FRANCE has destroyed the hopes of those who had planned to take refuge（避难）in one of the few places on Earth which some believe will be spared when the world ends on December 21 ．Local officials banned access to the Pic de Bugarach，a mountain in the southwest where rumor has it that the hilltop will open on the last day and aliens will appear with spaceships to save nearby humans.
Eric Freysselinard，the state’s top representative in the area，said he was blocking access to the mountain for public safety reasons to avoid a rush of New Age fanatics(盲信者），sight-seers and media crews. Believers say the world will end on December 21，2012，the end date of the ancient Mayan calendar，and they see Bugarach as one of a few sacred mountains sheltered from the cataclysm(大灾难）．
Mr Freysselinard said the 100 police and firefighters will also control approaches to the tiny village of the same name at the foot of the mountain，and if too many people turn up，they will block access there too.“We are expecting a few people who believe in this end of the world，but in extremely limited numbers，” he said in the. nearby city of Carcassonne.“We are expecting greater numbers of people who are just curious，but in numbers we cannot determine. Above all，we are expecting lots of journalists，”he said.
Films，documentaries and websites have promoted the idea that the ancient Mayan calendar predicts that doomsday is on December 21．The culture ministry in Guatemala-where half the population are of Mayan descent-is hosting a massive event in the capital just in case the world actually does end，while tour groups are promoting doomsday-themed getaways.Many people plan to go to Pic de Bugarach mainly because ．
| A．they want to take refuge on December 21，2012 |
| B．they want to meet aliens with spaceships to save humans |
| C．they want to visit the scenery of the mountain |
| D．they want to make profits by attracting tourists |
Eric Freysselinard was blocking access to the mountain for ．
| A．forbidding the rumour spreading | B．improving environmental protection |
| C．protecting public safety | D．avoiding destroying natural sources |
What kinds of people would come to Pic de Bugarach？
a. Tourists. b. Journalists. c. Local officials. d. Visionaries. e. The Mayans.
| A．a. b. e. | B．a. b. c. | C．a. b. d. | D．b. d. e. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．The World Ends on December 21 | B．The Ancient Mayan Calendar Ends |
| C．A Massive Event in The Capital | D．French Say‘No’to The Refugee |
Parents are a child’s first teachers. But some parents never learned from good examples. In New York City, a nonprofit agency called Covenant House tries to help homeless young mothers become good parents.
The twelve or so teenagers who live at the shelter attend parenting classes four days a week. The class is called Mommy and Me. Teacher Delores Clemens is a mother of five and a grandmother. She teaches basic skills, like how to give a baby a bath and how to dress a baby depending on the season.
She remembers one student who learned from her mother not to pick up a crying baby. The mother said that would only make the child needy and overly demanding. Delores Clemens says, “that's not true. You have to hold your baby! He is crying for a reason. If you never pick him up, he's going to keep crying. Pick your baby up. Cuddle your baby. Hug him! And she started to do that. They just want a little cuddling and a little love. And it works!”
Delores Clemens says her students also learn how to be good mothers by letting themselves be mothered. Around three hundred fifty teenage mothers graduate from Covenant House's Mommy and Me class every year.
In class, with her baby son is Natasha. She lived on the streets. She is glad not only for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House. As she told reporter Adam Phillips, she is also glad for the help they offer in seeking a more secure life.
The World Health Organization says the United States has forty-one births for every one thousand girls age fifteen to nineteen. That is higher than other developed countries, as well as some developing ones. By comparison, northern neighbor Canada has fourteen births and southern neighbor Mexico has eighty-two.What is the text mainly about?
| A．Parents who are a child’s first teachers. |
| B．A class where teens learn mothering and are mothered. |
| C．A nonprofit agency that offers a more secure life. |
| D．A kind teacher who help homeless young mothers. |
Covenant Houses’ Mommy and Me class is intended to _____.
| A．help homeless young mothers become good parents |
| B．provide homeless young mothers with a warm shelter |
| C．help mothers in New York be good parents |
| D．teach some parents how to love their children |
What can we know about Delores Clemens from the text?
| A．She has a mother of five and a grandmother. |
| B．She thinks a crying baby should be picked up and hugged. |
| C．She teaches advanced skills on how to be good mothers. |
| D．She is very glad for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House. |
According to the World Health Organization, which country has the highest births for girls age fifteen to nineteen?
| A．Canada | B．the United States of America | C．Mexico | D．Britain |
Read this article and find out which one is a must-read for your children for Thanksgiving. 
Clifford’s Thanksgiving Visit
Clifford has to stay home with his neighbors, as Emily Elizabeth’s family goes visiting her grandmother. At first, Clifford feels lonely, thinking of his own family, but then he decides to visit his mother too. He travels many miles, crosses bridges, and he even gets into the subway! Follow Clifford’s trip to the big city! At http://www.powells.com. it is $3.99. The author is Norman Bridwell. It is for children aged 4-8.
The Magic Tree House
The Magic Tree House describes how Jack and Annie return back to the eve of the first Thanksgiving. There they meet the pilgrims(移民) as well as Squanto, a native American who helped them. The story offers an age-appropriate, in-depth picture of what life was really like for early settlers, as well as their adventures and excitements. It is for ages 4-8. The book costs $2.50 at http://www.powells.com. The author is Sal Murdocca.
Franklin’s Thanksgiving
Franklin thinks that there will be an over-abundance of food for Thanksgiving dinner. So he invites his teacher and friends for Thanksgiving dinner. It costs $2.50 at www.Powells.com. The book is for children aged 4-8. The author is Paulette Bourgeois.
The First Thanksgiving
The First Thanksgiving is for ages 4-8 and it tells about the story of the pilgrims’ learning languages. It is beautifully illustrated with plenty of beautiful watercolors(水彩画). The author is James Waiting and the price of the book is $2.50. You can find it on http://www.powells.com.Clifford travels to the big city probably because ________.
| A．he is eager to visit his grandmother |
| B．he is not happy at home |
| C．he misses his neighbors very much |
| D．he likes traveling very much |
If you are interested in the pilgrims’ life you can read ________.
| A．Clifford’s Thanksgiving Visit | B．The Magic Tree House |
| C．Franklin’s Thanksgiving | D．The First Thanksgiving |
Kids can understand The First Thanksgiving better with the help of ________.
| A．teachers | B．other readers | C．pictures | D．computers |
I had made up my mind a long time ago that I would not give a homeless person money, because I could never be sure what that money would be used for. Instead, I decided, I would buy them a sandwich, a cold drink on a hot day, a cup of coffee, whatever I could manage.
I was out recently and saw a homeless man outside of a Starbucks. I decided I would buy this man lunch. I bought a sandwich and soda.
Just as I was leaving the store, two policemen were approaching the man. Obviously the shop owners had complained of his wandering and the police were there to draw him away from the storefronts. Just as they were about to wake him, I asked one of the officers if it was all right if I just gave the man something before he went. I was not sure why I asked the permission but the policeman said sure and I just left the bag in the man’s cart, got in my car and drove off.
As I was driving off I remember thinking “I hope people saw that”. Then I had to seriously ask myself why I hoped people had seen me give the man a sandwich from Starbucks. Was it because I wanted people to think, “She’s such a nice person!”? Why did I hope others had seen me do it? I continued to wonder this all evening.
The next morning, it came to me that I wanted people to have witnessed that small act of kindness not so that I would receive credit and praise but so that they might be inspired to do the same and in so doing that others still would witness their acts of kindness. Thus the whole spirit of pity and giving would be lasting.The underlined word “Starbucks” in the second paragraph is the name of a _________.
| A．shop | B．bookstore | C．bank | D．man |
When the author saw the homeless man, he was __________.
| A．begging outside | B．buying goods |
| C．staying awake | D．falling asleep |
What’s the purpose of the passage?
| A．To show the author is great. |
| B．To encourage people to help others. |
| C．To introduce an experience that changed the author. |
| D．To call on people not to give money to a homeless man. |
The author can be best described as __________.
| A．bad-tempered | B．hard-working |
| C．kind-hearted | D．self-confident |
Extract 1（摘录一）
A computer
A computer is an "information processor". It is given information, called "data", instructed to do certain things and then show us the results. The data put into the computer is called the" input" and the results which come out are the "output". Some people say the circle of large standing stones at Stonehenge is a kind of computer. Prehistory people worked out their calendar from the position of the shadows made by the sun shining on the stones.
Extract 2
Teach yourself new subjects and skills at your own pace with a home computer. Use it to help with schoolwork, for self-improvement, even to improve your career skills. Learn touchtyping.
Foreign languages or computer programming. A home computer can help children of all ages learn classroom subjects such as spelling, geography and others. In fact it makes learning fun. So if you want to teach yourself, or help your children teach themselves---get a home computer. It can also help you manage your personal finances(经济）or help you to work taxes and plan household budgets(预算）.You can make business a pleasure with a home computer.The writer introduces the words such as "input" and "output" in order to_____.
| A．introduce people to computer language |
| B．show computer language is the same as English |
| C．help people some scientific language |
| D．give people some scientific language |
Why does the writer talk about Stonehenge in Extract 1?
| A．To give an example of the very first computer. |
| B．To show that computers are older than mankind. |
| C．To tell the difference between the past and the present. |
| D．To give another way of explaining computers. |
If you think of the circle of large standing stones as a computer,_____.
| A．the shadow is the input and the position is the output |
| B．the sunlight is the input and the calendar is the output |
| C．the position is the input and the sunlight is the output |
| D．the calendar is the input and the shadow is the output |
Extract 2 is probably taken from_____.
| A．a computer textbook | B．a company's advertisement |
| C．a teach-yourself computer book | D．a children's guide to computers |
A rat looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. What food might it contain? But he discovered that it was a rattrap (捕鼠夹）.
Going back to the farmyard, the rat started to give a warning.
The rat turned to the pig and told him：“There is a rattrap in the house, a rattrap in the house!”
‘Tm sorry，Mr. Rat，” said the pig，“I can only say this is something terrible to you, but it is of no influence to me. I cannot be bothered with it.”
The rat turned to the cow. But the cow said，“Like wow，Mr. Rat? A rattrap? I am in danger, Huh?”
The rat returned to the house, head down and dejected. So the rat had to face the farmer's rattrap alone.
That very night, a sound was heard throughout the house，like the sound of a rattrap catching its prey (猎物）The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness，she did not notice that it was a poisonous snake whose tail had been caught by the trap. The snake bit her.
The farmer rushed her to hospital. She returned home with a fever. Everyone knows that a fever could be treated with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his knife to the farmyard for the soup. However, his wife's sickness continued.
The farmer's friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer killed the pig. But she didn't get well. Finally, she diedand so many people came for the last sight that the farmer had the cow killed to provide meat for all of them.
So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it does not concern you, remember that the whole farmyard is at risk when there is a rattrap in the house.From the passage we know that______.
| A．the pig helped the rat get rid of the trap |
| B．the cow strongly believed in what the rat said |
| C．no animals showed concern over the rat's warning |
| D．the snake was killed immediately after being caught |
The underlined word ‘‘dejected” is the closest in meaning to______.
| A．disappointed | B．surprised | C．determined | D．excited |
We can learn from the article that_____.
| A．the farmer had planned to kill the rat |
| B．the rat was very wise in avoiding the trap |
| C．the farmer's wife got good treatment in hospital |
| D．the rat had expected what would happen to the pig and cow |
What message does the story intend to pass?
| A．We should mind our own business. |
| B．Everything is related to something else. |
| C．We'd better treat animals in a friendly way. |
| D．The farmer couple and their friends are all foolish. |