In the past, many people depended on horses for transportation(运输), farming and other kinds of work. Nowadays a lot of people still like to ride horses. So it is not surprising that many expressions about it are still used by Americans today.
Long ago, people who were rich or important rode horses that were very tall. Today, if a girl is too proud and looks down upon others, you might say she should "get off her high horse."
Last night, I got a telephone call while I was watching my favorite television show. I decided not to answer it because "wild horses could not drag me away" from the television -- there was nothing that could stop me from doing what I wanted to do.
Sometimes you get information "straight from the horse's mouth." It comes directly from the person who knows most about the subject and is the best source. Let us say your teacher tells you there is going to be a test tomorrow. You could say you got the information "straight from the horse's mouth." However, you would not want to call your teacher a horse!
You may have heard this expression: "You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink." That means you can give someone advice but you cannot force him to do something he does not want to do.
In politics, a "dark-horse candidate" is someone who is not well known to the public. Sometimes, a dark horse unexpectedly wins an election(选举).
Another piece of advice is "do not change horses in midstream." You would not want to get off one horse and on to another in the middle of a river. Or make major changes in an activity that has already begun.What does the underlined word “it” mean in the first paragraph?
| A．the horse | B．riding horses |
| C．raising horses | D．horse racing |
The expression “get off her high horse” is used for a girl____.
| A．who has a lot of money |
| B．who is cleverer than others |
| C．who is respected by others |
| D．who thinks she is better than anyone else |
What can we learn about the news “ straight from the horse’s mouth”?
| A．It is very hard to get the news. |
| B．The news will be true and reliable（可靠的）. |
| C．The person who gives the news is called a horse. |
| D．The news is a lie and can’t be trusted. |
Which of the following can describe a person who wins an election unexpectedly?
| A．do not change horses in midstream |
| B．wild horses could not drag me away |
| C．dark-horse candidate |
| D．get off her high horse |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．The horse is a kind of useful animal. |
| B．The expressions used by Americans. |
| C．Some expressions about the horse. |
| D．It is popular to use the word “horse”. |
An ant(蚂蚁)was drinking at a small river and fell in. She tried her best to reach the side, but she couldn’t move at all. The poor ant got too tired but was still doing her best when a big bird saw her. What a luck! The bird threw a piece of wood in the water. With it the ant reached the bank again. While she was resting and drying herself in the grass, she heard a man coming up. He was walking without shoes on his feet and with a gun(枪)in his hand. As soon as he saw the bird, he wanted to kill her, and he would certainly do so, but the ant bite(咬)him on one of his feet and at the moment the bird flew away at once.What happened to the ant?
| A．She fell in the water |
| B．She wanted to swim |
| C．She was thirsty |
| D．She was eating |
What did the ant want to do in the water?
| A．She wanted to look for something |
| B．She wanted to swim to the bank |
| C．She wanted to catch a fish |
| D．She wanted to drink some water |
Who helped the ant?
| A．A man | B．A fish | C．A bird | D．Herself |
What did the man with a gun wear on his feet?
| A．A pair of shoes | B．A pair of socks |
| C．Nothing | D．Some clothes |
The man couldn’t kill the bird, Why?
| A．He couldn’t see the bird clearly |
| B．He couldn’t use the gun |
| C．He didn’t like to hurt the bird |
| D．His foot was bitten by the ant. |
Air is all around us. It is around us as we talk and play. From the moment we were born, We are surrounded(围绕)by air. When we sit down, it is around us. When we go to bed, air is also around us. Wherever we are on the earth, We are surrounded by air. We live in air.
All living things need air, living things can’t live without air. We can go without food or water for a few days, but we can’t live for more than a few minutes without air. We breathe(呼吸)in air. When we are working or running, We need more air. So we breathe faster than usual. When we are asleep, We need less air.From the text, we know that on the earth _____
| A．there is air everywhere |
| B．some animals don’t need air |
| C．plants need more air |
| D．for a long time people don’t need air |
The writer tells us that _____
| A．there is less air on the earth than on the moon |
| B．the earth is covered with air |
| C．the earth is covered with water |
| D．there is no air on the earth |
Which is the first important thing for people’s lives?
| A．Water | B．Air | C．Food | D．Sunlight |
Which of the following things needs air?
| A．Land | B．A mirror | C．A cat | D．A river |
A man needs more air when he _____
| A．dies | B．runs fast | C．takes a rest | D．sleeps |
Water can be a liquid, a solid or a gas. When it is a solid, it can be as hard as stone. When it is a liquid, it can run through your fingers. When it is a gas, you may not see or feel it.
Water can change from a solid to a liquid or to a gas easily. This is why we always have fresh water. Now let us find out how it does. The heat of the sun turns liquid water into gas from the oceans, seas, rivers and lakes. The heat also turns liquid water into gas from the ground, the plants and the animals. Water in the gas rises and turns into clouds in the air.
When the clouds come near a mountain, they rise high. As the clouds rise, they get cooler. The higher they rise, the cooler they become. Then more and more water gas turn into water drops. In this way, the drops of water in the clouds get bigger and bigger. Then they fall to the earth as rain.
根据短文内容，选择正确答案What is the solid of water?
| A．Rain | B．Gas | C．Stone | D．Ice |
When the water is a _____, we may not see or feel it.
| A．liquid | B．soild | C．gas | D．snow |
The water in the oceans turns into clouds because _____
| A．the wind | B．the heat of the sun |
| C．the mountain | D．the earth |
According to the passage, it rains most over the_____
| A．seas | B．oceans | C．mountains | D．farms |
The higher you go up the mountain, _____you will feel.
| A．the cooler | B．the hotter | C．the heavier | D．the bigger |
阅读与表达（每小题2分，共10分）
My name is Liu Fang. For a long time, I dreamed of doing something in Western China and last year after I left my college, I became a volunteer (志愿者) teacher. It has changed my life completely!
I traveled a long way from Yangkang Railway Station to a small village by bus in the noth part of Qinghai province. On my way there, I thought about the village, the school, the first day and the children there. However, my heart sank (沉下) when I arrived there. It wasn't what I thought of. It didn't look like a school at all! How small it was! The school had only three rooms, one for Grades 1, 2 and 3, and the other for Grades 4, 5 and 6. There was a third classroom for me.
The children welcomed me warmly on my first day. They asked me a lot of questions and I told them stories about myself and my life in Shanghai. The next day, I gave them a test to find out their level (水平). To my surprise, over half of the students didn’t pass the test, but they all wanted to learn new things.
I spent many nights getting ready for the lessons, reading test papers and marking homework. I enjoyed teaching these lovely and hardworking children, and I could see that they were making progress (进步) with my help. I have also learned a lot from them. I understand their lives better, and I realized that they really needed me a lot.
I have worked in the village for a year now. I'm very happy and the experience has been very useful for me. Now I know how to look after myself. I love the children. In fact, I would like to go on working here.Is Liu Fang a college student now?
What did Liu Fang think of the school when she saw it?
How was she getting on with the children?
What did she think of her work experience in the village?
Why does she want to go on working there?
New rules and behaviour standards (行为规范) for middle school students came out in March. Middle school is going to use a new way to decide who the top students are. The best students won't only have high marks. They will also be kids who don't dye (染) their hair, smoke or drink. Here are some of the new rules.
Tell the truth. Have you ever copied someone else's work on an exam? Don't do it again! That's not honest. If you have played computer games for two hours in your room, don't tell your parents that you have done homework.
Do more at school. Good students love animals and care for other people. April is Bird-Loving Month in our country. Is your school doing anything to celebrate? You should join! That way, you can learn more about animals and how to protect them. Have you ever quarreled（吵架）with your teammates when your basketball team lost? Only working together can make your team stronger. Be friendly to the people you are with. Try to think of others, not only yourself.
Be open to new ideas. Have you ever thought that people could live on the moon? Perhaps you'll discover（发现） Earth II someday. Don't look down at anyone. Everyone's ideas are important. You should welcome them, because new ideas make life better for everyone.
Protect yourself. Has someone ever taken money from one of your classmates? Don't let it happen to you. If you have to go home late, you should let your parents know.
Use the Internet carefully. The Internet can be very useful for your studies. But some things on the Internet aren't for kids, so try to look at Web pages that are good for you. You can use the Web for fun or homework.According to the passage, which of the following is not true?
| A．Take care of yourself when you are out. | B．Tell the truth, even when you are wrong. |
| C．Keep some animals to protect them. | D．Use the Internet, but keep away from bad thing |
The main idea of the fourth paragraph is about .
| A．making the team stronger | B．working together with others |
| C．being a good friend to others | D．getting on well with others |
The passage tells us how to .
| A．be top students | B．do more at school |
| C．care for others | D．use the Internet |