James shook his money box again.
Nothing! He carefully counted the coins that lay on the bed. All that he had was $24.52 (about 153 yuan). The bicycle he wanted was at least $90! How on earth (究竟) was he going to get the rest of the money?
He knew that his friends all had bicycles. It was hard to hang out with people when you were the only one without a bicycle. He thought about what he could do. There was no point asking his parents, for he knew they had no extra money.
There was only one way to get money, and that was to earn (掙) it. He would have to find a job. He decided to ask Mr Clay for advice.
“Well, you can start right here,” said Mr Clay. “You see, my windows need cleaning and my car needs washing.”
That was the beginning of James’ part-time job.
For the next three months he worked every day after finishing his homework. He took dogs for walks, cleaned out cupboards and repaired books.
The day finally came when James counted his money and found $ 94.32. He wasted no time and went down to the shop to pick up the bicycle he wanted. He rode home proudly, looking forward to showing his new bicycle to his friends. It had been hard working for the money, but James knew that he valued (珍惜) his bicycle far more because he had bought it with his own money. He had achieved what he thought was impossible, and that was worth even more than the bicycle.
【小題1】Why didn’t James ask his parents for help?

Alexis Rocha is a 13-year-old boy from California, US. He weighs 147 pounds (67 kg). But six months ago, he weighed more than 202 pounds (91 kg). How did he lose all that weight in only half a year?
“One day, I was surprised to find that I weighed about 200 pounds,” Rocha says. “I thought I had to do something.”
Rocha is from a boxing (拳擊) family—his father and two older brothers are professional boxers. So he decided to start boxing. He began with simple exercises, like sit-ups and push-ups (俯臥撐). Then Rocha started jogging(慢跑). “No kid likes running,” he says. “I don’t want to do it, either, but I have no choice but to keep on.”
Months later, Rocha joined a boxing club in his city. He is always the first kid at the club to begin exercising, and the last to leave with sweat (汗水) on his face. Every day he boxes for about three hours.
“Rocha works very hard,” says his coach, Hector Lopez. “It’s surprising to see him lose the pounds so quickly. I’ve never seen anything like this in my 20 years of coaching.”
Rocha is very happy with his weight now. There is a family photo in his room from 18 months ago. “Each time I look at the photo, I laugh at myself. I was so big back then,” Rocha says. “I look 100 times thinner and 1,000 times stronger now.”
【小題1】How much weight did Rocha lose in six months?
A. At least 24 pounds.     B. At least 30 pounds.　　    C. At least 55 pounds.
【小題2】 Rocha said he had no choice but to keep on running because_______.
A. he liked running very much
B. he wanted to be thin and strong
C. he wanted to be a professional boxer
【小題3】What makes Coach Hector Lopez surprised?
A. Rocha lost weight so quickly.
B. Rocha was so fat 18 months ago.
C. Rocha comes from a boxing family.
【小題4】What’s the correct order of the following sentences?
a. He did some sit-ups and push-ups.
b. He lost the pounds quickly.
c. He joined a boxing club.
d. He began running.
f. He boxed for about three hours every day.
A. a-d-c-f-b     B. d-a-f-c-b     C. a-d-f-c-b 
【小題5】The writer mainly wants to tell us _______.
A. Rocha is a hardworking boy
B. it is important to get exercise
C. everything is possible if you work hard

James shook his money box again.

Nothing! He carefully counted the coins that lay on the bed. All that he had was $24.52 (about 153 yuan). The bicycle he wanted was at least $90! How on earth (究竟) was he going to get the rest of the money?

He knew that his friends all had bicycles. It was hard to hang out with people when you were the only one without a bicycle. He thought about what he could do. There was no point asking his parents, for he knew they had no extra money.

There was only one way to get money, and that was to earn (掙) it. He would have to find a job. He decided to ask Mr Clay for advice.

“Well, you can start right here,” said Mr Clay. “You see, my windows need cleaning and my car needs washing.”

That was the beginning of James’ part-time job.

For the next three months he worked every day after finishing his homework. He took dogs for walks, cleaned out cupboards and repaired books.

The day finally came when James counted his money and found $ 94.32. He wasted no time and went down to the shop to pick up the bicycle he wanted. He rode home proudly, looking forward to showing his new bicycle to his friends. It had been hard working for the money, but James knew that he valued (珍惜) his bicycle far more because he had bought it with his own money. He had achieved what he thought was impossible, and that was worth even more than the bicycle.

1.Why didn’t James ask his parents for help?

A．Because they didn’t love him.

B．Because they didn’t have extra money.

C．Because they lived far away from him.

D．Because they didn’t need a bike.

2.In order to buy a bicycle, James           . 

A．found a job

B．borrowed money from his classmates

C．sold his old books

D．a(chǎn)sked his grandfather for some money

3.James did the following jobs EXCEPT           .

A．walking dogs                           B．cleaning out cupboards

C．cooking meals                          D．repairing books

4.How much money did James earn?

A．$24.52           B．$90              C．$94.32           D．$69.80

5.What does the writer want to tell us?

A．We should buy everything we want.

B．We should get what we want through hard work.

C．Parents shouldn’t give children any money.

D．We shouldn’t show off new things to poor children.

Spending more than two hours a night doing homework leads to better results in English, math and science, according to a major study (by Pam Sammons, England) which has tracked (跟蹤）the progress of 3,000 children over the past 15 years.

Spending any time doing homework showed advantages, but the influence was greater for the students who put in two to three hours a night, according to the study published by the Department for Education in England.

The scientists who did the research say their study emphasizes (強(qiáng)調(diào)）what students actually do rather than how much work the school has set.

Pam Sammons, a professor of education at Oxford University, said that time spent on homework showed the influence of the school—if children were expected to do homework and if

they enjoy their subjects. “That’s one of the reasons Indian and Chinese children do better. They put more time in it.” he added.

It’s also reported that students who enjoyed school got better results. “Schools could make sure children had a better experience by improving the school environment, making school work interesting and making children feel supported by teachers." Sammons said.

It is suggested that children aged 5 to 7 should be set one-hour homework a week, half an hour a night for 7 to 11-year-olds. Secondary schools were encouraged to set up two hours a night for 14 to 16-year-olds.

“Headteachers should make their own homework policy,” the government says.

1 Where can we probably read this passage?

A. In a poster.      B. In a magazine.     C. In a storybook.    D. In an advertisement.

2 According to the first paragraph, spending __________ doing homework leads to better results in lessons.

A. half an hour     B. an hour            C. over two hours     D. less than two hours

3 The underlined word “published” probably means __________ in Chinese.

A. 公布                 B. 印刷               C. 出版                   D. 發(fā)現(xiàn)

4Which of the following sentences is TRUE according lo the passage?

A. Schools could make sure children had a better experience.

B. Children aged 14-16 should spend an hour a night on homework.

C. The study was published by the Department for Education in China.

D. Chinese and Indian children do worse in schoolwork from Pam Sammons.

5 From the passage, we can know that __________.

A. Students should become interested in their results.

B. Students should do homework as much as possible.

C. Parents should encourage their children to do more homework.

D. It’s headteachers’ duty to make their students’ own homework policy.