课外阅读材料

Chapter 14

Topic Reading

A

The Smith family were getting ready to fly to the United States for their summer holiday. Steven was choosing which books to take with him and Mrs Smith was putting clothes in the suitcase. Mr Smith was looking for his passport. “Have you seen my passport?” Mr Smith asked his wife.

“No, I haven’t,” replied Mrs Smith. “H ave you looked in your desk? “

Mr Smith looked in his desk. The passport was not there. He looked in his bag, he looked in the cupboard, and he even searched the bookshelf. He could not find his passport anywhere.

Steven finally chose his Chinese books and put them in his bag. He also checked that he had Mei Lin’s address. He was looking forward to writing to her every day, but he was worried about writing in Chinese.

Mrs Smith finished packing all the clothes. Then she filled the suitcase with the presents they were taking home. They had bought lots of Chinese things to give to their friends.

They were almost ready for the journey. Steven placed his bag beside his mother’s suitcase. But Mr Smith still did not have his passport. “I have your passport here in my overcoat, together with the tickets,” he said. “Where did I put my passport?”

Just then Steven shouted “I’ve found it!”

“Where?” cried Mr Smith.

“Turn round, Dad,”said Steven. Mr Smith turned round. There, in the back pocket of his trousers, was the passport.

“Thank you, Steven. I knew my passport was somewhere safe!” said Mr Smith with a laugh.

Read it carefully and then answer the questions.

1. Where did Mr Smith look for his passport?

1.Why was Steven worried about writing to Mei Lin?

3. What did Mrs Smith buy as presents for her friends?

4. Where did Mr Smith put the tickets?

5. Where did Steven find Mr Smith’s passport?

B

(Miss Zhang has asked the class to write about what they have learned this year at school. Here are some of the answers she received.)

Mei Lin: I learned that even though it is good to study hard, I should also have fun. I now have

a pen pal in America called Anna. She always seems to be having a good time. I want

to enjoy my life, too.

Su mi: The biggest thing I learned this year was to be myself. Before I followed what other people did or said. I wanted everyone to like me. Now, I will only do what I want to do.

My friends must like me for who I am.

Jane: I have realized that money does not always buy happiness. I have spent a lot of money on clothes. But I am still not happy. I have decided to spend more time listening to my

friends and less time talking to them about me.

Jenny: this year I learned to be a good student. I just worked as little as possible to pass my exams before. But now I want to go to high school and then on to university. So I am

taking my studies seriously now.

Xiao ping: I don’t think I’ve learned anything at all this year. I don’t like studying very much. I play football with my friends on the farm at weekends. I don’t think I need to learn any

more.

Steven: This year has been wonderful. I have improved my Chinese and our football team has played well. I also went back home to America and I learned a lot about how people

there are almost the same as people here. I feel I have grown up a lot.

Simon: I’m no longer just the fat boy in class. I have started to play well as the school goalkeeper. I have learned that I do not need to be funny all the time to make friends.

Now I like coming to school.

GOODBYE, MISS ZHANG! GOODBYE, EVERYBODY! GOOD LUCK!

Read and answer the questions according to the passage.

1.Who has learned to be herself this year?

2.Who is going to listen more to other people?

3.Who wants to go to university?

4.Who does not like school?

5.Which of these students do you like the most? Why? How about yourself?

Fun reading

Newton, a famous physicist and mathematician, was born in a northern remote countryside in England on December 25, 1642. In his life, he devoted himself to scientific researches. He found the law(定律) of universal gravitation(万有引力) and summarized (总结) the famous three laws of Newton motion（运动）. He made great contributions to mechanics（力学）, optics（光学）, astronomy（天文学）and mathematics.

As a boy, he liked reading and thinking very much. He was very concentrative （专心）in studying. Once when he cooked the eggs, because of reading carefully, he forgot to put the eggs into the pot, while he put his watch into it. When he opened the cover for the eggs and was ready to have them, he found not eggs but his watch in the pot. Another time he invited a friend of his to