In the past, when people had problems, they went to their families or friends to get advice. Today it is possible to get advice from radio shows, TV programs and hotlines, too. A hotline is a telephone line that offers a direct way of getting in touch with advisers. Most hotlines are completely anonymous callers do not have to say their names or telephone numbers. Most hotlines are usually free, too. Callers do not have to pay for advice or the phone calls—even if the calls are long distance (距离). At some hotlines, the advisers are volunteers. Other hotlines pay their advisers for their work. Usually the advisers are full-job people with years of education and experience, but sometimes, the advisers have only taken a short class before starting to work on the hotline. All the advisers listen to people and help them solve their problems.
1. A hotline is a telephone line that is hot.2. When people call the hotline advisers, they usually pay nothing for most of the calls and advice.
3. The advisers working at hotlines are all volunteers.
4. Most of the advisers are full-job people with years of education and experience.
5. The writer of the article seems to think that the hotline advisers will solve all of the callers’ problems.
2 . My friend, Robert, has a twin sister named Amanda. Though they get along well, there are some things about Amanda and her friends that puzzle Robert. He can't understand how girls can talk for so long. For example, sometimes when he leaves home to play football, Amanda and her friend, Sharon, are sitting on the sofa, talking. When he comes back three and a half hours later, they're still sitting on the sofa, continuing the same conversation on the same topic. One day Robert was so curious that he asked Amanda what they talked about, but she replied, "We're best friends. We talk about almost everything—film stars, pop songs, recipes, everything!"
Boys and girls have different attitudes towards friendship. Friendships between girls are usually based on shared feelings and support, but friendships between boys are based on shared activities or interests. A boy is likely to be careful about sharing his feelings with his close friends. A girl's closest friend, however, might be eager to tell her about something that has happened in her life.
Many studies worldwide show that girls have more friendships than boys. In fact, many teenage boys cannot name a single best friend. When asked, they hesitate before answering, "My best friend? I can't think about that. I am busy with my homework, and I have so many different friends that it is hard to choose just one best friend.”
Girls who have been asked can usually answer the question without pausing, “A best friend? Of course. We have a lot to share with each other. We do a lot of things together such as talking and shopping.”
We have to realize: boys share activities, while girls share feelings. The qualities that boys and girls consider important in a friend seem to be the same, regardless of（无论）the basis of these friendships. The important thing to remember is that both of them are friendships. We all need friends in our lives.
1. Robert wonders________.| A．why Amanda and her friend talk so long |
| B．why girls answer the question with pausing |
| C．what attitudes girls have towards friendship |
| D．what Amanda and her friend were curious about |
| A．are slow to speak | B．are shy to speak in public |
| C．share feelings secretly | D．are eager to tell the answers |
| A．Boys and girls both make sure what friendships are. |
| B．Friendships are the most important among girls and boys. |
| C．Girls like to share their attitudes to friendships with friends. |
| D．Boys and girls have the same idea on the qualities in a friend. |
| A．Teenagers' Friendships | B．Different Attitudes towards Friendships |
| C．The Qualities of Friendships | D．Everybody Needs Friendships |
3 . Every year on my birthday, from the time I turned 12, a white gardenia（栀子花）was sent to my house. No card came with it. Calls to the lower shops were not helpful at all. After a while I stopped trying to find out the sender’s name and was just very pleased with the beautiful flower in soft pink paper.
But I never stopped imagining（想象）who the giver might be some of my happiest moments were spent daydreaming about the sender. My father encouraged this imagining. He’d ask me if there was someone for whom I had done a special kindness. Perhaps it was the old man, who I looked after when he was ill. As a girl, I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy.
One month before my graduation, my mother died. I felt very sad and didn’t want to go to the coming graduation dance at all. And I didn’t care whether I had a new dress or not. But my father, in his own sadness, would not let me miss any of those things. He wanted his children to feel loved and lovable. In fact, my father wanted his children to see themselves much like the gardenia-lovely, strong and perfect with perhaps a bit of mystery.
My father died ten days after I was married. I was 22. That was the year the gardenia stopped coming.
1. Which is TRUE according to the passage?| A．In fact, the white gardenia was sent by a boy. |
| B．The writer found the sender by calling the flower shops. |
| C．It was a pleasant moment for the girl to imagine the sender. |
| D．The writer got a gardenia every year after she was married. |
| A．wished she would find a friend | B．wanted her to be happy and strong |
| C．hoped she would miss her mother | D．thought education was the most important |
| A．The writer didn’t go to the coming graduation dance. |
| B．Once the writer looked after an old lady when she was ill. |
| C．The writer always received the gardenia every birthday after 12. |
| D．The writer’s father sent gardenias to her as birthday gifts for ten years. |
| A．A Childhood Dream | B．A Father’s love | C．A Graduation Party | D．A Special Birthday |
4 . Are you looking for something fun and would you like to help others in your spare time? Then join us to be a volunteer! We're a non-profit (非赢利的）organization. We have volunteer jobs of all ages. Anyone, from twelve-year-old children to people in their seventies can become a volunteer.
You can help people in many ways. Schools need help with taking care of children while parents are working. Hospitals need volunteers to look after children while their parents are seeing a doctor. Animals lovers can help take care of those dogs and cats without homes. There is something for everyone.
“As a volunteer, I don't want to get anything. Seeing the children's happy faces, I'm happy, too. ” said Carlos Domingo, an old woman of 62. “I often played computer games in my spare time before. Now I help older people learn how to use computers. ” said another volunteer at the age of 18.
If everyone helps out a bit, we'll have a better world to live in. Interested? Call us 1-800-555-5756 or visit our website: www. activol. com.
1. When do the volunteers help others?| A．At weekends. | B．In their spare time. |
| C．On weekdays. | D．In the evenings. |
| A．Children | B．Old women |
| C．Young people | D．Anyone aged 12-70 |
| A．money | B．computers | C．everything | D．nothing |
| A．animals | B．children | C．computers | D．older people |
| A．in a newspaper | B．in a story book |
| C．in a picture book | D．in a textbook |
5 . Online travel is a new way to relax yourself and know about different places. You can visit the places around the world with no passports（护照）or taking a plane. It doesn't need much time or money. What you need is just a computer connected（连接）to the Internet. If you want to start the travel, click（敲击）on the icon（图标）for tour and pick any country or city you want to visit. You can see important information（信息）about the place with lots of nice pictures. It tells people the history of the place, local customs, the main sights and so on. If you have questions, you can click on the "Guide" icon. The guide is ready to help you. So you can have fun and learn more about the world at the same time. Why not have a try?
1. Online travel is a ___________ way to know different places.| A．difficult | B．relaxing | C．hard | D．boring |
| A．passport | B．A plane | C．A computer | D．An icon |
| A．The information. | B．The place. |
| C．The city. | D．The icon. |
| A．It needs a lot of money and time. |
| B．If you want to start, click on "Start"（开始）icon. |
| C．You can't learn anything about the place. |
| D．You can get help from the "Guide" icon. |
6 . This is a happy family. There are three members(成员) in it.
| Hi! My name is Da Tou. I have a big head and two big eyes. I have no brothers or sisters. My parents love me very much. |
| This is my father. He is also my good friend. He has a small head and two big hands. He wears a pair of glasses. He is a reporter(记者), so he knows a lot. He often plays games with me. |
| This is my mother. She is a little fat. She often wears an apron(围裙). She is good at cooking. She works in a shop near our house. My mother is a kind woman. |
1. What does Da Tou look like?
| A．He has a small head. |
| B．He has two big hands. |
| C．He is wearing a green T-shirt. |
| D．He has two big eyes. |
| A．A teacher. | B．A doctor. | C．A reporter. | D．A worker. |
| A．reading | B．cooking | C．writing | D．playing games |
| A．Da Tou has a brother and a sister. |
| B．His father wears a pair of glasses. |
| C．His mother is a kind woman. |
| D．His mother works in a shop near their house. |
| A．A Good Reporter | B．Da Tou and His Friends |
| C．A Happy Boy | D．A Happy Family |
7 . Little river run down from a high mountain through many villages and forests. Then it reached a desert (沙漠). “I went through so many difficulties. I should have no problem crossing the desert,” she thought. As she started, she found herself slowly disappearing (消失) into the sand. After many tries, she still failed. “Maybe I can’t reach the ocean,” she said sadly to herself.
At this time, a deep voice said. “If wind can cross the desert, so can a river.” It was the voice of the desert. But the little river answered, “That’s because the wind can fly. but I cannot.” The desert said, “That’s because you stick to what you are. Let yourself evaporate (蒸发) into the wind, and it can take you across.” “Give up what I am now? No! No!” The little river could not accept this idea. “The wind can carry the vapor (蒸汽) across the desert and let it leave as rain. The rain will form a river again,” said the desert. “And whether you’re a river or vapor, your nature never changes.” Hearing this, the little river went into the open arms of wind. It carried her to the next part of her life.
The way of our lives is like the little river. If you want to go through difficulties in your life and head for success, you should also change the way you are sometimes.
1. The little river wanted to reach ________.| A．the forest | B．the ocean | C．the desert | D．the mountain |
| A．believe in herself | B．meet any difficulties |
| C．want to cross the desert | D．worry about herself |
| A．粘贴 | B．坚持 | C．放弃 | D．展示 |
| A．evaporating into the wind | B．forming an ocean |
| C．disappearing into the sand | D．changing her nature |
| A．We should always be ourselves. | B．How to cross the desert. |
| C．Change the way we are if necessary. | D．The little river and the desert. |
Dear Principal Becker,
I'm David Brown, a student from Grade 8. I'm sitting in the classroom to write you this letter because I really have something to say about the school lunchtime.
Well, I know that school is for learning. It is important to have good reading and Maths skills. But I think school is also important for another reason. It helps people learn to get along with others.
It may seem that lunchtime is not important. As you see, lots of us spend most lunchtimes just talking with our friends. But this activity is more important than it looks.
I'm learning how to get along with others. I'm learning how to solve problems. I'm finding out new things from others. I'm learning how to say sorry. These are all important skills to learn.
My problem is that the time for lunch keeps getting shorter. I know this is happening so we can spend more time in class learning. But please do not forget that we are also learning at lunchtime. We are learning people skills. It is important that we have enough time to spend with our friends.
I really hope that you can make our lunchtime longer. A little more time spent with friends each day would benefit everybody.
Yours,
David Brown
1. Where did David write this letter ?| A．At home | B．In the classroom | C．In his bedroom | D．In the music room. |
| A．How to get along with others . | B．How to solve problems |
| C．How to find new things from others | D．All the above . |
| A．To say sorry to the principal. | B．To show the principal his writing skills. |
| C．To ask the principal to make lunchtime longer. | D．To say thank you to the principal. |
| A．He hopes he can make more friends. | B．He spends a lot of time talking in class. |
| C．He writes a lot of letters to the principal. | D．He enjoys spending time with his friends. |
9 . John Steinbeck(1902-1968) is remembered as one of the greatest and best-loved American writers of the twentieth century. In 1962, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. His novel The Pearl tells a story of an Indian fisherman.
Kino is a poor Indian fisherman, who makes a living by getting pearls out of water. His son is bitten by Scorpion (蝎子) but he has no money for treatment. One day he finds "the Pearl of the world" and he believes that his life will be magically changed. But people in the town want to cheat the pearl out of Kino and they also try stealing it. Kino's wife think it brings not good but bad luck, so she throws it into sea. But Kino got it back out of the sea again. On the way back home, they are attacked (攻击) again, and their house is burning in the flames (火焰). Before they flee (逃走) successfully, they are under another gun attack and their son is killed in gunshot. At that time, Kino realizes that pearl brings nothing good but the death of his son. Finally, he threw the pearl away into the sea again.
Everything has both the bright and the dark sides. If you are one-sided and blind to see the other side, you will lose what you have.
1. What is Kino's job?| A．A writer. | B．A fisherman. | C．A worker. | D．A farmer. |
| A．They tell Kino it is of no value. | B．They think they are cheated by Kino. |
| C．They are envious and want to get it. | D．They treat Kino kindly and are willing to treat his son. |
| A．Because his wife thinks it brings bad luck. | B．Because she wants to get a bigger one. |
| C．Because their son is killed. | D．Because she thinks it is not valuable. |
| A．Treat others as you would like to be treated. | B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．Every person can be kind and evil. | D．Good fortune lies within bad luck. |
| A．Cannot see. | B．Cannot hear. | C．Cannot fell. | D．Cannot smell. |
10 . Colourful fruits and vegetables are good for our health. Their colours help us keep healthy. Close your eyes and think about the colours of the food: the orange of carrots, the green of cabbages（卷心菜）and the red of tomatoes.
You can enjoy eating fruits and vegetables of all colours: green, yellow, red, blue, white and purple. They work together to protect（保护）our body.
The list below shows how the colours work:
* Green help prevent cancer（防癌）. It is good for our eyes too. It also gives you strong bones and teeth.
* Blue and purple help us remember things well.
* Red gives us healthy hearts.
* Yellow and orange give us a healthy immune system（免疫系统）. They’re also good for our eyes.
* White can keep cholesterol（胆固醇）at a low level.
Do you think the colours are interesting? So when we buy or eat fruits and vegetables, pleased remember: the more colours, the better.
1. _________ can give us healthy hearts.| A．Blue | B．Green | C．Red | D．Yellow |
| A．Green, blue and purple | B．Red, yellow and orange |
| C．White, blue and purple | D．Green, yellow and orange |
| A．cabbages | B．carrots | C．oranges | D．tomatoes |
| A．How to Keep Healthy | B．How to Eat Vegetables |
| C．Colourful Fruits and Vegetables | D．Different Colours |
