In 1845， a deadly disease struck the farms of Ireland， killing all the Lumper potato plants． In another place or time， the death of single crop species （物种） might not have been so important． But in Ireland， in 1845， people depended almost solely on the potato for food． The death of one species caused a terrible famine（饥荒）． Now， some scientists are worried that such a famine could happen again， but on a much wider scale．
Over the centuries， farmers have discovered thousands of different species of food crops． Each species has special qualities． Some can be grown in very hot or cold climates． Others are not affected by certain diseases． However， you won't find many of these species in your local supermarket． To feed the seven billion people on Earth， most farmers today are growing only species of plants and farming only species of animals that are easy to produce in large numbers．
For example， in the Philippines， there were once thousands of varieties of rice： now fewer than 100 are grown there． In China， 90 percent of the wheat varieties grown just a century ago have disappeared． Scientists believe that over the past century， we have allowed more than half of the world's food varieties to disappear．
One solution to this problem is to collect and store the seeds （种子） as many different plant varieties as we can before they disappear． The idea was first suggested by Russian scientist Nikolay Vavilov． In the 1920s and 1930s， he collected around 400，000 seeds from five continents． More recently， others are continuing the work he began．
In the U．S． state of Iowa， Diane Ott Whealy wanted to protect historic plant varieties， like the seeds her great ﹣grandfather brought to the U．S． from Germany more than a hundred years ago． She and her husband started a place called Heritage Farm， where people can store and trade seeds．
More importantly， the people at Heritage Farm don't just store the seeds； they plant them． By doing this， they are reintroducing foods into the marketplace that haven't been grown for years． These food species are not just special in terms of appearance or taste． They also offer farmers food solutions for the future， from the past．
（1）What is this passage mainly about？
A． The need to protect different food species．
B． How to increase the number of food species．
C． The fact that many food species are dying out．
D． How to prevent food species from disappearing．
（2）Why are some scientists worried that such a famine could happen again？
A． Because people depend on certain species of food crops．
B． Because the same deadly disease may attack crops again．
C． Because the world's population is larger than that in 1845．
D． Because farmers grow the same potatoes as those in the past．
（3）The following sentence would best be placed at the end of ．Meanwhile， thousands of other species are dying out．
A． Paragraph 1
B． Paragraph 2
C． Paragraph 3
D． Paragraph 4
（4）What can we learn from the passage？
A． The disease spread very quickly and killed thousands of people in Ireland．
B． Around 80 percent of the rice varieties in the Philippines have disappeared．
C． People have been storing seeds to save plane varieties for less than 100 years．
D． Heritage Farm is the first place in the U．S． for people to store and trade seeds．
B
How much do you know about Albert Einstein?
Albert Einstein, born on March 14, 1879 in Germany, was a great scientist in the world. He was strange because he hated haircuts and new clothes. He believed in peace. All his life, he hated war. However, his most famous idea, E = mc², helped create the world’s most dangerous weapon (武器). Many people think he was the smartest person in the world. But Einstein said that he thought like a child with many questions and unusual ideas.
What did he like?
Einstein liked learning sailing(帆船运 动). He sailed in small boats all his life. He
once joked, “Sailing is the sport that takes the least energy!”
When Einstein was a child, his mother made him take violin lessons. At first, he didn’t like the violin. But then he learned to love music and became a good violinist.
Later, he said, “Love is the best teacher.”
Why is the sky blue?
In 1910, Einstein asked a question which many children often ask, “Why is the sky blue?” After his careful research, he answered the question like this: “It’s because light is made up of many colors including blue. When light travels to Earth, gas particles(气体微粒) spread the blue light all over the sky.” His answer is true in physics.
According to the passage, Albert Einstein haircuts and new clothes.
A．forgot B．minded C．dislikedThe underlined part actually shows Albert Einstein was a/an _ person.
A．clever B．imaginative C．childlikeEinstein learning sailing and playing the violin.
A．was interested in
B．looked forward to
C．was known forFrom Paragraph 3 we know that .
A．mother teaches the best
B．without mother’s push, we can’t love anything
C．when we love something, we’d like to learn about itEinstein offered a _ explanation for the question why the sky is blue.
A．magic B．scientific C．careful
My friend’s grandfather came to America from a farm in Thailand. After After arriving in New York, he went into a cafeteria(自助餐厅) in Manhattan to get something to eat. He sat down at an empty table and waited for someone to take his order. Of course nobody did. Finally, a woman with a big plate full of food came up to him. She sat down opposite him and told him how a cafeteria worked.
“Start out at that end,” she said, “Just go along the line and choose what you want. At the other end they’ll tell you how much you have to pay.”
“I soon learned that’s how everything works in America,” the grandfather told my friend later, “Life’s a cafeteria here. You can get anything you want as long as you want to pay the price. You can even get success, but you’ll never get it if you wait for someone to bring it to you. You have to get up and get it yourself. ”My friend’s grandfather came from .
A．Thailand B．Manhattan C．New YorkThe grandfather went into a cafeteria to .
A．wait for someone
B．get something to eat C．meet my friendThe woman in the cafeteria might be .
A．a waitress
B．a friend of grandpa’s
C．a customerWhat should we do to get food in a cafeteria?
A．Wait for the waiter.
B. Ask someone for help. C．Get it ourselves.What can we learn from the grandfather’s words about the life in the US?
A．Get up early and you can succeed.
B．Act and get what you want on your own.
C．Nobody brings you anything unless you pay the price.
We are collecting more news for our school English newspaper. Would you like to be reporters for it? Welcome! Here are two pieces from the news page.
The BestRunner
We had a sports day at school yesterday. Last year’s best runner, LiYu, only won the second prize in the 800-meter race. Instead, Yang Liufrom Class 2 came first by two seconds. Next year the race is going to bemore Interesting! Who will be the best runner? Iwonder.
Good-bey, Mr.White!
Our Englishteacher, Mr. White, has finished his two years’ teachingat our school and will leave next month. Mr. White is an excellent teacherand he’s always friendly to us. We’ll never forget his lively andinteresting teaching. We are lucky to be his students. We thank him for all his hardwork and wish him a nice journey home. We will miss you, Mr.White!You are welcome to be reporters for our school English newspaper.
Li Yu won the second prize in the 800-meter race yesterday.
Yang Liu was the best runner last year.
Mr. White will teach us English for two years at our school.
We’ll always remember Mr. White’s lively and interesting teaching.
Countries like France, Brazil and even Japan have their own hip-hop culture. But where did this strange speaking-singing style come from? Many centuries ago, in West Africa, traditional storytellers played musical instruments while they were telling stories. When this tradition travelled from West Africa to the USA, it developed into different musical styles. For example, blues and jazz.
And in the 1970s, there were many poor areas in New York. There wasn’t any money for music lessons in schools, so kids made their own music. Teenagers Afrika and DJ Here played their records outside in the streets. Everybody joined in. MCs had rapping（说唱） competitions. Every week, there were talented new dancers, new DJs and new MCs. Hip-hop culture was born.
It was 1980. I was at a party in New York. There was a young DJ at the party. He was playing records. While he was putting a record on, a kid picked up a microphone（话筒） and begantapping. Some other kids were break-dancing to the music. It was loud and boring, and I
hated it. I preferred jazz.Today’s successful American artists like Missy and her friend Tim heard it on the radio when they were growing up.
The last time I heard hip-hop, I was in West Africa. I was going to interview a traditional storyteller when I met a young hip-hop artist, He told me there are hundreds of rap groups in Africa today. We live on a hip-hop planet.
| A. I remember the first time I heard hip-hop. B. You can find hip-hop everywhere you go. C. I was writing a book about African-Americans. D. Many Americans gave music lessons to poor children. E. These styles all started in poor African-American areas. F. During the 1980s, hip-hop became popular all over the USA. G. Some people don’t like hip-hop because of its spoken words. |
The first part of a new science-fiction series （系列剧）was shown on NBC last night. Star Trek is about a spacecraft（宇宙飞船）which travels faster than the speed of light. The show is developed from three ideas about the 22nd century. First, we’ll find other life forms great tools which will make amazing things possible.
Let’s think about these predictions. If we find life forms on other planets, will they be intelligent? I hope so. But we human beings might not be friendly – I don’t think we’ll believe in the idea of peace one hundred years from now. But this is science fiction, so we can be optimistic! And Star Trek’s idea of life in the future is ‘communicators’. And we will be ablt to have conversatins with people who are on because you’ll have an electronic notebook. And if you get ill, the doctor won’t have to examine you – a machine will ‘read’ your body. The strangest manchine includes a ‘teleport’ which will take people to a different placein a second!
The ideas are interesting, and in my opinion there’s only one problem with star trek: the acting. The TV company （公司）will have to get better actors. If they do that, the show might be a success. If the acting doesn’t improve, Star Trek won’t last for more than one series. Of course, my prediction may be wrong. I can’t see into the future!What is Star Trek?
| A．A TV play. | B．A popular song. |
| C．A spacecraft. | D．An alien. |
What does the underlined word “optimistic” mean?
| A．Lucky and happy. | B．Hopeful and confident. |
| C．Helpful and creative. | D．Thankful and popular. |
What’s the writer’s opinion about Star Trek?
A. The life forms on other planets are stupid.
B. Interesting ideas make a new series popular.
C. The new series might not be successful without better actors.Which would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Aliens on Other Planets. | B．The Idea of Human Life. |
| C．A Science Fiction. | D．A New Series about Future. |