Dear Liz，
My stay in Thailand has certainly been the experience of my life．
Life is busy and exciting．Bangkok is just like any other big city with a population of 10 million and heavy traffic．I'm very lucky because my host family is in a nice quiet area outside the city．There are Mr. and Mrs. Phairat, their son Sanan, who is 18, the daughter Chinda, who is 16, and Grandpa and Grandma．
I go to an international school with Sanan and Chinda．The school teaches about 70 percent in English，and 30 percent in Thai. I've learned some spoken language，but Thai writing is very difficult．The cooking lesson is my favourite．I'm learning all about Thai food and culture People don’t use chopsticks here，but spoons and forks．When I come back，I'm going to cook you a real Thai meal．
Last weekend we visited some temples．We also drove to Pattaya beach near Bangkok．I thought it was great，but Sanan and Chinda say that next month they’re taking me to Phuket Island，where the beaches are even more beautiful．The month after next，we’re going to travel to Mr．Phairat，s hometown in the north of Thailand．The Phairats own land there，and they have two elephants．I’m going to ride those elephants — and even wash them．Sanan and Chinda say it’s really fun．
I'm amazed by everything in this country，especially by the elephants．Elephants are an important pan of Thai culture and way of life．They have been a traditional symbol(象征)of Thailand for many years in times of war and peace．In the seventh century，a Thai king trained 20，000 elephants for battle．
I’ll tell you all about my Thai boxing(拳击)lessons next time I write．
Love,
MandyHow many family members are there in Mandy’s host family?
| A．4． | B．5． | C．6． | D．7． |
Mandy writes in her e．mail that the__________ lesson is her favourite．
| A．Thai speaking | B．boxing | C．Thai writing | D．cooking |
Next month，Mandy is going to visit__________．
| A．Pattaya beach | B．Phuket Island |
| C．Phairat’s hometown | D．Bangkok |
According to the e-mail，__________has been a symbol of Thailand for many years.
| A． | B． | C． | D． |
From the e-mail we know that Mandy is__________ when she stays In Thailand.
| A．bored | B．quiet | C．excited | D．proud |
What is the possible subject of the e-mail?
| A．Study trip in Thai land | B．Food culture in Thailand |
| C．Elephant riding in Thailand | D．International schools in Thailand |
Emma and Hannah are 13–year–old school girls from Minnesota,USA.They are good at making new thing s and both of them are also good at sales.They are selling charms(小装饰物) made out of bottle caps.
The girls came up with the idea last summer when they saw charms were popular with kids.
They talked with their parents about the idea.Since then they have sold enough charms to buy a bike for Hannah.
The girls collect bottle caps and then clean them.They find some interesting pictures on the Internet or on paper,and then glue them onto the inside of the caps.There are different kinds of pictures,“Peace signs are popular with girls,and single–letter charms are popular with boys whose names start with those letters,”Emma and Hannah said.
Now,charms can be found everywhere at Dakota Hills Middle School in Eagan.“Students put charms on purses,backpacks ,and their lunchboxes,”said Emma.Emma and Hannah also have a shop on the Internet.They hope they can sell their charms to more kids.They’re thinking about selling their charms at the Eagan Market Festival next summer.
Their business is not only for getting money.At their Valentine’s sale,20%of the income( 收入) went to charity.What are Emma and Hannah?
| A．They’re waiters. | B．They’re sellers. |
| C．They’re students. | D．They’re charm makers. |
When did the girls begin to sell the charms?
| A．About a year ago. | B．About two months ago. |
| C．Nearly fifty days ago. | D．Nearly five weeks ago. |
Which of the following may NOT be on the charms?
| A．Pictures. | B．Signs. | C．Letters. | D．Numbers. |
What do Emma and Hannah hope to do now?
A.They hope to become rich people. B.They hope to give money to charity.
C.They hope to sell more charms. C.They hope to sell charms in every school.Which of th following is TRUE?
| A．The two girls love their parents and money. |
| B．Boys like charms with signs. |
| C．They won’t sell charms next smmer. |
| D．The charms are popular with students. |
The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of September 2,1666.In four days it destroyed more than three quarters of the old city,where most of those houses were built out of wood and close together.One hundred thousand people became homeless but only few lost their lives.The fire started on Sunday moring.By eight o’clock three hundred houses were on fire.On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames.Tuesday was the worst day.The fire destroyed many well–known buildings.
The fire stopped only when the king finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path(路线) of the fire.With nothing left to burn,the fire became weak and finally died out.What day die the Great Fire happen in London?
| A．Sunday. | B．Monday. | C．Tuesday. | D．Wednesday. |
The Great Fire of London destroyed more than ________ of the old city.
| A．25 percent | B．30 percent | C．half | D．75 percent |
What were most of the houses made of?
| A．Plastic. | B．Wood. | C．Stones. | D．Bricks. |
Finally,the fire was out because there wasn’t ________ left to burn it ________.
| A．nothing,the fire | B．anything,the city |
| C．anything,the path of the fire | D．something,the streets |
How long did the fire last?
| A．Two days. | B．Three days. |
| C．More than four days. | D．Half a month. |
When the Audet family turns on the lights at Blue Farm, they are using electricity that comes from cows—cow manure (粪肥), to be specific.
Cows produce a lot of wastes. One cow can create 30 gallons of wastes each day. Now imagine the output of over 1,000 cows at Blue Farm. That’s really a big amount.
When farmers clean their barns, they put the wastes in a big heap, and spread some of them on their fields for fertilizer(肥料). But now places like Blue Spruce Farm have a new way of using cow wastes. They use them to produce electricity.
Here’s how it works: A big machine moves back and forth cleaning the barn floor. “The cows aren’t bothered,” says Marie Audet. “They are animals of habit; they get used to it, and just lift one foot and then another to let it go by.”
The machine pushes the manure into a big 600-gallon tank like a small swimming pool. The tank is called a digester (化粪池) because what happens there is just like what happens inside a cow: Bacteria(细菌) get to work and continue to digest the manure.
Methane gas (甲烷、沼气)in the atmosphere is known as a “greenhouse” gas because it keeps heat just like a greenhouse does, causing our planet to warm up. That’s an environmental concern. But the digester has a good result. Its gas is kept and used to power electric generators (发电机).
At Blue Farm, the generators make enough electricity to power 400 homes. The Audet family sells the extra electricity they can’t use themselves.We learn from the text that the Audet family is using cow wastes to ______.
| A．make electricity | B．produce fertilizer | C．build their farm | D．feed the cows |
How are the cow wastes collected into the digester at Blue Farm?
| A．Marie Audet does the work | B．The job is done by machine |
| C．The cows lift the cow wastes | D．Bacteria get to work on them |
According to the passage, which of the following is changed into electricity?
| A．The power of moving water. | B．The heat of burning coal. |
| C．The power of sunlight. | D．The heat of the methane gas |
The new way of using cow wastes at Blue Farm might be best described as ______.
| A．reducing | B．saving | C．recycling | D．changing |
What is the main purpose for writing the passage?
| A．To introduce a new way of making electricity | B．To explain how a new energy works better |
| C．To show a new rebuilding plan for a big farm | D．To explain the reasons for green house effect |
When I was a kid in Minnesota, watermelon was expensive. One of my father’s friends, Bernie, was a rich businessman, who owned a large store in St. Paul.
Every summer, when the first watermelons arrived, Bernie would call. Dad and I would go to Bernie’s place. We’ d sit on the edge of the dock（码头）, feet dangling（摇晃）, and got ready for a big meal.
Bernie would take his knife, cut our first watermelon, hand us both a big piece and sit down next to us. Then we’d bury our faces in watermelon, eating only the heart—the reddest, juiciest, firmest, sweetest, most seed-free part—and throw away the rest.
Bernie was my father’s idea of a rich man. I always thought it was because he was such a successful businessman. Years later, I realized that it was not Bernie’s wealth itself but his way of dealing with it that my father liked. Bernie knew how to stop working, get together with friends and eat only the heart of the watermelon.
What I learned from Bernie is that being rich is a state of mind. Some of us, no matter how much money we have, will never be free enough to eat only the heart of the watermelon. If you don’t take the time to dangle your feet over the dock and enjoy life’s small pleasure, your work is probably hurting your life.
For many years, I forgot that lesson I’d learned as a kid on the loading dock. I was too busy making all the money I could.
Well, I’ve relearned it. I hope I have time left to enjoy the success of others and to take pleasure in the day. That’s the heart of the watermelon. I have learned again to throw the rest away. We learned from the second paragraph that the writer and his father were feeling ______.
| A．relaxed | B．worried | C．hungry | D．proud |
How did the writer and his father eat the watermelon?
| A．They ate it in a polite way. | B．They only ate its best part. |
| C．They ate every part of it. | D．They shared only one piece. |
In the eyes of the writer’s father, Bernie ______.
| A．was just a rich businessman | B．worked hard all the time |
| C．lived a rich but healthy life | D．knew how to make money |
The underlined part “the heart of the watermelon” in the last paragraph refers to ______.
| A．the best part of the watermelon | B．the writer’s busy life |
| C．the writer’s decision of making money | D．the writer’s hope of enjoying life |
It can be learned from the passage that ______.
| A．one has to work hard to reach his goal | B．a friend in need is a friend in deed |
| C．watermelon is the healthiest fruit | D．one should keep work-life balance |
Do you know that it is your own immune system working against the virus that makes you uncomfortable when getting a cold, but not the virus itself? So when you have got a strong immune system and the virus is strong enough too, you will possibly get terrible cold symptoms( 症状) ?
Vitamin C won’t stop a cold
It is claimed that Vitamin C helps by increasing white blood cells. However, many tests have shown that it does not prevent colds. At best, it only slightly reduces the rime of symptoms.
Staying indoors won’t protect you
One of the most likely sources of cold viruses is your computer mouse or desk. A study of the cold virus in offices found that 47% of desktops, 46% of computer mice and 45% of telephones had cold viruses on them.
Wrapping up warm won’t protect you
Colds are more common in autumn and winter. That’s because the cool, wet and cold weather drives people indoors, where viruses may more easily jump from one person to another. And the distinct peak in colds(感冒高峰) is in September and early January, which is likely due to the return of students to schools and colleges after the summer and winter vacation.
Old granny’s chicken soup is right
Granny’s chicken soup is an old cure for colds since a long time ago. Scientists say it is true. Chicken soup does help cure a cold. Many canned soups are just efficient as homemade ones. It is ______ that makes you uncomfortable when getting a cold.
| A．the virus itself | B．Vitamin C |
| C．the terrible cold symptom | D．your own immune system |
"Staying indoors won’t protect you" tells us that ______ indoors.
| A．there are many desks | B．there are many telephones |
| C．there are many cold viruses | D．there are many computer mice |
The distinct peak in colds is in September and early January. That’s because______.
| A．it’s in autumn and winter |
| B．the weather is cool, wet and cold |
| C．students return to schools and colleges |
| D．viruses can jump from one person to another more easily |
Many canned soups are just efficient as homemade ones. The underlined word "efficient" means _____ in Chinese.
A. 有效的 B. 美味的 c. 值钱的 D. 方便的