited. She couldnt wait to show off her volcano model at the fair. She might even win the first prize! As Lisa was setting up her volcano, she noticed her friend Alexs project on the table next to hers. Weeks ag
23、o, Alex had asked her for help in creating a model of the solar system, and Lisa was glad to help. He never told her he as going to enter it in the Science Fair! His model was painted beautifully in different colours. Finally Alex got the first place and Lisa felt very embarrassed.fair 展览会 project 设
24、计，计划nervous 神经紧张的，不安的 excited 兴奋的 show off 炫耀 volcano 火山 create 创作，创造 solar system 太阳系 embarrassed 觉得难堪的12 Humour Things Your Mother Wouldnt Say“Be good and Ill buy you a motorcycle for your birthday!“How on earth can you see the TV sitting so far back?“Dons bother wearing a jacket its quite warm ou
25、t. “Let me smell that shirt yeah, its good for another week. “I think a cluttered bedroom is a sign of creativity.?“Yeah, I used to skip school, too.?“Just leave all the lights on.it makes the house more cheery.“Could you turn the music up louder so I can enjoy it, too?humour 幽默 motorcycle 摩托车 on ea
26、rth 究竟 smell 闻 cheery 愉快的cluttered 混乱的 sign 预兆，表现 creativity 创造力 skip 跳 13 DogsPeople often say that a dog is mans best friend. Over thousands of years, man has taught his dogs to do many kinds of work besides guarding the home. For example, sheepdogs are famous for their ability to control a flock
27、of hundreds of sheep. Dogs have been used to aid disabled people for centuries. A guide dog can lead its blind owner. Nowadays, dogs can be taught to turn on light switches, open refrigerator doors and dial the telephone for their disabled owners. For the majority of people, however, dogs are simply
28、 pets and friends for both young and old members of the family.guard 看守，看护 sheepdog 牧羊犬 flock 群 aid 帮助 disabled 残疾人 century 世纪 guide dog 导盲犬 dial 拨 majority 大多数14 Detective WorkA bank robber stole a lot of money. He was caught and sent to prison, but the money was never found. When he came out of pr
29、ison, they watched him to see what he would do. Here is the detective, reporting to the inspector. “Yes, sir, I found Johnny Armitage. I followed him all around the town, but frankly, I couldnt make anything out of what he bought. Heres the list.“shirt heavy crowbar box of chocolates shovel heavy ha
30、mmer bunch of flowers The inspector said, “Good. That helps me a lot. Do you remember how we watched him helping his neighbour, old Mrs. Judson to cover her backyard with cement?detective 侦探的侦探 robber 强盗，盗贼 prison 监狱 inspector 检察官 frankly 坦白地，真诚地 crowbar 铁撬，撬棒 shovel 铲，铁铲 hammer 铁锤，锤子 backyard 后院 ce
31、ment 水泥15 What is Time? （Nursery Rhyme）Time is grain for peasants. Time is wealth for workers. Time is life for doctors. Time is victory for soldiers. Time is knowledge for students. Time is speed for scientists. Time is money for businessmen. Time is everything for all of us. Therefore, seize the t
32、ime of today!grain 粮食 wealth 财富 victory 胜利 seize 抓住，把握16 Perfect MatchA rich woman is so proud of a valuable antique vase that she decides to have her bedroom painted the same colour as the vase. Several painters try to mix the colour right, but none comes close enough to satisfy the woman. Eventual
33、ly, a painter comes. He is confident that he can mix the proper colour. The woman is pleased with the result, and the painter becomes famous. Years later, he retires and turns the business over to his son. “Dad,“asks the son, “theres something Ive got to know. How did you get those walls to match th
34、e vase so perfectly?“ “Son,” the father replies, “I painted the vase.“proud of 自豪 valuable 值钱的 antique vase 古董花瓶 paint 用油漆漆 satisfy 满意 eventually 最终 confident 有信心的 retire 退休 match 和相配17 A BarbecueWhen I was a child, I once went camping with my family in the summer. We decided to make a barbecue in t
35、he valley. So we collected some tree sticks to make a fire. My father asked me if I could try to make a fire. I was glad to take the job. Then I tried to set fire to the wood with a match, but produced only smoke. Then my father said, “Thats not the right way. Ill show you how to do it. First use th
36、e small pieces of wood because they catch fire easily. Then put the larger ones on top of them.“ My father helped me make a big fire. barbecue 烧烤 valley 山谷 stick 枝条 make a fire 生火18 A Joke “I stand corrected”I have this friend who always seemed to lean slightly to the left all the time. It used to b
37、other me, so I suggested he see a doctor, and have his legs checked out. For years, he refused and told me I was crazy, but last week, he finally went. Sure enough, the doctor discovered his left leg was a quarter inch shorter than his right. A quick bit of surgery later, he was cured, and both legs
38、 are exactly the same length now, and he no longer leans. “So,”I said, “You didnt believe me when I told you a doctor could fix your leg. He just looked at me and said, “I stand corrected.lean 倾斜 slightly 轻微地 check out 检查 refuse 拒绝 quarter 四分之一 surgery 手术 cure 治愈 fix 治愈 stand corrected 认错19 Making a
39、 KiteOne day, Paula and Richard decided to make a kite. First they went out and found two straight sticks of the same length. They brought them back home and tied them with a piece of string into the shape of a cross. Then they took some string and used it to tie the four ends of the sticks together
40、. Then, they spread some brightly coloured paper over the frame and glued it around the string. They stuck a tail made of paper to one of the corners, and tied a long string to the centre of the kite. On the next windy day, they took the kite to a hill near their house and flew it. straight stick 直木
41、棍 tie 系 string 绳子 shape 形状 cross 十字 spread 传开 frame 框架 stick 粘 tail 尾巴 windy 有风的20 Animals in DangerSome of the animals and birds in the rainforest, such as monkeys and woodpeckers, live in the treetops. They are always swinging and flying from one tree to another looking for food among the leaves a
42、nd branches. They even sleep in the treetops so they do not have to come down to the ground. Have you heard that such animals and birds in the rainforests are in danger? Because people are cutting down so many trees in the forests, the animals are losing their homes. Do you know the reasons for it?
43、Yes, people want wood, paper and land. As a result many animals and plants are dying. Some forests are so badly damaged that they become deserts. rainforest 雨林 woodpecker 啄木鸟 treetop 树顶 swing 摇荡 leaves 树叶（leaf 的复数形式） branch 树枝 desert 沙漠21 English in the World Some people say that the English languag
44、e no longer belongs to the English, and it belongs to the world. It is estimated that the number of people who use English exceeds 750 million. Among these, about 350 million are native speakers, while the rest use it as an official language. If we add to this number the people who have acquired the language to some extent, the total is close to one billion. English plays an increasingly important
