The class teacher thought that hobbies were important for children. So she encouraged all her students to have one, and sometimes she arranged hobby shows for their parents to see as a result.
One morning the teacher told the class to have a holiday and get their hobby things to school before 5p.m. A hobby show would be held the following afternoon.
So in the afternoon, the students with nothing to show did their lessons at school as usual, while the lucky ones had a holiday to go home for their hobby works.
When the afternoon lessons began, the teacher was surprised to see that Tommy was not there. “I don’t believe Tommy has a hobby,” she thought. However, at a quarter to five, Tommy arrived with a beautiful collection of butterflies in glass cases. The teacher liked the samples(標(biāo)本) very much and put them on a desk in the classroom. But, to her surprise, Tommy picked them up again and began to leave.
“What are you doing, Tommy?” she asked. “Those things must stay here until tomorrow afternoon. That’s when the parents are coming to see them.”
“I know that,” answered Tommy, “and I will bring them back tomorrow, but my big brother doesn’t want them to be out of our house at night.”
“But, aren’t the butterflies yours?” asked the teacher.
“No,” answered Tommy. “They are my brother’s”
“But Tommy, you should show your own hobby here, not somebody else’s”
“I know that,” answered Tommy. What surprised her most was the answer, “My hobby is watching my brother collecting butterflies.”
【小題1】What did the class teacher think of hobbies for children?

My Year Abroad                                                           
This month in Travelers Corner there are three teenagers’ experiences in year-abroad programmes.
Mariko Okada – Tokyo
My year abroad in the United States was a fantastic experience. I’m not a shy person, and I was very comfortable speaking to everyone. So I got lots of speaking practice. I also learned lots of interesting things about American culture. When I got home, my friends all said that I had improved so much! I hope to go back again in the future.
Carla Fonseca – Rio de Janeiro
I spent last year studying English in London. I’m from a small town, and London is a very big city. Sometimes I felt it was too big. There were so many people to talk to, but I always felt bad about my English. I missed my family, and I really missed my two cats. My roommate was always using our telephone, so I hardly had the chance for a nice long talk with my parents. I think it was a good experience for me, but I’m glad to be home!
Alvin Chen – Hong Kong
Studying in New Zealand was a fun experience for me, but it was also lots of hard work! I had English classes six hours a day, five days a week——with lots of homework. I also kept a diary of my experience. I like to write, and I wrote two or three pages in my diary every day. On Saturdays, my homestay family took me to lots of interesting places and showed me so many wonderful things about the culture. I’m really glad I went!
【小題1】All the three teenagers went abroad           .

“What is success?” Mr Gruber asked his 6^th grade business class. It was his opening conversation for the first class of the term.
“Success is riding in a sweet car, watching an 80-inch TV, and living in a place with at least twelve rooms.” One student answered, earning laughs from all the students.
Mr Gruber smiled, but shook his head. “Tom, that is excess(過量). That is not success.”
“How about being able to provide for your family?” A blonde girl named Sandy in the front suggested as an answer.
“Now we’re getting closer,” Mr Gruber smiled, “but try thinking about what you need and what you want.”
“Getting everything you want.” Tom shouted out an answer again, trying for more laughs.
Mr Gruber sighed. “ I believe we’ve already talked about excess versus(與…比較) success.”
“Getting everything you need, but some of what you want?” James, sitting in the back wondered aloud.
“Quite right!” Mr Gruber clapped. “Success is getting everything you need and some of what you want. The more you get that you want, the more successful you are. You do reach a point where you are living in excess, though.”
“What does this have to do with business?” Tom asked. It seemed if it wasn’t funny, he wasn’t happy.
“Well, Tom, think of it this way: the point of business is to make a living to support your family. Once you have properly seen to (確保) their needs, you can then see to getting the extras that you want.”
“What if I don’t have a family?” he continued to be difficult.
“Then you have to provide for yourself, a family of one.”
“He has goldfish to think about!” Peter, Tom’s friend, shouted out.
“Then he needs to provide for a family of one with a fishbowl.” Mr. Gruber corrected himself.
Tom nodded, satisfied with that answer.
“So in the next nine weeks, we’re going to study basic business situations, like having a checking account and understanding credit cards.”
Tom rubbed his hands together excitedly. “When do we get to start spending?”
“You already are, Tom. You’re spending time with us!” Mr. Gruber laughed. “Now, let’s see what you guys know about credit cards…”
【小題1】What class did Mr Gruber teach?

“My dear lady,” says Holmes. “You’re shivering. Are you old? Do you want a cup of hot tea?”
“I’m not cold,” the woman replies, “I fear for my life!”
“We are here to help you. Don’t worry about anything. I don’t know you. But I know many things about you. For example, I know how you travel. You came to London by train. You also ride to the train station on a horse-drawn wagon(馬車).”
“Why, yes. You’re right. But how do you know these things?”
“ I see a return ticket in your glove. I see fresh mud on the left arm of your dress. Now tell us your problem.”
“My name is Helen Stoner,” she states, “ My mother and father are dead. I am living with my stepfather, Dr Grimesby Roylott. He comes from a rich family. But they are no longer rich. They have nothing except a small piece of land and a huge old house. We are living in the house. Dr Roylott is using my mother’s money for expenses(開支). Part of it was for my sister and me. It was for our marriages.”
Holmes is sitting in his chair. His eyes are closed. He is listening carefully to Helen’s story. He hears every detail.
Helen continues. “My stepfather has no friends. He fights with everyone. He is strong and gets angry quickly. Everyone is afraid of him.”
“He has no friends at all?” asks Holmes.
“No. He talks to no one except the gypsies. They are poor people who travel from place to place. A band of gypsies is staying on our land right now.”
“Are you and your sister afraid of the gypsies?”
“My dear Mr Holmes. You are making me so sad. My sister is dead. That is why I am standing here in this room.”
【小題1】Paragraph 6 beginning with “My name is …” is mostly about_______________.

It is your first day at a new school. How will you find your way around?
【小題1】You get off the bus at the corner of Clark Street and 10^th Street. You are closest to ___________.

Long long ago a man went to India and he had never been there before. When he got there, he saw a lot of fruit, but much of it was expensive because they couldn’t grow much because there was little water. Finally he saw a big basket of some very red and long fruit. And it was the cheapest in the shop.
So he went up and asked, “How much each kilo?”and the shop keeper said, “Two rupees(盧比). ”Two rupees in India was nothing. So he bought a whole kilogram of the fruit and started eating it. But after he ate some of it:oh, my god!His eyes watered, his mouth watered and burnt, and his face became red. He jumped up and down, saying, “Ah!Ah!Ah!”
But he still continued to eat the fruit!Some people who were looking at him shook their heads and said, “You’re crazy, man. Those are chilies(辣椒)!You can’t eat so many!People use them as a condiment, but only a little bit to put into food for taste. You can’t just eat them like that. ”But the silly man said, “No, I can’t stop!I paid money for them, and now I’ll eat them up. It’s my money!”
And you think that man was silly, right?We sometimes do a lot of things like that. We spend money, time or effort doing something. And even though it’s been a long time, hard experience tells us it won’t work, and we know there’s no more hope, we still continue just because we’ve put money, time, effort and love in to it. Just like the man who ate the chilies and felt so bad but couldn’t stop because he didn’t want to waste the money he’d paid.
So even if you’ve lost something, let it go and move on. That’s better than continuing to lose.
【小題1】The man chose to buy the red and long fruit only because  .

School activities for kids and teens
July is a month of fun-filled activities for kids and teens as long as you know where to find them. When you want some fun activities for July, consider these ideas happening in this month.

Secret of the Dragon Time     Monday, July 1, 2013, 10:30 am Cost     Adult: $ 7.40 children (number 15 years): half Bookings  Phone the booking office: 3403 2578 Address   Brisbane Botanic Gardens Note      Secret of the Dragon is a magical story about two children who are taken on a dragon ride to expel the universe.	The Search for Life: Are We Alone? Time    Thursday, July 4, 2013, 2:00 pm Cost     Adult: $ 14.50 Children (under 15 years): $ 8.70 Bookings  Phone the booking office: 3403 7689 Address   Brisbane Botanic Gardens Note      Are we truly alone in space? Is there any life out there? These are the questions asked in this show.
Magic Class Time     Friday, July 12, 2013, 10:00 am Cost      Free Bookings  Please call 3403 8470 to book your place. Address   Centenary Community hub, 171 Dandenong Rd Note      Would you like to be a magician? Then join David, the magician, to learn about real magic with playing cards, coins, ring ropes and DIY projects and be able to become the life of the party.	Science with Me: Making your own guitar Time      Saturday, July 20, 2013, 3:00 pm Cost       Free Bookings   Please phone 3403 1226 to book your place. Address    10, Egginton Close Note       Do you want to make a guitar with Katy and her mom? Science with Me is going to be with you. Please remember to bring a piece of wood, a hammer, some rubber bands and some nails with you.

Cause and effect is one way to explain things that happen around us. Many things happen because something caused or influenced them to happen. Sometimes it is hard to look at a cause and find out what caused or influenced them to happen. Sometimes it is hard to look at a cause and find out what causes the effect. It may help you to start with the effect and use your reasoning(推理的) skills. Think about all the things you know that could be reasons for the effect you can see.
For example, you may see someone putting on a heavy jacket. This is the effect. To look for a cause, think to yourself, “What would take someone put on a heavy jacket?” Maybe the person is going outside into very cold weather. Maybe the person works in the penguin pen(企鵝圈養(yǎng)地) at Sea World. Maybe the person is going to visit an ice skating rink where the air is kept very cold. All of these things could be a cause for putting on a heavy jacket.
Now, think about a second example. The effect is a boy named Abi has to go to the head teacher’s office. What are the possible causes? Maybe he bullied(欺負(fù)) another student. Maybe he is just being picked up early. Maybe he is being given a prize!
Here is another example for you to think about its cause and effect. Cait, 13, was trying to fall asleep when her 8-year-old brother, Doug, came into her room. He looked around a bit, but seemed really out of it. Then Doug went back into the hallway and stood there looking straight up at the hall light for quite a while. Little brothers can be very strange, but this was really much too strange. Cait’s father appeared and explained that Doug was sleepwalking. What’s the cause end effect, could you tell?
根據(jù)材料內(nèi)容選擇最佳答案，并將其標(biāo)號填入題前括號內(nèi)。
【小題1】According to the second paragraph, which of the following is an effect?

Traveling has been popular with people for a long time. Many of today’s travelers are trying to find an unusual experience or adventure. Hiking may be a good choice.
Instead of spending your vacation on a bus, in a hotel or sitting on the beach, you may want to try hiking. Hiking is a great way to travel. You will get close to nature and take exercise at the same time. Hiking is easy to do and doesn’t have to be very expensive. The basic equipments (設(shè)備) you need for hiking are simple: good shoes, clothes and a backpack. You can hike in the mountains, in a forest or along a river. You can also go for a hike in the city.
Hiking is fun and exciting, but you shouldn’t forget safety. Here are some basic tips for successful hiking:
Don’t hike alone.
Bring water, a good map and a mobile phone.
Wear a hat to protect yourself from the sun.
Answer the questions according to the passage.
【小題1】Is hiking a good way to get close to nature? _______________________ .
【小題2】What basic equipments do you need if you go hiking? ______________ .
【小題3】Where can you hike according to the passage? ___________________ .
【小題4】How many tips on hiking are there in the passage? ________________ .
【小題5】What shouldn’t you forget during a hiking? ________________ .