BASEBALL. It’s just a word, but for millions of Americans it brings much more than a word.
Hot dogs. Cold beers. Sunny afternoons. Baseball is the game of fathers and sons. Fathers and sons catch with each other on lawns (草坪) in the US. A father’s favorite team becomes his son’s. Grandfathers talk to their grandsons about games played long ago.
Many American kids collect baseball cards. The cards have pictures of their favorite players on them. In school, friends trade (交换) baseball cards just like they trade their lunches.
Players are known as “the boys of summer” because people often play the sport mostly in warm months. You don’t need to be of a certain size or shape to play baseball. You don’t have to be tall like a basketball player or strong like an American footballer. You just need to want to have fun.
Baseball is not as fast-paced (快节奏的) a game as basketball. But when you go to see a game, there’s time to relax, talk and get to know other people.
Baseball may not be the most popular sport in the US, but it is the most traditional. It’s not just a game any more, but an important part of American culture, like apple pie and grandma’s house.Many American kids like to collect _______________.
| A．baseballs | B．baseball cards | C．lunches | D．apple pies |
People like to play baseball in _____________.
| A．wet months | B．cool months | C．warm months | D．cold months |
Most of the Americans play baseball just want to _______________.
| A．enjoy themselves | B．make money |
| C．keep warm | D．make friends |
Which one is WRONG in the article?
| A．We can find many children’s favorite baseball players on their cards. |
| B．If you are not strong enough, you can’t play baseball. |
| C．When you go to watch a baseball play, you’ll relax and have time to talk to other people. |
| D．Baseball is the most traditional sport in the US. |
Spring will soon be upon us and a new term is here. All over the world spring is the season of new life: flowers bloom, baby animals are born, and the weather becomes warmer．During this time of year, people usually walk around with a spring in their steps and a feeling of fresh beginnings．However, for a fresh beginning it takes more than the bright colors and fresh air of spring．We need to look at ourselves, set new goals, and decide how to improve ourselves．
In England people usually do this on the first day of the year. We look at the past year and think about what we' d like to change or improve in our lives, and we call this a New Year' s resolution（决心）．These can be anything from improving one' s health through exercise or cutting out bad habits, to studying harder for better grades or trying to find a good work or life balance．
Luckily, we don' t have to wait for the beginning of a new year to try and become better people．We can do this whenever we like．The milestone of a new term is just a good place to start.
Sometimes it' s difficult to take the first step in achieving newly set goals, but an old saying is "to begin is to be half-way there．" I agree with this because taking on a new task or changing habits can seem daunting at first, but once we begin, they get easier．For example, spending less time on QQ or playing video games and more time studying or communicating face-to-face can be difficult habits to change at first．But once we settle into the new routine and start to see the results, it' s difficult not to wonder why we didn’t do it sooner.
The trick with deciding on a resolution for a new term is not to set unrealistic targets. If we do this, it's easy to lose motivation because the end goal seems so far away. Try to make many small goals you want to reach on the way to your ultimate（最终的）goal. This way, you can see your progress easily.In Paragraph One, the writer wants to tell us that spring is a time _________．
| A．to take a walk around outdoors |
| B．to enjoy fresh air and bright colors |
| C．to set goals for a fresh beginning |
| D．for animals to have babies |
Which of the following might the writer agree with according to（根据） Paragraph Four?
| A．Be swift to hear, slow to speak． |
| B．All that ends well is well． |
| C．Well begun is half done． |
| D．All roads lead to Rome． |
What does the underlined word "daunting" probably mean in Paragraph Four?
| A．changeable | B．difficult |
| C．lovely | D．dangerous |
What does the writer want to tell us in the last paragraph?
| A．If you see no progress, you'll be sad. |
| B．Whatever happens, stick to （坚持）your dreams． |
| C．Never lose heart when meeting with difficulties． |
| D．Your goals should be realistic and small． |
In choosing a friend, one should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair-weather friends. They will be with you only if you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of characteristic, especially understanding, honesty and reliability (可靠).
Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to give his opinion. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person's place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.
At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults (过错) in others. He notices their good points. In short, a friend will try to understand me and accept me.
Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on (信赖) a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need help, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.
There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience (经验) and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humour, too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.
When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I've found a friend! Which of the following qualities the writer thinks is the most important in choosing a friend?
| A．understanding. | B．honesty. |
| C．reliability. | D．a sense of humour. |
If you have fair-weather friends, ______ .
| A．they will give you all that they have when you need help |
| B．you will be refused when you get into trouble |
| C．you will become rich |
| D．you can be sure that you get real friends |
Good friends need to ______.
| A．always point out each other's mistakes |
| B．be helped with money |
| C．understand each other's feelings |
| D．have money or luck |
This passage mainly discuss ______ .
| A．the qualities of a friend |
| B．where to choose friends |
| C．how to get along with friends |
| D．the importance of having a friend |
| Canadian school buses are called “the safest school buses in the world”. All the school buses, which are in deep yellow, have the same style. School bus drivers have to receive strict training before getting driver’s licenses. When a school bus runs through the city and carries children to a stop, the driver will turn on the red light and then show the sign “Stop”. At this time, all the vehicles(车辆) following the school bus must stop as if they met a red light. After all the children get on or off, the school bus will drive away. Then other vehicles can go on.  |
Many people will think of cartoons as soon as they talk about Japanese school buses which are usually in pink or blue. For a long time, cartoon pictures on school buses have already been popular and become models of Japanese school buses. When children see pink Hello Kitty or blue Doraemon, no one will refuse to go to school any more. On Japanese school buses, there’s always a headman caring for kids. If something happens suddenly, the headman will tell parents about it as soon as possible. |
What color are Canadian school buses?
| A．Red | B．Yellow | C．Pink | D．Blue |
From the passage, we know that __________ .
| A．Canadian school buses must have a headman |
| B．Canadian school buses should follow other vehicles |
| C．Japanese school buses may look cute for students |
| D．Japanese school bus drivers can get licenses easily |
The passage is written mainly to________.
| A．introduce school buses in Canada and Japan |
| B．suggest schools choosing better school buses |
| C．encourage students to study in Canada and Japan |
| D．ask students to obey traffic rules all the time |
Su Su is a 16-year-old Beijinger. She studies at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University. She has just published(发表) her first book, The Enigma of the Universe.
The Enigma of the Universe tells a story of a girl called April. One day she meets an alien(外星人) boy named Kaka. Kaka takes April on a journey into the universe(宇宙). Later April finds out a big secret about Kaka...
What’s special about this book? It’s a book written in both Chinese and English.
Su wrote the book when she was 14 years old. She was influenced(影响) by the book Sophie’s World and the movie The Truman Show. Sophie is a girl who is interested in philosophy(哲学). Truman’s life is run by television.
These stories gave Su an idea for her own book. She decided to write it in English. “My English teacher asked us to write something,” says Su, “I thought I’d write about my idea.”
Su spent a whole summer vacation writing the story. “Sometimes I had to stop because I couldn’t find the right words,” says Su. “I used the dictionary all the time.”
After finishing the English novel, Su had another idea. She decided to turn it into Chinese. The job took her just a few days. “It was easy because Chinese is my native language (母语),” she says.
Su says her story is “a mixture of philosophy and detective (侦探) story and science fiction”. “My classmates and I have turned it into a DV play,” says Su. “I wrote the play and I played April. We will show it in our school soon!”What did Su Su write？
| A．Harry Potter. | B．Sophie’s World. |
| C．The Truman Show. | D．The Enigma of the Universe. |
In Which language did Su Su write this book?
| A．Chinese. | B．English. |
| C．French. | D．Both Chinese and English. |
What does her book talk about?
| A．It talks about how to learn English well. |
| B．It is a mixture of philosophy and detective story and science fiction. |
| C．It talks about how to learn English grammar well. |
| D．It is a mixture of love. |
What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．A clever girl. | B．An interesting book. |
| C．Su Su and her first book. | D．A young writer. |
The American alligator (短吻鳄) is the largest reptile (爬行动物) in North America. Some of them can be over 5 metres long.
In North America, the bison (野牛) is the largest animal on land. If they are frightened, the American bison will run away and can reach a speed of 52 km per hour.
The white-tailed deer can run up to 58 km per hour. This North American deer can also jump as high as 2.6 metres and jump as far as 9 metres.
There is a frog that barks just like a dog. This barking frog is found in the southwestern part
of the United States. 
The polar bear is a great swimmer and can swim as fast as 10 km per hour using only its front feet. 
The wild turkey nearly died out in the early 1900’s, because people hunted many of them. This wild bird is making a comeback now.
The ________ is the largest animal on land in North America.
| A．polar bear | B．bison |
| C．alligator | D．white-tailed deer |
In the _____ of the United States, there lives a kind of frog that can bark like a dog.
| A．southwest | B．southeast |
| C．northwest | D．northeast |
The polar bear _________.
| A．is good at running |
| B．is good at swimming |
| C．swims with its back legs |
| D．can jump as far as 9 metres |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The alligator is the largest reptile in North America. |
| B．The white-tailed deer can jump as high as 2.6 metres. |
| C．Six kinds of animals are mentioned in the passage. |
| D．The wild turkey died out about 1000 years ago. |