As Sam slowly woke, he got a funny feeling in his stomach. He knew he would have to do something that he had been afraid to do for a long time.
The school bus came on time, and he sat with his friend, Billy. They chatted about baseball. It was a great way to get his mind off what he had to do later. As they got close to the school, he could feel his heart beating. His hands were starting to sweat. He hated this！
He entered Mrs Owens' class. She was smiling and saying hello to all her students as she did every morning.
"Hi, Sam!" she said as he walked in.
"Hi," he said and quickly sat in his seat. Then the class began to take their spelling test. He looked at the clock. The time was near. He hoped he was not first！Mrs Owens said it was time to begin their special day.
"Sam, you'll be first." Mrs Owens said to the class, "Sam has worked very hard on his report on Hawaii, and I know it is very interesting."
Sam nervously greeted his class. Then, he thought about the fun things he had read about surfing, volcanoes, and pineapples in Hawaii, and he started to talk. He talked in front of the whole class, and it was fun. The class clapped as he finished and Mrs Owens was smiling. It wasn't terrible at all and he knew he would do better the next time. How did Sam feel after he woke?
| A．Excited. |
| B．Nervous. |
| C．Happy. |
| D．Hungry. |
What did Sam have to do that day?
| A．To have a baseball match. |
| B．To take a reading test. |
| C．To go to a new class. |
| D．To do something special. |
What does the underlined word "sweat" probably mean?
| A．触摸 |
| B．鼓掌 |
| C．出汗 |
| D．指点 |
Which could be inferred (推断) from this passage?
| A．Sam hated chatting about baseball. |
| B．Sam learned about Hawaii by travelling. |
| C．Mrs Owens is unfriendly to her students. |
| D．The class enjoyed Sam's talk very much. |
Which is the best title for this passage?
| A．A Special Day |
| B．An Interesting Lesson |
| C．A Nice Teacher |
| D．A Professional Report |
You either have it , or you don’t –a sense of direction ,that is．But why is it that some people could find their way across the Sahara without a map ,while others can lose themselves in the next street?
Scientists say we’re all born with a sense of direction ,but it is not property understood how it works．One theory is that people with a good sense of direction have simply worked harder at developing it．Research being carried out at Liverpool University supports this idea and suggests that if we don’t use it．we lose it．
“Children as young as seven have the ability to find their way around．” says Jim Mart land．Research Director of the project．“However if they are not allowed out alone or are taken everywhere by car ,they never develop the skills”
Jim Mart land also emphasizes that young people should be taught certain skills to improve their sense of direction．He makes the following suggestions．
●If you are using a map ,turn it so it relates to the way you are facing．
●If you leave your bike in a strange place ,put it near something like a big stone or a tree．
Note landmarks on the route as you go away from your bike．When you return ,go back
along the same route
●Simplify the way of finding your direction by using lines such as streets in a town,
streams ,or walls in the countryside to guide you．Count your steps so that you know how
far you have gone and note any landmarks such as tower blocks or hills which can help to
find out where you are．
Now you need never get lost again!Scientists believe that ．
| A．some babies are born with a sense of direction |
| B．people learn a sense of direction as they grow older |
| C．people never lose their sense of direction |
| D．everybody posses a sense of direction from birth |
What is true of seven-year-old children according to the passage?
| A．They never have a sense of direction without maps． |
| B．They should never be allowed out alone if they lack a sense of direction． |
| C．They have a sense of direction and can find their way around． |
| D．They can develop a good sense of direction if they are driven around in a car． |
If you leave your bike in a strange place ,you should ．
| A．tie it to a tree so as to prevent it from being stolen |
| B．draw a map of the route to help remember where it is |
| C．avoid taking the same route when you come back in it |
| D．remember something easily recognizable on the route |
According to the passage the best way to find your way around is to ．
| A．ask policemen for directions |
| B．use walls．streams , and streets to guide yourself． |
| C．remember your route by looking out for steps and stairs． |
| D．count the number of landmarks that you see． |
The days of elderly women doing nothing but cooking huge meals on holidays are gone．Enter the Red Hat Society －a group holding the belief that old ladies should have fun．
“My grandmothers didn’t do anything but keep house and serve everybody．They were programmed to do that,” said Emily Cornett, head of a chapter of the 7-year-old Red Hat Society．
While men have long spent their time fishing and playing golf, women have sometimes seemed to become unnoticed as they age．But the generation now turning 50 is the baby boomers(生育高峰期出生的人), and the same people who refused their parents’ way of being young are now trying a new way of growing old．
If you take into consideration feminism(女权主义), a bit of spare money, and better health for most elderly, the Red Hat Society looks almost inevitable(必然的)．In this society, women over 50 wear red hats and purple(紫色的) clothes, while the women under 50 wear pink hats and light purple clothing．
“The organization took the idea from a poem by Jenny Joseph that begins: “When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple．With a red hat which doesn’t go,” said Ellen Cooper, who founded the Red Hat Society in 1998．When the ladies started to wear the red hats, they attracted lots of attention．
“The point of this is that we need a rest from always doing something for someone else,” Cooper saiD．“Women feel so ashamed and sorry when they do something for themselves．” This is why chapters are discouraged from raising money or doing anything useful．“We’re a ladies’ play group．It couldn’t be more simple,” added Cooper’s assistant Joe Heywood．The underlined word “chapter” in paragraph 2 means __________．
| A．one branch of an organization | B．a written agreement of a club |
| C．one part of a collection of poems | D．a period in a society’s history |
From the text , we know that the “baby boomers” are a group of people who ．
| A．have gradually become more noticeable |
| B．are worried about getting old too quickly |
| C．are enjoying a good life with plenty of money to spend |
| D．tried living a different life from their parents when they were young |
It could be inferred from the text that members of the Red Hat Society are ．
| A．interested in raising money for social work |
| B．programmers who can plan well for their future |
| C．believers in equality between men and women |
| D．good at cooking big meals and taking care of others |
Who set up the Red Hat Society ?
| A．Emily Cornett． | B．Ellen Cooper． | C．Jenny Joseph． | D．Joe Heywood． |
It all starts with a tree．In fact, it starts with several trees．Since the first modern guitars were made in northern Spain over 150 years ago, crafts persons have known the wood to be used is important in making a guitar.
Every guitar is made of several different kinds of wood．Each piece is carefully chosen and then cut to fit the part of the guitar for which it is designed．The most important part of a guitar is the soundboard--the piece of wood with a large hole that lies under the strings(弦,线)．Guitar makers are careful to make the soundboard just the right shape and thickness．Then they fix stripes（长条）of wood across the inside in a special pattern, which helps strengthen the soundboard and improves the tone of the guitar.
Wood for the curvy (弯曲的) sides of the guitar must be soaked (浸湿) in water and bent over a hot iron pipe．When all the pieces of the guitar are ready, they are carefully stuck together with glue．Special woodworking tools are used to shape and smooth the neck of the guitar．The craftsperson must make sure that the neck is perfectly centered over the soundboard.
Then it is time to use varnish(亮光漆)．This brings out the beauty of the wood．Varnish also improves the sound of the guitar but too much varnish makes the guitar sound flat and dull.
Finally guitar strings are attached and tightened to make just the right musical tones．Then it’s time to play a song．(273 words)The best title for this passage may be _____.
| A．How to Make a Guitar | B．What a Guitar Is Made of |
| C．How to Play the Guitar | D．Where to Find the Best Guitar |
In order to make the soundboard strong, _____.
| A．people tie strings to the top of it |
| B．stripes are stuck across the inside of wood |
| C．a large hole is made in it |
| D．several pieces of wood are glued together |
Which of the following doesn’t affect the sound of a guitar?
| A．Soundboard | B．strings | C．neck | D．color |
What will happen to the guitar if too much varnish is used to the wood?
| A．The beauty of the wood can’t be seen clearly. |
| B．The sound of the guitar will be flat and dull. |
| C．The tone of the guitar will be improved |
| D．A guitar will become thin |
A friend and I were standing in line at the grocery store the other day, and I was telling her how lazy my children were．I had come in from work that morning, and like most times, my house was wrecked.
“I believe children nowadays are just out for what they can get．They can never help keep our house clean.” I said, feeling unhappy.
“Do you know how happy you are?” a woman behind us asked．“I would love to go home and find my house a mess．I wouldn’t mind my floor being dirty．Nor would I mind the dirty clothes being piled high．I wouldn’t even mind anyone talking about my dirty home．I would love it．I would love to kick my way through the house just to get to my kids and be able to hug them, kiss them and tell them how much I love them．You see, my two children were killed in an accident． My house stays clean; my clothes stay put up; the dishes are done.”
“There are no fingerprints on my walls．There are no sounds of arguing, either．So you see, you are very lucky．I would give anything to be going through what you are now! How I’d love to be able to hold my kids, wipe away their tears and share their dreams! I wouldn’t care how my house looked．I would be happy just to have them.”
Now if you come into my house and see a big mess, you can think bad thoughts if you want, but I feel greatly blessed.(268 words)The writer was complaining about her children to her friend because they ____.
| A．would go out without permission | B．couldn’t keep the house clean |
| C．made her look dirty and bad | D．were too lazy to hug or kiss her |
My house was wrecked in the first paragraph means my house _____.
| A．was very dirty | B．was broken into |
| C．needed to be painted | D．looked beautiful |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Children shouldn’t be left home alone. |
| B．A mother lost her children in an accident. |
| C．People should be thankful for what life gives. |
| D．A mother complained about the mess at her house. |
Have fun with Stamp collecting..．Join the Collectors Club today!If you enjoy learning all about stamps, then the Royal Mail’s Collectors Club is for you．Join the club and discover the fascinating world of stamps．There are over 70,000 members and it is one of the biggest clubs of its kind in the country.
Become a member today and you will receive lots of wonderful stamp collecting goodies...
●A Starter pack...
And every two months...
●Collectors Club magazine
●Collectors Corner supplement
And every year...
●A new Stamp Calendar
●A set of Album Pages
Join today!
It won’t cost you much to experience the fun of stamp collecting.
Collectors Club Starter Pack
1.100 used stamps and hinges
2.The Collectors Club Guide to Collecting
3.The latest Collectors Club magazine (packed with news and views about stamps, quizzes and competitions, all in colour)
4.Album pages
5.Badge and stickers
6.Membership card
7.Royal Mail Stamp Calendar.
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View a Flash presentation about our club (3.51MB)Which of the following is NOT included in a starter pack?
| A．One hundred used stamps and hinges and album pages. |
| B．The Collectors Club Guide to Collecting and badge and stickers. |
| C．The latest Collectors Club magazine and membership card. |
| D．Royal Mail Stamp Calendar and Collectors Corner supplement. |
This advertisement is written for people who want to_______.
| A．make money through collecting stamps |
| B．develop stamp collection as a hobby |
| C．get something free from the club |
| D．find out where the club is located |
From the advertisement we can learn_____.
| A．Collectors Club is among the biggest clubs in this country |
| B．how much you must pay to become a member of the club |
| C．today is the last day for stamp collectors to join the club |
| D．members may receive a set of album pages every month |
Where is this advertisement most probably found?
| A．In a newspaper. | B．On a web page. |
| C．In a magazine. | D．On a TV program. |