1 . Inventions are very important and they can easily change our life. The following are some great inventions.

The television was invented in 1926. As time passed, more and more people were able to buy the television. It is a popular invention, but it is also bad for your eyes. People spend almost 4-8 hours in front of a TV. So they spend less time staying with family.	The plane is a very popular way of going out either for traveling or business. Over 3,000,000 people take a plane every day. It is very convenient for us. And it makes our trip faster and more comfortable. But the biggest problem led by the planes is the air pollution.
Credit cards allow people to buy things first and pay for them later. What’s more, you don’t have to carry lots of money around. However, you may not know how much money you have spent until you get your bill. This might put many young people and families into an economic crisis (经济危机).	The pacemaker (心脏起搏器) saves many people’s lives. It was an invention that was designed to give the heart small “shocks” and make it work again. The only disadvantage for most people is that it costs a lot of money. Getting one can cost from 16,500 yuan to 35,000 yuan.

1. Which invention allows people not to carry much money with them?

A．The television.	B．The plane.
C．The credit card.	D．The pacemaker.

2. What can we NOT know about the invention of the plane?

A．Taking a plane is very convenient for us.

B．The plane is a popular way of going out.

C．It is fast and comfortable for us to take a plane.

D．People don’t like to take a plane on business.

3. What does the underlined word “it” refer to?

A．The pacemaker.	B．The invention.
C．The shock.	D．The heart.

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．People spend more time with their family than watching TV.

B．The invention of the plane does no harm to people’s life.

C．Using a credit card, you can know how much you have spent at first.

D．The pacemaker is very expensive for most of the people.

5. What is the best title for this passage?

A．Inventions are important and expensive.

B．Inventions change our life.

C．Four inventions are popular.

D．Inventions are easy to create.

2 . We know health is important in everyone's life.Here are some ways to make them easy to get.
★Eat a balanced diet．Eat a lot of fruit and vegetables，some grains(谷物) and a little meat.
★Exercise twice or three times a week.
★Get enough sleep.It is best to get eight hours' sleep a day.
★Keep yourself busy.This is good because it stops you from having bad habits.To keep yourself busy，you can walk around the house，spend time with your pet，do sports，or have a hobby.
★Go out and make friends.Spend time and have fun with them.Talk with them，but try not to talk about anything bad.You should stay with the people who are healthy.
1. How often should you exercise if you want to get health?

A．Every day.	B．Twice a day.
C．Three times a month.	D．Twice or three times a week.

2. How many hours do you need to sleep every day?

A．Seven.

B．Eight.

C．Nine.

D．Ten.

3. The underlined word “it” refers to(指的是) ________.

A．eating a balanced diet	B．exercising more
C．keeping yourself busy	D．making friends

4. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．We can eat a lot of meat to keep healthy.	B．We need to exercise.
C．It's good to make some friends.	D．We can spend our free time doing sports.

5. What's the best title for this passage?

A．Eating habit

B．Playing sports

C．Making friends

D．How to get health

3 . One day Mrs. Wilson went shopping with Tracy and Ben. They went to the supermarket in the new shopping center.
“Why do you buy things here?” Tracy wanted to know. “Because they are cheaper here than at the corner store near our home,” Mrs. Wilson said, “Help me check the prices, please.”
The Wilsons were not rich and Mrs. Wilson was always careful with her money. She looked carefully at the prices of things. She bought lots of things in the supermarket. When they got home, the children said, “We don’t think you saved money by going to the supermarket.”
“Of course I did,” Mrs. Wilson said. “Every thing was cheaper there.” “We know,” the children said, “but we came home by taxi because we had too much to carry. The taxi fare was more than the money that you save!”
Mrs. Wilson added everything up. Her children were right.
根据短文内容，从题中所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出正确选项，并将所选答案的字母代号填入题前括号内。
1. The things at the corner store were          than those in the supermarket.

A．cheaper

B．nicer

C．more expensive

D．better

2. Mrs. Wilson          in the end.

A．spent more money	B．paid less money
C．lost some money	D．saved a little money

3. From the passage we know the children were          .

A．happy

B．clever

C．tired

D．lazy

4. Mrs. Wilson will          .

A．never call a taxi	B．go on buying things in the supermarket
C．buy things near her home	D．not go shopping with her children

5. The best title for the passage is          .

A．Cutting Price	B．Corner Store
C．Supermarket	D．Shopping

4 . Nathan Sawaya's childhood was a lot of fun. He drew cartoons, wrote stories, and played with plastic toy bricks (积木). His grandparents bought his first set of toy bricks when he was five years old and he's been building with toy bricks ever since. He even took his building bricks to college with him! Instead of books and a computer, he had a model of Greenwich Village made of bricks on his desk.
Nathan started as a lawyer but gave up His highly-paid (高薪的) job to become an artist that uses toys in his art. He uses toy bricks to build everything from the Statue of Liberty(自由女神像) to Superman! He has more than 1.5 million colored bricks in his working room in New York which he uses to make pieces of art. He started by building small models but then decided to do something big and created a self-portrait (自画像). It took him two days just to build the eyes.
Nathan's work has appeared in museums around the world. Children love his art because it is made out of the same toys that they play with at home and adults love his work because it is fascinating. Since it began in2007, Nathan's exhibition "The Art of the Brick" has been very popular with museum visitors everywhere.
"I'm proud that I took a dream I had as a child, to become an artist, and I have actually made a job out of it," says Nathan. "To do what you love in life is the most important thing."
1. What did Nathan put on his desk at college?

A．The Statue of Liberty.	B．Superman.
C．His serf-portrait.	D．A Greenwich Village modal.

2. Why did Nathan give up his job as a lawyer?

A．Because he made little money out of a lawyer.

B．Because he wanted to make toys for the children.

C．Because he decided to become an artist of toy bricks.

D．Because he was going to work in the museum instead.

3. What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Nathan's work.	B．Nathan's exhibition.
C．Nathan's art.	D．Nathan's self-portrait

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．The Brick Artist	B．The Brick Exhibition
C．Toy Bricks for Adults	D．The Artist's Childhood

5 . China covers large areas and has a great population. Different living habits have always been an interesting topic in the country. Recently, another difference between southern Chinese and northern Chinese became a hot one: the way people shop at markets.
People from southern China say that they always buy what they need for just one or two meals. It is normal for them to buy half of a Chinese cabbage, two potatoes and 0.25 kilograms of beef at a time.
However, one may be laughed at if he does this in the north. Instead, buying vegetables and meat enough for a week is usual. Also, you can buy a small amount (数量) of fruit, such as a single apple or pear, each time in the south. Shop owners even help you peel and cut them. But shop owners in the north hardly offer such service. And many fruits are sold in baskets and boxes.
The difference could be due to the different weather.
Food can be kept for a long time in the north, as it is usually cold and dry there. Many northern Chinese have the habit of storing food, especially for the long winter. But the hot and wet weather in the south makes southern Chinese buy just enough food for one meal or one day, or else the food may go bad.
1. In southern China, people usually buy _____ at a time.

A．a small amount of food

B．a large amount of food

C．enough food for a week

D．a lot of meat and vegetables

2. If you buy fruits in the south, the shop owners may _______.

A．peel and cut them for you

B．laugh at you

C．only sell them in boxes and baskets

D．only sell a single apple or pear

3. Many northern Chinese have the habit of keeping food because ________.

A．the weather is hot and wet

B．food goes bad quickly

C．the weather is cold and dry

D．they live far away from markets

4. The underlined words "due to" mean "_________" in Chinese.

A．所以

B．但是

C．然而

D．因为

5. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Different Weather in China

B．Different Living Habits in China

C．Southern Chinese and Northern Chinese

D．Southern China and Northern China

6 .        Last year, Bob visited Vancouver, Canada alone. He went there to give a talk on the environment. When it was over, he traveled to the Rocky Mountains and stayed in the Maple Leaf Hotel. He then took a short walk to look at the local (当地的) plants in the forest. After a few hours, he knew he took the wrong way, but was sure he could get back to the hotel.
       However, after walking for several hours the next day, Bob knew he was in trouble. “I had my mobile phone, but the battery (电池) was almost dead. I could probably make just one call. But I didn’t know the number of my hotel and I didn’t want to worry my family unless I really had to,” said Bob. He went on walking for three more days. He knew which plants he could eat and he had little trouble finding them.
       On the fourth day, he knew it was hopeless and decided to call his family. “He was quite calm when he spoke to me on the phone,” said Shirley, Bob’s wife (妻子). “He seemed to be in control of the situation.” Shirley called the Maple Leaf Hotel at once. “That week lots of visitors went to the city to watch basketball games, and we thought Mr. Rigsby went there too,” said the hotel owner. As soon as Shirley phoned, the hotel sent out some people to look for Bob. They found him about one hour later, and luckily he was quite unhurt.
“I will never go to the forest without a guide. I never want an experience like that again,” said Bob.
根据材料内容选择最佳答案。
1. Bob went to Vancouver to _______.

A．watch football games

B．give a talk on traveling

C．watch basketball games

D．give a talk on the environment

2. What does the underlined word “calm” in Paragraph 3 mean in Chinese?

A．兴奋的

B．惭愧的

C．镇静的

D．痛苦的

3. Who did Bob call in the end?

A．His mother.

B．His wife.

C．His sister.

D．His daughter.

4. What can we learn about Bob from the passage?

A．He knew what he could eat in the forest.

B．He stayed in the forest for seven days.

C．He didn’t like traveling with others.

D．He was seriously hurt in the forest.

5. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Traveling in the mountains

B．An early call

C．An enjoyable experience

D．Lost in the forest

7 .

Like many other young boys，I didn't know what I wanted to be when I was a middle school student.My mother advised(建议) me to be a teacher like her，but it seemed that I was not interested in it.My father wanted me to be a pianist.However，I couldn't stand spending all of my time in front of a piano.

I got my goal(目标) after I went to high school.I got a parttime job at the school radio station and I found it was interesting.I loved to discuss school life and my favorite music with my schoolmates on the radio.I kept doing this job during the next six years.When I left the university，I got a fulltime job at our local(当地的) radio station.My career(事业) began.My program is successful and I have a lot of fans.I enjoy my job and my life now.

1. What did the writer's mother do?

A．A teacher.	B．A pianist.
C．A doctor.	D．A scientist.

2. When did the writer start working at a radio station?

A．When he was ten years old.

B．When he was a high school student.

C．When he studied at university.

D．After he left the university.

3. What did the writer talk about on the radio in the beginning?

A．School news.	B．Famous films.
C．School life.	D．Famous people.

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．The writer was interested in teaching.

B．The writer couldn't play the piano.

C．The writer often interviews(采访) stars.

D．The writer's program is very popular now.

5. Which is the best title of the passage?

A．Never listen to your parents

B．Study hard to make your dream come true

C．No job is easy to get

D．The parttime job helped me find my career

8 . Once there was a piano player in a bar(酒吧). People came just to hear him play. But one night, a lady asked him to sing a song.

“I don’t sing, ” said the man.

But the lady told the waiter, “I’m tired of listening to the piano. I want the player to sing!”

The waiter shouted across the room, “Hey, friend! If you want to get paid, sing a song!”

So he did. He had never sung in public before. Now he was singing for the very first time! Nobody had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung so beautifully!

He had talent(天赋) he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. But once he found, by accident, that he could sing well, he went on working hard and became one of the best-known singers in the US. His name was Nat King Cole.

You, too, have skills and abilities. You may not feel that your talent is great, but it may be better than you think. With hard work, most skills can be improved. Besides, you may have no success at all if you just sit on your talent.

1. The lady asked the player to sing a song because __________.

A．she had paid him for this	B．she knew him very well
C．she wanted to have a change	D．she enjoyed his singing

2. Nat King Cole succeeded because __________.

A．the lady helped him a lot	B．he caught the chance
C．he continued to play in the bar	D．he stopped playing the piano

3. The words “sit on” in the passage probably mean”

A．fail to realize	B．forget to use
C．try to develop	D．manage to show

4. From the story we know if you have some talent, you should __________.

A．hide it and wait	B．ask others for help
C．pay no attention to it	D．work hard to improve yourself

5. Which could be the best title(标题) for the passage?

A．Sing in the Bar	B．Achieve Success in Life
C．Never Lose Heart	D．Find Your Hidden Talent

9 . What will our homes be like in the future? Here are some predictions:

◆Want to take a shower when you get home? You’ll be able to let your smart water heater (热水器) to start heating up when you’re on your way home.

◆Did I turn off the oven? Did I close the window? Everyone may have a moment like that. But in the future, your home will check these for you.

◆In your home of the future, all of your devices can work together to make your life more comfortable. When you turn on the lights in the morning, your windows will open at the same time. The lights will slowly turn off by themselves after the sun appears.

◆Your home may have dangers. The hackers (黑客) could open your door and cause a mess at your home through your phone or other devices. Your home will tell you about it but you can’t arrive in time. So people will have to be careful of their personal information.

1. In the future, what can we do on our way home?

A．Take a shower.	B．Let the water heater work.
C．Keep working.	D．Have a look at our smart home devices.

2. What will our life be like in the future in smart homes?

A．More comfortable.	B．Very busy.
C．Very safe.	D．More boring.

3. Who will let you know if someone breaks into your home in the future?

A．Your friend.	B．Your home.
C．The police.	D．Your neighbor.

4. What can we NOT learn from the passage?

A．There might be dangers about smart homes in the future.

B．The hackers might only come into your home through the phone.

C．The lights will turn off by themselves when the sun comes out.

D．You don’t need to worry if you forget to close windows in the future.

5. What’s the best title of the passage?

A．Some Beautiful Houses	B．Some Famous Predictions
C．A Better World	D．Homes of the Future

10 . The Silk Road is the name of different roads that long ago connected Europe, Africa and Asia. People reached these different places along these roads. Scientists believe people began to travel the Silk Road about 3000 years ago. By the time the Chinese silk trade became important in the world. The Silk Road covered almost 6500 kilometers. It went from Rome to China, which is from the West to the Far East.
Merchants travelled along the Silk Road to carry silk, of course. They also carried and traded other things like spices (香料), cloth, jewels and gold.
Along and around these ancient path(小路), have come many fascinating and mysterious stories.
It is said that Roman soldiers who lost a war travelled through central Asia. They decided to live somewhere near the ancient Chinese villages. Some of these Romans married local Chinese women and the legend of the blond-haired, blue-eyed tribes of China was started.
Some historians believe that the people of Kashmir were taken away from their country Israel. They were prisoners (俘虏) of war almost 2800 years ago. People say that these people travelled along the Silk Road. They kept their Jewish way of life for a long time.
During its busiest period, the Silk Road allowed people from many different cultures and countries to meet each other and mix. The Silk Road allowed the sharing of valuable things and new ideas. It included people and trading goods from different areas. All these peoples travelled the Silk Road. And they shared goods, stories, languages, and cultures.
In modern times, the old Silk Road routes (路线) are still used, but now they are crossed by trains instead of camels and horses. There is even silk route museum in Jiuquan in China. It has over 35, 000 objects from all along the Silk Road. In this way, China protects the history of many countries and peoples.
1. It is clear that ___________.

A．the Silk Road was divided into Europe, Africa and Asia

B．Roman soldiers would like to travel along the Silk Road

C．people could travel to different countries along the Silk Road

D．people shared only silk on the Silk Road

2. The underlined word “Merchants” in the passage probably means_______.

A．foreigners

B．businessmen

C．soldiers

D．prisoners

3. According to the passage, _________.

A．the Silk Road began with the wars

B．the Silk Road covered almost 6500 kilometers in China

C．people began to travel the Silk Road about 3000 years ago

D．people from Israel were not included among people on the Silk Road

4. The old Silk Road routes are still used because       .

A．there are many old stories about them

B．the historians and scientists think highly of them

C．China will make good use of the Silk Road again

D．people can keep on traveling and trading along them

5. The best title for the passage can be       .

A．Stories along the Silk Road	B．Silk Route Museum
C．Trade for Silk	D．The West and the Far East