Earth Day is on April 22nd．People say thanks to the Earth and learn ways to keep the Earth safe and clean．But saving the Earth is not just for grow-ups．Kids are also taking an active part in it.
The American writer and filmmaker Lynne made a film called Young Voices for the Planet．It lists a lot of stories about different kids who help to keep our environment clean.
Team Marine, US A group of students at Santa Monica High School started an organization called Team Marine．They tell people why plastic bags are bad for sea animals and environment．In 2011, they successfully made lawmakers （立法者） in their city stop people using plastic bags.
Felix, 15, Germany In 2007, a 9-year-old boy, Felix, started a club，Plant for the Planet．It encourages children around the world to plant trees in their own countries．Felix helped plant 25 million trees in Germany and 120 million trees worldwide.
Alec, 17, US When he was 12, Alec set up Kids VS Global （全球的） Warming．It teaches kids about weather change and ways to stop the world getting warmer and warmer．Alec travels widely to encourage people to help stop global warming．He has given more than 70 talks across the country.
Olivia, 13, US When Olivia was 11, she heard about the 2010 oil spill （漏油） in the Gulf of Mexico．She painted 500 pictures of birds to raise money for the clean-up．She raised more than $200,000 to protect （保护） birds and other wild animals.What is the purpose of setting up the “Earth Day” and who can do something for the Earth?
| A．To keep the earth peaceful and beautiful by adults and kids |
| B．To keep the earth balanced by adults only |
| C．To keep the earth safe and clean by adults and kids |
| D．To keep the earth safe and clean by kids only |
Young Voices for the Planet made by Lynne is ________.
| A．a book | B．a TV play |
| C．a film | D．a club |
According to the passage, we know ________ doesn’t agree to use plastic bags.
| A．Team Marine | B．Felix | C．Alec | D．Olivia |
Alec travels widely to encourage people to ________.
| A．raise money |
| B．plant trees |
| C．protect wild animals |
| D．help stop global warming |
The passage is mainly about how ________.
| A．kids are saving the Earth |
| B．parents are planting trees |
| C．students are raising money |
| D．grow-ups are using plastics bags |
In the past ten years, many scientists have studied the differences between men and women. And they all got the same answer: The sexes(性别) are different, because their brains are different. And this, the scientists say, makes men and women see the world in different ways.
Boys, for example, generally are better than girls at mathematical ideas. Boys also generally are better than girls at the kind of hand and eye movements necessary for ball sports. Girls, on the other hand generally start speaking earlier than boys. And they generally(通常) see better in the dark than boys and are better at learning foreign languages.
What makes men and women better at one thing or another? The answer is the brain. The brain has two sides connected by nerve(神经) tracks. The left side generally is used for mathematics, speech and writing. The right side is used for artistic creation(创造) and the expression for emotions(情感). In men and women, different areas in each side of the brain develop differently. In boys, for example, it’s the area used for mathematics. In girls, it is the area used for language skills. Another interesting difference is that the two sides of a man’s brain are connected by a smaller nerves than the two sides of a woman’s brain are.Which of the following is best to outline(概括) the article?
| A．Research on the brain. | B．Differences between men and women |
| C．People’s different brains. | D．Who Are Better, Boys or Girls |
________men and women think differently.
| A．Sex makes. | B．The different brains make |
| C．The different experiences make. | D．The influences of society make. |
According to the article, girls are generally better than boys at __ in your school.
| A．mathematics | B．physics | C．English | D．Chemistry |
Which of the following is true?
| A．The right side of brain in boys generally develops better than that in girls. |
| B．The left side of brain in girls generally develops better than that in boys. |
| C．Men are better than women in all things. |
| D．The area in girls’ brain used for language skills develops better. |
Rivers are one of our most important natural resources. Many of the world’s great cities are located on rivers, and almost every country has at least one river flowing through it that plays an important part in the lives of its people.
Since the beginning of history, people have used rivers for transportation. The longest one in the United States is the Mississippi. The lifeline of Egypt is the Nile. To the people of India , the Ganges is great, but it is also important for transportation; ships can travel along it for a thousand miles. Other great rivers are the Congo in Africa and the Mekong in southeast Asia, The greatest of all for navigation(航海), however, is the Amazon in Brail, It is so wide and so deep that large ships can go about two thousand miles upon it.
Besides transportation, rivers give food, water to drink, water for crops, and chances for fun and recreation for the people who live along their banks. In order to increase the supply of water for crops, engineers sometimes build a dam across a river and let a lake form behind the dam. Then people can use the water not only to irrigate their fields but also to make electricity for their homes and industries.
However, large cities and industries that are located upon rivers often make problems. As the cities grow in size and industries increase in number, the water in the rivers becomes polluted with chemicals and other materials. People are learning the importance, however, of doing more to keep their rivers clean if they want to enjoy the benefits of this natural resource.
| A．the Amazon | B．the Nile |
| C．the Mekong | D．the Mississippi |
| A．The Nile is an important river in India. |
| B．Almost every country has at least one important river. |
| C．Many cities are located on rivers. |
| D．Rivers play an important part in the lives of people. |
| A．keeping the rivers clean |
| B．only making electricity |
| C．washing clothes |
| D．irrigation and making electricity |
| A．people’s drinking water too much |
| B．people’s swimming in the river too much |
| C．chemicals and other materials |
| D．people’s building a dam across a river |
| A．Rivers in cities | B．The importance of rivers |
| C．Transportation | D．Natural resources |
Christmas in Australia is often very hot. Whereas the northern hemisphere is in the middle of winter, Australians are baking in summer heat. It is not unusual to have Christmas Day well into the mid 30 degrees Celsius, or near 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
A traditional meal includes a turkey dinner, with ham, and pork. A flaming Christmas plum pudding is added for dessert. In the Australian gold rushes, Christmas puddings often contained a gold nugget. Today a small favor is baked inside. Whoever finds this knows s/he will enjoy good luck. Another treat is Mince Pies.
Some Australians and particularly tourists often have their Christmas dinner at midday on a local beach, Bondi Beach in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs attracts thousands of people on Christmas Day. Other families enjoy their day by having a picnic. If they are at home, the day is punctuated(不时中断) by swimming in a pool, playing Cricket out the backyard, and other outdoor activities.
The warm weather allows Australians to enjoy a tradition which started in 1937. Carols by Candlelight is held every year on Christmas Eve, where tens of thousands of people gather in the city of Melbourne to sing their favorite Christmas songs. The evening is lit by as many candles singing under a clean cut night sky. The sky with its Southern Cross stars is like a mirror. Sydney and the other capital cities also enjoy Carols in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
Australians surround themselves with Christmas Bush, a native plant which has little red flowered leaves.
| A．the country is in the Northern Hemisphere |
| B．people go shopping in shorts and T-shirts |
| C．the festival is not in winter but in summer |
| D．Santa Claus is on a surfboard at many beaches |
| A．ham | B．pork | C．turkey | D．pumpkin |
| A．Tourists like to have Christmas dinner on a beach |
| B．People play outdoor activities at home after picnic. |
| C．Carols by Candlelight is held every year on Christmas Eve |
| D．Sydney enjoys Carols in the weeks leading up to Christmas. |
| A．the warm weather |
| B．the Christmas Bush |
| C．the activities at daytime |
| D．the Southern Cross stars |
| A．Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs |
| B．Christmas meals in Australia |
| C．Christmas in Australia |
| D．Christmas shopping in Australia |
How to improve my life? Many people think that they have to accept whatever life throws at them. They'll say, "This is my fate, my destiny. I cannot change it."
Of course not! You don't have to suffer needlessly. Your destiny depends on you, not on any other outer factors.
I know someone who says she just accepts what life gives her because she has done everything she can to improve it. Guess what her lifestyle is? She wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes back home, relaxes, chats with people, watches TV, then goes to sleep. Next day, the same things cycle follows.
Huh! Is this what she calls "doing her best"? She believes she has tried her best and just accepts it in her heart that this is the life that God has intended for her to live; that her luck can only change if God wills it. Of course God wants us to be happy and live our life to the fullest, but we have to do our share of exerting (运用) the effort to live the life of our dreams.
Remember that you reap what you sow. You just don't sit around and wait for a million dollars to fall from the sky. You have to get off the couch, get your eyes off the TV screen, get your hands off the phone. Don't expect your luck to change unless you do something about it. If something goes wrong, don't just regard it as a temporary(临时的) setback; but use it as feedback. Learn your lesson, make the most of the situation, and do something to solve the problem. It's not enough to think positively（积极地）; you also have to act positively.
If someone's life is in the trouble, do you just hope and pray that things will turn out fine? Of course not! You get to do anything you can to save the person. So it is with your own life. It is not enough to hope for the best, but you have to do your best. In other words, don't just stand (or sit ) there, do something to improve your life.According to the woman mentioned in Para.3, her life _______.
| A．doesn't need improving |
| B．couldn't be improved |
| C．will be better some day |
| D．Will be worse in the future |
What does the author think of the woman's life?
| A．positive | B．satisfying |
| C．colorful | D．passive |
Which of the following statements is the author's opinion?
| A．Your temporary problem is not discouraging. |
| B．Your luck can be changed by your hard work. |
| C．You can only achieve success when God wills it. |
| D．You should treat yourself in the way you treat friends. |
In Para.5, the author emphasized the importance of _______.
| A．positive action |
| B．positive thinking |
| C．hope for the best |
| D．intention to succeed |
The text is mainly written to advise you to _______.
| A．understand yourself |
| B．improve your life |
| C．believe in yourself |
| D．change your normal way |
“I love you Bob.” “I love you too, Nancy.” It was 2 a.m., and I was hearing my parents’ voices through the thin wall separating my bedroom from theirs. Their loving words were sweet, touching —and surprising.
My parents married on September 14, 1940, after a brief dating. She was nearly 30 and knew it was time to start a family. The handsome well-educated man who came by the office where she worked looked like a good bet. He was attracted by her figure, her blue eyes. The romance didn’t last long.
Seeds of difference grew almost immediately. She liked to travel; he hated the thought. He loved golf; she did not. He was a Republican, she a loyal Democrat. They fought at the bridge table, at the dinner table, over money, over the shortcomings of their parents.
There was a hope that they would change once they retired (退休), and the angry winds did calm somewhat, but what remained changed itself into bright, hard bitterness. “I always thought we’d …” my mother would begin, before making a detailed list of my father’s faults. The complaints were recited so often, I can repeat them by heart today. As he listened, my father would say something angrily in a low voice.
It wasn’t the happiest marriage, but as their 60th anniversary (纪念日) came nearer, my sister and I decided to throw a party. Sixty years was a long time, after all. Why not try to make the best of things? We’d provide the cakes, the balloons, the toasts, and they’d follow one rule: no fighting.
The agreement was honored. We had a wonderful day. When we thought back, we found it was an important celebration, because soon after, things began to change for my parents.
Bob married Nancy because of ______.
| A．her nice appearance |
| B．her good education |
| C．her romantic nature |
| D．her position as an office girl |
When the writer told the story, the mother was probably ______ years old.
| A．60 | B．70 | C．80 | D．90 |
What do we know about the writer’s parents?
| A．Their marriage is a total failure. |
| B．They had different hobbies. |
| C．They had serious money problem. |
| D．They stopped quarrelling after they had children. |
The purpose for the writer to hold the party is ______.
| A．to recall the 60 years’ marriage life of her parents |
| B．to stop the long fighting between her parents |
| C．just to celebrate her parents’ 60th anniversary |
| D．to have a good time for family’s reunion |
Suppose this passage is taken from the Reader’s Digest, which column do you think it is taken from?
| A．Everyday Heroes | B．My Planet |
| C．Turning Point | D．Unforgettable |