1 . December 25th is Christmas Day. In most countries, it is the most important day in the year. All the people come back to their homes to have the day with their parents or their children. On Christmas Day bells ring everywhere. The ringing bells tell people Christmas is coming. People sing and dance day and night. They have a good time.
Most families buy a Christmas tree for their children. And there are some presents hanging from the tree here and there. People also put presents in children’s stockings（长筒袜）. In many places, Father Christmas himself brings presents to them, He is a kind man and in red clothes. There is a big bag on his back. In it there are a lot of presents.
Christmas is also a day when people enjoy all kinds of food. But some poor people have no homes and have no food to eat. They die of cold and hunger on Christmas Day.
根据短文内容判断句子正（A）误（B）。
1. Christmas is a very important day in some countries in a year.
2. Many people have a good time on Christmas Day.
3. Father Christmas wears red clothes.
4. There are a lot of Christmas trees in Father Christmas’ bag.
5. Some poor people die on Christmas Day because they have no homes and no food.
2 . This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
One of the sweetest gifts of nature is a red, ripe strawberry. There are three basic kinds of strawberries: June bearing, ever bearing and day neutrals.
June bearing are ready in the spring, so they are also called spring bearing. But gardeners will not get a crop during the first spring after planting. Ever bearing, when planted after the last winter freeze, will produce fruit during spring or early summer. A second or sometimes third crop will be ready in late summer. Day neutrals produce fruit throughout the summer months.
The University of Illinois Urban Extension says ever bearers and day neutrals are especially good for home gardens. Plant strawberries in the spring as soon as the soil is dry enough. Try to plant late in the day or on a cloudy day. The soil should cover just the roots and not the crown on top of the plant. Runners will appear in a few weeks.
Strawberries grown in containers（容器） need a soil depth of about twenty-five to thirty centimeters. Be sure the container has holes in the bottom.
Strawberries grow well in loamy soil（沃土） that lets water pass through easily. Carl Wilson at the Colorado State University Extension suggests mixing about three to five percent organic（有机的） material into the soil.
根据短文内容，判断下列句子正误。正确的用“A”表示，不正确的用“B”表示。1. The strawberry is a kind of fruit with red color and sweet taste.
2. June bearing is usually planted in winter of last year.
3. Strawberries can grow both in gardens and in containers.
4. The right time to plant strawberries is on a wet day.
5. Strawberries only produce fruit once.
But in China, people use Mr. Mrs. Ms．or Miss before their first names．Because（ 因为） the first name is the family name．For example, my name is Lin Tao．“Lin” is my family name, and “Tao” is my given name．
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
1. My name is James Alien Green．Which is my family name? _______
| A．James | B．Allen |
| C．Green | D．Allen Green |
| A．Lin | B．Tao |
| C．Lin Tao | D．Zhang |
| A．James | B．Allen |
| C．Green | D．James Alien |
| A．Wang | B．Peng |
| C．Lin | D．Tao |
| A．In English names, the first name is the family name． |
| B．In Chinese manes, the first name is the family name． |
| C．In English names, the middle name is the family name． |
| D．In Chinese manes, the last name is the family name． |
根据短文内容，判断下列句子正误。正确的用“A”表示，不正确的用“B”表示。
1. We can see two desks in John's bedroom．
2. Some flowers and a light are on the small desk．
3. A clock is on the big desk．
4. Two pictures are on the floor．
5. John's cat is under his bed．
5 . ★If the person has stopped breathing （呼吸） , you must try to start his/her breathing at once．The best thing is to use the mouth- to- mouth way．Lay the person on his/her back and breathe into his/her mouth．
★If the person is bleeding （流血） badly, you must try to stop the bleeding．Press on the bleeding point with a piece of clean cloth and hold up the part of the body which is bleeding．
★If you are bitten （cut by teeth） by an animal, wash the cut under cold running water．Cover the broken part, if there is any with a piece of clean cloth．Then see．a doctor as soon as possible．
★If you are burnt （hurt by fire．or something very hot）, cool the burnt part at once．Run cool （not cold） water over the burnt part until it is less painful．Put a piece of dry clean cloth over the burnt part．
★If there is a fire, never use a lift in the building, because it's very dangerous．The lift may get caught between floors．Use the stairs and leave the building at once．
根据短文内容，判断下列句子正误。正确的用“A”表示，不正确的用“B”表示。
1. If a person has stopped breathing, the best way is to let him/her sleep．
2. When you are bleeding badly, yon must press on the bleeding point with a clean cloth．
3. If you are bitten by a cat, wash the cut under warm minting water．
4. If Xiao Ming is burnt, he should cod the burnt part at once．
5. If there is a fire, use the lift to leave the building at once．
6 . Next time you’re unhappy or complaining about your life, don’t turn to a cheerful comedy. You might find a tear-jerking tragedy (催人泪下的悲剧) is just the thing you need to brighten your day.
A team of researchers at Ohio State University, US, has found sad movies can make people happier, Science Daily reported last month.
Many people find tragedies make them realize how good their own lives are, the study showed.
“People seem to use tragedies as a way to reflect on the important relationships in their own lives,” said Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, leader of the study. “Tragic stories often focus on themes of eternal (永恒的) love, and this leads viewers to think about their loved ones and count their good and helpful things.”
In the study, researchers gathered 361 college students and showed them the 2007 movie, Alonement. The movie is about two lovers who are separated (分离) and finally die during World War II. Before and after the movie, the students were asked questions measuring (衡量) how happy they were with their lives. Researchers also asked them before, after and three times during the movie to measure various emotions, including sadness.
Researchers found that the sadder students felt while watching the movie, the more likely they were to think about real people they had close relationships with in life. This increased their happiness after watching the movie. Knobloch-Westerwick explained that negative (消极的) moods make people more thoughtful.
“Positive (积极的) emotions show that everything is fine, you don’t have to worry, you don’t have to think about problems in your life,” she said. “But negative emotions, like sadness, make you think more critically about your situation. So seeing a tragic movie may make you sad, but that will make you to think more about your own close relationships and appreciate them more.”
The link between watching a tragic story and feeling better has long been recognized. The ancient Greeks even had a word for the feeling of happiness after seeing something sad that led to the modern English word “catharsis (宣泄)”.
The study also showed that relationships are a very important source of happiness in our lives, so it is no surprise that thinking about your loved ones makes you happier, researchers said.
1. Which of the following about the study of Ohio State University is NOT true?| A．Students’ emotions are measured by asking questions. |
| B．Only sadness is measured in the study. |
| C．The study shows relationships are a source of happiness. |
| D．Those who felt sadder when watching the movie were more likely to be happier after that. |
| A．To introduce the meaning of the word “Catharsis”. |
| B．To explain the importance of knowing how to become happier. |
| C．To prove that they were of high intelligence and guessed its meaning. |
| D．To tell readers the relationship between tragedies and happiness was found long ago. |
| A．seeing tragedies makes you more thoughtful |
| B．positive emotions make you think more about your relationships |
| C．negative emotions show you have no need to think about your situation |
| D．after seeing comedies, you will appreciate your close relationships more |
| A．There is eternal love in the world |
| B．Watching sad films may start smiles |
| C．It’s useless to complain about life |
| D．Comedies should make way for tragedies |
Why is clean water so important to developing countries? A recent report shows that about 80 percent of diseases in developing countries are caused by poor water and low sanitation（卫生）conditions. In those countries, women and girls spend several hours collecting water, but often polluted, far away from their families. The polluted water more or less influences their health. In this case, there is an urgent（迫切的）need for people in developing countries to have access to（有机会或权利使用）clean water to improve their health.
Here is a short story about Hadjara Zakari, a 12-year-old girl in Niger. Having access to clean water changed her life. She learned about the importance of hand-washing when the school first received clean water three years ago. That evening, she told her father, “You shouldn’t eat with me unless you clean your hands.” Her father was very angry and shouted at her, “It’s not up to you to tell me what to do!” Stunned（目瞪口呆的），Hadjara sat in silence. But she knew she was right. In protest, Hadjara refused to eat dinner that night. After her father questioned Hadjara’s head teacher, he understood the importance of hand-washing and his daughter’s intentions（目的）. The girl really wanted her family to live longer and healthier lives.
For people in developing countries, clean water can change many things, especially improve their health. So, from now on, let’s avoid wasting water and take action to save water, which is important to people all over the world.
1. According to the recent report, poor water and low sanitation conditions can cause _______.
| A．traffic problems | B．forest fires | C．many illnesses |
| A．to get clean water | B．to exercise often | C．to refuse drugs |
| A．Hadjara laughed at her father’s foolishness. |
| B．Hadjara refused to eat dinner that night in order to lose weight. |
| C．Hadjara’s father understood his daughter’s love and care for him later. |
| A．抗议 | B．保护 | C．节约 |
| A．teach people how to wash hands |
| B．call on people all over the world to save water |
| C．show developing countries rich in clean water |
“I will think of it.” It is easy to say this, but do you know what great things have come from thinking?
Sir Isaac Newton was sitting in his garden when he saw an apple fall from a tree. He began to think and tried to find out why the apple fell. Then he discovered how the sun, moon, and stars are kept in their places.
A boy named James Watt sat quietly by the fire, watching the lid of the kettle move up and down. He wanted to find out why the steam in the kettle moved the lid. From that time he went on thinking and thinking. And when he became a man, he improved the steam engine (蒸汽机) so much that it could easily do the work of many horses.
James Ferguson was a poor boy. Once, seeing the inside of a watch, he wondered. “Why should I not make a watch?” But how could he get the materials to make the mainspring (钟表的主发条)? He soon found he could make it with whalebone (鲸骨). He then made a wooden clock which kept good time. His motto (座右铭) was “I will think of it.” And he made his thoughts useful to himself and the world.
Boys and girls, when you have a difficult lesson to learn, don’t lose heart, and don’t ask someone for help before helping yourselves. Think, and by thinking you will learn how to think to some purpose.
1. From the passage, we know that some great things come from ______.
| A．listening | B．reading |
| C．speaking | D．thinking |
| A．the falling of an apple |
| B．the cleaning of a garden |
| C．the falling of a tree |
| D．the moving of a lid |
| A．kept thinking |
| B．found the steam in the kettle |
| C．improved the steam engine much |
| D．watched the lid move up and down |
① James Ferguson made a wooden clock.
② James Ferguson saw the inside of a watch.
③ James Ferguson made the mainspring with whalebone.
| A．③ ② ① | B．② ③ ① |
| C．② ① ③ | D．③ ① ② |
| A．Learn to ask for help. |
| B．A difficult lesson to learn. |
| C．It is easy to say “I will think of it.” |
| D．Think, and by thinking you will learn how to think to some purpose. |
The fun of going round and round in a circle is just part of the wonder. The wonderful invention doesn’t only change the kids’ play time， but also makes a big difference to the people’s lives.
As the merry-go-round starts， itpumps(泵送）clean water up from deep underground and keeps it in a huge tank(桶）. People are welcomed to come and help themselves to get the water for free. They are very happy these days.
In the countryside of Africa， very few people could drink clean water. They don’t have machines that can get water in their homes. Instead， they often walk a long way to carry water back.
Patricia Molope， a fifteen-year-old girl， explains that before her village in South Africa got a PlayPump， people would pay a taxi driver to take them to a well far from their homes. “ Sometimes the taxi drivers were so busy that we would have to stop taking showers in order to save water. It was so far to walk there， but at present we have our own clean water in the village， and the life is better， too.”
The hard job of carrying water usually is done by women and girls. Carrying water for miles and hours each day is such a heavy job that it sometimes prevents girls from being able to go to school.
Thanks to the PlayPump， getting water is quicker and easier-----and even boys join in. The pumps have become a new activity. Kids and adults seem to love playing with them while collecting water.
A boy named Khumalo， twelve years old， says， “ I have seen many kinds of water pumps， but have never seen one that can keep water. When I grow up， I want to be an inventor so I can also invent clever things like the PlayPump that will help my country.”
So far， more than 800 PlayPumps are being operated in schools and neighborhoods in four African countries， providing water for almost two million people.
1. To get water from a PlayPump， people need to ______________.
| A．walk for a long way | B．push it first |
| C．make it in a circle | D．use a big tank |
| A．pump | B．merry-go-round |
| C．PlayPump | D．underground |
| A．She didn’t know how to use a PlayPump. |
| B．She had no money to pay a taxi driver. |
| C．The only place to get water was far away from home. |
| D．There was not enough water in the well. |
| A．People need to pay for the clean water from PlayPump. |
| B．Both children and parents enjoy the ride on PlayPump. |
| C．PlayPump makes the life of the Africans much easier. |
| D．About two million Africans are using the water from PlayPump. |
| A．PlayPump can bring people together. |
| B．PlayPump helps turn work into play. |
| C．Every country in the world is thirsty. |
| D．PlayPump is a great invention in the world. |
Many people like to travel(旅行) by plane because it is fast .But I don’t like it because the airport(飞机场) is too far from my home. It takes me about 50 minutes to get there by taxi. I like to travel by train . I think it is easy for me to take the train because it is not far from my house. When you are late for the train, you can take another (另一列) train. You can walk around the train and open the window. You can see many interesting things on the way. It’s interesting .I also like cars because we don’t need to go to the bus station or the train station. And we can take many things with us in the car. My father often drives his car to travel with us on weekends. But now there are too many cars on the road.
1. Why doesn’t the writer like to travel by plane?2. How long does it take the writer to get to the airport by taxi?
3. Is it difficult for him to take the train?
4. What does he think of the trip by train?
5. How do they usually travel on weekends?
