Americans Spend Their Free Time In Various Ways
America is a country of sports—of hunting，fishing and swimming，and of team sports like baseball and football．Millions of Americans watch their favorite sports on television．They also like to play in community orchestras(管弦乐队)，make their own films or recordings，go camping，visit museums，attend lectures，travel，garden，read，and join in hundreds of other activities．The people also enjoy building things for their homes，sewing their own clothes，even making their own photographs．They do these things for fun as well as for economy．
But as much as Americans enjoy their free time，the country is at the same time a“self-improvement” country．More than 25 million adults continue their education，chiefly by going to school in the evening， during their own free time，at their own expense．Added to the time spent on personal activities，Americans a1so devote a great amount of their time to the varied needs of their communities．Many hospitals，schools，libraries，museums，parks，community centers，and organizations that assist the poor depend on the many hours citizens devote to these activities，often without any pay. Why do they do it?
There are several answers．The idea of cooperating and sharing responsibility with one another for the benefit of all is as old as the country itself．
When the country was first founded in 1776，it was necessary for the settlers to work together to live．They had crossed dangerous seas and risked all they had in their struggle for political and religious freedom．There remains among many Americans a distrust of central government．People still prefer to do things themselves within their communities，rather than give the government more control．
Sometimes people offer their time because they wish to accomplish something for which no money is paid，to do something that will be of benefit to the entire community．It is true that some people use their leisure because they are truly interested in the work；or they are learning from the experience．
No matter what the reason is，hundreds of thousands of so-called leisure hours are put into hard，unpaid work on one or another community need．The writer mentions the foundation of the country in order to indicate ____．
| A．the reason for Americans’ willingness to cooperate and share responsibility |
| B．the American people’s determination to live |
| C．the American people’s love for freedom |
| D．the early history of America |
Which of the following best explains the meaning of the underlined word “leisure”?
A．work time B. spare time C. energy C. effort This passage is mainly about ________ ．
| A．how Americans are devoted to their community activities |
| B．why America is a “self-improvement” country |
| C．why America is a country of sports |
| D．how Americans spend their free time |
How to prepare for exams? Well, it is a big question that you always ask yourself.
There is no short cut to success, which is the first thing you should remember. For this reason you have to study hard first of all. Besides, here are some tips for you.
Never fear or hate exams and be confident. Some students study well but still may be afraid of exams and due to this reason they won’t be able to get good marks. So leave all your fears behind and free your mind before starting your studies. You have to be confident and it is the most important thing for attaining victory.
Prepare a good timetable. Prepare a timetable before starting your studies. This should include all subjects, but tough subjects can be given more time while easier ones less. And remember some time shall be spared for entertainment and also there should be enough break time between each subject.
Select a proper atmosphere for studying. No need to explain this point. Can anyone study well while watching TV? So select a place where you feel comfortable and can concentrate. And importantly it is better to study early in the morning when you will have quiet surroundings and you can concentrate more.
Make notes while studying. This is a very important point. Make small notes while studying can help you remember all the points. It will work better if you use these notes for revision in the last one or two hours than you skip through pages of your textbook. It won’t take much time to go through these notes.
Write well. As we all know, the first impression is the best impression. So your handwriting affects your marks. Try to write neatly. If it is not good enough, don’t worry; if you present it in a good manner you can score more marks.Which proverb can show the writer’s attitude towards our studies?
| A．No pains, no gains. |
| B．Knowledge is power. |
| C．It’s never too old to learn. |
| D．Nothing is impossible for a willing heart. |
Why do some students hate exams according to the passage?
| A．Because they think exams are meaningless. |
| B．Because preparing for exams takes up most of their time. |
| C．Because there are too many exams at school. |
| D．Because they don’t have enough self-confidence. |
Why does the writer say “No need to explain this point” in Paragraph 5?
| A．Because it’s difficult to explain. |
| B．Because it’s easy to understand. |
| C．Because we need to study in silence. |
| D．Because a proper atmosphere can be formed anywhere. |
There are only 24 hours in a day，but people can use the time wisely. In other words，effective (有效的) time management is important if you want to succeed.
Knowing the importance of daily matters is the first step towards good time management. Write down the things that you want to do and organize them according to their level of importance. The important thing should be done first. If there are too many things that have to be done in one day, then you have to give up doing something that is less important on your list.
Besides this，you need to spend a specific (特定的) amount of time doing all the activities you have written down and make sure you finish them on time. People often slow down in their work even though they know that time will never wait for them. Make sure you keep to your plan and finish the tasks one by one. Do not try to do too many things at once.
Also，you can group similar activities together and do them one by one. For example, you can group all the tasks you need to do in the office together and do them while you're in office. Do all the tasks that have to be done in one place first, and then move to the next place to do the other tasks.
“The bad news is that time flies. The good news is that you're the pilot, ”said Michael Althsuler. Your future is in your hands，so remember to invest (投资) your time wisely from today on.Which of the following things should be done first?
| A．The most difficult things |
| B．The most important things |
| C．The things that weren't done yesterday |
| D．The things that take the least time |
Which of the steps below is NOT important for effective time management?
| A．Do all the tasks that need to be done in one place together |
| B．Write down daily tasks that need to be done |
| C．Do as many tasks as you can at the same time |
| D．Understand and know the importance of daily matters |
Which of the following ideas would the author agree with?
| A．Never give up doing the least important things |
| B．Successful people can make a day last longer than 24 hours |
| C．Writing down daily tasks is the first step towards success |
| D．Effective time management can help one to succeed |
The author quoted (引用) the words by Althsuler to say that ________.
| A．you can manage your time wisely |
| B．you can't control time |
| C．time passes quickly |
| D．everything has two sides |
The text is mainly about ________.
| A．the importance of time management |
| B．ways to manage time effectively |
| C．ways to organize daily activities |
| D．the importance of doing tasks on time |
Beach volleyball （沙滩排球）is one of those sports that can be an exciting game to play and watch. It’s really easy, and all you need is sand, a net and a group of people, of any age or fitness level, who want to have fun.
Beach volleyball can be played with as few as two people in each team, making a total of four people. However, if you are less skilled and experienced in the game, it will be easier to play with a larger team. The more players you have, the less ground each person will be responsible for covering and the more time they will have to recover between shots. If you only have a few players, each of you will get a lot of running for the ball after each volley (截球). If you are looking for a relaxing, fun, low-key experience, choose larger teams.
Beach volleyball is similar to regular volleyball in its rules. However, even experienced volleyball players do not realize how much more difficult it is to run and jump on sand. Since it is harder to move quickly on sand than a hard surface, play will be much slower than regular volleyball on a court. When an athlete trains for beach volleyball, he will focus on building lower body strength（力量）as well as upper body strength. Strengthening his legs is extremely important. This improves the player’s ability to move quickly and accurately on sand despite the resistance. The ability to jump high and land without injury is necessary for beach volleyball players.
Whether you are in it for the competition, or just to have a great time with your friends, beach volleyball can be extremely exciting and fun. You may start out with friends and may soon fall in love with the sport.When playing beach volleyball, in which of the following situation will you feel most relaxed?
| A．Playing in a 2-person team. |
| B．Playing in a 4-person team. |
| C．Playing in a 6-person team. |
| D．Playing in an 11-person team. |
Why is playing beach volleyball much slower than playing regular volleyball?
| A．Because it is not easy to move on sand. |
| B．Because beach volleyball has a larger court. |
| C．Because the teams of beach volleyball are larger. |
| D．Because beach volleyball players are not experienced. |
We can infer from Paragraph 3 that ______.
| A．experienced volleyball players know clearly it is hard to run and jump on sand |
| B．lower body strength is more important than upper body strength |
| C．a person must have strong legs if he wants to run and jump quickly on sand |
| D．the rules of beach volleyball are the same as those of regular volleyball |
What does the author think of beach volleyball?
| A．It’s a difficult sport. |
| B．It’s not an exciting sport. |
| C．It’s a sport which only a few people love. |
| D．It’s a sport which needs few skills. |
The passage mainly tell us ______
| A．the game of beach volleyball |
| B．how to become a good beach volleyball player |
| C．why beach volleyball is one of the exciting sports |
| D．what should be paid attention to when playing beach volleyball |
Reading newspapers has become an important part of everyday life. Some people read newspapers as the first thing to do in the morning. Others read newspapers as soon as they have free time during the day so that they can learn what is happening in the world.
Sometimes, we do not have enough time to read all the news carefully, so we just take a quick look at the front page. At other times, we may be in such a hurry that we only have a few minutes to look at the headlines of the passage.
Newspapers can be found everywhere in the world. We can get many different kinds of newspapers in big cities, but in some mountain villages we can see few newspapers.
Some newspapers are published once a week, but most of the papers are published once a day with many pages, some even published twice a day! You know different people enjoy reading different newspapers. Some like world news, and others prefer short stories. They just choose what they are interested in.
Today newspapers in English have the largest numbers of readers in the world. The English language is so popular that many Chinese students are reading English newspapers such as China Daily or 21st Century. Also they bring us more and more information with the Internet.From the passage we can see that ________ when people get newspapers.
| A．they read them very carefully |
| B．they just read the headlines |
| C．not everyone reads all the pages |
| D．they have no time to read them |
People read newspapers in order to.
| A．learn the latest news |
| B．meet their own different needs |
| C．read the short stories |
| D．find the morning news |
The underlined word “publish” means “________” in the passage.
| A．出售 | B．印刷 | C．出版 | D．排版 |
Newspapers have so many pages because.
| A．more and more people like to read them |
| B．people enjoy reading something different |
| C．newspapers become cheaper |
| D．more pages mean more money |
According to the passage, besides newspapers, people also get infor mation from .
| A．magazines | B．advertisements |
| C．e-mails | D．the Internet |
In most parts of the world, many students help their schools make less pollution. They join “environment clubs(俱乐部)”. In an environment club, people work together to make our environment clean.
Here are some things students often do.
No-garbage (垃圾) lunches. How much do you throw away after lunch? Environment clubs ask students to bring their lunches in bags that can be used again. Every week they will choose the classes that make the least garbage and report them to the whole school.
No-car day. On a no-car day, nobody comes to school in a car. Not the students and not the teachers! Cars give pollution to our air, so remember: walk, jump, bike and run. Use your legs! It’s lots of fun..
Turn off the water! Did you know that some toilets can waste twenty to forty cubic(立方)meters of water an hour? In a year, that would fill a small river! In environment clubs, students mend those broken toilets. We love our environment. Let’s work together to make it clean.The writer wrote the passage to ask the students to ____________.
| A．clean school | B．make less pollution |
| C．join clubs | D．help teachers |
Environment clubs ask students __________.
| A．to run to school every day |
| B．to take exercise every day |
| C．not to forget to take cars |
| D．to use lunch bags |
After students mend toilets, they save ___________.
| A．a small river | B．a club |
| C． water in cubic meters | D．a toilet |
From the passage we know the students usually have lunch ____________.
| A．at school | B．in shops |
| C．in clubs | D．at home |
Which of the following statements is true?
A.On No-car day, only the teachers can go to school in their cars.
B.In the clubs, students usually work together to make the earth less polluted.
C.The water in the toilet can fill a river.
D.D. Students can take their lunch in paper, so they can throw it after lunch.