On Nov.18th,1908,three men went up in a balloon（气球）.They started early in London. The headman was Augusta Gaudron, and the other two men were Tannar and Maitland. They had a big balloon and they were ready for a long way.
Soon they heard the sea. They were carrying the usual rope（绳子）,and it was hanging down from the basket of the balloon. At the end of the rope they had tied a metal box. This could hold water, or it could be empty. So they were able to change its weight. It was for use over the sea. They were also carrying some bags of sand.
After the sun rose, the balloon went higher. It went up to 3,000 meters, and the air was very cold. The water in the balloon became ice. Snow fell past the men's basket, and they could see more snow on the ground. The men tried to throw out some more sand; but it was hard. They tried to break the icy sand with their knives, but it was not easy. The work was slow and they were still falling, so they had to drop some whole bags of sand. One of them fell on an icy lake and made a black hole in the ice.
At last they pulled the box into the basket. It was still snowing, so they climbed to get away from the snow. They rose to 5,100 metres! Everything became icy. They were so cold that they decided to land. They came down in Poland heavily but safely. They had travelled 1,797 kilometers from London!Three men flew in balloon ________.
| A．for nearly 1,800 kilometers |
| B．to another city |
| C．to visit Poland |
| D．more than a century ago |
The metal box was used for ________.
| A．carrying the bags of sand | B．keeping drinking-water |
| C．carrying ropes of the basket | D．changing weight |
When the balloon went up higher, ________.
| A．the temperature of the balloon began to fall |
| B．They saw the sun go down |
| C．They made a hole in the basket with their knives |
| D．They could see a black hole on the ground |
The balloon landed ________.
| A．in London | B．on the sea |
| C．on a lake | D．in a foreign country |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The three men started their journey before the sun rose. |
| B．The balloon began to go up when they threw bags of sand out of the basket. |
| C．When they pulled the box into the basket, the balloon began to climb up. |
| D．The three men had to land because they felt cold. |
Once there was an old farmer. He had a horse and the horse was almost as old as himself. One morning he set out with his young son to sell the horse before it died. The father and the son walked because the farmer did not want the horse to be too tired（疲劳）. They met two men on the road. They said, “Why are you walking, farmer? You have a horse. It's a long way to get to the market. ”The farmer knew that this was true, so he rode on the horse while his son walked. Then they met two old ladies. “What are you doing up there, farmer? Can't you see how tired your son is? ”So the farmer got down, and let his son ride on it. Twenty minutes later, three old men stopped them. One said, “Why are you walking, farmer? Get up; it’s too hot for an old man like you to walk today. ”So the farmer got up behind his son and they went on riding. Some time later, a young woman passed them. “Why aren't you walking?”She asked, “It isn't far to the market. Give your poor old horse a rest. ” So the farmer and his son got down once again. It is a fact that you cannot please all the people all the time. The farmer was ____.
| A．nearly the same age as his horse | B．almost always older than his horse |
| C．not quite as old as his horse | D．a little older than his horse |
The two men on the road ____.
| A．asked how far it was to the market |
| B．said they thought the horse looked very tired |
| C．asked why the farmer was not riding on his horse |
| D．told the farmer's son to get off the horse and walk |
The two old ladies said it was wrong for ____.
| A．the farmer to ride such a tired horse |
| B．the farmer to ride while his young son walked |
| C．the boy to ride instead of his father |
| D．only one person to ride such a long way |
The farmer got up behind his son because ____.
| A．the old man said nothing. |
| B．the three old men stopped them on the road |
| C．he did not know why he was walking |
| D．his son could not ride the horse by himself |
What did the writer really want to tell us?
| A．The old man was a fool |
| B．The horse was old and was going to die |
| C．It is right to listen to others |
| D．It is impossible for a man to make everyone satisfied（满意）all the time. |
A young man worked very hard at his lessons. He was too busy to have a rest. At last, he became ill, so he couldn’t go to sleep. Every night, when he went to bed, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. But he always stayed awake and couldn’t fall asleep.
After some days, he decided to see a doctor. “I just can’t go to sleep at night. What should I do? Could you please help me?”
“I have a suggestion(建议)，”said the doctor. “Try counting numbers. By the time you reach one thousand, you’ll be asleep. I’m sure of it.”
The next day the man returned to the doctor’s office. “Well,” said the doctor, how are you today? Did you try my suggestion?”
The man still looked tired. “Yes,” he said, “I tried counting one, two, and three— up to one thousand. But when I reached five hundred and sixty-nine, I began to feel sleepy. I had to get up and drink some tea so that I could go on counting up to one thousand. But then I still couldn’t fall asleep.”The young man couldn’t go to sleep because ____________________,
| A．he was worried about his homework |
| B．he worked too hard and became ill |
| C．he didn’t finish doing his lessons |
| D．there was a lot of noise there and he couldn’t have a rest |
The doctor asked the young man ________________________.
| A．to get up to drink some tea |
| B．to take some medicine and go to bed earlier |
| C．to count numbers while he was lying in bed |
| D．to count numbers before he went to bed |
The young man returned to the doctor’s office the next day because______.
| A．he wanted to ask the doctor how to count the numbers |
| B．he wanted to thank the doctor |
| C．he was better and wanted some more medicine |
| D．he still couldn’t go to sleep at night |
The young man _________.
| A．counted from 569 to 1000 |
| B．counted from 1 to 1000 and fell asleep |
| C．counted from 1 to 569 and got up to drink some tea |
| D．counted from 1 to 569 and fell asleep |
The young man _____ in fact.
| A．didn’t understand the doctor’s suggestion |
| B．wasn’t ill at all |
| C．was not able to count numbers |
| D．didn’t try the doctor’s suggestion |
Idioms are phrases and sentences that do not mean exactly what they say. Even if you know the meaning of each word you see or hear, you may not understand the idiom because you don’t understand the culture behind it.
For example, if an American boy asks his mother what’s for dinner tomorrow, she may say “I’ll play it by ear”, that means she doesn’t have plans for dinner and she will decide later. "Play by ear" used to mean playing music using the sheet music, but now people often use it when they’re not talking about music.
There’re many idioms in English. If you learn to use them, your English will be more vivid and colorful. English idioms are more common in spoken English. They can be difficult to remember sometimes. Next time when you hear somebody saying to you, "Give me a hand", you don’t necessarily stretch out your hand to him/her, but you do need to be helpful. And when the situation is out of hand, you usually can do very little to manage all that. What about a green hand? It’s not about the color of your hand! You’re a green hand when you are very new at your work and don’t have much experience. If you and your partner always work together hand in glove, you two definitely work together very well.
Can you guess the meanings of some common English idioms to do with parts of your body?What is an idiom ?
What does “ Can you give me a hand “ mean ?
Are English idioms more common in written English or spoken English ?
My problems started after I went to a boar ding school. I was only 14, and at first I missed my family a lot. I often called them and cried on the phone. But after two weeks, I found I enjoyed being with my classmates at school.
I had many friends who were boys. I thought of them as my best friends - but only friends. I never guessed my friendships with boys would become a problem.
Then, three months later, my friends told me that some teachers and girls said I was hanging out with boys all day long in order to get attention from them. Seven months after that, the head teacher Mr. Wang asked the class to choose some students to join the Student Union. I thought I could win for I was doing well in school. I'd already won prizes for the best math and English exams. A week later, the list came out and it didn't include me. I was sad.
Mr. Wang came to me and sai d, "Don't be sad. I know you're excellent! Maybe
you're a little distant from the girls in our class. They don't know much about you, so some of them didn't choose you. It doesn't matter. Do your best to get along well with everyone and I think you'll make it next time."What was the writer's problem when she first entered the boarding school?
| A．She didn't like her new school. |
| B．She didn't get along well with her classmates. |
| C．She missed her family very m uch. |
| D．She didn't like her new teacher. |
Many of the writer's friends in her new school were _______.
| A．teachers | B．boys | C．girls | D．women |
Why did the writer fail to join the Student Union?
| A．Her teachers didn't like her. |
| B．She was a poor student. |
| C．Some girls didn't choose her. |
| D．She likes showing off herself. |
Which of the following is NOT true, according to the passage?
| A．The writer won prizes for the best science and English exams. |
| B．The writer didn't realize that her friendships with boys would cause problems. |
| C．The writer was sad because she failed to join the Student Union. |
| D．The teacher thought she was an excellent student |
Very hot weather is common in many parts of the world. Although hot weather just makes most people hot, it can cause medical problems and death.
Floods, storms and other terrible natural events kill thousands of people every year. And we hear much about them in news reports. We general hear little about heat, which experts say may be nature’s most dangerous killer.
Health experts say that since the year 1900, very hot weather has killed more people in the United States than any other natural event. One year--- the unusually hot summer of 1980 heat caused about 1,700 deaths in the United States. In 1995, more than 600 people died in another heat wave in one city----Chicago, Illinois.
Besides drinking lots of cool water , doctors say there are some other things to do to protect against the health dangers of heat. Stay out of the sun, if possible. Wear loose and light—colored clothes. Wear a hat while in the sun. Eat fewer hot and heavy foods. And, when possible, cook foods during cooler time of the day. If possible, rest more often.
Health experts say these simple steps can prevent the dangerous health problems caused by heat. They will prevent sickness, help you feel better and may even save your life. Hot weather is common ______.
| A．all over the world. | B．in many parts of the world |
| C．in some parts of the world | D．in a few parts of the world |
Experts say maybe _______is natural’s most dangerous killer.
| A．heat | B．a flood | C．a storm | D．an earthquake |
About 1,700 people died of heat in the US _______.
| A．in 1900 | B．in 1980 | C．in 1995 | D．in 2000 |
The passage is talking about _______.
| A．all kinds of terrible natural events in the world |
| B．some health problems caused by hot weather |
| C．how to prevent health problems |
| D．the health problems in hot weather and the ways to stop them |