Once there was a huge apple tree．A little boy loved to come and play around it every day．He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him．
Time went by…the little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree every day．One day，the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad．“Come and play with me．”the tree asked the boy．“I’m no longer a kid．I wouldn’t play around the tree any more．”the boy replied．“I want toys．I need money to buy them．”“Sorry，I don’t have money．But you can pick all my apples and sell them．So，you will have money．”The boy picked all the apples on the tree and left happily．The boy never came back after he picked the apples．
One day，the boy returned and the tree was so excited．“Come and play with me．”the tree said．“I don’t have time to play．I have to work for my family．We need a house for shelter．Can you help？”“Sorry，I don’t have a house．But you can cut off my branches to build your house．”So the boy cut all the branches off the tree and left happily．The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy never came back since then．The tree was again lonely and sad．
One hot summer day，the boy returned and the tree was pleased．“Come and play with me！”the tree said．“I am sad and getting old．I want to go sailing to relax myself．Can you give me a boat？”“Use my trunk to build your boat．You can sail far away and be happy．”So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat．He went sailing and never showed up for a long time．
Finally，the boy returned after he left for so many years．“Sorry，my boy．But I don’t have anything for you any more．The only thing left is my dying root，”the tree said with tears①．
“I don’t need much now，just a place to rest．I’m tired after all these years，”the boy replied．
“Good！Old tree root is the best place to lean on and rest．Come and sit down with me and rest．”The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears②…—Why did the boy pick all the apples on the tree？
—Because________．
| A．he wanted to eat them |
| B．he needed money to buy toys |
| C．he liked the tree without apples |
| D．he wanted to share them with friends |
—When did the boy come back to the apple tree？
—He came back________．
| A．whenever he was happy |
| B．if he missed the apple tree |
| C．when he was in times of difficulty |
| D．as soon as he was free |
—What did the boy want at last？
—He wanted________．
| A．to have a house to live in |
| B．nothing except a place to rest |
| C．the root of the apple tree |
| D．anything that the apple tree had |
—What can we learn from the story？
—We should________．
| A．plant more apple trees |
| B．learn from the boy |
| C．always stay at home |
| D．be thankful to our parents |
According to the passage，which of the following statements is NOT true？
| A．The phrase“with tears①”means that the apple tree was sad because the boy asked for too much． |
| B．The phrase“with tears②”means that the apple tree was still happy because she could help the boy for the last time． |
| C．Each time the boy asked the apple tree for help，the tree tried her best to satisfy him． |
| D．After reading the passage，we can easily think of the old Chinese saying“Parents’love is universal！” |
Are you carrying too much on your back at school? I’m sure lots of children of your age will, say "Yes". Not only the students in China have this problem, but children in the United States also have heavy school bags.
Doctors are starting to worry that younger and younger students are having back and neck problems as a result of schools bags being too heavy for them.
"It’s hard for me to go upstairs with my bag because it’s so heavy, "said Rick Hammond, an 11-year-old student in the US.
Rick is among students who have common school bags with two straps(带子) to carry them, but many other students choose rolling(有滚轮的)bags.
But even with rolling bags, getting up stairs and buses is still a problem for children. Many of them have hurt their backs and necks because of the heavy school bags.
But how much is too much? Doctors say students should carry no more than 10% to 15% of their own body weight(重量).
Scott Bautch, a back doctor, said children under Grade 4 should stay with 10 % . But it is also important that older children don’t stay with over 15 %, because their bodies are still growing. "Children are losing their balance(平衡) and falling down with their school bags, "he said.
Parents and teachers are starting to tell children to only take home library books they will be reading that night. Some teachers are using pieces of paper or thin workbooks for students to take home.
One of the best answers is, as some children said, to have no homework at all! From the passage we can know that.
| A．only children in China carry too heavy school bags |
| B．children in other countries don’t carry too heavy bags |
| C．both children in China and the US carry too heavy school bags |
| D．only children in the US carry too heavy school bags |
Children feel it hard for them to go upstairs because
| A．they are too young |
| B．their school bags are too heavy |
| C．they don’t know how to go upstairs |
| D．their parents don’t always go upstairs with them together |
If a child carries a heavy school bag, .
| A．his back and neck will be hurt |
| B．his head and arms will be hurt |
| C．his hands will be hurt |
| D．his feet will be hurt |
According to the doctor, Scott Bautch, if a child in Grade 5 weighs(重) about 30 kilos, the school bag he carries should not be over
| A．5 kilos | B．3 kilos | C．5. 5 kilos | D．4, 5 kilos |
Some students think the best answer to his problems is that . .
| A．they should have a little homework to do after they get home |
| B．their teachers had better not ask them to do any homework |
| C．they should only take home library books they will read that night |
| D． they should use thin workbooks instead of thick ones |
We are in a world full of competition. Our parents compete (竞争) with others in their offices, our brothers and sisters compete with others
in their colleges, and we compete with our classmates in school. Many of us give up in the face of competition and will never be successful. ①can’t, others, why, we, do, better, than One important reason is that we have no self-confidence (自信).
In fact, everyone is born equal. You can do what others do. Although your classmates may be better than you in some ways,
you may be better than them in other subjects. So everyone has his or her own advantages. Don’t look at things from a single (单个的) point of view. Try to discover your own advantages, and believe that you can do better than others in those ways.
Competition is not so terrible. Don’t be afraid of it. And don’t be afraid of those classmates who are better than you. ②Remember that self-confidence is the first step to success. Believe in yourselves, and you will be successful one day.
任务一: Are we li
ving in a world full of competition?
任务二: How can you improve your self-confidence according to the passage?
任务三: 将①处画线部分单词连成一个完整的特殊疑问句。
任务四: 将②处画线部分译成中文。
任务五: What’s the main idea of this passage?
Years ago, I lived in a building in a large city. The next building only was a few feet away from mine. They was a woman lived there, and I had never met her, yet I could see she sat by her window each afternoon, sewing or reading.
After several months had gone by, I began to notice that her window was dirty. Everything was unclear through the dirty window. I would say to myself. “I wonder why that woman doesn’t wash her window. It really looks terrible.”
One bright morning I decided to clean my flat, including washing the window on the inside.
Late in the afternoon when I finished the cleaning, I sat down by the window with a cup of coffee for a
rest. What a surprise! Across the way, the woman sitting by her window was clearly visible (看见). Her window was clean!
Then it dawned on me. I had been criticizing (批评) her dirty window, but all the time I was watching hers through my own dirty window.
That was quite an important lesson for me. How often had I looked at and criticized others through the dirty window of my heart, through my own shortcomings?
Since then, whenever I wanted to judge (评判) someone, I asked myself first, “Am I looking at him through my own dirty window?” I try to clean the window of my own world so that I may see the world about me more clearly. The writer couldn’t see everything clearly through the window because __________.
| A．the woman’s window was dirty | B．the writer’s window was dirty |
| C．the woman lived nearby | D．the writer was near-sighted |
The writer was surprised that _________.
| A．the woman was sitting by her window | B．the woman’s window was still terrible |
| C．the woman did cleaning in the afternoon | D．the woman’s window was clean |
“It dawned on me” probably means “_______”.
| A．I began to understand it | B．it cheered me up |
| C．I knew it grew light | D．it began to get dark |
It’s clear that ________.
| A．the writer had never met the woman before | B．the writer often washed the window |
| C．they both worked as cleaners | D．they lived in a small town |
From the passage, we can learn _______.
| A．one shouldn’t criticize others very often |
| B．one should often make his windows clean |
| C．one must judge himself before he judges others |
| D．one must look at others through his dirty windows. |
People know the danger of fires. It’s good for a family to learn how to prepare for a fi
re. Here are some suggestions:
Put a smoke alarm in the house. Smoke from a fire causes the alarm to go off. The alarm makes a loud sound. The sound tells everyone to leave the house at once.
Make escape (逃脱) plans. They should know all the ways out of the house. If there is a fire, everyone follows the plan to get out. Part of the plan is to check all the windows to make sure they can be opened easily.
Buy fire extinguishers (灭火器) in the house. Everyone in the family should know how to use them.
Practice for a fire. They do fire practice because they teach children about fire safety. Everyone in the family should know the following fire rules:
＊Don’t open a hot door! The fire can grow more quickly if you open the door.
＊Stay close to the floor! Smoke can be more dangerous than fire; the best air is near the floor because smoke rises.
＊What will you do if you hair or clothes start to burn? First, stop! Don’t run! The fire burns faster because of more air. Drop! Fall to the floor. They roll! Turning over and over will make the fire go out. Put a blanket (毯子) around you to keep air away from the fire that may still be on you.
There are many possible causes for firs. A wise family is ready all the time. If there is a fire, don’t forget to call 119 for help. What does it mean when a smoke alarm rings at home?
| A．You have to get up. | B．Water is running to the floor. |
| C．Something is burning. | D．Someone breaks your window. |
The writer advices people to do the following to prepare for a fire except that _______.
| A．they practice for a fire | B．they make escape plans |
| C．they buy fire extinguishers | D．they use electrical cookers |
When a fire happens, _______ if you open the hot door.
| A．the fire will grow more quickly | B．the electricity will be cut off |
| C．the door will soon be on fire | D．the house will fall down |
What are the right steps you should take when your hair or clothes catch fire?
| A．Stop, run, roll. | B．Stop, drop, roll. |
| C．Run, drop, roll. | D．Roll, drop, stop |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．The Dangers of a Fire. | B．The Cause of a Fire. |
| C．Learn to Use a Fire Extinguisher. | D．Be Ready for a Fire. |
Traveling by train is usually not easy in China. It can be hard to get a ticket. When you’re traveling to the railway station you look at your watch, afraid you will miss your train.
But there is good news for people traveling between Beijing and Shanghai. Construction (建设) on the express railway (高速铁路) between the two cities started just before the Spring Festival of 2008. When it is finished by 2013, taking a train will be as easy as taking a bus.
“There will be trains every several minutes. Buying a ticket, getting through the checkpoint (检查站) and taking your seat, will take just 10 minutes,” said an engineer.
There may be high-speed trains running at 350 kilometers an hour. The travel time between the two cities will decease from 10 to about 5 hours. The trains will carry twice the present number of passengers.
The new line will be 1,318 kilometers long and go across specially built bridges. It will run along side the present line. There will be 21 stations in Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu.
“The cost of traveling by the express railway may be around 800 yuan. That will be more expensive than an ordinary train, but cheaper than by air.” Said Zhang Xiaoling, a Jiangsu government official.
According to Zhang, the higher price is caused by the large cost of the railway project. At about 200 billion yuan, the project may be even more expensive than the Three Gorges Project (三峡工程).The express railway between Beijing and Shanghai will be finished _______.
| A．at the end of this year | B．before the Spring Festival of 2008 |
| C．after 2013 | D．in about 5 years |
Before taking your seat, you should _____ with your ticket.
| A．buy a ticket | B．get through the checkpoint |
| C．pack your things | D．make some friends |
The word “decrease” in the passage possibly means ______ in Chinese.
A. 延长 B. 缩短 D. 提速 D. 限速Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Traveling by train is usually difficult in China because tickets are too expensive.
B. The high-speed trains will have 21 stations in Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong, Hunan and Jiangsu.
C
. Tickets for the high-speed trains will be cheaper than those for planes.
D. The cost of the e
xpress railway project is as high as that of the Three Gorges Project. What
can be the best title of the passage?
| A．An enormous project. | B．Train tickets will get more expensive |
| C．Specially built bridges | D．Beijing—Shanghai express railway |