Andy rode slowly on his way to school, day-dreaming about the fishing trip that his father had promised him. He was so busy dreaming about all the fish he would catch that he was unaware of everything else around him.
He rode along until a strange sound drew him to the present. He came to a stop and looked curiously up to the sky. What he saw shocked and terrified him. A huge swarm of bees filled the sky like a black cloud and the buzzing mass seemed to be heading angrily towards him.
With no time to waste, Andy sped off in the opposite direction, riding furiously—but without knowing how to escape the swarm. As the bees came closer, his panic increased. Andy knew that he was sensitive to bee stings(蜇). The last sting had landed him in hospital—and that was only one bee sting! Suddenly, his father’s words came to him. “When you are in a tight situation, don’t panic. Use your brain and think your way out of it.”
On a nearby hill, he could see smoke waving slowly skywards from the chimney of the Nelson family home. “Bees don’t like smoke,” he thought. “They couldn’t get into the house.” But Andy knew he could not reach the house in time. He estimated that the bees would catch up with him soon.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted a small dam used by Mr. Nelson. Off his bike and into the cool water he dived, disappearing below the surface and away from the savage insects. After holding his breath for as long as he could, Andy came up for air and noticed the bees had gone. Dragging himself out of the dam, he struggled up the hilly slope and rang the doorbell. Mrs. Nelson took him inside and rang his mother.Why did Andy fail to notice the swarm of bees earlier?
| A．He was riding to school. |
| B．He was listening to a strange sound. |
| C．He was going fishing with his father. |
| D．He was lost in the thought of the fishing trip. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the swarm of bees in the passage?
| A．They crowded like a black cloud. |
| B．They shocked and terrified Andy. |
| C．They tried to attack Andy in a mass. |
| D．They made Andy stay in hospital for two days. |
How did Andy avoid the bees in the end?
| A．He asked Mr. Nelson for help. |
| B．He hid himself under the water. |
| C．He rushed into the Nelson house. |
| D．He rode off in the opposite direction. |
Which of the following can best describe Andy’s escape from the bees?
| A．No pains, no gains. |
| B．Once bitten, twice shy. |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| D．In time of danger, one’s mind works fast. |
Mars is the planet most like Earth.Flying to Mars is a difficult task for humans.
There is an experiment with the name “Mars 500” in Russia.Six volunteers take part in the experiment.They come from China, Russia, France and Italy.They won’t go to outer space.They will stay in small modules (太空舱) on the ground for 520 days.It’s just like a real journey
In the modules, they will experience a lot: flying to Mars, flying back and working on Mars.During the long “journey”, the volunteers can only eat space food.They can shower every 10 days.They can call their friends or families.Anyone of them can quit if he doesn’t feel well.This experiment helps scientists know how well humans will be on a long journey to Mars.
Wangyue, 26, from China, is the youngest of the volunteers.He is a teacher at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center (中国航天员科研训练中心) in Beijing.Where are these volunteers from?
A.They are from China and Russia.
B.They are from France and Italy
C.They are from China and France.
D.Both A and B.Which of the statement is Not True?
| A．The volunteers are not going to move to outer space. |
| B．The volunteers will stay on the Mars for more than 17 months. |
| C．The volunteers can make video calls to their friends and families |
| D．The name of the experiment is “Mars 500”. |
How often can the volunteers take a shower?
| A．three times a month | B．three times a day |
| C．ten days a month | D．ten times a month |
what’s the meaning of the underlined word “quit”?
| A．放弃 | B．丢弃 | C．尝试 | D．试验 |
Where can you read the article?
| A．story book | B．geography magazines |
| C．science magazines | D．magazines about ET |
When I drove to work yesterday, I met a traffic jam.As I looked out of my window, a handsome young man was walking on the street.He was walking towards the bridge.There were some homeless men with their cups around there.The young man went to one of them.He brought out some money from his pocket, said a few words to him and put the money into his cup.He continued to walk and then saw another homeless man.He stopped for a minute, said a few words and then gave the man a candy.
And then he saw the next homeless man.He was shivering because of coldness.The young man now stopped for a second and gave his scarf to him.He then said goodbye to him with a big smile and went away in the snow.
At that moment, I was in tears.I gave this young man my best wishes with love and blessings.The story probably happened in __________.
| A．spring | B．summer | C．autumn | D．winter |
How many homeless men did the young man help in this passage?
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. | D．5. |
What did the young man give the homeless men?
| A．Some money, his scarf and a candy. |
| B．His scarf, his coat and some money. |
| C．A candy, his hat and his coat. |
| D．His coat, some money and a candy. |
The man was shaking slightly because of __________.
| A．hunger | B．coldness |
| C．illness | D．worries |
The writer felt __________ after seeing the young man’s behavior.
| A．sad | B．surprised |
| C．impressed | D．interested |
Trees should only be pruned（修剪）when there is a good and clear reason for doing so and , fortunately, the number of such reasons is small.
First, pruning may be done to make sure that trees have a desired shape or size.The object may be to get a tree of the right height, and at the same time to help the growth of small side branches（枝条）which will thicken its appearance or give it a special shape.Secondly, pruning may be done to make the tree healthier.You may cut diseased or dead wood, or branches that are rubbing against each other and thus cause wounds.The health of a tree may be encouraged by removing branches that are blocking up the centre and so preventing the free movement of air.
One result of pruning is that an open wound（伤口）is left on the tree and this provides an easy entry for disease, but it is a wound that will heal（愈合）.Often there is a race between the healing and the disease as to whether the tree will live or die.It should be the aim of every gardener to reduce the risk as far as possible.It is necessary to make the area which has been pruned, smooth and clean, for healing will be slowed down by roughness（粗糙）.You should allow the cut surface to dry for a few hours and then paint it with one of the substances available from garden shops produced especially for this purpose.Pruning is usually done in winter, “From then you can see the shape of the tree clearly and it is, too, very unlikely that the cuts you make will bleed.If this does happen, it is, of course, impossible to paint them properly.Pruning should be done to ______.
| A．make the tree grow taller |
| B．improve the shape of the tree |
| C．get rid of the small branches |
| D．make the tree grow taller |
Trees become unhealthy if the gardener ______.
| A．allows too many branches to grow in the middle |
| B．does not protect them from wind |
| C．forces them to grow too quickly |
| D．damages some of the small side branches |
Why is a special substance painted on the tree?
| A．To make a wound smooth and clean. |
| B．To prevent disease entering a wound. |
| C．To cover a rough surface. |
| D．To help a wound to dry. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The history of tree pruning. |
| B．The reasons for tree pruning. |
| C．Some directions for tree pruning. |
| D．Some results of tree pruning. |
In many countries, schools have long summer holidays, with shorter holidays in between.However, a new report suggests shortening school holidays to stop children forgetting what they have learnt during the long summer break.Instead of three school terms, it says, there should be five eight-week terms.And there should be just four weeks off in the summer, with a two-week break between the other terms.
Sonia Montero has two children at primary school and works full-time.She supports the idea.“The kids,” she says, “ have much longer holidays then and I can’t afford to take several weeks off work, so I need someone to take care of them.But nobody wants the work in the summer holidays — they all have holidays of their own.
Not surprisingly, some young people disagree.Student Jason Panos says , “It’s a stupid idea.I would hate staying at school in the summer.It’s unfair, too.The people who suggest this had long school holidays when they were young, but now they want to stop us enjoying the summer.The kids in Spain and American have much longer holidays than here, but they don’t forget everything they’ve learnt in a few months.”
Nadia Salib agrees.“Sure,” she says, “the first week at school after the summer is never easy, but you soon get back into it.The real problem round here is that kids get bored after so many weeks out of school, and then some of them start causing trouble.But the answer is to give them something to do, not make everyone stay in school longer.”Why is Sonia in support of shorter school holidays?
| A．She doesn’t get any summer holidays in her jobs. |
| B．She is worried that her children will forget what they’ve learnt. |
| C．She can’t afford to pay someone to look after her children. |
| D．She can’t get anyone to look after her children in summer. |
What does Jason say about long summer holidays?
| A．They can help children forget about school. |
| B．Schools in other countries don’t have long holidays. |
| C．These days many older people suggest having long holidays. |
| D．They do no harm to children’s education. |
What does Nadia say about young people on summer holidays?
| A．They would like to spend more time at school. |
| B．Long holidays are very bad for their education. |
| C．They need something to do to enrich themselves. |
| D．Long holidays should be shortened to stop them causing trouble. |
Which of the following statements best explains the text?
| A．It has been decided that summer holidays should be shortened. |
| B．Students are angry that school holidays have been changed. |
| C．Not everyone agrees to change school holidays. |
| D．Teenagers are worried about that they will be busy during summer holidays. |
This US competition is for camping related（有关的）articles in which you share your tips, advice, experience, etc.
Closing: When we’ve received 100 articles — so you’d better be quick.
Prizes: $100,$75,$25 — all in VISA Gift Cards.
How to enter our writing competition
In your own words, write an article on a camping topic such as: how to’s, reviews, tips and advice, or any topic camping related.The best articles will include useful information about camping, in an interesting and well-written way.Remember that it should be no less than 200 words.
Other requirements
1.Fill in all the information required, including your article, on our webpage CampTrip.com and then submit（提交）it.
2.You must be 16 years old or over to take part in the competition.
3.You must be a student who is now studying in the US.
And what’s in it for you?
We are giving out a VISA Gift Card for first, second and third best articles.Simply share your experience with others and try to win a VISA cash card.The writing competition is limited to 100 articles which gives you a better chance of writing.So why don’t you take up this chance?What can we learn about the competition?
| A．Articles must be less than 200 words. |
| B．Articles on any topics will be welcome. |
| C．It will be closed when it has 100 articles. |
| D．It has only one kind of prize for the winners. |
If you want to enter for the competition,________.
| A．you should write something useful |
| B．you must be a US student who is under 16 |
| C．you’d better write a short introduction of yourself |
| D．you must send your information to an e-mail address |
It can be learned from the text that______.
| A．the place of the camp must be included in the article |
| B．the words in the article should be as easy as possible |
| C．the articles should be submitted through the given website |
| D．everyone entering for the competition will get a VISA Gift Card |
Who will most probably be interested in the competition?
| A．Teachers. | B．Students. |
| C．Writers. | D．Parents. |