It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.
Then one day. Some visitors from the city arrived. The told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog’s legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other place.
This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a batter future. But the dream didn’t last long.
The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.
The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides(杀虫剂) and medicines. Soon there was no money left.
Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn’t been useless. They had been doing an important job---eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.
Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.From paragraph I we learn that the villagers __________.
A.were poor but somewhat content | B.dreamed of having a better life |
C.worked very hard for centuries | D.lived a different life from their forefathers |
Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?
A.They needs money to buy medicine | B.The frogs were easy money . |
C.They wanted to please the visitors | D.The frogs made too much noise |
What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?
A.there were too many insects | B.the crops didn’t do well |
C.the visits brought in disease | D.the pesticides were overused |
What can we infer from the last sentence of the text?
A.Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country |
B.Health is more important than money |
C.Good old day will never be forgotten |
D.The harmony between man and nature is important. |
Once there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it every day. He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him.
Time went by --- the little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree every day. One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad. “Come and play with me,” the tree asked the boy. “I’m no longer a kid. I wouldn’t play around the tree any more.” the boy replied. “I want toys. I need money to buy them.” “Sorry, I don’t have money. But you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money.” The boy picked all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy never came back after he picked the apples.
One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited, “Come and play with me,” the tree said. “I don’t have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help?” “Sorry, I don’t have a house. But you can cut off my branches to build your house.” So the boy cut all the branches off the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy never came back since then. The tree was again lonely and sad.
One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was pleased. “Come and play with me!” the tree said. “I am sad and getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?” “Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy.” So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time.
Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years. “Sorry, my boy. But I don’t have anything for you any more. The only thing left is my dying root,” the tree said with tears.
“Good! Old tree root is the best place to lean on and rest. Come and sit down with me and rest.” The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears.Why did the boy pick all the apples on the tree?
A.he wanted to eat them |
B.he needed money to buy toys |
C.he liked the tree without apples |
D.he wanted to share them with friends |
When did the boy come back to the apple tree?
A.whenever he was happy |
B.if he missed the apple tree |
C.when he was in times of difficulty |
D.as soon as he was free |
What did the boy want at last?
A.to have a house to live in |
B.nothing except a place to rest |
C.the root of the apple tree |
D.anything that the apple tree had |
What can we learn from the story?
A.plant more apple trees | B.learn from the boy |
C.always stay at home | D.be thankful to our parents |
“Homestay is a form of study abroad program. It allows the visitor to rent a room from a local(当地的) family to better understand the local lifestyle. It also helps to improve the visitor’s language ability,” said a teacher during a school meeting last term. “Students who wish to learn more about foreign cultures or to get foreign experience should join this kind of holiday. I am sure you won’t be disappointed.”
After this special meeting, I always thought about this kind of holiday. Last month, I had a chance at last to go on such a holiday with some of my schoolmates and we went to London, a place where I had wanted to go since years ago.
As we were still young, we had a group leader who planned things for us and looked after us. After we got to London, we went to stay with different families. I was lucky that my host family(寄宿家庭) was a white couple who had a daughter about my age. They treated me as a daughter of their family during my stay there. They were interested in me and I learnt a lot of things from them, too.
The holiday was filled with activities every day. After breakfast, a local teacher would come to take us in his car. Then we would have classes or go on a sight-seeing trip to different places of interest like the Big Ben, the London Bridge, and the Buckingham Palace. We would go back to our own homes after the activities.
The holiday was a valuable experience for me. I enjoyed every minute of it. Yet, time really flew fast. Three weeks later, we had to leave “home” for Hong Kong.In the “homestay” program, a visitor can _____.
A.learn more about holidays | B.understand his culture better |
C.improve the language ability | D.take part in foreign meetings |
The writer had wanted to visit London since _______.
A.last month | B.a long time ago |
C.the special meeting | D.her stay abroad |
The writer’s host family ______.
A.was very kind to her | B.went sight-seeing with her |
C.had two white daughters | D.was interested in her activities |
From the passage, we know that the writer ______ in London.
A.wished to stay a little longer |
B.had a wonderful time |
C.had classes in many interesting places |
D.helped the teacher take the students in a car |
(正面)
(背面)Where can you find such a card?
A.a bus station | B.a park | C.a bank | D.a hotel |
How many buses can reach the hotel?
A.Two | B.Three | C.Four | D.One |
What can a guest do if he gets lost?
A.He can take Bus 507 to the hotel |
B.He can wait until the light is green. |
C.He can call the hotel at the phone number on the card. |
D.He can visit the website. |
Which of the following is true?
A.The card can be used to open the door. |
B.Open the door when the red light is on. |
C.A guest can keep the card when he checks out. |
D.If the card is lost, a guest will have to pay for it. |
Empathy(同情心) lets us feel another person’s pain and drives us to help. Do any other animals feel empathy? Scientists recently found that rats(老鼠) do, too.
Most people don’t like rats. In many people’s eyes, rats are only bad. But Jean Decety and his partners at the University of Chicago did an experiment. It showed that rats are kind, warm-hearted animals. They can feel each other’s pain.
Scientists placed pairs of rats in plastic cages(笼子) for two weeks. During this time they got to know each other. Then they put one of the rats from each pair into a small container(容器) in the cages. The small container had a door. It was so designed as to fall to the side when the free rat touched it. Many of the trapped(困住的) rats squeaked(吱吱叫) to show their discomfort. The other rats of the pairs could see their suffering(受苦的) friends clearly.
In most pairs, the free rats would become very worried about their friends. They kept trying to save their friends again and again throughout the month. Scientists put the rats’ favorite chocolate in the cages, but the rats didn’t eat it until they had saved their friends successfully. Scientists also found that female rats seemed to act more empathetic than male rats.
“The results are the first to show that rats take action in response to another’s trouble,” Decety said. “Monkeys and chimpanzees have similar behavior. But unlike those animals, rats can be ready used in laboratory studies. They will help us to learn which parts of the brain lead to empathy and helping behavior and whether empathy is natural.” A person with empathy is often _____.
A.kind-hearted | B.clever | C.active | D.strong |
Why didn’t the free rats eat the chocolate at first?
A.Because they were not hungry at that time. |
B.Because chocolate was not their favorite food. |
C.Because they wanted to save the trapped rats first. |
D.Because they were afraid that the chocolate was bad. |
Which of the following animals were NOT mentioned in the passage?
A.Monkeys. | B.Chimpanzees. | C.Rats. | D.Cats. |
What does the passage mainly tell us?
A.Rats can feel other animals’ pain. |
B.Chocolate is rats’ favorite food. |
C.Rats are empathetic and can feel each other’s pain. |
D.Female rats are more empathetic than male rats. |
A capsule inn is a kind of cheap and small hotel where people just sleep in rectangular containers(容器). After experiencing popularity in Japan for more than 30 years, capsule inns have now entered the Chinese market. This new style is becoming popular with many visitors, but some are less than what they expected. The capsule inn covers an area of more than 300 square meters, with 68 very small bedrooms for guests to rest. Each room is 2.2 meters long and about 1 meter wide.
As small as the capsules are, they provide more than enough daily necessities(必需品) for visitors. They do have plenty of functions. Each includes independent power sockets, clocks, lights, and flat screen televisions. People can also enjoy wireless Internet service. The basic fee(费用) for each capsule is 28 yuan, and guests will be asked to pay an extra 4 yuan every hour. The highest cost could reach 88 yuan per day.
Ta Zan, capsule inn Manager, said, “Capsule inns are similar to Internet cafes. When they first appeared more than 10 years ago, people thought they might not succeed. But now it’s a common thing in our lives.” He believes that more capsule inns will open around the nation very soon. He is sure about the future of his business.How much will you pay if you want to stay in a capsule inn for 12 hours?
A.88 yuan | B.76 yuan | C.28 yuan | D.4 yuan. |
What does the underlined word “functions” mean in Chinese?
A.价格 | B.功能 | C.方法 | D.需求 |
For whom, a capsule inn is a good choice while traveling around?
A.A family who like to cook by themselves. |
B.A young student who likes watching TV or surfing on the Internet. |
C.An old man who would like to stay in a big house with his wife. |
D.A business man who wants to have a meeting with others. |
Why does the manager compare(比较) his inn to Internet cafes?
A.Because he thinks they are similar in shape. |
B.Because he knows Internet cafes were popular 10 years ago. |
C.Because he thinks capsule inns are a common thing in our lives. |
D.Because he believes both will have good development. |