Most people will tell you that they can’t work without a cup of coffee in the morning. Research has shown that a cup of coffee does give a person slight excitement.
Legend said that Kaldi, an Ethiopian, found his goats happier while enjoying coffee plants. Curiously, he tasted the leaves and began to dance around. Whether the Legend was true or not, the discovery of coffee dates back to 800A. D. Soon Arabians were roasting coffee beans. Muslims were drinking coffee to stay awake by 1000 A.D. A merchant from Venice introduced coffee to Europe in 1615. By 1696, the Dutch started growing the coffee bush in Java. By 1723, coffee plants were introduced to the Americans. Today, coffee is the most popular drink in the world.
Caffeine is the major chemical in coffee. It blocks(阻止) adenosine, a chemical that makes you sleepy. People can get a pick-me-up or stimulation(刺激) from the drink. The stimulation does not last long. Caffeine poisoning can occur if more than 400 milligrams of caffeine is drunk in a short period, which is about four to five cups of coffee. Caffeine will also cause sleep difficulty, so it should not be drunk before bed.
Caffeine has many advantages. Studies have shown that it helps improve some skills in elderly women. Women who drank three cups of coffee daily scored higher on memory tests than women who drank one cup of coffee. According to newser.com, one cup of coffee a day protects the brain. Coffee also can help people keep away from many diseases according to webmd.com.
Large amounts of coffee can cause nervousness, worries and a fast heartbeat. However, if you mix coffee with milk, it’s fine. Caffeine can be addictive like any drug. The more you drink, the more you depend on it. For some people, just one cup of coffee a day is OK.
Who found the most popular drink in the world according to the Legend?
| A．An Ethiopian. | B．Arabians. |
| C．Muslims. | D．The Dutch. |
When was the coffee introduced to Europe?
| A．In the 1710s. | B．In the 1610s. |
| C．In the 1690s. | D．In the 1720s. |
From the third paragraph we can learn ___________.
| A．caffeine can make people sleepy |
| B．adenosine can make people awake |
| C．about four to five cups of coffee will cause sleep difficulty |
| D．coffee is considered harmful if it is taken in a large amount |
The fourth paragraph mainly tells us ___________.
| A．the importance of coffee | B．the good effects of coffee |
| C．the bad effects of coffee | D．the development of coffee |
If you like drinking coffee, you had better_______.
| A．drink it before bed | B．give up this bad habit |
| C．drink one cup of coffee a day | D．drink more coffee than milk |
Hi！My name is Maria. Now I am in China. My life is busy but very happy. I like reading, so I often go to the library when I have no classes. Who is my favorite teacher? She is Ms. Green. She often helps me with my writing. I work hard at every subject, but my favorite subject is P.E., because I like playing tennis. In the evening, I am busy doing my homework. I often do my homework for two hours. After that, I play the piano for an hour. Sometimes I take a walk with Dad. On weekends I usually help old people with my friends. What about your life? Share(分享) it with us, please.Where is Maria ?
| A．In the classroom. | B．In China. |
| C．In Beijing. | D．In the library. |
Who is Ms. Green?
| A．She is Maria’s mother. |
| B．She is Maria’s P.E. teacher |
| C．She is Maria’s teacher. |
| D．She is Maria’s friend. |
What’s Maria’s favorite subject?
| A．Tennis | B．Music | C．P.E. | D．Piano |
How long does Maria play the piano in the evening?
| A．Half an hour | B．An hour |
| C．Two hours | D．Twenty minutes |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Maria sometimes walks with her father. |
| B．Maria likes reading. |
| C．Maria does her homework in the evening. |
| D．Maria’s life is boring and busy. |
| Do You Want To Be A Musician? Do you want to be a musician? Come to our club, and you will be very happy in the club. We have lessons about the piano, the drums, the guitar and the violin for just ＄ 20 each. You can also learn to sing ,to dance for＄25 each .If you like art, you can be satisfied（满意的），too. It’s just for ＄30 . |
How many kinds of instruments（乐器）are there in the ad（广告）？There are ________.
| A．5 | B．6 | C．7 | D．4 |
How much is it for the piano lesson? It’s ______.
| A．＄25 | B．＄ 20 | C．＄30 | D．＄45 |
We can’t learn about the _____ in the club.
| A．drums | B．violin | C．art | D．chess |
If you want to learn about guitar and singing, you should pay _____.
| A．＄45 | B．＄ 20 | C．＄30 | D．＄25 |
What does “lessons” mean in the ad? _____
| A．教师 | B．课本 | C．课程 | D．教室 |
Father’s Day has a very short history. It was started because there was a Mother’s Day, and just because some Americans thought that if we had a Mother’s Day, we should also have a Father’s Day. Father’s Day has become important in North America. And shopkeepers found it was a good way to get people to buy a present for their father from their shops.
By the way, very few countries have a Father’s Day, though some have a Children’s Day, or an unusual day for boys and another for girls. More and more countries are having Mother’s Day, so maybe Father’s Day will also become popular before too long. Now, what do people in North America do on Father’s Day? The newspapers, radios, and TV tell children what they should do — buy, buy, buy, buy, buy a Father’s Day present for your father. They even tell a wife to buy, buy, buy, and buy a Father’s Day present — not for her father but for her husband, even if he is not yet a father. And they tell grandchildren to buy, buy, buy, and buy a Father’s Day present for their grandfathers.
The important thing to remember about Father’s Day is that American children can show their love to their fathers in a more open way.Father’s Day was started just because _______________.
| A．there was a Mother’s Day |
| B．there was a Children’s Day |
| C．shopkeepers wanted to get a lot of money |
| D．people liked their fathers very much |
The word “unusual” in the second paragraph means ________________________.
| A．great | B．nice | C．useful | D．special |
In America, people have a Father’s Day to ________________________.
| A．buy some presents for their fathers |
| B．show their love for their fathers |
| C．let their fathers have a good rest |
| D．help their fathers do something |
On Father’s Day, shopkeepers always want ________________________.
| A．people to buy many more presents |
| B．children to buy presents only for their fathers |
| C．women to buy presents only for their husbands |
| D．people to buy presents only for their parents |
It can be learned from the passage that ________________________.
| A．the writer is against Father’s Day |
| B．many countries have a Father’s Day |
| C．shopkeepers can get more money on Father’s Day |
| D．Father’s Day will become more important than Mother’s Day |
If you have no special （特别的）plans for your holidays, why not spend your time helping others?
Don’t listen to people who say that young people today often think of only themselves . It’s not true at all. More and more young people in the USA Volunteer(自愿)to spend their school holidays working for others. And they don’t do it for money . Here are some of their stories.
Alice , 17
I’m going to help the Forest Centre build new hiking paths （徒步旅行路）in the mountains. It’s going to be hard---I’ll spend the whole summer living in a tent (帐篷)。I’m going to sleep under the stars . It will be a nice sport, and I’ll be able to do something good at the same time！
Jason,18
This summer，I’m going to volunteer with Special House Program . They build good, cheap houses and sell them to families that are not very rich . They’ll teach me what to do , so I’ll help people and also have a chance(机会) to learn how to build houses.
Trish , 16
I’m going to teach kids （孩子）who have trouble（困难） in reading . I’ll work for a program called “Reading for Life” . Every day , I’m going to help kids choose and read books that they like . I want to be a teacher , and I love children and reading , so this is going to be a great experience（经历）for me.Who is spending their holidays working for others in the USA?
| A．Rich people | B．Poor people |
| C．Young people | D．children |
What can Alice do in her holiday?
| A．Build new hiking paths. |
| B．Live in a tent and breathe the clean air. |
| C．Sleep under the stars. |
| D．All the above. |
How does Special House Program help needy (有需要的)families?
| A．They give them some money to buy clothes. |
| B．They build good, cheap houses and sell them to those families. |
| C．They teach them how to build houses. |
| D．They give tents to them to live in. |
What kind of kids is Trish going to teach?
| A．The kids who have trouble in reading. |
| B．The kids who have trouble talking with their parents. |
| C．The kids who can’t talk with others. |
| D．The kids who love reading and writing. |
Which program can you work for if you want to help needy children in your free time?
| A．The Forest Centre | B．Reading For Life |
| C．Special House Program | D．Computer Center |
Man has a big brain (脑子). He can think, learn and speak. Scientists (科学家) once thought that man is different from animals because he can think and learn. They now know that dogs, rats and birds can learn too. They are beginning to understand that man is different from animals because he can speak. Animals can not speak. They make noise when they are afraid or unhappy. Apes (类人猿) can understand something more quickly than man. One or two of them have learned a few words. But they cannot put them together to make sentences. They cannot think like us because they have no language (语言).
Language is a wonderful thing. Man can build a modern world because he has language.
Every child can speak his own language very well when he is four of five, but no animal learns speak. How do children learn it? Scientists do not really know. What happens inside our body? They do not know. They only know that man can speak because he has a brain.Man is different from animals because ________________.
| A．man can understand things quickly |
| B．man can learn |
| C．man has a brain |
| D．man has learned to use language |
Apes cannot ________________.
| A．speak like man | B．make noise |
| C．understand things | D．learn words |
Scientists now know ________________.
| A．how children learn to speak |
| B．why apes can learn a few words |
| C．what happens inside his body when man speaks |
| D．man’s brain helps him learn to speak |
Which of the following is not true?
| A．Some animals can learn. |
| B．Apes can understand some things more quickly than man. |
| C．Apes can put the words together to make sentences. |
| D．Apes have no language though they can learn some words. |
The best title (标题) for this passage is ________________.
| A．Animals’ Learning | B．Man and Ape |
| C．Brain and Language | D．Man’s Brain |