Shadow puppetry （皮影戏）started during the Western Han Dynasty and it has a long history of more than 2，000 years.It used to be popular in the countryside because it was simple and cheap.
The puppets are usually made from leather （皮革）or paper.It is hard to make them.The puppet﹣makers have to take 24 steps，which include washing the leather，carving （雕刻） and painting，to make a puppet.
Just like many things that are in danger，traditional arts also face the risk of disappearing. "Many young people still think that shadow puppetry is an old﹣fashioned folk art， " said Liu Chaokan，the sixth﹣generation inheritor （继承人）of shadow puppetry in Yunnan province.
Liu understands why old art forms couldn't interest young people，so he connects new stories with the traditional form of storytelling.In a recent show based on the ancient Chinese novel Journey to the West，Baigujing dances to a Korean pop song.Popular Chinese cartoon characters，together with the modern factors （元素），are Liu's secret in getting the attention of children. "Since they couldn't understand those old stories，why don't we show them the cartoon characters they love in shadow puppetry shows？" said Liu.
To keep the old art forever young，Liu thinks they should respect （尊重）its traditions and protect the basic of the art.
（1）How long has shadow puppetry been in China？
（2）What are the puppets made from？
（3）How do many young people feel about shadow puppetry according to Liu Chaokan？
（4）Which ancient Chinese novel is mentioned in the passage？
（5）Do you think traditional arts like shadow puppetry will disappear？Why or why not？
A Manchester teenager has received a phone bill (账单)for over £450 after sending 3 ，500 text messages in just one month.
Tony Russell has had his new mobile phone for only three months, but now his father, Lionel, has taken it away.
He's been asking me for a mobile for years because all his friends have got one，“ explained Lionel. "I finally bought one for his birthday because he's been doing so well at school, but he and his friends are crazy (疯狂的)about sending text messages. They do it all the time. They even text each other from different sides of the school playground.
Tony said, "I thought texting was much cheaper than phoning, so I've been texting my friends all day long and even into the early hours of the morning. I've been going to bed at 2 ： 00 most nights. Sometimes my hand hurt because I pressed the buttons so much, but I was having such good fun that I couldn't stop！"
His father said,"! have forgiven him, but I am angry with the phone company as they are encouraging this crazy behaviour. " He has made his son promise to pay back the money, so Tony has been working on Saturdays. He has found a job in a shoe shop. "I think it will take me about a year to clear this debt(债务)，"he said.
A Xiangtan teenager has received a phone bill for over 350 yuan after sending 3,500 text messages in just one month.
Tan Wei has had his new mobile phone for only three months, but now his father has taken itaway
He's been asking me for a mobile for years because all his friends have got one," explained Tan Wei's father. "I finally bought one for his birthday because he's been doing so well at school, but he and his friends are crazy about sending text messages They do it all the time. "
Tan Wei said, "I thoughttexting was much cheaper than phoning, so I've been texting my friends all day long and even into the early hours of the morning, Sometimes my Angers hurt because I pressed the buttons(按键)so much, but I was having such good fun that l couldn’t I stop！”
His father said, “I am angry with the phone company as they are encouraging this crazy behaviour.' He has made his son promise to pay back the money, so Tan Wei has been working on Saturdays He has found a pan-time job in a shoe shop 'I think it will take me about half a year to clear this debt(债务)he said.Tan Wei got the mobile phone because_____
A he's been asking for it for years
B. all his friends have got one
C he's been doing well at schoolThe underlined word "texting" probably means_____
A. 读课文 B. 短信 C. 发邮件When he sent text messages, Tan Wei_______ .
A, made friends at school
B. got himself injured
C .felt quite happyHow much money does Tan Wei get for his job every month?
A. About 40 yuan B. About 60 yuan C. About 80 yuan
Millvina Dean, Titanic’s last Survivor(幸存者), died on May 31，2009 at a nursing home(疗养院) in Southampton.. She was 97 and had been in poor health for several weeks.
Ms Dean was the youngest among the ship’s 705 survivors. She was only 9 weeks old when the Titanic sank on the night of April 14, 1912. She survived with her mother and her 2-year-old brother. Her father, Bertram Dean, died in the sinking．
Millvina Dean never married. For many years after the sinking，she never spoke of it to people around her. But that changed after September 1, 1985 when the wreck(残骸)of the Titanic was discovered. That set off a wave of interest in the ship, especially after the movie Titanic.“They found the wreck and after that, they found me,” she said.
In the last 20 years of her life, she went to the US, Canada and Europe to take part in events related to the sinking. She said all that she knew of what happened during the sinking was learned from her mother.
She moved to the nursing home because of her falling health. In order to pay the living costs there，she began to sell her Titanic souvenirs(纪念品).
Ms Dean had never seen the movie Titanic. She explains the movie would make her think of what had happened to her father, so she didn’t want to see it.Millvina Dean was _______ when the Titanic sank．
| A．nine weeks old |
| B．twelve weeks old |
| C．two years old |
| D．twenty years old |
Why did the Deans take the Titanic ?
| A．They were going on a holiday |
| B．They were going to a party in the US |
| C．We can’t find out the reason from this passage. |
| D．They were going to visit their grandparents in |
The underlined words “set off” mean ______ in the passage．
A. leave B. startC. improve D recordMillvina Dean didn’t say anything about the Titanic until _______.
| A．she was ill. |
| B．she was dying |
| C．the wreck of the Titanic was discovered |
| D．20 years later |
From the passage above, we can’t infer (猜测) that _________.
| A．seven hundred and five people survived in the Titanic sinking |
| B．Millvina Dean’s father died in the sinking |
| C．The wreck of the Titanic was found in 1985 |
| D．Ms Dean wanted to see the film Titanic very much |
Snooker(台球)is a big sport in China．It is said that there are 300 million snooker players in China, so it's not surprised that some of the world's best players come from China．Ding Junhui is one of them．
When Ding Junhui was eight years old, there were not many snooker clubs．His father often played with his friends on a table in the street，and one day Ding Junhui played with one of his father friends and beat him．His father，a shoe salesman，discovered that his son was talented at snooker．He then took Ding Junhui to China's nation snooker training center in Dongguan，Guangdong Province．There．they lived in a room of five square meters．When they ran out of money．Ding's father phoned his wife and told her to sell their house．
After years of hard training，Ding turned professional in 2003 and became China's No．1．In 2005．more than 100 million people watched Ding Junhui win the 2005 World Snooker China Open．Since then, snooker has become more and more popular in China．
“When I was a small boy, snooker was not in the top 10 favorite sports in China，”Ding says．“Table tennis was top, followed by soccer, basketball and badminton．Now，basketball is top，but snooker is surely in the top five．”Ding Junhui’s father usually played snooker ---When Ding Junhui was young．
| A．in a club | B．in the street | C．at home | D．in a training center |
Ding Junhui became the best snooker player in China ．
| A．in 2003 | B．in 2005 | C．when he was 6 | D．when he was 8 |
Ding Junhui and his father lived a_____ life when he was training in Dongguan．
| A．rich | B．colorful | C．hard | D．modern |
According to Ding Junhui’s words，_________ is the top sport in China now．
| A．ping-pong | B．soccer | C．snooker | D．basketball |
The passage mainly tells us ____．
| A．how to be a top player in snooker |
| B．what is the most popular sport in China |
| C．snooker player Ding Junhui's story |
| D．the history of snooker in China |
任务型阅读
阅读下文并回答问题。
The word “day” has two meanings. When we talk about the number of days in a year, we are using “day” to mean 24 hours. But when we talk about day and night, we are using “day” to mean the time between sunrise and sunset. Since the earth looks like a ball, the sun can shine on only half of it at a time. Always one half of the earth is having day and the other half night. A place is moved from day into night and from night into day over and over by the spinning(旋转) of the earth. At the equator(赤道) day and night are sometimes the same length. They are each twelve hours long. The sun rises at 6 o’clock in the morning and sets at 6 o’clock in the evening. For six months the North Pole is tilted(倾斜) toward the sun. In those months the Northern Hemisphere(半球) gets more hours of sunlight than the Southern Hemisphere. Days are longer than nights. South of the equator nights are longer than days. For the other six months the North Pole is tilted away from the sun. Then the Southern Hemisphere gets more sunlight. Days are longer than nights. North of the equator nights are longer than days. Winter is the season of long nights. Summer is the season of long days.How many meanings does the word “day” have?
___________________________________________________________________At the equator(赤道)，are day and night sometimes the same length?
___________________________________________________________________By what of the earth is a place moved from day into night and from night into day over and over？
___________________________________________________________________
Paper is one of the most important products ever invented by man. The invention of paper meant that more people could be educated because more books could be printed. Paper provided an important way to communicate with knowledge.
Paper was first made in China about 2,000 years ago. In Egypt and the West, paper was not very commonly used before the year 1400. Paper was not made in southern Europe until about the year 1100. After that, the forest countries of Canada, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the United States became the most important in paper-making. Today Finland makes the best paper in the world.
When we think of paper, we think of newspapers, books, letters, envelopes, and writing paper. So paper plays an important role in our lives.
Paper is very good for keeping you warm. Houses are often insulated with paper. You have perhaps seen homeless men sleep on a large number of newspapers. They are insulating themselves from the cold. In Finland, in winter it is sometimes 40 degrees below zero. The farmers wear paper boots in the snow. Nothing could be warmer.What did the invention of paper mean? It meant ___________.
| A．more people could be educated |
| B．more books could be printed |
| C．paper is one of the most important products |
| D．paper was invented by man |
When was paper made in southern Europe?
| A．Before 1100 | B．After 1400 | C．After 1100 | D．Before 1400 |
Which country makes the best paper?
| A．Norway | B．Canada | C．The United States | D．Finland |
The underlined word “insulate” in the passage means ________ in Chinese.
| A．远离 | B．隔离 | C．用……制成 | D．包围 |