【2014年江苏省无锡市中考】阅读下面的短文，然后根据短文内-优题课

Dear Abby,
I'm a helpless mother. My son Tom is 15 years old. I find that the older he grows, the less we talk. I feel very sad and I really need help.
My first problem is about his hobbies. He spends almost all his spare time on computer games. When he gets home, he always turns on the computer and closes the door. I'm getting worried about him, especially when his English teacher tells me he always gets low marks in the English exams.
Second, he likes new technology, but I don't have enough money and I can't afford all the things he wants.
Recently, I've found that he is always alone. I've never seen him talking to his friends on the phone or going out with anyone on weekends. That is the last problem I have.
What should I do to help him? Please give me some advice.
A helpless mother
The helpless mother hasproblems.

A．two

B．three

C．four

D．five

Tom for almost all his spare time at home.

A．plays computer games

B．talks with his mother

C．does his homework

D．practises typing (打字)

From the passage we know that Tom's mother .

A．is not worried about Tom

B．feels very happy

C．is not rich

D．likes new technology

The helpless mother asks Abby to

A．play with Tom

B．talk to Tom

C．buy what Tom wants

D．give her some advice

Which of the following is TRUE about Tom？

A．He is 14 years old.

B．He is not good at English.

C．He often phones to his friends.

D．He likes going out on weekends.

Jamie was born in a small village in the north of England. He is nine years old. He likes playing basketball very much. When he is free, he always plays basketball with his friends in the open air. Sometimes he walks in the forest and picks some flowers by himself.
Last Friday, Jamie finished his homework after the second class in the morning. He hurried to play basketball. The playground was wet. After some time his basketball was dirty and his hands were dirty, too. It was 9: 45 and the third class began. Jamie had no time to wash his hands and ran into his classroom. Mr Black, his English teacher, told Jamie to write some new words on the blackboard. Jamie stood in front of the blackboard and started to write. Mr Black saw his right hand was dirty.
"Oh, dear!" said the teacher. "Your right hand is dirty. I'm sure it's the dirtiest in our class."
"You are wrong, Mr Black," said Jamie. Then he showed his left hand and it was dirtier.
From the first paragraph (段) we know Jamie __________.

A．was born in 2003

B．likes playing football

C．doesn't like flowers

D．lives in the south of England

When did Jamie play basketball last Friday?

A．After the first class.

B．After the third class.

C．Between the first class and the second class.

D．Between the second class and the third class.

Jamie's hands were dirty last Friday because .

A．the playground was wet

B．he picked flowers in the morning

C．he has no habit of washing his hands

D．there was no water to wash his hands

Mr Black asked Jamie to.

A．wash his hands

B．write some words

C．show his right hand

D．show his left hand

What's the best title (题目) for the passage?

A．Where are you from?

B．Can you play basketball?

C．You are wrong

D．I'm sorry

阅读下面短文，根据短文内容完成表格中所缺信息，每空一词。
In common with many countries, Britain has serious environmental problems. In 1952, more than 4,000 people died in London because of the smog. The government introduced new laws to stop smog from coal fires and factories and the situation improved a lot.
Today, London is much cleaner but there is a new problem: smog from cars. In December
1991, there was very little wind in London and pollution increased a lot. As a result, about 160
people died from pollution in just four days.
Part of the problem is the new ‘out of town’ shopping centres. In the past, people often walked to shops near their home or went by bus. Now, many people drive to the new shopping centres. As a result, the small shops have disappeared and more people have to travel to do their shopping.
Critics say that Britain needs better and cheaper public transport. Transport in Britain is very expensive. An early morning train trip from Glasgow to London (about 600km) can cost about
￡100, for example. A short 15-minute bus trip can cost over ￡1.00.
Many people are trying to reduce the use of cars in Britain. Some cities now have special bicycle paths and many people cycle to work. Some people also travel to work together in one car to reduce the pollution and the cost.
EnvironmentalinBritain

Time	Causes		Solutions
In the	Smogcoal fires and factories	4,000 people died in 1952.	New laws were.
Today	Smog caused by .	About 160 people in a few days in 1991.	★ Provide better andpublic transport. ★ Build special paths for bicycles. ★ Travel to workin one car.

Saturday morning was bright and fresh. There was a song in every heart, cheer on every face, and a spring in every step.
Tom appeared with a bucket of white paint in one hand and a brush in the other. His Aunt Polly told him to paint the fence around the garden. It was thirty yards long and nine feet high. He felt very depressed.
Then he had a wonderful idea. He picked up his brush and started to work.
Soon Ben came along the road. He was happily eating an apple. He stopped to look at Tom. Tom went on painting and pretended（假装）not to see Ben.
“I’m going swimming,” said Ben. “Do you want to go swimming, Tom? But I guess you can’t. You have to stay and work, don’t you?”
“Work?” Tom said. “This isn’t work. I’m enjoying myself. Does a boy get a chance to paint a fence like this every day?”
Ben thought about this. Tom continued painting carefully. Sometimes he stopped, stood back to look at the fence like an artist, and then added a bit more paint in just the right place. Ben was watching Tom paint with great interest. He was getting more and more eager to have a try himself.
After a while, Ben asked Tom if he would let him paint a little. Tom thought about it, and said,
“No, Ben, I can’t. You see. Aunt Polly wants it to be done well. Aunt Polly said that I must paint it with great care.”
“Oh, please, Tom,” begged Ben. “I can do it. I’ll be really careful. Just let me try. I’ll give you half of my apple. Well, I’ll give you all of it!”
“Well, all right, Ben,” said Tom. “You must be very careful.”
He gave Ben his brush with worry on his face but joy in his heart. He sat down under the tree, and started to eat Ben’s apple. All day, boys came to make fun of Tom, but they ended up staying to paint. When Ben got tired, Billy was waiting. He gave Tom a kite for a chance to paint. Then Johnny offered him twelve marbles, and so on.
By late afternoon Tom had gained all sorts of toys, and the fence had gained three coats of paint. Later Aunt Polly came to look at the painted fence. She was so pleased with Tom’s work that she gave Tom a large cake!
Why did Tom pretend not to see Ben when he came and watched him painting?

A．He saw Ben eating an apple happily.

B．He tried to make Ben interested in it.

C．He didn’t want to go swimming with Ben at all.

D．He didn’t want Ben to share the chance to paint the fence.

What do the underlined words “spring” and “coat” probably mean in the passage according to the given dictionary entries （词条）?
spring
1 [U,C]the season between winter and summer when plants begin to grow春天；春季
2 [U]the ability of a spring to return to its original position弹性；弹力
3 [C]a place where water comes naturally to the surface from under the ground泉
4 [U]a cheerful, lively quality活力；朝气
coat
1 [C]a piece of clothing with long sleeves that you wear over other clothes when you go outside外套
2 [C]the fur or hair on an animal’s skin
（动物的）皮毛
3 [C]a layer of something such as paint that you put onto a surface覆盖层；涂层

A．4;3

B．4;2

C．3;3

D．1;3

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Tom gained some toys by helping his friends.

B．Tom’s friends often helped him paint the fence.

C．Tom successfully tricked his friends into painting the fence.

D．Billy was the fourth boy to have the chance to paint the fence.

What do you think of Tom?

A．He was honest.

B．He was smart.

C．He was shy.

D．He was stubborn.

1. Where are the rainforests?
Rainforests cover six per cent of the Earth’s surface. There are rainforests in many parts of the world but the biggest forests are in South America, Africa and South East Asia. There aren’t any rainforests in Europe or North America.
2. What’s in the rainforests?
About 75% of all the types of animals that we know come from rainforests. Thousands and thousands of animals live in rainforests. There are many very beautiful birds, insects and reptiles. Many of them live in the trees, more than 30 metres from the ground. There are also thousands of different plants—and lots of tall trees! It is always hot in a rainforest and
the ground is always wet. It is also dark.
3. Why are the rainforests important?
The rainforests are very important for us. We need them! The trees and other plants in the forest help to make the air that we breathe. They give us wood, rubber, fruits and many of our medicines.
4.
Unfortunately, in many places, the rainforests are in danger. For example, many years ago there was a large rainforest in Java. There were thousands of different plants and animals in the forest, but now there is nothing. People chopped down the trees because they wanted to grow rice. Many animals lived in the rainforest. Some of them went to other parts of Java but many of them disappeared — forever. The same thing is happening now in many other parts of the world. The rainforests are in danger.
In which of the following places can we find rainforests according to Paragraph 1?
A. In the UK. B. In Asia. C. In the USA. D. In France.
Which of the following belongs to a kind of “reptile”?

A．A sparrow.

B．A swallow.

C．A snake.

D．A butterfly.

Which might be the best title for Paragraph 4?

A．What’s happening to the rainforests?

B．What can we find in the rainforests in Java?

C．Why did people chop down the trees in the rainforests?

D．Why did many plants and animals disappear in the rainforests?

What is the writer’s purpose of writing the article?

A．To tell us how to survive in the rainforests.

B．To help us know some living things in the rainforests.

C．To tell us to care about the protection of the rainforests.

D．To give us advice on how to make full use of the rainforests.

A．invitation	B．timetable
C．notice	D．advertisement