With only fish and birds for company, Eric Erden has been rowing across the Pacific Ocean to Australia in his 23-foot-long boat since he left California on July 10, 2009.
But crossing the Pacific is only part of his incredible journey. Eric has decided to go all the way around the world using only his own energy. He will row, bike, and walk without help from any motors at all. Oh, and his plan includes climbing the tallest peak on six of the continents along the way, to honour the memory of a fellow climber.
He says he is doing this to show kids that they can achieve any goal, but he hopes to have some great adventures along the way.
As a solo traveller, Eric has already faced disappointments and challenges. Because he has to row about ten hours a day, he brought along an MP3 player to listen to music and pass the time. Unfortunately, the nearly daily tropical rain for several months has forced him to keep his player packed away where it's safe and dry.
Storms and huge wave wind regularly force him in the wrong direction and even threaten to overturn his boat. “Sometimes I really feel scared,” says a somewhat embarrassed Eric. “But that’s all part of the journey. I knew this wouldn’t be easy when I started. That's why I gave myself two years to finish.”
Protein bars（蛋白棒） give him energy, and he boils water to heat freeze-dried meals on a one-burner stove. A solar-powered machine removes salt from ocean water so he can drink it, but only when the sun shines. When that fails he sometimes tries to collect rainwater in buckets.
He’s not bothered by any of the hardships. Eric sees the world as a laboratory where there is much to learn. And when his trip around the world takes him across land, he enjoys meeting people - especially children. He has already visited several schools and shared his story.Why is Eric making this trip?
| A．To encourage children to reach for their goal. |
| B．To learn more about the world around us. |
| C．To have many great adventures in strange lands. |
| D．To honour the memory of a fellow climber. |
What does Eric plan to do on each of the six continents he will visit?
| A．Visit schools to share his story. |
| B．Study the culture of the local people. |
| C．Climb the tallest mountain. |
| D．Cycle from one end to the other. |
When does Eric expect to finish his journey?
| A．July 2009. | B．June 2010. |
| C．January 2011. | D．July 2011. |
Which of the following words best describes Eric’s character?
| A．Determined. | B．Intelligent. |
| C．Fearless. | D．Lonely. |
My grandfather is eighty years old. He always complains（抱怨）about how fast things have changed, and he often says that life used to be better.
“Families aren’t the ones the way they used to be. A lot of families have broken up. If husband and wife have problems with their marriage, they no longer stay together. And mothers used to stay at home and take care of their children, but now everyone is busy working. No one has time to look after children at home.
And the cars! No one walks anymore; more and more people drive. We used to walk five miles to school on schooldays, even in winter. But now we don’t. And in school, children don’t have to think anymore. In math class, for example, we used to add, subtract, multiply and divide(加减乘除) using our heads. But now kids don’t use their heads anymore; instead, they use calculators(计算器).
Most families have computers now. In the past we didn’t have computers. We didn’t even have lights. My mother used to spend all day cooking in the kitchen. But now we don’t often eat home-cooked food.
And people talk less to each other than before. They are too busy to talk, too busy to eat, too busy to think ...
Life used to be simple, but it isn’t anymore.”What does my grandfather think of the life now?
A. He thinks the life now is very good.
B. He thinks the life now is worse than it used to be.
C. He thinks the life now is better than it used to be.What does the underlined word “marriage” mean in Chinese?
A. 生活 B. 工作 C. 婚姻What has happened these years according to the passage?
A. Children don’t have to think anymore in school.
B. Students use calculators in math class.
C. Both of the above.What changes have happened to families?
①There are lights at home.
②People often eat home-cooked food.
③Lots of families have computers.
④More couples夫妇 live apart because of unhappy problems.
A. ①③④ B. ②③④ C. ①②③Which is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Life now is much simpler.
B. People have more time to talk with each other now.
C. The grandfather only complains and pays no attention to the better life now.
阅读下列短文，判断句子是否符合短文，符合的写（A）,不符合的写（B）（共5小题，计10分）
I can still remember my first day at school. I was only 6 years old at that time. It was a very big room. I sat at the desk near the window, but I couldn’t see anything because the window was too high. There was a big map of the world on the wall and an old blackboard. I don’t think I was worried or afraid at that time. There was another little boy next to me. He sat there and kept silent at first. Then he began to cry, because he didn’t want to stay there.
More and more students came in, but the boy didn’t stop crying. “Mom, I want to go home.” He cried again and again. Later, the teacher came in. She went to the little boy, and said something to him. I couldn’t hear what she said. Soon the boy stopped crying and began to smile. To this day, I still don’t know what the teacher said to the little boy.The writer went to school when he was6 years old.
She sat near the window, so she could look outside.
She was not worried. She was afraid.
When the teacher came in, the little boy stopped crying.
The writer knew what the teacher said to the little boy.
In fall 2006，the National Basketball Association （NBA）started using basketballs made with synthetic ，or man-made ，material instead of leather（皮革）．They made the change be- cause they wanted every basketball they use to feel and bounce（弹起）the same．Not all leather balls are exactly alike in weight or how they bounce，but the synthetic balls are．
However，some players complained right away that the new balls bounced differently and were actually harder to control than the leather ones．
Physics helped answer questions about why the new balls felt different．For example，the scientists studied friction（摩擦力），which in this case affects the ability of a player to hold onto a ball．"The greater the friction，the better it will stick to his hand，"explains a scientist．
Tests on both wet and dry balls showed that while the synthetic ball was easier to hold onto when dry，it had less friction and became much harder to hold onto when wet．That's because sweat stays on the surface of the synthetic balls but gets taken into the leather balls．
The scientists also tested bounce and found that the logo （商标）printed on the new balls made their surface uneven（不平） and caused them to bounce a little strangely com- pared with the leather balls．
In January，the NBA went back to using the leather balls．They aren't perfect，but for now，that's just the way the ball bounces．Why were the synthetic balls expected to be used in NBA according to the text?
| A．Because they are easier to control． |
| B．Because they waste less material． |
| C．Because they look exactly alike． |
| D．Because they feel and bounce alike． |
The ball is easier to hold on to_________
| A．when friction is greater |
| B．when friction is less |
| C．when it is heavier |
| D．when it bounces strangely |
The synthetic ball bounces differently from the leather one mainly because _________
| A．it is wet | B．it is dry |
| C．there's a logo on it | D．its weight remains the same |
The underlined word sweat refers to ____________ .
| A．灰尘 | B．细菌 | C．汗水 | D．雨水 |
It can be inferred（推断） from the text that _________．
| A．a synthetic ball takes in water faster than a leather ball |
| B．a leather ball is more difficult to make than a synthetic one |
| C．a synthetic ball is more expensive than a leather ball |
| D．a leather ball may increase its weight during a game |
One day, there was a blind man called John sitting on the bench with a hat by his feet and a sign that read, "I am blind. Please help me.”
A creative publicist(广告员)named Tom was walking by the blind man and stopped to see that the man only had a few coins in his hat. He put a few of his own corns in the hat. Without asking for permission, took the sign, turned it around and wrote a new message. Then he put the sign by the feet of the blind man, and left.
Later that afternoon the publicist returned to the blind man and noticed that his hat was almost full of bills and coins. The blind man recognized(识别)his footsteps and asked if it was he who had changed his sign. He also wanted to know what the man wrote on it.
Tom said, "I just wrote the message a little differently.” He smiled and went on his way.
The new sign read, "Spring has come, but I can't see anything.”What's the blind man's name?
| A．Tom | B．John |
| C．Tony | D．Sorry, I don't know |
Who wrote a new message?
| A．The blind man | B．The teacher |
| C．The publicist | D．The farmer |
.How did the blind man recognize the publicist?
| A．By his sign | B．By his footsteps |
| C．By his voice | D．By his corns |
When did the story happen?
| A．In spring | B．In summer |
| C．In autumn | D．In winter |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Publicists are always friendly and helpful |
| B．We can get more money by changing a sign |
| C．The blind man is very stupid, so he has little money |
| D．The power (力量) of language is great |
| Beijing Opeara Do you like Beijing Opeara? Come and enjoy yourselves at 8:30 on Sunday night. Ticket：Adults: 40 yuan; Children : half the price of the adult’s Place: Green Theater |
Rock Concert Are you a rocker ? We will rock you at 7:00 on Saturday night ! Don’t miss it ! Ticket: Adults—— 100 yuan Children: half the price of the adult’s Place : Vox Theater |
| Lecture Dr Wong will give a lecture about American country music. If you are fans of Taylor Swift. Come at 4:00 on Sunday afternoon. Ticket :Free Place :Green Hall |
Mozart If you like the piano, if you ever heard about the Magic Flute, then don’t miss the film Mozart in Moon Theater at 2:00 pm on Saturday. Ticket : Adults——70 yuan Children—— 30 yuan |
Jack’s grandfather likes Beijing Opera . He will go to __________ .
| A．Green Theater | B．Vox Theater |
| C．Green Hall | D．Moon Theater |
The Rock Concert is on __________ .
| A．Sunday night | B．Sunday afternoon |
| C．Saturday night | D．Saturday afternoon |
Taylor Swift might be the name of __________ .
| A．a concert | B．a lecture |
| C．a singer | D．a rock star |
Mozart begins at __________ .
| A．8:30 pm | B． 7:00 pm |
| C．4:00 pm | D．2:00 pm |
Mrs Smith with her seven –year-old son goes to Moon Theater. She should pay __________ .
| A．nothing | B．60 yuan |
| C．100 yuan | D．150 yuan |