The children in the village wear dirty, cheap clothes. They sleep beside cows and sheep in small houses. They have no school. But they can write 26 English letters, and some know a few English words.
How did it happen? It was because a U.S. group called One Computer Every Child offered them 20 computers. Can children teach themselves to read when they have no schools or teachers but have the help of today’s new technology(技术)? The goal(目的) of the group is to find out the answer. And the results are exciting. “The children are learning more than they would in one year of school,” said Matt Keller, who organized the programme.
The fastest learner was an eight-year-old boy called Kelbesa Negusse. He said that he himself was like a lion. Keller said, “Seven months ago he didn’t know any English. But now he has known many words. I think if you give them food and water they will never leave the computer room. They will spend day and night there.”
Kelbesa said, “I like the computer because I can learn things with it.” He added, “I know many English words, like dog, monkey, horse, sheep, cow, pig and cat.”
Keller said that One Computer Every Child was planning a programme for children who couldn’t go to school.
| A．easy | B．poor | C．rich | D．bored |
| A．They go to school every day. |
| B．They have good teachers. |
| C．One Computer Every Child gave them computers. |
| D．They can learn from books. |
| A．To teach children how to use today’s new technology. |
| B．To help children to spend their free time. |
| C．To help children out of their hard life. |
| D．To help children teach themselves to read through new technology. |
| A．Kelbesa is in Grade 2 now. |
| B．Keller is the teacher of those children. |
| C．The computers help the children a lot. |
| D．Kelbesa doesn’t like the computer. |
| A．How to learn by yourself |
| B．The development of One Computer Every Child |
| C．Computers are better than teachers |
| D．Learning with the help of computers |
Three men traveling on a train began a conversition about the world's greatest wonders.
“ In my opinion,” the first man said, “ the Egyptian pyramids are the world’s greatest wonder. Although they were built thousands of years ago, they are still standing. And remember: the people who built them had only simple tools. They didn’t have the kind of machinery that builders and engineers have today.
“ I agree that the Egyptian pyramids are wonderful,” the second man said, “ But I don’t think they’re the greatest wonder. I believe computers are more wonderful than the pyramids. They have taken people to the moon and brought them back safely. They carry out mathematical calculations in seconds that would take a person a hundred years to do.”
He turned to the third man and asked, “ What do you think is the greatest wonder in the world?”
The third man thought for a long time, then he said, “ Well, I agree that the pyramids are wonderful, and I agree that computers are wonderful, too. However, in my opinion, the most wonderful thing in the world is the thermos(保温瓶).”
And he took a thermos out of his bag and held it up.
The other two men were very surprised. “ A thermos?” they exclaimed(大声说), “ But that’s a simple thing.”
“ Oh, no, it’s not,” the third man said, “ in the winter you put in a hot drink and it stays hot, in the summer you put in a cold drink and it stays cold. How does the thermos know whether it is winter or summer?”The travelers passed the time on the train by talking about _______.
| A．the journey | B．the train | C．themselves | D．wonderful things |
The three men could not agree on what the world’s greatest wonder was because _______.
| A．they could not think of anything very wonderful |
| B．they all had different ideas |
| C．they could not prove that their opinions were right |
| D．the journey ended too soon |
The first man thought the pyramids were the most wonderful things in the world because _______.
| A．they were very beautiful |
| B．they were Egyptian |
| C．they had been built with very simple tools |
| D．they could do mathematical calculations |
The third man thought a thermos was the most wonderful thing in the world because _______.
| A．it lasted longer than the pyramids |
| B．it cost less than a computer |
| C．he thought it knew whether it was winter or summer |
| D．the other two men were surprised when he told them about it |
The third man was not very clever because _______.
| A．he could not think of anything to say |
| B．he did not understand how a thermos works |
| C．he did not think the pyramids were wonderful |
| D．he did not know anything about computers |
In China, water is used in many different ways. Farming takes 60 percent of China’s water use. Personal use, like drinking water, takes only 12 pencent. Fifty- three countries and regions (地方) in the world have water shortages. About one fifth of the world’s population was suffer(遭受) from water shortage.
Tips for saving water
Saving water is as easy as turning off a tap! Here are some simple things you can do at home.
²Turn off the water while you’re brushing your teeth.
²Take shorter showers. Can you get your showers down to three minutes?
²Fill a liter (升) plastic bottle with water and put it in your toilet tank. It will take up the same space as the water usually does, but in a year, it will keep 20,000 liters of water.
²When you wash dishes and clothes, don’t let the water run.
²Use the washing machine only when it’s full of clothes.
²根据短文内容，填写下面表格。
| Saving water |
||
| In China, ___1______ takes 60 percent of China’s water use. |
||
| Tips for saving water |
||
| _2_______ off the water while you’re brushing your teeth. |
Take _____3__ showers. It’s best to get your showers down to three minutes. |
|
| Using a plastic bottle with water, put it in your toilet tank to __4_____ water. |
Don’t let the water _5_____when you wash dishes and clothes. |
|
| Don’t use the __6______________unitl it is full of clothes. |
||
补全对话：根据对话内容从方框中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。
A: Do you like living in the city or the countryside?
B: __1_____
A: But I think the countryside is much better than the city for living.
B: ___2_____
A: Because there is terrible traffic and too much noise in the city.
B: ___3____ I think the city is a wonderful place to live in, because we can go to parties, concerts and operas every day if we like.__4____
A: Maybe you are right. ____5___
Long time ago, our world was very beautiful. There were trees, flowers and rivers. It was very clean and tidy. 1. We are living in a polluted environment, which is bad for out earth. 2.The public has been calling for actions against pollution. Scientists have told us to protect out environment, 3.
The earth is our only home. We should make it comfortable for ourselves and for our children in the future. Now nearly all of the countries are trying their best to stop pollution. Although they have done much, the progress is slow, 4 . No matter how difficult it is, we should try our best to fight against pollution. By working together, 5.
根据短文内容，从方框中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，补全短文。
It was so dark outside the car window that it was hard to see anything.
“ Can I have a carrot, Mom?” Bruce asked.
“I don’t have any carrots,” his mom said. “How about an apple?”
“No,” said Bruce. “It has to be a carrot.”
“Why do you want a carrot?” asked his mom
“You always say carrots help your eyes.” said Bruce. “If I eat one now, it might help me see in the dark.”
Would eating a carrot really help Bruce? What is special about carrots? What makes a carrot special is its color. Carrots are orange because they contain(包含) bta-carotene( 胡萝卜素). Beta-carotene is a way of saying vitamin A. Your eyes need vitamin A. It helps them work.
When light hits your eye, very small parts inside turn the light into messages. The messages go to your brain（大脑）, and then you know what you’re looking at. Your eye can only turn light into messages when it has a special chemical(化学物质). Your eyes use vitamin A to make the special chemical. Every time your eye changes light into messages, a little bit of the chemical is used up. By the end of the day, you’ve looked at hundreds of things. That uses up a lot of the chemical. Your eyes need to make more.
What should you eat if you don’t like carrots? Don’t worry. Other fruits and vegetables have vitamin A, too. The secret is in their color. Most orange or red fruits and vegetables contain beta-carotene, or vitamin A, Sweet vegetable, red peppers（胡椒）, Mangoes(芒果) are a few foods that have the same orange secret. Bruce wanted a carrot because he thought _______.
A. he liked it
B. it could help him see in the dark
C. it was sweet and deliciousHow does vitamin A help your eyes work?
A. The special chemical can stop your eyes from using up vitamin A.
B. The special chemical is used to make Vitamin A which turns the light into messages
C. Vitamin A is used to make the special chemical which turns light into messages. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Carrots are orange because they store beta-carotene.
B. Any food which is orange or red must have some Vitamin A.
C. Most fruits that are orange or red store some beta-carotene or Vitamin A. Sweet vegetable, red peppers, and mangoes don’t have the same orange secret, do they?
A. No, they don’t.B. Yes, they do. C. I’m not sure. The passage mainly tells us that _______.
A. we can’t see in the dark unless we eat many carrots every day
B. we can’t see unless we eat a lot of orange or red food every day
C. we should eat some food containing vitamin A so that we can see well