The 6﹣year﹣old girl，Ruby，lived in New Orleans，Louisiana..She was supposed to go to school close to her home.But all the students in that school were white.Ruby was black.School leaders didn't want to accept her，so they made Ruby take a hard exam and hoped she would fail.But Ruby was so smart that she passed the test easily and was finally allowed to go to the school.
Ruby was excited about her new school.But when she and her mom arrived on her first day，she saw a crowd of angry people shouting very cruel things at the gate.They did not want a black child to attend the school. "I had no idea what was happening， " remembered Ruby.She thought the crowd was celebrating something.
Each day.Ruby went to school with four police officers who worked for the national government to protect her.The sight of this small girl with her big bodyguards moved the artist Norman Rockwell.He created a painting of Ruby.He called it The Problem We All Live With"，It became a very famous painting.
Ruby grew up to be a civil rights activist.She worked to protect the rights given to all citizens by the government.She even went to the White House to meet President Barack Obama.They looked at Mr.Rockwell's painting.It hung outside the Oval Office.
"We should never judge a person by the color of their skin， " Ruby said. " That's the lesson I learned in first grade. "
（1）How could Ruby get the chance to go to the school？
| A． |
By meeting the president. |
| B． |
By passing a difficult exam. |
| C． |
By visiting the school leaders. |
| D． |
By asking for help from the government. |
（2）What was the crowd probably shouting at the school gate？
| A． |
No seats for black! |
| B． |
Congratulations ! |
| C． |
Let her in! |
| D． |
Welcome! |
（3）Why did Mr.Rockwell create the painting？
| A． |
To celebrate Ruby's success. |
| B． |
To present his painting skills. |
| C． |
To praise the four police officers. |
| D． |
To show the serious social problem in the US. |
（4）What lesson did Ruby learn in first grade？
| A． |
Fight for your rights. |
| B． |
Intelligence （智商）is valuable. |
| C． |
Treat people of different colors equally （平等地）. |
| D． |
Get help from the police when in trouble. |
Cause and effect is one way to explain things that happen around us. Many things happen because something caused or influenced them to happen. Sometimes it is hard to look at a cause and find out what causes the effect. It may help you to start with the effect and use your reasoning (推理的) skills. Think about all the things you know that could be reasons for the effect you can see.
For example，you may see someone putting on a heavy jacket. This is the effect. To look for a cause, think to yourself, “What would make someone put on a heavy jacket?” Maybe the person is going outside into very cold weather. Maybe the person works in the penguin pen (企鹅圈养地) at Sea World. Maybe the person is going to visit an ice skating rink where the air is kept very cold. All of these things could be a cause for putting on a heavy jacket.
Now, think about a second example. The effect is a boy named Tony has to go to the head teacher’s office. What are the possible causes? Maybe he fought with another student. Maybe he is just being picked up early. Maybe he is being given a prize!
Here is another example for you to think about its cause and effect. Carol，13，was trying to fall asleep when her 8-year-old brother, Doug, came into her room. He looked around a bit，but seemed really out of it. Then Doug went back into the hallway and stood there looking straight up at the hall light for quite a while. Little brothers can be very strange，but this was really much too strange. Carol didn’t know what to do. Just then, Carol’s father appeared and explained that Doug was sleepwalking. What’s the cause and effect, could you tell?According to the second paragraph，which of the following is an effect?
| A．Someone puts on a heavy jacket. |
| B．Someone works in the penguin pen. |
| C．Someone will go outside into cold weather. |
| D．Someone will go to visit an ice skating rink. |
Tony has to go to the head teacher’s office. Which of the following isn’t the possible cause?
| A．He fought with another student. | B．He is going shopping. |
| C．He is being picked up early. | D．He is being given a prize. |
What was Doug doing when his sister Carol tried to fall asleep?
| A．He was going outside. | B．He was reading a story. |
| C．He was sleepwalking. | D．He was looking for his dad. |
Which of the following is cause and effect?
| A．Tony got up and had a glass of water. |
| B．We came home and found him sleeping. |
| C．The ball was lost and a window was broken. |
| D．Tim was late again and his teacher got angry. |
A couple from Miami, Bill and Simone Butler, spent sixty-six days in a life-raft(救生艇) in the seas of Central America after their boat sank.
Twenty-one days after they left Panama in their boat, Simony, they met some whales. “They started to hit the side of the boat,” said Bill, “and then suddenly we heard water.” Two minutes later, the boat was sinking. They jumped into the life-raft and watched the boat go under the water.
For twenty days they had tins of food, biscuits, and bottles of water. They also had a fishing-line and a machine to make salt water into drinking water — two things which saved their lives. They caught eight to ten fish a day and ate them raw(生的). Then the line broke. “So we had no more fish until something very strange happened. Some sharks came to feed, and the fish under the raft were afraid and came to the surface. I caught them with my hands.”
About twenty ships passed them, but no one saw them. After fifty days at sea their life-raft was beginning to break up. Then suddenly it was all over. A fishing boat saw them and picked them up. They couldn’t stand up.
So the captain carried them onto his boat and took them to Costa Rica. Their two months at sea was over.Bill and Simone were traveling _______ when they met some whales.
| A．in a life-raft | B．in Miami |
| C．in Simony | D．in Panama |
The whales hit the side of the boat, and then _______.
| A．they brought in a lot of water |
| B．they broke the side of the boat |
| C．they pulled the boat |
| D．they went under the water |
During their days at sea, _______ saved their lives.
| A．tins of food and bottles of water |
| B．a fishing-line and a machine |
| C．whales and sharks |
| D．Twenty passing ships |
When they saw the fishing boat which later picked them up, _______.
| A．they were too happy to stand up |
| B．they couldn’t wait to climb onto the boat |
| C．their life-raft was beginning to break up |
| D．they knew their two months at sea would be over |
The Round Bird is not like any other birds. He has a big round body but with little wings. He can not fly but he expects to play with other birds in the sky. Every day and in many ways, he tries to fly. And he tries again and again. But nothing works. Then he thinks it will be better use the tree. It is very hard for a little bird to do so, but he climbs up the tree! The Round Bird really wants to learn to fly. A few minutes later, he sits on a branch and gets ready to jump and flap his wings. He practices many times and flap some more, but they don’t work! In the end, he climbs down the tree and starts thinking seriously.
After thinking for a long time, he knows that although he really wants to fly and tries hard, there are some birds are not able to do. He can’t fly because of his body and his little wings. But he knows that there are still some things he is able to. Then the only job for the Round Bird is to find those special things that only special birds like him can do.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The Round Bird has little wings |
| B．The Round Bird can fly with other birds. |
| C．The Round Bird can fly if he tries hard. |
| D．The Round Bird can not climb up the tree. |
What’s the Round Bird like?
| A．Beautiful and friendly. |
| B．Lazy but funny. |
| C．Hard-working and good at thinking. |
| D．Smart but lazy. |
Which of the words had the same meaning as “flap”?
| A．Swing. | B．Break. | C．Nod | D．Show. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Every bird can fly. |
| B．We can make our dream come true if we try hard. |
| C．We should think twice before we do something. |
| D．We should find the most suitable (适合) things for us to do. |
Here are some important events in August in Britain.
| Great British Beer Festival Tue.3 Aug—Sat.7 Aug London Drink, music and other entertainments. This is held at Earls Court. http:// www.gbbf. org |
Edinburgh International Festival Fri. 13 Aug – Sun. 5 Sep. Edinburgh A festival of classical music, operas and dances in Edinburgh http://www.eif.co.uk |
| Bristol International Balloon Festival Thur.12 Aug— Sun. 15 Aug. Europe’s largest hot-air balloon festival, with over 100 balloons taking part. http:// www. Bristolfiesta.co.uk |
Summer Bank Holiday Mon. 30 Aug. A public holiday in English, Wales and Northern Ireland. People take trips or short vacations during the holiday. For more: travel/transport |
How long does Great British Beer Festival last?
| A．4 days. | B．5 days. | C．24 days. | D．1 day. |
If you are in the UK at the end of August, you can probably take part in __________.
| A．Summer Bank Holiday |
| B．Great British Beer Festival |
| C．Edinburgh International Festival |
| D．Bristol International Balloon Festival |
What is Bristol International Balloon Festival about?
| A．Food. | B．Music | C．Balloons. | D．Vacations. |
Do you believe that you aren’t smarter than 3-year-old Alexis Martin, one of the youngest members of the high IQ club Mensa?
Preschooler (学龄前的) Alexis’ IQ is 159, which is only one point lower than Stephen Hawking’s. Doctors say the average IQ of a person is about 100.
She learned to read at the age of 2. She reads at a fifth grade level and has taught herself Spanish on her parents’ iPad!
Now, she is a member of the Mensa Club, which only accepts people with an IQ within the top two per cent of people in the world!
Alexis’ father, Ian Martin, said he first realized Alexis was special when she was 12 months old. She could recite (背诵) bedtime stories. “We’d be driving around in the car and she would recite her bedtime stories from the night before. She didn’t just recite them, and she recited them exactly.”
Alexis’ father would try to trick her and say that her story went a different way, but she always corrected him.
Most 12-month-old children take their first steps on their own and most 18-month-olds can only name a small number of objects and body parts, and follow simple two-step questions.
Even though Alexis is a genius (天才), her parents are faced with lots of challenges like how to teach her to make friends of her own age.
“Will she go into kindergarten early? We are kind of hesitant (迟疑的) because we do want her to get to that social world,” Ian said.Alexis Martin is a girl who .
| A．has many hobbies | B．has a high IQ |
| C．is good at telling stories | D．likes reading |
According to the report, Stephen Hawking’s IQ is as high as .
| A．158 | B．159 | C．160 | D．101 |
Alexis Martin could recite bedtime stories at .
| A．the age of 2 | B．the age of 1 |
| C．one and a half years old | D．the age of 3 |
What would Alexis do when her father said her bedtime stories went a different way?
| A．She would refuse to listen. |
| B．She would try to recite it. |
| C．She would correct him. |
| D．She would laugh at it. |
Which of the following statements about Alexis is NOT true?
| A．She is accepted by the Mensa Club. |
| B．She has made a lot of friends. |
| C．She learned to read at the age of 2. |
| D．She learned a foreign language by herself. |