21世纪报阅读材料1

初中版
An elderly carpenter (木匠) was ready to retire. He told his boss his plans to leave the business (生意) and live a more relaxed life with his wife. He would miss the pay, but he needed to retire.
The boss was sorry to see his good worker go, and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He used poor skills and cheap materials (材料). It was an unfortunate way to end his career.
“This is your house,” he said. “It is my gift to you.” When the carpenter finished his work, the boss came to see the house. After he checked it out, he handed a key to the carpenter.
What a shame! If he knew he was building his own house, the old man would have done it all so differently.
So it is with all of us. Think of your life as a house. Each day you hammer a nail (钉个钉子), place a board, or set up a wall. You must try your best to build the house wisely because it is the only life you will ever have. Your life tomorrow will result from the attitudes you choose today.
21世纪学生英文报·初二版第383期
Summer is coming! Welcome to the world of summer fun. We have different kinds of novel things for you to take a look at. Now, please sit down and enjoy the funny pieces we prepared for you.
▲Do you want to see trees that are 25 to 50 meters tall? Now you have a chance to enjoy them in Marina Bay, a beautiful place in Singapore. There is a very special garden there. Their most interesting “plants” are the Super Trees. Their trunks (树干) are made of iron and cement (水泥). The Super Trees have big crowns (树冠) that can help people keep out of the sunshine. There are also solar cells in the trees, which make electricity at night.
▲What a strange shoe! A Japanese shoe designer (设计师) made these high heels (高跟鞋). When people walk in these shoes, they plant rapeseeds (油菜籽) in the soil. Pressure from the walk can push out a seed from a tube (管子) inside the heel. Rapeseeds can remove dangerous things in the soil that came from the nuclear (核能的) accidents last year.
▲If you don’t know the song Coolest Ethnic (《最炫民族风》), you must be living in a box. The band Phoenix Legend (凤凰传奇) sang the song in 2009, but it suddenly became hot this year. Some people put the song in videos of other singers, because the song matches the rhythm (节奏) of other videos perfectly. Recently, this song was played at the home court of the Houston Rockets, the US basketball team, which made it even more famous.
Cool Invention
Are you too lazy to walk? This robot from Japan may help you. A user sits on the robot and controls the direction (控制方向) by moving his or her upper (上面的) body. The robot can run 10 kilometers per hour. People may use it in shopping malls and museums.(21世纪学生英文报·初三版第351期)
Spanish scientists created Hiriko as a solution to parking problems. Hiriko is a foldable (可折叠的) car which can hold two people. Three Hirikos take up one parking space. The Hiriko will be
driving on the streets of some European cities in 2013. (21世纪学生英文报·初三版第354期) Why is Nemo swimming in the air? How stra nge! It’s actually a new toy called Air Swimmer. You can make it fly up, down and turn over with a controller (遥控器). (21世纪学生英文报·初三版第363期)
(21世纪学生英文报·初三版第350期)
Want good luck in the new year? Watch what you eat
Which foods, in different parts of the world, stand for good luck, long life or fortune (财富)? Here are a few of the most interesting.
▲Grapes bring good luck
If you want good luck in the coming year, you’d better eat small fruit. In Spain, people who eat 12 grapes as midnight comes will be lucky over the next 12 months.
▲Good luck peas
When you celebrate New Year’s Day in the southern parts of the US, you will be given some black-eyed peas either on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Eating the peas is believed to bring good luck.
▲Eating cabbage (圆白菜) means a good fortune
In Germany, Ireland and some parts of the US, cabbage is eaten because it’s green, much like the countries’ green-colored money. So it means good fortune.
(21世纪学生英文报·初三版第350期)
世界各国怎么样庆祝新年
It’s New Year’s Day again! It’s time for people to say goodbye to the past and celebrate the beginning of a new year full of hopes, challenges, changes and dreams.
The celebration of the new year is the oldest of all holidays. The first one was in ancient Babylon (古巴比伦) about 4,000 years ago. The Romans kept Babylonian new year customs until 153 BC. After that, they started using January 1 as the beginning of the new year. Today, most countries consider January 1 to be New Year’s Day and celebrate it in a number of ways.
In the US, every year as the clock nears midnight on December 31, the eyes of the world turn to the shining lights of Times Square (时代广场). The famous New Year’s Eve Ball of colored lights drops from the top of the flagpole (旗杆) and millions of voices count down the final seconds of the year. The New Year’s Eve Ball has become more than just a celebrat ion –it’s a global tradition.
Australia’s midnight fireworks (烟火) over Sydney Harbor Bridge every December 31 are well known. When the fireworks start with popular music, people often hug, shake hands or kiss each other on the cheek to show their joy and appreciation (感谢) for the old and new years. The midnight fireworks are often broadcast (播出) throughout the world and attract hundreds of thousands of viewers each year.
In China, although the New Year’s Day is not as important as the Spring Festival, people celebrate it in many ways. There are usually New Year’s Day parties in schools and at work. Some young people in big cities in China will light fireworks.
Stop that pacing, Fido(我在一本外国人的语文书上看到的。

下面题目自己乱出的) If you are planning a picnic, watch your pets. If your dog paces and your cat twitches, make
other plans. It may rain that day. If you want to wash your car, go outside early in the day and look for a spider(蜘蛛). If you see a spider spinning a web, get out your soap and bucket. There will most likely be fine weather.
If you want to fly a kite, look at the stars the night before. If they are bright, find your kite. It will be windy the next day. But if you want to go for a swim, listen to the crickets(蟋蟀). By counting their chirps(唧唧声), you can tell if it is warm enough.
What do animals know about weather? Dampness(潮气) collects in the air before rain. It makes each hair in an animal's fur swell(膨胀). That is why your pets move about restlessly(不安). Spiders do not like dampness in the air, either. A spider web will not stick to a damp surface. So if a spider is spinning a web, the air must be dry.
How can stars help you plan your fun? Stars are most easily seen when winds high in the air blow dust and clouds away. These winds will drop to the ground the next day, making it windy. What about those crickets? Count the number of times a cricket chirps in 15 seconds. Then add 37 to find out how warm it is. If you hear 35 chirps, it is 72 degrees.
( )1. If your cats twitches when you plan a picnic, _______________
A. wash your car
B. go swimming
C. take more food
D. make other plans
( )2. If you want to fly a kite, look at the _________
A. dust
B. crickets
C. grass
D. stars
( )3. To tell about the weather, count a cricket’s ___________
A. legs
B. chirps
C. eyes
D. wings
( )4. If a spider is spinning a web, the air must be _________
A. damp
B. fresh
C. dry
D. smaller
( )5. If it is 90 degrees now, you will hear _________ chirps in 15 seconds. 答案：ddbcb
A. 125
B. 53
C. 55
我们学校上学期初三期中考的题
There was a man who played the piano in the bar. He played so well that many people came just to hear him play. But one night the boss told him, “76 They are asking you to sing. If you want to get money, do as they ask.”
In order to make his living, he had to do it. 77 But he sang so beautifully this time. Nobody had ever heard such a beautiful song before. So everyone in the bar was moved by the Song “Mona. Mona Lisa”. 78 he would still be a common piano player in a bar. But for this time, he went on to become one of the most popular singers.
79 You may not realize that your “talent”(天赋) is great ,but it may be better than you think! Also, if you keep trying, 80 The question is not “What talent do I have?”, but “
厦门不知道哪年的中考。