Many people don’t think that the number 13 is a lucky number. Many hotels do not have a 13th floor. The floors go from 12 to 14, and there is no number13. Some people will never sit at a table with 12 other people. They will tell someone to go or ask another person to sit with them.
No one really knows why people do not like the number 13. Perhaps one reason is that when people began to count, they used ten fingers and two hands. This made 12. They could not count more.
Some Christians (基督徒) say that 13 is not lucky because there were 13 people at a meal the day before Jesus (耶稣) was killed (被杀). In a story about the old Greek (希腊的) gods, 12 gods were asked to a meal but one more came. This made 13. It is why the god Balder, who was at the meal, was killed.Some people will never sit at a table with twelve other people, or _________________.
| A． they will never come for dinner together |
| B．they will ask one of them to leave |
| C．all of them will leave |
| D．they will wait for two other people to come |
The story is about _____________________.
| A．the death of Jesus |
| B．the person who killed Balder |
| C．why 13 is not a lucky number |
| D．the way people count with their fingers |
Have you ever seen a movie called “ The Choir Boys”(《放牛班的春天》)？The French movie tells the story of a group of naughty boys who learn music from a dedicated(尽职的) teacher. In Shanghai, there is also a group of children learning music. But their story is a bit different.
The musical group, “Shepherds’ Kids” , was founded(建立) by the Shanghai Jiuqian Volunteer Center. There are about 40 students in this group. Their parents are migrants(打工者) working in Shanghai.
“ The music courses are free,” said Zhang Yichao, founder of the group. “We just want to make the children’s lives more colorful.”
The kids learn singing, dancing and musical instruments. Their teachers are volunteers from high schools.
Learning music is not an easy job, especially for these migrant workers’ children.
“I never know the musical stave(五线谱) before,” said Hua Delong, 13. “Sometimes it was really hard to study.”
Tang Yue is a volunteer teacher at the center. She is a student from Shanghai Ping’he Bilingual High School.
“These kids face difficulties bravely,” said Tang. “Sometimes they have to help their parents do housework and have little time to practice, but I never hear them complain.”
Their hard work has paid off(回报). Today many people know the group. They have even performed as a choir for foreign pop stars.
Li Luo, 14, told “ Teens” how appreciative she was of the group.
“I had little fun before. I seldom(很少) watched TV. Study seemed the most interesting thing in my life. “Shepherds’ Kids has given me a new life.”In Hua Delong’s opinion, learning music is not an easy job because _______.
| A．he didn’t know the musical stave before | B．he had little fun before |
| C．the music courses are not free | D．he seldom watched TV before |
From the story we can know that ______.
| A．the naughty boys were successful at last |
| B．the “Shepherds’ Kids” has made great success |
| C．all the volunteers giving lessons for the children are music teachers |
| D．the children learnt music very easily |
The story is an introduction of ______.
| A．the French movie “The Choir Boys” | B．a musical group “The Shepherds’ Kids” |
| C．the foundation of “The Shepherds’ Kids” | D．the children learning music |
When we talk about stars, especially women stars, it seems that they are always young, pretty and own charming body shapes. But recently a Britain’s Got Talent（英国达人）star Susan Boyle has changed our views absolutely.
Simon Cowell , one of the judges of the talent show spoke of his shock over Ms Boyle’s voice. “This lady camp up, and I’m thinking, ‘This will take five seconds and I can go to have a cup of tea’. That changed when she began to sing I Dreamed to Dream from Les Miserable. She knew we were going to have that reaction and just to see that look of satisfaction on her face widway through –it was one of my favorite moments,” Cowell said.
The performance was posted on line and before long, the 47-year-old Scottish woman has been famous all over the world.
Speaking from her home in Scotland, Ms Boyle said that she hasn’t thought of changing her appearance. She said that her friend helped her with make-up. “I mean, that’s hardly a makeover,” she added. Ms Boyle also spoke of the reason she first began to explore her vocal talents, “I was kind of slow at school, so getting like singing was a good way of hiding behind that and thus it built my confidence.”Susan Boyle is _________
| A．a judge | B．a reporter | C．a beautiful | D．a Scottish woman |
Susan Boyle had a look of satisfaction on her face when she was singing because______.
| A．she was confident of her singing |
| B．she was satisfied with the judges |
| C．she was pretty and in good shape |
| D．she sang the song I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserable |
According to the passage, which is NOT true?
| A．It was the vocal talents that built Susan’s confidence |
| B．Susan Boyle was not good at her lesson when at school. |
| C．Susan Boyle became famous because of her appearance. |
| D．Simon Cowell didn’t think Susan Boyle a good singer at the first sight. |
What can we learn from Susan Boyle’s success
| A．It’s never too old to learn. |
| B．It’s easier to succeed at the age of 47. |
| C．If you have a dream, try to make it come true! |
| D．If you are not able to study well, to be a singer instead. |
Do you know why you sleep? You may think it’s because you’re tired. Or perhaps you’ve been told sleep is good for you. Yet no one knows exactly why or how people sleep.
Until the early 1950s, most scientists thought the body and brain rested during sleep. Then a scientist watched people sleep. He noticed that during periods of between 5 and 30 minutes each, sleepers’ eyes made rapid movements, as if they were watching something. He called these periods REM sleep, for Rapid Eye Movement. Periods when sleepers’ eyes did not move he called non-REM sleep.
Whenever the scientist woke people during REM sleep, they were having vivid dreams. Measurements showed that sleepers’ pulses（脉搏）went up quickly during REM sleep. Their breathing, heartbeat, and the blood going to the brain also increased. Far from being a time of rest, REM sleep is a time when the body is hard at work. Scientists still don’t know the reason for this. Some believe REM sleep makes learning easier. Babies spend a lot of time in REM sleep. Because of this, some scientists believe that REM sleep helps the brain grow. Others think REM sleep is a time for the brain to empty the day’s garbage.
One thing all the scientists agree on is that sleep is necessary. Without enough sleep, people make mistakes. Most major car accidents happen during the early morning hours, when people are sleepiest.During REM sleep, a person’s breathing and heartbeat ________.
| A．stop | B．increase | C．decrease | D．stay the same |
Which word in paragraph（段落）3 means “colorful and lively”?
| A．easier | B．empty | C．vivid | D．quickly |
Which paragraph tells what happens when people don’t get enough sleep?
| A．1 | B．2 | C．3 | D．4 |
What is the main idea of the article?
| A．REM sleep helps the brain grow. |
| B．REM sleep has been watched and recorded by scientists. |
| C．REM sleep is a time to empty the day’s garbage. |
| D．REM sleep is an active time when the body is hard at work. |
You can decide from the article that REM sleep ________.
| A．has a restful effect on people |
| B．can be avoided with lots of sleep |
| C．is something that all people experience |
| D．is something that all scientists agree on |
Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members, and in particular, their parents, don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for advice.
It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or a circle of friends Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among them on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something difficult to say to their family members.
However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. The question of “choice” is an interesting one.
Who chooses your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?
Your answers are welcome.Many teenagers think their ________ know them better than their parents do.
| A．friends | B．brothers | C．sisters | D．teachers |
When teenagers stay alone, their usual way of communication is ________.
| A．to go to their friends |
| B．to talk with their parents |
| C．to have a discussion with their family by phone |
| D．to talk with their friends on the phone |
Which of the following is different in meaning from the sentences “Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their friends?
| A．Some parents may even not allow their children to meet their good friends. |
| B．Some parents may even ask their children to stay away from their good friends. |
| C．Some parents may even not let their children meet their good friends. |
| D．Some parents may want their children to meet their good friends at the stop. |
Which of the following sentences is right according to the passage?
| A．Parents should like everything their children enjoy. |
| B．In all families children can choose everything they like. |
| C．Parents should try their best to understand their children better. |
| D．Teenagers can only go to their friends for help. |
The sentence “Your answers are welcome” means“________”.
| A．You are welcome to have a discussion with us. |
| B．We’ve got no idea, so your answers are welcome. |
| C．Your answers are always correct. |
| D．You can give us all the right answers. |
Which is the best title of the passage?
| A．Only Parents Can Decide | B．Parents and Children |
| C．Teenagers Need Friends | D．A Strange Question |
Many cultures have different ideas about why people catch colds. For example in the United States, some people think that you can catch a cold if your feet get cold. So, mothers tell small children to wear warm boots in the winter. In other places, including parts of the Middle East, some people believe that strong winds cause colds. So, on trains and buses, people usually don’t like to sit next to open windows. In parts of Europe, some people think that wearing wet clothes will give you a cold. They say that after you go swimming, you should quickly put on dry clothes. Today, scientists know that colds are caused by a virus（病毒）. But the old ideas are still very strong, and many people still follow them to avoid（避免）getting ill.What is the main idea of this reading?
| A．People still believe old ideas about why they catch colds. |
| B．Colds are the biggest health problem in the world. |
| C．Some people think that strong winds cause colds. |
| D．You should take good care of your health in winter. |
Which is NOT a cause（成因）of colds in the reading?
| A．bad food | B．wet clothes | C．a virus | D．strong winds |
In "people still follow them to avoid getting ill", what does "them" mean?
| A．scientists | B．old ideas | C．colds | D．dry clothes |
According to the reading, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．There are many different ideas about how people catch colds. |
| B．Scientists don’t know how people catch colds. |
| C．Some people think that wearing wet clothes gives you a cold. |
| D．In the U.S., many small children wear boots in winter. |
Many people in different countries have ________ ideas about why people catch colds.
| A．no | B．one | C．the same | D．different |