Legend has it that an apple which fell from its branches was the inspiration for Sir Isaac Newton’s discovery of gravity(引力). But now history’s famous fruit tree is paying the price of fame.
The thousands of visitors drawn to Sir Isaac’s childhood home each year could be damaging the tree. A willow barrier(围栏)has been put around the tree. It means visitors to the 17th century Woolsthorpe Manor, near Grantham, Lincolnshire, will no longer be able to sit under its branches as Newton was said to have been doing in 1665 when “the notion of gravitation came to mind.”
The National Trust, which owns the small manor(庄园)where Newton was born in 1642, said the 2ft-high barrier was designed to preserve the tree. Official Ann Moynihan said there had been no damage so far but warned that there could soon be a problem.“Visitor numbers have gone up by around 50 percent, to 33,000 a year in three years. The more people who visit, the more the earth will become compacted(压实) around the tree and over the roots. We just want to preserve the tree for another 400 years if we can.”She said visitors will still be able to take apples from the tree.
Visitor Chris Gwyther,37,said,“I suppose it is a pity that you can’t sit under the tree like Newton. But you can still see it and the tree is 400 years old, it needs saving for the future.”
Newton left no information saying he had been inspired by a falling apple. The story appeared in a book by French philosopher Voltaire published in 1727, the year Newton died at the age of
| A．Because of the story about the apple tree. |
| B．Because of the long history of the apple tree. |
| C．Because of the sweetness of the apple. |
| D．Because of the unusual flower of the apple tree. |
| A．The manor is too crowded to sit around. |
| B．Their heads will be hit by the apples. |
| C．A willow barrier has been put around the tree. |
| D．There is something wrong with the apple tree. |
| A．keep something safe | B．make something grow |
| C．leave something as it is | D．let something be |
| A．In 1642. | B．In 1665. |
| C．In 1820. | D．In 1727. |
| A．Newton himself wrote a letter about the story of the apple tree. |
| B．Newton’s family owes Woolsthorpe Manor and tells the story. |
| C．Visitor numbers have gone up to 32,000 every year. |
| D．A French philosopher wrote the apple tree story in a book. |
Scientists tell us so much about the moon, it is quite easy to tell what it is like. It’s certainly not a friendly place. As there is no air or water, there can be no life of any kind. Mile after mile there are only plains(平原) of dust with mountains around them above, the sun and the stars shine in the sky. If you step out of the mountains’ shadows(影子) it will mean moving from terrible cold into great heat. The moon is also a very silent world, for sound waves can only travel through air. But from the moon, you can see a friendly sight. Our earth is shining more brightly than the other stars. It looks like a very large ball, coloured blue and green and brown. What kind of place is the Moon?
| A．It is an unfriendly place. |
| B．It is a lively place. |
| C．It is a nice place. |
| D．It is a place with many plants. |
Temperature on the Moon_______.
| A．is usually the same |
| B．is always very low |
| C．can be very different |
| D．is usually very high |
The Moon is a silent world because_______.
| A．there is no life there |
| B．there is no air there |
| C．there is no green tree there |
| D．there is no water there |
The underlined words “step out of” means _______.
| A．登上 | B．走出 | C．上来 | D．步入 |
When we look from the moon, the blue colour on the earth is_______.
| A．water | B．trees | C．mountains | D．clouds |
I live in a small town near Xing’an in Guilin. You can’t see it on the map of China, because it is too small. The air here is fresh. There are not many tall buildings in our town. The best building is our school. There are four hundred students and twenty-five teachers in our school. In the front of the school, there is a playground. I often play basketball with my classmates on it. There is a little garden behind our school. And we can grow beautiful flowers and plant trees in the garden. Next to the garden, there is an orange orchard（果园）. You can hear birds singing everywhere. There is a river not far from our school. In summer, we usually go swimming with our teachers in it. We study Chinese, English, math and other subjects at school. The teachers are very nice. We love our school.The writer lives _______.
| A．in a small town | B．in the city of Guilin |
| C．in a village | D．in a tall building |
There is_______ in the front of our school.
| A．a river | B．a tall building | C．a playground | D．a garden |
The students often _______ in summer.
| A．play basketball | B．plant trees |
| C．grow flowers | D．go swimming |
People can hear _______ singing here and there.
| A．students | B．birds | C．cows | D．teachers |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．The garden | B．A Small Town |
| C．Our School | D．The Best Building |
This morning when I got up, I was very hungry. I went into the kitchen to make my breakfast. I went into the kitchen and….
“Help!” I cried. “Mice! They’re eating my breakfast!” I really don’t like any mice. However, I really hate mice that eat my breakfast!
I didn’t like the brown mouse and it was eating my bread. I disliked the balck mouse and it was eating my cheese. And I couldn’t stand(忍受) the white mouse and it’s eating my chicken feet! But nobody came to help me.
I closed the door of the kitchen and I phoned Jim. He is my friend and not afraid of mice.
He came and we went into the kitchen. “One, two, three…open!” he said. I quickly opened the door, but there were no mice. How terrible! The only things left were three carrots, half a cabbage, and two pieces of bread. Where did the writer find mice?
__________________________________________________________ What were the mice doing when the writer saw them?
__________________________________________________________ How many mice did he see?
__________________________________________________________ Who did he call for help?
__________________________________________________________ Did they catch the mice?
__________________________________________________________
Every year several thousand people die in the car accidents in Great Britain. And between one and two hundred thousand people are hurt.
There are rules to make the roads safe, but people do not always obey (遵守) the rules. They are careless. If everybody obeys the rules, the road will be much safer. How can we make the roads safer?
Remember this rule. In Great Britain traffic keeps to the left. Cars, buses and bikes must all keep to the left side of the road. In most other countries traffic keeps to the right.
Before crossing the road, we should stop and look at both ways. Look right and left. Then, if you are sure that the road is clear, it is safe to cross the road. If you see small children or very old people, help them to cross the road. We must teach our children to cross the road safely. We must always give them a good example. Small children must not play in the street. If we want to make the roads safer, _______.
| A．everybody must be careful and obey the traffic rules |
| B．traffic should keep to the right |
| C．don’t cross the road too often |
| D．roads must be clear |
If you ride a bike in Great Britain, you must ride_______ .
| A．on the right side of the road | B．on the left side of the road |
| C．in the middle of the road | D．behind the buses |
Which is NOT right?
| A．Before crossing the road, we should stop and look at both ways. |
| B．In our country traffic keeps to the right. |
| C．Few people die in the traffic accidents in Great Britain |
| D．Streets are not safe places for playing. |
“The road is clear” means that _______.
| A．the road is not noisy |
| B． the road is very clean |
| C． there is no car or bus running |
| D．you can see very clearly on the road |
The safe way to cross the road is to_______.
| A．look right | B．look left |
| C．look both ways, right and left | D．run cross the road |
Scientists （科学家） are trying to make the deserts （沙漠） into good land again. They want to bring water to the deserts, so people can live and grow food. They are learning a lot about the deserts. But more and more of the earth is becoming deserts all the time. Scientists may not be able to change the deserts. Scientists think that people make deserts. People are doing bad things to the earth.
Some places on the earth don’t get much rain. But they still don’t become deserts. This is because some green plants are growing there. Small green plants and grass are very helpful to dry (干旱的)places. Plants don’t let the hot sun make the earth even drier. Plants don’t let the wind blow the earth away. When a little bit of rain falls, the plants hold the water. Without plants, the land can become deserts much more easily.Why can the land become deserts?
| A．Some places don’t get much rain. |
| B．Plants don’t let the hot sun make the earth even drier. |
| C．People don’t keep the earth well. |
| D．Scientists haven’t learnt enough about the deserts. |
Scientists areto make the deserts into good land again.
| A．carrying water | B．growing food | C．doing nothing | D．studying a lot |
Which is NOT true?
| A．The land never stops becoming deserts. |
| B．Scientists ask people to live in the deserts and grow food there. |
| C．People do bad things to the earth. |
| D．Scientists may not be able to change the deserts. |
Why are green plants and grass helpful?
| A．They can hold the water. |
| B．They can keep the earth wet. |
| C．They can stop the wind from blowing the earth away. |
| D．All the above. |
Which is the best title（题目）for the passage?
| A．The Desert Problem |
| B．People Make Deserts |
| C．Green Plants and Grass |
| D．The Deserts, the Tree and the Water |