D
Inventions make our life easier and better than before． What are the best inventions of last year？ Here are three amazing things in Time magazine's list of the 25 best inventions of 2017．
Smart mug
It's hard to keep coffee or tea warm， especially in winter． But this smart mug from US company Ember Technologies can solve this problem． There is an app for the mug that allows people to set the mug to a certain temperature between 48℃ and 62℃． Then， the mug keeps your coffee or tea at that temperature for about an hour， and even longer if you put the mug on a charging（充电）plate．
Social robot
Can robots talk to us like humans？ Jibo， a robot made by US company Jibo Inc， can do this， With a big， round head and a big body， Jibo looks like a cartoon character． And its voice sounds like a 10﹣year﹣old boy． As soon as you say "Hey， Jibo，" it dances and turns to face you． When it talks to you， it moves its head and body to communicate with you． Its appearance， tone of voice and humor make you feel that you have a little friend． Jibo is able to tell stories to children， take pictures just by hearing your order "Jibo， take a picture"， and do hundreds of other jobs． Although its creators think that Jibo still has a lot to learn，it's available with a price of ＄899；a good price for a pretty smart and friendly robot!
Fidget spinner
What is the most popular toy this year？ The answer is probably fidget spinners． They are small plastic or metal toys with a bearing（滚珠轴承）in the middle． The toys can keep turning around on your fingertip for a few minutes after you start them． Once they are turning， you can put them on any other flat surface， such as a ruler or even the nose of a pet dog． This toy is very popular among young people around the world． Some people say that it helps them calm down and relax． But it may not be a good thing to spend too much time playing with it．
（1）Why is the smart mug special？
A． It's not easy to get broken in winter．
B． It can heat coffee or tea up to 48℃．
C． It can solve many difficult problems．
D， It has an app to control the temperature．
（2）What does the underlined sentence mean？
A． Jibo is not perfect yet but worth buying．
B． Although Jibo is cheap， it's not worth buying．
C． Although Jibo is expensive， it is worth the money．
D． The creators have to learn a lot to make Jibo perfect．
（3）What is a fidget spinner used for？
A． Having fun．
B． Cleaning fingers．
C． Doing homework．
D． Answering questions．
（4）What's the best title for the whole text ？
A． Inventions and our life．
B． Time magazine's list．
C． Best inventions of 2017．
D． Mugs， robots and toys．
As prices and building costs keep rising，the DIY in big cities of China becomes more popular．
"We needed furniture for our living room，" says Li Ling，"and we just didn't have enough money to buy it．So we decided to try making a few tables and chairs．" Li Ling got married six months ago，and like many young people these days，they tried their best to make a home by themselves because the cost of living is very high．Li Ling and his wife took a 2﹣week course for 1，280 yuan at a training school．Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house．
Mr．Wang has three boys and his wife has died．He has a job in a shoe making factory．Last month，he received a car repair bill for 900 yuan．"I was deeply upset about it．Now I've finished a car repair course．I should be able to fix the car by myself．"
Li Ling and Mr．Wang are not unusual people．Most families in our country are doing everything they can to save money so they can fight the high cost of living．If you want to become a "do﹣it﹣yourself"，you can go to DIY classes．And for those who don't have time to take a course，there are books that tell you how you can do things yourselves．
（1）Why did Li Ling and his wife try to make a home by themselves？
| A． |
Because of the high cost of living． |
| B． |
Because of a car repair bill． |
| C． |
Because of their hobbies． |
| D． |
Because of their much spare time． |
（2）What course did Mr．Wang take？
| A． |
A two﹣week course． |
| B． |
A furniture repair course． |
| C． |
A shoe making course． |
| D． |
A car repair course． |
（3）According to the passage，which statement is TURE？
| A． |
Li Ling got married six weeks ago． |
| B． |
Mr．Wang and Li Ling are usual people． |
| C． |
The DIY in small cities in China becomes more popular． |
| D． |
Li Ling and his wife took a course for 1，280 dollars at a training school． |
（4）How many examples are given to prove the DIY becomes more popular？
| A． |
None． |
| B． |
One． |
| C． |
Two． |
| D． |
Three． |
（5）If you have no time to take a course，what can you do？
| A． |
Ask your neighbor for help． |
| B． |
Look up information on line． |
| C． |
Listen to the course on the radio． |
| D． |
Buy some books about DIY． |
Mrs．White has a son．His name is Sam．The young man begins to work in a post office in a big city this autumn．He asks his mother to visit the city．The old woman is happy and catches a train．Soon she gets to the city，but she doesn't know where the post office is．She begins to look for it．At a bus stop she asks an old man，"Excuse me，sir．How can I get to the post office，please？"
"We have about forty post offices in our city，" says the old man，"Which one do you want？"
The old woman gives Sam's address to him and the old man says， "Walk along this street and take the fourth turning on the left．His post office is just there．"
Mrs．White thanks the old man and soon finds her son．They're very happy．A week later the old woman goes to the zoo．She sees all kinds of animals．But after that she can't find the way again．At the same bus stop she meets the same old man and she asks the same question again．
"Oh dear！" the old man calls out．"Are you still looking for your son？"
（1）Where does Sam work？
| A． |
In a zoo． |
| B． |
In a post office． |
| C． |
At a train station． |
| D． |
At an old people's home． |
（2）How does Mrs．White get to her son's workplace from the bus stop？
| A． |
On foot． |
| B． |
By train． |
| C． |
By bus． |
| D． |
By taxi． |
（3）What does Sam give his mother before she arrives？
| A． |
A ticket． |
| B． |
His address． |
| C． |
His phone number． |
| D． |
His key． |
（4）Why is the old man so surprised to see Mrs．White again a week later？
| A． |
Because he knows her now． |
| B． |
Because he is very happy to see her． |
| C． |
Because he thinks she hasn't found her son yet． |
| D． |
Because he thinks she has already been back home by train． |
（5）What can you infer（推断） from the passage？
| A． |
Mrs．White knows the city well． |
| B． |
Mrs．White doesn't find her son at last． |
| C． |
Sam's post office isn't far from the bus stop． |
| D． |
The old man always waits at the bus stop for someone to ask him the way． |
Snowy was a little cat． He lived with a little old lady who loved Snowy very much． Sometimes the old lady would sit in her rocking chair， rocking backwards and forwards until she fell asleep or sometimes she would play little tunes（曲子） on her piano．
One sunny day， Snowy jumped up on the window sill（窗台）． Snowy wanted to go out and play with the pretty butterflies， but the window was shut and the old lady had fallen asleep in her rocking chair．
He ran to the door but that was shut， too． He sat down near the old lady's feet and said， "Miaou？" That was his way of saying， "May I go out to play， please？" The old lady didn't hear him but stayed fast asleep．
He rubbed his soft head against the old lady's legs． Still the old lady slept． So Snowy sat down and thought hard． Then he had an idea． He would jump up on the piano and play a tune． That might wake her up． So Snowy jumped up onto the piano and was a little scared of the loud， big， deep drum sound he made as he landed．
He took another little step． It wasn't quite such a loud note（调子）． Up and down the notes he walked until he reached the very high notes which sounded like lots of bells． But still the old lady slept． Snowy kept dancing about on them and made quite a pretty tune． At last the old lady woke up．
"What are you doing， Snowy？" She asked but she wasn't angry． "Miaou，" said Snowy， running to the closed door． "How clever you are to wake me up by playing the piano!" said the old lady as she let Snowy out into the sunshine．
（1）Where did the old lady often fall asleep？ （within 4 words）
（2）What did Snowy want to do by jumping onto the window sill？ （within 10 words）
（3）What did Snowy jump on the piano to do？ （within 10 words）
（4）How did Snowy feel when he landed on the piano？ （within 5 words）
（5）What did the old lady do in the end？ （within 10 words）
When on the go or traveling， a Disposable（一次性） Toothbrush might be just the product for you． Typically， a Disposable Toothbrush is made out of a plastie material， with toothpaste already on the brush head． Just add water while you are using it． In some new Disposable Toothbrush models， the toothpaste comes automatically（自动地） as you squeese（挤） the handle of the toothbrush．
Colgate has upped the competition in the Disposable Toothbrush market by creating a Dispossble Toothbrush that you can use at your desk at work， in your car， or after eating at a restaurant． This toothbrush is called the Colgate Wisp， and is about the size of an index finger． The toothbrush can get to those hard to reach places just like a regular toothbrush． No water is necessary when using this toothbrush， making it very useful and convenient． A pack of four of the Colgate Wisp's run about ＄ 2．99． If you are one of those people that like to brush your teeth throughout the day but hate the hassleof carrying a toothbrush and toothpaste around， this is perfect!
Gadgets， boingboing， not is a website that allows different people to share their thoughts and experiences on a certain product． The website gives a general review on the Colgate Wisp， and following the review， people are able to share their first﹣hand feelings with readers． This is helpful if you are interested in purchasing the Wisp． Visit their website here： gadgets ， boingboing ， net．
However， people throw them away after using them only once． It is a kind of waste and is very bad for the environment． If you travel to Beijing， remember to bring your own things． Starting from June， some hotels in Beijing will no longer provide guests with these disposables．
（1）What do you need to do when you use a typical Disposable Toothbrush？
| A． |
Use your index finger． |
| B． |
Add water to the toothbrush． |
| C． |
Brush your teeth three times． |
| D． |
Buy it from Gadgets， boingboing net |
（2）What does the underlined word "hassle" in Paragraph 2 mean？
| A． |
Trouble． |
| B． |
Habit． |
| C． |
Time． |
| D． |
Idea． |
（3）What does the writer want to tell us in the last paragraph？
| A． |
We should try to avoid using disposables． |
| B． |
Hotels in Beijing don't like the disposables． |
| C． |
Travelers like the disposables very much． |
| D． |
The disposables are made out of plastics． |
（4）What is the best title for the passage？
| A． |
Environment Protection |
| B． |
Disposable Toothbrush |
| C． |
Colgate Wisp |
| D． |
Gadgets． Boingboing． Net |
Although people drive in all countries， the rules can be quite different between nations and areas． For this reason， you should always learn the laws before you decide to drive in a foreign country．
In the U．S．， people in Alaska may have a learner's permit at the age of fourteen． This is quite different from the driving laws of Niger， where a person must be at least twenty﹣three years old to drive． If you want to know the minimum（最小的） driving age in most countries， the answer is eighteen． It may also surprise you to learn that not every country allows people to drive， although most of them do． For example， women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia no matter how old they are．
Driving on the right or left side of the road is also different． In Great Britain， Cyprus， Australia， India， and Malaysia， people drive on the left． However， in the U．S．， Mexico， France， and Canada， people are required to drive on the right． In fact， one country can have different driving rules for different areas． People in Hong Kong drive on the left， while drivers in other parts of China use the right side of the road．
Other different driving laws between countries include thoseabout using mobile phones． In Japan， using any kind of mobile phones is illegal（违法的）， even if you do not need to hold the phone with your hands． However， in Argentina and Australia， drivers are allowed to talk on their mobile phones if they do not use their hands．
You might also find it interesting to learn that some countries have very unusual laws． For example， in Cyprus， it is against the law to eat or drink anything while driving．
（1）Which of the following is not discussed in the passage？
| A． |
The driving age． |
| B． |
The driving speed． |
| C． |
Right or left side traffic． |
| D． |
Safety calls while driving． |
（2）What can we know about driving from the passage？
| A． |
It is fun to drive in Britain in the afternoon． |
| B． |
Women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia． |
| C． |
In Cyprus， you may make a phone call while driving． |
| D． |
It's against laws for an Australian driver to use a mobile． |
（3）What does the underlined word "those" in Paragraph 4 refer to？
| A． |
Drivers． |
| B． |
Mobile phones． |
| C． |
Driving laws． |
| D． |
Countries． |
（4）What is the main idea of the passage？
| A． |
Driving in all countries shares a common purpose． |
| B． |
Countries have different ways to make laws on driving． |
| C． |
There are differences in laws about driving among countries． |
| D． |
People in different countries drive on different sides of the road． |