For hundreds of years, scientists have been trying to answer what things have an effect on people’s emotions. How you feel is controlled by many things. Your emotions can be affected by your personality, by the actions of others and by events around you. Perhaps you don’t know your emotions can be influenced by the weather as well.
People often say they feel good when the sun is shining and sad when it is cloudy. In fact, sunlight makes us feel good. When sunlight hits our skins, our bodies produce a vitamin. Vitamins are natural chemicals (化学物质) which we all need to stay healthy. Sunlight helps our bodies produce vitamin D. Vitamin D helps our bodies make a special chemical. This special chemical affects our brains and makes us feel happy. For example, there are long, dark winters of little sunlight in Sweden and Norway, so many people in these countries often feel sad. Without much sunlight, their bodies produce less vitamin D. Without enough vitamin D, their bodies make less of this special chemical which makes them feel good. To help the people in these countries feel better, special “sunrooms” with artificial (人造的) lights have been built. People can go there and get “sunlight” for an hour or two!
The weather can also affect people’s emotions in other ways. Hot weather can make people angry because people feel uncomfortable when they are hot. In the same way, rain can make people angry because being wet can be unpleasant. As you can see, the weather can have an effect on the chemicals which control our brains. Through these ways, the weather can influence our emotions. Sadly, while the weather can change us, we can hardly change the weather.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a factor that can affect one’s emotions?
| A．Weather. | B．Actions of others. |
| C．Personality. | D．Age. |
Which of the following is true about vitamin D according to the passage?
| A．It is a kind of artificial chemical. |
| B．It makes us worried by affecting our brains. |
| C．It is needed by us all to keep fit. |
| D．It is in the sunlight. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．We feel good when we are in the bright cool weather. |
| B．We will be happy when we are caught in the rain. |
| C．All people in Norway and Sweden feel sad in winter. |
| D．The more vitamin D you have, the happier you’ll be. |
What may be the best title for this passage?
| A．Why Do We Feel Sad? |
| B．The Weather Influences People’s Emotions |
| C．People Need More Vitamin D |
| D．We Can Hardly Change the Weather |
Basketball is still a young game. It's over a hundred years old. In the winter of 1891, a certain college was having some trouble with its boy students. The weather was bad and the students had to stay indoors. As they couldn't play outdoors, they were unhappy, and some even got into fights from time to time.
Some of the teachers, at the college asked Dr. Naismith to invent a game so that the students might have something to play with. It was not easy to invent such a game because it had to be played indoors , and the court (球场) was not very large.
Dr. Naismith thought for a few days and invented a kind of ball game. It was a fast, wonderful game with much moving and passing of the ball. It was played between two teams. To make a score , the ball had to be thrown into the basket ten feet(英尺) above the floor on the wall . At each end of the court there was such a basket. At first, Dr. Naismith wanted to throw the ball into a box. As he could not find boxes of the right size, he had to use fruit baskets instead. That is how the game got its name. How long is it since basketball was invented?
| A．1000 years | B．More than 100 years |
| C．1100 years | D．Less than 100 years |
The students felt unhappy because _______.
| A．they had much homework to do |
| B．they often got into fights |
| C．they couldn't play outdoors |
| D．they had little time to study |
Who asked Dr. Naismith to invent a game?
| A．Some students | B．Some teachers |
| C．Some students' parents | D．Some of his friends |
When a student ______ , he makes a score.
| A．receives the ball. |
| B．throws the ball to another student |
| C．runs quickly with the ball in his hand |
| D．throws the ball into the basket |
Which sentence is right?
| A．Dr. Naismith had to use fruit baskets to throw the ball. |
| B．It was easy to invent the game. |
| C．The students could go outdoors when the weather was bad. |
| D．The ball had to be thrown into the basket ten feet above the floor. |
Bamboo (竹子) is one of nature's (自然) most surprising plants. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass.
Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist reported one bamboo plant which grew 1. 5 metres(4 feet) in 24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe. There are more than 1, 000 kinds of bamboo.
Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimetres wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimetres (1 foot) across. This plant also comes in different colours, from yellow to black to green.
Bamboo has been used to make many things such as hats and kitchen tools( 厨房用具). Because it is strong, bamboo is also used to build buildings.
Many Asian countries have used bamboo for hundreds of years. They often use bamboo for buildings and supporting (支撑) new buildings and bridges while they are being built.
In Africa, poor farmers are taught how to find water using bamboo. These African countries need cheap way to find water because they have no money, and their fields often die from no rain and no water. Bamboo pipes( 管子) help poor farmers bring water to their thirsty fields without spending a lot of money. How is bamboo like grass?
| A．It grows quickly. | B．It's wood. ` | C．it is easy to cut. | D．It is very thin. |
Though you can see bamboo everywhere, it doesn't grow.
| A．in China | B．in Europe | C．on mountains | D．in Africa |
Why is bamboo used by African poor farmers? Because.
| A．it is cheap | B．it has different colours |
| C．it is strong | D．it has been used by Asians |
Bamboo pipes can.
| A．make money | B．be trees | C．grow quickly | D．carry water |
In Asia, bamboo has been used for.
| A．a short time |
| B．many thousands of years |
| C．many hundreds of years |
| D．about 100 years |
Chicago On a Budget
How to have fun in Chicago without spending a lot of money?
Sightseeing
○ The Art Institute of Chicago has a fine collection of photos and paintings. The ticket is ＄10.00,but go on Tuesdays and you’ll get in free(免费).
○ The Sears Tower is the world’s third tallest building. By going to the 103rd floor, you can get a great view of the whole city! All for only ＄8.50.
○ There are free concerts in Grant Park in summer. They are held Wednesday through Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.
○ Attend the taping of a TV show for free. The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Jenny Jones Show both offer tourists free tickets. For The Oprah Winfrey Show you’ll have to book tickets at least a month before.
Places to stay
You can get a hotel for ＄100 to ＄ 300 a day. However, you can get a room in the dormitory(宿舍) at Roosevelt University for ＄215 for a whole week! But you have to stay for 30 days to get this great rate(优惠).This passage is written for telling us ___________.
| A．Chicago is a big and beautiful city | B．where we can see fine photos and paintings |
| C．how to make a cheap trip in Chicago | D．there are many free concerts in Chicago |
It will cost you _________ if you visit the Art Institute instead of the Sears Tower on Sundays.
| A．more | B．less | C．the same | D．none |
You may go to ________ if you like to get a great view of the whole city.
| A．the Art Institute | B．the Sears Tower |
| C．Roosevelt University | D．Grant Park |
You have to spend at least _____________in all to stay in a dormitory room at Roosevelt University at a good rate.
| A．＄100 | B．＄300 | C．＄215 | D．＄860 |
According to this passage, which of the following statements in NOT TRUE ?
| A．You are free to go to the Art Institute on Tuesdays. |
| B．Free Grant Park concerts are held four nights a week in summer. |
| C．The Sears Tower is the world’s third tallest building. |
| D．You can get tickets to The Oprah Winfrey as soon as you arrive. |
Michael Jackson is one of the world’s best singers. Michael Jackson was born in the middle west of Gary, Indiana, in 1958. He began singing with his four brothers. They called the group “Jackson Five”. The group became very popular after appearing on a television progam. They started singing in 1965, became popular soon. In 1970 the group made their first record the name of “I Want You Back”. It was very popular. One of their hit records was “Never Say Goodbye”.
Michael was good at dancing as well as singing, for example, his dance moves and moon walking. He was asked to act in a film in 1978 for the first time, in the same year he made a record on his own, which sold eight million copies all over the world.
Michael nearly didn’t go out because he was too famous. Once his fans went off in a faint（晕倒） when they saw him at the concert. No one can do it by now. He lived in a large house and kept lots of animals. He never ate meat. He often raises money for charity. This made him win the Guinness World Records（吉尼斯世界纪录）in 2006. He died on June 25th, 2009, but he would live in our heart forever.What’s the name of their first record?
| A．“Never Say Goodbye” | B．“See You, See Me” |
| C．“I Want You Back” | D．“On the World” |
Michael was good at __________ according to the passage.
| A．rock music | B．street dance |
| C．playing the piano | D．moon walking |
Why did Mochael have to stay at home most of the time?
| A．Because he was too famous |
| B．Because he often felt lonely. |
| C．Because he had no friends |
| D．Because his company asked him to do so |
In 1995，Oseola McCarty gave a present of $150 000 to the University of Southern Mississippi. She wanted to help poor students. It was a very generous thing to do. But her friends and neighbors were surprised. McCarty was a good woman. She went to church. She was always friendly and helpful. But everyone in her town knew that McCarty was not rich. In fact，she was poor.
How did a poor 86-year-old woman have so much money？ Oseola McCarty was born in 1908 in Hattiesburg，Mississippi. She had to leave school when she was eight years old to help her family. She took a job washing clothes. She earned only a few dollars a day. Oseola washed the clothes by hand. Then she hung the clothes to dry. She did this for nearly 80 years. In the 1960s，she bought an automatic washer and dryer. But she gave them away. She did not think they got the clothes clean enough！At that time，many people started to buy their own washers and dryers. McCarty did not have much work， so she started to iron clothes instead.
McCarty never married or had children. Her life was very simple. She went to work and to church. She read her Bible （圣经）。She had a black-and-white television. But she did not watch it very much. It had only one channel.
McCarty saved money all her life and eventually had about $250 000. When she was 86，a lawyer helped her make a will. She left money to the church，her relatives，and the university. McCarty just wanted to help others. She did not think she was a special person. But then people found out about her present to the university. She received many honors （荣誉）。She even flew in an airplane for the first time！Oseola McCarty died in 1999. She was a shy and ordinary woman who became famous.
根据以上短文内容，然后从每题所给的四个选项中选择最佳选项。Oseola McCarty gave $150 000 to the University of Southern Mississippi _______.
| A．to help the poor students | B．to surprise her friends and neighbors |
| C．to show her generosity | D．to be a good and rich woman |
From the story we know _______.
| A．McCarty was born in a poor family near the University of Southern Mississippi |
| B．everyone was surprised because they thought McCarty had no education |
| C．washers and dryers brought a change in McCarty‘s life |
| D．McCarty gave half of her money to the church and her relatives |
Which of the following is true？
| A．McCarty had to work to help her family after school every day. |
| B．McCarty learned to read the Bible by herself in the school. |
| C．McCarty made one third of her money by washing and ironing clothes. |
| D．McCarty did not have her own family because she had no husband or children. |
From which of the following can we tell McCarty lived a simple life？
| A．She worked hard all her life. | B．She didn‘t think she was special. |
| C．She didn‘t have many interests. | D．She had a TV set with many channels. |
Which of the following is true？
| A．McCarty died at the age of eighty-six. |
| B．McCarty did the job of washing for more than eighty years. |
| C．McCarty gave her presents to both universities and churches. |
| D．McCarty was given many honors because of her good deeds. |