【推荐2】The Spring Festival is celebrated not only in China but also in other parts of the world. The traditional holiday is the most important to Chinese both home and abroad (国外).

The United Kingdom

Celebrations for the Spring Festival in the UK started in 1980, with the first evening party held in 2002. Every New Year, people get together and have a lot of activities. They sing songs, dance to music, share photos with friends or enjoy films in a cinema.

The United States

The Spring Festival has become a key time for Chinese living or working in the US. They join in a large evening party to welcome the traditional New Year. It is a good chance for people to build a circle of friends and feel that they are not alone because they share the same culture and values.

Australia

The Chinese New Year will be welcomed with three weeks of celebrations across Australia. Many people come to Sydney’s Chinatown or Little Bourke in Melbourne. They enjoy fireworks, lion dances, dragon dances and many other traditional activities. The celebrations are also a bridge towards better understanding between Chinese and non-Chinese.

Singapore

The family dinner on New Year’s Eve is an important tradition for Chinese whether they were born in Singapore or moved there from China. They place traditional food on a table as an act of remembering their past. Then the whole family enjoy their dinner together. They usually hold it at home because having it in a restaurant takes away the meaning of the tradition.

1. People in the UK celebrated the Spring Festival with the first evening party ________.

A．in 1980

B．before 2000

C．in 2002

D．over 20 years ago

2. In America, celebrations for the Spring Festival give people a chance to ________.

A．share photos with friends	B．watch films in a cinema
C．build a circle of friends	D．enjoy fireworks

3. People in Australia celebrate the Spring Festival by ________.

A．	B．
C．	D．

4. The underlined word “it” refers to ________.

A．the dinner

B．the party

C．Chinese

D．tradition

5. The best title of the passage may be ________.

A．The Spring Festival in China	B．The Spring Festival abroad
C．Festivals in the world	D．Advice about how to celebrate the Spring Festival

【推荐3】April Hot Sale at Nobel Book Store!

To celebrate our 30th birthday, we are having a big sale!

Children’s books	Textbooks	Picture books	Story books
	25% off	30% off	20% off
20% discount(折扣) on all adults’ books!
Amazing events in our birthday month:
TIME &Place	Event		Speaker
25 April, 4 pm Fanta Centre, 3F	Introduction: The School Diaries		Clair Tay, writer of the book
26 April,1 pm Retro Mall, 2F	Discussion: How to improve through reading		MichaellHawes, English professor
28 April, 7 pm Winkle Mall, 1F	Lecture: The most popular books of the year		David Koh, director of the book store
29 April 8 pm Fanta Centre, 3F	Question & Answer. Face to face with a renowned writer		Kate White, winner of many international awards

Spend over $50 and get a chance to win a $10 gift card.

Spend over $100 and get a chance to win prizes, from Nobel membership, e-dictionaries to concert tickets!

1. You can get the biggest discount on ________.

A．adults’ story books	B．all magazines
C．children’s picture books	D．all textbooks

2. ________ will help you know more about the most popular books this year.

A．Claire Tay

B．Michael Hawes

C．David Koh

D．Kate White

3. The meaning of the underlined word renowned is ________ in Chinese.

A．新的

B．年轻的

C．幽默的

D．著名的

4. If you spend $65, you will get a chance to win ________.

A．an e-dictionary

B．a $10 gift card

C．Nobel membership

D．a concert ticket

5. The main purpose(目的) of the advertisement is to ________.

A．find excellent writers	B．attract(吸引) more book buyers
C．celebrate(庆祝) Children’s Day	D．introduce(介绍) new reading course(阅读课)

【推荐1】At church, Mrs Thatcher talked to Mrs Harper and found out that Becky had not slept there last night. Where was she? Then Aunt Polly said Tom had not come home either. They asked if anybody had seen them on the boat. Nobody could remember.

“They must still be in the caves!” said somebody.

A large group of men went to the caves to search for the two children. They searched all day. They searched for three days, but they did not find Tom or Becky. Where could they be?

At the picnic, Tom and Becky went into the caves with the other children. They took their candles and walked down a small tunnel. Then Tom saw a small opening he had never seen before. He decided to explore. Becky came with him. They made some marks on the wall. This would help them find their way back. They found a large cave with a spring in it. There were a lot of bats hanging on the roof. The bats did not like the candlelight and attacked the children. Tom and Becky ran. They did not watch where they were going. They escaped from the bats and found a lake. They sat down to rest.

“We haven’t heard the other children for a long time,” said Becky.

“We’d better go back,” suggested Tom.

They tried to find a way back without going through the cave with bats. They were soon lost. They didn’t know how to get back. They began to shout. Nobody answered.

—From The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

1. A group of men went to the caves ________.

A．to look for Tom and Becky	B．to have a picnic
C．to attack the children	D．to sleep in the caves

2. What does the word “spring” mean in the passage?

A．春天

B．树枝

C．泉水

D．湖

3. What did the two children take with when they went into the caves?

A．Some bats.

B．Some candles.

C．Some knives.

D．Some food.

【推荐2】One day Nasreddin borrowed a pot from his neighbour Ali. The next day he brought it back with another little pot inside. “That’s not mine,” said Ali. “Yes, it is.” said Nasreddin. “While your pot was staying with me, it had a baby.”

Some time later Nasreddin asked Ali to lend him a pot again. Ali agreed, hoping that he would once again get two pots in return. However, days passed and Nasreddin had still not returned the pot. Finally Ali lost patience and went to ask for it.

“I am sorry,” said Nasreddin. “I can’t give you back your pot because it died a few days ago.”

“Died!” Cried Ali, “How can a pot die?”

“Well,” said Nasreddin, “you believed it when your pot had a baby.”

1. What are the relations between Ali and Nasreddin?

A．Families.

B．Brothers.

C．Neighbours.

D．Strangers.

2. How many times did Nasreddin borrow the pot?

A．Once.

B．Twice.

C．Three times.

D．Never.

3. Why was Ali happy to lend his pot a second time?

A．He had lots of spare pots.	B．He was a good neighbour.
C．He wanted to get more.	D．He was ready to help others.

4. How many pots did Nasreddin return the second time?

A．Zero.

B．One.

C．Two.

D．Three.

5. What probably happened to the pot?

A．It died.

B．The neighbour took it back.

C．It had a baby.

D．Nasreddin kept it.

【推荐3】Jack is 10 years old, and I am his pencil. I’m Jack’s helper(助手).
Jack’s pencil box is my home. I have some friends here. They are seven crayons, a ruler, a pencil-sharpener and an eraser. Because Jack loves me, I’m the king(国王) in the pencil box. My friends and I are happy every day.
Today, I am not happy because a pen comes in. It’s new and nice. It’s a music pen. It can write and sing. But I’m old and I can only help Jack to write. Jack likes it very much! The new pen is his helper now. It’s the new king. What can I do now? Shall I go to a new home?
1. Who is the king now?

A．The pencil.	B．The pen.
C．Jack.	D．The pencil box.

2. How many friends does the pencil have?

A．Four.	B．One.
C．Seven.	D．Ten.

3. According to the passage, Jack is probably(很可能) a ________.

A．student	B．pencil-case
C．school bag	D．pencil

4. We can know from the passage that ________.

A．the old king is not happy now

B．our pencils aren’t our helpers

C．Jack doesn’t need the pencil now

D．the pen is old but nice

【推荐1】Dreams may be more important than sleep. Some people don’t need much sleep. But they all need to dream, scientists say.
Dreams take up about one quarter of our sleeping time. People have several dreams each night.
Dreams are like short films. They are usually in color. They come to us over and over again. That may be because the dreamer is worrying about something. Dreaming may be a way of trying to find an answer.
Some people get new ideas about their work from dreams. They could have been thinking about their work all day. These thoughts can carry over into dreams.
Sometimes we wake up with a good feeling from a dream. But often we can’t remember the dream. Dreams can disappear quickly from memory.
Too many dreams can be harmful(有害的). The more we sleep, the longer we dream. The mind is hard at working when we dream. That is why we may have a long sleep and still feel tired after getting up.
1. It may be less important to sleep than to_______.

A．work

B．think

C．dream

2. Dreams take up about _________of our sleeping time.

A．1/4

B．1/2

C．1/3

3. Dreams and films are usually ____________.

A．about work

B．in color

C．very long

4. Some people often dream about their work because __________.

A．they may be thinking about their work all day.

B．they’re tired in the daytime.

C．they don’t like their work at all

5. The main idea of the passage is _______________

A．people like to sleep

B．dreams are like films

C．people need to dream

【推荐2】

Everybody went home for lunch, but Tom and Becky only pretended to go home. They did not go home. They came back to the empty school. They talked to each other about things they liked and things they didn't like. They both liked sweets, and they both liked circuses, but Becky didn't like dead rats.

“Have you ever been engaged?”asked Tom.

“I don't know. What's engaged?”

“It's when you promise you love somebody and that you will never love anybody else. And then you kiss. Then one day you marry. Anybody can do it.”

They decided to get engaged.

“I like being engaged, Tom.”

“It's good fun. Amy Lawrence and me”

Tom realized that he had made a mistake.

“You've been engaged before!” Becky began to cry.

“I don't love her now. ”

“Yes, you do!”

Becky would not speak to him. Tom tried to give her a brass door handle, but she would not take it. She threw it on the floor, Now Tom was angry. He walked out of the room and out of the school. After a while Becky went out to find him. She wanted him to come back, but he did not come back that day.

Tom ran out of town and into the forest. He went to his secret place and sat down. He thought about Jimmy Hodges, who died a few weeks ago. Life was so difficult. It seemed easier to be dead. You didn't have to think about girls then. What should he do about Becky? He would make her sorry! Perhaps he would go away and never come back. That would make her sorry!

Perhaps he would become a soldier and come back a famous war hero. Perhaps he should be an Indian and hunt buffalo and come back a famous chief.

Then he thought about being a pirate. That would be best of all. He had read some pirate stories. He knew that people were always afraid of pirates, He would become a very famous pirate, and everybody would know his name. Then when he came back, Becky would be sorry and would want to be his friend again.

1. When did Tom and Becky went to the empty school?

A．In the morning.

B．At noon

C．In the evening.

D．At night

2. Why was Becky angry with Tom?

A．Because he had a dead rat.

B．Because he didn't go home for lunch.

C．Because Tom's present was worthless.

D．Because Tom had been engaged before.

3. In what way did Tom decide to choose to make Becky feel sorry for him?

A．Being an Indian.

B．Being a pirate.

C．Being a soldier.

D．Being los

4. Which is the right order of what happened in the story?
①Tom ran out of town and into his secret place.
②Becky went out of the school to look for Tom.
③Amy Lawrence made friends with Thomas Sawyer.
④Tom and Becky shared their likes and dislikes with each other.

A．③④①②

B．④③②①

C．③④②①

D．④③①②

5. What might happen later according to the story?

A．Tom and Becky became friends again.

B．Tom went out and came back as a pirate.

C．Tom went to school and played with his friends.

D．Tom left Becky and made friends with Amy again.

【推荐3】In Pontevedra, Spain, people don't shout. Since cars are banned （禁止）in the city, there are no horns （喇叭）or noises from car engines. People don't have to try hard to make themselves heard. What you hear in the street, instead, is the singing of birds.

"Listen," says Miguel Lores, the mayor, opening the windows of his office. From the street below rises the sound of human voices. "More than 14, 000 cars used to pass along this street every day. There were more cars passing through the city in a day than people living here. "

Lores became mayor in 1999. He spent months walking around the city. "The historical city is dead, " he said one day. "It is full of cars. It is heavily polluted. There are a lot of traffic accidents. The elderly and children aren't able to use the streets because of cars. People who had a chance to leave have done so. "

At first, Lores thought of improving traffic conditions. However, he couldn't come up with a good plan. After lots of discussions, the government finally decided to get rid of cars.

The change has brought Pontevedra many benefits. Traffic accidents are now rare; CO₂ emissions （排放物）are down 70 percent. Many people are moving to the city, making it lively again.

Most local citizens like the change. Ramiro Armesto, a mother of two young children, said, "In the past, the first thing to see in the morning was traffic jams. Now, the city is cleaner, quieter and safer. ", Raquel Garcia, another parent, said she had stayed in many cities around the world. However, she had never lived in a city as "easy to live in" as Pontevedra. "Even if it's raining, I walk everywhere. The feeling is wonderful, she added. "For me, Pontevedra is paradise （天堂）. "

1. According to the article, in Pontevedra, people are not allowed to ________.

A．shout

B．drive cars

C．make noises

D．keep birds as their pets

2. According to the article, in the streets of Pontevedra, you can probably hear ________.
① the singing of birds②the noise of car horns             
③ the sound of car engines④the sound of people talking

A．①②

B．②③

C．③④

D．①④

3. After walking around Pontevedra, Miguel Lores found that ________.

A．there were too many cars

B．the city had a long history

C．there were lots of careless drivers

D．there were not enough roads for cars

4. We can learn from the last paragraph that ________.

A．Raquel Garcia has two children

B．Raquel Garcia is disappointed in Lores

C．many cities want to learn from Pontevedra

D．both Ramiro Armesto and Raquel Garcia support the change

5. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Traffic jams	B．Heavy pollution
C．A city without cars	D．A city with large population

【推荐1】We live on Earth. It’s our home. But how much do you know about it? Let me tell you something about our Earth.

The Earth is like a huge ball.   like the other seven planets（行星）, the Earth is running around the sun. It’s the third nearest one to the sun. It takes the Earth about 365 days to run around the sun. At the same time, the Earth is going around itself. If you are in space（太空）, you can see lots of white clouds over the surface（表面）of the Earth. Through the clouds, you can see the blue colour of the oceans（海洋）, and the brown colour of the land. About 70% of the Earth is covered with water.

Why do we have day and night? When the half of the Earth is facing the sun, it’s daytime. As the Earth turns, and this half is away from the sun, night is coming. And it’s daytime for the other half.

1. How many planets are running around the sun according to the article?

A．Seven

B．Eight

C．Nine

D．Ten

2. When________, it’s daytime.

A．the Earth is running around the sun

B．the Earth is away from the sun

C．the half of the Earth is away from the sun

D．the half of the Earth is facing the sun

3. Which of the following sentences is RIGHT?

A．All the planets and stars are running around the sun.

B．The Earth is the nearest planet to the sun.

C．It takes the Earth about 365 days to run around the sun.

D．The Earth only runs around the sun.

4. Where can you read this passage?

A．Story books.

B．Cook books.

C．Cartoon books.

D．Science books.

【推荐2】Bill and his friends are in a big city. He takes a lot of food. His bag is big and heavy. Soon, Bill gets lost. He walks in the street for a long time and he feels tired (疲惫). It’s eight in the evening, he goes into a restaurant. He asks for some drinks and soon he begins to sleep. When he wakes up (醒来)，he can’t find any people in the restaurant. The door is closed and he can’t go out. He finds a telephone number and begins to call Mt Jackson, the owner (主人) of the restaurant.
“Hello,” says the boy. “When do you open your restaurant, Mr. Jackson?”
The telephone wakes up the man and he isn’t happy. So he says, “Don’t ask me about that. I can’t let you in.”
“Oh, no! I want to go out.”
1. Bill’s bag is big because _________.

A．there’s a lot of clothes in it

B．he puts much food in it

C．he likes big bags

D．he takes many books

2. Bill goes to sleep because        .

A．he gets home

B．he eats too much in the restaurant

C．he doesn’t know where he can go

D．he’s very tired

3. Mr. Jackson thinks_____________.

A．Bill wants to sleep in his restaurant

B．Bill wants to go into the restaurant

C．Bill leaves his bag in the restaurant

D．Bill wants to go out of the restaurant

【推荐3】When spring comes, some wildflowe come out in the ditches(沟渠) along the highway where I travel daily to work., I’ve noticed one special blue flower. It blooms(开花) only in the morning hours.   For the afternoon sun is too hot for it. Every day for nearly two weeks, I see those beautiful flowers.
This spring, I started a wildflower garden in our yard,. I can look out of the kitchen window while doing the dishes and see the flowers.
Every day I drove past the flowers thinking “I’ll stop on my way home and dig them.” “See. I don’t want to get my good clothes dirty.” Whatever the reason, I never stopped to dig them.
One day on my way home from work. I was sad to see the pretty blue flowers were gone. I thought to myself. “You wanted too long. You should have done it when you first saw them blooming this spring.”
A week ago we were shocked and sad to learn that my oldest sister-in-law(夫或妻的姐妹) was badly ill. She is 20 years older than my husband and unfortunately, because of age and distance, we haven’t been as close as we all would have been.
I couldn’t help but see the connection between the pretty blue flowers and the relationship between my husband’s sister and us. I do believe that God has given us some time left to plant some wonderful memories that will bloom every year for us.
And yes, if I see the blue flowers again. You can bet I’ll stop and transplant(移植)   them to my wildflower garden.
1. The writer didn’t stop to dig the wildflowers because _____.

A．The flowers were not beautiful enough

B．She was always too busy

C．She wanted her sister to dig them

D．She didn’t pay enough attention to them

2. The writer started a flower garden in her yard to show that____.

A．She wanted to sell her flowers

B．She liked planted flowers

C．Her husband made her do that

D．Her husband’s sister loved flowers

3. The blue flower blooms only in the morning because _______.

A．It is very special

B．The flower doesn’t want to bloom at other time

C．It can’t stand the strong sunlight in the afternoon

D．The text doesn’t tell us

4. From the passage, we can infer that the writer ______.

A．Didn’t care too much for flowers

B．Always transplanted wildflowers to her garden

C．Stopped on her way to dig some flowers

D．Missed some valuable things in her life

5. What is the purpose of the writer writing the passage?

A．To tell people when chance comes ,don’t let it go.

B．To advise people to plant flowers in their yards.

C．To transplant wildflowers to their own garden.

D．To tell readers she loves her family。