Every morning Grandpa got up early sitting at the table, reading his book. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to copy him in every way he could.
One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I try to read the book just like you, but I don’t understand it, and I forget what I understand as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the book do?” The grandpa quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”
The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandpa laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.
This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned. Out of breath, he told his grandpa that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, so he went to get a bucket instead. The grandpa said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough.”
The boy again dipped the basket into the river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandpa the basket was empty again. Out of breath, he said, “Grandpa, it’s useless !”“So, you think it is useless?” the grandpa said, “Look at the basket.”
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean.
“Grandson, that’s what happens when you read the book. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you’ll be changed, inside and out.”What puzzled the grandson most was ________.
| A．what kind of book he could understand |
| B．whether it was useful to read books |
| C．why he forgot what he read soon |
| D．how he could read books like his grandpa |
Why did Grandpa ask his grandson to fetch a basket of water? _______
| A．To punish him for not reading carefully. |
| B．To train him to run faster. |
| C．To get him to realize the use of reading books. |
| D．To clean the dirty basket in the river. |
What lesson can we learn from the story? ________
| A．It is foolish to carry water with a basket. |
| B．The old are always wiser than the young. |
| C．Reading books can change a person gradually. |
| D．You can’t expect to remember whatever you read. |
What can be the best title for the text? _______
| A．Grandpa and grandson | B．Carrying water in a basket |
| C．Baskets and books | D．Reading for total changing |
Jack Brown，an office worker，lives in Washington．He inherited(继承) a million dollars when he was 23，but he wasn’t happy at all．When his college friends were looking for their jobs，he didn’t have to．Jack decided to living a simple life like everyone else．He gave $l0,000 of his money to a charity(慈善机构)to help poor children live a better life．Today he is 36．He still wears cheap shoes and clothes and drives a small car only，but he is Very happy．
Up to now Jack has helped some children from poor countries all over the world，by sending them each$200 a month．The money was used for the children’s study, food, medicine and clothing．Jack receives a report each year on the children’s progress(进步)．They can write to each other．but usually the children do not speak English．
When Jack first heard about these children，he wanted to help them．“It was nothing special,” he said．“Until I went to these countries and met the children I was helping，I didn’t know anything about their life．” Once Jack went to meet a little girl in Africa．He said that the meeting was Very exciting．“When I met her．I felt very ,very happy．"he said．“ I saw that the money was used for a good cause．It brought me happiness．I want to do everything I can to go on helping those children.”Jack didn’t need to look for a job ___________.
| A．before he went to college | B．after he went to Africa |
| C．because he got one million dollars | D．before he received a report |
Jack has sent them each $200 a month to help some poor children _______．
| A．only in Washington | B．only in England |
| C．only in Africa | D．around the world |
Jack learned about the children’s progress by ________.
| A．visiting them each year | B．getting a report every year |
| C．staying with them | D．talking to them in English |
The underlined(划线的)words “for a good cause ”means“________” in Chinese．
| A．施舍 | B．行善 | C．优惠 | D．赏赐 |
What’s the main idea of the story?
| A．Help others，and you will feel happy． |
| B．It’s necessary to write letters to poor children． |
| C．Live a simple life，and you can give others help． |
| D．Enjoy life. |
Do you love the holidays, but hate gaining weight? You are not alone. Holidays are times for celebrating. Many people are worried about their weight. With proper planning, though, it is possible to keep normal weight during the holidays. The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much. You don’t have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy.
Here are some tips for preventing（阻止） weight gain and maintaining（维持） physical fitness:
Don’t skip meals. Before you leave home, have a small, low-fat meal or snack. This may help to avoid getting too excited before delicious foods.
Control the amount of food. Use a small plate (about 10 inches) and put aside the large ones that may encourage you to "load up". You should be most comfortable eating an amount of food about the size of your fist.
Begin with soup and fruit or vegetables. Fill up beforehand on water-based soup and raw fruit or vegetables. Or drink a large glass of water before you eat to help you to feel full.
Stick to physical activity. Don’t let exercise take a break during the holidays. A 20-minute walk help to burn off excess calories.
Avoid(避免) high-fat foods. Dishes that look oily or creamy may have large amount of fat. Choose lean meat (瘦肉).Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables. Use lemon juice instead of creamy food.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．You should never eat delicious foods. |
| B．Drinking some water or soup before eating helps you to eat less. |
| C．Holidays are happy days but they may bring you weight problems. |
| D．Physical exercise can reduce the chance of putting on weight. |
Which of the following can NOT help people to lose weight according to the passage?
| A．Eating lean meat. | B．Creamy food. |
| C．Eating raw fruit or vegetables. | D．Physical exercise. |
Many people can’ t control their weight during the holidays mainly because they__________.
| A．can’ t help being tempted to eat constantly | B．take part in too many parties |
| C．enjoy delicious foods sometimes | D．can’t help turning away from foods. |
If the passage appeared(出现) in a newspaper , which section（专栏） is the most suitable one ?
| A．Holidays and Festivals section | B．Health and Fitness section |
| C．Fashion section | D．Student Times Club section. |
What is the best title of the passage ?
| A．How to avoid holiday feasting and celebrating . |
| B．Do’ s and don’ ts for keeping slim and fit. |
| C．How to avoid weight gain over holidays. |
| D．Wonderful holidays, boring weight. |
A student is learning to speak British English. He wonders(想知道): Can I communicate(交际) with Americans? Can they understand me? Learners of English often ask: What are the differences between British and American English? How important are these differences?
Certainly, there are some differences between British and American English. There are a few differences in grammar. For example, speakers of British English say “in hospital” and “Have you a pen?” Americans say “in the hospital” and “Do you have a pen?”.Pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans usually sound theirs in words like “bird” and “hurt”. Speakers of British English do not sound theirs in these words. There are differences between British and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example, “colour” and “honour” are British, “color” and “honor” are American.
These differences in grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary are not important, however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language.According to this passage, a student who is learning to speak American English might be afraid that __________.
| A．British people cannot understand him |
| B．American people cannot understand him |
| C．the grammar is too hard for him |
| D．the spelling is too hard for him |
American English and British English are different in __________.
| A．spelling | B．pronunciation | C．grammar | D．all of the above |
What is NOT mentioned(提及) in the passage?
| A．Whether there are differences between British English and American English. |
| B．Whether British English and American English are one language or two. |
| C．How the differences between British English and American English came about. |
| D．How important the differences are. |
Most ______say “Do you have a watch?”
| A．British people | B．Americans | C．children | D．teachers |
According to this passage, British people and Americans have ______ difficulty in understanding each other.
| A．little | B．much | C．some | D．great |
In 1620, about half the USA was covered by forests． Today the forests have almost gone． A lot of good land has gone with them, leaving only sand． China doesn’t want to copy the USA’s example． We’re planting more and more trees． We’ve built the " Great Green Wall" of trees across northern part of our country．The Great Green Wall is 7,000 kilometres long, and between 400 and 1,700 kilometres wide． It will stop the wind from blowing the earth away． It will stop the sand from moving towards the rich farmland in the south． More "Great Green Walls" are needed． Trees must be grown all over the world． Great Green Walls will make the world better．In 1620, about ______ the USA was covered by forests．
| A．a third | B．half | C．two thirds | D．a fourth |
A lot of good land has gone with ______．
| A．sand | B．water | C．wind | D．forests |
The Great Green Wall in China is ______ long．
| A．7,000 kilometers | B．1,700 kilometers |
| C．7,000 meters | D．400 kilometers |
Trees must be grown in ______.
| A．China | B．the USA |
| C．some countries | D．every part of the world |
_____ will make the world better．
| A．The Great Wall | B．Tall buildings |
| C．Great Green Walls | D．Flowers and grass |
Looking back on China’s road to outer space, people can easily find it has not been very smooth. In the past years, Chinese people have made hard and determined efforts to realize the dream their ancestors had for thousands of years.
After China’s first satellite into the Earth’s orbit in 1970 came four flights of unmanned Shenzhou missions(飞行) from 1999 to 2002. The country carried out its first one-piloted space flight in October, 2003, making China the third country in the world to have independent human spaceflight ability after the Soviet Union and the United States. Then came another breakthrough on October 12, 2005, when Shenzhou 6, China’s second human spaceflight, was launched, with a crew of two astronauts. What’s more, the landmark(里程碑)spacewalk done by Zhai Zhigang, one of the three boarding Shenzhou 7, launched on Sept. 25, 2008, leads the country further in its space exploration.
Meanwhile, China’s moon exploration project, started in 2004, has also been progressing satisfactorily. Fifty years after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world’s first man-made satellite, China’s first circumlunar(绕月的)satellite Chang’e 1 took off on Oct.24, 2007, which became the third landmark in China’s space achievements after the above-mentioned manned flights. Chang’e 1 was expected to fulfill four scientific goals, one of which was to expore mineral elements on the moon, especially those not existent on Earth. It’s said that the lunar regolith(月壤) is abundant in helium-3, a clean fuel that may support the Earth’s energy demands for more than a century. Nearly 3 years later, Oct. 1, 2010 witnessed the launching of Chang’e 2, China’s 2nd unmanned lunar probe(勘探),marking another step forward in moon exp
loration. This time the aim is to test the key techniques of Chang’e 3 and Chang’e 4, as a preparation for a soft lunar landing in the future.
With great expectations, people all over the world are looking forward to China’s greater space achievements. According to the text, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．China sent its first satellite into the Moon’s orbit in 1970. |
| B．China is the third country in Asia to make human spaceflight. |
| C．By now, altogether 5 astronauts have made successful spaceflight by Shenzhou spaceship. |
| D．The launching of Chang’e 1 became the third landmark in China’s space achievements. |
Paragraph 2 mainly deals with information about China’s .
| A．landmark spacewalk | B．manned Shenzhou missions |
| C．first circumlunar satellite | D．unmanned Shenzhou missions |
We can infer from the text that .
| A．China’s road to outer spacehas not been very smooth for a long time |
| B．the lunar regolith is believed to be rich in a clean fuel called helium-3 |
| C．China’s lunar exploration project was started in 2004 and completed in 2007 |
| D．China’s scientists are researching into techniquesfor soft lunar landing |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Ancient Chinese’s Dream | B．China’s Major Space Achievements |
| C．China’s Moon Exploration | D．The World’s Great Expectations |
The auther’s attitude towards China’s space exploration is _________.
| A．negative | B．positive | C．critical | D．indifferent |