Each December， I promised to make Christmas a relaxed and peaceful experience. I didn’t spend too much time on card writing， endless cooking and decorating. Yet still， I found myself tired， unable to enjoy the valuable family moments， and of course， to understand the true meaning of .
Christmas came again. My son， Nicholas， was in primary school that year. It was a very season for a six-year-old. For weeks， he’d been memorizing songs for his school’s “Winter Celebration.” All the parents were invited to be present at their show.
I didn’t have the heart to tell him I’d be working. Unwilling to his shining moment， I spoke with his teacher. She told me there’d be a dress rehearsal(彩排) the morning of the presentation. All unable to be present that evening were welcome to come then.
So， on the of the dress rehearsal， I arrived ten minutes early. Around the room， I saw several other parents. Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as “Christmas”， I didn’t anything other than fun. So， when my son’s class rose to sing “Christmas Love”， I was a little bit surprised by its title.
Nicholas was excited， as were all of his classmates. Those in the front row held up large letters， one by one， to out the title of the song. As the class would sing “C is for Christmas，” a child would hold up the letter C. Then， “H is for Happy，” and on and on all the children presented the complete message “Christmas Love”.
The show was going smoothly， until suddenly， a small， quiet， girl in the front row held the letter “M” upside down — totally not knowing her letter “M” appeared as a “W”. The audience(观众) laughed at this little girl’s . But she had no idea why they were laughing at her， so she stood tall， holding her “W”. The laughter continued until the last letter was raised， and we all saw it together. A sudden came over the audience and eyes began to widen. At that moment， we understood why we were there and why we the holiday.
For when the last letter was held high， the message read loud and clear： “CHRIST WAS LOVE”.
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Do you know what makes lightning（闪电）？Why does lightning strike（击打）？
Lightning strikes happen when ice and water in clouds rub（摩擦）together， and cause atmospheric（大气层的）changes． When this happens， it creates a static charge（静电）．Lightning can strike inside the cloud， between two clouds or between a cloud and Earth． It's the last kind of strike that is the most dangerous for humans．
Lightning can be very dangerous． Every year， lightning kills people because it can start big fires or because it reaches a temperature of 28， 000 C． About l， 000people are hit by lightning every year in the United States， and about 100of them die as a result．
Lightning makes people shocked， and it happens all over the world! Scientists think that there are more than three million lightning strikes every day in the world﹣that's thirty strikes every second（秒）． An American mant Roy Sullivan， who worked in a park， survivedfrom the most lightning strikes． Between 1942and 1983， he was hit seven times! And he keeps the highest world record．
Lightning is sure not something to play with． When lightning strikes， it's best to stay inside a large building． To stay safe， do not stand under trees， on hills or near water． Also， do not lie down on the ground， or the electricity may go through you and cause a heart problem．
（1）Lightning strikes C ．
| A． |
happen thirty times each day |
| B． |
happen when there are big fires |
| C． |
can reach a very high temperature |
| D． |
can kill all those who work in a park |
（2）What does the underlined word " survived" mean in Chinese？ A
| A． |
幸存 |
| B． |
选择 |
| C． |
遇难 |
| D． |
失忆 |
（3）How many people hit by lightning die every year in America？ C
| A． |
About 1000people． |
| B． |
About 28，000people． |
| C． |
About one tenth of people． |
| D． |
About one fourth of people． |
（4）Where's the safest place to stay when lightning strikes？ D
| A． |
Under a tree． |
| B． |
Near a river． |
| C． |
On the top of a hill． |
| D． |
Inside a building． |
Recently， my husband and I had the chance to do something good for two people who were complete strangers to us． It made us feel so good to be able to do it that I thought I should share， We were traveling to Thailand on New Year's Day with our family． Since I travel a lot for work， we have had enough flying miles to become the VIP （very important person．） of the flight to enjoy first class（头等舱） seats．
As we were sitting in the very first two seats in the first row of first class waiting for the plane to take off， I heard one of the flight attendants （航班服务员） telling the others that there was a young couple sitting in the back of the plane that had just been married several days before and were going on their honeymoon（蜜月）． They had ordered their flight eight months before but， for some reason， had not been able to get seats together． No one else on the plane wanted to move and the bride（新娘） was in tears．
I turned to my husband and told him what I heard． We agreed without thinking twice and I called the flight attendant over to tell her that we would be happy to give up our seats for this young couple， The flight attendant seemed shocked and amazed and said． "Really？ Are you sure？"
We said． "Sure!"
So， we moved to the back of the plane， I was in a middle seat in the back part and my husband，who is 63， in the window seat of the last row of the plane．
The flight attendants were very thankful for what we had done and cared for us carefully even though we were no longer sitting in first class， and we both made friends with the people sitting around us and had a great flight． I had to go back to the front of the plane to get a forgotten object back during the flight and noticed that the young couple were sitting very close together， happily sipping champagne （品尝香槟）．
It really made my New Year to get on to such a wonderful start!
（1）When did the writer travel to Thailand？
| A． |
On the first day of April． |
| B． |
On the first day of January． |
| C． |
On the first day of March． |
| D． |
On the first day of February． |
（2）Why could the writer get the first class seats？
| A． |
Because she was old． |
| B． |
Because she was sick． |
| C． |
Because she often traveled． |
| D． |
Because she had much money． |
（3）Where did the writer sit at last？
| A． |
In the first row． |
| B． |
In a middle seat． |
| C． |
In the last row． |
| D． |
In the window seat． |
（4）What's the passage mainly about？
| A． |
A young couple gave their seats to the old． |
| B． |
The flight attendants helped the old couple． |
| C． |
All the passengers helped the young couple． |
| D． |
An old couple offered their seats to the strangers． |
We all know that his name is Harry Potter．
And we all know that Harry Potter written by J．K． Rowling has influenced the lives of its readers．
Here are some fans' stories about the influence of the books on them．
Melanie Martin
I was lonely， and Harry Potter helped me get better．
When I was 16， my family moved away to a foreign country． I lived with my uncle and his family． At that time， I was lonely． Times were grey， but Harry Potter always gave me something to look forward to． The books helped me understand that I could talk to my friends， depend on them． And the books have taught us to care about others． Thanks to J．K． Rowling． How I wish to get her autograph（亲笔签名） !
Krystal Sim
Like Harry， I'd lost my mother． Harry Potter helped me face it．
My mother had been dead by the time I read Harry Potter． Though I was an 11﹣year﹣old girl， I understood a little of how Harry felt， I remember staying up to read it through the night and ending up crying as Lily Potter， Harry's mother， said to him﹣"You've been so brave．" Those are the kind of words you want to hear when you've lost a parent． They hit your heart sometimes， in the most beautiful way． I think I can be a lot stronger than before．
Matthew Lawrence
I didn't want to read， until my friends told me about a wizard （魔法师） called Harry．
I didn't like reading until I heard a lot of my friends reading Harry Potter． I read it from the first page to the last page． As Harry， Hermione and Ron grew up， I grew up， too． Harry Potter showed me that reading could be enjoyable． It changed my life because it led me to love reading．
（1）Who will probably ask for J．K， Rowling's autograph according to the passage？
A． Melanie Martin．
B． Krystal Sim．
C． Lily Potter．
D． Matthew Lawrence．
（2）Which of the following is TRUE in the passage？
A． Melanie Martin and Harry Potter both lost their mothers．
B． Matthew Lawrence always wanted to read with his friends．
C． Krystal Sim was 11when her family moved to a foreign country．
D． Harry， Hermione and Ron might be the characters in Hany Potter．
（3）What is the best title for the passage？
A． How to read Harry Potter
B． How Harry Potter Changed My Life
C． Reading Harry Potter Is Enjoyable
D． Every Child Knows Harry Potter
Imagine a perfect day： the weather is good and everything seems fine． When， suddenly， your mobile phone loses its signal， the television has no programs， and you can't get online with your computer．
What has happened？ These are just the types of problems a solar storm（太阳风 暴）might cause． You may not think of storms as putting our society in danger． But today， a solar storm is as serious as other bad events， such as earthquakes．
A solar storm is caused by solar flares（太阳耀斑）： large explosions（爆炸）near the sun that can give off lots of energy． The strong energy can stop the satellite systems（卫星系统）that control our computers， telecom networks and so on． These storms can even cause the power to go out for weeks or months．
In the past few months， scientists have recorded some of the strongest sun flares in years． The most recent one happened around Valentine's Day， 2011． It caused radio and satellite signals to go down in some northern cities in China．
"Solar flare activity is going to be much worse than what we've seen in the past． We're not talking about a few cities losing power， it could be half of the country， maybe more．" SolarStorm Warning．com， a US website about space weather， warned．
Scientists say that little can be done to predict such a storm． Governments around the world are trying to work together before the next storm， although they are not sure when that may happen．
根据短文内容，选择最佳选项，并在答题卡上将选定的答案字母标号涂黑．
（1）According to the passage， a solar storm can cause many problems EXCEPT that ．
| A． |
earthquakes happen |
| B． |
mobile phones have no signals |
| C． |
people cannot get online |
| D． |
the power may go out |
（2）According to the passage， solar flares are ．
| A． |
telecom networks |
| B． |
solar storms |
| C． |
large explosions near the sun |
| D． |
US websites |
（3）From the passage， the right order of the following is ．
a．solar flares give off lots of energy
b．people can't get online with their computers
c．solar storms happen
d．satellite systems are stopped
| A． |
a﹣b﹣c﹣d |
| B． |
a﹣c﹣d﹣b |
| C． |
c﹣a﹣b﹣d |
| D． |
c﹣b﹣a﹣d |
（4）The writer wrote the passage mainly to ．
A．call for scientists to predict when the next solar storm will happen
B．tell people how to solve the problems caused by solar storms
C．introduce what solar storms are to people
D．ask people to work to prevent the solar storm from happening
（5）In Paragraph 1， the underlined word "signal" means ．
| A． |
电池 |
| B． |
标志 |
| C． |
力量 |
| D． |
信号 |
Once there was a famine（饥荒）．A rich cook sent for twenty of the poorest children in the town and said to them， "In this basket there is a piece of bread for each of you．Take it and come back to me every day at this hour for more．"
In a hurry the hungry children got together around the basket，and fought over the bread because each wanted the largest piece．At last they went away without even thanking the good cook． Mary， a poorly﹣dressed girl， did not fight with the other children，but stood quietly in distance．When the badly﹣behaved children had left，Mary took the smallest piece，which was all left in the basket．She kissed the cook's hand and went home．
The next day the children were as badly﹣behaved as before． Mary got a piece of bread almost half the size of the one she got the first day．When she came home，her mother cut the bread open． Many new， shining pieces of silver fell out of it．
Her mother was very worried ，and said， "Take the money back to the cook at once．The silver must have fallen into the dough（面团）by accident． Hurry up， Mary．"
When the little girl gave the rich man her mother 's message， he said， "It was no mistake．I had the silver pieces put into the smallest bread for you as a prize． Always be as satisfied， peaceable and thankful as you now are． Go home now， and tell your mother that the money is yours．"
根据短文内容，选择最佳选项，并在答题卡上将选定答案的字母标号涂黑．
（1）What did Mary do while the others fought over the bread？
| A． |
She stood quietly in distance． |
| B． |
She fought over the bread． |
| C． |
She went home． |
| D． |
She sent for her mother． |
（2）How did the girl express her thanks to the cook？
| A． |
She left quietly without a word． |
| B． |
She kissed the cook's hand． |
| C． |
She gave money to the cook． |
| D． |
She behaved as badly as the other children． |
（3）Why did the cook put the silver pieces into the bread？
| A． |
Because he wanted to give them to the poorest child． |
| B． |
Because Mary's mother was very worried． |
| C． |
Because he wanted to give them to Mary as a prize． |
| D． |
Because Mary's family was poor． |
（4）What do you think of Mary's mother？
| A． |
She was very rich． |
| B． |
She was peaceable． |
| C． |
She was foolish． |
| D． |
She was very honest． |
（5）What is the passage mainly about？
| A． |
Some pieces of bread． |
| B． |
Some pieces of silver． |
| C． |
A good girl． |
| D． |
A rich cook． |