Every year landslides cause 25 to 50 deaths and $2 billion in damage in the United States. And in December, a single event killed more than 2000 people in the Philippines. Sending workers to stabilize mountainsides using steel bars can help a lot, but it introduces new difficulties because of dust and loosen heavy, dangerous debris from the work. “It’s a quite dangerous job,” says Giorgio Pezzuto of D’ Appolonia, working with eight other companies. Now there may be an answer: a three-ton robot called Roboclimber.
“The idea is to operate a machine far away that can do the stabilizing job without a human being near,”says Pezzuto, manager for the project, which is supported by a European organization. Engineers say that the machine will be faster and cheaper than manual labor. The robot, a large radio-controlled four-legged spider, has cost at least $2 million so far. It should be able to climb mountainsides, drill holes and insert steel bars there. Testing should begin in May.The underlined word “event” refers to_____
| A．earthquake | B．debris | C．dust | D．landslide |
The purpose in writing this text is _____
| A．to tell people how serious the damage caused by landslides is |
| B．to tell people that sending workers to stabilize mountainsides is a dangerous job |
| C．to show people how to use a new robot |
| D．to introduce a new robot that can be used to stabilize mountainsides |
What does the robot look like?
| A．human being | B．spider | C．steel bar | D．a drill |
A landslides cause _____________in damage in the United States Every year .
| A．25 to 50 deaths | B．more than 2000 people died |
| C．$2 billion | D．both A and C |
The biggest advantage of this product is that____
| A．it will be faster and cheaper than manual labor |
| B．it can climb mountainsides, drill holes and insert steel bars there. |
| C．it can do the stabilizing job without human beings near |
| D．it is like a spider |
The natural world is colorful with humans，plants and animals showing different colors.
Human skin can be many different colors and it changes.with the sun，our feelings or our health for example.This is because of pigments（色素），which reflect light and make what the eye sees as colors.So，when we feel excited or angry，our heart can send more blood to the face and the pigments in the skin become red.This is why we have the expression that someone. "sees red"when they are angry.
Plants also have pigments.Color is important for them to live on.The bright colors of flowers catch the attention of insects（昆虫），which then carry their pollen（花粉）from one flower to another.Bees can see colors we cannot，and they follow these to the inside of the flower.Without bees visiting flowers in this way，many plants would die out.
Animals also use color for their own need.They protect themselves with different colors so as not to be seen by predators.The snowshoe hare for example，a type of wild rabbit，changes color with seasons for this reason.During summer it is a brown color，and in winter it is white so that it can hide in the snow.However，some animals use color as a warning to make predators stay away.Bright colors such as yellow and red are often used in this way.Nature，however，is very clever，and predators also use colors to attract（吸引）the animals they feed on..
So，we can see that there may be many different reasons and uses for colors in the natural world.Some uses of color in nature remain unknown；but one thing is for sure，color not only makes our planet beautiful but it is also necessary for our planet to live on.
（1）Paragraph 2 mainly tells us that is/are the cause that makes human skin change color.
A.feelings
B.pigments
C.Blood
D.sunshine
（2）According to Paragraph 3，plants can use to attract insects.
A.leaves
B.fruits
C.pollen
D.color
（3）The underlined word"predators""in Paragraph 4 refers to animals which .
A.hide in secret places
B.kill other animals for food
C.change color with the sun
D.protect themselves from danger
（4）What is the main purpose of the passage？
A.To describe animals' ways of life.
B.To encourage us to study color in nature.
C.To introduce the uses of colors for life on earth.
D.To explain the importance of protecting our planet.
Ludwick Marishane，a South African，was with his friends in Limpopo when they started talking about inventing something to put on your skin（皮肤）so you don't have to take a bath.Ludwick thought that this was a great idea.He did some research on the Internet，and he found some surprising facts.
About 2，500，000，000 people around the world haven't got clean water.This is a huge problem because dirty water can create illnesses.One of them' is trachoma：8，000，000 people all over the world get trachoma every year.They wash their faces with dirty water，get ill and go blind.To stop trachoma，people don't have to receive expensive medical care.They have to wash their faces with clean water.That's it.
Ludwick started thinking.He wanted to make something to help people in parts of the world where it's difficult to find clean water.He did more research on the Internet，and he did more thinking.Ludwick had a plan.He wanted to make a gel（凝胶）for people to put on their skin so.they don't have to take a bath.When he was at university，he never stopped thinking about his invention.He started to talk to other people about it，and three years later the dream came true.He made the gel and called it "DryBath".
Ludwick is the winner of lots of prizes.People call him "one of the brightest young men in the world".He is happy about his success.DryBath is helping people to be healthy.And DryBath also helps to save water.That's important in many parts of the world，where it 's difficult to find clean water.Now he wants to invent other things and also wants to help other young people to become inventors.
（1）Trachoma is a kind of illness that may make people .
A.feel hungry
B.feel thirsty
C.become blind
D.become sleepy
（2）Ludwick invented the gel "DryBath" to .
A.treat people with skin trouble
B.make dirty water become clean
C.show people how to be an inventor
D.help people without enough clean water
（3）Which word best describes Ludwick according to the passage？
A.Creative.
B.Brave.
C.Honest.
D.Humorous.
（4）What can we learn from Ludwick's experience？
A.Luck is very important in achieving success.
B.People can succeed by sticking to their dreams.
C.Young people can easily come up with new ideas.
D.Going to university can make young people smarter.
Takeover Day
Want to be a football coach，a policeman or a musician？If you could do any job for a day，what would it be？Takeover Day offers young people this chance.
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Takeover Day is an event for young people to "take over" the day from adults（成年人）.Of course，it's difficult to give someone the job of a film star or a model!However，Takeover Day has offered young people jobs as news reporters，teachers and even politicians（政客）. The event serves two purposes.First，it gives young people experience in different kinds of jobs.Second，adults can learn from young people's opinions and fresh ideas. Here's what the students say about their Takeover Day. |
Simon，16，went to Coventry Football Club.He became coach of the football team for a day. "Having a go at training professional players.was an unforgettable experience，"said Simon. "If I had the chance，I would do this job every day." |
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Sally，15，became the head teacher of her school. "I'd go mad if I were a head teacher!" she said."So many meetings!"Sally thinks she learned a lot."My favourite part of the day was meeting the school cook and improving the school menus for the week.I was a great chance to tell her what we really like eating!" |
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Paul，17，spent the day with an important politician.He even went to a meeting at Buckingham Palace!' Paul thought that if everyone；had the chance to follow a politician for a day，they'd be amazed. "It isn't a nine﹣to﹣five job：It's 24/7，"he said. "We even had no time for lunch." |
（1）What may Simon choose to be in the future？
A.A model.
B.A politician.
C.A head teacher.
D.A football coach.
（2）What do Sally and Paul probably think of their Takeover Day？
A.Busy but exciting.
B.Peaceful but tiring.
C.Amazing and relaxing.
D.Easy and unforgettable.
（3）Takeover Day is set up for young people to .
A.spread ideas
B.become famous
C.know more about jobs
D.work for their schools
Masa walked slowly towards the house，stopping now and then to cut off dead leaves or fading flowers.There were few weeds（杂草）.Yuki had spent many hours of her two﹣week visit weeding in the garden.Masa wondered if Yuki had spent so much of her time outside because she wanted to avoid talking to her.
But Yuki must have wanted very much to see us，Masa told herself.She had visited in the last weeks of June，as soon as her college was out for the summer.
She said she wanted to stay longer but couldn't because she had to work.Besides，she needed to use the studio at her college for photography and she had to go to the library to read，"Why do you have to go to college to study art？"Masa asked her. "All the great artists didn't go to college. "
Yuki shook her head. "That was a different time.It's hard to explain. "
"I was thinking you could live with us all year round and still be an artist.This is a nice quiet place to live. "
"I don't know.How would I support myself here？" "You can always give lessons. "Masa said.
"But I don't want to spend a long time looking at kids' drawings. "
"What will you do after you graduate，anyway？Will you become a teacher somewhere else then？"
"Grandma，I don't know. "Yuki sighed.
"What is the use of going to college if you don't know what you're going there for？" "Maybe I'm going because I don't know.I just want to study art now.I don't want to think that far ahead. "
The minute Masa was going to point out that this was too careless a way to live，Yuki suddenly stood up and put on her straw hat.
"I'm going to the garden to weed your flowerbed"，she said， "Let me know if there's something else I can do."
On Yuki's visit，Masa felt strained when they talked，and she was sure Yuki also felt it.But Yuki was never rude or irritable（易怒的）.Even when they disagreed，her face was always full of patience.
（1）According to the passage，Yuki was .
A.a gardener
B.an artist
C.a college student
D.an art teacher
（2）From the underlined sentence，we can infer（推断）that Yuki wanted to .
A.end the conversation
B.weed the flowerbed
C.leave Masa's garden
D.take some photos
（3）It can be learnt from the passage that .
A.Yuki studied art because she wanted to be a teacher
B.Masa wasn't satisfied with Yuki's work in the garden
C.Masa and Yuki agreed on living together all the year
D.Masa and Yuki had very different ideas about college
（4）The underlined word "strained" in the last paragraph probably shows Masa felt something .
A.unforgettable
B.uncomfortable
C.thankful
D.crazy
Why is it that the people you meet when backpacking（背包旅行）seem to be more interesting and outgoing than your friends at home？That's my experience，anyway.Very often，you'll meet people that are fun to travel with and worth getting to know.I've spent time with people of many countries and have found out some interesting things about their cultures.It's a great way to learn more about the world.
It's often easy to make new friends while you're traveling，and you'll be able to hang around with them for a few days，until one of you leaves for the next exciting place.Relationships of this kind are shorter but can be just as strong as friendships back home，because you do so much together in that short time.I often find I like to share things about myself that I'd never say to my close friends.It is safe，I think，because we probably won't meet again，except online.
One thing that's important when you're backpacking is to make sure you carry only basic needs，so your backpack isn't too heavy.I travel" "light" these days.One good tip someone gave me is to take old clothes and just throw them away when you move on，instead of washing and waiting for things to dry.Many hostels（小旅社）don't provide shampoo and shower gel.You can get mini bottles in supermarkets.
I've discovered that many backpackers visit little places other tourists don't go to，and by using local shops and guest houses，they help those places with much﹣needed financial（经济上的）support.Most small guest houses allow you to stay for unlimited time，so you can spend as long as you like exploring the local area.Backpackers are also kinder to the environment，because they use trains and buses rather than cars.So，what are you waiting for？ （By Andy Robinson）
（1）According to Andy，friendships made with other backpackers .
A.are less serious than those with his friends at home
B.end at the moment they separate from each other
C.help him to decide where he would like to travel to
D.allow him to talk about himself in an honest way
（2）Which text message would Andy send to a friend？"
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A |
"Why don't you fly out to visit me？We'll stay in a famous hotel on the coast. " |
B |
"I'm leaving here tomorrow and then I will drive a car along the coast. " |
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C |
"I've met some great people.Tomorrow we're going by boat to an ancient village in the mountains together. " |
D |
"I'm glad I filled up my backpack –I've got everything I need，though it isn't easy to carry it around!" |
（3）The best title for the passage can be .
A.Friendships on the Way
B.Traveling with a Backpack
C.A Backpacking Experience
D.Tips on Travel