Chris Jones recently completed a very unusual journey. Our reporter Mary Owen met him at his home in the south of London and be told her all about the trip.
Reporter: What gave you the idea to make a trip around India on an elephant, Chris?
Chris: Well, it all started the idea two years ago when I was planning a trip to India. I visited a photo exhibition of elephants and I realized that the only enjoyable way to make a trip around India was on an elephant.
Reporter: What did you do next?
Chris: I flew to New Delhi and started looking for an elephant, I needed an elephant trained to carry people. I didn’t know anything about elephants, so I asked an expert(专家) for help. He taught me how to ride an elephant. He also helped me find an elephant.
Reporter: How long did it take you to find a suitable elephant?
Chris: Not too long. I bought a famale elephant called Tara for about 6.000 dollars.
Reporter: Can you tell me about the journey?
Chris: Tara and I set off from New Delhi a week later. We were going to Sonepur in northern India. There is a big elephant market there and I could sell Tara easily. And what a ride! Elephants can travel at about 6 miles an hour and Sonepur is more than 1,200 km away. It took us 64 days to complete the journey.
Reporter: Did you have any problems on your journey?
Chris: Yes, a few. But nothing serious. On the third day. Tara hurt her foot. But that got better quickly. Also, there was a lot of heavy rain during the first week and we got very wet!
Reporter: What happened when you reached Sonepur?
Chris: My plan was to sell Tara. But I was very fond of her. I couldn’t take her back to Britain and I didn’t want to sell her at the market. I happened to meet some people who wanted an elephant for their national park in southern India. I knew that Tara would be safe with them, so I gave her to them. I was very sad to say goodbye.Chris got the idea to make a trip around India on an elephant from ______
| A．a visit to a zoo |
| B．an elephant expert from India |
| C．the photos of elephant |
| D．an old friend who lived in India |
The elephant expert told Chris ______
| A．when to buy an elephant |
| B．how to feed an elephant |
| C．where to sell his elephant |
| D．how to ride an elephant |
Chris decided to go to Sonepur because ________
| A．it is a very interesting place |
| B．he would be able to sell Tara there easily |
| C．elephants cannot be sold anywhere else |
| D．it would take only a short time to get there |
When Chris arrived at the market in Sonepur,__________
| A．he realized that he did not really want to sell Tara |
| B．he visited some shopkeepers |
| C．he sold Tara to a national park |
| D．he decided to take Tara home with him. |
Cars are lots of fun, but they could also be dangerous. We have to be careful when we drive them or ride in them.
It's always a good idea to put on your seat belt when you're in a car. Why? Think about this example: You put an egg on a skateboard and give it a push. If the skateboard hits a stone, it will stop, but the egg won't. It will fly through the air, hit the ground and break.
Now, think what would happen if you tied the egg to the skateboard. When the skateboard hits a stone, the egg won't go flying; it will stay safely on the skateboard.
Volvo, a famous Swedish carmaker, was the first to use seat belts in 1849.
Air bags are also very important for car safety, because sometimes a seat belt isn't enough. If the car is going really fast and runs into something, seat belts could even hurt the people who wear them. Most new cars have air bags in front of and next to the seats. When a car hits something, its air bags will come out quickly in less than one second to keep the people inside safe.The passage mainly tells us .
| A．two important ways to keep safe in cars | B．how air bags work to make cars safe | C．how seat belts work to make cars safe | D．why we must tie the egg to the skateboard |
The writer gives the example of the egg to _.
| A．tell us that eggs are easy to break |
| B．show how to wear a seat belt |
| C．show why it's important to wear a seat belt in a car |
| D．tell us what a skateboard is |
Seat belts can make us safer because .
| A．we are interested in them |
| B．they can stop us from hitting other cars |
| C．they can help us stay safely on the seats |
| D．they are made of strong materials |
Air bags are important for cars because _.
| A．they are made of plastic |
| B．they can also help us to keep safe in a car |
| C．they can keep cars running slowly |
| D．they are put in front of and next to the seats |
Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?
| A．It won't be dangerous if there are seat belts or air bags in a car. |
| B．Now most of new cars still have only one air bag. |
| C．When a car hits something, its air bags will come out a few minutes later. |
| D．Volvo was the first to use seat belts. |
阅读短文，根据短文内容判断正误，正确的写“T”，错误的写”F”。
Shane Battier (肖恩巴蒂尔) is a famous basketball player. Now he plays in Houston Rockets (休斯顿火箭队). Yao Ming is also in the team. Shane Battier was born in 1978 in Michigan. He is 2.03 meters tall. He loves his parents very much. He always remembers their words: Be kind to others. In Shane Battier's everyday life, he likes playing golf and tennis. He also likes playing chess. His favorite film is Meet the Parents. His favorite singer is Marvin Gaye. He hopes to be a boss (老板) in the future.
He began to play basketball at the age of four. In 2006, he joined Houston Rockets, and became one of the most important players. 31, a familiar number, is often shouted in the game More and more basketball fans regard him as a hero! He is a team-player. He once said, "There are many excellent players in our team, so I shouldn't only try to show myself, instead I will try my best to help my partners to play well. Teamwork is the most important."
It is his hard work that makes him successful and famous. Let's wish him good luck in the future.Shane Battier likes playing golf, tennis and chess.
He wants to be a singer like Marvin Gaye in the future.
Shane Battier and Yao Ming play in the same team.
His number in Houston Rockets is 31.
Shane Battier only wants to show himself in any games.
The new book Harry Potter and the Half-Blood is warmly welcomed by the children in China. It sells well across China. You can see and hear the advertisements about the book here and there.
Why is the book so attractive (吸引人的) to children? After reading it, I was attracted by the magic world. I can not help asking: where is our own Harry Potter?
China has a long history and colorful culture. With a large market of teenagers, China published (出版) many popular books among children. However, why are the present books not as good as those foreign ones?
Firstly, quiet a number of children’s are of strong sense of teaching, and they have little interest. Reading them, children often have a feeling of being “educated”. Certainly, they don’t like them. Secondly, fewer children like the same stories, but most Chinese books are usually much the same. One knows the ending as early as in the beginning. Finally, the writers seldom think about children’s needs.
First-class Reading for children should be interesting, and written in their language. About the present Chinese children’s books, which is NOT right?
| A．They have little interest. |
| B．Our writers seldom know children’s needs. |
| C．Most of them are the same |
| D．They are better than foreign ones. |
Harry Potter is so popular, because __________.
| A．it’s the same as Chinese books |
| B．it can lead children into a wonderful world |
| C．it’s not written in children’s language |
| D．it’s advertised more often on TV or posters |
The Chinese meaning of the underlined phrase “First-class Reading” is _______.
| A．第一批读物 | B．一节课的阅读 | C．一流的读物 | D．基础的阅读 |
“Where is our own Harry Potter?” means __________.
| A．the writer can’t find any books for children |
| B．Chinese presents should buy Harry Potter for their children |
| C．our children should learn from Harry Potter |
| D．Chinese writers should write better books for children |
Which is the best title (标题) of the passage?
| A．Ways to read books. | B．A magic boy, Harry Potter. |
| C．Books and advertisements. | D．Our children need better books. |
One day, Tomas Jefferson, the president of the USA, was crossing a river with a group of travelers. The river was overflowing its banks. So it was very dangerous to cross it on a horse. Each man was fighting for his life! Then another traveler came and he wanted to cross it, too. But he didn’t have a horse. He watched the group and then asked Jefferson to take him. Jefferson agreed immediately. The man climbed on. After they were both safe to the other side of the river, someone asked the man, “Why did you ask present for help? Did you know him?” The man was shocked because he didn’t know Jefferson was the president. “All I know,” he said, “on some of your faces were written the answer NO, but there was the answer YES on his face.” Who was Tomas Jefferson?
A. He was a businessman. B. He was a teacher.
C. He was a captain. D. He was the president of the USA.How did they cross the river?
| A．In a boat. | B．On their horses. |
| C．By swimming. | D．By building a bridge. |
When the group were crossing the river, ________.
| A．water was flowing out of the river |
| B．it was windy and very cold |
| C．there were many empty boats in the river |
| D．everyone wrote a word on the face |
At last, __________.
| A．both Jefferson and the man were safe to cross the river |
| B．only Jefferson crossed the river |
| C．only the man crossed the river |
| D．Jefferson’s horse died |
From the passage, we know that _________.
| A．all the travelers were kind | B．Jefferson was helpful |
| C．nobody knew the president | D．the man gave Jefferson some money |
Cats are the most popular pets among Americans. So it is not surprising there are many expressions about cats. Do you know any of them? Now let me introduce some to you.
Some cats like to catch small birds, like canaries. If someone looks very proud or satisfied with himself, we say he looks like the cat that ate the canary.
Sometimes, a cat likes to play with a small animal it catches. So if you play cat and mouse with someone, you change between different kinds of behavior when dealing with another person. For example, a child might offer something sweet to her little brother, and then take it away when reaches for it.
A cat will often catch a small animal and present it to its owner. The saying that looks like something the cat dragged in describes something in bad condition.
A fat cat is a person with a lot of money.
There are many other expressions about cats in America. How interesting! Which kind of cat are you, or which kind would you like to be?Americans like ________ best as pets.
| A．dogs | B．pigs | C．cats | D．mice |
The canary is a kind of ________.
| A．dog | B．cat | C．bird | D．fish |
If you have much money, we can call you ________.
| A．a fat cat | B．a happy cat | C．a thin cat | D．a sad cat |
If someone always thinks highly of himself, we can say _________.
| A．he plays cat and mouse with someone |
| B．he looks like the cat that ate the canary |
| C．he is a lazy cat |
| D．he has dragged in something |
The passage introduces us ________ expressions about cat.
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．four |