【推荐1】① Every thirty seconds there is an earthquake in the world. Some of these earthquakes are so weak that people can’t feel them. But some of them are very serious and many people get hurt or die in them.

② Do you know what causes earthquakes?

③ The earth’s surface (表面) has many pieces. These pieces are always moving. When two pieces move past each other, there is an earthquake. Scientists are trying to predict (预测) big earthquakes, but it’s very hard.

④ Do you know how to protect yourself during an earthquake? Here are some ways. You should remember them.

⑤ If you are inside

◆Quickly move under a desk or along a wall. It will protect you from falling things. Don’t run out of the door.

◆Keep away from windows.

◆Turn off the power and fire.

◆Don’t get into a lift. If you are in a lift, get out as quickly as possible.

⑥ If you are outside

◆Don’t stay near tall buildings and trees. Things may fall on you.

◆Be careful of fallen power lines.

◆Lie on the ground in clear areas until the shaking stops.

1. Why does an earthquake happens？

A．Because the Earth’s surface is too thin.

B．Because there are too many pieces on the Earth’s surface.

C．Because two pieces of the Earth’s surface move past each other.

D．Because the pieces of the Earth’s surface are moving too fast.

2. Which is the best way when an earthquake happens?

A．

B．

C．

D．

3. The structure of the passage may be ________.
(①=Paragraph(自然段) 1 ②=Paragraph 2 ③=Paragraph 3 ④=Paragraph 4 ⑤=Paragraph 5 ⑥=Paragraph 6)

A．

B．

C．

D．

4. We can know ________ from the passage.

A．how we can predict an earthquake will happen

B．what we can do before an earthquake

C．how we can save people after an earthquake

D．what we can do during an earthquake

【推荐2】There's a heat that's so hot you can literally(不加夸张地) fry an egg in the sun. This is a serious side to summer in Australia that you might not know about.

In February there were more than 80 different bushfires burning at the same time in New South Wales, a southeastern state of Australia. The Guardian newspaper reported that 42 homes were burned to the ground because of these fires. These homes are not like Chinese ones. They are huge farms. Many Australian properties are larger than 1,000 sq km, while the biggest is more than 20,000 sq km, even larger than Beijing!

Every family prepares for bushfire season and protects their property. But sometimes the fires are too big and people have to move to safety

The hot weather also causes other problems. It was so hot in February that thousands of bats(蝙蝠) died from the heat. People can get sick if they stay outside for too long or don't drink enough water The heat can also cause power problems for homes and businesses

The heat, which can go above 40 ℃ in some cities, is very dangerous. There are lots of trees and dry grass in areas far away that can easily catch fire. Even throwing a burning cigarette out of a car window can start a dangerous fire. That is why summer is also known as "bushfire season" in Australia.

The Australian summer is enjoyable. But it is worth remembering that the heat can cause lots of problems, too.
1. According to the second and third paragraphs, we know that________.

A．bushfires happen more often on farms

B．bushfires can cause a huge loss to people

C．Australian people are very rich because of their large farms.

2. What does the underlined word “properties” in Para.2 probably mean in Chinese?

A．房产

B．山林

C．水域

3. The hot weather in Australia can bring the following problems EXCEPT that________.

A．bats can die

B．electricity can go out

C．drinking water runs out

4. What’s the main idea of the fifth paragraph?

A．There are more fire accidents in areas far away.

B．It is dangerous to smoke in a forest.

C．Bushfires in Australia are common events in summer.

5. What can we infer from the passage?

A．The high heat is one of the causes of bushfires in Australia.

B．People have no way to fight against bushfires.

C．The weather changes a lot in Australia.

【推荐3】阅读短文后选择最佳答案。

Tim: Today, we are talking about forest fires. Our reporter, Penny Wang, is in Indonesia (印度尼西亚).

Penny: It is now three o’clock in the afternoon but I can’t see the sky. Thick smoke is covering most of South-East Aisa. It is causing thousands of people to have eye or breathing problems. Some people may even die.

Tim: Why don’t firemen put out these fires?

Penny: The firemen can’t put out the fires. They are too big. Only a lot of rain can put them out. But the weather is very dry here and it may not rain for a few weeks.

Tim: How did these terrible fires start?

Penny: They were started by farmers. They use fires to clear the land before they plant new crops (农作物) such as rice. Also, a drought (旱灾) started many months ago, so the land is very dry.

Tim: What other problems are the fire causing?

Penny: Well, of course they are very bad for people’s health. And no tourists are coming here. People don’t want to take a holiday in a bad environment. But the most serious (严重的) problem is that fire is destroying the forests. They are thousands of years old. As you know, trees are very important to the world and now millions of them are burning. This will cause air pollution in many other places.

1. Where may Tim possibly be?

A．In the studio (演播室).	B．In Indonesia.
C．At the farm.	D．In an office.

2. Which of the following can best explain (解释) the underlined sentence (画线句子)?

A．Thousands of people have eye or breathing problems.

B．A drought started many months ago.

C．The fires are too big.

D．Trees are very important to the world.

3. What causes the forest fires?

A．Clearing the land and destroying the forests.

B．Destroying the forests and a drought.

C．A drought and clearing the land.

D．Pollution and destroying the forests.

4. The forest fires are so big that they needs ________ rain to put out.

A．a little

B．a lot of

C．no

D．some

5. What does Penny worry about most?

A．People’s health.	B．Destroying the forest.
C．Air pollution.	D．Taking a holiday.

【推荐1】The right name is important in the business world. All you have to do is think of the names for some of the products you buy every day and you’ll agree that the name and the product are connected in the everyone’s mind.

In many countries, successful trade or brand names are protected by law. This is so that other companies cannot make a product and, in fact, be buying something different. Businesses register a company or a product name with the government. In fact, more than 1,000 product and company names are registered every hour. Many companies spend a lot of money to find the right name for their products. A good example of this is. In the car industry, some successful names for cars have powerful associations （联系）. The Ford Mustang and the Jaguar are only two examples of choosing the names of animals that are fast and strong.

When a U. S company decides to sell its product in another country, it has to make sure that the product name translates properly. When Coca-Cola introduced its soft drink to China, it looked for the right name. It wanted a name that would do two things. One was to present its image（形象）in Chinese and the second was to be close to its first brand name—Coke. It took some efforts before finding the right word —which sounds similar and translates as “happiness in the mouth”. Asian company names are not new to the United States. The brand names of Samsung and Sony have been successful. Finding the right brand name is a big business. Asian companies that sell to foreign markets pay to find a name that will connect with its customers. There are even naming companies that specialize in inventing product names. These companies can charge （要价）up to $100,000 a word for their creations. But it’s worth it. Successful companies know how important the right brand names are for their development.

1. Why are trade names protected by law in many countries?

A．To make companies pay for naming service.

B．To help people choose the best products

C．To present good images of the products.

D．To prevent good images from being copied

2. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Many companies care about the cost of finding the right names

B．Creative trade names can help companies to have a larger sale

C．The government often does business with naming companies

D．It is considered necessary for cars to be names after animals

3. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．The Business of Names

B．The Development of Names

C．The Rules of Naming Business

D．The Methods of Choosing Names

【推荐2】April 22 is Earth Day. Everyone on earth should care about and protect the earth!

The earth has warmed by about 1℉(华氏度) over the past 100 years, but why and how? Well, scientists are not quite sure. Maybe the earth gets warmer and warmer on its own. But many scientists say that people are doing many things which make the earth warmer.

First, greenhouse effect (温室效应) is a very important reason for the change of the earth. People give out too much energy into the air every year. It makes the earth warmer. Climate (气候) change is another important reason. Sometimes it becomes too hot and sometimes too cold. Sometimes there is too much rain and sometimes too little. The change of the climate makes the earth warmer. In turn, the warmth of the earth changes the climate, too.

When the earth becomes warmer, there may be more rain and a rise in sea level. It will affect the growth of plants, animals and people. On a Pacific island, 100 people have to move to higher ground because the sea is rising. These people can no longer live on the coast. Before that, two islands without people went underwater in 1999. Scientists say that the seas can rise by nearly one mere by 2100.

People can affect the earth’s air, land and water. As for us, we can do many things to protect the earth. For example, we can use fridges less. We can tell more people about protecting the earth.

1. Earth Day is probably set for people to ________.

A．learn less about the earth	B．make full use of the earth
C．take better care of the earth	D．study the warmth of the earth

2. We can infer (推断) from the passage that the reasons for the warmer earth are ________ now.

A．not very clear

B．completely secret

C．well known

D．not given yet

3. Greenhouse effect comes from ________.

A．sea rising

B．climate change

C．nature’s unbalance

D．people’s activities

4. According to the passage, ________ may affect each other.

A．animals and islands	B．climate and the warmth of the earth
C．fridges and animals	D．sea level and the growth of plants

5. The passage mainly tells us that ________.

A．there is more rain now	B．we should protect the earth
C．we must stop pollution	D．sea level is getting higher

【推荐3】配对阅读。左栏是现在中学生常出现的五种问题, 右栏是针对这些问题的建议, 请为每一个问题选择相应的建议。（其中有两项多余）

1    . Feeling stressed: Too much homework; Don't have enough time for their hobbies.     2    .Getting short-sighted（近视）: Too much homework; Bad reading and writing habits.     3    . Fighting with each other: Don't know how to get on well with classmates.     4    . Feeling tired of study: Computer games influence（影响）.     5    .Getting fat: Having more pocket money to buy snacks; Dislike doing exercise.

A. Don't be crazy about computer games. Play them just for short time when you are tired. B. Make a plan for study and hobbies. Find time to relax as possible as you can. C. Use your pocket money to do something meaningful. Spend more time doing exercise every day. D. Make more friends and understand each other. Share your problems with them. E. Drink more water and keep yourself from being exposed（暴露）to the sun. F. Let your parents know what you are thinking about. You can tell them by leaving a short message on the table or their bed G.Do homework or reading in a correct（正确的）way.

【推荐3】Many students are under great pressure this term. There is some advice on studying and preparing for exams.
Sciences
Ask students what is the most difficult course, and most of them will give you the same answer: mathematics. This is also true for Dai Shuang, a 14-year-old student at No.1 Middle School. He says, “It’s so difficult that I get a headache whenever I think about the math exam.”
According to Dai, studying this course is not easy. He usually studies math by himself and spends most of his free time reading math books and doing exercises.
Solution
Qin Xia, a math teacher, offers some advice. “Most students fear mathematics because they think the class is too difficult or boring.” he says, “These students don’t listen carefully in classes or even sleep.” In Qin’s opinion, they can try to take notes. And they’d better ask teachers for help. It’s difficult for students to teach themselves math, which will waste a lot of time. Besides, doing a lot of exercises is also important.
Arts
Zhu Tianjiao, a 13-year-old student at Megan Middle School, is very nervous because she doesn’t know how to improve her English.
Solution
Xia Bingcong, a top student at Tsinghua University shares(分享) some of her learning experiences. According to Xia, memorizing, listening and reading are important in language learning. “Studying on a daily basis(基础) is the best choice.” Xia says.
1. When the math exam comes, Dai Shuang usually _________.

A．has a bad cold	B．sleeps late
C．has a hard time	D．feels excited

2. According to Qin Xia, __________ is Not a good way to learn math.

A．asking teachers for help

B．taking notes in classes

C．doing lots of exercises

D．studying alone

3. The passage tells us that __________ can help us make progress with English.

A．exercising, listening, and reading

B．memorizing, listing and reading

C．memorizing, listening, and reading

D．memorizing, listening and relaxing

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Dai Shuang often asks his math teacher for help.

B．It’s necessary to study English every day.

C．Most students think math is the easiest of all the subjects.

D．Zhu Tianjiao is a student at Tsinghua University.