In a small village in England about 150 years ago, a mail coach ( 邮车) was standing on the street . It didn’t come to that village often . People had to pay a lot to get a letter . The person who sent the letter didn’t have to pay the postage (邮资) , while the receiver had to .
“Ｈere’s a letter for Miss Alice Brown , ” said the mailman .
“ Ｉ’m Alice Brown , ” a girl of about 18 said in a low voice .
Alice looked at the envelope（信封） for a minute , and then handed it back to the mailman .
“ Ｉ＇m sorry I can’t take it , I don’t have enough money to pay it＂, she said .
A gentleman standing around were very sorry for her . Then he came up and paid the postage for her .
When the gentleman gave the letter to her , she said with a smile , “ Thank you very much ,This letter is from Tom . I’m going to marry him . He went to London to look for work . I’ve waited a long time for this letter , but now I don’t need it , there is nothing in it .”
“ Really ? How do you know that ? ” the gentleman said in surprise .
“ He told me that he would put some signs on the envelope . Look ,sir ,this cross in the corner means that he is well and this circle means he has found work . That’s good news .”
The gentleman was Sir Rowland Hill . He didn’t forgot Alice and her letter .
“ The postage to be paid by the receiver has to be changed ,” he said to himself and had a good plan .
“ The postage has to be much lower , what about a penny (便士 ) ? And the person who sends the letter pays the postage . He has to buy a stamp and put it on the envelope .” he said .
The government accepted his plan . Then the first stamp was put out in 1840 . It was called the “ Penny Black “ . It had a picture of the Queen on it . The first postage stamp was made ___________ .
| A．in England | B．in America |
| C．by Alice | D．in 1910 |
The girl handed the letter back to the mailman because ______________ .
| A．she didn’t know whose letter it was |
| B．she had no money to pay the postage |
| C．she received the letter but she didn’t want to open it |
| D．she had already known what was written in the letter |
We can know from Alice’s words that _________________ .
| A．Tom had told her what the signs meant before leaving |
| B．Alice was clever and could guess the meaning of the signs |
| C．Alice had put the signs on the envelope herself |
| D．Tom had put the signs as Alice had told him to |
The idea of using stamps was thought of by __________________ .
| A．the government | B．Sir Rowland Hill |
| C．Alice Brown | D．Tom |
From the passage we know the high postage made _____________ .
| A．People never send each other letters |
| B．lovers almost lose every touch with each other |
| C．people try their best to avoid(避免) paying it |
| D．receivers refuse to pay the coming letters |
Want to stay away from colds? Put on a happy face.
Compared to unhappy people, those who are cheerful and relaxed are less likely to suffer from colds, according to a new study. It’s possible that being happy helps the body fight illnesses, say the researchers from New York University.
“It seems that positive feelings may reduce the danger of illness,” said the study’s chief researcher Sheldon Cohen.
In an earlier study, Cohen found that people who were cheerful and lively caught coughs and colds less often. People who showed feelings were also less likely to tell their doctors that they felt ill.
In this study, Cohen’s interviewed 193 adults every day for two weeks. During the interviews, the people told researchers about were given colds by doctors and had to stay alone in a room for six days.
The results showed that everyone in the study was equally likely to get ill. Buy for people who said they felt happy during the research period, their illness are less serious and lasted for a shorter time.
Cohen believes that when people experience positive feelings, their body may produce a chemical that helps fight illness and disease. So if you are worried abut your health, look on the bright side more often. Which of the following was NOT a part of the study?
| A．People talked about their feelings every day. |
| B．People were kept alone for six days. |
| C．People were given colds by doctors. |
| D．People were made to feel unhappy. |
What did the study find?
| A．People who felt happy never got ill. |
| B．People’s feelings didn’t influence their health. |
| C．People with good feelings became ill more easily. |
| D．People with positive feelings had less serious illnesses.. |
According to Cohen, which of the following may help fight illness?
| A．Eating. |
| B．Crying. |
| C．Laughing. |
| D．Sleeping. |
This passage is a/an .
| A．advertisement |
| B．newspaper report |
| C．story |
| D．scientist’s diary |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Smiles can fight colds |
| B．Cause of colds found |
| C．The danger of colds |
| D．How people get sick |
I heard the bees long before I saw them.
It was a very hot afternoon, and we decided to cool off in the river near my home. As we climbed down a small rocky hill toward the water, my boyfriend John suddenly started to shout then jumped into the water below. Peter and Mary quickly followed but I was too far away to jump. I was trapped.
I heard a low hum(嗡嗡声)，which was growing louder. From a distance, the group of bees looked almost like a cloud of smoke. As it got closer, I realized it was actually thousands of bees flying towards me.
All I could do was cover my face with hands. Crazily, I thought that if I sat very still, the bees would think I was just another rock.
After a few minutes, I knew my plan hadn’t worked. The bees were attacking me. I could hear my friends shouting at me to get down to the pool fast.
But it wasn’t so easy. I was in great pain and the only way I could get away was to use my hands to climb down the rocks. However, I was afraid to do that at first because my face would be unprotected. The noise the bees made was so loud and frightening, but I had no choice.
I rushed down the rocks and jumped into the pool, but I don’t remember doing it. I was just so happy to be free from the pain. I was safe, and the water felt wonderful.
But we still weren’t out of danger. Every time we tried to climb out of the pool, the bees flew back over our heads. We spent the next three hours in the water, putting our heads under the water from time to time to avoid the bees until they finally lost interest. How many people went swimming that day?
| A．Two. | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
The underlined word “it” (in Paragraph 3) refers to .
| A．a rock | B．the group of bees | C．a hill | D．the river |
At first why didn’t the writer want to climb down the rocks?
| A．She was afraid she would fall. |
| B．She was too far away from pool. |
| C．She thought the bees would follow her. |
| D．She didn’t want her face to be unprotected. |
How did the writer escape the bees?
| A．She covered her face with her hands. |
| B．She hid behind the rocks. |
| C．She jumped into a water pool. |
| D．She pretended to be a rock. |
In what order are the following mentioned in the story?
a. The writer rushed down the rocks.
b. John jumped into the water.
c. The low hum grew louder.
d. The bees flew back over their heads.
e. The bees were attacking the writer.
| A．b c e a d | B．b a e c d | C．c d e a b | D．c b d e a |
Life in the twenty-first century
The World Future Society is a group of people from more than 80 countries who are interested in how modern technology is making our world better, and who write reports about how it will change our lives. The things that we will be able to do in the twenty-first century (since the year 2000) should help us live better lives in many ways, at home and at work, in our own country and around the world. Here are just some of them, put into five groups.
People
People may live for up to 120 years and use new technology to help when people go blind, deaf and have other problems. The number of people over a hundred years old could go from 135,000 today to 2.2 million people by 2050. By 2015 people think that 100 million workers will be able to work from home for a company in a different country by using the Internet.
Money
Worldwide e-business will become even more successful with online shops that sell special products for each person, which will be brought to their house the next day.
Environment
The technology for making energy from wind and the Sun is growing very quickly. In the future wind and Sun energy could become much cheaper and many more countries could use it. This would be very useful in poor countries. The air in big cities would also become much cleaner and healthier as a result.
Society and culture
The Internet will help to create more worldwide friendships. Families may spend more time together as people will be able to do 24-hour online banking and shopping.
Technology
The new science of “nanotechnology” (very small robots or machines) will make all sorts of products smaller and lighter. Very, very small machines could take away rubbish, make things in factories, and help inside the human body by taking away fat. By 2012 people will be able to wear these small machines that look like watches, which will give them lots of information about their body and keep them healthy.What does the World Future Society do?
| A．Look at how technology will make people happy. |
| B．Look at how technology will change the world. |
| C．Make technology work better for themselves. |
| D．Make small machines to make us healthier. |
How will technology help people?
| A．Help all people live for over 120 years. |
| B．Help disabled people to get jobs. |
| C．Make people healthier and live longer. |
| D．Help workers to use the Internet. |
How will people go shopping?
| A．In special shops. |
| B．Using the Internet at certain times. |
| C．Using the Internet any time of the day. |
| D．Using nanotechnology. |
How will technology help the environment?
| A．Poor countries will have enough energy. |
| B．Wind energy will be cheaper than Sun energy. |
| C．We will not need wind and Sun energy. |
| D．Wind and Sun energy will be cheaper. |
The new science of “nanotechnology” will _______.
| A．drive small machines to work for people |
| B．make good-quality watches |
| C．allow people to eat more |
| D．make very small products |
Singapore’s public transport system (公共交通系统) is one of the best in the world, so you should have no problem finding your way around like a local (当地人). There are three main forms of public transport that you would find in any other major city—trains, buses and taxis.
TRAINS
Trains run from 6 a.m. to midnight. Single trip tickets start at 80 cents. If you buy an EZ-Link card for $15, you can ride the trains and buses all you like.
If you need more information, just call Transit Link on 1800 767 4333.
BUSES
There are several bus services in Singapore and fares (车费) start at 80 cents. Be sure to always ask the driver the cost of your ticket as he can not give changes.
If you need help, just call Transit Link on 1800 767 4333.
TAXIS
There are three main taxi companies—City Cab (6552 2222), Comfort (6552 1111) and Tibs (6552 8888). Booking (预订) can also be made easily by calling the numbers listed above.
RENTAL (租) CARS
Driving in Singapore is a pleasure and if you like to travel at your own pace, renting a car is a good choice. Renting takes away the hassle of getting to places around Singapore. Just sit back and enjoy the city. It also means you’ll get to see a lot more that a train or a bus won’t let you see.
For car rental, call Avis on +65 6737 1668. If you need to find the bus number, you may call____________.
| A．+65 6737 1668 | B．6552 8888 |
| C．1800 767 4333 | D．6552 2222 |
By an EZ-Link card, you can take____________.
| A．both buses and trains | B．only trains |
| C．both buses and taxis | D．only rental cars |
When you take a bus there, always remember to ____________.
| A．take your own license with you | B．ask the driver how much your ticket is |
| C．buy the bus map of Singapore | D．book your ticket ahead of time |
What does the word “hassle” mean in Chinese?
| A．麻烦 | B．乐趣 | C．景点 | D．费用 |
What do you know about traveling in Singapore from the passage?
| A．A local has no trouble finding his way around. |
| B．It’s much cheaper to go around by bus than by train. |
| C．You can see a lot more in Singapore only by renting a car. |
| D．It’s very convenient for visitors to travel in Singapore. |
| JLetter 1 Whatever I do, I always think about if other people will like it. How can I stop worrying about what they think? —Eva, 14, Illinois |
| JLetter 2 My dream is to be on the Olympic team for gymnastics. My dad thinks I started too late and I’ll never be able to make it. He puts me down, but I want his support. What should I do?—Erica, 9, Texas |
| JLetter 3 What should I do if I failed a test? I’m afraid to tell my mom because she might get mad at me and I can’t play soccer. And soccer is like the world to me. —Ashley, 12, Wisconsin |
| JLetter 4 I just moved and I’m kind of shy, so how do I make new friends? —Jessica, 11, Canada |
| Dr. Molly’s Answer ① You should tell him about your dream and that if you work really hard, it might happen even though you started late. The sooner you tell your dad how you feel, the sooner you’ll be able to work on making your dream come true. |
| Dr. Molly’s Answer ② Nobody knows you at your new school. You have nothing to lose, so gather up all your courage and go over to someone who looks friendly and introduce yourself. You can ask that person about your teacher or the other kids in your class to break the ice. Good luck! |
| Dr. Molly’s Answer ③ It’s better to tell your mom the truth than for her to find out another way. When you tell her, explain why you failed the test. Ask her if she can help you study in the future, so you’ll do better on your tests and also have time for the soccer you love. |
| Dr. Molly’s Answer ④ Just be yourself and try not to care about what others think. The more you think about it, the worse you will feel. Always act strong and confident. Even if you are a little unsure of something, don’t doubt (怀疑) your abilities to do things right. Just relax. |
Jessica ____________.
| A．wonders how to make new friends |
| B．wishes to be on the Olympic team |
| C．is afraid to tell her mom about her failing a test |
| D．keeps worried about what other people think about her |
____________loves playing soccer best.
| A．Erica | B．Eva | C．Ashley | D．Jessica |
Erica’s dad doesn’t support her because he thinks she___________.
| A．is a little shy and can’t do it well | B．didn’t start at a very early age |
| C．is too young to be on the team | D．doesn’t work hard |
According to Dr. Molly, Eva should ____________.
| A．hold on to her dream | B．always tell the truth |
| C．be brave to say hello to others | D．be confident of herself |
Which is the correct order of Dr. Molly’s answers to the four letters?
| A．①④③② | B．③④②① | C．②③①④ | D．④①③② |