The Mysterious Universe
By Ellen Jackson and Nic Bishop
How did the universe begin? How big is it? What is dark matter? Cosmologist（宇宙哲学家）and expert supernova（超新星）hunter Alex Filippenko hopes that supernovas can help us answer some of these questions. But first we’ve got to find them! Join Alex and his team as they go on the hunt with huge telescopes and banks of computers.
The Time and Space of Uncle Albert
By Russell Stannard
What would you say if your uncle asked you whether you would like to go into space? You’d say, “When do I leave?”, just like the girl in this story. Gedanken is speeding across the universe trying to help her uncle answer some questions, such as “How big is space?” and “Where does gravity come from?” Along the way she also discovers how to get heavier without getting fat, how to live forever without knowing it, and the strange things that can happen when you go really fast.
George’s Secret Key to the Universe
By Lucy Hawking and Stephen Hawking
When George chases his pet pig through a hole in the fence, little does he expect that he will soon be riding a comet（彗星）around Saturn（土星）. But just as he discovers the joys of space exploration with the computer Cosmos, which can open doors anywhere in the universe, everything starts to go wrong. When George’s lest-favorite teacher steals Cosmos and traps his friend’s dad in a black hole, can George set things right in time?
A Child’s Introduction to the Night Sky
By Michael Driscoll
With a telescope or without one, this book can get you started exploring planets, stars and even strange stuff like time, space, and black holes. The universe is a big place, but this book comes with a handy star finder that you can take out with you at night to help you find your way around the stars. Look up and discover the universe!According to the text, Alex Filippenko ______.
| A．invented huge telescopes |
| B．is looking for supernovas |
| C．doesn’t need many computers |
| D．knows a lot about dark matter |
What do we know about George’s Secret Key to the Universe？
| A．It is a sad story |
| B．It is about a pet pig |
| C．It is a co-authored book |
| D．It is based on a real life story. |
Which book would you read if you want to know about gravity?
| A．The Mysterious Universe |
| B．The Time and Space of Uncle Albert |
| C．George’s Secret Key to the Universe |
| D．A Child’s Introduction to the Night Sky. |
What do the four books have in common?
| A．They have the same topics? |
| B．They are intended for adults. |
| C．They have the same number of characters |
| D．They leave many questions to the readers |
Just a few hours ago，the Italian ship Andrea Doria was sailing through thick fog toward the city of New York. Captain Piero Calamai kept watch. He knew that many other ships were nearby. He should have slowed down because of the fog but he decided not to. He wanted to arrive on time the next morning.
At about 11∶00 PM，another ship，the Stockholm，suddenly hit the Andrea Doria. It made a huge hole in the Italian ship. Some people were badly hurt. Others fell into the sea. But one girl was saved by the Stockholm.
Linda Morgan was fourteen. She lived in Spain with her mother and her little sister. She was going to visit her father in New York. She was excited about seeing her father.
Linda had loved the trip. She wanted to have dinner with the captain on the last night at sea. The captain did not sit at his table that night，though. He was busy guiding the ship through the fog. Linda did not get to talk to him.
When Linda went to bed，everything seemed fine. Her mother turned off the lights. Linda talked to her little sister. She thought about seeing her father the next morning.
What happened next was a terrible surprise. Linda woke up not knowing where she was. She was not in her bed. When she called to her family，no one answered. Both her knees were broken.
Linda had been saved by an amazing accident. When the Stockholm made a hole in the side of the Andrea Doria，it lifted Linda out of her bed. She landed on the deck (甲板) of the Stockholm instead of falling into the ocean. A sailor heard her cries and found her.
Right now，the girl is in the hospital. She is expected to get better. Her father is at her side，glad that his little girl was saved. The Andrea Doria lies under the waves at the bottom of the sea.Why didn’t Captain Piero Calamai reduce the speed?
| A．He didn’t want to be late. |
| B．He went crazy because of the bad weather. |
| C．He thought the fog was not serious. |
| D．He had rich experience. |
When the accident happened，________.
| A．Linda was asleep |
| B．the day was about to break |
| C．few people were killed |
| D．the Andrea Doria hit a hole in the Stockholm |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Linda hated the trip very much. |
| B．Linda was saved by the Stockholm. |
| C．Linda lived with her father in Spain. |
| D．The Andrea Doria wasn’t badly damaged. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．A little girl’s braveness moved people. |
| B．Andrea Doria sailed through thick fog. |
| C．The Italian ship Andrea Doria was hit by Stockholm. |
| D．A fourteenyearold girl was saved by accident after the crash. |
This is a true story. Tristin Saghin enjoyed the movie Black Hawk Down very much，which is about the conflict in Somalia.The battle scenes and the exciting rescues of people who are dying，interested him greatly.
There was just one problem：Tristin was only 9 years old，and it was thought that movie was not for children. When his parents caught him watching it on TV，they made him turn it off，though he had finished his homework and it was not late. Then one day，Tristin and his family were visiting his grandmother in Mesa，Arizona. Tristin’s 2yearold sister got out of the house and fell in the backyard pool. Realizing the little girl was missing，the family ran outside，only to find the girl had fallen into the water.
Pulled from the pool and placed on the ground，the child wasn’t breathing. The family called the ambulance (救护车)，but no one knew how to do first aid. No one，that is，except for Tristin. A scene in Black Hawk Down describes a doctor giving first aid. Tristin remembered it. Then the 9yearold gave first aid to his sister at once and saved her life.
His parents don’t stop him seeing the movies he likes any more. Tristin taught himself how to do first aid but he had never thought he could use it to save his little sister’s life. Any skill can be used in time，so you should always learn.Black Hawk Down is a(n)________．
| A．war movie | B．comedy | C．action movie | D．love film |
Why did Tristin Saghin’s parents order him to turn off the TV?
| A．They wanted him to help look after his sister. |
| B．He often spent too much time watching films. |
| C．They thought the film was not good for children. |
| D．He was asked to finish his homework first. |
The author’s purpose in writing the text is to advise readers to________.
| A．see more movies | B．learn more skills |
| C．save others bravely | D．do what they like |
Consult the page adapted from an English dictionary and do Questions 68～70.
Fill in the blank in the sentence “I can’t believe this is Daniel—he’s ______ since we last met! Much taller than the other boys of his age!”
| A．shot up | B．shot out | C．shot through | D．shot down |
When you are talking about unimportant things, we say you are ______.
| A．shooting yourself in the foot |
| B．shooting your mouth off |
| C．shooting the breeze |
| D．shooting questions at somebody |
Choose a word to complete the sentence “The ______, which killed a policeman and wounded a passer-by(路人), was reported to have lasted only 13 seconds.”
| A．shooter | B．shoot | C．shot | D．shooting |
Win $ 50 in the Coolest Gadget of the Week
Look at what’s the coolest gadget (vote for a chance to win $ 50). 
Cryo S: A Cool Netbook Cooler
Like the other devices of NZXT, the Cryo S was designed to provide a competitive advantage at PC gaming. It has two adjustable(可调节的) 120mm fans(风扇) that provide powerful cooling.
The full post(帖子) can be found onTrends Updates. 
Starry Night Bed
Are you having trouble getting that good nights sleep that you’re needing? Well, not any more. Why not take a look at the Starry Night Bed? The Starry Night Bed is a great new invention which will revolutionize the way in which you sleep. Not only is this bed fashionable and comfortable but it’s also a gadget heaven. With this bed you get many added gadgets including anti-snore technology, movie projector with speakers, temperature control and many more.
The full post can be found onTech Styling. 
Fugoo—talking gadgets
Fugoo gets all your appliances(装置，设备) talking to each other so your alarm clock could first wake you up and then tell the coffee machine to start working while checking traffic conditions online to tell you how long it will take you to get to work.
The full post can be found onDecide What to Buy.
Vote What is this week's coolest gadget?
〇 A Cool Netbook Cooler
〇 Starry Night Bed
〇 Fugoo—talking gadgetsWhere can you find the full post of the “Cryo S”?
| A．Tech Styling. | B．Super Cool Pets. | C．Decide What to Buy. | D．Trends Updates. |
If you buy a Starry Night Bed, you can get all the following gadgets EXCEPT ___________.
| A．temperature control | B．movie projector |
| C．adjustable fans | D．anti-snore technology |
From this passage, we learn that Fugoo can_________.
| A．check traffic conditions | B．wake you up | C．take you to work | D．make coffee |
Where does this advertisement probably come from?
| A．A magazine. | B．A website. | C．A newspaper. | D．A textbook. |
America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while — then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us develop more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending(延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality(好客) easily.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!The writer of this passage must be ______.
| A．an American | B．a Chinese | C．a professor | D．a student |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives. |
| B．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy. |
| C．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break. |
| D．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families. |
From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be ______.
| A．warmly welcomed at the airport | B．offered a ride to his/her home |
| C．treated hospitably at his/her home | D．treated to dinner in a restaurant |
The underlined words “generous with our time” in Paragraph 3 probably mean ______.
| A．strict with time | B．serious with time |
| C．careful with time | D．willing to spend time |