Passage 1.Woodpecker
There are many apple trees in a garden. They’re good friends. One day an old tree is ill. There are many pests in the tree. Leaves of the tree turn yellow. The old tree feels very sad and unwell. Another tree sends for a doctor for him. At first, they send for a pigeon, but she has no idea about it. Then they send for an oriole, and she can’t treat the old tree well. Then they send for a woodpecker. She is a good doctor. She pecks a hole in the tree and eats lots of pests. At last the old tree becomes better and better. Leaves turn green and green.
Passage 2.A Busy Day
Today is Sunday! On Sundays, I usually play the flute. My father usually reads the newspaper. My mother usually cleans the house. But today my mother is in bed. She is ill. My father has to do the housework. Now, he is cleaning the house. “Sam, can you help me?” “Yes, Dad!” Now, we’re washing the car. Where’s my sister, Amy? She is playing my flute. What a lucky girl!
Passage 3.The dog and his reflection
One day a dog with a piece of meat in his mouth was crossing a plank over a stream. As he walked along, he looked into water, and he saw his reflection. He thought this was another dog carrying
a piece of meat. And he felt he would like to have two pieces. So he snapped at the reflection in the water, and of course, as he opened his mouth, the piece of meat disappeared quickly.
Passage 4.An honest boy
Tony is seven years old. He is an honest and polite boy. One day, it was Sunday. Tony, his sister and his mother stayed at home. He was watching TV and his sister was reading books. His mother was washing clothes. Just then, his father came back with a bag
of pears. Tony likes pears very much and he wanted
to eat one. His mother gave him four and said, “Let’s share them.” “Which pear do you want, Tony?” asked his mother. “The biggest one, mum.” “What?” said his mother, “You should be polite and want the smallest one.” “Should I tell a lie just to be polite, mum?”
Passage 5.A birthday party
Today is Susan’s birthday. She is nine years old. Her friends are in her home now. There is a birthday party in the evening. Look! Mary is listening to the music. And Tom is drinking orange juice. Jack and Sam are playing cards on the floor. Lily and Amy are watching TV. Someone is knocking at the door. It’s Henry. He brings a big teddy bear for Susan. The teddy bear is yellow. Susan is very happy. All the children are happy. They sing a birthday song for Susan.
Passage 6.The Farmer and the Snake
It was a cold winter day. A farmer found a snake on the ground. It was nearly dead by cold. The Farmer was a kind man. He picked up the snake carefully and put it under the coat. Soon the snake Began to move and it raised its mouth and bit the farmer. “Oh, My god!” said the farmer, “I save your life, but you thank me in that way. You must die.” Then he killed the snake with a stick. At last he died, too.
Passage 7.Two Young Trees
Two young trees are standing on the top of the hill. Their names are Tim and Alan.
One day, it’s sunny and warm. Some birds are singing in the trees. The wind blows, and the trees are talking. “What do you want to be when you grow up?’’ asks Tim. “I’m not sure. I think I want to be a chair or a desk.” answers Alan, “Maybe I want to be
a toy box or a baseball bat. I like children.” “What do you want to be when you grow up?” asks Alan. “Me?” says Tim, “I just want to be a tree. I want to be
a house for birds and spiders. I want to have many apples. And when it’s sunny and hot, people and animals can stand under me.”
Passage 8.Hongkong is a nice place
Hong Kong is a nice place, especially in summer. July is a hot month in Hong Kong. But it’s an excellent time for swimming. There is a beautiful beach at Repulse Bay (淺水灣). To get there, you can take a bus from Central. Lots of people go to the beach on Sundays and Saturdays. But if you go on a weekday, it is will be not so crowded.Visitors to Hongkong need passports. But people from many countries do not need visas. Hongkong is a nice place for holiday. There are many shops.
Passage 9.Water
Water is very important for living things. Without water, there must be no life on the earth. All the plants and animals need water to drink, to cook food and to clean ourselves. Water is needed in farms, factories, offices, schools, families and many other places.
Water is found in seas, rivers and lakes. It can be found everywhere in the world, and it also can be found in the air.
Passage 10.Twins’ Bedroom
This is the twins’ bedroom. It is a nice room. The two beds look the same. This bed is Lily’s and that one is Lucy’s. The twins have one desk and two chairs. Their clock, books and pencil-boxes are on the desk. Their schoolbags are behind the chairs. Some nice flowers are on the desk. Some nice pictures are on the wall. Is there a kite? Yes, it’s under Lily’s bed. The bedroom is very nice.
Passage 11.Dogs
One of the animals that help people a lot is the dog. In some countries, dogs pull wagons. In the cold north, dogs pull sleds.
There are other ways that dogs help us, too. Policemen use them to look for missing people. Soldiers use them to carry letters and medicine .On farms, dogs take care of sheep and keep them in the fields. At night, they take the sheep home. Dogs help the blind with work. Some dogs are good and kind. Some dogs are good at another skill.
Passage 12.The Best Job
Betty is a lazy girl. She doesn’t study hard, and she doesn’t help her mother with the housework, either. “What are you going to be when you grow up, Betty?” Mother asks. “You’re too lazy. No job will ever fit you.” “But I know one,” says the girl, “I’m going to be Father Christmas,” “You want to be Father Christmas?” Mother is surprised, “But why?” “Because he works only one day in a whole year.”
Passage 13.A Clever Monkey
A little monkey picks up a pumpkin and wants to take it home. But the pumpkin is too big. The monkey can’t take it home.
Suddenly he sees a panda riding a bike towards him. He watches the bike. “l have a good idea. I can roll the pumpkin. It likes a wheel.”
So he rolls the pumpkin to his home. When his mother sees the big pumpkin, she is surprised and says, “How can you carry it home?” The little monkey answers proudly, “l can’t lift it, but l can roll it.” His mother smiles and says, “ What a clever boy!”
Passage14. What Are Stars Like?
Have you ever wondered about the stars? In some ways, stars are like people. They are born. They grow old. And they die. A star is born from dust and gas. Slowly the dust and gas make a ball. The ball gets very hot. Then it starts to give off light. The young star grows into a giant. Many years go by. The older star begins to get small again. At last its light goes out. The star’s life is over.
Passage 15.Radio and Television
Radio and television are very popular in the world today. Millions of people watch TV. Perhaps more people listen to the radio.
The TV is more useful than the radio. On TV we can see and hear what is happening in the world. However, radio isn’t lost. It is still with us. And listeners are becoming more. That’s because a transistor radio isn’t lost. It is still with us. It is very easy to carry. You can put one in your pocket and listen to it on the bus or your bike when you go to work.
Passage 16.It’s cool behind you
It’s two o’clock in the afternoon. The sun is shinning and it’s very hot. Nancy has to meet her mother at the train station.
Now she’s walking in the street. There are no trees and she’s fat. So she feels very hot. But she doesn’t find a boy walking just behind her. And she meets a friend and says “hello” to him. “Who’s the boy behind you？” asks the man . Now she sees the boy. She is angry and asks, “Why are you walking behind me, boy?” “There’s no shade in the street, you know.” answers the boy. “It’s cool behind you, I think.”
Passage 17.Father’s Hobby
My dad works from Monday to Friday in a bank. he uses the computer to count money. His job is very important in the bank.
Dad is also busy at home. At weekends he cooks dinner. Usually he cooks Italian food. On Sundays he makes five pieces of pizza. Sometimes he cooks chicken and makes Chinese food. My mum watches and helps him. I help my dad, too. I wash the dishes.
Many people think it is strange for a man to cook. But my dad enjoys his hobby. Cooking relaxes him. He is a weekend cook.
Passage 18.I don’t think so
Jack is a good boy but he doesn’t like to use his head. He often says something withou thinking.It makes others unhappy.
Mr. Black teaches math in a school. He’s old now and he likes children.On the Friday Mr. Black doesn’t go to work, because he’s ill in a hospital. And Jack’s mother will see him after dinner. “I want to be there with you.” says Jack. “You’re a rude boy. I can’t take you there.’’ says his mother. “Don’t worry, mum. I won’t do that again. Please believe me. ” says Jack. In the hospital, Jack says nothing at first. When they’re leaving , he says to Mr. Black, “You look fine. The doctor says you’re going to die, but I don’t think so. ”
Passage 19.Seven days in a week
There are about fifty-two weeks in a year. And there are seven days in each week. The first day of a week is Sunday. The other days of a week between Sunday and Saturday are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday and Friday. Monday is the second day, Tuesday is the third day, Wednesday is the fourth day, Thursday is the fifth day, and Friday is the sixth day. What’s the last day? Do you know?
Passage 20.My special Friend
I have a friend in the U.S. His name is Don Adams. I know him very well, but I have never met him. We write to each other all the time. My letters are very short. It is still hard for me to write in English. I received a letter from Don yesterday. It makes me very happy. He is coming to my country for a visit next summer. We are going to see each other for the first time.
Passage 21.A Day in My Life
My family lives on this street. In the morning, my father goes to work and all the children go to school. My mother takes us to school everyday. She does the housework. She always has her lunch at home, and sees her friends in the afternoon. In the evening all the children come home from school. They always get home early. My father goes home from work and he is often late. After supper my two brothers and I do our homework. We go to bed at ten.
Passage 22. The Sea
What do know about the sea? Some people have seen it but others haven’t. The sea looks beautiful on a fine sunny day and it can be very tough when there is a strong wind. What other things do you know about it? Of course, the sea is very large. In the world there is more sea than land. If you have swum in the sea, you know that the sea is salty. Rivers carry salt from the land into the sea. Some places of the sea are saltier than the other places. Do you know the Dead Sea? It is so salty that you can’t sink when you are in the water! And fish cannot live in it!
Passage 23.A Good Young Pioneer
Li Hua is a Yong Pioneer. He is going to the park. Now he is waiting for a bus. Suddenly he finds a watch on the ground. He asks some people, “Whose watch is it?” But the watch isn’t theirs. So he gives the watch to a policeman.
Now Li Hua gets on the bus. He is sitting near the window. An old woman gets on the bus. She has no seat. So he stands up and says, “Here is a seat for you, Granny. Please sit here”
Passage 24.Sea horse
There are all kinds of horses in the world. But one of them you can’t ride. It doesn’t live on land, but in the sea. It looks like the head of horse. So the people call it sea horse. In fact, the sea horse is a small fish. It likes to live in warm water. A sea horse stands up in the water when it swims.
Father horse carries the eggs to keep them safe in its pouch. When the eggs are hatched, the baby horses swim away.
Passage 25.A Cat and a Bird
There are three trees near the house. There is a big tree, and two small trees.
In the big tree there is a bird. Can the bird sing? Yes, it can. What’s under the big tree? It’s a cat.
“I want some food,” thinks the cat. “Bird, my good friend, Come here! It’s time to play games” says the cat.
“No today, thank you!” says the bird, “You can’t catch me! Goodbye!” Look! The bird is flying!
Passage 26.A Flying Fox
A flying fox is not a fox at all. It is a bat. But this bat looks like a fox. A flying fox is very big. It likes to eat fruit. Sometimes the flying fox is called fruit bat.
The flying fox flies into fruit trees. Then the bat eats all the fruit. So fruit farmers do not like the flying fox.
Passage 27.Flying Birds
Birds don’t fly high up in the sky. The air is too thin.
It is hard for birds to breathe in thin air. Thin air doesn’t hold them up.
Birds fly near the ground so that they can see where they are. The birds look for places they know. Then they do not get lost. Some birds fly so low over the ocean that the waves often hide them. Many birds fly a long distance in the spring and autumn.
Passage 28.Air
Air is all around us. It is around us as we walk and play. From the time we were born air is around us on every side. When we sit down, it is around us. When we go to bed, air is also around us. We live in air. We can live without food or water for a few days, but we cannot live for more than a few minutes without air. We take in air. When we are working or running we need more air. When we are asleep, we need less air. We live in air, but we cannot see it. We can only feel it when it is moving. Moving air is called wind. How can we make air move? Here is one way. Hold an open book in front of your face, close it quickly. What can you feel? What you feel is air.
Passage 29.Clocks
There are many clocks in the Brown’s house. They are in different rooms.A big clock stands in a corner of the sitting room. It is a very, very old clock, but it still keeps good time. Mr. Brown winds it once a week.
Passage 30. Swimming
Swimming is a good sport. It’s popular. People like swimming because the water makes people feel cool. But if they swim in a wrong place, it is very dangerous. These years, some people died when they were enjoying themselves in water and most of them were students. Summer holiday will be there again. I want to give you some advice. First, don’t get into the water when you are alone. Second, don’t get into the water if there is a No swimming sign. Third, you should be careful in the water. If you remember these, swimming will be safe and it’s good for your health.
Passage 31.A missing tiger
We used to have a cat called Tiger. He was a beautiful tabby with a great deal of character. He was a natural hunter, and very soon no mouse dared to show its face in our house.
Unfortunately Tiger also used to catch a lot of birds and this made him very unpopular with some of the neighbors. Onday day, just after his second birthday, Tiger disappeared. Perhaps he was run over by a car, for at that time we lived near a busy street. Although we offered a reward, we never discovered what had happened to him and we never saw him again.
Passage 32.Jim
Jim gets up at 6:30. His home is near his school. He leaves home at 7:30. They begin class at 8:00. He has lunch at home. After lunch he plays games with his classmates, in the afternoon, Jim has three classes. He leaves school at 4:30.
Passage 33.A Chinese Boy
I’m a Chinese boy. My name is Chen Dong. I am twelve. I have two sisters. My sisters and I are all students.
My father is a teacher. He is a Chinese teacher. He teaches in No. 19 Middle School. My mother is a teacher, too. She teaches English in the No. 11 Middle School.
Passage 34.Jim’s Family
A picture is on my desk. This is a picture of Jim’s family. The man is Jim’s father. A woman is behind Jim. She is his mother. They are teachers. A girl is in the picture, too. She is Jim’s sister. Her name is Kate Green. Jim and his sister are in the same school. But they aren’t in the same grade. They look like their mother. They are English.
Passage 35.Our House
Our home is near the school. We have a house. It
is a good house. The house has three rooms. One
is a living room. The other two are bedrooms. In the living room there is a table and six chairs. There are some flowers on the table. There is a garden in front of the house. Our house isn’t big, but we like it.
Passage 36.Our Monitor
This is Lin. She is from Beijing. She studies very hard. In class she can answer the teacher’s questions very quickly. Lin loves her classmates and often helps them with their lessons. Everybody says she is a very good monitor.
Passage 37.My bedroom
This is my bed room. There are two windows in it. Near the window there are some red flowers. A map of China is on the wall. You can see four shoes and a basketball under my bed. There are trousers and a coat on the bed. Many schoolbooks are on my desk. And there are three lights in my bedroom. One is on my desk, and the other two are near my bed.
Passage 38.A Piece of meat
A dog has a large piece of meat in his mouth. Near the water he looks down and sees himself in the water. He thinks it is another dog. That dog has also a large piece of meat in his mouth. He says to himself, “I want to get his meat. Then I can have two pieces.” He opens his mouth to bark and his meat goes down into the water.
Passage 39.Our Classroom
Our classroom is bright and clean. But it is not big. There are twenty-three desks and chairs in it. They are new. There’s a big desk in front of the classroom. It’s for our teachers.There are five pictures on the right wall. There’s a map of the world and a map of China on the left wall.
Beside the window there’s a bookshelf. There are many books on it. Our classroom is very nice. We have lessons here. We like our classroom.
Passage 40. Our school
This is our school. There are many classrooms in
it. There are eight hundred students and sixty—nine teachers in our school. There are many trees and flowers in it. All the teachers and students like our school very much.
We come to school at seven. We have four classes in the morning and two in the afternoon.
Our classroom is big and clean. We have lessons here. We do our homework at home.
All the students study hard.
Passage 41.A Holiday
It’s fine today. Tom and his family are at a park. The man in white is his father. He is standing by the lake and looking at the boats. The woman in blue is his mother. She is sitting on the grass. Beside his mother is Alice, his sister. She is eating cake. The park is big, and there are many trees and flowers in
it. They are having a good time.
Passage 42.An Old Mouse
An old woman has a cat. The cat is now very old. She cannot run fast, and she cannot bite. One day the old cat sees a mouse. she jumps and catches the mouse. But she cannot bite it. So the mouse gets out of her mouth and runs away.
Then the old woman is very angry because the cat cannot kill the mouse. She begins to beat the cat. The cat says to her, “Don’t beat me. Be friendly
to me. When I was young, I did good work for you.”
Passage 43.A hungry fox
A hungry fox is from a forest. He arrives at a village. He wants to find some food. He comes to a house and pulls the door. But it locked. He sees there is a hen inside.
“Hello I’ll come to visit you,” he tells the hen. “I know that you are ill. Come out and let me take your temperature.”
“Thank you,” says the hen. “I have a headache. But if I come out, you will kill me.”
Passage 44.Help Each Other
Look! Kate is flying a bird kite. Oh, her kite is in the tree. And it is broken. She can’t climb up the tree. Li Lei and Jim are coming here. Li Lei is helping her. He is getting the kite from the tree. But he can’t get down. Jim is helping Li Lei. Li Lei is jumping to the wall. They are getting down from the wall. Kate, Jim, and Li Lei are mending the kite under the tree. They are good friends.
Passage 45.The Weather
The weather in Shanghai is not always good. In winter it is often cold and wet. In summer it is very hot. Spring is very beautiful. It is not very cold, but we have a lot of rain in spring. Autumn is the best season. The days are clear and dry and it is sunny and warm all the time.
The weather in Shanghai is sometimes warmer than in Beijing. But in summer it is cooler in Beijing than in Shanghai.
Passage 46.What’s Happening?
It is in autumn. A young man comes to a forest. He’s walking beside the forest. On his right is a river. On his left is the forest. Suddenly he sees two green eyes looking at him from the trees. A tiger is getting ready to jump on him.
What does he do? He must jump into the river. In the river there is a big crocodile. Its mouth is very big. The young man closes his eyes. The tiger jumps over him. And the young man opens his eyes. Now the tiger is in the mouth of the crocodile.
Passage 47.Kangaroos
There are many kangaroos in Australia and not only
in zoos. You can see them everywhere outside of the cities and towns. When they want to have a rest on their tails, kangaroos are also very good at looking after their babies. mother kangaroos keep their babies safe in their pockets.
Passage 48.A Pair of Shoes
One day an old man is taking the train to his hometown .One of his shoes falls onto the ground, but the train starts. He cannot pick it up, then he takes off the other and throws it near the fallen shoe. A boy beside him asks him, “Why do you do that?” He answers, “If a man picks them up, he may get a pair of shoes.”
Passage 49. We get the Wrong car!
One day my wife and I go shopping at a shop. We stop the car in front of the shop. An hour later we come back to the car with many things. But we can not open the car door. “Oh, dear,” says my wife. “What shall we do?” “Let’s ask that policeman!” The policeman comes to help us. A few minutes later, he gets the door open. Just at that moment a man comes up and shouts, “Why are you opening my car door?”We look at the number of the car and our faces turn red.
Passage 50. Thank you.
Many people like to say “Thank you” when others help them or say something kind to them. It is a very good habit.
You should say “Thank you” when someone passes you the salt on the table, when someone is walking ahead of you keeps the door open for you, when someone says you have done your work well, or you have bought something nice or your city is very beautiful. Thank you is used not only between friends, but also between parents and children, brother and sister. Let’s learn to say Thank you.
Passage 51. The Sun
There is nothing more important in life than the sun. Without the sun all living things on Earth would die.
The sun is a star. In the sky there are thousands of stars like the sun. They are as large as the sun and ashot as the sun. At night you can see many stars, but in day-time you c an only see one star- the sun. The sun is much nearer to us than any other stars. That is why it looks like the biggest and brightest of all the stars. The distance of the sun from the Earth is as much as 150 million kilometers. Most of the stars are thousands of light years away form the Earth. Do you know what a light year is? Nothing in the world travels faster than light.It travels 300,000 kilometers a second. One light year is the distance that light travels in one year.
Passage 52. Air Jordan
Michael Jordan (1963- ) is one of the most famous basketball players in the world. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He didn’t like to talk about himself. He was also very short. He didn’t play very well when he joined the basketball team in his high school at first. But the next year things changed greatly for him, as he grew much taller. Michael Jordan became famous when he joined the university basketball team in North Carolina. Michael used his quickness and strength to reach the basket again and again. He played so well that people call him Air Jordan. After college, Michael became a member of the Chicago Bull basketball team. The NBA was very surprised at this high-flying player. He was named Rookie of the year in 1985 and the most Valuable Player in 1987. He once set a record by getting 63 points in one game.
Passage 53. The Strongest Power in the World.
One day a great general asks his soldiers, “ What is the strongest power in the world?” Four of his soldiers put up their hands. They want to answer the question. The general asks the first man to speak. The first man is younger than the other three, and he’s not strong. He says, “My gun is the strongest. It can kill anyone.” “Thank you. Next, please.” The second man is very strong. He says,” I don’t think that’s true. Soldiers use guns. So a soldier is the strongest.” The third man says,” Soldiers use guns, but our general gives orders. So I think our general is the strongest.” The fourth man is the oldest. He says,” Love is the strongest. With love, people don’t need guns.” The general says nothing. He takes out a medal and gives it to him.
Passage 54. Who is the God?
Tom likes sweets very much. But his mother never gives him any, because she thinks they are bad for his teeth. But when Tom’s uncle gives him some, she always lets him eat the sweets. She wants to make her brother happy.
One evening, a few days before Tom’s birthday, he was praying in his bedroom. “Please, God,” he shouted. “Let them give me a bog box of sweets as my birthday present.” His mother heard this and came into the room. “Why are you shouting, Tom?” she asked. “God can hear you quite well, even when you talk quietly.” “I know,” answered the clever boy, “but my uncle in the next room can’t.”
Passage 55. Kites.
Do you know how to fly a kite? Do you know how to make a kite? Can you describe the shapes of kites? Today, people all over the world make and fly kites for fun.
Kite were the first flying machines. People in China used kites as fly machines more than 2000 years ago. In Marco Polo’s report, the Chinese used big kites to carry people up into the sky.
The idea of kites helped people to make planes. In 1894 in Australia, Lawrence Hargrave made four very big kites. These four kites lifted him 5 metres into the air. Today, the wings of planes are just like kites.
Now people around the world use kites in festivals. Kites can have all kinds of colors and shapes, but the most important thing is to fly well.
Passage 56. An interesting newspaper
Every morning Mike goes to work by train. As he has a long trip, he always buys a newspaper. It helps to make the time pass more quickly.
One Tuesday morning, he truned to the sports page. He wanted to read the report about an important football match. The report was so interesting that he forgot to get off at his station. He didn’t know it unitl he saw the sea. He got off at the next station, and had to wait a long time for a train to go back. Of course, he got to the office very late, His boss was very angry.
Passage 57. Fall
In the fall, leaves drop to the ground. Many trees have nuts or fruits. Animals may begin to store food. Some birds collect nuts and corns to store. Other birds fly to a warmer place for the winter. They won’t return until the spring. Days become shorter. Cold weather is coming. The fur of many animals gets thicker because they need a thick coat to protect them. People also wear warmer clothing and prepare for winter. In some areas there may be rain or even snow, but in fall farmers harvest their crops. People look forward to fall for many reasons. The most important one is that fall is the harvest season.
Passage 58. Pandas
Pandas are lovely animals. Most of them live in the deep forests of Sichuan Province in China. They have white fur, though their shoulders, legs, ears and eyes are black. Pandas are usually very heavy, some of them can be about 1.5 meters tall and weigh about
100 kilograms. However, pandas are very agile, they can climb trees as easily as some other creatures do. Pandas have big, sharp teeth and live mainly on bamboo leaves. Every day each grown-up panda eats about 15-30 kilograms of bamboo leaves and they usually spend 10-12 hours eating. Pandas also have spare-time hobbies. Two of their hobbies are climbing trees and sleeping. Sadly, there are not many pandas left in the world because some people keep cutting down trees, and bad hunters are trying to kill them for money.The Chinese government is doing its best to protect pandas from being harmed or killed.
Passage 59. Books on “How to”
Books on how to do things are very popular in America today. There are about four to five thousand kinds of books about the money. Another may tell you how to save or spend it. And another may explain how to give your money away.
Some “How to” books tell you how to choose a way
of making a living and how to succeed in it. However,
if you fail, you can buy a book which is called “How
to turn a Failure into a Success.” If you would like to become very rich, you can buy the book “How to make a Million.” If you never make any money at all, you may need a book called “How to live on nothing.”
If you are unhappy with your life, you can read “How
to Love Every Minute of Your Life.” There is even a book called “How to kill yourself.”
Passage 60. The Pianist and an Old Woman
John was a very famous pianist. When he was a small boy, he once played at a party in the home of a rich man. He was only eight years old, but he had played the piano for several years. At the party he played a famous piece by Beethoven. He played wonderfully. The famous piece has several long rests in it. In each of these rests he took his hands away from the piano and waited. To him this was very exciting, but the mother of the rich man thought differently. Finally, during one of these rests she came over to him. She touched him on the head, smiled and said, “My boy, why don’t you play us what you know well?”
Passage 61. The favorite coat.
Mr. Smith had a nice, blue coat. He loved it very much, but his wife didn’t like it because it was old. She often said, “Give it to a poor man.” Mr. Smith always said, “No, I like this coat.” Then one day a cigarette fell on it and made a hole in it, so Mrs. Smith said, “Please don’t wear it again.” Mr. Smith took it to
a small tailor’s shop and said to the tailor, “Please make another coat just like this one.” The tailor made the coat very carefully, then he lit a cigarette and made a hole in it in the same place.
Passage 62. Noise
Miss Gray lived alone in an apartment house. She was old and did not like noise at all. One day a young man moved into the room above her. He looks quiet, Miss Gray thought. However, at three o’clock the next morning, Miss Gray was woken up by the barking of a dog. She thought, I’ve never heard a dog here before. It must belong to the new man in the room above me. So he telephoned the young man, said some nasty things to him about the dog, then hung up the telephone before he could answer. At three o’clock the next morning, Miss Gray’s telephone rang. When she answered, the young man said, “I’m the man upstairs. I’ve called to tell you that I haven’t got a dog.”
Passage 63. The Diet.
Mrs. Tan is worried about her weight, so she goes
to see a doctor. “Oh, I’m too fat, I need to lose a lot of weight.” “It isn’t difficult to lose weight,” the doctor says. “All you need to do is go on a diet. I’ll give you one.”The doctor takes out a piece of paper and writes “Eat lots of fruit and vegetables. Also, eat a lot
of lean meat and grains.” The doctor hands the paper
to Mrs. Tan. “Eat all those things and you’ll soon lose weight.”
A few weeks later, Mrs. Tan’s friend visits her. Her friend is surprised to see that Mrs. Tan is even fatter than before and she is eating a huge sandwich with chocolate and ice cream.“I thought you were on a diet,” her friend says. “Oh, I am.” Mrs. Tan answers. “I’ve already had all the food on my diet today. Now I’m having my dinner.”
Passage 64. A Cheap Mea
A man goes into a restaurant and sits down at one of the tables. Awaiter comes up to him and gives him the menu. The man reads it carefully, then he orders all the most expensive dishes. Then a small boy comes into the restaurant and sits at the man’s table. The waiter comes up and says to the man, “What will your little boy like, sir?” “Oh, just an ice cream,” the man tells him. After he finishes his meal, the man stands up and says to the waiter, “I’m just going out to buy a newspaper.” He leaves the restaurant. The waiter gives the boy an ice cream. The boy eats it, and then stands up and walks to the door.The waiter runs towards him. “Excuse me,” he says,“but your father hasn’t come back and he hasn’t paid for his meal or your ice cream. You’d better stay here until your father comes back and pays his bill.” “He’s not my father,” the boy says. “The man came up to me in the street and asked me if I liked ice cream. I told him I did. The he told me to come into the restaurant at nine o’clock and sit at his table. He said he would give me one.”
Passage 65. Computers
Many people know what a computer is and what it can do. The computer is fast and never makes mistakes, while people are slow and often make mistakes. That’s what people often say when they talk about computers.For many years, scientists have improved computers. Now a computer can do a lot of everyday work quite well, and people can use a computer in many ways. Many computer scientists are now thinking of making the computer “think” like
a man. With the help of a person, a computer can draw pictures, write music, talk with people, and so on. Maybe a computer will think and fee one day.
Passage 66. Two American Presidents
There are stories about two U.S. presidents, Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren. They try to explain to people how the word“OK” came from. We don’t know if either story is true, but they are both interesting.
Some said that President Jackson could hardly read or write. When important papers came to Jackson,he tried to read hem or asked his men to tell him what they said. If he agreed, he would write “All correct” on the Paper. The problem was that he did not know how to spell. So he wrote “OL Korekt” instead. Later it was shortened to “OK”.
Others said that President Van Buren was born in
Kinderhook, New York. Van Buren’s friends organized
a club to help him become president. They called the club Old Kinderhook Club. Anyone in the club was called “OK”.
Passage 67. A second language.
One day, the mother rat and her babies were having
a good time in the open air when a cat came to catch them for dinner. The mother rat noticed the cat coming near. The mother rat and her babies all tried
to run away at once. They hurried to their home. It was under the tree. But the baby rats were afraid of the cat. They couldn’t run very fast. The cat came closer and closer. She would come at them. “What shall I do?” thought the mother. Just at that moment the mother rat stopped running, turned around and shouted at the rat, “Bowwow. Bowwow!” just like an angry dog. The cat was so surprised and afraid that she ran away. The mother rat turned to her babies,
“Now you see how important it is to learn a second language!”
Passage 68. The snowman
It's winter now. It’s very cold in the morning. It's all white outside because it snowed yesterday. Mr. Dog wants to watch TV. But Miss Cat says, "Oh dear! It's very nice outside. Let's make a snowman." Making a snowman isn’t very easy, so they work hard. Oh, how nice the snowman! Mr. Dog puts his hat on the snowman's head. After that, they are very hungry. Their lunch is some fish, some bones and a big cake. Mr. Dog says, "It's the middle of the day. The snowman must be hungry. Let’s give the cake to him." "All right!" says Miss Cat. But the snowman isn't there. They can only see the hat. Where is he?
Passage 69. Lucky or unlucky
When Barbara was fishing, she dropped her watch.
It fell into the water. Barbara was sad because it was her best watch.
The next day, Barbara went fishing again. She put her hook into the water. When she pulled it up, there was her watch! It was caught on her hook.
Barbara didn’t catch but she was happy. she had her watch back.
Passage 70. The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is the longest wall in the world. It is about 6,000 kilometers long, 7 meters high and 5 meters wide. The Great Wall was built more than twenty centuries ago. It was very difficult to build such a great wall without any modern machines. Thousands of men died while they were building the wall.
Have you ever been to the Great Wall? It is very famous in the world. Many foreigners come to visit it every year. They like it very much.
Passage 71. Helen’s glasses
Helen’s eyesight was not very good, so she usually wore glasses. But when she was seventeen years old and began to go out with a young man, she never wore her glasses when she was with him. When he came to the door to take her out, she took her glasses off, and when she came home and he left, she put them on again.
One day her mother said to her, “But Helen, why do you never wear your glasses when you are with Jim? He takes you to beautiful places in his car, but you don’t see anything.”
“Well, Mother,” said Helen, “ I look prettier to Jim when I am not wearing my glasses and he looks better to me, too.”
Passage 72. A desert
A desert is a very dry place. It does not rain there very much. A desert is very hot, too. Only a few plants can grow in deserts. Only a few animals can live there. Those plants and animals don’t need much water to live. And don’t mind when it is hot. Can you live in a desert? Why or why not?
Passage 73. Animal’s home
Everybody has a home. People live in many different kinds of houses. Animals have different kinds of homes, too.
Some animals live in holes under the ground. The woodchuck lives under the ground. His home has two doors. If an enemy comes into one door, the woodchuck goes out through the other.
Some animals live in holes in trees .Some squirrels build nests high in trees. Some birds live in holes in trees. Most of the birds live in nests. Crows build their nests high in trees. But hawks build their nests high in the mountains.
Passage 74. An Outing
The Smiths like to go out for a trip on Sundays. This Sunday they want to go to the West Hill. Jack and Mike, their sons, get up very early in the morning. Jack puts on a shirt and jeans, and Mike puts on a T-shirt and jeans. They also put on their running shoes.After that they help their mother do the housework. They put bread, meat, eggs and some fruit in a basket and carry it to the car. Mrs. Smith also takes four tins of coke with her. The little dog is running after her. It wants to go with them, too. They are all very happy.
Passage 75. Go fishing
One summer holiday I was in the forest by myself. I went down to fish in the river. Soon I got a big fish.Then I heard a great noise. There, right behind me, sat a big black bear! Wild animals are afraid of any quick move. So I moved very slowly. The bear watched me. But he sat still. I took the fish and threw it to him. He ate it at once. Now what was I going to do?I’d better go on fishing, I thought.The bear thought so, too. Soon I got another fish. I went over to him and put the fish into his big red mouth. I fished and fished-all for him.At first I was afraid to stop. Then I began to like doing it. He was so friendly. When evening came, the bear stood up and turned away from me.
Passage 76. The Candy King
Once candy was not made for children. In one country, almost 5,000 years ago, candy was made only for kings. Today, children are the candy kings.
Have you ever eaten licorice? People in ancient times ate licorice, too. They did think of licorice as candy at first. They ate licorice to keep them strong and well. In some countries, people ate licorice to make them beautiful! Later, people ate it just because it tasted good! All candy was made by hand until 1845. In that year, a man made a candy machine. By the 1900s, candy was sold all over the world. Today, candy companies say a person eats from 15 to 30 pounds of candy a year. More than 2,000 different kinds of candy are made! How many kinds do you eat, candy king?
Passage 77. Yawn
Sometimes people feel sleepy. They can't stay interested in what they are doing and they open their mouths wide quickly. We call this a yawn. It makes a pretty silly face. Why do people do it? Scientist do not know much about yawns. But they have some ideas. Our bodies get tired. Our minds get tired, too. A tired mind needs air. So we yawn. The quick yawn takes in air. And the air wakes up our mind. But not for long. Watch out! Here comes another yawn.
Passage 78. Two thieves
Mike was taken to the police station and put in a room with another thief, an older man. This man looked at Mike and said, "Why have they brought you here?" "I stole a small radio one day after my lessons," said Mike. The man laughed rudely at Mike. "You should steal something which is worth a lot if you want to be a thief. You ought to steal something really valuable, which you can be proud of, so that your name is put in the newspaper. Go and steal a lot of money from a bank next time!" Mike thought for a few seconds and then said, "I can't do that." "Why can't you?" said the old thief." Are you afraid?" "No," said Mike. "I am not afraid, but the banks all close at three o'clock, and my lessons don't finish till four."
Passage 79. A Giant Kite
David always liked kites. When he became eighteen, his father gave him a giant kite. It was so large that he thought it could carry him up into the air.
David tied a rope from the kite to a boat. He grabbed onto the kite and told the person in the boat to start pulling. Soon David was gliding through the air.
The boat pulled David and his kite for four hours. When the boat stopped, David splashed into the water. He said that it had been a lot of fun.
Passage 80. Once a year
Tom finished school when he was eighteen years old. He wanted to work at a bank in the city. He went to the bank and asked for work there.
A man took him into a small room and gave him questions on a piece of paper. Tom wrote the answer on the paper in a hurry. The man looked for a few minutes, and then said, "Was your birthday on the 12th of December, Tom?" "Yes, sir." Tom said. "What year?" the man asked. “Oh, once a year, sir. " Tom said.
Passage 81. A new Diet
Alma and her mother were walking home when a small dog began following them. There was a note tied to the dog's collar. Alma read the note, it said, "My name is Lady. My owner cannot keep me. May I be your pet?"
Alma showed the note to her mother. "May I keep the dog?" she asked. The puppy looked like a nice dog. Mother said that they could keep it. Alma and Lady were happy. Alma had a new pet, and Lady had a new home.
Passage82. The Frog That Changes color
Birds live in trees. Squirrels live in trees. But do you know that some frogs live in trees, too?
The tree frog is hard to find. This frog can change color. On green leaves, it stays green. On a brown branch, it turns brown. Some tree frogs can change from green to gold or blue.
Tree frogs have legs and wide feet. They have sticky pads at the ends of their toes. These sticky toe pads keep the tree frogs from falling. Tree frogs have different colors and markings on their skin. Their eyes are different, too. Some green eyes, some gray. Some frogs' eyes are gold, and some are bright red.
The sounds they make in spring and summer are different, too. One frog makes a sound like a dog barking. Another frog makes a loud noise like a snore. There is even a frog that whistles!
Passage 83. The City of San Francisco
San Francisco is a beautiful American city. It lies on the western coastline of the United States. It has lovely views and beautiful scenery. The Golden Gate Bridge, for instance, is a beautiful place to visit. Every day, thousands of people come to visit and enjoy its views.
San Francisco is a hilly city. The lovely hills in the middle of the city make it the most attractive place. Many people walk up and down the hills, and some of the visitors also like to drive on the paths. They can see more places then. There are also visitors who like to take cable cars. They can get a better view of the city while the cars are moving along the tracks.
Besides the Golden Gate Bridge and the hills, Chinatown is also a place worth seeing. Every day many people come to visit Chinatown. Some of them are coming to taste Chinese food, Others are coming for Chinese articles. You can buy wonderful Chinese objects in Chinatown.
Passage 84. Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin liked to study and learn about new things. One day he heard a friend say that something black in color absorbs the heat better than something white in color. Franklin wanted to see if this was true.
There was snow on the ground at that time. So he put two large pieces of cloth on the snow. One piece of cloth was black in color, while the other was white. Then he waited.
The sun began to shine. After several hours, he looked under the pieces of cloth. He saw that the snow under the black cloth melted much faster than the snow under the white cloth.
Franklin made many other experiments and made some discoveries. He also took an active part in politics, and he was a very famous American statesman. He was one of the earliest important writers in America. His autobiography was successfully and interestingly written.
Passage 85. Stop writing
It's true that the English people are a nation of animal lovers. Charles Dickens, a famous writer, had a cat. The cat was very fond of his master. He didn't like to see Dickens working too hard. At night, when the cat wanted to say "stop writing" to his master, he often put out Dickens' candle with his paw.
Passage 86. The Robots
Robots are becoming a big part of our lives. There may be half a million robots in the U.S 20 years from now. These machines are changing the way of work that is being done. Thousands of robots are used in factories. These robots are not like the robots in movies. They don't walk or talk. Instead, a robot may be just metal arm. The robot arm can do a certain job in a factory over and over again. it can do jobs that people may not want to do. A robot never gets tired of doing the same thing. Sometimes a robot gets to do more exciting work. In Canada, police are using a robot on wheels. This robot's job is to take apart bombs that may go off.
Passage 87. A Broken Mirror and Bad Luck.
Will you have bad luck if you break a mirror? Many people believe this. There is an old story about breaking mirrors.
Long ago, people happened to see their faces in ponds and lakes. Some people were frightened. "That must be my soul," a person would say.
The mirrors were made of shiny metal. Later, people used glass mirrors. They were careful not to break them. Breaking a mirror would harm the soul. That is how a broken mirror came to mean bad luck.
The bad luck is supposed to last for seven years. You may not believe this story. You may have no bad luck with mirrors. But you should handle mirrors carefully. A broken mirror could cut you.
Passage 88. Hair and Beard.
Lucy always wanted to become a teacher, because she liked children. When she was twenty-one years old, she began teaching in a small school. She was a good teacher, and she laughed a lot with the children in her class. They enjoyed her teaching.
One day, one of the girls in her class asked her, “Why does a man’s hair become grey before his heard does?” Mary laughed and answered,
“I don’t know, Helen.” Then one of the boys said, “I know! Man’s hair becomes grey first because it’s sixteen years older than his beard.”
Passage 89. A lovely weekend.
It is a fine Saturday morning. Bob and his family get up later than usual, because he isn’t going to school and his father aren’t going to work. They are all staying at home, but they are not idle. Each of them is doing a different thing.
Bob’s father is in the garage. He is washing his car. His mother is in the kitchen. She is busy preparing a good meal for the family.Sometimes, Bob helps his mum with the cooking, and sometimes he goes to the garage and watches his father wash his ear. His elder brother, Jack, usually stays in his study till lunchtime. His two sisters are listening to some beautiful music while they’re cleaning the house. His younger brother, Tom, is training his puppy. He is having a lot of fun. Around 12:30, the whole family is seated around the table enjoying a wonderful meal.
Passage 90. A bridge.
Bridges are built for many reasons. Some bridges are built so that cars can cross over rivers. Others are made for trains to use. In the state of Washington, There is a very unusual bridge – it was built for squirrels.
The town of Longview has a very busy street. Many cars use it every day. Squirrels were being killed as they tried to cross the street. Mr. Peter built a bridge for squirrels – one that would pass above thetraffic. For years now, the squirrels have been able to cross safely from one side of the street to the other.
Passage 91. School in air
Mikle is nine years old and Jane is seven. They live at Mount Ebenezer. Their father has a big property. In Australia they call a farm a property.
Mike and Jane like school very much. At school they can talk to their friends, but Mike and Jane can’t see their friends. They live 100, perhaps 300 miles away. And like Mike and Jane, they all go to school by radio.
Mount Ebenezer is in the centre of Australia. Not many people live in the Centre. School is a room at home with a two-way radio. The teacher also has a two-way radio. Every morning she call each student on the radio. When all the students answer, lessons begin.
Passage 92.
Funny presentsIt is fun to give friends something on their birthdays. Luis and Bob like to give each other funny things. On Bob’s birthday, Luis gave him shoes with peanuts in them. Bob said, “I want to give Luis something funny too.” When Luis’ birthday came, Bob gave him a big box. Luis opened it. In the box there was a bank that looked like a duck. The duck had a hat on its heard. Luis and Bob both laughed.
Passage93. Fire fighters
There are about 5,000 fire fighters in Chicago. Tim is one of them. He is on duty eight hours every day. During his shift, he eats and sleeps at the firehouse. The fire fighters have to be ready to answer an alarm at any hour of the day or night. Most of the alarms are for small fires. They can be put out in a few minutes.
Big fires are very dangerous. Most of the time, the greatest danger comes from smoke. Sometimes, fire fighters have to enter burning buildings in order to rescue the people inside.
Tim has been a fire fighter for five years. He's proud of himself and of his service. He does exercises every day to stay strong.
Passage 94.
Excuse me” is another short sentence they use. When you hear someone say that behind you, you know that somebody wants to walk past you without touching you. It’s not polite to interrupt others when they are talking. If you want to speak to one of them, say “Excuse me” first, then begin talking. You should also do that when you begin to cough or make any noise in public.Let’s learn to say Excuse me.
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