A man sat at an underground station in Washington， D． C． and stared to play the violin． It was a cold day in January．He played（巴赫） pieces about 45 minutes． Thousands of people went through the station in a hurry， most of them on her way to work．
Three minutes went by and the first person． a middle﹣aged man， noticed there was a musician Playing．He slowed down and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to go to work．
After a minute， received his first dollar，a young woman threw the money in the Box．and continued to walk． Then another few minutes went by and someone stood against the wall to listen to him， but he young man looked at his watch and shared to walk again．Clearly he was late for work．
During the musician's performance， only a few people gave response（反应） to him： six people stopped and stayed for a while， twenty gave him money but continued to walk．When he finished playing， no one applauded （鼓掌）： No one knew the violinist was Joshua Bell，one of the best musicians in the world．
This is a real story． Joshua Bell playing in the underground station was organized by The Washington Post（ 《华盛顿邮报》）as part of a social experiment （实验）． What we learn from this experiment could be： If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music， how many other nice things are we missing？
（1）When did the story take place？
| A． |
On a cold morning． |
| B． |
On a warm afternoon． |
| C． |
On a rainy evening． |
| D． |
On a windy weekend． |
（2）Who was the first person to notice the musician playing？
| A． |
A young woman． |
| B． |
A small girl． |
| C． |
A young man． |
| D． |
A middle﹣aged man． |
（3）How many people gave response to the musician's performance？
| A． |
6． |
| B． |
20． |
| C． |
26． |
| D． |
45． |
（4）Who was Joshua Bell？
| A． |
A well﹣known reporter． |
| B． |
A poor artist． |
| C． |
An excellent violinist． |
| D． |
A famous pianist． |
（5）What was the writer's purpose of writing this passage？
| A． |
To let us know the importance of saving time． |
| B． |
To make us pay more attention to nice things around． |
| C． |
To find out what people usually did in the underground． |
| D． |
To do a survey on how many people were interested in music． |
People often complain they face too many problems. Every day and everywhere there are problems. Many times we find it hard to stay happy. When one problem is solved, another one comes up.
People have money problems, work problems, family problems, health problems..... the list goes on. And we usually think that people who are happy and successful are having fewer problems than us. Look at the successful people we often mention. They have money they need, they have jobs they love, they have good friends, they have obedient(孝顺的) kids, they have the successful business, they have loving families etc. Everything goes well with them. That is why they are happy and successful. But in fact, the more successful you are, the more problems you have to face. More success means more challenges they have to face, and more success means more risks they have to take.
Young and old, rich and poor, successful and unsuccessful, educated and uneducated, all have problems. The difference is that their problems are different from each other. Rich and successful have big problems. Poor and unsuccessful have small problems. Still they all have problems which they can face. Successful people are successful just because they are ready to face challenges larger than ordinary people.
Winning the US elections(选举) makes Obama very happy. As a new US president, he has to face bigger challenges. He has to be more careful about his work he does, or he will lose his position(位置). Looking at him, we may say he is lucky, happy and successful. But, I think, as the US president, he has more pressure than an ordinary person. You will be a/an ______ person if you are afraid to face more challenges.
| A．ordinary | B．successful | C．famous | D．educated |
From this article we know that President Obama ______.
| A．has fewer problems | B．was born in a rich family |
| C．takes more risks | D．is a successful businessman |
The main idea of this article is _______.
| A．why poor people are always poor |
| B．how many problems people usually have to face |
| C．how lucky and happy President Obama is |
| D．how to deal with problems in life |
Americans use many expressions with the word dog. People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well.
Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world. That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs. They say if a person wants to be successful he has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people dog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.
Still, people say every dog has its day. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks(手艺). They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.
Dog expressions are also used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rain in summer may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs.If a person without lots of money wants to buy a car, he or she has to ______.
| A．treat the dog well | B．live with lots of dogs |
| C．work like a dog | D．become sick as a dog |
The saying you can never teach an old dog new tricks tells us older people ______.
| A．have more ways to do things | B．do things more slowly |
| C．dislike to learn new things | D．know wonderful tricks |
Which of the following is NOT true according to this passage?
| A．Many dogs are loved and treated well by people in America. |
| B．“Every dog has its day” means dogs are the most successful animal. |
| C．“It rains cats and dogs” has the same meaning as “It rains heavily”. |
| D．There are many expressions with the word dog in English. |
Growing mushrooms（蘑菇）is probably the easiest thing you can do even if you are new to mushroom growing. It is becoming more common because restaurants are starting to create more dishes that include mushrooms.
Mushroom growing is easy. To start, you need to have a space where you are going to grow these mushrooms. It does not have to be a huge space but just enough for you to grow as many mushrooms as you need. When you have found the space perfect for you, you can start researching what kind of mushrooms you want to grow. There are a lot of mushrooms to choose from and not all of them are suitable to eat.
When you decide what kind of mushrooms you want to grow, you can start getting ready to plant the mushrooms. Sometimes you may want to hire some workers to help if you have a large mushroom farm, or if you are trying to start a professional mushroom growing business. Trying to have a business by yourself can be stressful. If you don’t have enough time to spend taking care of everything yourself, some helpers may be the best choice.
After you have started the mushroom growing, you should regularly check that your mushrooms grow properly and that they are not being attacked by any pesticides（农药）or any other animals or something that could be dangerous to them. That is the worst part of mushroom developing. Protect your mushroom farm well with a fence（围栏）or a gate so that only you and your workers can get in and out.
Mushroom growing is not difficult and it is easy to get stared in the world of farming. You will soon possibly be able to provide some of the great cooks of the world with high quality mushrooms that will be enjoyed by thousands of people all over the world. According to the passage, many people begin to plant mushrooms probably _________.
| A．because they are in great need. | B．because they look very beautiful |
| C．because they are healthy food | D．because they are very expensive |
Which of the following is the right order of planting mushrooms?
a. Choose suitable mushrooms. b. Protect your mushrooms well.
c. Find some workers to help you. d. Start to grow the mushrooms.
e. Find a place to plant your mushrooms.
| A．c—a—d—b—e | B．e—a—c—d—b | C．c—a—e—b—d | D．e—a—d—b—c |
It can be inferred（推断）from the passage that __________.
| A．pesticides can be used in mushroom growing |
| B．anyone can produce high quality mushrooms. |
| C．after starting, you should always take care of the mushrooms |
| D．having a mushroom business is not so difficult |
According to the passage, which sentence is NOT true?
| A．Although you don’t know much about growing mushrooms, you can do it easily. |
| B．you can choose a suitable space, just big enough for you to grow mushrooms. |
| C．All mushrooms aren’t suitable to eat. |
| D．The worst part of mushroom developing is to protect your mushrooms farm well with fence. |
The best title of the passage is __________.
| A．Healthy mushrooms | B．The value of mushrooms |
| C．How to choose mushrooms | D．Suggestions on growing mushrooms |
Thousands of years ago, people didn’t know that the Earth moved. They thought the sun really did move across the sky. The Greek god Helios was said to drive the sun around the sky with his chariot（战车）. But now, these ideas have all changed. Nowadays, it is the sun that drives our “chariot” around the sky.
So what does all this mean? Well, quite simply, there is now a plane （or “chariot”） that is powered by the sun. It has special parts in its wings. These parts absorb power from the sun. They absorb so much power that they can carry on flying at night. In the Greek myths（希腊神话）, Helios had to take a break at night. It seems we’re finally even more efficient than the gods themselves.
This plane is called Solar Impulse （“太阳驱动”号）. It will fly across the US in May. This is very important for the future of the world.
So why is solar energy so good for us? Well, other kinds of energy cause a few problems. If you live in China, you’ve probably noticed the pollution. This is caused by burning coal or gas to make energy. The heat and chemicals（化学制品）from this make things work. But if we use the heat from the sun, we don’t have to burn anything, and there’s no pollution.
Solar energy is not all there yet. It needs to be improved. But the best thing about it is that, unlike coal and gas, it doesn’t run out. Solar Impulse could keep flying forever. Well, actually, the sun will run out too, one day, but not for another 5 billion years. That’s a pretty long flight.What does “chariot” really refer to in the last sentence of Paragraph 1?
| A．The Earth. | B．The Greek god. | C．Solar Impulse. | D．Birds. |
Which of the following is TRUE of Solar Impulse?
| A．It can only fly at night. | B．It has already flown across the US. |
| C．It is powered by the sun. | D．It needs gas to work. |
In the passage, what is mentioned as the cause of pollution in China?
| A．Overpopulation. | B．Burning coal or gas. |
| C．Using solar energy. | D．Heavy traffic. |
What does the writer mean by “That’s a pretty long flight”?
| A．It takes a lot of time to get Solar Impulse going. |
| B．Solar Impulse moves very slowly. |
| C．Solar Impulse will be in use for a long time. |
| D．Solar Impulse has a long way to go to take the place of the sun. |
The passage is most probably taken from___________.
| A．a Greek myth | B．a science fiction | C．a story-book | D．a science magazine |
A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms（习语）, though my teacher told us the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.
One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be surprised. Gently shaking his head，shrugging his shoulders, he said，“You don’t say!” “You don’t say!” I was puzzled. I thought, perhaps this is not a right topic. “Well, I’d better change the topic.” So I said to him. “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?” “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was wonderful.” He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide. “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it.” Soon I was interrupted（打断）again by his words: “You don’t say!” I couldn’t help asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it?” “Well, I didn’t ask you to do so,” he answered, greatly surprised. I said, “Didn’t you say ‘you don’t say’?” Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, “ ‘You don’t say’ actually means ‘really!’ It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.” I realized I had made a fool of myself. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions. Remember: what the English teachers said is always right to us students.A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms because .
| A．I had no interest in them |
| B．English idioms were very difficult |
| C．I did not realize the importance of them |
| D．my teacher didn’t tell us the importance of them |
At first, on hearing “You don’t say,” I thought the foreigner meant .
| A．I had talked too much | B．I had to stop talking |
| C．he was not interested in the topic | D．he was only interested in the Great Wall |
“…was shown in an amusing experience.” The word “amusing” probably means.
| A．interesting | B．important | C．terrible | D．unlucky |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The Englishman wanted me to act as his guide. |
| B．The Englishman left China without seeing the Great Wall. |
| C．The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it. |
| D．The Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth visiting. |
After the Englishman explained the idiom, ___________.
| A．I felt very silly | B．the Englishman became a real fool |
| C．I became more careful in everything | D．I thought the Englishman had made me a fool |