Sometimes the easiest way to get somewhere is on the back of a bike.
More and more people are using cars in many places in Africa today. However, things are different in Malawi( 马拉维 ).Bikes are the most popular in this African country.
Bike riding is a way of life in Malawi. People use them to carry heavy things. They also use bikes to carry people, especially tourists. These years, taking a “ bicycle taxi” to travel around Malawi has become quite popular among tourists from all over the world.
If you go to Malawi, you will find a lot of bike taxis waiting on the sides of the roads. The riders make the bikes comfortable for passengers to sit on . You can jump on a bike taxi and get around at a very low cost.
Alice is a 21-year-old student from Canada. She enjoys the special bike riding a lot. “I really like the bike taxi,” she says. “It’s easy and cheap.” Alice usually pays just $1 for going shopping in town.
28-year-old Panjira Khombe began to ride a bike taxi two years ago. The young man enjoys this job.“I used to make boats for a living, but that’s a hard job. Being a bike taxi rider is easy for me and I don’t mind carrying heavy people,” he says.In Malawi ________ are the most popular way for people to get somewhere.
| A．cars | B．bikes | C．trains | D．buses |
The passage tells us that Alice enjoys the bike taxi because it’s________.
| A．on the side of the road | B．popular and heavy |
| C．all over the country | D．cheap and easy |
From the passage we can learn Panjira Khombe thinks that________.
| A．going shopping is easy | B．making boats is difficult |
| C．riding a bike taxi is cheap | D．carrying heavy people is interesting |
The best title of the passage may be “________ ” .
| A．Bike Riders | B．A Special Country | C．Bike Taxis | D．A Cheap Journey |
The human brain（大脑） weighs about 1.4 kilograms, but it can, hold much more information than most computers. However, there is another difference between humans and computers. Computers don't forget information they are given, but humans often do. No one remembers everything, and luckily we don't usually have to. But everyone can improve their memory if they want to. Here are some suggestions.
◆Try to use new information immediately. For example, if you meet someone who says "Hi! I'm Carlos," don't just say "Hello." Repeat the person's name. Say"__________"
◆Break a big number into smaller parts. For example, it's hard to memorize (记忆) 109244153. But if you break it into three parts--109/244/153—it becomes easier.
◆Write out what you need to remember over and over again. This will help you keep it in mind longer, especially for memorizing formulas (公式) or facts.
◆Always review information. If you bring what you've learned back to your mind, they become easier to remember. For example, before you go to sleep, it’s a good idea to review the new things you learned that day.
◆Discuss with a friend. It is always easier to remember things through discussions. You can have a discussion about what's right and what's wrong, and it will lead to the right answer.
◆Never tell yourself that you have a bad memory. You can always do something to help improve your memory. And everyone's memory gets better if they use it often enough.
All of the suggestions are helpful. If you follow them, you are certain to improve your memory.Which should be put in the blank (空格) “___________” in Paragraph 2？
| A．Hello, Carlos. | B．How do you do? |
| C．Hello, I am Sophia. | D．Glad to meet you! |
What can help memorize a big number more easily according to the passage?
| A．To store it in a computer. |
| B．To break it into smaller parts. |
| C．To discuss it with a friend. |
| D．To review it before you sleep. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Discussing with friends can help you remember things. |
| B．Always reviewing information can help you fall asleep. |
| C．Formulas and facts can help you learn about your brain. |
| D．Human beings can improve their memory by computer. |
What does the sentence "Never tell yourself that you have a bad memory” mean?
| A．You should tell others about your bad memory. |
| B．You should believe in other people all the time. |
| C．You should ask others to improve their memory. |
| D．You should be confident in your memory ability. |
Real gift at Christmas
IT was Christmas Eve, 1881. I was 15 years old and feeling like the world was over for me. I didn’t have enough money to buy myself the gift that I had wanted that year.
Dad came back in and there was ice in his beard. “You’ve been by widow (寡妇) Smith’s house recently?” he asked. Widow Smith lived two miles down the road. Her husband died a year ago and left her with three children.
“I rode by just today,” Dad continued. “Little Jack was out looking for wood (木头). They must be out of wood, Tom.”
We filled our sled (雪橇) high with wood. Then we went to the store and Dad bought some food, and a smaller pair of shoes. I tried to think through what Dad was doing. I knew we didn’t have much money, so why was Dad buying them so many things?
We got to the Smith’s house and went in. “We brought you a few things, madam,” Dad said, and put down the bag of food on the table. Then Dad handed widow Smith the pair of shoes. She bit her lower lip (下唇) to keep it from trembling (发抖), and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks.
My throat seemed to be filled with something, and there were tears in my eyes, too. Just then my dream gift seemed very unimportant. Dad had given me the look on widow Smith’s face and the smiles of her three children. He had given me the best Christmas of my life.The writer was not happy on Christmas Eve 1881 because ___________.
| A．he was worried that his father was still not back |
| B．it was the beginning of a new year and he didn’t want to grow up |
| C．he couldn’t have the Christmas gift he wanted |
| D．he didn’t want to go out in the cold |
The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 4 refers to(指的是) “ ___________”.
| A．food and shoes | B．Tom and his dad |
| C．sled and some wood | D．the Smiths |
The father decided to help the Smiths because ___________.
| A．he learned from widow Smith about her trouble |
| B．he saw the little child looking for wood out in the cold |
| C．he realized widow Smith had to raise three children |
| D．he saw their neighbors were not nice or helpful |
How did widow Smith feel when the dad handed her the pair of shoes?
| A． Surprised. | B．Moved. |
| C．Excited. | D．Worried. |
What did the writer learn from that Christmas?
| A．Helping those in need makes us feel good. |
| B．Christmas gifts are unimportant for poor people. |
| C．We should get along with people around us. |
| D．Being helpful sometimes brings people good luck. |
When you don’t know an English word, you may need a dictionary. A dictionary is a very useful tool when you learn English. It plays an important role in your study. Do you know the smallest English dictionary in the world?
Let’s have a look at what it looks like. It is 2.6 centimeters long. It is 1.9 centimeters wide. It is the smallest English dictionary in the world.
The small dictionary has 384 pages. It has many thousands of words. When you open its case, you can also find a lens. The dictionary is so small that we need to use the lens to read it.
The smallest English dictionary came out in Glasgow, UK in 1890. Graham is the owner of the dictionary. He found it in a bookstore. Altough it was very expensive, he still bought it. He paid lots of money for the dictionary.How wide is the smallest dictionary?
| A．1.9 centimeters | B．2.6 centimeters |
| C．6.2 centimeters | D．9.1 centimeters |
The underlined word “ lens” probably means “ __________” in Chinese.
| A．显微镜 | B．放大镜 |
| C．近视眼 | D．望眼镜 |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．It’s about the importance of dictionaries. |
| B．It’s about the smallest dictionary in the world |
| C．It’s about the importance of learning English |
| D．It’s about the famous bookstore in UK |
Nobody likes to do chores（家务）, especially kids. How can you make your kids get into a good habit of doing their chores? Try making chores fun for them.
Play some music: Music makes everythng seem like a party, doesn’t it ? Play your kids’ favourite music and let them dance around while they are doing their chores.
Make it treasure hunt (寻宝): It’s a good way when you would like them to clean the house. Let them know that you hide a $5 bill someplace. If they find it, they can keep it.
Change often: If your kids keep doing the same chores for months, they may feel bored. Teaching them a new task(任务) is fun for both you and the kids. They will feel more grown up when they get a new task.
Do it together: It’s never fun to be the only one working and watching everyone else relaxing. If everyone takes part in doing chores, you will finish them faster and have more fun.The article is for ____________.
| A．schools | B．teachers |
| C．parents | D．kids |
The writer thinks it’s better to ________ while asking kids to clean the house.
| A．play their favorite music |
| B．hide something for them to find |
| C．give them a new task |
| D．do it together with them |
Kids may feel ______ if they keep on doing the same chores for months.
| A．tired | B．fun | C．interested | D．bored |
Do you enjoy wearing Levi’s blue jeans? Blue jeans have become popular all over the world, but do you know how they got started?
Levi Strauss was born in Germany in the mid 1800’s and immigrated(移居) to the United States as a young man. He lived in New York City and learned the dry-goods business for several years. In 1853 he took his knowledge and his dreams to San Francisco (California, USA). His dream to succeed came true over the next 20 years as he became a very successful businessman.
Many of Levi Strauss’ customers were cowboys and miners. They needed clothing that was strong and lasting. Strauss found a special cloth from France that was comfortable and lasted a long time. It was called “serge and mines” which was later shortened to the word “denim(粗棉布)”.
Another man named Jacob Davis bought large amounts of the denim cloth from Levi Strauss. He was a tailor who made pants for hard-working men. One of his customers was continually tearing the pockets off his pants. So Jacob Davis decided to put rivets(铆钉)on certain parts of the pants to make them stronger. The customer loved the new pants so much that he told all his friends, and soon Jacob Davis was busy making lots of pants with rivets.
Jacob Davis soon realized that using rivets was a great business idea, and he didn’t want anybody to steal that idea. He decided that he would need to get a patent. But being a poor tailor, he didn’t have money to pay for the patent. After thinking it over, he went to the businessman Levi Strauss and told him his idea. He said, “If you agree to pay for the patent, we will share the profits from the riveted pants.” Levi Strauss did agree, and the new riveted pant business was called Levi Strauss and Company. Today Levi’s jeans are more popular than ever, and Levi’s name continues to live in.
What is Levi Strauss?
| A．A tailor. | B．A miner. |
| C．A cowboy. | D．A businessman. |
What do you think the underline word patent mean?
| A．办法 | B．利益 | C．专利 | D．公司 |
Jacob Davis thinks.
| A．he must get the help of Levi Strauss. |
| B．his idea is good and he can do it easily. |
| C．Levi Strauss can’t share his profits. |
| D．all the persons all over the world like the jeans very much. |
Which is right according the passage?
| A．Jacob Davis sewed pants in his business. |
| B．Levi Strauss didn’t want to pay for Jacob Davis’ patent. |
| C．Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis became business partners. |
| D．Jacob Davis put rivets in pants because they looked good. |
What do you think the writers main idea?
| A．How were the jeans invented? |
| B．How does Levi Strauss succeed? |
| C．Jacob Davis was a clever man. |
| D．How to earn more money? |