Here are some facts about homes in the United States and the people who live in them. In the early 1990s, about 50% of the Americans owned their homes and the rest rented (租) their homes. The rented homes were usually apartments (公寓).
74% of the people in the US make their homes in or around cities. 26% live in the country. Dogs live in about 40% of all homes in the US. About half that number have cats.
Families in the US are becoming smaller. On the average (平均), 2.64 people lived at home in early 1990s. In 1960, the average was 3.5.
Half of the teenagers in the US have their own bedrooms.
An American moves, on the average, twelve times in his or her life. In Japan a person moves about five times, and in England a person moves eight times.Most Americans live ________, according to the passage.
A.in or around the cities | B.in cities |
C.around cities | D.in the country |
How many American families own a cat?
A.About 40%. | B.About 20%. |
C.About 74%. | D.About 26%. |
On the average, there were ________ people in an American family in 1994.
A.more than 3 | B.only 3.5 |
C.less than 2 | D.about 2.64 |
________ in the US have their own bedrooms.
A.All of the people | B.Most of the children |
C.Half of the teenagers | D.Only some of the teenagers |
What can we learn from the passage?
A.In the early 1990s, most of the Americans owned their homes. |
B.Families in the US are becoming bigger and bigger. |
C.A Japanese moves more often than an American. |
D.An American moves more often than an Englishman. |
There are about 80.000.000 mines under the ground in more than 60 countries. It is difficult and dangerous to clear these mines.About 50 people including many children were killed or hurt each day.In 2003,APOPO,a Duch research company that trains the animals,came up with the idea of using rats to search for the mines.
The animal trainers found that a kind of rats from Africa were clever and had a sharp sense of smell.The rats were about 75 cm long and weighted about 1.35 kg.light enough to run across a minefield without setting off the mines.
In January 2004,the APOPO startec this preject.First ,the trainers let the 4-week-old baby rats get familier with humans. A few weeks later,the rats were no longer afraid of people and the things around them.Then they were trained to connect a click sound with food.After the rats had learned that ,the trainers then taught them to tell the different between the smell of mines and other smells.When the rats could do it,the click was sounded and they were given a bit of bananas.The method was called clicker training.“The training isn’t easy.”said the trainer Adulish Mebomvu.“You have to be patient.Sometimes I get angry,but then again.I tell myself these are animals.”
After nine months’ training,the rats were taken to 4 minefield. They ran across the minefield ,stopped, sat and searched the ground to tell the deminers that they smelt out a mine. Then the mine was cleared.It had taken two deminers a day to clear a 200 m2 minefield. But with the help of two rats they could finish it in two hours.
The rats and the deminers saved thousands of lives.“The rats did this job much better than we expected.So far they have helpde to make almost 2.000.000 m2 of land safe.They are heroes.”said Bart Woetjcds.the head of the APOPO.The APOPO trained the rats to search for__.
A.children | B.animals | C.minea | D.bananas |
While training the rats,the trainers have to be __.
A.patient | B.clever | C.brave | D.serious |
How long did the training last?
A.Two hours | B.One day | C.Four weeks | D.Nine month |
Which of the following is NOT TRUE acorrding to the passage?
A.Each day about 200 people were killed or hurt by minea |
B.The APOPO started to train the rats is January 2004. |
C.The trainers gave the rats food after they smelt out a mine . |
D.The rats and the deminres saved thousands of livers. |
When you are about to do something brave, a cheerful wish of “Good luck!” from a friend can be helpful. But if you think you need lots of luck, what else might you do?
In the UK and US there are some strange traditions for bringing yourself a little more good luck. Some are hundreds of years old and some are much newer.
Have you heard the saying “When you wish upon a star”? If you are looking up at the sky on a clear night and you see a sudden flash of light, it is probably a shooting star! Seeing one doesn’t happen very often. The saying goes that if you see one you have been very lucky, and so if you make a wish, it will come true.
Maybe you have heard of the lucky rabbit’s foot. Some people believe that rabbits are lucky animals, so they carry a part of the rabbit, its foot, for good luck. There are all kinds of strange, unclear rules about which of the rabbit’s feet is the luckiest. It is said that this good luck tradition is the oldest one of all. However, as the funny saying goes, “Depend on the rabbit’s foot if you will, but remember it didn’t work for the rabbit!”
People in Britain love trees. If it is autumn and leaves are falling from the trees, some people try to catch the leaves as they fall because they think each leaf they catch will bring them a lucky month in the following year—they will need to catch 12 falling leaves to have a whole of good luck!______ is mentioned in the oldest good luck tradition.
A.A rabbit’s foot |
B.A falling leaf |
C.A cheerful wish from friends |
D.A shooting star |
From Paragraph 3, we know that ______.
A.shooting stars can often be seen |
B.people can see a shooting star on a rainy night |
C.your wish may come true if you see a shooting star |
D.people believe that it’s unlucky to see a shooting star |
British people try to catch 12 falling leaves because ______.
A.the leaves fall in autumn |
B.there are so many leaves to catch |
C.the leaves can bring them a lucky month |
D.they want to have a whole year of good luck |
In Paragraph 5, the underlined word “them” refers to(指)______.
A.trees | B.people | C.leaves | D.years |
The passage is mainly about ______.
A.how to wish upon a star |
B.things that bring good luck |
C.British people love leaves |
D.which of the rabbit’s feet is the luckiest |
When I was ten, my mother worked all day so I had to take care of my younger brother. At that time my little brother was about four years old and he missed mum all the time.
One day, after I had given him his dinner, he started crying for mum. He was so young and really needed mum. So I dressed him, put on his shoes, carried him on my back and walked out. Soon he fell asleep. About half an hour later, I found that he had lost a shoe while sleeping. I took him off my back and put him down. I knew we needed to find that shoe, for our mother couldn’t afford new shoes. We had to go back to find it, so I told my brother to wait right there. A man heard it and stopped me just before I walked off. He asked me, “You are leaving your brother here to find the shoe? What would you do if he is not here when you return?” I did not know how to answer that question. He continued, “It’s OK if you can’t find the shoe, but it is not OK to lose your brother.” Then he sent us to mum’s workplace by taxi.
My whole life I have depended on the kindness of many strangers, I feel regretful that I cannot find them and say thank you. I do not even remember what the man’s face looked like, but he taught me a lesson—people are more important than things. Why did the younger brother cry for his mother?
A.Because he was hungry. |
B.Because he missed his mother. |
C.Because he wanted to sleep. |
D.Because he wanted to play outside. |
What does the underlined word “regretful” in the last paragraph mean?
A.Sorry. | B.Happy. | C.Excited. | D.Angry. |
What did the man mean by saying “It’s OK if you can’t find the shoe, but it is not OK to lose your brother.”?
A.People are more important than things. |
B.Things are more important than people. |
C.Both the shoe and your brother are important. |
D.The shoe is more important than your brother. |
According to the passage, which word can best describe the man?
A.Rude. | B.Funny. | C.Silly. | D.Kind. |
Animals grow up in different ways. They have lots of lessons to learn.
Some animals are born helpless but their mothers protect them. A newborn kangaroo is the size of a bee. She stays in her mother’s safe pouch. She doesn’t open her eyes for at least five months. A newborn monkey cannot walk. He is carried by his mother.
Other baby animals can walk soon after they’re born. They learn to run with their mother when danger is near. A baby zebra(斑马)can run an hour after she is born.
Some baby animals are born in a place that is safe. Other baby animals are born in the open. Baby wolves are born in large holes. A baby elephant is born on open, grassy land. Other elephants make a circle(圈)to protect her.
Animals that drink their mothers’ milk are called mammals. A mother bear’s milk is fatty and rich. Baby bears need lots of fat to keep warm in winter. They have milk for six months. Baby zebras drink milk for six months or more! As baby animals grow they need solid(固体的)food. Baby lions eat what their mother can catch. Which baby animals don’t open their eyes for at least five months?
A.Lions. | B.Zebras. |
C.Kangaroos. | D.Elephants. |
What can’t a baby zebra do an hour after she is born?
A.Drink milk. |
B.Walk by herself. |
C.Run with her mother. |
D.Make a circle to protect herself. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Baby wolves are born in the open. |
B.Newborn lions only eat solid food. |
C.Newborn monkeys can walk but can’t jump. |
D.Baby bears need lots of fat to keep warm in winter. |
It’s 10:00 pm. A man leaves a restaurant, gets into his car and drives away. 200 meters further he’s stopped by a police officer.
Officer: Good evening, sir. We’re testing drivers for drunk driving. Would you please blow(吹)into this machine?
Man: I’m sorry, I can’t do that. If I blow into that machine, I will get out of air.
Officer: Please come along to the office and we can give you a blood test.
Man: I can’t do that. If you give me a blood test, I will bleed(流血)to death.
Officer: Then you’ll have to get out and walk five metres along this white line.
Man: I can’t do that, either.
Officer: Why not?
Man: Because I’m dead drunk! I can’t open the door.The man is stopped ______ metres away from the restaurant.
A.5 | B.10 | C.200 | D.205 |
The conversation probably happens in a (an) ______.
A.office | B.street | C.hospital | D.restaurant |
The man wouldn’t have the test for drunk driving because ______.
A.he is badly ill | B.he will get out of air |
C.he is dead drunk | D.he will bleed to death |