I bent down in the shade under a sixty-foot-tall cactus（仙人掌）, waiting for them to appear. The time was eight thirty in the morning. For seven mornings I had come to the same distant spot in the Sonoran Desert, in southern Arizona. I was here to watch the roadrunner, a small fast-running bird.
I spotted two birds under a bush with red flowers. The roadrunners rushed out from under it. The birds moved rapidly on long skinny legs. Their feathers were brown and black. Their tails were seven inches long. Roadrunners use the tail for balance when running.
That day, the roadrunners performed a courtship（求婚）dance. They ran in wild circles. Suddenly, one stopped and stood still, its round eyes full of light. The second bird took hold of a small stick off the ground and presented it to the first, a gift serving as a symbol of their partnership.
I returned to the spot each day, leaving bits of boiled chicken hoping they would return. Roadrunners eat snakes, lizards, mice, beetles, and spiders. Food is in short supply in the desert, so my offerings were welcome. The pair grew used to me.
Soon after the pair finished building their nest six white eggs appeared in the nest bowl. In about three weeks, six roadrunner chicks, skin as black as coal, cried for food. Their parents brought food such as fence lizards and stink bugs. They fed their young until they were a month and a half old.
Early one morning, a coyote（丛林狼）came around, nose to the ground, for fresh bird meat. The roadrunners fearlessly drove the coyote away, but it was soon back. After three attacks the coyote went away for good, tail between its legs.
I stopped watching the nest when the little roadrunners, at two months of age, were ready to live on their own. It was hard to break away from “my roadrunner family.” Whenever I see a roadrunner now, rushing over the ground, I say hello to it as an old friend.The author went to the Sonoran Desert to .
| A．go on a tour of the desert |
| B．carry out research into some animals in the desert |
| C．make an observation about a kind of bird |
| D．enjoy an adventure in southern Arizona |
What can we learn about roadrunners from the text?
| A．They have short tails and legs. |
| B．They move at a fast pace. |
| C．Their feathers are red and brown. |
| D．They don’t like boiled chicken. |
We can learn from the last but one paragraph that the roadrunners were .
| A．brave | B．clever | C．easily-frightened | D．lazy |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．How do roadrunners seek a partner? |
| B．My close friendship with roadrunners. |
| C．Roadrunner family in the Sonoran Desert. |
| D．How did I find roadrunners in Arizona? |
It was a cold December, and Mrs. Bell wanted to do a lot of shopping. She waited until it was Saturday, when her husband was free, and she took him to the shops with her to pay for everything and to carry for her what she had bought. They went to a lot of shops, and Mrs. Bell bought everything she could think of.
She often stopped and said, “Look, Peter! Isn’t that beautiful?”
“All right, my dear. How much is it?” answered Mr. Bell, and then he took money out to buy it for her.
It was almost dark when they came out of the last shop, and Mr. Bell was tired. He was thinking about a nice drink by the side of a warm fire home. Suddenly his wife looked up at the sky and said, “Look at that beautiful moon, Peter!”
Without stopping, Mr. Bell answered at once. “All right, dear. How much is it?” Then he took his wallet out of his pocket. Mrs. Bell did shopping ________.
| A．alone | B．together with her husband |
| C．every day | D．in the morning |
Mrs. Bell took her husband to the shops because ________.
| A．he liked beautiful things | B．he liked to do shopping too. |
| C．she wanted him to pay money | D．he was always free |
Mrs. Bell bought ________ in the shops.
| A．nothing | B．a drink |
| C．the most beautiful thing | D．a number of things |
Mr. Bell _______ shopping.
| A．was addicted to | B．was thinking about |
| C．was tired of | D．was very interested in |
According to the last paragraph, we know Mr. Bell _______.
| A．wanted to buy the moon |
| B．did not really know what his wife was saying |
| C．was a millionaire |
| D．did not like the idea of buying the moon |
“If you want to see a thing well, reach out and touch it!” That may seem a strange thing to say. But touching things can help you to see them better. Your eyes can tell you that a glass ball is round. But by holding it in your hands, you can feel how smooth and cool the ball is. You can feel how heavy the glass is. When you feel all these about the ball, you really see it. With your skin, you can feel better. For example, your fingers can tell the difference between two coins in your pocket. You can feel a little drop of water on the back of your hand, too.
All children soon learn what “Don’t touch!” means. They hear it often. Yet most of us keep on touching things as we grow up. In shops, we touch things as we might buy: food, clothes. To see something well, we have to touch it.
There are ways of learning to see well by feeling. One way is to close your eyes and try to feel everything that is touching your skin. Feel the shoes on your feet, the clothes on your body, the air on your skin. At first, it is not easy to feel these things. You are too used to them!
Most museums are just for looking. But today some museums have some things to touch. There you can feel everything on show. If we want to see better, reach out and touch. Then you will really see.By touching things,________.
| A．you will have a strange feeling |
| B．you will learn how to reach out your hand |
| C．you can tell the difference of the things |
| D．you can tell what colors they are |
When people buy things in shops, they often_________.
| A．try them on first | B．keep their right hands on them |
| C．ask about them | D．feel and touch them |
Why does it say “At first, it is not easy to feel these things?” Because__________.
| A．the things are used by people, too | B．people feel the things too often |
| C．people know how to use the things | D．the things are hard to feel |
Which of the following can be the best title of the story?
| A．Touching by Feeling | B．To See or to Feel? |
| C．To See Better---Feel | D．Ways of Feeling |
"USA? Britain? Which country is better to study in?" We often hear such discussions. As China opens its doors, studying abroad has become a dream for many Chinese students. They want to learn about the world.
It's true that studying abroad can help students develop themselves. Language skills will improve and it may be easier to find jobs.
But there are problems that should be considered(考虑). Language is the first. Students must spend a lot of time learning another language and getting used to a different culture.
Students must also learn to live without parents' care and deal with all kinds of things they haven't had to do before, like looking after themselves. There are reports about Chinese students abroad sinking into an ocean of difficulties and giving up easily. When they have to take care of themselves, it is hard for students to study well.
Finally, studying abroad brings a heavy burden(负担) to the family. For most Chinese parents, the cost of studying abroad is very high. But is it worth it?
We know that there are many famous people who succeed in great things through their hard work in China. Liu Xiang is a good example. Once an American teacher invited him there but he refused. He kept training hard with his Chinese teacher. He surprised the world when he won a gold medal(金牌) at the Athens Olympics. So when you wonder which country is better to study in, consider whether studying abroad is the right choice(选择).From the passage, we learn that many Chinese students dream about studying abroad to __________.
| A．taste a new life | B．make a lot of money |
| C．learn about the world | D．learn to look after themselves |
The writer thinks __________ should be considered first before students study abroad.
| A．places | B．time | C．money | D．language |
The writer mentions Liu Xiang in the passage in order to tell us that __________.
| A．Chinese teachers are better than American ones |
| B．studying abroad is not the right choice |
| C．people can also be successful in China if they work hard |
| D．Liu Xiang was a gold medal winner |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Studying abroad will cost students' families a lot of money. |
| B．Studying abroad will make it easy for students to learn well. |
| C．Studying abroad will help students to improve language skills. |
| D．Studying abroad will bring students a lot of difficulties in their life. |
How often one hears children wishing they were grown-ups, and, old people wishing they were young again. Each age has its pleasures and its pains, and the happiest person is the one who enjoys what each age gives him without wasting his time in useless regrets.
Childhood is a time when there are few responsibilities(责任) to make life difficult. If a child has good parents, he is fed, looked after and loved, whatever he may do. It is impossible that he will ever again in his life be given so much without having to do anything in return. What’s more, life is always giving new things to the child——things that have lost their interest for older people because they are too well known. But a child has his pains: he is not so free to do what he wishes to do; he is repeatedly being told not to do something, or being punished for what he has wrongly done.
When a young man starts to earn his own living, he can no longer expect others to pay for his food, his clothes, and his room, but has to work if he wants to live comfortably. If he spends most of his time playing about in the way that he used to as a child, he will go hungry. And if he breaks the laws of society as he used to break the laws of his parents, he may go to prison. If, however, he works hard, keeps out of trouble and has good health, he can have the great happiness of building up for himself his own position in society.According to Paragraph 2, the writer thinks that .
| A．life for a child is fairly easy |
| B．a child is always loved whatever he does |
| C．if much is given to a child, he must do something in return |
| D．only children are interested in life |
The main idea of the passage is that .
| A．life is not enjoyable since each age has some pains |
| B．young men can have the greatest happiness if they work hard |
| C．childhood is the most enjoyable time in one’s life |
| D．one is the happiest if he can make good use of each age in his life |
The paragraph following this passage will most probably discuss .
| A．examples of successful young men |
| B．how to build up one’s position in society |
| C．joys and pains of old people |
| D．what to do when one has problems in life |
Carl studied in our middle school three years ago. Last August his father found a job in another city and his family moved there. He began to study in the new school and we often write to each other. He often tells me something about the city where he lives now and his studies in the school. So I can know what happens to him.
Last Friday Carl came to our city again. He hoped to accompany(陪伴) his old grandpa during the summer holiday. He was taller and stronger than before. We swam in the river outside the city together and had a picnic on the island. It surprised me that he had learnt to cook when we were traveling in the wild forest. He told me his parents were both busy and sometimes he stayed at home and he had to look after himself.
“How do you like your school?” I asked.
“Wonderful,” said the young man.” It has a tall building and there ‘re two chemistry labs, two biology labs and three physics ones. And its library is big and there’re plenty of books in it.”
“I can see you are satisfied with it.”
“Yes,” he answered. “But our geography teacher often says it himself in class.”
“So does our new history teacher.” I said. “But he doesn’t notice it. He often talks on and on in a flow of the eloquence（滔滔不绝）, but none of us listens to him.” I can know what happens to Carl because________.
| A．he lives near to me. | B．he often calls me |
| C．I often visit him | D．he often writes to me. |
Carl came back to our city to________.
| A．take his summer holiday. | B．look after his grandpa |
| C．have a picnic on the island. | D．travel in the wild forest. |
________, so he learned to cook.
| A．Carl liked all kinds of delicious foods. |
| B．Carl had to do some cooking when he was alone. |
| C．Carl found a job in a restaurant. |
| D．Carl often had a picnic with his friends |
Carl is satisfied with his school because__________.
| A．his teachers work hard. | B．it has lots of books |
| C．it has several labs. | D．it’s wonderful. |