When I was 12，all I wanted was a signet（图章）ring. They were the “in” thing and it seemed every girl except me had one. On my 13th birthday. My mom gave me a signet ring with my initials(拼音字母)carved into it. I was in heaven.
What made it even special was that it was about the only thing that wasn’t being “replaced”. We’d been burnt out in fires that swept through our area earlier that year and had lost everything----so most of the new stuff（东西）we got was really just to replace what we’d lost，but not my ring. My ring was new.
Then, only one month later, I lost it，I took it off before bed and it was missing in the morning. I was sad and searched everywhere for it. But it seemed to have disappeared. At last，I gave up and stopped looking for it. And two years later, we sold the house and moved away.
Years passed, and a couple of moves later, I was visiting my parents' when Mum told me that she had something for me. It wasn’t my birthday, nor was it Easter or Christmas or any gift-giving occasion（时机）.Mum noticed my questioning look. “You’ll recognize this one.” She said，smiling.
Then she handed me a small ring box. I took it from her and opened it to find my beautiful signet ring inside.
The family who had bought our house 13 years earlier had recently decided to do some redecoration，which includes replacing the carpets. When they pulled the carpet up in my old bedroom, they found the ring. As it had my initials carved into it，they realized who owned the ring. They'd had it professionally cleaned up by a jeweler before sending it to my mother. And it still fits me.
The underlined word “in” in the first paragraph probably means “ _______ ”
| A．fashionable | B．available |
| C．practical | D．renewable |
What does the writer mean by saying “I was in heaven.”
| A．She lost her life in the fire. |
| B．She went to heaven to look for the signet. |
| C．She was very happy to get a signet. |
| D．She was sad that she couldn't get a signet. |
When she got the ring back, the writer was about_______ .
| A．13 years old | B．15 years old |
| C．26 years old | D．28 years old |
Why did the writer think her signet ring was new in the second paragraph?
| A．Her mother gave a new signet ring to her on her 13th birthday. |
| B．The writer got back her signet ring that she has lost. |
| C．The ring was professionally cleaned up by a jeweler. |
| D．The family sent it back to her parents with kindness. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The writer's family moved several times. |
| B．The writer never stopped looking for her ring. |
| C．The writer's ring was cleaned up by the new house owner. |
| D．The writer lost her ring in the morning when she took it off. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．My New Ring | B．Lost and Found |
| C．Lost and Replaced | D．An Expensive Ring |
My mother is a teacher， And I grew up with the challenges （挑战） a teacher faces． I often asked her，" Why do you teach？ What keeps you teaching？" The answer was always the same． "There is always that one child， that one moment that is worth it．"
Now，I am a teacher， too． But different from my mother， I teach students challenging activities
outdoors． And when my mother asked me the similar questions， my answer was， "It's that one child， that one special moment．"
One of those moments happened recently． I was working with a group of girls in a four﹣ week programme．Everything went on well through the "Team" events and we were moving on to a "High" one called the Wire（钢索） Walk．
In the Wire Walk， each girl had to climb up the pegs （木桩） in a tree to a wire， 8 meters high， and then walk across it． Of course． everything was safe for sure．
When I asked who would try，a few girls raised their hands， and they finished the Wire Walk with little difficulty．
But when it was Susie's turn， it seemed that she didn't really want to． I asked Susie if she was ready． She answered softly，" I suppose"．
Now， Susie was at the foot of the tree． She started to make the long reach for the first peg． The other girls cheered for her． Then I found Susie was becoming nervous with every step． I realised she would not go much further．
Susie was halfway up． Then she stopped and held the tree tight（紧紧地）， looking very afraid． Her eyes were closed． With her face against the tree， she cried， "I can't．"
The other girls sat in silence． I talked quietly to Susie， trying to relax her． I talked for a long time till I ran out of words．
"I will still be your friend no matter what， Susie!" Mary broke the silence．
To my surprise， Susie lifted her head and looked up to the wire． Then she turned to look down at Mary and smiled． Mary smiled back．
Finally，Susie made it all the way across that wire． When she returned to the ground， the first hug she looked for was from Mary．
We all cheered．
Moments like this keep me doing what I do． The young hearts continue to fill me with courage．
（1）Susie stopped halfway up to the wire because ．
A．the teacher asked her to do it
B．something was wrong with it
C．she was too afraid to move on
D．it was too high for her to reach
（2）Mary broke the silence in order to ．
A．encourage Susie
B．relax the writer
C．try again herself
D．draw Susie's attention
（3）From the story of Susie and Mary， we can learn that ．
A．helping others is helping ourselves
B．a word of encouragement matters a lot
C． outdoor activities bring people closer than ever
D．a good method plays an important role in teaching
（4）Which of the following can be the best title for the passage ？
A．That One Moment
B．The Wire Walk
C．Love and Courage
D． The Young Hearts
Shyness can be an unhappy feeling． But the good news is， you're not alone． Scientists say that more than 40 percent of teenagers and adults consider themselves shy． Shyness is feeling a little nervous or as if you want to hide when you're around other people or in a new situation．
Scientists say such things as genetics （遗传基因）， life experiences， and environment can influence whether a person is shy． For example，in some families， everybody seems to be shy．
What happens if you are shy？ Well， being shy may cause you to avoid or miss opportunities you would enjoy．
How do people overcome（克服） shyness？ This is what Gilbert tells us． " When I started off trying to get over being shy， I decided to do little steps at a time， including practicing smiling and saying hi to people． And it worked for me．"
But shyness is not the kind of thing that most people can get over overnight．Overcoming shyness takes time and needs practice．
Here are some tips given by scientists．
Think of what to talk about before you leave home． Prepare things to talk about before you're in a social situation．For example， if you know your classmates are interested in an upcoming event， learn about it so you can join in the conversations．
Let people know you're shy． If you're shy， just show it． Instead of letting people guess， tell them the truth．Explain that you are shy and feel nervous but enjoy talking to people．
Make things easy for the other person． Remember， you're not the only shy person around． Do what you think might help others feel good﹣﹣ for example， say hello or smile．
Pick one social skill to practice at a time． Start simply． For example， smile or be the first person to say hi．Choose skills you feel comfortable enough with to practice for a day， a week， a month， or even a year．
（1）Which of the following can be put in the blank in Paragraph 2 ？
A．What is shyness？
B．What makes people shy？
C．Can shyness be good for us？
D． Can we overcome shyness？
（2）The example of Gilbert in Paragraph 4 is given to ．
A．show how people overcome shyness
B．introduce a shy girl called Gilbert
C． tell the right time to practice smiling
D．explain the steps of overcoming shyness．
（3）What does the underlined word "overnight" in Paragraph 5 most probably mean ？
A． Correctly．
B． Suddenly．
C． Slowly．
D． Finally．
（4）Which of the following is the right way to overcome shyness ？
A．Don't let others know that you are shy．
B．Wait for others to say hello to you first．
C．Choose several skills to practice at a time．
D．Get ready before you join in a social situation．
Understanding Graphics （图表）
When we are reading，we often see one or two graphics in a text． Have you ever thought about these questions ： Why are they there？ What information do they give？ Do they help with our reading and understanding？
Graphics are things like pictures， maps， charts and tables． They give information to readers． Very often，we can see different kinds of graphics in books， magazines and newspapers． Writers use graphics to get the readers' attention and give them some particular （特别的） information． Graphics help to understand the given information in a text． And graphics put the information in a particular order so that it's easy to understand when we take a quick look．
It is not always true that a picture is worth a thousand words． But many things are easier to show than to tell and they may also be easier to understand． Graphics are just the right things that give a great deal of information but it doesn't take much time to read and understand．
The right way to read and understand a graphic is to look at the picture and the words together． In a graphic， only a few words are used to explain what the picture shows you． Sometimes， numbers and percentages （百分比） are also given to go with the words to explain things．
Now look at the graphic on the right． It is how a researcher used a graphic to show the number of hours spent sleeping by British teenagers each day．Can you understand it？
（1）Which of the following is mentioned as a graphic ？
A． A letter．
B． A poem．
C． A map．
D．A name card．
（2）The writer thinks graphics are important because ．
A． less space is taken on a page
B．a picture is worth a thousand words
C．a lot of time can be saved for writers
D．many things are easier to show than to tell
（3）When we read a graphic，we should ．
A． find out if there are any tables in it
B．put the information in the right order
C． count how many words there are in it
D． look at the picture and the words together
（4）The graphic given in the passage tells us that ．
A． 5 British teenagers sleep for 8～9 hours every day
B． Chinese 18﹣year﹣olds spend 5～6 hours sleeping every day
C． 17% of the British teenagers sleep for 3～4 hours each day
D． 42% of the Chinese teenagers spend 6～7 hours sleeping each day
Teenagers are known for being creative and full of new ideas． Let's have a look at these teenage inventions that might change the world．
（1）What is the passage mainly about ？
A．Popular ads．
B． Useful machines．
C． Strange pictures．
D． Teenage inventions．
（2）The earthworm robot by David Cohen can ．
A． make things stay fresh
B． help people wash clothes
C． go into the smallest places
D． take care of the old people
（3）Which of the following in TRUE ？
A． Plates and cups are made of fresh banana leaves．
B． Remya's washing machine can also keep people fit．
C． David Cohen is a middle school student from India．
D． Kenneth's wearable sensors will keep old people at home．
D
Every 14 days， another language dies． There are many reasons for this． Some people think more common languages have more economic（经济的） power． Because of this， young people choose to learn a common language as they think it is more useful． Another reason is that some languages aren't written down． Guujaaw is a leader of the Haida Nation， whose people have lived on the Queen Charlotte Islands， Canada， for more than 10，000 years． Their language is endangered． Traditionally， it wasn't written down， and， as a result， some people are worried that it will die one day． Guujaaw replies to this，" We talk to each other，listen， visit， and believe in the spoken word． Expressing yourself without writing is natural．" However， if Guujaaw's language and others like it are going to stay alive， writing may have to become part of their lives．
When a language dies， a lot of knowledge dies with it． To begin with， language is a huge part of the culture of the people who speak it． Language allows speakers to say certain things： words that describe a cultural idea may not translate exactly into another language． Furthermore， many endangered languages have rich spoken cultures． Stories， songs and histories are passed on from older people to younger generations （一代）． Elizabeth Lindsey， a language researcher， emphasizes（强调）this．" When an elder dies， a library is burned，" she says．
Also， language death affects our knowledge about nature． Local people often have a deep understanding of plants， animals， and the relationship between them． David Harrison， a researcher on endangered languages， reflects，"80% of plant and animal species（物种） have been undiscovered by science． But that doesn't mean they're unknown to humans．"
Many languages are endangered． However， it's not too late． Children often grow up speaking two languages．"No one…becomes richer by giving up…one language to learn another， "Harrison said． If children feel both languages are important， they will use both．
So， it is necessary that children realize how useful their local language is．
（1）How many reasons are mentioned for endangered languages in Paragraph 1？
A．2．
B．3．
C．4．
D．5．
（2）In Paragraph 2， the writer mainly tells us ．
A． how cultures are passed on
B． how cultures are discovered
C． why languages are written down
D． why languages are important to cultures
（3）The underlined word" affects" in the passage means" "．
A． waits for
B． depends on
C． is different from
D． has an influence on
（4）Which of the following is the writer's opinion ．
A． People need to use common languages more often．
B． The spoken word is more important than the written word．
C． Children are the hope to stop the local language from dying．
D． Many animals and plants are in danger because of dying languages．