In modern world, most people have at least one time-telling tool with them, such as mobile phones, MP5 players and mini computers. Since these small machines are so common, will people stop wearing the 500-year-old watches? Maybe the answer is “yes”. According to a survey, most teenagers say it’s unnecessary to wear a watch, they usually use their mobile phones to tell the time.
However, watchmakers say that watches will get popular again when people reach their 20s and 30s. By then, they want to spend money on a creative(有创意的) time-telling tool because they think it’s not enough if a watch can just keep good time, so watchmakers are trying their best to create new kinds of watches. Recently, a new kind of watches has been invented. It can use different color lights to tell the time. This kind of watches makes people talk more about modern watches again.
Also people want their time-telling tools to be beautiful, fashionable and practical(实用的), so watches are designed(设计) to meet the need of almost any personality(个性). Now more and more watches can be used as compasses(指南针), calendars and even USB drives …
All in all, a watch has become more important than the time it tells.
According to the survey, ________ use mobile phones to tell the time instead of watches.
| A．most teenagers | B．the old people |
| C．watchmakers | D．most people |
Watches will get ________ again when people reach their 20s and 30s.
| A．expensive | B．small | C．popular | D．cheap |
In this passage, watches can be used as different kinds of things except _______.
| A．compasses | B．calendars |
| C．USB drives | D．wallets |
Recently, a new kind of watches uses ________ to tell the time according to the passage.
| A．different color lights | B．sound |
| C．pictures | D．music |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Most people want to spend money on mobile phones. |
| B．A watch has become more important than the time it tells. |
| C．Many watchmakers are worried about their products. |
| D．Fewer and fewer people use watches to tell the time. |
Ironing a shirt is easy to learn. Just follow the steps in this short guide (指南), and you’ll learn how to iron your shirt properly with the help of the video. The most important thing is this: don’t try to iron a dry shirt.
● Get ready
You will need an iron, an ironing board and a bottle of water. Place the shirt on the ironing board. You can iron in whatever order you like, but most people like to start at the top — the collar. Have a bottle of water ready. Spray (喷) it onto the shirt to make it easier to iron.
● Do the ironing
First, iron the inside of the collar. Second, turn the collar over and iron the other side. Third, iron the back shoulders of the shirt. Fourth, iron the cuffs. Iron the inside, then the outside of the cuffs. Fifth, iron the sleeves. Sixth, iron the back of the shirt. Finally, iron the front of the shirt. Do one side, and then do the other side.
● Dry the shirt
Check your shirt and iron it again if you need to. Now put your shirt on a hanger and let it dry.
What’s the most important thing if you want to iron a shirt?
| A．Have a bottle of water ready. |
| B．Don’t try to iron a dry shirt. |
| C．Wash your shirt carefully. |
| D．Place the shirt on the ironing board. |
You will need all of the following things EXCEPT ________ before you iron a shirt.
| A．a ruler | B．an iron |
| C．an ironing board | D．a bottle of water |
Most people like to start with ironing ________ of a shirt.
| A．the sleeves | B．the back shoulders |
| C．the cuffs | D．the collar |
How many steps are there to do the ironing, according to this guide?
| A．Five. | B．Six. |
| C．Seven. | D．Eight. |
The writer tells us it’s easy to learn how to iron a shirt by ________.
| A．reading a book | B．watching a video |
| C．listening to the radio | D．reading the newspaper |
There was a boy and his family was very rich. One day his father took him on a trip to a place. He wanted to show his son how poor people were there. They spent several days on a farm. There were many poor families living on the farm.
On their way home, the father asked the son, “How was the trip?” “It was great, Dad,” the son answered. “Did you notice how poor people were there?” asked his father. “Oh, yes,” said the son. “So, tell me,” said his father. The son said, “Well, we have one dog and they have four. We have a pool in our garden, while they have a river that has no end. We have expensive lanterns (灯), but they have stars above their heads at night. We have only a small piece of land to live on, while they have the endless fields. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have high walls around our houses to protect us, but they don’t need walls, because their friends will protect them.”
The father had nothing to say. Then the boy added, “Thank you, Dad, for letting me see how poor we are.” The father wanted to show his son ________.
| A．how people on the farm worked |
| B．how poor people were on the farm |
| C．how beautiful the farm was |
| D．how far it was from the city to the farm |
How often did they go to the farm?
| A．Once a week. | B．Twice a month. |
| C．Every year. | D．The writer doesn’t tell us. |
When the father asked the son how the trip was, the son thought it ________.
| A．great | B．tiring |
| C．terrible | D．boring |
According to the boy, people on the farm can see ________ at night.
| A．expensive lanterns | B．a lot of cars |
| C．stars above their heads | D．many horses |
Which of the following is TRUE, according to the passage?
| A．The boy was from a very poor family. |
| B．The father and the son spent several weeks on a farm. |
| C．People on the farm have high walls around their houses. |
| D．The boy thought that people on the farm lived a happy life. |
Bookstores are second homes for readers. Although many people can now buy books online, many readers still like the feeling in bookstores. They can touch(触摸) the books and smell the print.
In China, there are many special bookstores. Sanlian Taofen Bookstore became the first 24-hour bookstore in Beijing at the beginning of April. Popular Holdings in Shanghai is a film-themed bookstore. It has film books and posters. Eslite Bookstore in Taiwan often has activities like talks with famous writers.
At the same time, bookstores outside China can be very colorful, too. Scarthin Books is a small bookstore in the UK. It sells new and second-hand books. There are more than 100,000 books lying on the shelves of the store’s 12 rooms. Bart’s Books in the US is a good place to enjoy the sunshine(阳光) while reading books. It’s an outdoor bookstore. Bookshelves are on the street. When the store is closed, people can still buy books. They just put money into the door’s coin box. Where can you find a café, bar and bookstore in just one place? The answer is probably El Pendulo in Mexico. Books line(排列成行) the walls of the store. On the second floor, visitors can order everyday meals in the café and drinks from the bar. In order to keep cool, there are green plants and trees inside. Does it look like a park?
______ special bookstores inside China are mentioned(提到) in the passage.
| A．2 | B．3 |
| C．5 | D．6 |
Scarthin Books is ______.
| A．a 24-hour bookstore | B．an outdoor bookstore |
| C．in the US | D．small |
People can still buy books at ______ when it’s closed.
| A．Bart’s Books | B．Popular Holdings |
| C．Eslite Bookstore | D．El Pendulo |
Readers can ______ at El Pendulo.
| A．talk with famous writers | B．order meals |
| C．enjoy the sunshine | D．buy film posters |
There are ______ inside El Pendulo in order to keep cool.
| A．12 rooms | B．bookshelves |
| C．green plants and trees | D．coin boxes |
Betty and I are best friends. Our birthdays are on the same day, so every year we have a birthday party together. But this year we had a costume party instead.
While we were writing the invitations, my mom came in and asked, “Nancy, what about inviting John?” John had been in our class for only a few months, but he was already getting better grades in math than anyone else in our class. “Mom, he wears the same pants to school every day. How could he even afford a costume?” Mom said nothing.
The next day, mom gave me an envelope(信封) with a shopping card in it. “I thought it would be nice for you to give this to John.” Mom said. But how? We didn’t want to make John embarrassed. We discussed it for a long time. Finally, Betty and I had a good idea.
On the day of our party, John arrived, in an old sheet(床单)，but still in the same brown pants as usual. Before eating the birthday cake, Betty said in a loud voice, “Now it’s time for the great prize game.” It was a math game. None of us were surprised when John gave the right answer first and walked off with the envelope.
Everything went well as we planned. John wore a new pair of pants and a new shirt the next week. He felt happy. So did we. Nancy and Betty are ______.
| A．best friends | B．cousins |
| C．sisters | D．brother and sister |
John did best in ______ of all the class.
| A．English | B．games |
| C．math | D．science |
______ had the idea of playing a math game.
| A．Nancy’s mother | B．Nancy |
| C．Betty | D．Betty and Nancy |
John got ______ as the prize for the math game.
| A．an envelope | B．a shopping card |
| C．a birthday cake | D．a new pair of pants |
Betty, Nancy and John all felt ______ in the end.
| A．happy | B．embarrassed |
| C．surprised | D．sad |
Confucius(孔子) is the greatest teacher in Chinese history. He was born on September 28, 551BC(公元前) in the Kingdom of Lu, in today’s Shandong Province. When he was young, he and his mother had a hard life. At the age of fifteen, he began to learn music, and he did well in it. Then he went on learning other subjects. When he was thirty, he became a teacher. He started his own school. He believed everyone should have a chance to get education whether(无论) they were rich or poor. He had about 3, 000 students and many of them became famous.
Chinese see Confucius as the greatest thinker and also the greatest teacher. His most important ideas are kindness and good manners. He said young people should take care of the old. People should stop thinking of themselves and work for others. His ideas are around in people’s everyday life. Today people can still hear them, and they go far into east and south Asia.
Confucius was born ______.
| A．in Sichuan Province |
| B．on August 28 |
| C．in the Kingdom of Lu |
| D．about 1500 years ago |
Confucius was good at ______ when he was fifteen.
| A．music | B．Chinese |
| C．math | D．other subjects |
As a teacher, Confucius thought that ______ could get education.
| A．only the rich |
| B．only the poor |
| C．not only the rich but also the poor |
| D．neither the rich nor the poor |
Which of the following isn’t Confucius’ idea?
| A．Being kind. |
| B．Looking after the old. |
| C．Working for others. |
| D．Thinking of ourselves. |
The underlined word “they” means ______.
| A．good manners |
| B．Confucius’ ideas |
| C．Confucius and his students |
| D．Confucius’ students |