The designer of the Apple Computer, Steve Jobs, was not quite successful in his early years. He was not among the best students at school, and from time to time he got into trouble with either his schoolmates or his teachers. But he was full of new ideas, which few people saw the value of. Things remained the same when he went up to college and he dropped out halfway.
Steve Jobs worked first as a video game designer at Atari. He worked there for only a few months and then he set out to tour India. He hoped that the trip would give him more ideas and give him a change in life for the better.
After he returned from India, he begin to live on a farm in California. And then, in 1975, Steve Jobs set about making a new type of computer. Along with his friend Stephen Wozniak, he designed the Apple Computer in his bedroom and built it in his garage(车库). He gave the name “Apple” because it reminded him of a happy summer he once on an orchard(果园) in Oregon.
His Apple Computer was so successful that Steve Jobs soon became worldwide famous. But unluckily, he died of illness in 2011. Steve Jobs when he was in school.
| A．was an outstanding(杰出的) student | B．didn’t do very well |
| C．was always praised by others | D．didn’t learn anything |
. The underlined（划线的） word “value” means .
| A．beauty | B．chance | C．importance | D．hope |
. Steve Jobs .
| A．received excellent college education |
| B．didn’t go to college at all |
| C．studied in college for 4 years |
| D．didn’t finish his college education |
. Steve Jobs named his computer company “Apple” because .
| A．apple was his favorite fruit |
| B．he designed the computer under an apple tree |
| C．he wanted to remember the happy time on the orchard |
| D．the computer was designed on the orchard |
Steve Jobs' would be the most important thing for his lifetime success.
| A．“failure” in school | B．stay on the orchard |
| C．travel on India | D．new ideas |
Can you imagine what it would be like to live and study in an ancient castle (城堡)? I’m talking about British boarding (寄宿) schools， where some children actually live like Harry Potter (although sadly without the magic).
Boarding schools in Britain are not cheap. The average cost is￡25，152 (254，011 yuan) for just one year. The schools are usually very old and rich in history. They played a big role in British history， and have close connections to Oxford and Cambridge universities. Students are usually very rich； Prince William and Harry both went to Eton， a school which has produced 19 British prime ministers (首相).
One of the most important things for these schools is sport. Cricket (板球)， rugby (英式橄榄球) and rowing (赛艇运动) are played nearly every day. These games build teamwork and discipline (纪律). There is a famous saying in English， “The British Empire (帝国) was built on the playing fields of Eton.”
Boarding schools often appear in English books and films. The young child without parents growing up in a boarding school is found in hundreds of stories， although the most famous now is Harry Potter. Boarding schools are becoming less traditional， though， and more international. Nearly 9，000 foreign kids joined a British boarding school last year， and a third of these came from China.
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Just hearing the name of the great white shark makes people afraid. In fact， they have more to fear from us than we do from them. For many years， lots of great white sharks were killed.
But thanks to people’s efforts， the population of these sharks is rising again in the US， according to two recent studies.
Why is their growing population something to celebrate? Great white sharks play an important role in the ocean ecosystem. As the biggest predators， they help keep the population of other creatures from growing too large. If the population of an species(物种) gets too big， it will affect the food chain.
Although they are very important， great white sharks had been hunted for their meat and fins for a long time. In 1997， a law was passed in the US to stop the hunting of great white sharks. Gradually， the numbers of sharks started to increase.
The law wasn’t the only thing that has helped great white sharks. Environmental protection groups have also played a part. The research group， OCEARCH， puts an electronic device(装置) on a shark’s fin and then tracks(追踪) its movements. Just as important， they let the public follow each shark as it travels the world’s oceans. OCEARCH also gives each shark a name. The group’s most famous shark is a shark named Katharine. Thousands of people have tracked Katharine’s movements on the website. This helps people see sharks in a new way --- not just as the dangerous killers seen in movies. Learning about sharks makes people want to do more to protect them.
| A．People can track sharks’ movements on a website. |
| B．The population of great white sharks is increasing. |
| C．Some new kinds of fish were found in the ocean. |
| D．Two recent studies show that great white sharks are not dangerous. |
| A．Their meant and fins are very valuable. |
| B．They can keep other ocean species away from danger. |
| C．Other Ocean species cannot live without great white sharks. |
| D．They can stop the population of other ocean species getting too big. |
| A．捕食性动物 | B．素食性动物 |
| C．海洋生物 | D．陆地生物 |
| A．It works hard to make people want to do more to protect sharks. |
| B．It helps thousands of people find their pets. |
| C．Its most famous shark is called Katharine. |
| D．If fixes a small device on a shark’s fin. |
Chris is not a traditional explorer(探险家)—he usually works in an office for a large organization. However， Chris’ job can be just as exciting and dangerous as being an explorer.
Chris works for MSF， an organization also known as Doctors Without Border(国界). Since 1971， MFS has sent trained doctors all over the world to help people who have suffered from disasters， such as wars and illnesses. Chris is a doctor from France who has traveled to many places to organize programs that help people.
At the moment， over 27，000 trained doctors have taken part in MSF projects. The organization received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999. All kinds of doctors can volunteer for MSF. They need to be ready to go almost anywhere in the world and， of course， they should face difficulties. Most of MSF’s work is in Africa. When MSF chooses a doctor for a task， they have to go for at least six months. When doctors have completed a few tasks， they might be sent on an emergency(紧急的) task following a disaster， such as an earthquake.
But why would doctors leave a comfortable life and a good pay to join MSF? According to Chris， the experience they have is a great help in their life. What’s more， just like the explorers of the past， they need to keep an open mind and learn to get on well with the people they meet. One thing that they can say at the end of any task is that they have made a real difference to people’s lives.
| A．Tiring and boring | B．Exciting and dangerous |
| C．Relaxing and colorful | D．Peaceful and comfortable |
| A．have worked in Africa for six months |
| B．have been sent on an emergency task |
| C．be ready to work for a task for at least half a year |
| D．have suffered from wars， illnesses or other disasters |
| A．Because they can get a good pay. |
| B．Because they can have a comfortable life. |
| C．Because they can help others and get experience. |
| D．Because they can travel abroad with their families. |
| A．Chris is a doctor who has organized programs to help people. |
| B．MSF received the Nobel Peace Prize for helping poor countries. |
| C．Volunteer doctors make a real difference to their own lives in MSF. |
| D．MSF offers medical help to people who have suffered from disasters. |
Mother’s Day is coming. It is a time to let Mom know she’s special to you. Finding the right for Mom on that day is not always easy. We often want something personal and thoughtful. But how can we make it? These following ideas may help you.
Gift of Time
Moms just want to spend time with their children so make it a Mother-Daughter/Son day. Spend the whole day with her. Do the things she likes doing with her.
Home Video
Take your family videos and make them a short home video. She can enjoy it whenever she misses you. Although it may take a lot of time， the process(过程) can be great fun and the result is often priceless(无价).
Mom Mix
Make a CD for her. It’s a collection of all the songs that remind her of you and your growing up.
Write a Letter
Write a letter instead of a simple card. Write about all the good memories you have with her and all the things she has done for you.
Flowers
People send carnations(康乃馨) on Mother’s Day. You can easily spend a lot of money on them. If you have flowers in your garden， or can handpick them， it can be a great gift.
Dinner
Make a dinner and invite her over. You can also take it over to her house and surprise her. Just don’t’ forget to wash the dishes after the dinner.
| A．Because we want to save money |
| B．Because mothers don’t like gifts. |
| C．Because we always want to get something special |
| D．Because mothers are very difficult to deal with |
| A．fun | B．boring | C．easy | D．nothing |
| A．4 | B．5 | C．6 | D．7 |
| A．you can buy a big cake for your mom on Mother’s day |
| B．writing a letter is better than sending a simple card to your mom on Mother’s Day. |
| C．inviting your mom to eat in a restaurant is a good gift for her. |
| D．buying carnations for her is a good way. |
You don't have much time for you diary， but you really want to remember your best or worst moments in life. Nine Square Diary (九宫格日记) is coming to help you. This new type of diary has nine squares which represent(代表) nine different areas in life， such as plans， feelings and health. Writing this diary is just like filling blanks. It is so convenient that you can finish it in only a few minutes.
Here is a page of Nine Square Diary from Sun Ning， a middle school student.
| A．his dad's | B．his cousin's |
| C．his friend's | D．his uncle’s |
| A．busy | B．glad | C．tired | D．surprised |
| A．had a conversation with the headmaster |
| B．gave advice about building a space station |
| C．helped his cousin to get ready for the singing competition |
| D．went to the shopping mall with his mom |