On March 14， 2018． Stephen Hawking， the world﹣famous British scientist， died at 76 in Cambridge，UK．
Hawking is considered by many to be the greatest scientist in history since Albert Einstein． He came up with the theory（理论） that the universe（宇宙） began with the big bang（大爆炸） and will end in black holes． His theories became the base for a lot of later research．He also wrote books to help common people understand the universe．His most famous book is A brief History of Time（时间简史），which has sold more than 10 million copies around the world．
Besides his scientific achievements． Hawking was also someone that had a strong willand optimistic attitude（乐观心态）．
When Hawking was 21， he was diagnosed（诊断）with a serious illness that stopped him from walking and talking． Later in life， he had to sit in a wheelchair and speak using a computer． But this didn't stop him from living a meaningful and colorful life． He traveled around the world for science meetings， visiting every continent（大洲）， including Antarctic（南极洲）． In 1985， he took a train trip around China． He was also a fan of pop culture and appeared on TV shows such as Star Trek（星际迷航）and the Bin Bang Theory（生活大爆炸）．He celebrated his 60th birthday by going up in a hot﹣air balloon． He hoped to travel into space one day．
Hawking left our universe forever． One of science's brightest stars went dark．
（1）What was Stephen Hawking？
| A． |
A movie star． |
| B． |
A teacher |
| C． |
A scientist |
| D． |
A musician |
（2）Which is the name of Hawking's most famous book？
| A． |
Star Trek． |
| B． |
A Brief History of Time． |
| C． |
The Big Bang Theory． |
| D． |
Bin Bang． |
（3）What does the underlined word ''will" in paragraph 3 probably mean？
| A． |
将来 |
| B． |
遗嘱 |
| C． |
心愿 |
| D． |
意志 |
（4）How did Hawking celebrate his 60th birthday？
| A． |
He traveled to Antarctic． |
B． |
|
| C． |
He took a trip by hot﹣air balloon． |
D． |
|
| E． |
He traveled into space |
F． |
|
| G． |
He took part in a science meeting in the U |
H． |
（5）Which statement is NOT TRUE about Hawking？
| A． |
Hawking was an Englishman． |
| B． |
Hawking couldn't talk and walk after the terrible illness． |
| C． |
Hawking took a trip to China before he fell ill． |
| D． |
Hawking could communicate with others through a computer． |
You can make the world a brighter place． How？ Here are a few ideas． Which have you tried？ Which would you like to try？
You can volunteer．
Clean up litter in a park． Pick up plastic on a beach． Lend a helping hand to a neighbor in need．
You can raise money．
Hold a bake sale． Run a lemonade stand． You can donate the money you earn． It can help a cause you care about．
You can lead a food drive．
Get your friends together． Collect canned food． Ask neighbors to donate too． Bring the canned goods to a food bank in your own．
You can donate．
Do you have clothes that no longer fit？ Do you have toys you no longer play with？ Give them to a local shelter．
（1）Which have you tried？
（2）Which would you like to try？
（3）Who can make the world a brighter place？
（4）How can you make the world a brighter place？
（5）Which title is better， Ways to Give or Ways to Take？
We all know that healthy food is good for our bodies． But most people don't know it is also good for the mind! What we eat doesn't just affect （影响） the way we look． It also affects the way we think and remember things．
Doctors have said fish like mackerel（马鲛鱼） and salmon （鲑鱼） are good for the brain．These fish have special fats that help children's brain to grow． They also help to keep adults' memories sharp．Some green vegetables are also good for the brain． They have a lot of vitamins （维生素） the brain needs．
But don't think if you eat a lot of salmon， you'll never have to study again! The truth is， these foods don't make you smarter． But they do keep your brain healthy， and a healthy brain is easier to use．
（1）Healthy food is ．
A． only good for our bodies
B． only good for the mind
C． not only good for our bodies， but also for the mind
（2）Why is salmon good for children？
A． Because it is from the ocean．
B． Because it helps children to become smarter．
C． Because it has special fats that help children's brain to grow．
（3）What does the underlined word "sharp" mean？
A． good
B． poor
C． bad
（4）What would be the best title for the article？
A． The Best Food﹣ Fish．
B． Feed Your Brain
C． How to Make Your Children Smart．
Anvitha Vgay， 9， can build an app． With the help of You Tube videos， the young techies from Melbourne， Australia， learned to code （编程） at age 7． Soon， she was trying her hand at making apps． "When I first got my iPad， I was fascinated by all the apps on it，" she said，"It wasn't long before I wanted to create my own．" She built her first two apps with her younger sister in mind． Smartkins Animals helps children identify （识别） more than 100 animals and their sounds． Smartkins Rainbow Colors teaches kids colors． Each app has been downloaded thousands of times．
（1）When did Anvitha begin to learn to make apps？
A． At the age of 7．
B． At the age of 8．
C． At the age of 9．
（2）For whom did Anvitha build her first two apps？
A． For her brother．
B． For her sister．
C． For herself．
（3）What is Smartkins Animals？
A． A toy．
B． An app．
C． An apple．
（4）What does Smartkins Rainbow Colors teach kids？
A． Colors．
B． Animals．
C． Animals' sounds．
Joe Bot and Rob Ot are robots．They are also best friends．The two pals live on a faraway planet．They are characters in a new book series （系列）． The books are graphic （绘画） novels．They are written by Russ Bolts and illustrated （插图） by Jay Cooper． The first two Bots books are in stores now．
（1）What is the name of the book series？
A． Joe Bot and Rob Ot
B． Two Robots
C． Bots
（2）Who is the writer of the Bots books？
A． Joe Bot．
B． Russ Bolts．
C． Jay Cooper．
（3）Who are Joe Bot and Rob Ot？
A． They are robots．
B． They are best friends．
C． They are characters in a new book series．
Look at this newspaper page． Read about December holiday events in one town． Then answer the questions：
|
Holiday Events This Week |
|
|
Monday， December 12 Crafts Projects For kids ages 5 to 12 Library， 4 p．m． |
Saturday， December 17 Holiday Fair Do last﹣minute shopping Town Hall， 11 a．m． |
|
Friday， December 16 Holiday Concert Hear the chorus sing High School， 6 p．m． |
Sunday， December 18 Benefit Breakfast Bring cons to give Clothes shop， 9 a．m． |
（1）Which event is only for kids？
A． Crafts Projects．
B． Holiday Concert．
C． Benefit Breakfast．
（2）What time does the breakfast start？
A． 4 p．m．
B． 11 a．m．
C． 9 a．m．
（3）Which event is on Saturday？
A． Holiday Fair．
B． Holiday Concert．
C． Benefit Breakfast．
（4）Where is the Holiday Concert？
A． In the library．
B． In the high school．
C． In Town Hall．
