Mostly， inventions happen because someone works to solve a problem． Kids are natural inventors．They often create amazing thing from simple ideas．Here are a few examples that might make you wonder，"Why didn't think of that？"
Popsicles
Popsicles were invented by 11﹣year ﹣old Frank Epperson in 1905． He forgot a drink of juice and left it with a stir（搅拌） stick in it outside on a cold night． The next day it was ice． Because of this he couldn't drink it any more， but he could eat it． It tasted good! These ice sticks became popular among kids at school in summer because they were delicious and helped them stay cool．
More than a hundred years later， popsicles are sill one of the best summer treats!
Crayon Holdans
When 11﹣ year﹣ old Cssidss Coldstein needed crayons for a school project，she had a hard time because，there were so many small or broken ones．She found some small clear plastic tubes（管子）at home．Although the tiny tube were usually filled with water to keep flowers fresh， she found that they fit tightly （紧紧地） around the crayons． She was now able to hold them easily．This is how she invented Caryon Holders．
Wristies
When snow gets in kids' gloves and their hands get wet， they feel uncomfortable.10﹣year﹣old Kathryn Gregoary decided to do something about it．She created the wristies as she wanted to keep her wrists（手腕）warm and dry． Wristies are long gloves with no fingers and they are worn under your coat． They help you when you work in the cold because your hands stay warm while you use your fingers． With her parents' help， Kathryn also opened a small shop where she sold her wristie． And she still runsit today．
All these inventions have one thing in common﹣the kids were trying to solve problems in their lives． When you meet problems， what would you do？ If the kids can do it ，you can do it， too!
（1）Popsicles became popular among kids at school in summer because ．
| A． |
they could not only drink them but also eat them |
| B． |
they tasted good and helped them stay cool |
| C． |
the stir sticks were useful in popsicles |
| D． |
it was easy to make them |
（2）The underlined word "runs" in the passage means" "in Chinese．
| A． |
经营 |
| B． |
跑步 |
| C． |
行驶 |
| D． |
竞赛 |
（3）Where do you think the passage is from？
| A． |
A novel． |
| B． |
A guidebook． |
| C． |
A science magazine． |
| D． |
A poster． |
（4）What 's the main idea of this passage？
| A． |
Let us run a shop like Kathryn． |
| B． |
Everyone can become an inventor by accident． |
| C． |
Kids are so clever that they can invent things． |
| D． |
When you meet problems， never give up and you can solve them well． |
Most of us probably live without vegetables, but a world without chocolate? Now that would be hard! According to chocolate makers it could happen if we don’t act soon.
There are two main causes of the chocolate shortage --- chocolate’s growing popularity and less production of cocoa, the plant from which chocolate is made. With more and more people in India and China loving chocolate, not much can be done about the first cause.
Therefore, the only thing we can do is to increase cocoa production. However, new plant diseases and little rain in Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world’s largest producers, have reduced cocoa production by 40 percent in the past 10 years. What’s worse, many cocoa farmers in Africa and other cocoa-producing countries like Indonesia and Venezuela are changing to easier-to-grow crops such as corn or rubber. This way, the farmers can make more money.
To prevent more farmers from changing, researchers at the newly opened International Cocoa Control Centre, in the UK, are trying to create new cocoa plants that are stronger and faster growing. But first they must make sure the new plants are safe to grow. This takes a long time.
First, each new plant is stored at the Control Centre for six months to make sure it is healthy. It is then planted in the Centre’s fields, studied and tested for another two years. Only after scientists are certain that they’re disease-free, will the plants be sent to farmers in West Africa or wherever else they are needed.
To create new stronger types of cocoa, scientists at the Centre are combining the best parts from different cocoa plants. Though the world is facing a serious chocolate shortage, there is now hope!The first paragraph tells us that______.
| A．chocolate is healthier than vegetables |
| B．the world could soon be without chocolate |
| C．people love vegetables more than chocolate |
| D．it’s not necessary to eat so much chocolate |
In which countries has chocolate become more popular in recent years?
| A．Venezuela and Indonesia. | B．Ivory Coast and Ghana. |
| C．Indonesia and China. | D．China and India. |
Cocoa farmers are choosing to grow rubber and corn because these crops______.
| A．can make them more money |
| B．need less rain to grow |
| C．can be planted more times each year |
| D．are not damaged by plant diseases |
How long does it take scientists at the Centre to make sure a cocoa plant is safe to grow?
| A．6 months. | B．12 months. | C．24 months. | D．30 months. |
What is one of the purposes of the Cocoa Control Centre?
| A．To introduce cocoa production to more countries. |
| B．To provide more chocolate for British people. |
| C．To produce stronger types of cocoa plants. |
| D．To make sure that cocoa is healthy to eat. |
This is a tale of two friends --- one is blind, the other has no arms. On their own, the two are “disabled”. But together, they are a powerful team that has changed part of their village in North China’s Hebei Province into a rich, green forest. Meet 53-year-old Jia Haixia and Jia Wenqi!
Their story began in 2000, when Haixia, who was already blind in his right eye, lost his left one after an illness. Wenqi lost his arms in an accident when he was just three. Neither
could find a job, so the two decided to team up. They rented some poor land and began to plant trees. In return, the local officials paid them a small fee. Haixia and Wenqi never imagined that they would end up creating an environmental paradise. Their forest now has over 10,000 trees, hundreds of birds and many other wild animals. In addition, it saves the village from river flooding during the rainy season. When the friends work together, they focus on their strengths not their disabilities. Their day begins at 7 a.m. when the sightless Haixia carries Wenqi across the river to get to their worksite. Since they cannot afford to buy young trees to plant, the two use branches from existing trees. Haixia climbs to the tree-top and with Wenqi’s direction, selects the perfect branch. He then digs a hole and carefully plants it. Finally Wenqi waters the area.
Though hard-working, the men don’t make much money. But as Wenqi puts it, “We stand on our own feet, so the fruits of our work taste sweeter.”
Neither Haixia nor Wenqi cares about money. Together, they already have everything they need --- a perfect pair of eyes, two strong hands, and the best friendship in the world!Why did Haixia and Wenqi start working together?
| A．Haixia needed someone to help him. |
| B．They both needed a way to make money. |
| C．They wanted to improve the environment. |
| D．They were required to do so by local offcials. |
Haixia and Wenqi’s forest has helped the village by______ .
| A．stopping floods in the rainy season |
| B．increasing the number of tourists |
| C．making the villagers richer |
| D．providing more farmland |
Why do Haixia and Wenqi plant tree branches?
| A．They are easy to get. |
| B．They do not cost money. |
| C．They can grow very quickly. |
| D．They are preferred by animals. |
In paragraph 5, when Wenqi says “We stand on our own feet, so the fruits of our work taste sweeter”, he means that “______”.
| A．they hope to make the forest even better |
| B．the fruits from their trees are very sweet |
| C．they are proud not to depend on others |
| D．they are able to do any difficult work |
What can we learn from this story?
| A．Never give up and you will succeed. |
| B．We should help the disabled to work. |
| C．Try your best when facing difficulties. |
| D．We can achieve more with teamwork. |
A mouse was surprised to discover that the farmer and his wife had a mousetrap（老鼠夹）in the house. It ran to warn everyone, “There is a mousetrap in the house!”
A hen raised his head and said, “Mr. Mouse, this mousetrap is only for you. I won’t be worried about it.” The mouse turned to a pig, “I am sorry, Mr. Mouse, but the mousetrap has nothing to do with me, either!” the pig said. Then the mouse turned to a cow, “It sounds like you have a problem, not me.” the cow said. The mouse returned to the house with head down and it was very sad because no one would help.
That night the farmer’s wife heard a loud sound and she rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness she could not see that it was a snake. The snake bit（咬）the farmer’s wife. The wife caught a bad fever and the farmer the best way to treat a fever was chicken soup. So the farmer killed the hen for the soup. The wife got worse and her friends came to visit her. The farmer had to kill the pig to feed them. But the wife didn’t get better and died. Her friends came and the farmer had to kill the cow to feed all of them.
So remember when any one of us is in trouble, we may all be in trouble.Why was the mouse very sad?（不超过5个词）
______________________________________________________________________________________What was caught by the mousetrap that night?（不超过5个词）
______________________________________________________________________________________What can we learn from the story?（不超过15个词）
______________________________________________________________________________________
Research says that husbands do not do their fair share of work around the house. A study from an American university says that men seldom do the same share of housework. Researchers interviewed 182 working couples who became first-time parents. Both husbands and wives worked almost the same number of hours in full-time jobs. However, men did five hours a week less housework than women after their baby was born.
It is a different story for mothers. Becoming a parent added 21 hours a week to a mother’s work. Most of this was looking after her baby. New fathers did not do more woke because they did not realize the mother was doing so much more. Another reason is that after a baby is born, fathers follow the “traditional” roles. That is, the mother looks after the baby and the father works outside. This happens even when the mother is working the same number of hours in her job.It is found that ______ do less housework.
| A．wives | B．husbands | C．parents | D．babies |
The underlined sentence “It is a different story for mothers.” Probably means ______.
| A．mothers come from different families |
| B．mothers like reading different stories |
| C．mothers work more hours than fathers |
| D．different mothers have different children |
What is the “traditional” role of a father?
| A．Working outside | B．Looking after the baby |
| C．Doing housework | D．Doing part-time jobs |
Which part of a newspaper can this passage be taken from?
| A．Sports | B．Medicine |
| C．News | D．Society |
Do you sleep well? If your answer is no, the following might help you.
| Set a certain bedtime and rising time A certain bedtime and rising time can help you build up your body clocks. Set a bedtime which is good and natural for you. Don’t change your bedtime and rising time on weekends. |
| Avoid exciting activities just before sleeping Exciting activities get your thoughts running. At the same time, if you make tomorrow’s plan or read an exciting story before turning off the light, it doesn’t give you enough time to relax before you try to sleep. |
| Keep the bedroom for sleeping only It’s a bad habit for you to use your bedroom as a place to eat, watch TV, read, talk on the phone, or discuss important matters with your family members. Break that habit to get better sleep. |
| Don’t go to bed too early Your body usually lets you sleep only the number of hours it needs. You should decide how many hours you must sleep in order not to experience daytime sleepiness. |
| Take a warm shower before your bedtime A twenty-minute warm shower at a temperature of about 45 –50 not only is a great relax at day’s end, but also raises your body temperature by several degrees. The coming drop in temperature of your body will naturally make you feel sleepy. |
If you want to build up your body clocks, you should ______.
| A．set a certain bedtime and rising time |
| B．go to bed neither too early nor too late |
| C．keep the bedroom for sleeping only |
| D．take a warm shower before sleeping |
Why should you avoid exciting activities just before sleeping?
| A．Because they will get your thoughts running |
| B．Because you have to make tomorrow’s paln |
| C．Because you should read an exciting story |
| D．Because you will have to turn off the light. |
Your bedroom should be kept for ______ only.
| A．talking | B．eating | C．reading | D．sleeping |
According to the passage, ______ will make you feel sleepy.
| A．taking a cold shower | B．your body temperature dropping |
| C．your daily experience | D．raising your body temperature |