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 |
______________
Song Zuying is the most famous soprano(女高音歌唱家) in China. In the eyes of the Chinese people, Song Zuying is the star of oriental art(东方艺术).She was born in a beautiful place–Guzhang County in West Hunan. In recent years, she has been awarded many highest prizes in various music contests. She loves her hometown and does a lot for the people there.__________________
Wen Jiabao is the premier(总理) of the world’s most populous(人口众多的) country. But, millions of people would rather call him“grandpa”.Always in plain(朴素的) jackets, he seems an ordinary old man with a kind smile. But in the face of disasters he has the power to pull together the whole country._________________
Ding Cong, a famous cartoonist(漫画家) in China, died on May 26,2009.He started to draw cartoons more than seventy years ago, but he always called himself Xiao Ding of Little Ding.
He seemed to have a lot to learn in this world. His cartoons are humorous(幽默的) and interesting and loved by the old and the young in China._________________
An 18–meter high “Olympic torch(火炬)”made of more than 110,000 pots of flowers, the biggest “Olympic torch” in the world, is seen at the Liberation Park in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The “Olympic torch” was exhibited at the opening ceremony（开幕式） of the 2008 Wuhan Flower Expo(展览会) to express local people’s best wishes to this summer Olympic Games.________________
Liu Qian is the only magician(魔术师) form Taiwan invited by Las Vegas and the Hollywood Magic Castle for performance(表演).When Liu Qian was 7 years old, he started to study magic. The first magic he performed was to put a coin into his mouth and then take is out from his hindbrain(后脑).Now Liu’s magic tricks have made the old art popular again, and made him the hottest magician in China.
| A．The premier is our “grandpa”. |
| B．The most famous soprano in China. |
| C．The cartoonist who was loved by old and young. |
| D．The famous magician from Taiwan. |
E. The biggest “Olympic torch” in the world.
My brother and I often fight with each other over small things. One day our father said to us, “Tomorrow we will take part in the Ray Home Sports Day. Both of you must go with me. Perhaps you can learn something from those children.” My brother laughed, “Dad, Ray is a home for physically disabled children. What can we learn from them?”
“You will see,” our father said.
Our father works as a volunteer at Ray. The children there have problems with their hands, speech, walking or hearing. Every day, he spends hours helping th em to move or exer cise their legs or arms.
The following day, he took us to Ray Home. When we got there, we found a nice place to sit down. Finally, the sports began. There was a 50-meter race to see who could run fastest. All the runners were physically disabled. As the race started, all the children moved as fast as they could. Just then, one of the girls fell over and hurt her leg. She began to cry at the top of her voice.
All the children stopped to help the poor girl. Then they all held hands and finished the race together. My brother and I were surprised to see this: the children weren’t interested in winning the race－they were more interested in helping each other to finish the race.Why did the father take the writer and his brother to Ray Home?
| A．The father wanted them to do something at Ray. |
| B．The father asked them to help the children at Ray. |
| C．The father wanted them to take part in the Sports Day. |
| D．The father wanted them to learn something from the children. |
What does the fat her often do in Ray Home?
| A．He works as a teacher there. | B．He helps the children there. |
| C．He watches the games there. | D．He does sports with his sons. |
Why did all the children stop in the 50-meter race stop?
| A．All the children were disabled. | B．A little girl fell over and got hurt. |
| C．They stopped to laugh at the girl. | D．They didn’t want to finish the race. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The children there can help each other. |
| B．All the runners there can not run fast. |
| C．All the children don’t want to be winners. |
| D．The disabled children there were not smart enough. |
I’m Jack, and I am a middle school student. Yesterday was the most exciting day in my life. I was on TV! This is my first time on TV. In the evening, Mum, Dad and I were watching a TV programme in the sitting room and there I was! This is how it happened.
I was playing soccer in the park with my friends when a man and a woman came to us. The man had a camera. The woman had a microphone. “I’m from Channel 9,” she said. “Do you know the programme Kid’s Speak Out?” I did know it. I watched it often. It’s a weekly programme where kids say what they think about different things.
“Would you like to be on it?” the woman asked me.
I wanted to be on it and I thought my friends might also want to be on it, so I asked, “Can my friends be on it too?”
“Sorry, only one of you can,” the woman said. “You can talk about it and decide which of you is going to be on the programme.”
I asked my friends if they wanted to be on the programme. They didn’t, so I went on it. The woman asked me a lot of questions. I thought carefully and tried to give sensible answers. When she finished, she said I was one of the best kids she’d spoken to! I felt very proud of myself. My mum and dad were proud of me too!Jack was excited yesterday because he .
| A．watched a TV programme with his parents |
| B．was on TV for the first time |
| C．played soccer in the park with his friends |
| D．saw the hosts of the programme Kid’s Speak Out |
How did the thing happen?
①Jack asked his friends if they wanted to be on the programme.
②The woman asked Jack if he’d like to be on the programme.
③The woman asked Jack a lot of questions.
④Jack played soccer in the park with friends.
⑤Jack thought carefully and tried to give answers.
| A．④①③②⑤ | B．④②①③⑤ | C．④③②①⑤ | D．④⑤③①② |
What does the word sensible mean in the passage?
| A．明智的 | B．可能的 | C．合理的 | D．正确的 |
What can we know about Jack from the passage?
| A．Jack’s parents were proud of him. |
| B．Jack was the top student at school. |
| C．Jack was afraid to be on the programme. |
| D．Jack never watched the programme Kid’s Speak Out. |
As a child, I was really afraid of the dark and of getting lost. These fears were very real and caused me some uncomfortable moments.
Maybe it was the strange way things looked and sounded in my own room at night that scared me so much. There was never complete darkness, but always a streetlight or passing car lights, which made clothes on the back of a chair take on the shape of a wild animal. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the curtains seem to move when there was no wind. A very low sound in the floor would seem a hundred times louder than in the day. My imagination (想象) would run wild, and my heart would beat fast. I would lie very still so that the “enemy” would not discover me.
Another of my childhood fears was that I would get lost, especially on the way home from school. Every morning I got on the school bus right near my home. That was no problem. After school, though, when all the buses were lined up along the street, I was afraid that I would get in the wrong one and be taken to some other strange places. On school or family trips to a park or a museum, I wouldn’t let the leaders out of my sight.
Perhaps one of the worst fears of all I had as a child was that of not being liked or accepted by others. Being popular was so important to me then, and the fear of not being liked was a serious one.
One of the processes growing up is being able to realize and overcome our fears. Understanding the things that scared us as children helps us achieve greater success later in life.The author had _______ kind(s) of fears when she was a child.
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．none |
_______ would scare the author at night.
| A．Streetlight and car lights | B．Wild animals and enemies |
| C．Moving curtains and wind | D．Clothes and walls |
When she went to some other places, she would _______.
| A．walk away without others |
| B．take a bus by herself |
| C．follow others closely |
| D．make sure not to take a wrong bus |
Which of the following would be possibly true when she was a child?
| A．She thought being popular among people was important. |
| B．She was always the leader of the others. |
| C．She always got poor grades. |
| D．She was not liked by others at all. |
According to the four advertisements, which of the following offers the lowest Salary for one hour?
| A．Mayflower Restaurant | B．Center Hospital |
| C．GoGo Game | D．Sunny Kids Training |
You can go and work abroad as ______________
| A．a cleaner | B．a waiter or waitress |
| C．a sports teacher | D．a game designer |
Which of the following is true?
| A．All the jobs above are in the same country. |
| B．For each job, you need to work 8 hours a day. |
| C．You can’t phone GoGo Game for more information. |
| D．If you are 20 years old, you can’t work for Sunny Kids Training. |