Imagine one day the water taps (水龙头) in your house stop running. You have to pay a lot of money to buy water from shops. And still there isn’t enough water for everyone. Your mother has to save the family’s shower water to use for washing clothes. Would you be able to stand that kind of life?
Probably not. But that is what kids in Yemen (也门) are experiencing (经历). According to a report, the capital, Sana, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025.
Because of the water shortage (短缺), the Yemen government often cuts the water supply (供应). Hannan, an 18-year-girl, tells the Teens, “In a good week we’ll have a water supply all week. But then the next week there will be water only for a day or two.”
Hannan says only rich people have enough water to use. They can buy water from the shops or from the water trucks. Private (私人的) companies own the trucks, They travel around the city every day to sell water--- at very high prices.
“ A lot of people can’t pay for it,” she says.
The government is thinking of making use of seawater. But it will cost a lot and it may not happen soon enough to help the people of Yemen.How old is Hannan?
| A．She is eight. | B．She is eighteen. | C．She is seventeen. | D．She is seven. |
The underlined word “that” means_______.
| A．buying water from shops |
| B．having enough drinking water |
| C．suffering(忍受) from water shortage |
| D．washing clothes with used water |
From the passage, we know that ______.
| A．the people of Yemen don’t have to worry about water |
| B．people in Yemen have no water to use during a bad week |
| C．Sanna will have no drinking water in 10 years |
| D．private companies make much money by selling water |
The Yemen government ______.
| A．may try to make use of seawater |
| B．does nothing about the water problem |
| C．only cares about rich people’s lives |
| D．may solve the problem soon |
The writer wants to tell us ______.
| A．not to use seawater | B．not to waste water |
| C．to drink less water | D．to sell water to Yemen |
wonder of the natural world
When I arrived, it was early morning and it was raining. I looked to the east—the sky was becoming grey. I got out of the car, went through a gate and walked along a dark path. There was nothing to see, but I knew it was there.
After about a mile, a stranger appeared beside the path. “Am I going the right way?” I asked. He knew where I was going. “Yes,” he replied. “you’ll get there in five minutes.” Finally, I came to some rocks and stopped. I looked over them, but it was silent and there was no sign of it.
Suddenly, the rain stopped and the clouds cleared. The sun rose behind me and shone on the rocks. Far below me, the ground fell away and down to a river. I was looking across one of the wonders of the natural world –the Grand Canyon.
I looked down to the Colorado River, a silver stream nearly one mile below me. If you put the two tallest buildings in the world on top of each other at the bottom of the canyon, they still would not reach the top. Then I looked across to the other side of the canyon. It was about fifteen miles away, maybe more. Finally, I looked to my left and to my right, and on both sides the canyon went far away for more than 200 miles. The Grand Canyon was not just big. It was huge!
I remained by the canyon for about half an hour, and I asked myself, “Is the Grand Canyon the greatest wonder of the natural world?” I certainly know the answer. What do you think?Where does the passage most probably come from?
| A．A magazine | B．A grammar book |
| C．A dictionary | D．A storybook |
Why was there nothing to see?
| A．Because there was nothing |
| B．Because it was too dark |
| C．Because it was raining |
| D．Because it was in the morning |
Which direction was the writer facing while he/she was looking over the Grand Canyon?
| A．South | B．North | C．East | D．West |
Which of the follow is wrong?
| A．The writer visited the Grand Canyon by car in the morning. |
| B．A stranger showed the writer the wrong direction of the Grand Canyon. |
| C．The Grand Canyon is more than fifteen miles. |
| D．The writer realized the Grand Canyon was the great wonder at least. |
What is the writer’s purpose in writing this passage?
A. To give facts about the natural world.
B. To say how he feels about the natural world.
C. To tell an interesting story about the Grand Canyon.
You may know the song Happy Birthday very well.But do you know about its writer?It was written by an American girl.And she became very rich after that.
When she was a child,she was poor.Once,she was invited to her friend’s birthday party.She was pleased but sad because she didn’t have enough money to buy a gift for her.
“The party is coming soon,but now I have little money.”Tears ran down her face.
Later that night she was in bed,thinking about the gift when the door opened and her grandma came in.”What happened?”her grandma asked.Hearing the girl’story,she said,”I think I can help you.How about singing a song together?Happy Birthday to….”What a beautiful song!They sang and sang.Suddenly she woke up.It was a dream!She decided to write it down at once and sing it to her friends at the party.
When she sang the song at the party the nest day,her friends were very happy.”How wonderful you sing!We haven’t heared such a beautiful song before.Thank you for giving me the special gift.”said her friend.And they learn to sing it together.Later the girl became well-known in America.The song Happy Birthday was written by.
| A．an American girl | B．an American girl’s grandma |
| C．an America boy | D．an American girl’s friend |
The girl was sad because.
| A．she didn’t want to go to the party |
| B．she would be busy that day |
| C．she didn’t have enough money to buy a gift |
| D．she wasn’t invited to the party |
What gift did she give her friend?
| A．A flower | B．A toy |
| C．An interest5ing book | D．A dog |
What did her friends think of the song?
| A．boring | B．beautiful |
| C．exciting | D．interesting |
Which of the following is true?
| A．The girl was still poor after writing the song. |
| B．The girl sang the with her grandma in her dream. |
| C．The girl’s friends had heard the song before. |
| D．The girl became famous because of the song. |
Billy Dengler, a 14-year-old boy, is in the eighth grade. A month after he was born, Billy’s mother, Terri, noticed that his eyes weren’t quite as big as a normal baby’s. She took Billy to the hospital, and the doctor said Billy would never be able to see.
Although Billy can’t see, he has never let that hold him back or make him different. Billy began teaching himself computer programming by using a screen reader when he was just seven years old. He is a certified Google developer (谷歌认证开发者) now. Google even tried to offer him a job last year when he discovered a problem in one of its systems, but Billy wasn’t old enough.
Billy’s dream school would be Stanford University or MIT, where he could get a very good education in computer science. After he leaves school, whether he will go to work at a company like Google or design a software company of his own is still to be decided. However, he says he will definitely (绝对地) do something great.
“It’s a sighted world,” Billy said. “You can’t let anything get in the way of your dreams, and if you do that, you can’t move forward and make your dreams come true.” Billy’s mother found there was something wrong with Billy’s eyes when .
| A．he was 14 years old |
| B．he left school |
| C．he was in the eighth grade |
| D．he was a month old. |
Billy started to learn computer programming by himself with the help of .
| A．a screen reader | B．his mother |
| C．a computer | D．his teacher |
The underlined word “systems” means “” in Chinese.
| A．电脑 | B．系统 | C．机器 | D．计划 |
What will Billy do after school?
| A．He will work for Google. |
| B．He will open a company. |
| C．He has not decided on that. |
| D．He will do nothing. |
We can learn that from the passage.
| A．blindness is not a big problem |
| B．it’s easy to be a certified Google developer |
| C．nothing should get in the way of our dreams |
| D．Billy is a student of Stanford University |
The human brain weighs about 1.4 kilograms, but it can hold much more information than most computers. However, there is another difference between humans and computers. Computers don’t forget information they are given, but humans often do. No one remembers everything, and luckily we don’t usually have to. But everyone can improve their memory if they want to. Here are some suggestions.
◆Try to use new information immediately. For example, if you meet someone who says “Hi! I’m Carlos,” don’t just say “Hello.” Repeat the person’s name. Say “_________”
◆Break a big number into smaller parts. For example, it’s hard to memorize（记忆）109244153. But if you break it into three parts--109/244/153—it becomes easier.
◆Write out what you need to remember over and over again. This will help you keep it in mind longer, especially for memorizing formulas（公式）or facts.
◆Always review information. If you bring what you’ve learned back to your mind, they become easier to remember. For example, before you go to sleep, it’s a good idea to review the new things you learned that day.
◆Discuss with a friend. It is always easier to remember things through discussions. You can have a discussion about what’s right and what’s wrong, and it will lead to the right answer.
◆Never tell yourself that you have a bad memory. You can always do something to help improve your memory. And everyone’s memory gets better if they use it often enough.All of the suggestions are helpful. If you follow them, you are certain to improve your memory.How many suggestions are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Three. | B．Four. |
| C．Five. | D．Six. |
Which should be put in the blank（空格）in Paragraph 2？
| A．Hello, Carlos. | B．How do you do? |
| C．Hello, I am Sophia. | D．Glad to meet you! |
What does the sentence "Never tell yourself that you have a bad memory”.
mean?
| A．You should tell others about your bad memory. |
| B．You should believe in other people all the time. |
| C．You should ask others to improve their memory. |
| D．You should be confident in your memory ability. |
On February 9th, 2013, Sarah Darling was walking along the street when she met a homeless man named Billy Ray Harris. She reached into her change purse, emptied out all the coins she had and gave them to the homeless man. Neither of them realized that this small generous（慷慨的） act would change their lives. Sarah didn’t realize that she had given Billy not only all her change but also her diamond ring（钻戒） that she had put in her change purse earlier until the following morning. She and her husband, Bill Krejci, rushed to see if they could find Billy. The homeless man was not only in the same place, he also immediately returned the ring. The grateful couple paid him back for his honesty by emptying out their pockets of all the money they had.
Bill Krejci, a web designer, felt that he needed to do something more for this amazingly honest man. So on February 18th, he set up a special page to raise money for him. In just four days, Billy received over $85,000 and there seems to be no end yet.
That is not enough. Billy is living with a person who is generous instead of living in the streets. And that’s not all—Thanks to the news report, he got together again with his older brother, Edwin Harris who he had been unable to find for 27 years.All the good luck is just because Billy did the right thing—returning something that did not belong to him.When did Sarah realize that she had also given Billy her diamond ring?
| A．On February 9th, 2013 | B．On February 10th, 2013 |
| C．On February 18th, 2013 | D．On February 22nd 2013 |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Billy is living with a generous person. |
| B．Billy has found his brother. |
| C．Billy bought a diamond ring. |
| D．Billy appeared in the news repor |
The underlined word “That” in Paragraph 4 refers to(指代) “________”.
| A．returning the ring | B．setting up a page |
| C．living in the streets | D．receiving money |
What’s the best title of the passage ?
| A．Generous Woman Changed Her Own Life |
| B．Kind Man Set Up Special Page |
| C．Homeless Man Returned Diamond Ring |
| D．Many People Donated Much Money |