Sitting on a chair all day in school can make anyone want to move around. So, more and more teachers are letting students have a ball. By sitting on exercise balls instead of chairs, teachers find students' posture (姿势) and attention improve.
Dottie Pownall, a fifth-grade teacher in West Virginia, USA, has been using balls as chairs since December 2008. "The students love them", she says. Pownall took a survey of her students. She found that 80% of the students thought sitting on the balls helped them pay more attention to what they were learning.
The teacher, Pisa Witt, felt so strongly about the use of balls as chairs, she started Witt Fitt. This company encourages the use of the balls. And the company educates not only teachers but also students on how to use them. "Our products are used in 24 states, three provinces in Canada, Puert
o Rico ('波多黎各) and Japan," says Witt. "Research shows that sitting on the balls makes them sit up straighter. You can slouch (低头垂肩地坐) on a ball," says Witt, "but it feels awful." Because the students are moving, their blood (血液) increases. That carries more oxygen (氧气 to the brain (大脑), so the kids have more energy and can focus longer.
"Furthermore, they're fun." says Pownali. What will happen if a student sits on a chair all day in school? The student will _________.
| A．pay more attention to his lessons | B．be fun |
| C．like to move around | D．sit up straighter |
How long has Dottie Pownall used the balls?
| A．About three years. | B．Only one year. |
| C．In 2008. | D．Since he was a fifth-grade teacher. |
In how many countries are the balls used as the students' chairs?
| A．Four. | B．Three. | C．Two. | D．One. |
Teachers choose balls instead of chairs because sitting on balls helps the kids___________.
| A．improve the students' posture and attention | B．slouch on the chairs |
| C．have fun | D．Both A and C are correct answers. |
Which is better for kids to study in class, sitting on a chair or sitting on a ball?
| A．Sitting on a chair. | B．Sitting on a ball. |
| C．They are the same. | D．We don't know. |
Getting electricity has always been a problem for the 173people living in Nuevo Saposoa，a small village in Peru，South America．However，things went from bad to worse in March 2015after heavy rains damaged the only power cables in the area．The villagers were forced to use oil lamps，which are not only expensive but also dangerous because of the harmful gases they produce．
Luckily，researchers at the University of Technology （UT） in Lima，Peru heard about their problem and found a wonderful solution．They made a lamp that can be powered by plants and soil，both of which can be easily found in the Amazonian rainforest where the village lies．The lamp takes energy from a plant growing in a wooden box and uses it to light up an LED light bulb．
While that may sound amazing and even impossible，the science behind the ides is quite simple．As plants create their food （using the sun's energy，water and chemicals from the soil），they also produce waste which they return to the soil．Tiny animals in the soil eat this waste and they produce electrons﹣the building blocks of electrical energy．The UT team put special sticks inside the soil to capture the energy and keep it in the lamp's batteries for later use．The researchers say a single charge can power a 50﹣watt Led light for two hours﹣enough time for local villagers to get their evening work done．
The university gave ten Plant Lamps to the villagers of Nuevo Saposoa in October 2015．So far，they have been a huge success!Elmer Ramirez，the UT professor who invented the lamp，believes the Plant Lamp could help improve the lives of many people，especially small rainforest communities，42% of whom have no electricity．
（1）What are the problems of oil lamps according to Paragraph 1？
| A． |
They are difficult to use and create pollution |
| B． |
They are expensive to buy and easily damaged |
| C． |
They are difficult to repair and produce little light |
| D． |
They are expensive to use and can be bad for health |
（2）The electricity made by the Plant Lamp comes from ．
| A． |
plant food |
| B． |
plant waste |
| C． |
the soil's heat |
| D． |
the sun's energy |
（3）What is true about the Plant Lamp？
| A． |
It can be made by local people |
| B． |
It is much easier to use than oil lamps |
| C． |
It can produce all the electricity the village need |
| D． |
The things it needs to make electricity are easy to find |
（4）The Plant Lamp's inventor believes it could be most helpful for ．
| A． |
rainforest communities |
| B． |
cars |
| C． |
poor people in cities |
| D． |
farmers |
（5）What is the purpose of the passage？
| A． |
To report on a new invention |
| B． |
To explain a new scientific theory |
| C． |
To describe how electricity is made |
| D． |
To discuss the problems of poor villages． |
It may be hard to believe，but the American Revolution（革命）﹣the war that freed the American states from British control﹣began over a cup of tea．Tea was not the only thing that caused the war，of course，but it played a very big part．
The British people's love of tea is well﹣known．When the British won control over mush of North America in the early 1700s，they brought their tea﹣drinking habits with them．Tea quickly became the continents most popular drink．As tea could not be grown locally，just as in Britain，it was shipped into the country﹣mostly from India．
In the early 1700s，the Britain government made a special deal with the East India Company，as an English trading company．They agreed that no other company was allowed to bring tea to Britain or any country controlled by Britain，including America．It was a great deal for the East India Company，since it meant that the company could decide whatever price it wanted for its products．And it always decided on a high price!
In North America，the local people did not like having to pay such high prices．Instead of overpaying for tea from the British，they turned to Dutch traders，who secretly brought tea to the country that was just as good﹣and much less expensive．Although this broke the law，the American people didn't care．They got the same cup of tea at a much lower price．
The East India Company，however，didn't like this at all．By the 1760s，they were losing millions of pounds each year to Dutch traders﹣a huge amount of money in a time when￡60a year was considered a good income．Instead of reducing their prices to compete with the Dutch，the company asked the British government for help and the government agreed．
In 1767，the British introduced new law that increased the prices of all goods which were brought into America．These laws helped make the East India Company even richer and forced local people to pay much more for everything．The American leaders asked the British government not to do so，but the British refused to listen．These unfair laws increased Americans'anger about British rule and the rest，as they say，is history．
31．In the early 1700s where did most tea drunk in America come from？
| A． |
China |
| B． |
India |
| C． |
America |
| D． |
Britain |
32．The underlined word"it"in Paragraph 3refers to ．
| A． |
the tea maker |
| B． |
the American government |
| C． |
the British government |
| D． |
the East India Company |
33．Why did may Americans begin to buy tea from the Dutch traderfs？
| A． |
The tea was much cheaper． |
| B． |
The tea was a lot healthier． |
| C． |
They could buy it more easily． |
| D． |
They didn't want to support the British． |
34．What did the East India Company do to stop losing money？
| A． |
It reduced the price of its tea． |
| B． |
It improved the taste of its tea． |
| C． |
It introduced a new kind of tea． |
| D． |
It asked the British government for help． |
35．What is the passage mainly about？
| A． |
Tea trade in eighteenth﹣century America． |
| B． |
The relationship between America and Britain． |
| C． |
A reason for the start of the American Revolutionary War． |
| D． |
The introduction of British tea﹣drinking habits into America． |
"Save the whales!"That's what the picture on Jake Smith's bedroom wall said．Jake liked having a picture that said something important：that showed he cared．He just never expected to get a chance to save a real whale，one right in his own neighbourhood．
It was a Saturday morning when the newspaper first reported the whales'coming．A group of the animals were swimming close to the beach in Jake's hometown．All the local people rushed out to the beach to see them．They were expecting a beautiful show，better than a movie，but nothing they'd have to do anything about．
Then one whale swam in the direction，directly towards land．It came in with the waves，and when the waves receded．Its huge body rested on the sand．Suddenly，Jake and his family and all the others were no longer sightseers．They had to become rescuers．A few people ran towards the animal．They pushed and tried to force the whale back into the water，but it was no use．
An animal rescue service team soon arrived in a truck with heavy lifting machinery，to help move the animal．Jake and his family couldn't do much on the beach，so they went back to their house and made sandwiches and hot tea for the rescuers．At least，Jake thought，they could help in some way．
Back at the beach，they offered the food to the rescuers and were happy to see that it was needed．It was getting dark．Some people lined up their cars along the beach and shined the headlights on the sand．The rescuers would not give up．After trying many times they were finally able to lift the whale into the water．Everyone cheered when it headed out to sea．It swam out about a mile and then disappeared for a moment under the sea．Then，in what looked like a jump of joy，it rose high above the water﹣a thank﹣you to those who had worked so hard to save his life．
26．What does the picture on Jake's wall tell us about him？
| A． |
He lived near the ocean． |
| B． |
He cared about the environment． |
| C． |
He worked as an animal rescuer． |
| D． |
He thought whales were the most beautiful animals． |
27．Why did the local people go down to the beach that morning？
| A． |
To swim with the whales |
| B． |
To help rescue the whales． |
| C． |
To see the whales swimming． |
| D． |
To watch a movie about whales． |
28．The underlined word"receded"in Paragraph 3means ．
| A． |
didn't move |
| B． |
went back out |
| C． |
washed over |
| D． |
got up |
29．How did Jake and his family help save the whale？
| A． |
By calling the rescue service． |
| B． |
By asking their neighbours for help． |
| C． |
By giving the rescuers food and drink． |
| D． |
By controlling the people on the beach． |
30．In what order did the events of the whale rescue take place？
a．The whale disappeared under the sea．
b．People turned on the lights of their cars．
c．Rescuers lifted the whale into the water．
d．People pushed the whale towards the sea．
| A． |
e﹣d﹣b﹣c﹣a |
| B． |
e﹣b﹣c﹣d﹣a |
| C． |
d﹣b﹣e﹣a﹣c |
| D． |
a﹣e﹣b﹣d﹣c． |
任务型阅读阅读短文，用一个恰当的词完成下列表格．
When you think about best﹣selling books，you will come up with the Secret Garden or Hary Potter series．But Guinness（ 吉尼斯） World XINHCSZDIA
Records announced on April 12，2016that the Xinhua dictionary published in China was the world's most popular dictionary and the best selling book that was regularly updated（修订）．
The Xinhua Dictionary had sold 567million copies all over the world up to July 28，20 15，Guinness World Records announced London．The dictionary was first published in 1953．
"Our teams have completed a lot of data survey，collection and examination for these the records，and we are pleased to say that the Xinhua Dictionary is the most popular dictionary and the best selling regularly updated book，"said the vice﹣president for records at Guinness．
We call it the"National Dictionary"．T he Xinhua Dictionary has been useful tool for Chinese people，containing 包含） the culture of a great country and having an influence on the language of billions of people，It is also a good tool foreigners when they are learning the Chinese language and culture Why does Xinhua dictionary the best﹣selling book
|
Records and achievements |
contents |
|
Guinness World Records |
1．the world's most（71） dictionary 2．the best﹣selling and（72） Up dated book |
|
Achievements |
1．The Xinhua Dictionary has been a（73） tool for Chinese people． |
|
2．The Xinhua Dictionary not only contains the culture of a great ernents（74） the language of billions of people． |
|
|
3．It will（75） foreigners to learn the Chinese language and culture． |
Wuzhen in Zhejiang is a peaceful water town．Its old houses have made it a place of interest．But last December，more than
2000 special guests，including state leaders，government officials and Internet businessmen，got together there．They were not there for trip．Wuzhen was chosen as the home of the World Internet Conference （WIC）and the second yearly WIC was held there from Dec.16 to 18，2015．
"Because it is beautiful，"explained the BBC．"It shows one of the event's big ideas：the Internet is a thing of beauty that should be shared by all human．And Wuzhen is held together
by rivers and crossed by many stone bridges．These make it similar to the Internet，too．
The key reason is the place's great use of the Internet﹣Wuzhen shows the world what a Chinese smart town looks like．A smart town uses modern technology to make all its services
better．
Wuzhen had 2 700 Wi﹣Fi signal spots then，covering almost every corner of the town．Leaving home without a wallet is just fine because online payment is encouraged in most shops．
Wuzhen also built 26 free bike rental（租赁）spots．A bike in Wuzhen can be rented simply with a smart phone．Wuzhen's public services aren't the only developing things．People's lives in Wuzhen also become smart．An online home﹣care system was put in nearly 2 000 older people's homes．Nurses will come to them right now with the help of the smart system．
61．What did 2 000 special guests arrive in Wuzhen for？
| A． |
Traveling． |
| B． |
The peaceful water town． |
| C． |
Business． |
| D． |
The World Interne't Conference． |
62．What does the BBC think of the Internet in the passage？
| A． |
Something like rivers． |
| B． |
Some thing beautiful． |
| C． |
Something like stone bridges． |
| D． |
Some place s for traveling． |
63．According to the passage we can infer （推断）that in Wuzhen
| A． |
olde T people can be taken good care of |
| B． |
people must go shopping with their wallets |
| C． |
it is impossible for them to use the smart phone |
| D． |
people can own the free bike with their smart phone |
64．Why did they choose Wuzhen to hold the second yearly WIC？
| A． |
Stone bridges． |
| B． |
Wi﹣Fi signal spots． |
| C． |
Smart town services． |
| D． |
Online home﹣care system． |
65．Which is the best title for the passage？
| A． |
Wuzhen Gets Smart |
| B． |
A Smart City |
| C． |
The Most Modern Town． |
| D． |
A Place of Interest． |
