To the Editor（编辑）
The Smaller，the Better!
After reading the article"The Benefits（益）of Living Small"，I decided that my husband and I should sell our 2500square﹣foot home to move into a 300square﹣foot home．
We have no children，yet we have five bedrooms，three bathrooms，two kitchens，and a huge living room．We can never afford to take time off from work to enjoy the things in life that we really want to，because our bills are so high．But when we downsize，I will be able to leave my job，and won't have to spend hours each week cleaning!
I'm sure our new little home will encourage us to get outside more often，spend more time with friends and family，and make our world more beautiful by using less energy and preventing further urban sprawl（城市扩张）．I think all owners of large homes should consider going smaller!
From Jane Adams
I disagree entirely with the one﹣sided article you published last month，"The Benefits of Living Small"．
Little homes such as the ones the writer wrote about in the article cost a small part of what normal family homes cost，and our economy（经济）is sure to feel the influence of this．Many educated people will leave their jobs，move to small homes in the countryside，and cities will experience brain drain（人才外流），not to mention all the construction workers who will be left jobless．
The"simple way of life"the writer speaks of in his article is nothing but simple．However，working hard and living in large，comfortable homes is something people all around the world try their best for．Before we give up the American dream，I suggest all readers reconsider selling off their biggest possessions!
From John Baker
38． made Jane Adams decide to sell her big home．
A．The environment
B．An article
C．John Baker
D．An editor
39．According to the passage，which of the following statement is true about Jane？
A．It costs her too much to live in a big home．
B．She spends much time with her children．
C．She doesn't do a lot of cleaning at home．
D．Going smaller will help her find a better job．
40．Why did John disagree with living in a small home？
A．It is not good for the economy．
B．It is harmful to the environment．
C．Most small homes are in the cities．
D．Educated people won't buy small homes．
41．Which of the following can be the best to put in the" "？
A．A Comfortable Life
B．The American Dream!
C．Economy and Life
D．The Smaller，the Better？
Do you know why different animals or pests (昆虫) have their special colors? Colors in them seem to be used mainly to protect themselves.
Some birds like eating locusts (蝗虫), but birds cannot easily catch them. Why? It is because locusts change their colors together with the change of the colors of crops(庄稼). When crops are green, locusts look green. But as the harvest time comes, locusts change to the same brown color as crops have. Some other pests with different colors from plants are easily found and eaten by others. So they have to hide themselves for lives and appear only at night.
If you study the animal life, you’ll find the main use of coloring is to protect themselves. Bears, lions and other animals move quietly through forests. They cannot be easily seen by hunters (猎人). This is because they have the colors much like the trees.
Have you ever noticed an even stranger act? A kind of fish in the sea can send out a kind of very black liquid (液体)when it faces danger. While the liquid spreads over (散开), its enemies (敌人)cannot find it. And it quickly swims away. So it has lived up to now though it is not strong at all.
| A．are small animals |
| B．are easily found by birds |
| C．are dangerous to their enemies |
| D．change their colors to protect themselves |
| A．they have the colors much like the trees |
| B．they move quietly |
| C．they like brown and gray colors |
| D．they live in forests |
| A．Because it is very and strong. |
| B．Because it can change the colors. |
| C．Because the liquid it sends out can kill its enemies. |
| D．Because it swims faster than any other fish. |
| A．The Change of Colors for Animals and Pests |
| B．Colors of Different Animals and Pests |
| C．The Main Use of Colors |
| D．Some Animals and Pests |
Mr.King works in a shop and drives a car for the manager. He drives carefully and can keep calm in time of danger. And he escaped from several accidents. The manager pays him more and the traffic policemen often speak highly of him.
Mr.Baker, one of his friends, works in a factory outside the city. It's far from his house and he has to go to work by bus. As the traffic is crowded in the morning, sometimes he's late for the work. His manager warns the young man that he will be sent away unless he gets to his office on time. He hopes to buy a car, but he hasn't enough money. He decides to buy an old one. He went to the flea (跳蚤) market and at last he chose a beautiful but cheap car. He said he wanted to have a trial (试验) drive, the seller agreed.
He called Mr. King and asked him to help him. Mr.King examined the car at first and then drove it away. It was five in the morning and there were few cars in the street. At first he drove slowly and it worked well. Then he drove fast. And when he reached a crossing, the lights turned red. He tried to stop it, but he failed and nearly hit an old woman who was crossing the street. A policeman told him to stop, but the car went on until it hit a big tree by the road. “Didn't you hear me？” the policeman asked angrily. “Yes, I did, sir.” said Mr.King, “Since it doesn't listen to me, can it listen to you？”
| A．manager | B．driver | C．doctor | D．policeman |
| A．buy a secondhand car | B．have a trial drive |
| C．choose a new car | D．sell his old car |
| A．he saw an old woman crossing the street |
| B．he saw a big tree |
| C．the traffic lights turned red |
| D．the policeman shouted angrily at him |
| A．Mr.King will be sent away if he keeps being late. |
| B．Mr.Baker can't afford to buy an old car. |
| C．Mr.King didn't hear the policeman. |
| D．Something was wrong with the car. |
Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their life are their friends. They believe that their family don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families ,it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight, and then they can only go to their friends for some ideas.
It’s very important for teenagers to have one good friend or a group of friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend much time on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can be the right one to talk about something with .These things are difficult to say to the family.
However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents even ask their children not to meet their good friends.
| A．friends | B．brother | C．sisters | D．parents |
| A．To make friends | B．To fight with brothers |
| C．To stop meeting friends | D．To phone parents |
| A．stay alone at home |
| B．fight with their parents |
| C．talk to their friends |
| D．go to their brothers and sisters for help |
| A．Parents should choose everything they like. |
| B．Children should choose everything they like. |
| C．Parents should understand their children better. |
| D．Teenagers should only go to their friends for help. |
阅读理解（本题有15小题，每小题2分；共计30分）
阅读下面材料，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
A
| A．some paintings. |
| B．some pictures of butterflies only. |
| C．some beautiful butterflies. |
| D．some pictures of the towns |
| A．15 yuan | B．20 yuan |
| C．25 yuan | D．35 yuan |
| A．by making a phone call |
| B．by sending an e –mail |
| C．by writing a letter |
| D．by filling in an application form |
Earthquakes happen without warning(前兆)．They can happen any time of a day，at any point during the year．But don’t worry because most are so weak that they cannot be felt． Only a few big ones hurt people． However，it’s important to know what to do when an earthquake is happening．
Do NOT go outside．You could get injured from falling glass or parts of buildings．If you are outside，stay away from buildings and power lines (输电线)．
Stay under a desk，table，or other strong furniture．Hold on to it．Or stay in a corner of the building．Cover your face and head with your arms and cover your mouth with a towel or clothing．Stay inside until shaking stops and it is safe to go outside．
Keep away from windows，pictures or advertisements on the wall or the building，and anything else that could fall and hurt you．Most people get injured by falling things during an earthquake，not by the shaking itself．
Also keep away from a fire．You could fall down and burn yourself on the fire．
If you are driving when an earthquake happens，stop the car if it’s safe．Stay inside your car until the earthquake stops，and don’t drive near bridges． Try not to stop by power lines or trees．These could fall and hurt you．Most earthquakes are too to hurt people．
| A．strong | B．weak |
| C．dangerous | D．heavy |
From the passage，when an earthquake is happening，we should ．
| A．stay under a big building |
| B．stay under a strong furniture |
| C．stand by windows |
| D．drive near a big bridge |
It isn’t safe for you to while the earthquake is happening．
| A．run out of the building |
| B．stay in a corner of the building |
| C．cover your head with your arms |
| D．cover your mouth with a towel |
This passage tells us ．
| A．how dangerous the earthquake is． |
| B．how to be safe in an earthquake． |
| C．we shouldn’t be afraid of the earthquake． |
| D．how the earthquake comes into being． |
The best title for this passage should be“”．
| A．How Earthquakes Happen |
| B．How to Drive a Car |
| C．What We Should Do in Earthquakes |
| D．Why Earthquakes Happen |