短文题材 知识点题库

It is a basic ability for humans to tell more from less Surprisingly, a number of animals1this ability too. They will2more of something. Horses, for example, will go for a group of three apples instead of two apples.

This ability is3to animals in lots of ways. It helps them4the larger group of friends. Many fishes, for example, join groups for 5. If a predator (掠食动物) comes, a fish in a group of 40 is less possible to become lunch than a fish in a group of 10. So if a fish has a choice between two groups, it's safer to join the6one. A sense of number even helps keep the7. For example, a monkey group will avoid fights with other groups when they find their8 is not an advantage.

Also, the ability to do simple9is a sure thing for some animals. They10the difference between one, two, and three.

Some others can count much higher than three.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, there lived a great musician named Yu Boya. He played guqin very well. Zhong Ziqi was one of them.

One day, Yu Boya came back from a trip to the mountains. He played guqin to express his love for the mountains.

  Zhong said, "How beautifully you're playing guqin! When I listen to you playing guqin, I canal most see the mountains in front of my eyes."

  Then he played another tune(调子). Zhong clapped his hands and cheered again, "What a beautiful tune it is! When I listen to it, I seem to imagine hundreds of boats are sailing down big rivers."

Boya was surprised at Zhong's comments(评论).  Whenever he played anew tune, Zhong could tell what Boya was thinking about when he played the tune.

"You appreciate(欣赏) my music and understand my mind You know me like a true friend," Boya said excitedly.

After that, Boya and Zhong became close friends. After Zhong's death, Boya was so sad that he broke his guqin and decided never to play it again.

This is the story about Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi. We can learn a lesson from the story. If you find your true friends, love them and cherish(珍惜)real friendships.

A Chinese dance drama (make) the first appearance on  social media platforms  abroad already, causing a wave of discussion on the beauty of Chinese culture among art lovers worldwide.

The dance drama Li Bai is classic play made by the China National Opera and  Dance

Drama  Theater.  It  has  touched  people  all  over the worldtelling  the  story of Tang Dynasty (618 AD—907 AD) poet Li Bai.

Li Bai was born in 701 AD   died in 762 AD. Maybe because he traveled around so    much  when he  was little,  he  decided  (keep) traveling around  the land when  he  was  25 years old. He wanted to learn more about nature and people. He expressed his feelings through the beautiful words in his poems. People (real) liked his poems. Even today people still admire his poems, not only adults, but  (child) too. Kids start to learn his poems when they are in  primary schools. Li Bai is one of the (important) poets in China. He is just as important as William Shakespeare to the world.

Last month, the dance drama Li Bai   (watch) over 5.57 million times. And China has once again carried Chinese culture forward in (it) own way.

We all need food. But when you can't finish your meal, how do you 1 ? You might think that wasting 2 food isn't a big deal. The truth is that people in China waste 35 million tons of food each year. It's nearly one third of food waste in the world. As we all know, food waste becomes a 3 problem in China.

In order to 4 food waste, the government has started the "Clean Plate Campaign (运动)". Especially in restaurants, we can see 5 of the "Clean Plate" on the wall. Many restaurants remind their customers that they shouldn't 6 too much food. According to the law passed in April, 2021, if the restaurants always mislead (误导) customers to order too many dishes, they will face a fine (罚款). Restaurants in Wuhan have begun the N-l system, which means groups of customers are supposed to order one fewer dish than the number of people in the group. For example, a group of 7 people can order 7 dishes at most. Most restaurants provide customers with free packing boxes (打包盒), and customers can use 8 to take the leftovers (剩饭剩菜) home.

Today, more and more people start to realize the importance of 9 food. Everyone should play a part in the "Clean Plate Campaign" and say 10 to food waste.

Offices are usually in tall buildings. But actually, offices can be anywhere. There are many interesting and creative offices around the world. Let's take a look!

In Britain, cars, buses and bikes must keep to the left side of the street. If a person wants to cross a street, he must be very careful. Before he crosses a street, he has to stop and look to the right first and then the left. While in China, we look to the left instead. When visitors are in London, they should learn how to take buses and underground trains. The most important of all, they must know in which direction they are going and which bus and which underground train they should take. At the bus stop they should wait for their buses to come. As soon as they get on a bus, they must pay for their fares.

Exercise is good for you because it can help you to keep healthy. It is not enough just to eat a healthy diet. Exercise is important, too. Exercise will make your muscles(肌肉) stronger. There are about 639 muscles in the body. They move

your bones and let you move your joints(关节). If you do not exercise your muscles, they will be weaker and smaller. One of the most important muscles in the body is the heart muscle. To exercise your heart muscle, you need to do something swimming, or playing a game in which you move around. This will make you breathe more deeply and make your heart and lungs stronger. One of the places where you can exercise is school. Al school, children have P.E. lessons that help them to keep healthy. Try to exercise at least three times a week because exercise is good for you!

Every one of us, rich or poor, should at least have one or two good friends. Your friends will listen to you when you speak, will take care of you when you are ill, and will be together with you in your journey through life.

Everyone needs friends. Friendship(友谊) can make us happier. How to find and keep your friendship? Here are some suggestions.

★Make friends with a person who is easy to get along with.

★①You should make friends with the person who has something in common with you.

★Give your friend a hand when he or she is in trouble. Friends should always be ready to help each other.

★Believe(相信)in each other. This is the most important thing in a friendship.

★Even the best friends may have a quarrel(争吵) sometimes. If this happens, don't let your quarrel last too long. Try to make up with your friends soon.

Friendship is a kind of treasure in our life. ②It is like a bottle of wine(葡萄酒)—the longer we keep it, the better it will be.

Teddy has a problem—stutter(结巴). In the first grade, the problem bothered(使……困扰) him so seriously that he hardly ever spoke in class. He could not (make) friends at school.

But Teddy's life was different after he joined SAY. The Stuttering Association (组织) for the Young. association teaches kids like Teddy how to sing, dance, act and give talks.

The kids in SAY put on (show) each spring. Teddy is a (talent) boy. He is interested in dancing and he can dance the most (beautiful). He is an excellent (perform).

When people asked Teddy why he (choose) to dance, the boy said," Because I think it can bring out the best in me."

Going to SAY has helped Teddy a lot. Now he has made friends over 170 kids who stutter. It's not so hard for him (speak) in class, and he gets better grades, too." I'm less afraid to put up my hand in class. Everybody thinks I am more confident(自信的), " said Teddy." Sometimes I stutter, I don't care. I feel like a new person."

I was waiting for the bus when I met the woman. "You look 1. Come and sit here," she said. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know. I just want to catch a bus 2 see what it will be like at the end. "

"I'm afraid you will see 3there. Why don't you enjoy the sights(风景) on the way?"

"How can I do that while my heart is4?" I said sadly. "My best friend left me."

The woman seemed to understand(理解) my5. "Don't cry, little girl. I've had a similar experience (经历)to yours. Twenty-five years ago, my husband left our three children and me. I was deadly sad. I took them 6 the sea. However, they seemed to know what would happen, so they 7loudly. Their cry suddenly woke me up. How could I 8my hope to live just because of one problem? After that, I worked hard to raise the children. Now they all live 9 and one of them has his own family."

Then the woman gave me a smile, "We should never wait for the door to10before us. We should find the key to the door or try to find another way."

The bus came and I got on it with a smile.

Weather Forecast(天气预报）For Tomorrow

Afternoon Tea

    The warm weather may look perfect for outdoor exercise. But for those who are not that sporty, what could be nicer than having a relaxing afternoon tea with a few good friends and taking a break from working?

    The concept (概念) of "afternoon tea" first appeared in the UK in the mid-19th century. It was introduced to England by Anna Maria Russell, the seventh Duchess of Bedford. The evening meal in her household was normally served fashionably late at 8 p. m., but she felt hungry at 4 p. m. every day ,so she started asking for a tea tray with: butter, bread and cakes at that time. Several days later, she found her new habit difficult to break and soon invited her friends to join her. This pause (间歇) for teal quickly became a fashionable social event. During the 1880s, the upper-class ladies would even change into long dress, gloves and hats for their afternoon tea.

    Traditional afternoon tea is a small meal which is normally served from 4 p. m.to6 p.m. once a day. It uses a three- tiered serving tray. The trays carry a variety of foods, such as finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones with cream and fruit jam, cakes and pastries. Of course, tea or coffee, served with milk and sugar, is also provided.

    Traditional afternoon tea is a dainty (讲究的) meal. Therefore, the order of enjoying the food is from the bottom to the top and from salty to sweet. Sandwiches are eaten first, followed by scones, then sweet snacks like cakes and pastries. When drinking the tea, people taste slowly rather than "glugging" it down. It's also a social activity. As you can see the scene in the TV play- Downton Abbey , ladies wear pretty clothing, men are dressed neatly and the waiters are well trained and polite.

    Nowadays, you can enjoy a traditional fancy afternoon tea in many restaurants and hotels. It is also enjoyed to celebrate a special event such as a birthday, a pre-wedding or a baby shower party with a group of friends. So far, afternoon tea activities have become far beyond friends getting together and eating. It has been a part of the traditional culture as well as a fashion for the British.

Neighbourhood (社区) Clean-Up Day

Come together with your neighbours (邻居) and friends for a great day! We need a clean and beautiful neighbourhood for all of us!

Saturday

10th March 2018

9:00 am — 12:00 pm

Meet at Art Market

It will be put off (被推迟) for one week if the weather is bad.

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. We have all the things you need. You just need to bring yourself, invite your neighbours and friends, and we'll make our streets and neighbourhood clean and beautiful! This can be a place we're proud to call our home!

After-party at the Harbour View Hotel

From 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Five lucky kids can take home a gift from the hotel. It will be fun!

Call 805 636 475 for more information.

Let's Make Our Neighbourhood Shine!

    Jane Austen (1775-1817), an English novelist, started writing young and completed six novels in her life. Today Austen's books are more popular than ever. In the last 10 years, five of her six novels have been made into Hollywood films, while her books continue to be best-sellers.

    Richard Jenkyns, a professor of English at Oxford University, says that her novels are about marriage, friendships and the family, which are still with us today. "The stories are timeless," Jenkyns says.

    Pride and Prejudice (偏见) is Austen's most famous work. It is a love story about Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. At first, these two dislike each other. Elizabeth is pretty, smart and lively. She is proud because Darcy doesn't know about her and her family. Mr. Darcy is handsome, rich and has a better family background. So, he is proud as well. At the same time, Darcy holds a prejudice against the Bennet family. He has no understanding of why the family, especially its mother and daughters should try so hard to find wealthy and powerful husbands. He thinks they are vulgar. Anyway, Elizabeth and Darcy finally fall in love and become a romantic couple but their families don't want them to.

    In Pride and Prejudice, some of the main things that Jane Austen wants to teach people are as follows. Opposites can attract each other. Lovers should not only make each other feel relaxed or comfortable, but also educate and improve each other.

    Austen is often called the greatest romantic writer, so it is surprising she remained unmarried. "Maybe she was too romantic, waiting for the perfect man," Jenkyns says.

As is known to all, without the earth's gravity (引力),nothing will come down to the earth and everything and everyone will fly in the sky. That is why many astronauts landing on the moon must work out the problems because of the low gravity.

Thanks to the international space station, we know quite a lot about the influences of low gravity on the human body, but NASA scientists want to learn more. So, they have been studying how other living things deal with low gravity, mainly focusing on mice. The results are both interesting and humorous. The scientists first sent some mice that were in the special cage to the international space station. The cage allowed them to study the behavior of the mice far away from the earth by video.

As you will notice in the video, the mice seem uncomfortable at the beginning of the experiment. They move around clumsily(笨拙地), drift in the small cage and do their best to figure out which side was up, but without success. However, it's not long before the mice seem to stop fighting. They became used to their new environment very well, and even put the lack (缺失)of gravity to good use and they push themselves around the cage. Soon they can move everywhere freely. The 11^th day of the experiment shows the mice are not just dealing with the gravity change, but actually seem to be enjoying it. Several of the mice are seen running around the cage walls. The scientists wanted to see whether the mice would continue doing the same kinds of activities they were seen doing on earth.

The study showed that the mice kept as normal activities as they did on the earth, including cleaning themselves and eating when hungry.

In August 2020, SkyDrive showed its new flying car, the SD-03. The small car flew around for about four minutes, staying about 3 to 6 feet（1 to 2 meters) off the ground. 

The SD-03 is powered by batteries and has 8 motors(发动机), which lift it straight off the ground. Since flying cars don't use runways, they need to be able to take off and land by going straight up or down. 

What made this test flight special was that a pilot was on board(在车上. Tomohiro Fukuzawa, who leads SkyDrive, said," Of the world's more than 100 flying car projects, only a few have succeeded with a person on board. "

It is hoped that in the future flying cars will be useful for short trips like taxi rides in cities. Flying cars can also save time in emergencies, and help reach places that can't be reached by road.

However, there are many obstacles in the way. 

Controlling a flying car is so complicated (复杂的）that most people won't be able to do it. 

Safety is a major problem. What will happen if a motor fails? And it's also hard to control traffic in the air. 

Flying cars also use a lot of energy- less than helicopters, but more than cars, or even airplanes carrying many people. 

Finally, flying cars are very expensive. When it's ready, SkyDrive's flying car is

expected to sell for between $300,000 and ＄500,000. 

But Mr. Fukuzawa says, "I think flying cars will become normal in the near future."

There was a businessman who was deep in debt and could see no way out. He sat on a park bench, head in his hands.

Suddenly, an old man appeared before him. "I can see that something is troubling you," he said. After listening to the businessman's story, the old man put a check in the man's hand, saying, "Take it and pay me back here exactly one year from today. "Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

The businessman saw in his hand a check for $500, 000 signed by John Rockefeller, one of the richest men in the world!

"I can pay off my debt!" he realized. But instead, the businessman decided to save the check. Just knowing it was there might give him the power to save his business, he thought.

He went back and worked hard to make his business successful. Soon, he was out of debt and making money again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the check. The old man appeared as planned. Behind the old man was a nurse. The nurse said that the old man was mentally ill and was always telling people he was John Rockefeller.

The businessman was shocked to hear this. All year long he'd been buying and selling, believing that he had half a million dollars behind him. Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money that had turned his life around. It was his self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve success.

I am Alice. My sister and I spent our last summer holiday with our uncle who is a geologist (地质学家) and loves to collect stones.

One day he bought us two backpacks and asked us to go to the mountain with him. We walked the whole day. Every now and then he put stones in our backpacks. To our surprise, he also took some stones out from them. But we thought he had just found better stones.

When we returned to the house, we were very tired. The backpacks were so heavy that we felt relaxed when we took them off. Yet our uncle's backpack was half empty. "Why did you give us so many stones?"' we asked.

"I didn't. You did. "he said. "You didn't know it, but I gave you a little attitude (态度) test today. I listened to every word you said. Whenever you were complaining (抱怨), I added a stone to your backpacks. Whenever you talked about something with positive (积极的) thinking, I took out a stone. And now look at your backpacks. "

Our backpacks were full of stones.

"Your negative (消极的) thoughts are just like stones. You carry them in your mind just like those stones in your backpacks. The more negative thoughts you have, the heavier your mind will be. "said our uncle.

With great love, our uncle taught us one of the most important lessons it life- the power of the attitude.

Saidie and Bessie are sisters. They are Americans. They live in the mountain village. Saidie is 104 years old and Bessie is 102 years old now. They tell their stories in a book called Having Our Day.

Here is some of their advice for living a long and healthy life.

★Get up early.

They get up at 6:00 in the morning.

★Have a good breakfast.

The sisters eat oatmeal (燕麦片) half a banana, bran (麸皮) and eggs with a little cheese.

★Take exercise every day.

The sisters like to do yoga (瑜伽). They also walk every afternoon.

★Eat a lot of fruit and vegetables.

The sisters like eating apples. Just like the saying "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

★Don't get married (结婚)

The sisters have no husbands or children to worry about.

★Don't always listen to the doctors

When something is wrong with us, the doctors don't know what to do with us. They are always surprised to see us live so longer.

Are you the only child in your family? How will you feel if you have a little brother or sister? Having a new baby in your family is really great.

If you are old enough, you may be able to help your mum or dad look after the baby, help to bath it, or play with it in the garden, but you should always ask Mum or Dad before you do anything for the baby, and they will show you how to help look after your little brother or sister. Your mum will be very tired of the new baby wakes a lot during the night. You might be able to help your mum by doing something nice for her, like bringing a drink for her while she is feeding the baby.

You may feel a bit jealous of the baby at times. Don't think that you are a bad kid if you feel like that. It is very normal(正常的） for any kids to have such feelings.