Today there are 6 billion people on the earth. By the year 2050 there may be 12.5 billion. There will be a lot of people to feed. We need more food.
One way to produce more food is by growing stronger plants. For thousands of years, farmers have made plants better. Every season, they pick the best plants for the next season. It works very slowly. Since 1983, scientists have been able to change plants more quickly by changing their genetic material(遗传物质). Foods from plants grown in this way are called genetically modified foods(转基因食品), or GM foods.
By changing the genetic material of a plant, it is possible to make new plants. They make plants which are strong against plant diseases. They can also help in our diseases: a kind of rice is being prepared, for example, which stops people from becoming blind.
Rich countries produce GM foods because they are easy to grow and bring in more money. Poor countries are interested in them because they help produce more food.
GM plants are not natural. No one knows how good or bad they are. Making GM foods is only one way of feeding people in 2050. There are strong feelings against them, because they are unnatural. They may feed people, then hurt them or their children later. But, both rich and poor countries are very interested in their use, and they are not going to go away. In 2050 we may think differently about them. GM foods ________.
| A．are a quick way to produce food |
| B．grow in the wild |
| C．are safe |
| D．are grown only in rich countries |
Why do some people not like GM foods?
| A．They are not useful. |
| B．They are not helpful. |
| C．They are not natural. |
| D．They are not cheap. |
From the reading we know that ________.
| A．GM foods will disappear one day in the future |
| B．GM foods will not disappear in the future |
| C．people will not be interested in GM foods |
| D．people will have to stop using GM foods |
This dictionary tells you about English words and how to use them in reading, writing and speaking English. It not only gives the meaning of words, it can also help you with spelling, word building, grammar and pronunciation.
To use your dictionary correctly, you need to understand how the dictionary works. At the front of the book, you will find some exercises to help you make the most use of your dictionary.
If you look up the word “colour”, you will find two spellings for this word. “Colour” is used in British English, while “color” is used in American English. When such a thing happens, the dictionary shows it with the word “BrE” for British English and “AmE” for American English.
The dictionary also helps you pronounce words correctly. It uses a special alphabet (特殊字母表) to show pronunciation. If you turn to the inside back face, you will see all the phonetic letters (音标) with some words to show you how they are pronounced. Just have a look at this page when you’re not sure how to say a word.
The most important reason for using a dictionary is to find out the meaning of a word—its DEFINITION.
In this dictionary, the definitions have been written using only 2000 words. This means that the definitions of even the most difficult words are simply explained and easy to understand.According to the passage, “neighbor” is used in ______ English.
| A．Australian | B．Canadian | C．American | D．British |
In Paragraph 5, what does the underlined word “definition” mean?
| A．词性 | B．词条 | C．词库 | D．词义 |
The dictionary explains ______.
| A．some of the difficult words | B．all the words in a simple way |
| C．all the easy words | D．the words of two meanings |
Every school has a notice board. Let’s see what is on the notice board of an America school.
According to School Policy, visitors have to ______ when entering the school.
| A．hand in a note | B．call at 524-9752 |
| C．check in at the office | D．telephone the school |
From ______, students can get information on the parents meeting.
| A．School Policy | B．Report Card |
| C．After-school Program | D．Class Announcement |
Suppose Tony doesn’t do well at school but makes progress, he will get ______ on the Report Card.
| A．1 | B．2 | C．3 | D．4 |
阅读下面短文，根据所读内容，在文章后第56-65小题的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意：每个空格只填一个单词
People visit other countries for many purposes. Some travel on businesses; others travel to visit interesting places that are only found in other countries.
Wherever you go, and for whatever purpose, it’s important to be safe. A tourist can attract a lot of attention from local people. While most people you meet when travelling are sure to be nice, there are dangers—theft being the most common. So prepare for your trip in advance.
As you prepare for your trip, make sure you have the right paperwork. You don’t want to get to your destination （目的地）only to find you have the wrong visa, or worse, that your passport is about to expire (到期). Also, make sure you travel with proper medical insurance, so that if you are sick or injured during your travels, you can be treated. If you want to drive while you are abroad, make sure you have an international driver’s license.
If you need to take medicine with you—such as travel-sickness pills—keep it in its original container（容器）. If you don’t, you may find yourself doing a lot of explaining to customs officials at your destination.
Buy a guidebook and read about the local customs of the country you are going to. Also, try and learn a few basic words and phrases—don’t assume that the local people will speak your language.
When you get to your destination, you’d better use official transport. Always go to the bus and taxi stands, don’t accept rides from strangers who offer you a lift. If there is no meter in the taxi, agree on a price before you get in. If you prefer to stay in cheap hotels while travelling, make sure you can lock the door of your room from the inside. If you are travelling with valuables such as jewelry, or a lot of money, you should ask about a safe for storing them in. Finally, remember to smile. It’s the friendliest and most sincere form of communication, and is sure to be understood in any part of the world!
| Have a Safe Trip |
||
| Aspects of being safe |
||
| Paperwork |
visa |
You must have the |
| medical insurance |
You are able to get |
|
| driving license |
You should have the |
|
| Medicine |
Make sure it is |
|
| Guidebook |
If you buy one, you’ll know the local customs by |
|
| You can try to learn some simple words and phrases the local people use. |
||
| Transport |
Use public transport. Don’t |
|
| Hotel |
Lock the door from the |
|
| Form of communication |
Don’t forget to |
In the most southern part of our planet, there’s a place that’s covered with snow and ice all year round. But it has the clearest and cleanest air. Amazingly, in this place, the sun sometimes hangs even in the midnight sky. This place is Antarctica (南极洲): the coldest, windiest and harshest (恶劣的) place on the Earth. 
As the world’s least-known place, Antarctica is of great interest to scientists around the world. In 1983, China joined the Antarctic Treaty (《南极条约》). The treaty made Antarctica a peaceful place for member countries to do scientific research. During 30 years, China has sent many scientists to Antarctica. They mostly look at the resources under the icy land and do research about climate change and marine (海洋的) biology.
Antarctica is a place with fantastic views. However, life there is very hard. Food is one of the biggest problems. Frozen (速冻) food which can be heated easily is people’s daily food. Fresh vegetables are hard to grow in the cold weather. Therefore, scientists often eat dried or canned vegetables.
Sleep is also troublesome. In Antarctica, summer lasts from November to March. During this period, Antarctica points to the sun and receives sunlight 24 hours a day. In order to get some sleep, scientists cover the windows with black plastic cloth to create “night”.
Working in Antarctica is dangerous, especially when meeting gale-force (七级以上的) winds. Sometimes the wind is even stronger than a typhoon. It can easily blow people away. So there are ropes that connect buildings of some research stations. People can hold these ropes to keep their balance in forceful winds.
What’s more, communicating with others is difficult. Without cables and Internet in some research stations, two-way radios are the only tools to communicate. If people want to say hello to friends and relatives, they can use satellite phones.
Although it is challenging to work in Antarctica, scientists’ passion to learn about this mysterious land will never end. It is hopeful that one day they will step every corner of this icy land.From Paragraph 1, we learn that the Antarctica ______.
| A．is covered with snow and ice |
| B．rains heavily from time to time |
| C．has little wind most of the time |
| D．has sunshine during every night |
Scientists from China go to Antarctica to _____.
| A．find out ways to control water pollution |
| B．research climate change and marine biology |
| C．grow plants and vegetables in special condition |
| D．stop the hunters from killing the marine biology |
In order to sleep well in Antarctica, the scientists have to _____.
| A．wear more clothes to keep warm |
| B．cover the windows with black cloth |
| C．connect research stations with ropes |
| D．eat more fried and canned vegetables |
We can replace (替换) the underlined word passion in the last paragraph with .
| A．strong love |
| B．full preparation |
| C．pleasant introduction |
| D．amazing imagination |
The passage is mainly about .
| A．view of the Antarctica |
| B．exploring the Antarctica |
| C．how to survive in the Antarctica |
| D．climate changes of the Antarctica |
As Danny put his lunch tray onto the cafeteria table, milk spilled all over his sandwich. He sat down, hung his head forward, looking at the food in front of him. Frowning, he began peeling the soggy milk-soaked bread (浸透牛奶的) from his sandwich. “This is the worst thing I’ve ever done!” he said, “It’s not that bad,” said his friend Elena, who was sitting across from him. “Just get another sandwich.” 
“Sandwich? What sandwich? I am talking about the talent contest. It’s only two weeks away and I don’t know what I’m doing! Everybody will laugh at me. There’s no way to avoid it!”
“Don’t be so negative, Danny,” said Elena as she rolled her eyes. “You’re going to be great, You’re very capable. You have the skills to do just about anything.”
Danny moved his lunch tray to the side and rested his head on the table.
“Sit up Danny,” ordered Elena, “I have an idea. Let’s brainstorm a list of things you could do. We’ll divide the list into categories or groups. Let’s start with music. You play the piano, right?”
“I stopped taking lessons in the third grade,” said Danny.
“What about singing a song?” suggested Elena.
Danny shook his head no. “Let’s move on to another category.”
“What about performing magic tricks?” asked Elena, as she twisted thin strands of hair around her finger.
“I don’t know how to play magic tricks!” Danny almost shouted. “Elena, how did I get myself into this huge mess?”
“Stop being so…” Elena paused, “That’s it, DRAMATIC!” Elena shouted excitedly. “You could do a dramatic reading. You definitely have the talent for it. Mrs. Pace always calls on you to read aloud in class. You could read a play aloud. Maybe you could even get extra credit from Mrs. Pace. She rewards students with points for doing extra reading work.”
Danny thought for a minute. Then he smiled. “Elena,” Danny said, “You are a great friend!”
Elena smiled back. “I just want to make sure you are a bright, shiny star when you step out on stage.”Elena and Danny were talking ______.
| A．in the cafeteria | B．in the classroom | C．in a theatre | D．at home |
Danny was unhappy because of ______.
| A．the spilled milk | B．her friend Elena |
| C．the talent contest | D．the milk-soaked bread |
With the help of Elena, Danny finally decided to ______.
| A．play the piano | B．sing a song |
| C．perform magic tricks | D．do a dramatic reading |
The title for the story is most likely to be ______.
| A．A Huge Mess | B．The Talent Contest |
| C．An Unlucky Boy | D．A Dramatic Reading |