Thousands of years ago, people didn’t know that the Earth moved. They thought the sun really did move across the sky. The Greek god Helios was said to drive the sun around the sky with his chariot（战车）. But now, these ideas have all changed. Nowadays, it is the sun that drives our “chariot” around the sky.
So what does all this mean? Well, quite simply, there is now a plane （or “chariot”） that is powered by the sun. It has special parts in its wings. These parts absorb power from the sun. They absorb so much power that they can carry on flying at night. In the Greek myths（希腊神话）, Helios had to take a break at night. It seems we’re finally even more efficient than the gods themselves.
This plane is called Solar Impulse （“太阳驱动”号）. It will fly across the US in May. This is very important for the future of the world.
So why is solar energy so good for us? Well, other kinds of energy cause a few problems. If you live in China, you’ve probably noticed the pollution. This is caused by burning coal or gas to make energy. The heat and chemicals（化学制品）from this make things work. But if we use the heat from the sun, we don’t have to burn anything, and there’s no pollution.
Solar energy is not all there yet. It needs to be improved. But the best thing about it is that, unlike coal and gas, it doesn’t run out. Solar Impulse could keep flying forever. Well, actually, the sun will run out too, one day, but not for another 5 billion years. That’s a pretty long flight.What does “chariot” really refer to in the last sentence of Paragraph 1?
| A．The Earth. | B．The Greek god. | C．Solar Impulse. | D．Birds. |
Which of the following is TRUE of Solar Impulse?
| A．It can only fly at night. | B．It has already flown across the US. |
| C．It is powered by the sun. | D．It needs gas to work. |
In the passage, what is mentioned as the cause of pollution in China?
| A．Overpopulation. | B．Burning coal or gas. |
| C．Using solar energy. | D．Heavy traffic. |
What does the writer mean by “That’s a pretty long flight”?
| A．It takes a lot of time to get Solar Impulse going. |
| B．Solar Impulse moves very slowly. |
| C．Solar Impulse will be in use for a long time. |
| D．Solar Impulse has a long way to go to take the place of the sun. |
The passage is most probably taken from___________.
| A．a Greek myth | B．a science fiction | C．a story-book | D．a science magazine |
任务型阅读
阅读下文并回答问题。
The word “day” has two meanings. When we talk about the number of days in a year, we are using “day” to mean 24 hours. But when we talk about day and night, we are using “day” to mean the time between sunrise and sunset. Since the earth looks like a ball, the sun can shine on only half of it at a time. Always one half of the earth is having day and the other half night. A place is moved from day into night and from night into day over and over by the spinning(旋转) of the earth. At the equator(赤道) day and night are sometimes the same length. They are each twelve hours long. The sun rises at 6 o’clock in the morning and sets at 6 o’clock in the evening. For six months the North Pole is tilted(倾斜) toward the sun. In those months the Northern Hemisphere(半球) gets more hours of sunlight than the Southern Hemisphere. Days are longer than nights. South of the equator nights are longer than days. For the other six months the North Pole is tilted away from the sun. Then the Southern Hemisphere gets more sunlight. Days are longer than nights. North of the equator nights are longer than days. Winter is the season of long nights. Summer is the season of long days.How many meanings does the word “day” have?
___________________________________________________________________At the equator(赤道)，are day and night sometimes the same length?
___________________________________________________________________By what of the earth is a place moved from day into night and from night into day over and over？
___________________________________________________________________
Paper is one of the most important products ever invented by man. The invention of paper meant that more people could be educated because more books could be printed. Paper provided an important way to communicate with knowledge.
Paper was first made in China about 2,000 years ago. In Egypt and the West, paper was not very commonly used before the year 1400. Paper was not made in southern Europe until about the year 1100. After that, the forest countries of Canada, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the United States became the most important in paper-making. Today Finland makes the best paper in the world.
When we think of paper, we think of newspapers, books, letters, envelopes, and writing paper. So paper plays an important role in our lives.
Paper is very good for keeping you warm. Houses are often insulated with paper. You have perhaps seen homeless men sleep on a large number of newspapers. They are insulating themselves from the cold. In Finland, in winter it is sometimes 40 degrees below zero. The farmers wear paper boots in the snow. Nothing could be warmer.What did the invention of paper mean? It meant ___________.
| A．more people could be educated |
| B．more books could be printed |
| C．paper is one of the most important products |
| D．paper was invented by man |
When was paper made in southern Europe?
| A．Before 1100 | B．After 1400 | C．After 1100 | D．Before 1400 |
Which country makes the best paper?
| A．Norway | B．Canada | C．The United States | D．Finland |
The underlined word “insulate” in the passage means ________ in Chinese.
| A．远离 | B．隔离 | C．用……制成 | D．包围 |
What are you going to do if you are in a burning house? How will you escape? Do you know how to save yourself? Please read the following passage.
Escaping a fire is a serious matter. Knowing what to do during a fire can save you life. It is important to know the ways you can use and show them to everyone in the family, such as stairways(楼梯) and fire escapes(消防通道), but not lifts.
From the lower floors of the buildings, escaping through windows is possible. The second floor window is usually not very high from the ground. Of course, it is safer to jump a short way than to stay in a burning building.
Windows are also useful when you are waiting for help. Be sure to keep the door closed. Or smoke and fire may be drawn into the room. Keep your head low at the window to be sure you get fresh air rather than smoke that may go into the room. On a second or third floor, the best windows for escape are those that open onto a roof (屋顶). From the roof a person can drop to the ground more safely.It is important to _______.
| A．put out the fire in the burning house |
| B．know the ways to escape the fire |
| C．jump off a burning house |
| D．keep the door closed |
It is possible to escape through the windows _______.
| A．if there are some bushes on the ground |
| B．if you are strong enough |
| C．if you live on a lower floor |
| D．If you have a long rope |
Which of the following escaping way is NOT right？
| A．You can escape though stairways. |
| B．You can choose fire escapes. |
| C．Escape from the windows that open onto a roof. |
| D．Use a lift to come down at once. |
The best title for the passage is _______.
| A．Escaping from the Windows |
| B．Save Yourself in the House |
| C．Knowledge on Fire |
| D．Waiting for Help |
The French spend more time sleeping and eating than anyone else among the world's rich people, according to a survey.
The average French person sleeps almost nine hours every night, more than an hour longer than the average Japanese and Korean, who sleep the least in a survey.
And while more and more French people have meals at fast food restaurants, they still spend more than two hours a day eating.
That means their meals are twice as long as those of the average Mexican, who spends just over an hour a day on food.
The Japanese spend close to two hours a day eating and drinking, placing them third behind New Zealanders. The Japanese like to spend their free time watching television or listening to the radio. This takes up 47 percent of free time in Japan.
Turks, on the other hand, spend more than a third of their free time staying with their friends.The survey showed that the difference between work and free time within certain countries is clear.
As for Italians, men have nearly 80 minutes a day of free time more than women. Much of the additional work time of Italian women is clearly cleaning the house.Japanese and Korean people usually sleep about _______ a night.
| A．six hours | B．eight hours | C．nine hours | D．ten hours |
The third paragraph mainly tells us _________.
| A．French people are used to having fast food |
| B．French people are used to having sandwiches |
| C．French people spend much time eating |
| D．French people spend little time eating |
How long does a Mexican spend in eating?
| A．One hour | B．Two hours | C．Three hours | D．Four hours |
It takes Japanese _______ of free time to watch TV or listen to the radio.
| A．two thirds | B．about half | C．one third | D．all |
Summer Camp 2013
Good news! Summer Camp 2013 opens between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on June 30th. And it will last for a week. All children aged 7-14 are welcome. Each child can take part in only one of the following activities and needs to pay 150 yuan for it.
1. Sports (basketball, football, table tennis, etc.)
2. Learn in groups (painting, singing, dancing, piano, computer, etc.)
3. English Worlds (songs, films, games, plays, etc.)
Some American children are coming to the camp. If you really want to spend an interesting summer holiday, please join us for learning with fun. Act now! Book your seat as soon as possible either by phone or by e-mail. Register (报名) and pay before June 18th, then you can have a Mickey T-shirt as a member of the camp.
Dongfang Children's Palace: No. 23, East Street, Changping
Tel: 83212563 E-mail: dsbc1234@childrenpalace.netThe register time is before _____.
| A．9:30 | B．11:30a.m | C．June 30th. | D．June 18th. |
Each child can only choose _____ of the activities.
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．four |
What can’t you do in Summer Camp 2013?
| A．Learn painting and dancing. |
| B．Join a group that you are interested in. |
| C．Climb mountains and see birds. |
| D．Speak English with some American children. |