The devastation of Typhoon Morakot over Taiwan and eastern China is a reminder that the northwest Pacific is the most dangerous region in the world for tropical storms．The worst of these are typhoons, which are the same as hurricanes in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific, or cyclones in the Indian Ocean and Australia．They all have winds of more than 118km/h (73mph) spinning around a central core．
These storms start off as a mass of thunderstorms in the tropics outside the Equator．Given the right conditions, they form a bigger and more organised storm and feed off warm seas at more than 26．5C (80F) to get the fuel that they need to become a fully-fledged(羽毛丰满的) typhoon, hurricane or cyclone．Each storm is like a heat engine, extracting heat from the warm, humid air over the sea and turning it into phenomenal amounts of energy — equivalent to about 200 times the entire world’s electrical generating capacity．But warm, moist air is not enough — these storms also need slack winds aloft, because strong high-altitude winds can rip off the top of the storm clouds and send the entire storm tumbling（翻跟头）．
The damage from tropical storms often comes from their winds, or the storm surges from the sea as the winds pile up water into a huge battering ram(冲击夯) that floods coastlines．But the devastation from Typhoon Morakot came from its unbelievable rainfall — about a year’s average rain in some places — that set off landslides and mudslides．
1．According to the first paragraph, the common point among typhoons,hurricanes and cyclones is _______．
A．that they all come from the oceans
B．that they all have winds of over 118km/h spinning around a central core
C．that they all cause great damage
D．that they all can generate electricity
2．Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A．Typhoon Morakat devestates Taiwan and eastern China
B．How is the typhoon formed?
C．Typhoon Morakot was how to devestate the areas it travelled
D．How terrible is Typhoon Morakat!
3．The devastation from Typhoon Morakot is mainly from ______．
A．its wind B．its rainfall
C．landslides and mudslides D．the storm
4．It can be inferred from the passage that ______．
A．Taiwan is off the northwest Pacific
B．the damage from tropical storms often comes from their winds
C．tropical storms often happen
D．tropical storms only need warm, moist air
While surfing television channels over the weekend，a scene from a family classic of last year portraying the now-so-familiar sorry state of retired parents being ill-treated by their children and families caught my attention. I wondered why the description of this relationship had not changed much over the many years! Even though the same movies and soaps accurately capture several other social changes around us — from value systems to new found economic freedom to the importance of technology and the changing approach to consumerism(消费主义) — are these creative efforts far from the truth in telling us that an average retiree is still struggling?
Look around and you will agree that the post-retired lifestyle for an ex-salaried class people is often a pale shadow of their last working years. Even self employed people, who have handed over the responsibility to the next generation, are no exception. Did the average middle class not save enough through his working years?
Socially, we already know that the Indians are taught the benefits of start saving early on in life. Household savings data supports this social behavior — India has the highest rates of savings among various economies and is far ahead of the west. Yet, tragically, a lifetime of savings does not seem to provide enough for a comfortable retirement!
A closer look at the pattern of what we do with our financial savings may tell us a bit more. Over half of households’ financial savings is put into a “safe” deposit, followed by large portions in insurance, pension, provident funds（福利基金） and the rest in physical currency. Less than a tenth goes into “risky” assets(资产) like stocks. While there might be nothing, in particular, worrisome in this investment pool, one has to consider inflation(通货膨胀). The real value of savings, over a few decades, may actually be lower than the starting point. What had not changed much over the many years according to the passage?
| A．Value systems | B．The poor situation of retirees |
| C．Economic freedom | D．Approach to consumerism |
Which of the following statements about saving in India is right?
| A．the concept of saving has been well received by Indians. |
| B．the amount of the savings ranks number one across the world. |
| C．long-standing savings can help the retirees live a care-free life. |
| D．saving early can not benefit people at all. |
What can be inferred according to the last paragraph?
| A．Half of the financial savings in stocks can be accepted. |
| B．The real value of saving must be lowered in a few years. |
| C．A loss of savings may hardly be avoided. |
| D．Inflation can be avoided on condition that you consume instead of saving. |
What’s the best title of the text?
| A．Retirees being treated unfairly |
| B．Is saving enough |
| C．Saving in India |
| D．How to deal with saving |
Many schools have established successful home visit programs. Home visits by teachers let parents and children know how much teachers care. Also, it is a way for teachers to learn more about their students , get the parents to pay more attention to th
eir children’s educati
on and bridge cultural gaps that might exist between students and teachers. Most teachers report that their home visits have a lasting effect on the child, the parents and on parent—teacher communication.
The Head Start program has used home 
visits for many years. Head Start teachers are required to make at least two home visits for each student, regardless of their ability, during each school year in addition to regular parent-teacher conferences at school. Many U.S. kindergartens also require home visits by 
teachers before school starts.
The visit approach varies from school to school and usually depends on the funding the source. In some schools, teachers prefer to visit in pairs. They feel more comfortable that way and sometimes need a translator in order to communicate with a child’s parents. Other teachers visit one-on-one with parents. Some interact with both the child and the parent. Many teachers may bring along learning activities for the child that also involve the parents participation. Normally, visits can last from 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the teacher and the activities.
When teachers get to know their students and their students’ families, the parents become more active in their children’s education. Home visits, not unnecessary as some people think, can give teachers the ideas they need to help all students succeed. Home visits by teachers can
| A．bridge cultural gaps existing between parents and teachers. |
| B．get students know that their teachers care about their parents. |
| C．get parents involved in their children’s education. |
| D．help establish good relationships between parents and children. |
From the second paragraph we know that home visits
| A．are not a new idea |
| B．are traditionally done by teachers before school starts |
| C．are meant for students with low marks |
| D．have replaced parent-teacher meeting |
What is the third paragraph about?
| A．Reasons for home visists |
B．Forms of home visits |
| C．Advantages of home visits |
| D．Tips for home visits |
What is the effect of home visits?
| A．Parents have more opportunities to play with children |
| B．Students can succeed more easily through their own efforts. |
| C．Parents play a decisive role in children’s education. |
| D．Teachers can learn more about how to help students. |
Every day Shairley tries to make at least one person she knows happy. For years she has become addicted to this and she can’t pass a day without making someone happy.
This started when she was 11 years old. That year, she wanted to travel to see her best friend. After she saved all the money needed, she packed her bags and went to the airport. By the time she got to pay for her ticket,she realised that her purse had been stolen.
She went to the restroom and cried. While she was in the restroom stall and totally at a loss what to do, someone knocked on the door. “Leave me alone” was the sentence she said over and over again after hearing the repeated knocking. After a long time, she opened the door and went out only to find an envelope at her feet. She opened the envelope and found a letter. It said,
“Dear child, you locked yourself inside and avoided facing the people who were outside and you might miss this letter. Reading it now means that after all you decided to face the outside world again. Never lock yourself in for any reason ! Never lose hope ! Never forget to trust yourself. Be a reason for other people’s smiles, sow hope in their hearts and you will gain your happiness in your own heart.”
She folded the letter to put it in the envelope only to discover that inside were a window seat ticket and double the money she needed. So she traveled and told the story to everyone she met. She said.“ From that day on ,I took it as my task, half for me and half for someone’s happiness.”Shirley found that her money had been stolen .
| A．when she was heading for the airport |
| B．when she was buying a ticket |
| C．after she packed her bags |
| D．when she went to the restroom |
Why didn’t Shirley open the door of the stall when she heard the knocking?
| A．Because she was disappointed and at a loss. |
| B．Because she was afraid of the person outside. |
| C．Because she wanted to keep calm by being alone. |
| D．Because she was crying and didn’t hear the knocking. |
What did Shireley learn from the letter?
| A．A letter is powerful enough to make one smile. |
| B．Face the outside world and never lose hope. |
| C．She should always notice who is outside her door. |
| D．She should try to make herself happy first and then others. |
We can learn that after reading the letter, Shirley was
| A．interested | B．disappointed | C．ashamed | D．encouraged |
Healthy eating habits are one of the most important lessons a child learns. Parents can make a plan of action for each child’s nutritional needs.
Creating healthy habits
Breakfast is necessary to provide the nutrition and energy for an active day. Studies show that children do better in school when they begin the day with breakfast.
Include your child as much as possible in meal planning and preparation. He is more likely to eat food that he has helped put on the table. Cooking at home and at school encourages curiosity and motivation to try new foods.
The mealtime enviroment has a lot to do with how your child will feel about food. Try to keep the time and location of your meals consistent. Keep the meal itself as the main event by reserving the use of toys, telephone calls and television for later.
Help them regard food such as fruit as being important every day, and other food such as chips as being an occasional treat. Prepare food in a variety of ways.
Snacks
Snacks provide necessary energy for children between meals. Be sure to have plenty of healthy snack choices such as fruit and yogurt available at these times. Snacks should not replace a meal but provide a valuable supplement.The passage is written mainly to
| A．teach children to develop good eating habits. |
| B．exchange ideas with experienced parents |
| C．learn about children’s food preferrences |
| D．offer parents some useful suggestions |
A child is more likely to try new foods
| A．when he spends time with other children |
| B．if he helps prepare the food himself |
| C．after he has had an active day |
| D．when he has no snacks |
The underlined word “reserving” most probably means
| A．putting into | B．calling for | C．talking about | D．setting aside |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．You are what you eat |
| B．Cook dinner for your child |
| C．Healthy eating for kids |
| D．Pleasure in everyday meals |
Goats are being hired to do the work of people near SanDiego. The fires that occurred in Hillborbough four years ago destroyed thirty homes, most of which have been rebuilt. While people were rebuilding the homes, the grasses and bushes were growing back. The area is now so overgrown in bushes that there is again a major danger of fire.
The city council asked for offers to remove the bushes. The lowest bid they received was $50,000-----and that was if the city provided breakfast and lunch for the workers for thr six weeks it would take to clear the overgrown area. The city only wanted to give unlimited coffee and a piece of bread a day for each person. When that offer was rejected, the city asked for help on its website.
A sheepherder（养绵羊的人） in Montanta and a goatherder（养山羊的人） in San Bernardino read about the city’s plight （困境）while surfing the Web on their laptops. They both offered to do the job for $25,000. The council chosed the goatherder because he lived closer. When he was told that the city dump（垃圾场） was overflowing , the gotherder said, “No problem. My goats will eat everything in your dump, except the car engines, of course.” So ,for another $5,000, the city killed two birds with one stone. If all goes well, they will invite the goatherder and his “family” back every three years. The goatherder said that he would probably visit San Diego while his goats were in the dump. “I want to go there by plane, I just hope we don’t crash. My goats will miss me a lot.” He said.Why did the city council want to remove the bush?
| A．Because the fires in hillborbough destroyed 30 homes. |
| B．Because people wanted to build their homes there. |
| C．Because the overgrown bushes could cause fires again. |
| D．Because two sheeherder offered to do the job. |
The goatherder was chosen to do the job because
| A．He offered to do it for the lower price |
| B．It was easier to transport his goat |
| C．Goats can do the job better than the job |
| D．The city wanted to raise more goats |
According to the passage,
A．the sheepherder off ered to do the job for $50.000 |
| B．the lowest bid to remove the bushes was $50,000 |
| C．the sheepherder and the goatherder were both addicted to surfing the Internet. |
| D．hiring goats to do the job saved the government lots of money. |
we can infer from the passage that
| A．the city will remove the bushes in this area regularly |
| B．the goatherder asked for $50,000 to kill the birds with stones. |
| C．the goatherder was invited to San Diego to do some sightseeing. |
| D．the city council was not kind to the people who worked for it. |