Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa. It is also the second largest lake in the world. It is an important lake because it is one of the sources(源头) for the longest river in the world, the Nile River. Lake Victoria provides a source of water, food, and power(电力) for several African countries. Lake Victoria is a big part of African life.
Unfortunately, Lake Victoria has a problem. It is shrinking. There are several power stations at Lake Victoria in Uganda. These are on the Nile River, and besides producing power, they keep the water of the lake at a certain level. For the past forty years, that level has been 11.9 meters. Over the last several years, the water level has dropped by about 2.5 meters. There seem to be several reasons for this drop.
One possible reason is drought(干旱). Drought has been very bad in the area since 2000. Lake Victoria gets all of its water from rain, so the drought means less water in the lake.
However, some environmentalists believe that the real problem is the power plants(工厂) on Lake Victoria. Uganda depends on those power plants for most of its power, and they made the power plants larger in 2000. Many people believe the power plants have been taking too much water off Lake Victoria. As a result, they have been asked to use less water until Lake Victoria goes back to its old level.
Whether the low water level is caused by drought or power plants, the result is the same. This is already a poor area of Africa, where many people live a really hard life. People, animals and plants around Lake Victoria will suffer even more from low water levels on the lake. Many people need Lake Victoria for fishing or growing food. Fish need the water to live, and animals need it for water. Plants around the lake will die without the water, and then more animals and people will suffer. Unless the lake fills soon, many people will suffer and die.Lake Victoria is __________.
| A．an important lake in Africa |
| B．the largest lake in the world |
| C．the source of water, food and power for America |
| D．the only source for the Nile River |
What does “It is shrinking” most probably mean?
| A．It is becoming larger. |
| B．It is becoming more beautiful. |
| C．It is becoming smaller. |
| D．It is becoming more useful. |
The water level of Lake Victoria is now __________.
| A．2.5 meters | B．11.9 meters | C．14.4 meters | D．9.4 meters |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Rain water is the only source for the lake.
B. There has been little rain in the lake area since 2000.
C. The power plants in Uganda provide water for the lake.
D The power plants in Uganda were made larger in 2000.According to the passage, how can we solve the problems around Lake Victoria?
| A．People must build more power plants. |
| B．More sources of water must be found. |
| C．Every country should offer some money to Africa. |
| D．All the people living in the area should move to another place. |
Do you know the girl in a hat with flowers on it? Her name is Yingzi. She is a nice Japanese girl, my new friend. She is in our class, studying Chinese.
I like Yingzi. I don't know Japanese, and Yingzi doesn't know Chinese. We know some English. We are the same age. And we have the same interests(兴趣). We like to sing Chinese, Japanese and English songs. I help her to ride a bike and fly a kite. She helps me to swim and jump. We like playing football, but we can't play at school because the playground is small.
Yingzi and the other girls in our class will go to the swimming pool on Monday, and I want to go with them.Yingzi _________.
| A．is from England | B．comes from China |
| C．is from America | D．comes from Japan |
The Japanese girl doesn’t know _________.
| A．Chinese | B．English | C．Japanese | D．France |
Yingzi and the other girls want _________on Monday.
| A．to play games | B．to play football |
| C．to go swimming | D．to fly kites |
Missing friends who live far away? Or just need a little family comfort after a long day? Sometimes you just need a hug(拥抱). And sometimes there’s just no one around to give you one. So what do you do? How about a virtual (虚拟的) hug?Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have invented a social media vest (社交背心) that allows people to give hugs to their friends, family and loved ones on Facebook.
The vest is called Like-A-Hug, which is connected(连接) with your Facebook page. Whenever Facebook friends “Like” a photo, video or anything you post on the network, a fan will blow air into the vest to give you a hug. Hugs can also be sent back to the sender by pressing the vest to lose air, according to the website of designer Melissa Chow.
She worked with Andy Payne and Phil Seaton at the MIT Media Lab to build the black vest, making the wearer “feel the warmth, encouragement, support, or love that we feel when we receive hugs.” Melissa Chow said, “We came up with the idea over a free talk about long-distance relationships and the disadvantages of video chat interfaces (视频聊天界面) like Skype.”
Chow and her workmates actually finished work on the vest last year, but it’s only just recently drawn the attention of the public.
Chow provided no pricing or ordering information for the Like-A-Hug vest, so don’t expect to see people blowing up all over town just yet.
Although researchers believe that Like-A-Hug will cause a worldwide storm, a lot of people think it can’t take the place of the feeling of a real hug. Body temperature or the taste of hair and so on is far from what a social vest can match.
| A．To show how to design a magic vest. |
| B．To suggest a newly-built website. |
| C．To introduce a virtual social media vest. |
| D．To explain the weak points of Skype. |
| A．those who play computer games |
| B．those who need comfort or support |
| C．those who design chat interfaces |
| D．those who like to give others hugs |
| A．She built the vest all by herself. |
| B．She expects to sell the vest at a high price. |
| C．She made the vest public last year. |
| D．She got the idea for a vest while chatting. |
| A．can be ordered on Facebook |
| B．can take the place of a real hug |
| C．can not only be used by Facebook users |
| D．produces a hug when you get a Facebook “Like” |
Imagine the situation. You are driving in a village or on a mountain. You have no idea where you are. You passed the last house two hours ago. Then your car doesn’t work. It is night and it is cold. You have no mobile phone. What do you do? Well, next time take a GPS with you. This invention may be able to help you. It is used for finding your position(位置) with the help of satellites (卫星). A GPS can’t start your car, but at least you will know where you are.
GPS, which means Global Positioning System(全球定位系统), is a small radio receiver. It looks like a mobile phone. You can hold it in your hand, or put in your pocket. It is sometimes put into a watch or a telephone. We also find a GPS in cars, planes, or boats. Some of them have electronic maps, so you know where you are. For example, in a city they can tell you the name of the street.
There are three parts to GPS. The first part is the receiver. You can hold it in your hand, or have it fixed into your car, plane, etc. The second part is a group of satellites going around the Earth. The receiver communicates with at least four of the satellites and calculates its position. The third part of the system is a network of ground stations all over the world. They control (控制) the satellites and make sure they are working well.
Some people think that in the future the GPS will be as common as the mobile. They are becoming better and cheaper. There are also new uses for the GPS. Perhaps they will become like watches. Everyone will have one and you will never be lost again.
| A．can’t be lost in a new city |
| B．can’t find their way in different countries |
| C．can learn about the culture of an unknown place |
| D．can spend the least time getting to another place |
| A．there are three parts to the GPS |
| B．a GPS can’t be put into a watch |
| C．a GPS can help you start your car |
| D．the GPS are becoming more and more expensive |
| A．Receivers | B．GPS | C．Satellites | D．Ground stations |
| A．All GPS devices have electronic maps. |
| B．People in many countries will use the GPS for free. |
| C．The receiver of the GPS communicates with at least five of the satellites. |
| D．The GPS will become more and more common in everyday life. |
There are many colors in nature. But do you know if a color has weight? I think you’ll say “no”. But I am afraid you are wrong. If you don’t believe, you may do a small experiment.
First, put two objects with the same weight into two boxes. Then cover the box. Third, wrap one box with a red piece of paper, the other with a white piece of paper. OK. Now hold the boxes with your hand one by one. It is certain that you will think the red one is a little heavier.
Why do you think so? A scientist found that different colors have different weight in a man’s mind. So he did many tests and at last he got the result. That is to say, every color has its own weight in our mind and their order is the same. The heaviest color is red, then blue, green, orange, yellow and white.
The scientist told us that colors also have smell. Can you smell the color? Of course not. Then why did the scientist say so? That is because every color stands for a kind of light with a certain wavelength. It reaches our brain through sense organs.
According to this discovery, scientists say that people accept the colors they like, and refuse the colors they hate. So your body and mind will be healthy by using the colors you like. Or you’ll be nervous or even get ill. For example, if you stay in a room with red windows, wallpapers and furniture for two hours, you’ll feel you have been there for four hours. But if the room is blue, you’ll feel you have been there for only an hour. Another example, if a person walks out of a red room and into a blue room, his temperature will fall. That means our body temperature will change with different colors.
| A．a red box is heavier than a white one |
| B．a color has weight in one’s mind |
| C．white paper is lighter than red paper |
| D．you can know the weight of a color by holding it |
| A．Because people can sense the light from colors. |
| B．Because we can smell colors with our nose. |
| C．Because every color has its own sweet smell. |
| D．Because every color can give off light of the same length. |
| A．colors have orders in weight |
| B．colors can change the weight of an object |
| C．people would stay longer in a room with red windows |
| D．colors can affect our mood and health |
| A．book review | B．fiction novel | C．fairy tale | D．science report |
What do you think Americans in the early twentieth century (1900--1925) did on weekends? What do they do on weekends now?
| Then Once upon a time, people spent lots of time at home on weekends. Then new inventions changed the weekends. People used electric（电动的） streetcars to travel in cities. On weekends, they rode the streetcars to parks. Young people liked roller coasters.（过山车）The first movie lasted only one minute. Soon movies lasted longer. In the 1920s, movie theaters sold millions of tickets each week. In 1927, movies eventually（最终） had sound. Sometimes, people stayed at home instead, and listened to another new invention—radio. People in cities worked indoors during the week, so they wanted to be outdoors on weekends. Bicycling became a popular activity. |
| Now With more time, money and inventions, people have many more choices. They can visit large parks like Disney World and ride modern roller coaster that go higher and faster than ever before. They can choose from lots of different movies at a multiplex (a building with many movie theaters) or watch a video at home. Many people jog （慢跑）, bicycle, work out at the gym, or play sports. Others turn on their TV and watch sports. |
| A．at home | B．in the theater | C．outdoors | D．in the park |
| A．It had no sound | B．It got longer | C．It sold well | D．It lasted minutes |
| A．Many More Choices | B．The New Invention |
| C．The Popular Activities | D．The Changing Weekend |