Maybe you know floods, earthquakes, sandstorms and so on. But have you heard of typhoons?
Typhoons are some of the worst storms, usually around the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. Most happen in July, August and September.
How does a typhoon happen? When lots of sea water gets hot in the summer sun, it evaporates (蒸发）into the air. This makes the air hotter. When the air gets warm enough, it starts to move higher up into sky. Then cooler air around it rushes in. It fills the space that is left. After the air gets warmer, it starts to move quickly, making wind. The wind goes in circles (圆圈) and it keeps moving higher in the sky. The warmer the air gets, the quicker the wind moves. And when the wind moves faster than 30 metres a second, a typhoon begins.
A typhoon has two parts, one is called the “eye”. In the eye, the wind does not move so fast. The other part is the wall of clouds around the eye. Here are the strongest winds and hardest rains.
Typhoons are very dangerous. In November, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan killed 5500 people in Philippines. More people are missing.
What to do when a typhoon hits?
● Stay inside. Close all the windows and stay away from them.
● Try to bring all of your things inside. Strong winds could even blow away your bikes!
● Listen to the radio or TV for important information.
● If you’re told to go to a safer place, do it right now.This passage is most probably from ________.
| A．an advertisement of a typhoon |
| B．a travel record |
| C．a weather report |
| D．a science magazine |
Typhoons often happen ________.
| A．in the hot season | B．in the cold season |
| C．only in China | D．under the sea |
In which order (顺序) does a typhoon happen?
a. The wind moves fast enough, a typhoon starts.
b. The air moves quickly, making wind.
c. The sun makes sea water hot.
d. The air gets warmer.
| A．d-c-b-a | B．c-d-b-a | C．c-d-a-b | D．d-b-a-c |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The warmer the air gets, the slower the wind moves. |
| B．5500 people died because of Typhoon Haiyan around the world. |
| C．The strongest winds and hardest rains are in the wall of clouds. |
| D．A typhoon will not happen before the wind goes faster than 30 km a second. |
When a typhoon comes, we can NOT ________.
| A．close all the windows |
| B．listen to typhoon news |
| C．stay inside the strong house |
| D．go outside to find a safer place |
How can we improve our life? Many people think that they have to accept whatever life throws at them. They’ll say, “this is my destiny (命运). I cannot change it.”
Certainly not! You don’t have to suffer too much. Your destiny depends on yourself, not on any other 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 routine cycle follows. Huh! Is this what she calls “doing her best”? She believes she has tried her best. But in fact she hasn’t.
Remember that you get what you pay. 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 little failure, but use it as feedback (反馈). 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 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.The writer’s attitude towards destiny is that ________.
| A．we can change it | B．we can’t depend on ourselves |
| C．we must accept it | D．we have to suffer it |
According to the passage, what should you do if something goes wrong?
| A．Regard it as a little failure. | B．Get your hands off your phone. |
| C．Sit around and wait for luck. | D．Do something to solve the problem. |
The underlined word “turn out” in the passage means ________.
| A．翻转 | B．关闭 |
| C．变得 | D．清空 |
From the passage, we know ________.
| A．we only need to hope for the best in our life. |
| B．we can get what we pay if we think positively. |
| C．the woman has tried her best to improve her life. |
| D．maybe our luck will change if we do something about the life |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Understand Yourself | B．Improve Your Life |
| C．Believe in Yourself | D．Accept Your Life |
We humans live in different parts of the world, but we have the same “mother”. She gives us everything we need in our daily life. She is our Mother Earth. Everybody wants to live in a green city. A green city is a healthy and pleasant place for people to live in. It can get its energy from something like solar and wind power. Also, it is connected by clean public transportation.
| The Hyperloop (超级高铁) The Hyperloop is a high-speed transportation. It works by having capsules (舱) with passengers in. The capsules run on the air. The Hyperloop plans to run from Los Angeles to San Francisco. With an average speed of 962 km per hour, it is only 35 minutes between the two cities. The solar panels (板) provide power to the Hyperloop. |
| Smart Wheel Smart Wheel is a bicycle wheel with a motor. This invention can easily fit onto almost any bike. And the motor allows bikes to travel up to 50km once. Smart Wheel is different from other electric bikes. It can be controlled through your smartphone’s Bluetooth. The smartphone can show your speed, distance and travel time. |
| Solar Sidewalk (太阳能步道) George Washington University made a special path in 2013. The path is about 9 square meters. It is covered with solar panels that can provide energy to power 450 LED lights. These lights can light the walkway after dark. The solar panel is also strong enough for people to walk on. |
A green city is ________.
| A．clean and tidy | B．full of plants |
| C．healthy and pleasant | D．rich for energy |
It is ________ from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
| A．About 962 km. | B．About 560 km. |
| C．About 700 km. | D．About 450 km. |
About Smart Wheel, which is Not right?
| A．It can travel 50km once. |
| B．It can fit onto almost any bike. |
| C．It’s a motorbike with a bicycle wheel. |
| D．The smartphone’s Bluetooth can control it. |
What can solar panels do?
| A．They can run on the air. | B．They can provide energy. |
| C．They can carry passengers. | D．They can show your travel time. |
What do you think of the public transportation?
| A．Modern and clean. | B．Green and dangerous. |
| C．Exciting and crazy. | D．Expensive and impossible. |
Sudha Chandran, a famous dancer from India, had to have her right leg cut after a car accident. She was alsocut offon her career (事业) road.
Though the accident brought her bright career to astop, she didn’t give up. In the painful months that followed, Sudha met a doctor who developed a man-made leg for her. Sostrongly, she wanted to go back todancing.Sudha believed inherself and she thought she could realize her dream.
After every public recital (个人表演), shewould ask her dad about her performance. “You
still have a long way to go” was the answer she used to get in return. In January 1984, Sudha made a historiccomebackby giving a public recital in Bombay. She performed in such a great manner that itmoved everyone to tears. That evening when she asked her dad theusual question, he didn’t say anything. He just touched her feet as a praise. Sudha’s comeback wasso moving that a film producerdecided to make the story into a hit film.
When someone asked Sudha how she hadmanaged to dance again, she said quite simply, “YOU DON’T NEED FEET TO DANCE.”Nothing is impossible in this world. If you have the will to win, you can achieve anything.Sudha Canadian is an ________ dancer.
| A．English | B．Indian | C．Australian | D．American |
Sudha thought she could depend on ________ to make her dream come true.
| A．the doctor | B．her father |
| C．herself | D．a film producer |
What did Sudha do in January, 1984?
| A．She had a car accident. |
| B．She met a doctor. |
| C．She left Bombay. |
| D．She made a historiccomeback. |
How did Sudha’s father praise her?
| A．By touching her feet. |
| B．By watching her performance. |
| C．By teaching her to dance. |
| D．By making the story into a hit film. |
What’s Sudha idea about success?
| A．Being a disabled dancer. |
| B．Believing in families and friends. |
| C．Practicing more. |
| D．Having a strong will to win. |
Many people say that they are workingtoo many hours. They don't have enough time to relax or to stay with their family.
Work hours are different from one country to another. InFrance, people spend about 1,646 hours a year at work. InJapan, however, people work about 2,159 hours a year. That means(意味着) a Japanese worker works 513 more hours a year than a French worker.
Why do people work so many hours? Some people workextrahours because they want to make more money. However, many companies(公司) don't pay overtime(加班工资). Their workers don't get more money for more work. Some people think it's their duty(职责) to work more hours. Some are afraid of losing their jobs if they don't work more hours.
Many people say that their vacations are too short. InFrance, people get five weeks of paid vacation a year. InGermany, they get four to six weeks, and in theUnited States, two weeks. One study shows fewer than(少于) half of workers used all their vacation days. In Great Britain, there is a saying, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull (迟钝的) boy." If that is true, there must be a lot of dull people in the world.A Japanese worker works ________ more hours a year than a French one.
| A．513 | B．1,646 | C．2,159 | D．3,805 |
The word "extra" in Paragraph 3 means _________.
| A．正常的 | B．额外的 | C．有用的 | D．少量的 |
People in ________ get only two weeks of paid vacation a year.
| A．France | B．Germany | C．theUnited States | D．Great Britain |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．No companies offer(提供) vacations to their workers. |
| B．Many people say they have enough time to relax. |
| C．Not all workers can get more money for more work. |
| D．More than half of workers use all their vacation days. |
What can we infer(推断) from the passage?
| A．Workers in the United States get the longest paid vacation. |
| B．Many people have vacations long enough. |
| C．Work hours are the same around the world. |
| D．There are a lot of dull people in the world. |
It was Jimmy's birthday, and he was five years old. He got quite a lot of nice birthday presents from his family, and one of them was a beautiful big drum(鼓).
"Who gave him that thing?" Jimmy's father said when he saw it. "His grandfather did," answered Jimmy's mother. "Oh," said his father. Of course , Jimmy liked his drum very much. He made a terrible noise(噪音) with it, but his father did not mind(介意). His father was working during the day, and Jimmy was in bed when he got home in the evening, so he did not hear the noise.
But one of the neighbors(邻居) did not like the noise at all , so a few days later, she took a sharp(锋利的) knife and went to Jimmy's house while Jimmy was hitting(击打) his drum. She said to him, "Hello, Jimmy. Do you know, there's something very nice inside your drum. Here's a knife. Open the drum and let's find it. " Jimmy got quite a lot of nice presents from his ________ .
| A．classmates | B．friends | C．teachers | D．family |
Who gave Jimmy the drum? ________ .
| A．His father | B．His mother | C．His neighbor | D．His grandfather |
Why did Jimmy's father not stop him making a noise with the drum? Because________.
| A．He liked Jimmy very much | B．he didn't mind it. |
| C．Jimmy was in bed | D．Jimmy only played in the evening |
One of the neighbors ________ .
| A．liked Jimmy very much. |
| B．enjoyed listening to the sound of the drum. |
| C．wanted to show Jimmy a sharp knife. |
| D．didn't like the noise at all. |
What did Jimmy's neighbor really want him to do? To ______.
| A．stop him making noises |
| B．make a noise on his drum with a knife |
| C．show him how to hit the drum |
| D．find something nice in his drum |