| A．Diego Ramirez. | B．Kitty Wolfe. |
| C．Sam Mcgee. | D．We don’t know. |
| A．$15 | B．$39.95 |
| C．$12.50 | D．$30 |
| A．Two days. | B．Two months. |
| C．One week. | D．Two weeks. |
| A．Rocket to Space. | B．Pet Companies. |
| C．Icy Journey. | D．Handiwork Make. |
| A．Handiwork Make can teach you how to do housework. |
| B．Rocket to Space is about astronauts’ life in space. |
| C．Pet Companies tells the prices of dogs. |
| D．Icy Journey is the most expensive of the four books. |
In the summer of 1978 an English man named Steven was driving his tractor through a field of wheat when he discovered something strange. Some of his wheat was lying on the ground. The flattened wheat formed(形成)a circle about six meters across . Around this circle were four smaller circles of flattened wheat.
Three years later a farmer who lived nearby discovered almost the same circles in one of his fields. These circles were larger—nearly 15 meters across . That same year , another English farmer discovered three circles of flattened wheat on his land—one large circle between two small circles. During the following years, farmers in England found circles in their fields more and more often.
The circles are called “crop circles” because they usually appear in fields of wheat or corn. The wheat in the circles lies on the ground but is never broken; it keeps on growing, and the farmers can later harvest it. Farmers always discover the crop circles in the morning, so the circles probably form at night. They appear only in the months from May to September. What causes the crop circles?
At first, people thought that some kids were making them as a joke, or that farmers were making them to attract tourists.(In fact, in 1991, two men said they made the circles themselves, but many scientists don’t believe them.) People tried to copy them: They tried to make circles exactly like the ones the farmers had found. They couldn’t do it. They couldn’t enter a field of wheat without leaving tracks, and they couldn’t flatten the wheat without breaking it.
Several times people reported seeing stranger objects near the fields where crop circles later appeared. Many people believe that these crop circles are the messages sent by living things from outer space(外层空间)or the marks left by their spaceships.
Scientists who have studied the crop circles try to find out what causes them. In the summer of 1990 some scientists spent three weeks in the part of England where many circles have appeared. They had all the latest high-tech equipment(最新高科技设备). The equipment—worth 1.8 million dollars—got nothing. But one night, as the scientists were watching a field, crop circles formed in the field behind them, which were quite different from the others. The scientists had neither seen nor heard anything.
When Steven discovered the crop circles on his land in 1978, he said, “It was just like something that had landed in the field from the air and gone back up again. I don’t know what to make of these things.”
Crop circles have appeared in England, Japan, the United States and Russia. Experts from all over the world have studied them, and they say what Steven said: They don’t know what to make of these things.Which picture is probably the one formed in the field behind the scientists?
“Flattened wheat” means ___________.
| A．broken wheat | B．lying wheat |
C．harvested wheat | D．growing wheat |
The passage is mainly about something ___________ .
| A．that is done by living things from outer space |
| B．that cannot be solved but found all around the world |
| C．that cannot be made clear or understood |
| D．that is discovered and copied by the farmers |
Four men who would become fathers were in a hospital waiting room while their wives were in labor (分娩). The nurse arrived and proudly said to the first man, “Congratulations, sir. You’re the father of twins!”
“What a coincidence (巧合)! I work for the Minnesota Twins Baseball teams!”
Later the nurse returned and congratulated the second father on the birth of his triplets (三胞胎).
“Wow! That’s unbelievable! I work for the 3M Company.”
An hour later, the nurse returned to congratulate the third man on the birth of his quadruplets (四胞胎). Surprised, he only could answer, “I don’t believe it! I work for the Four Seasons Hotel!”
After this, everyone turned to the fourth man who had just fainted (晕). The nurse ran fast to his side. As he slowly came to himself, they could hear him speak in a very low voice over and over, “I should never have taken that job at 7-Eleven. I should never have taken that job at 7-Eleven. I should never have taken that job at 7-Eleven.”Why were the fathers there?
| A．They were waiting for their wives. |
| B．They were seeing doctors. |
| C．They were waiting for their babies to be born. |
| D．They were working at men nurses there. |
Which of the following is true about the third man?
| A．He thought the nurse made a mistake. |
| B．He was very surprised at the nurse’s words. |
| C．He didn’t want to have these babies. |
| D．He should never have worked at 7-Eleven. |
Why did the fourth man faint when he heard what the nurse told the third man?
| A．Hew was afraid of having so many babies. |
| B．He was seriously ill. |
| C．He was too excited. |
| D．He was very glad to have 7 babies. |
At least how many babies would be born according to the story?
| A．9. | B．10. | C．11. | D．16. |
Guo Liqin, 24, works as a primary school teacher in a distant area in Yunnan Province. The Internet offers him the latest news and entertainment from the outside world. And many people like him also depends on the online libraries for the free literature(文学) reading.
A survey in China last year found the online literature is the biggest growth area of Internet entertainment.
Reading for free is also popular in other countries. See what solutions other countries are taking.
Public Libraries
In countries such as Germany, Canada, and the UK, governments pay the authors to have their books in public libraries.
The pay is different from country to country. Some pay according to how many times a book has been borrowed; others pay according to whether the library has bought the book or not.
Google Books
Google Books allow users to see some free parts before buying them.
The author can choose to make from 20% to 100% of the book’s content(内容) for free reading . But you can see a full view of books that are out of copyright(版权).
E-magazines
E-magazines are usually about pop culture, and make money through advertisements. The writers are usually paid by the numbers of words they write.
Digital Library
There are many free online libraries of books which are no longer in copyright.
American and European websites offer classic(古典的) literature and non-fiction texts like dictionaries for download in different languages.Guo Liqin depends on for free reading.
| A．online libraries | B．city bookstores | C．school libraries | D．borrowing books |
From the passage we know other countries are taking solutions for reading for free.
| A．3 | B．4 | C．5 | D．6 |
In some countries, the authors are paid by to have their books in public libraries.
| A．advertisements | B．readers | C．governments | D．the word numbers |
Google Books and Digital Library allow users to read the full books .
| A．which are out of copyright | B．which are in copyright |
| C．which are about pop culture | D．which have some free parts |
The best title of the passage is .
| A．Enjoy Reading | B．Learn How to Read |
| C．The Importance of Reading | D．How to Read for Free |
One afternoon, my son came home from school and asked me, “Are all people the same even if their skin color is different?” I thought for a moment, then I said, “I’ll explain. Let’s go to a fruit store first. I have something interesting to show you.”
At the store, I told him that we needed to buy apples. And we bought some red apples, green apples and yellow apples.
After we got home, I told Adam, “It’s time to answer your question.” I put one of each type of apple on the table: first a red apple, followed by a green apple and then a yellow apple. Then I looked at Adam, who was sitting on the other side of the table.
“Adam, people are just like apples. They come in different colors, shapes and sizes. See, some may not even look as delicious as others.” As I was talking, Adam was examining each one carefully.
Then, I took each of the apples and peeled them, placing them back on the table, but in a different place.
“OK, Adam, tell me which one is the red apple, the green apple and the yellow apple.”
He said, “I can’t tell. They all look the same now.”
“Take a bite(一口) of each one. See if that helps you tell which one is which.”
He took big bites, and then a huge smile came across his face. “People are just like apples! They are all different, but if you take off the outside, they’re pretty much the same on the inside.”
“Right,” I agreed. “Just like everyone has their own features but they are nearly the same.”
He completely got it. I didn’t need to say or do anything else.
Now, when I eat an apple, it tastes a little sweeter than before. What perfect fruit it is!I took Adam to buy apples for .
| A．supper | B．his question | C．a party | D．a present |
As soon as we got home, I put on the table.
| A．all the apples | B．three apples of different colors |
| C．three red apples | D．three peeled apples |
After Adam took big bites, he found they .
| A．looked the same | B．tasted good | C．tasted the same | D．weren’t delicious |
In the end, Adam understood that .
| A．people are much the same even if their skin color is different |
| B．people are different if their skin color is different |
| C．the apples look the same after they are peeled |
| D．apples of different colors taste different |
I feel that apples taste a little sweeter than before because .
| A．they are delicious enough | B．they are perfect fruit for thinking |
| C．they are safe fruit | D．my son falls in love with them |
Fashion isn’t very environmentally-friendly because it makes people buy things they don’t need, just because they’re new. We want to take care of the environment, we don’t want to pollute the air and we don’t want to waste energy and resources. But we also want to be fashionable. How can we buy fashionable clothes and protect the environment?
Old styles are fashionable again, so one way is to buy second-hand clothes — recycled clothes. Another way is to buy’ fair trade clothes. These clothes are either recycled or made in a ’ way that protects the environment. They also protect the people who make the clothes.
Surprisingly, white cotton is one of the least environmentally-friendly crops of all. To protect the cotton, the growers use chemicals that pollute water, make farm workers ill and kill wildlife. New materials, such as hemp and bamboo, grow quickly and are more environmentally-friendly. These materials are very soft, and look fantastic. The best materials are coloured using natural dyes, made from plants.
Environmentally-friendly clothes are practical but until now they were often dull. Now fashion-designers are working with these materials and the clothes are beautiful as well. So now we can buy fashionable clothes that are also environmentally-friendly. Why do people often buy things they don’t need? Because_.
| A．new things can be more comfortable |
| B．everyone wants to be fashionable |
| C．people are richer than before now |
| D．people care about the environment |
What’s the topic for paragraph 2?
| A．Recycled fashion. | B．The problem with fashion. |
| C．Fashion doesn’t have to pollute. | D．New materials. |
Which of the following is more environmentally-friendly?
| A．Materials soft and looking fantastic. |
| B．Any materials coloured using natural dyes. |
| C．Hemp and bamboo. |
| D．White cotton. |
Why are environmentally -friendly clothes more fashionable now? Because______.
| A．people pay more attention to our environment |
| B．environmentally-friendly clothes are practical |
| C．all old styles become fashionable again |
| D．fashion-designers are working to make them beautiful |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Cotton or Hemp and Bamboo? |
| B．Environmentally-friendly Clothes |
| C．Old Style, New Fashion Again |
| D．Fashion and the Environment |