1 . Improving our English reading ability is helpful to learn English well. Reading is a fun thing to do in our free time and it’s also a good way to become a better student.
We can learn numbers of new words from reading. This can help us to have a bigger and richer vocabulary. Reading is one of the best ways to increase our vocabulary and improve our grammar in a nature and fun way.
If we read a lot, we will meet many new words that we would not often use in our daily life. Reading also helps improve our writing because new words can be used in our compositions.
Another good reason to read books is that the story can take our minds to new places and help us get more open-minded. We’d better read different stories. This will get our minds wide. When we read books, we have to think over the background and persons and think of new and exciting people and places.
In a word, books are our best friends. Especially the English books can bring us richer knowledge and more fun.
1. According to the passage, _________ can increase our vocabulary.| A．listening | B．writing | C．reading | D．speaking |
| A．increase our vocabulary, understand foreigners and improve our writing |
| B．increase our vocabulary, improve our writing and open our mind |
| C．understand foreigners, speak English well and improve our writing |
| D．improve our writing, open our minds and remember more words |
| A．Reading can help us improve our spoken English. |
| B．We can learn large numbers of new words from reading. |
| C．Reading is an interesting thing to do in our free time. |
| D．When reading books, we have to think over the background and persons. |
| A．improving our writing |
| B．increasing our vocabulary |
| C．opening our minds |
| D．listening to the tapes |
| A．the importance of speaking English |
| B．the usefulness of learning English |
| C．the importance and usefulness of reading books |
| D．the importance of increasing vocabulary |
2 . Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a part of the federal (联邦的) government. It wants to improve American environment. The EPA was founded in 1970. President (总统) Richard Nixon suggested the idea for this group. Before this time, there was not one group only taking care of the environment. The EPA was founded because Americans worried about the environment. They wanted cleaner water, air and land. The EPA received this huge task-improving the environment. Staff (工作人员) in the EPA were asked new ideas in order to make sure a cleaner environment can come true. The EPA has had many projects. They ask people to make a good use of energy. They also keep our air and water clean. And the EPA is always doing researches all the time to find new and better ways to keep our environment clean and healthy. There is also a project to help animal population increase. Slowly, the work of the EPA is making our environment cleaner for all living in it.
1. Environmental Protection Agency is in________.| A．England | B．Japan | C．Canada | D．America |
| A．1970 | B．1907 | C．1928 | D．1790 |
| A．President Richard Nixon | B．Americans |
| C．environment | D．animal populations |
| A．To protect the environment. |
| B．It is a better and new way to keep our environment clean and health. |
| C．To help animal populations increase. |
| D．To make sure a cleaner environment can come true. |
| A．By doing researches all the time. |
| B．By getting the ideas from their president. |
| C．By writing the new ideas by itself. |
| D．By asking people in their country |
3 . In order to know a foreign language thoroughly（彻底地）, four things are necessary. Firstly, we must be able to understand the language when we hear it. Secondly, we must be able to speak it by ourselves correctly, with confidence and without hesitation（犹豫）. Thirdly, we must be able to read the language. Fourthly, we must be able to make up sentences that are grammatically correct. We must know how to put sentences into paragraphs in order to write a good letter or article.
There is no easy way to succeed in learning a foreign language. A good memory（记忆力）is of much help, but it is not enough to simply remember rules from a grammar book. It is no much use learning long words and their meanings by heart.
We must learn not only words but also the use of them in sentences. We must learn by using the language. “Learn through using” is a good piece of advice for people to study a new language. Practice is very important. We must practice speaking and writing the language whenever we can.
1. When we try to speak a foreign language, we must _________ ourselves.| A．lost heart in | B．give up | C．believe in | D．feel like |
| A．three things | B．four things | C．five things | D．two things |
| A．Practice | B．Reading | C．Speaking | D．Writing |
| A．We mustn’t learn a foreign language by using it |
| B．The writer advises us to use a dictionary whenever we can |
| C．Learn through using is good advice for those who are studying a new language |
| D．The passage is mainly about how to learn English |
| A．a good letter | B．a diary | C．a good article | D．A or C |
4 . Although English is widely spoken throughout the world, it brings some problems to Britain. In a recent survey, 62% of British people only speak English. They can’t learn other languages.
The British are well-known for not speaking foreign languages. A recent survey showed that the British are officially the worst language learners in Europe.
62% of the people surveyed cant speak any other language besides English. 38% speak at least one foreign language, 18% speak two and only 6% speak three or more.
This survey showed that English was the most widely spoken language. 51% of the European people can have a conversation in English.
Learning a foreign language is not popular at school in Britain. A study suggests that students think that it is more difficult to get good grades in language than in other subjects such as science or history. The British government is now looking for different ways to improve language learning at school.
1. In a recent survey, ________ of British people can only speak English.| A．62% | B．38% | C．18% | D．51% |
| A．the British people don't want any other languages except English |
| B．the British school only require students to study science and history |
| C．they think it is more difficult to get good grades in language |
| D．they think it is less important than science and math |
| A．boring | B．popular | C．pleased | D．satisfied |
| A．best | B．least | C．most | D．worst |
| A．English is widely spoken only in Europe |
| B．the British students prefer learning foreign languages to other subjects |
| C．the survey showed 38% of the population can only speak English |
| D．English is widely spoken in the world, but the British people are not good foreign language learners |
5 . Almost all people have hobbies, and people in different countries have different hobbies around the world. For example, in America, people’s favorite hobby is watching TV in their spare time. It is the main entertainment（娱乐）for Americans to watch TV at least one hour in a day. 96% of Americans regard watching TV as their first hobby. The second one is going to the cinema or doing some sports. Next one is reading or gardening. Besides（此外）these, fishing is also a very popular hobby.
In England, it’s quite different. People there like to go to the flea market（跳蚤市场）. They like to go there to see if there is something new. Besides, Englishmen like drinking tea.
Russians like reading very much. Wherever you go, you will see people reading carefully. Germans like reading as well. According to a survey, Germans read eleven books on average（平均）in 2011.
1. ________ is their favorite hobby for Americans.| A．Watching TV | B．Going to the cinema | C．Doing some sports | D．Reading |
| A．the garden | B．the library | C．the flea market | D．the cinema |
| A．America and Germany | B．England and Germany |
| C．America and England | D．Russia and Germany |
| A．America | B．England | C．Russia | D．Germany |
| A．Three | B．Four | C．Five | D．Six |
6 . Last Monday we did a survey(调查)about how often the students do the housework in Shiyan High School. Here are the results(结果).
Most students do the housework twice or three times a week. They often clean their rooms. Some students do the housework five times a week. They often clean the floor. Some students help their parents on the farm. They think their parents are too busy, so they help them.
The results for “wash clothes” are interesting. Some students wash clothes once or twice a week. They often wash clothes on Saturdays or Sundays. Some students wash clothes three or four times a week. They only wash their own clothes. But most students wash their clothes once a week. And they wash clothes on Sundays.
Liu Huan, a girl in Class 4, Grade 8, has lots of housework to do. She washes the dishes and cleans the floor every day. She often cooks, sometimes three times a day. She says, “My mother isn’t healthy. My father works in another city. So I have to do most of the housework at home.”
1. From the results we know ________ students do the housework five times a week.| A．all | B．most | C．some | D．no |
| A．they think they are old enough |
| B．they think their parents are too busy |
| C．they don’t have too much homework |
| D．their parents are too old |
| A．Once a week. | B．Twice a week. |
| C．Three times a week. | D．Four times a week. |
| A．Liu Huan is an unhealthy student |
| B．Liu Huan is good at homework |
| C．Liu Huan’s father is unhealthy |
| D．Liu Huan has to do much housework |
| A．They did the survey last Monday. |
| B．Most students don’t do the housework. |
| C．Liu Huan is a student from Class 4, Grade 8. |
| D．Liu Huan cooks three times a day sometimes. |
7 . The sun is always shining. But it can only shine on one side of the earth at one time. When the sun is shining on one side of the earth, it is night on the other side.
At night, you can see the stars(星星). The stars are in the sky all day. But the light from the sun is so bright that you can’t see them. When night comes, there is no light, and the stars are bright enough to see.
The stars look very small. But some of them are even bigger than the sun. They look small because they are so far away from you. Big things look much smaller when they are far away. The sun is closer(近)to the earth than other stars, so it looks bigger.
1. When it is night, the sun ________.| A．doesn’t shine | B．shines for a short time |
| C．disappears(消失) | D．shines on the other side of the earth |
| A．there are no stars there |
| B．the stars are much smaller than the sun |
| C．the bright light from the sun makes them not seen(被看见) |
| D．the stars come out only at night |
| A．they are far away | B．they are small |
| C．they have no light | D．they are in the sky |
| A．bigger | B．small | C．near | D．far away |
8 . Swimming is a very popular game in the world. Many people like swimming in summer, and in the other three seasons too. They think water makes them feel cool and swimming makes them keep healthy. But sometimes it’s also not safe if you don’t know how to keep safe when swimming.
If you swim in a wrong place, it may not be safe. A lot of people die (死) when they are enjoying themselves in the water, and most of them are students. Now some people are not careful in swimming. They often think they can swim very well, so nothing will happen to them in water.
If you go swimming in summer, remembering the following rules will be very useful. Don’t get into water when you are by yourself. If there is a “No swimming” sign, don’t get into water. If you remember these, swimming will be safe and enjoyable.
1. ________ like swimming in summer.| A．Few people | B．Lots of people |
| C．Only student | D．Only swimmers |
| A．clean | B．fat | C．healthy | D．thin |
| A．sing | B．play | C．swim | D．dance |
| A．get into water | B．don’t get into water |
| C．don’t drink water | D．play into water |
9 . My name is Maria. I am 13 years old. I live in New York City. I like going to school by bike. Riding a bike is good exercise for me. I like watching basketball matches on TV very much. I watch them every week. At school, music is my favourite subject. I have a good voice and I play the violin(小提琴) very well. I have a dream of being a singer.
I am Huck. I am 12. I live in Los Angeles. I like playing sports very much. I play football or basketball with my friends every day after school. At the weekend, I often go to the mountains to draw pictures. Painting is my hobby(爱好), so I want to be a painter.
I am Sophia. My home is in Washington DC. I like reading and watching programs about travel and history. I like reading at home at the weekend. At school, I like French very much, and I am good at it. I would like to be a guide(导游). So I can go around the world and meet a lot of people. That would be great fun.
1. Maria often goes to school ________.| A．by bus | B．by bike | C．by car | D．on foot |
| A．playing basketball | B．being a singer | C．playing the violin | D．playing the piano |
| A．he likes drawing | B．he is good at painting |
| C．he can go out at weekends | D．he likes going to the mountains |
| A．speak French very well | B．read history |
| C．go to a lot of places in the world | D．read and watch programme about travel |
| A．Maria’s dream is to be a painter. |
| B．Sophia likes watching programme about French. |
| C．Both Maria and Huck like playing basketball. |
| D．Maria, Huck and Sophia all live in the USA. |
10 . Welcome to England! The weather in England is very changeable. If it’s raining when you get up in the morning, it can be hot and dry in the afternoon. So it is not strange to see people take umbrellas with them anytime. If you go to England, don’t forget to take an umbrella with you so that you won’t get wet.
In England, shops are usually open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It is not like in China. You can go shopping after dinner till 10:00 p.m. in China. On Sundays some English shops are open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. But a lot of shops are closed. Most towns have at least one shop opening till night. Banks, museums or other places are open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You can go to the park at any time.
1. What’s the weather like in England?| A．Rainy. | B．Hot. | C．Dry. | D．Changeable. |
| A．At 8:30 a.m. | B．At 9:00 a.m. | C．At 5:30 p.m. | D．At 10:00 a.m. |
| A．the shop | B．banks | C．museums | D．the park |
| A．The weather in England is always hot and dry. |
| B．You can go to the bank and museum at any time. |
| C．Cars and buses move on the left. |
| D．A lot of English shops open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sundays. |
| A．Something about England | B．The weather in England |
| C．English shops | D．Traffic in England |
