1 . Do you have a lucky number? What is it? Many people have a special number that they hope will bring them good luck.

In Chinese culture, some numbers are believed to be lucky or unlucky based on the Chinese word that the number sounds similar to.

For example, the word for the number 8 sounds similar to the word for “making a fortune”. So, people consider it a very lucky number. Some people will even spend a lot of money to have 8s in their phone number or on their vehicle license plate (车牌照) number. The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics began at 8:08 pm on Aug 8, 2008.

The number 9 is also a lucky number because of its connection to the emperors of China. There were nine dragons on emperors’ robes (龙袍) and Chinese myth held that the dragon had nine children. The number 9 also stands for “long lasting”. That’s why a man always proposes (求婚) to a woman with 99 or 999 roses.

So what’s an unlucky number in China? One example is 4. Many Chinese people see 4 as an unlucky number because it sounds similar to the character for “death”.

Because of this, many buildings skip (跳过) the fourth floor, and simply call it the fifth floor. In Hong Kong, some buildings even skip all floors numbered with 4, such as 4, 14, 24, 34 and all 40-49 floors. Some buildings also skip the 13th floor, as this is considered an unlucky number in the West. As a result, a building whose highest floor is 50 may have only 35 physical floors.

1. What makes Chinese people believe a number is lucky or unlucky?

A．The shape of the number.	B．The sound of the number.
C．The history of the number.	D．The spelling of the number.

2. A building whose highest floor is 60 in Hong Kong might only have ________ physical floors if it skips all the unlucky numbers.

A．35

B．44

C．50

D．60

3. If we put the passage into three parts, which of the following is best?
   (①=Paragraph 1   ②=Para. 2   ③=Para. 3     ④=Para. 4   ⑤=Para. 5   ⑥=Para. 6)

A．①; ②③④; ⑤⑥	B．①②; ③④⑤; ⑥
C．①②; ③④; ⑤⑥	D．①; ②③④; ⑤⑥

4. What is the story mainly about?

A．Lucky and unlucky numbers in Western culture.	B．Meanings of different lucky numbers.
C．Meanings of different unlucky numbers.	D．Lucky and unlucky numbers in Chinese culture.

2 . How do we know the time? A clock, a watch or a mobile phone can help us. However, many years ago there were no clocks and knowing the time was not so easy. Over the centuries people have developed different ways of telling the time.

About 5, 500 years ago, the Egyptians invented the sun clock. This was a tall stone building. Its shadow(影子) showed the movement of the sun. So people were able to know midday. The Egyptians made a sundial about 3, 500 years ago. It was smaller than the sun clock and could let people know the time for half a day. On cloudy days or at night it was impossible to tell the time with a sun clock or a sundial. Water clocks were the first clocks not to use the sun. The idea is simple. Water flows(流动) from one bottle to another. When the water reaches a certain level, it shows the hours. The Egyptians used water clocks about 3, 400 years ago. These clocks were popular in the Middle East and China. But they failed to make people know the exact time.

In the 13th century, the mechanical clock was invented. This was more exact, but it was expensive to make one. Over the next few centuries it was developed. For example, springs(发条) were added around 1500. This enabled people to get the correct time and allowed clocks to be smaller. In 1927, the first quartz clock was developed. Clocks became cheaper to build. It’s also cheaper for ordinary people to own a clock. People began depending on them more and more to run business, markets and so on. More recently, in 1956, came the digital clock. And nowadays satellites send our mobile phones the time to the exact second.

There has been a lot of progress in timekeeping. Clocks are always changing but some things never change. Many of us still have trouble getting out of bed on time and not being late for school or work.

1. According to the passage, we can’t use ________ to tell the time on a rainy day.

A．water clock

B．sun clock

C．digital clock

D．mechanical clock

2. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “ordinary” in the third paragraph?

A．现代的

B．特殊的

C．富有的

D．普通的

3. How many kinds of clocks are mentioned in the passage?

A．Four.

B．Five.

C．Six.

D．Seven.

4. Which of the following shows the structure(结构) of the passage?
(①=paragraph 1 ②= pargaph 2,…)

A．	B．
C．	D．

5. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．The importance of time.	B．The development of timekeeping.
C．The inventions of clocks.	D．The history of a digital clock.

3 . The Beatles were one of the most successful and influential pop-music groups of the 1960s. The members include rhythm guitarist Lennon, bass guitarist McCartney, lead guitarist Harrison, and drummer Starr.

Lennon formed a band in Liverpool, England, while in high school in the mid-1950s. McCartney and then Harrison joined the group in the late 1950s. In its early years, the band also had several other members. In 1962, they signed a recording contract（合同）with a large music company. At about this time, they chose Starr to replace（替代）drummer Pete Best.

At first, the Beatles' songs were lively and simple. The first song was Love Me Do in 1962. Their first hit came the following year, when Please Please Me climbed to the top of the Britishmusic charts（排行榜）.

The Beatles became very famous in Britain. People started calling the excitement over the band Beatlemania. The Beatles became very popular in the United States after appearing on Ed Sullivan's television program in February, 1964. Teenage girls across the country screamed and fainted over them, and boys copied the Beatles' look. By April, the top five hits in the United States were all Beatles' songs.

In the late 1960s, the Beatles began creating more adventurous music with different musical styles. The band recorded the albums The Beatles (1968), Abbey Road (1969), and Let it Be (1970).

The pressure of fame led the Beatles to break up in 1970. All four continued their musical careers-Lennon with his wife, Yoko Ono; McCartney with band Wings and later as a solo performer; and Starr and Harrison mainly as solo artists.

1. The underlined word “hit” probably means __________________.

A．碰撞

B．袭击

C．成功

D．专辑

2. Which of the following does not have the adventurous style of the Beatles?

A．The Beatles.

B．Abbey Road.

C．Let it Be.

D．Please Please me.

3. In what order did the following events take place?
       a. The Beatles caused Beatlemania in Britain.
       b. The Beatles recorded the album Let it Be.
       c. The top five hits in the United States were all Beatles' songs.
       d. The Beatles signed a recording contract with a large music company.

A．d-a-c-b

B．d-b-c-a

C．a-c-d-b

D．a-d-c-b

4. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．The Beatles were the most successful pop-music group in the 1970s.

B．The band members were never replaced.

C．The songs of the Beatles changed from simple to adventurous.

D．The members stopped their musical careers after breaking up.

5. Where is the text most probably from?

A．A storybook.	B．An encyclopedia of famous people.
C．A science report.	D．A sports magazine.

4 . ①Most people want to be happy,but few know how to find happiness. Money and success alone do not bring lasting happiness.Aristotle,a Greek thinker,said,"Happiness depends on ourselves." In other words,we make our own happiness. Here are a few suggestions to help you be happier.

②The first secret of happiness is to enjoy the simple things in life.Too often,we spend so much time thinking about the future - for example, getting into college or getting a good job-that we fail to enjoy the present.You should enjoy life's simple pleasures. Such as reading a good book,listening to your favorite music,or spending time with close friends.People   who   have several close friends often live happier and healthier lives.

③Another secret to living a happy life is to be active,and have hobbies where you forget your problems and time.Many people experience this dancing,or playing a sport,such as swimming.You can forget about your problems,and only think about the activity.

④Finally,many people find happiness in helping others.Studies show that people feel good when they spend their time helping others.If you want to feel happier,do good things for someone.You can help a friend with his or her studies,go shopping to buy food for an elderly person,or simply help out around the house by washing the dishes．

1. The second paragraph tells us that ．

A．we shouldn't think about our future	B．some people fail to live a happy life
C．happiness is to enjoy the simple things in life	D．the more friends you have,the happier you will be

2. The writer thinks that ．

A．hobbies take up too much time	B．it's wrong to spend time on work
C．everyone knows how to live a happier life	D．doing good things for someone can make you happier

3. According to the passage,which of the following is NOT TRUE？

A．Happiness is always around us in some small things．

B．People are able to find and make their own happiness．

C．Money and success will never bring people happiness．

D．An active person who enjoy simple life must be very happy．

4. Which of the following shows the structure（结构）of the passage？

A．

B．

C．

D．

5. The passage mainly tells us ．

A．how lo enjoy life	B．the secrets of happiness
C．what Aristotle said about happiness	D．the ideas for helping other people to be happy

5 . More than 700 years ago, Scotland was fighting with England. The King of England wanted to control Scotland. He had a strong army so it was difficult for the Scots to fight. They lost many times. King Robert of Scotland had to run from the English army.
One rainy day, King Robert lay in a cave (洞穴). He thought that he was not good enough to be a king. He was so worried that he didn’t even see a spider near him. He looked up when he saw the spider climbing. It was trying to climb up to its web at the top of the cave but it fell down.
“How sad!” thought King Robert. “The spider is like me. It’s not strong enough.”
He watched while the spider tried again. It fell down a second time.
“Be careful little spider, or you might die,” he said. “Life is so hard. You’ll never
get back to your web.” But the spider tried again and again. King Robert watched while it slowly climbed back to its web. After an hour, the spider got to the web.
“You are such a great spider,” he said. “If you can keep trying, I can too. I must carry on fighting. I won’t let the English win.” Then his army grew strong and they stopped the English army successfully.
1. Why was it difficult for the Scots to fight the English?

A．Because the Scots were too weak.

B．Because the King of England was very smart.

C．Because the English army was very strong.

D．Because the King of Scotland was not good enough.

2. Where was the spider’s web?

A．On the wall of the cave.

B．At the entrance of the cave.

C．In the middle of the cave.

D．At the top of the cave.

3. What did King Robert think of the spider at first?

A．It was clever.

B．It was careless.

C．It was not that strong.

D．It was great.

4. In what order did the following take place in the story?
a. The spider got to its web.
b. The spider fell down many times.
c. King Robert got his army to be strong enough to fight the English.
d. King Robert saw a spider trying to climb up to its web in a cave.
e. King Robert thought he should be like the spider.

A．d-b-a-e-c

B．c-d-b-a-e

C．d-e-b-a-c

D．c-d-e-b-a

5. What can we learn from the story?

A．We have to be strong if we want to win.

B．Keep trying and we will get what we want.

C．Try to find an easier way when we meet difficulties.

D．Life is so hard and sometimes we have to give up something.