When people want to know about the weather,they usually go to their radios,TVs, newspapers,or to the Internet.However,you can also find many weather signs among wildlife, because of their highly developed senses.Drops in air pressure(压力) produce an effect on small animals in many ways.Mice and deer are good weather indicators.People who spend a lot of time outdoors have observed that,before a storm,field mice come out of their holes and run around.Deer leave high ground and come down from the mountains.
Birds are especially good weather indicators because they also show the effect of a pressure drop in many ways.For example,some birds become irritable(急躁的) and quarrelsome and will fight over a piece of bread.Other birds chirp(叽叽喳喳) and sing just before a storm.It seems they know they won’t get another chance for an hour or two.Birds also seek safe places before a storm.You will sometimes see birds settling in trees or gathering together on a wire close to a building.Pre-storm low pressure makes the air so thin that birds have difficulty flying.
It is unusual to see many birds flying overhead in the summertime,rather than during the periods in the spring or autumn.Watch for other weather signs if you see this.If they fly in the wrong direction,they may be flying ahead of a storm.
By paying closer attention to some important signs in nature,we can become better prepared for any kind of weather.The word “indicators” in Paragraph 1 probably means______.
| A．maps | B．services |
| C．signs | D．stations |
There will be a storm if birds______.
| A．make more noise than usual |
| B．fly in different directions |
| C．come down from tall trees |
| D．share a piece of bread |
How can birds sense the coming of a storm?
| A．By feeling a drop in air temperature. |
| B．By noticing the change of wind directions. |
| C．By feeling a drop in air pressure. |
| D．By noticing the movements of other animals. |
The best title for the text would be______.
| A．Signs of a Storm |
| B．Drops in Air Pressure |
| C．Animals’ Sharp Senses |
| D．Nature’s Weather Signs |
You are watching a film in which two men are having a fight. They hit one another hard. At the start they only fight with their fists（拳头）. But soon they begin hitting one another over the heads with chairs. And so it goes on until one of the men crashes through a window and falls thirty feet to the ground below. He is dead!
Of course he isn’t really dead. With any luck he isn’t even hurt. Why? Because the men who fall out of high windows or jump from fast moving trains, who crash cars of even catch fire, are professionals（专业人士）. They do this for a living. These men are called stuntmen（替身演员）. That is to say, they perform tricks.
There are two sides to their work.They actually do most of the things you see on the screen. For example, they fall from a high building. However, they do not fall on to hard ground but on to empty cardboard boxes covered with a mattress(床垫). Again, when they hit one another with chairs, the chairs are made of soft wood and when they crash through windows, the glass is made of sugar!
But although their work depends on trick of this sort, it also requires a high degree of skill and training. Often a stuntman’s success depends on careful timing（时间测量）. For example, when he is "blown up" in a battle scene, he has to jump out of the way of the explosion（爆炸）just at the right moment.
Naturally stuntmen are well paid for their work, but they lead dangerous lives. They often get seriously injured, and sometimes killed. A Norwegian stuntman, for example, skied over the edge of a cliff（悬崖）a thousand feet high. His parachute failed to open, and he was killed.
In spite of all the risks, this is no longer a profession for men only. Men no longer dress up as women when actresses have to perform some dangerous action. For nowadays there are stunt-girls too!Stuntmen are those who
| A．often dress up as actors |
| B．prefer to lead dangerous lives |
| C．often perform seemingly dangerous actions |
| D．often fight each other for their lives |
Stuntmen earn their living by
| A．playing their dirty tricks | B．selling their special skills |
| C．jumping out of high windows | D．jumping from fast moving trains |
Usually when a stuntman falls from a high building
| A．he needs little protection |
| B．he will be covered with a mattress |
| C．his life is endangered |
| D．his safety is generally all right |
What can be inferred from the author’s example of the Norwegian stuntman?
| A．Sometimes an accident can occur to a stuntman. |
| B．The percentage of serious accidents is high |
| C．Parachutes must be of good quality. |
| D．The cliff is too high. |
When you are visiting New York City with kids，there are numerous things to do which will entertain their spirits and feed their minds.
•The Whispering Gallery
Make your way to the Whispering Gallery. The Whispering Room's architecture allows for a phenomenon that usually sparks a lot of giggles. Once inside the gallery，place one person facing the corner at one end of the room and then place another person facing the corner at the opposite end. Ask one of the participants to whisper a phrase or a quick sentence or two and the person at the opposite end will be able to hear every word that was said.
E．42nd St.
New York，NY 10017
2127715322
grandcentralterminal.com
•American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History was founded in 1869.In addition to its impressive exhibits，permanent attractions bring the cool feeling to kids. They can enter the Fossil Halls and take in the impressive dinosaur skeletons. And the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life educates kids on the fragility of the ocean.
Central Park West at 79th St.
New York，NY,10024
212—769—5606
amnh.org
•The Scholastic Store
Most parents want their children to read，and moreover，to enjoy reading. The Scholastic Store helps to make that wish a reality by publishing engaging，well written stories that appeal to children. With classics such as Clifford the Big Red Dog，The Magic School Bus，and Harry Potter，the Scholastic Store will delight your children.
557 Broadway
New York,10012
212—343—6100
scholastic.com
•Ellen's Stardust Diner
The restaurant is a place where each person in your family can find something to eat .At Ellen's Stardust Diner，a diverse menu will whet everyone's appetite. Arugula salads，grilled cheese，burgers and meatloaf are all on this varied menu. The hall of beauty queens，a drive-in theatre and wait staff that sing to you can add to the unique dining experience.
•1650 Broadway，corner of 51st St.
•New York，NY 10019
•2129565151
ellensstardustdiner.com Once children visit the Whispering Gallery they'll find it ________.
| A．interesting | B．splendid | C．disappointing | D．frightening |
Which of the following websites helps the kids learn about the ancient ocean life?
| A．ellensstardustdiner.com | B．grandcentralterminal.com |
| C．amnh.org | D．scholastic.com |
You would like to get your children interested in reading so you can bring them to visit ________.
| A．the Whispering Gallery | B．the Scholastic Store |
| C．Ellen's Stardust Diner | D．American Museum of Natural History |
In addition to your favorite food in Ellen's Stardust Diner you can also ________.
| A．make some good friends |
| B．see many beautiful queens |
| C．receive the first—class service |
| D．enjoy some entertaining programs |
Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
| A．Tips for travelling around New York City |
| B．Children would like to travel in big cities |
| C．Things to do with kids in New York City |
| D．Entertaining activities in the United States |
Playing basketball isn’t ladylike. That’s what Jewell Chapman’s high school headmaster told her in 1961 when he was against the girls’ basketball program.
“We were very discouraged, ” said Chapman, a forward（前锋）for her high school team of Des Moines.
Nearly 50 years later, Chapman is back on the playground. She’s 62 and plays for “Hot Pink Grannies”, joining about 10 other women on a team whose uniforms are black trousers and hot pink socks. They play in the Iowa Granny Basketball League.
It’s one of dozens of basketball leagues for women over 50 that have arisen across the country. For some, it’s a chance to exercise and meet people; for others, it’s a once – refused chance to make up.
“You see more and more elderly women’s teams taking part in state and national competitions,” said Michael Rogers, a professor in sports studies at Wichita State University. “In the future it will be something common to have leagues like this.”
Yearly surveys by the National Sporting Goods Association show the number of women aged 55 and older who play basketball at least 50 times a year has grown from 16,000 in 1995 to nearly 131,000 ten years later.
The women on the Hot Pink Grannies are good – natured but competitive when game time comes.
“I think I’m tough” says Colleen Pulliam, 69, showing off her strong arms at her challengers in a game against “Strutters”, known for their bright yellow socks.
Granny Basketball Leagues and similar groups spread quickly through much of the country, including California, Louisiana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.Which is right about Chapman?
| A．She thinks playing basketball isn’t ladylike. |
| B．She is now 62 years old and feels discouraged. |
| C．She plays basketball again about 50 years later. |
| D．She is a forward in the Hot Pink Grannies. |
The underlined sentence “it’s a once – refused chance to make up” in the fourth paragraph means .
| A．it is chance to realize their old dream |
| B．it is chance to take part in sports |
| C．it is chance to earn a reputation |
| D．it is chance to compete for medals |
Who is probably a player of “Hot Oink Grannies”?
| A．Des Moines. | B．Colleen Pulliam. | C．Michael Rogers. | D．Strutters. |
Which of the following statements is true?
A．Some elderly women play basketball with the purpose of getting wealthy.
B．Granny Basketball Leagues have spread all over the USA.
C．The women on the Hot Pink Grannies are good – natured and less competitive.
D．The number of women aged 55 and older who play basketball has greatly increased.From the passage we can infer .
| A．in the 1960s, playing basketball wasn’t considered as a girls’ sport |
| B．the color of the socks is of great importance to granny players |
| C．more and more granny players are confident about getting higher scores |
| D．Jewell Chapman’s high school headmaster has already changed his attitude |
“I don’t speak English”-these are the first words I learned when I came to America. Soon I was able to pronounce the four words clearly, and said them whenever an American tried to talk to me. This answer was very effective（有效的）at ending our conversation and saving me from another uncomfortable situation, or I would have to communicate in a language that I was not familiar with.
Before coming to the States, I thought I knew English pretty well. But the truth is that the grammar and vocabulary-based English that is taught in schools overseas（海外的）is not the English people speak in America.
But fear not! Once you are in America, you can immediately begin to bridge the gap（弥补差距）between the learned English that you already know, and the spoken English that is all around you. To do this, first of all, it is important not to fear when you realize that you may not be as prepared for daily communication as you thought. For me, as soon as I stopped worrying about my accent and started speaking, I made rapid progress. Often the people didn’t notice my mistakes because they were so glad to finally be able to communicate with me.
Another good idea is to listen carefully and pay attention to the way in which ideas are expressed. For example, if you are working hard and you want to stop working and rest for a little while, you can either say “I would like to stop working and rest for a while” or “I want to take a quick break from work.” The first sentence, I quickly learned, sounds dry and too formal for any kind of communication, while the second is an idiom（成语）that is widely used in American English conversation.
Finally, use what you already know---the vocabulary, the grammar and the spelling. Try to use these into the spoken language for more impressive and accurate（精确）speaking results.What’s the main idea of this passage?
A．You’d better say “I don’t speak English” in the USA.
B．How you can improve your spoken English in the USA.
C．Idioms are widely used to express your ideas in the USA.
D．Listening is the best way to improve your spoken English in the USA.At first the writer preferred to use the sentence “I don’t speak English” to .
| A．admit he is a foreigner |
| B．save much time for himself |
| C．prevent himself from being laughed at |
| D．avoid getting upset in communicating with others |
What’s the problem with the English taught outside the English-speaking countries?
| A．It is quite different from what the natives speak. |
| B．It is taught in boring and wrong grammar. |
| C．It has nothing to do with English. |
| D．It has too small a vocabulary. |
When did the writer make rapid progress in spoken English?
A．As soon as he paid attention to the way Americans spoke.
B．The minute he found what has been learned useless.
C．The moment he got rid of the fear of speaking.
D．Immediately he arrived in the USA.All the following are tips given buy the writer EXCEPT “ .”
| A．speaking bravely | B．listening carefully |
| C．using what you have learned | D．making few mistakes |
One of the best-loved American writers was William Sydney Porter, or O.Henry. From 1893 he lived with his family in a house in Austin, Texas, which is now a museum. Visitors to Austin can see the house. It was saved from destruction (破坏) and turned into a museum in1934. The museum is a good way to learn about the interesting life of the American writer.
William Porter rented this house in Austin and lived there with his wife Athol and daughter Margaret for about two years. Many objects in the museum belonged to the Porters. Others did not. An important piece in the room is the original photograph over here. It was taken there in the house about 1895. The piano there goes back to the 1860s. His wife took lessons on it when she first moved to Austin.
Porter did not start his career as a successful writer. He worked at a farm, land office and bank. He also loved words and writing. The museumm has a special proof of Porter’s love of language --- his dictionary. It is said that he had read every word in that dictionary.
Later William Porter was forced to leave Austin because he was charged with financial wrongdoing at the bank and lost his job. Because he was afraid of a trail (审判), he left the country secretly. But he returned because his wife was dying. After her death, he faced the trial and became a criminal. He served three and a half years in a prison in Ohio.
William Porter would keep his time in prison a secret. But there was one good thing about it. It provided him with time to write. By the time he was freed, he had published 14 stories and became well known as O.Henry.
Porter later moved to New York City and found great success there. He published over 180 stories in the last eight years of his life.O.Henry’s house in Austin has been well kept up till now so that ____.
A. Americans can explore their history
B more visitors will be attracted to Austin
C. visitors can learn about O.Henry’s life
D. it can show the way of life in the 1860sWhat do we know about the piano in the house?
| A．It was hated by Porter’s daughter. |
| B．It has a long history of about 150 years. |
| C．Porter’s wife gave music lessons on it. |
| D．Porter usually created music on it. |
How does the museum prove (证明) Porter was fond of language?
| A．With a dictionary he used. |
| B．With the records they keep. |
| C．Using the books they wrote. |
| D．Using the photograph they keep. |
Why did Porter escape from Austin?
| A．He didn’t want to lose his job. |
| B．He didn’t want to make trouble. |
| C．He meant to save his wife’s life. |
| D．He was charged with a crime. |
From the last two paragraphs we know that _______.
| A．Porter became famous suddenly |
| B．Porter spent his time in prison writing |
| C．Porter suffered a lot from his time in prison |
| D．life in prison provided what he could write for Porter |