Every year, we celebrate many special days─Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and New Year’s Day. In some countries, there is a special day for playing tricks on others. In North America and parts of Europe, this day is known as April Fool’s Day, and is celebrated on April 1.
Many people believe that the French started April Fool’s Day. Centuries ago, New Year’s Day in Europe was April 1. In 1582, the calendar changed and King Charles IX of France moved it to January 1.
Some people did not like this, and chose to keep April 1 as New Year’s Day. Many called these people ‘April fools’ and played jokes and tricks on them. Over time, April 1 became a day to have fun in France. It then spread to England and Scotland, and later, to North America.
On April Fool’s Day, jokes are common. In the United States, for example, a person may move a friend’s clock ahead one hour, or change the sugar and salt. In Scotland, April Fool’s Day lasts for two days. The second day is called ‘Taily Day’─for one’s ‘tail’. On this day, people might secretly put a sign saying ‘kick me’ on a person’s back or behind. Other countries have their own ‘Fool’s Day’. In Spain and Mexico, people play tricks on each other on December 28. In India, it happens on March 31.
In many countries around the world, April 1 is a day of fun. Jokes bring about a lot of laughter, and many shouts of ‘April Fool’! It is said that people first celebrated ‘Fool’s Day’ in .
| A．the United States | B．France |
| C．Scotland | D．Spain |
In North America, ‘Fool’s Day’ is celebrated on .
| A．April 1 | B．April 2 |
| C．December 28 | D．March 31 |
People are allowed to while celebrating ‘Fool’s Day’.
| A．kick your friends in the behind |
| B．move a friend’s clock ahead one hour |
| C．play jokes and tricks on your friends |
| D．take a holiday from work for two days |
Which country is NOT mentioned (提到) in the passage as celebrating ‘Fool’s Day’?
| A．England. | B．India. |
| C．Mexico. | D．Japan. |
Over time, April 1 became a day to have fun in France. It then spread to England …. Here “spread” means .
| A．盛行 | B．流传 | C．接受 | D．发展 |
阅读短文，完成表格。
We all dream about things that we would like to do we hope to achieve in the future. But are everybody’s dreams the same? Here are some of the findings of a survey about hopes and dreams, in which thousands of students across China took part in it.
What are the hopes of teenagers?
We received several different answers to the question: what would you like to do after finishing your education? It seems some students would like to start work as soon as possible, so that they can help provide better lives for their parents. Other students hope to continue studying after finishing school and to go to university. Although money is important, many teenagers said they want to do jobs they enjoy. According to the survey, the most popular choice of job is computer programming.
What are the dreams of teenagers?
Teenagers have all kinds of dreams. Some are more realistic than others. For example, many students said they would like to be volunteers if Beijing could hold the World Cup, maybe working as translators or tour guides. And quite a few said they dream of going to the moon one day.
According to the survey, less realistic dreams are also common, but many students reported that they were willing to work hard to achieve their dreams. Quite a few dream of becoming famous, perhaps famous sports people or singers. Some said they’d like to go on exciting trips; one students said she’d love to sail across the Pacific Ocean. And then there are dreams that are impossible; three students said they’d like to be able to fly!
Conclusion It was clear from the survey that teenagers have similar hopes. It seems that most students hope to have a good education and find a good job. On the other hand, students dream of very different things: good things, and even crazy things. It is very important to dream, so hold on your dreams; one day they may just come true.
| A survey about some Chinese students’ ___ |
|
| Hopes of teenagers |
Some students hope to start working as soon as possible. |
| Others hope to continue studying after finishing school and to go to university |
|
| Dreams of teenagers |
Some students have more realistic dreams such as working as volunteers at the 2008 Olympics, etc. |
| Others have less realistic dreams such as becoming famous sportspeople or singer, ___ |
|
| Some students ___ |
|
| Conclusion: The survey shows that teenagers have similar hopes and different dreams |
阅读下面的短文，根据所给语境，按要求完成下列各题。
①After Pluto (冥王星) was found in 1930, people took it as the ninth planet in our solar system(太阳系). But it isn’t like other planets. It is smaller and has an strange orbit(轨道). On August 24,2006， scientists said,“Pluto is not a planet.”
About 2,500 scientists met in Prague（布拉格，捷克首都）. At first, some of them said that there would be 12 planets in our solar system. In the end, the scientists said that only Mercury（水）, Venus（金）, Earth, Mars（火）, Jupiter（木）, Saturn（土）, Uranus（天王）and Neptune（海王）are the planets in the solar system. ②Each of these planets has its own orbit, and of the planets is big enough to be a planet. Pluto’s orbit overlaps (重叠) Neptune’s and it is smaller than the other planets. ③So Pluto is classified(划归/分类) as a dwarf planet (矮行星), but no longer a planet in the solar system.
Students at school will have new schoolbooks to learn the new solar system!根据①处完成下面的句子（每空一词）
Before people _______ Pluto in 1930, there were _______ planets in our solar system.根据②出完成下面的句子（每空一词）。
Every planet not only has its own _______ , but also is ______ enough.将③处译成汉语。
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Sarah ran in, shouting, “Look what I found!” Over the top of the paper I was reading; came a terrible thing that caused me to jump. It was a snake skin found in our garden.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” said my seven-year-old daughter.
I opened my eyes widely and looked at the snake skin in fear（恐惧地）. I didn’t think it was beautiful, but I learned never to appear nonchalant(冷漠的)with children. Everything they see for the first time is important to their sense of beauty; they see only excellence in the world.
“Why does it do this?” Sarah asked.
“Snakes shed(蜕) their skins because they need to renew themselves,” I explained.
“Why do they need to renew（使更新） themselves?” Sarah asked.
“We often need to shed our skins, those coatings that we cover ourselves with,” I said to my daughter. “We leave some things and find other thing unwanted or unnecessary. This snake no longer needs this skin. It is probably too little for him, and he probably doesn’t think he looks as smart in it as he once did. ”
As we talked, I knew that she began to understand. Although she couldn’t understand clearly, she would know that renewal is part of progress; that we need to take a good look at ourselves, our rooms, schoolwork and spirit, and see what we need to keep and what we need to leave. I was careful to tell that this is a natural way, not one to be forced.
“Snakes don’t peel off their skins when they like them. “I explained. “It happens as a natural thing of their growth. ”
“I see, Dad,” said Sarah as she held the snake skin, and then ran off.
I hoped she would remember this; we need to throw some away because they are worthless or unnecessary. Then we can store them as memories in our deep hearts.Father jumped up when her daughter came to him with a snake skin because ＿＿＿＿＿＿.
| A．he didn’t want to read any more |
| B．he was in great fear of it |
| C．he wanted to praised her daughter |
| D．he hated snakes |
Father’s patient explanation shows that ＿＿＿＿＿＿.
| A．his daughter didn’t want to listen to him at all |
| B．he knew children saw only excellence in the world |
| C．his daughter couldn’t follow him at all |
| D．he wanted to teach everything to her |
We learn from the reading that＿＿＿＿＿＿.
| A．the girl seemed to understand what her father said |
| B．the girl wasn’t interested in the explanation |
| C．the father was good at raising snakes |
| D．the father liked the snake skin better |
Your junior high school years are coming to an end. After the big exam, most of you will go on to study in a senior school. What are you expecting from senior high school? Let’s hear some teen readers talk about it.
Zhou Zhijie, 15, from Shanghai:
I have heard that although Senior 3 is a hard year, Senior 1 and Senior 2 are less stressful. I hope there’ll be time then to enjoy sports. There will be plenty to see. Especially, the World Cup in Brazil is coming. We can watch football matches. I’m sure I’ll really enjoy it.
Jin Xi, 16, from Harbin, Heilongjiang:
I really enjoy science. I visit many science exhibitions. I am interested in UFOs, too. I’m crazy about making model planes, although I’m not very good at it because I don’t really have enough scientific knowledge. I’ll be learning more science in senior high school. In a word, sometime in the future I’m going to build an excellent model plane!
Wang Yaling, 15, from Xiamen, Fujian:
I hope I can be taller in senior high school. I’m only 155cm. Many people grow faster in senior and I hope I will, too. I want to be 162cm. But I’m not sure about that, since most girls in my family don’t grow taller than 160cm. I hope I’m different.
Zhang Fang, 15, from Hebi, Henan:
I expect that I’ll make more friends in senior high school. I study in a middle school in the country. Most of my classmates live nearby. In senior high school, I’ll meet different people from different areas. I hope I can learn new things from them.
根据材料内容选择最佳答案，并将其标号填涂在答题卡的相应位置。Jin Xi believes that it needs ______ to make an excellent model plane.
| A．a quite long time | B．a lot of scientific knowledge |
| C．knowledge of UFOs | D．help from senior teachers |
Wang Yaling and Zhang Fang ______.
| A．are from one city | B．have a similar dream |
| C．have the same age | D．have a similar problem |
The students in the passage are talking about______.
| A．their hobbies | B．their experiences |
| C．their schools | D．their wishes |
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(积极的) feelings may reduce (减少)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(相等地) likely to get ill. But 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. |
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 |