Stepping into a pool of water is common enough, but who could ever imagine stepping into a pool of fish? In February of 1974, Bill Tapp, an Australian farmer, saw a rain of fish that covered his farm. How surprised he must have been!
What caused this strange occurrence? This is a question that had long puzzled people who study fish. The answer turned out to be a combination of wind and storm.
When it is spring in the northern part of the world, it is fall in Australia. Throughout the autumn season, terrible storms arise and rains flood the land. The strong winds sweep over Australia like huge vacuum cleaners (吸尘器), collecting seaweed, pieces of wood, and even schools of fish. Strong winds may carry these bits of nature for many miles before vacuum dropping them on fields, houses, and astonished people.
Although they seem unusual, fish-falls occur frequently in Australia. When Bill Tapp was asked to describe the scene of fish, he remarked, “They look like millions of dead birds falling down.” His statement is not surprising. The wonders of the natural world are as commo
n as rain. Nature, with its infinite wonders, can create waterfalls that flow upward and fish that fall out of the sky. What is this passage about?
| A．A sad story. | B．Australia’s northern part. |
C．A rain of fish. |
D．The damage done by floods. |
Fish-falls occur in Australia __________.
| A．quite often | B．on large farms |
| C．only in winter | D．when the air is calm |
The underlined word “infinite” is closest in meaning to “__________”.
| A．easy | B．difficult | C．countless | D．dangerous |
Oyster
What is an Oyster card?
Oyster is the easiest way to pay for journeys on the bus, Tube, tram, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), London Overground and National Rail journeys in London. You can store your travel cards, Bus&Tram Pass, season tickets and credit to pay for journeys as you go.
Where to get an Oyster card?
There are a number of ways for you to get an Oyster card：
• At over 3,900 Oyster Ticket stops
• At Tube and London Overground station ticket offices
• At some National Rail stations
• At London Travel information Centres
• Online at tfl. gov. uk/oyster
How to use an Oyster card?
To pay the correct fare on the Tube, DLR, London Overground and National Rail services, you must always touch in on the yellow Oyster card reader at the start of your journey, and touch out at the end. If you don’t, a maximum cash Oyster fare will be changed. When using the bus or tram, you must only touch in at the start, but not at the end of your journey.
What happens if I don’t visit London very often?
Don’t worry. Any pay as you go credit on your card will not expire (过期), so you can keep it for your next visit or lend it to a friend.
Fares
Traveling by Tube from Central London (Zone l)to Heathrow (Zone 6)
Adult Oyster single fare
£ 4. 20 Monday to Friday 06:30 - 09:30 and 16:00 -19:00
£ 2. 70 at all other times including public holidays
Adult single cash fare £ 5.00
For further information, visit tfl.gov. uk /fares.You can get an Oyster card at the following places EXCEPT_____
A. on the website B. at an Oyster Ticket stop
C at a post office D. at a Tube stationWhich of the following is TRUE about Oyster cards?
| A．They are limited in use to the owners themselves. |
| B．On National Rail services you must touch them on the reader twice. |
| C．They are not suitable for those who don’t visit London often. |
| D．Oyster card Tube fares cost more on public holidays than on weekdays. |
Haperson with an Oyster card takes the 7 o’clock Tube from Central London to Heathrow for a week (no public holiday in between)，he should pay_____.
| A．£ 18.90 | B．£ 29.40 |
| C．£21.90 | D．£26.40 |
The passage is probably taken from a_______
| A．magzine | B．travel guide |
| C．textbook | D．novel |
Last week the manager of an old jeweler’s shop received a letter marked “personal”, so of course his secretary gave it to him unopened. As he was very busy, the letter lay on his desk till tea-time. Then he opened it and a￡10 note fell out onto his desk. With the note was a short letter. This is what it said:
Dear sir,
In 1935 I got engaged. But unfortunately at that time there was a lot of unemployment and I lost my job. I was six months without a job and then I got work again. But of course I was very short of money. I came to your shop to buy a wedding ring. The assistant brought some rings for me to look at, but she was called away for a moment, and I put one of the rings in my pocket. When she came back, I said I did not know the size of my girl-friend’s finger. So I left the shop without buying a ring.
My wife died a short while ago and the fact that I never paid for her ring has been on my conscience (良心) all these years. At the time the ring cost ￡2 so I reckon (估计) that is about ￡10 at today’s price. And I am sending you that amount.
Yours truly,
A customer
“Well, well, well,” said the manager, “life is full of surprises!”The best headline for this article would be _______.
| A．A Customer Pays His Bill | B．An Old Jeweler’s Shop |
| C．The Manager and the Letter | D．A Letter with￡10 |
Why didn’t the secretary open the letter? Because _______.
| A．he was very busy |
| B．it was a personal letter |
| C．there was a ￡10 note in it |
| D．the letter was unimportant |
What happened to the writer of the letter in 1935?
A. He was engaged to a girl.
B. He was out of work for six months.
C. He lost a ring.
D. Both A and B.What was true about the assistant?
| A．She lost her job. |
| B．She was short of money. |
| C．She was called away while serving the customer. |
| D．She put one of the rings in her pocket. |
Making friends is a skill like many other skills. It improves with practice. If you want to meet people and make friends, you must be willing to take some actions. You must first go where there are people. You won't make friends staying home alone. Join a club or a group. Talking with those who like the same things as you do is much easier. Or join someone in some activities. Many people are nervous when talking to new people. After all meeting strangers means facing the unknown. And it's human nature to feel a bit uncomfortable about the unknown. Most of our fears about dealing with new people come from doubts about ourselves. We imagine other people are judging us or finding us too tall or too short, too this or too that. But don't forget that they must be feeling the same way. Try to accept yourself as you are and try to put the other person at ease. You'll both feel more comfortable.
Try to act selfconfidently even if you don't feel that way. When you enter a room full of strangers, such as a new classroom, walk tall and straight, look directly at other people and smile.
If you see someone you'd like to speak to, say something. Don't wait for the other person to start a conversation.
Just meeting someone new does not mean that you will make friends with that person—friendship is based on mutual liking and“give and take”. It takes time and effort to develop.The best title of the text may be________.
| A．Friendship | B．How to Make Friends |
| C．Meeting New People | D．Facing the Unknown |
You can't make friends if you________.
| A．take some actions | B．go to where there are people |
| C．avoid meeting people | D．won't start a conversation |
Friendship is based on________.
| A．selfconfidence |
| B．meeting more unknown people |
| C．more talking and smiling to people |
| D．taking from and giving to people |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Making friends needs practising. |
| B．Making friends needs to be more active in starting a conversation. |
| C．When meeting someone, make him feel nice and starting a conversation. |
| D．Before making friends with someone, judge if he's too this or too that. |
A man once had a dream about the Black Forest in Germany. In his dream he was walking in the forest when two men ran out and tried to throw him to the ground. He ran off as fast as he could, but they followed him. He reached a place where he saw two roads in front of him, one to the right and the other to the left. Which road should he take? He heard the two men behind him, getting nearer, and at the same time he heard a voice in his ear. It told him to go to the right, and he did so. He ran on and soon came to a small hotel. He was received there kindly and given a room, and he was saved from the two men. That was the dream.
Twenty years later he was really in the Black Forest and, as happened in the dream long ago, two men ran out and tried to throw him down. He ran off, and came to a place with two roads, like in the dream. He took the road to the right without thinking. He soon reached a small hotel, was taken in, and so was safe. His dream of twenty years before had saved his life.The Black Forest is __________.
| A．a place in Europe | B．not a real place |
| C．dangerous place | D．a place visited twice by the man |
It was _________ that saved the man’s life 20 years later.
| A．a voice | B．the dream 20 years before |
| C．guests of the hotel | D．guard of the forest |
The story tells us that _________.
| A．the man knew something about The Black Forest before he went there |
| B．the man had a good memory but bad luck |
| C．people should not believe their dreams because they never come true |
| D．people should believe dreams because they always can save their lives |
When you look at your food, some ingredients（配料） are easy to see. For example, there is milk in your cereal (麦片), cheese on your pizza and peanut butter on your bread. But your meals are also filled with ingredients you can’t see. And you might be surprised to learn just how much those hidden ingredients affect your health.
Salt is a perfect example of an ingredient that you might not notice, even when you eat a lot of it. More than 75% of the salt we eat is hidden in restaurant meals, fast food and processed (加工过的) food, such as French fries, hot dogs and even biscuits.
Salt is important to us and it has many uses. It keeps our muscles (肌肉) working and our nerves (神经) sending messages through the whole body. Salt can be used to clean teeth, to make our skin smooth or added to a relaxing bath. Salt is also used to help make food last longer.
However, eating too much salt can cause heart problems. For a long time, heart trouble has been regarded as an adult problem, but new research shows that salt is starting to affect kids. Then how much salt is safe for kids every day? Let’s look at the following chart:
| Ages |
Amount of Salt Every Day |
| 1-3 years old |
2 grams |
| 4-6 years old |
3 grams |
| 7-10 years old |
5 grams |
| 11 or more than 11 years old |
6 grams |
Kids should not eat more than that.What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?
| A．The importance of salt in our everyday life. |
| B．The result of eating too much salt. |
| C．How much salt people need every day. |
| D．Though people eat much salt every day, they may not notice it. |
Which of the following is NOT the use of salt?
| A．Salt keeps muscles working. |
| B．Salt helps to make food last longer. |
| C．Slat helps to reduce heart problems. |
| D．Salt can be used to clean teeth. |
If Mike is 10 years old, how much salt should he eat each day?
| A．Five grams. | B．Two grams. |
| C．Three grams. | D．Six grams. |