Cyril was a small town. The houses there were all made of wood; almost everything in the houses such as cupboards, tables and chairs were made of wood, too. And all the houses faced south. The town was never peaceful. Fire broke out once a week on summer afternoons. Residents were puzzled who the real firebug(纵火犯) was.
One day a big fire broke out. It was said that a Negro had jumped out of the house on fire, so the police arrested(逮捕) all the Negroes in the street. However, fire never stopped to breaking out when the Negroes were in prison.
Mauson, a physics teacher didn’t believe that the Negroes were the firebugs, for he really knew about those Negroes, He made up his mind to find out who the real firebug was.
One day he was invited to drink in a pub and happened to notice that many bottles and plastic plates were baked by the hot sunrays. Suddenly he realized what the actual fact was. He jumped with joy, saying, “I’ve got the answer!”
Mauson dashed out of the pub to his friend’s house nearby, which also faced south. He made an experiment there to confirm his idea.
The next Saturday afternoon, Mauson asked some policemen and newsmen to come to the house. They were told that the real firebug would be shown there. At that time the sun was shining full into the house and it became hotter and hotter inside the room.
Someone wanted to draw the curtains together, while another was going to use a bottle to drink water, but neither got permission from Mauson, who wanted to let the firebug in.
“Now,” said Mauson, “this house will soon catch fire.” People looked at each other in surprise. Mauson asked them to look at the bottles and focus on the table cloth. After a while the cloth gave off a burning smell and began to catch fire!
The mystery of fire was discovered, but the police wouldn’t believe him and insisted that Negroes had been the firebugs. Instead they arrested Mauson and put him into prison. But Mauson said he would never turn against science. The town was never peaceful, for fire broke out .
| A．in the afternoon | B．in summer | C．at any time | D．A and B |
Why did the police arrest all the Negroes?
| A．One of them had jumped out of the home on fire. |
| B．They were suspected to be the firebugs. |
| C．The police hated the Negroes. |
| D．The Negroes knew something about the fires. |
Drinking in a pub, Mauson realized what the actual fact was .
| A．by experiment | B．by backing the bottles |
| C．through the hot sunrays | D．by accident |
By making an experiment, they knew the real firebug was .
| A．the Negroes | B．bottles | C．sunrays | D．plastic plates |
Mauson was put into prison, because .
| A．he had told a lie |
| B．he had fund out the real firebug |
| C．he had turned against science |
| D．he had made friends with the Negroes |
Greg Woodburn, a student at the University of Southern California, spends a lot of time cleaning sneakers he collected. But soon the shoes will be sent to poor children in the United States and 20 other countries, thanks to Woodburn’s Share our soles (S.O.S) charity.
A high school track star in the town of Ventura, California, Woodburn was treated in hospital for months with foot injuries.
“I started thinking about the health benefits, the friendship and the confidence I got from running,” he says, “And I realized there are children who don’t even have shoes”.
Woodburn gathered up his old sneakers, and then asked his friends to donate. His goal was to have 100 pairs by Christmas 2006. When he collected more than 500 pairs, he decided to turn the shoe drive into a year-round effort.
Back then, the sneakers came from donation boxes and the local sporting goods store and from door-to-door pickups. Woodburn has now set up collection boxes at two high schools, city gym and recreation center. So far, S.O.S has collected and donated more than 3,000 pairs.
Woodburn has cleaned all the shoes. After sorting the shoes by size, Woodburn selects the good shoes for the washing machine and the worn-out ones for recycling.
For many recipients, the shoes represent opportunity. Two young boys in Southern California attended school every other day because they shared a pair of shoes. They were too big for one boy and too small for the other. Thanks to S.O.S, each brother received his own pair of shoes. The boys now attend school daily and enjoy their learning. When they graduate, they say, they will help a stranger, just as Woodburn helped them.The text is mainly about.
| A．the attempts to collect sneakers | B．the school track star, Woodburn |
| C．Woodburn and his Share Our Soles | D．the recycling of the worn sneakers |
What caused Greg Woodburn to donate old shoes for poor children?
| A．News about some poor children. | B．The benefits from playing sports. |
| C．His memory of school life. | D．The medical treatment he received. |
When collecting more sneakers than expected. Woodburn decided to .
| A．collect shoes throughout the year | B．set up branches in different cities |
| C．put out a call to his friends | D．make his effort in the whole city |
From the fifth paragraph we can learn that.
| A．Woodburn has changed his business |
| B．Few students are interested in his suggestion |
| C．Few people supported his career |
| D．Woodburn succeeded in this charity |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The two brothers would like to share a pair of shoes. |
| B．The shoes will protect poor children from injuries. |
| C．Woodburn gets tired of cleaning the old sneakers. |
| D．The shoes from S.O.S make a big difference to the two brothers. |
My father never wanted his children to know what he did for a living. Dad worked in Plant C. Lying beside Lake Erie, it saw him in at sunrise and out at nightfall. Sometimes my mother would take my siblings (兄弟姐妹) and me to the public beach in our hometown of Ashtabula. She’d gather us round and point to the smokestacks, coughing clouds into the sky.
“Wave to daddy!” she’d shout. Four little hands would shoot into the air. I never knew what Dad did in Plant C, but during 34 years of hard work, he had surgery (手术) on his shoulder and hand. At 48, he had his first heart attack. He retired in 1993, right after the last kid graduated from college. But the damage was done. A few years later, the next heart attack killed him.
I saw my dad in plant C only once, when I took dinner to him. That night, I looked at my father, covered in sweat and coal, and for the first time I knew why he was so often angry for no reason.
Recently my father’s friend, Toby Workman, walked me there. I knew my father never wanted me to see it. At every station, he described the job and the danger. It was like listening to a foreign language. I walked past many DANGER signs. Toby put his hand on my shoulder. “Look”, he said, “you need to understand something. Your dad was a maintenance mechanic. He worked the most dangerous job. If something broke, he fixed it. ”
A few days later, my daughter graduated from college. I gave her the hard hat Toby handed to me as I left, and this note: “Whenever you feel something difficult, put this on, look in the mirror, and remember your roots.”What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．In memory of the author’s mother | B．to know about what the father did. |
| C．In memory of the author’s father. | D．to remind the family to live well. |
Which of the following is TRUE of the facts about the author’s father?
| A．He didn’t suffer a heart attack until he retired. |
| B．He always faced danger while working. |
| C．He was satisfied with his job. |
| D．He worked in Plant C for 48 years in all. |
When the author saw her father in Plant C, ___.
| A．her father was fixing a broken machine. |
| B．she didn’t recognize her father. |
| C．she understood him about his bad temper. |
| D．her father was angry about her coming. |
When Toby Workman described the author’s father’s job, the author ____.
| A．felt familiar with the job | B．decided to do the same work. |
| C．wanted to learn a foreign language | D．felt much puzzled |
The author gave her daughter the hat to hope that her daughter could _______ .
| A．get encouraged by her grandfather | B．overcome all difficulties by wearing it |
| C．remember her grandfather | D．follow her grandfather’s work |
Do you find getting up in the morning so difficult that it’s painful? This might be called laziness, but Dr. Kleitman has a new explanation. He has proved that everyone has a daily energy cycle.
During the hours when you labor through your work you may say that you’re "hot". That's true. The time of day when you feel most energetic is when your cycle of body temperature is at its peak. For some people the peak comes during the morning. For others it comes in the afternoon or evening. No one has discovered why this is so, but it leads to such familiar monologues as “Get up, John! You’ll be late for work again!” The possible explanation to the trouble is that John is at his temperature-and-energy-peak in the evening. Much family quarrelling ends when husbands and wives realize what these energy cycles each member of the family has.
You can’t change your energy cycle, but you can learn to make your life fit it better. Habit can help, Dr. Kleitman believes. Maybe you’re sleepy in the evening but you must stay up late anyway. Counteract your cycle to some extent by habitually staying up later than you want to. If your energy is low in the morning but you have an important job to do early in the day, rise before your usual hour. This won't change your cycle, but you'll get up steam and work better at your low point.
Get off to a slow start which saves your energy. Get up with a leisurely yawn and stretch. Sit on the edge of the bed a minute before putting your feet on the floor. Avoid the trouble of searching for clean clothes by laying them out the night before. When ever possible, do routine work in the afternoon and save tasks requiring more energy or concentration for your sharp hours.What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Change Your Habits | B．Save Your Energy |
| C．Daily Energy Cycle | D．Temperature-and-energy Peak |
If a person finds getting up early a problem, most probably_______.
| A．he is a lazy person |
| B．he refuses to follow his own energy cycle |
| C．lie is not sure when his energy is low |
| D．he is at his peak in the afternoon or evening |
Which of the following may lead to family quarrels according to the passage?
| A．Unawareness of energy cycles |
| B．Familiar monologues. |
| C．A change in a family member's energy cycle. |
| D．Attempts to control the energy cycle of other family members. |
If one wants to work more efficiently at his low point in the morning, he should____________.
| A．change his energy cycle | B．overcome his laziness |
| C．get up earlier than usual | D．go to bed earlier |
OUR KIDS ARE AMAZING — especially compared with everybody else's (who seem to cry all the time). How do you show your love for your kids this holiday season? With toys that are smooth and colorful, interactive and exciting. And with ones that have educational value — because you are the boss.
1．FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET
Here is a toy that doesn't need power — and the kids have to put it together themselves. This 50 - piece puzzle set is made of soft - edged hardwood and makes a complete hospital, with an X - ray room. It also includes eight patients, a car and a driver. 
135; flaxart. com.
2．TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL
Sure, it's cool, but this colorful baby toy also develops problem solving and motor skills. It has a head and legs, a magnetic (磁性的) hand and a tail. Suitable for little ones from 6 to 36 months. 
19. 95; tinylove. com.
3．ROBOSAPIEN
This small, remote - control robot is really powerful. It performs 67 preprogrammed functions, including throwing, kicking, picking up and dancing. You can even program your own function, which, sadly, does not include doing windows. 99; robosapienonline. com.
4．MINI PEDAL CAR
Want a Mini Cooper but can't fit the family inside? Get one for the kids. They can jump into this Mini car, which comes in hot orange with a single adjustable seat, and ride away. But it could spoil them for that used car they'll be driving when they turn 16. For ages 3 to 5. 189; mininss. com (click on “gear up, ” then “Mini motoring gear”) .Which toy is said to have the special design for children's safety?
| A．ROBOSAPIEN |
| B．MINI PEDAL CAR |
| C．FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET |
| D．TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL |
Which toys are fit for three - year - old kids?
| A．1 and 3. | B．2 and 4. | C．1 and 2. | D．3 and 4. |
Educational value is mentioned in all the toys EXCEPT ________.
| A．FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET |
| B．TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL |
| C．ROBOSAPIEN |
| D．MINI PEDAL CAR |
This passage is written for ________.
| A．parents | B．children | C．the writer | D．the boss |
If you want to get the most out of the study of a language, you must also read for pleasure: novels, plays, travel books, and so on. And in reading books of this kind the important thing is to get on with the reading; to try to grasp what the writer is going to tell you in the book as a whole. This is impossible if you stop and think over the meaning of every single word which happens to be unfamiliar. You can not enjoy a story if you stop half a dozen times on every page in order to look up words in the dictionary. You may even prevent yourself from understanding the story as a whole by doing this.
When you are reading books of this kind, therefore, you will usually have to rely mainly on the context to help you. If you meet an unfamiliar word, do not let it take too much of your attention from the main thread(主线) of the story. In all probability you will meet the same word again a few pages later on in a slightly different context, and each time you see it that your understanding of it will become more exact.The phrase “to get on with reading” in the passage has the same meaning as “_________”.
| A．to try to grasp the meaning of every sentence in the book |
| B．to try to catch the meaning of every word in the book |
| C．to try to understand all the writer is going to tell you |
| D．to try to understand the main idea of the book |
When you meet new words in reading such kinds of books, you’d better _________.
| A．stop and look them up in a dictionary | B．stop and think them over |
| C．try to guess their meanings from the context | D．have none of them |
From the passage the best way to read novels, plays and travel books is _____.
| A．to read very slowly | B．to read quickly and not too carefully |
| C．to read very carefully | D．to read very seriously |
The best title for this passage is “___________”.
| A．Read for Pleasure | B．Get on with the Books |
| C．Reading Skills | D．The Importance of Reading |