1 . Li Hao showed us how to disassemble(拆) and reassemble(重装)a Luban lock and shared ______ history of this traditional Chinese folk educational toy and the ancient wisdom in it. “It’s easy to disassemble but hard to reassemble, and that is why it is so special.” said Li. The Luban lock is believed to have been created by Lu Ban, an engineer ______ is known as the “father of carpentry(木工手艺)” in China and lived during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC).

Spending 10 years ______ the Luban lock by mixing tradition with modern skills, Li has changed it ______ a creative cultural product. And that is very ______ with tourists. His company has created over 100 kinds of the toys and has provided working chances for more than 100 villagers in his town.

Li Hao’s dream ______ up his company began in 2009. The idea to develop the Luban lock as an educational toy came to this ______ man’s mind in 2010 when he saw a large one at the Shanghai World Expo. Although there were lots of difficulties in his work, Li tried his best to face and deal with ______. At first, the products of the Luban lock ______ well. Then Li thought about it over and over again. Finally, he succeeded. Last year the sales reached 30 million yuan.

After realizing the cultural ______ of the Luban lock, the local government has been organizing competitions about the design of disassembling and reassembling of the Luban lock to spread its ancient wisdom and influence. “As our country values the traditional culture, I believe the future of the Luban lock is promising,” Li said.

4 . “They tell me that you’d like to make a statue of me—is that correct, Miss Vinnie Ream?”

The deep, gentle voice helped calm the nervous girl. Asking a favor of the President of the United States was no casual matter, especially for a seventeen-year-old girl.

“Yes, sir,” she replied, her dark eyes meeting his. “I wouldn’t have dared to ask you, but my teacher, Mr. Mills, says I am ready. I plan to make it in an admirable manner.”

President Lincoln smiled. “Painters, sculptors—they’ve all tried to make the best of this ordinary face, but I’m afraid there’s not much hope. What did you have in mind, Miss Ream? A bust (半身像)?”

Before Vinnie could say yes, the President hurried on, a shade of apology (道歉) in his voice. “Of course—I shouldn’t have asked. A full-length pose would be much too big a project for a young woman your size.”

Vinnie’s face turned red. She realized she looked like a child, with her tiny figure. “Small does not mean weak, sir,” she defended herself. “I was born in the country of Wisconsin. I’ve driven teams of horses and carried water. Making a full-length clay (粘土) figure would not use up my strength completely—and that is what I plan to do!”

The President’s eyes, brightened at her show of spirit. “Sorry, madam, I have not realized how strong you are as I didn’t know your background.”

But his smile disappeared gradually as he rubbed his beard with bony fingers, in thought. “Miss Ream,” he sighed, “I’d like to let you do it, but as you know, we are in the middle of a war. How could I possibly take the time to pose for a sculpture now? I hardly have a minute to myself.”

Vinnie glanced around and noted the size of his office. “I work quickly,” she said. Her voice was soft but confident as she pointed to the corner near the windows. “If I were to bring my day here and work for three hours every afternoon, I could complete most of the project while you are at your desk.”

The President seemed to consider her idea seriously. He got up and shook Vinnie’s hand warmly, “I’ve heard that you are a talented young woman, and I have found you charming and intelligent as well. I cannot make my decision immediately, but you will hear from me soon.”

The very next day, Vinnie received an invitation from the President.

My friend Bobby worked in a restaurant two years ago and he didn’t make much money. He had a big family to     1    , so they could only spend money on very essential（必要的）things     2     food. But last summer vacation, Bobby wanted to take his kids to watch a very popular show in the theater（剧院）     3     kids these days always talked about it. He knew his kids wanted to see it very much, too.

When they arrived at the theater, Bobby walked up to the woman at the ticket counter （售票 柜台）and asked, “How     4     is it to get in?”

The woman said, “6 dollars for you and 3 dollars for the kids aged between 7 and 13 years old. We let them in for free if they are 6 or younger. How old are your kids?”

Bobby looked at his sons and answered, “This one is 3 years old and his big brother is 7 years old, so I think I need to     5     you 9 dollars.”

The woman looked surprised and said, “Hey, did you just win a lottery （中奖） or something? I don’t know how old your kids are. You can just say that one is 3 and the     6     is 6. After all, I can’t see the differences between 6-year-olds and 7-year-olds, and you can save 3 dollars.”

Bobby said, “Yes, I can tell you that they are both under the age of 6, but the kids know that they are not the     7     age as I told you. As their father, it’s my job to set a good example （榜样）for them. That     8    , they can grow up to be a good and honest person.

Then, Bobby took his two boys by the hand and they spent a wonderful afternoon.

7 . ①Opening the Weather app to watch for the temperature and weather conditions is what we usually do every morning. For sure, weather changes can be predicted (预测), but how about earthquakes? Can we predict when the earthquake will happen?

②Before answering this question, we must first know about the earth. The surface of the earth is made up of plates (板块), they run into each other. When they run into each other they cause strong earthquakes and can even build mountains. In other places, plates move away from each other.

③Though we understand earthquakes better than we did a century ago, some scientists think it’s impossible to answer this question. It’s one thing to say that an earthquake is most likely to happen in a high-risk area, but it’s another thing to tell whether it will happen tomorrow.

④In the late 1980s, scientists at the Earthquake Research Center decided to study the fault (断层) to see if there were any warning signs before an earthquake. To do this, they dug deep into the fault and set up machines to record its activity. Then they waited for the earthquake. Year after year, nothing happened. Finally when an earthquake did hit on September 28, 2004.

⑤However, some scientists with the strong will for a correct prediction of time and place are working hard to develop methods which they believe will make earthquake prediction possible.

⑥Naoyuki Kato, a scientist at the University of Tokyo, says his lab test shows that before the meeting point of two plates finally breaks and causes on earthquake, we will turn the impossible into possible. Scientists working in Parkfield, America, hoping to find a sign. Luckily, they discovered some tiny changes in the fault shortly before an earthquake hit. Although it’s the only one successful prediction among countless unsuccessful ones.

⑦From the research being done all over the world, it seems that before earthquakes, there are some small signs. If this is so▲.

A．	B．
C．	D．

A．	B．
C．	D．

10 . Octopuses（章鱼）are kind of like aliens. They are amazing in many ways. They have three hearts. They can walk. They can swim, and they can drive themselves forward at high speed. They can change colour and copy what other animals do. They even know how to open screw-top jars（带螺旋盖的罐子）and how to use tools!

Octopuses are mollusks（软体动物）. But unlike many other mollusks, they don’t have a shell. This allows them to pass through tiny spaces. Although octopuses mainly eat small fish, they are able to attack and kill small sharks. They make the sharks unable to breathe by covering their gill（锡）openings.

One thing that makes octopuses seem like aliens is their blue blood. It is much better at transporting oxygen in cold and low-oxygen conditions(like the deep sea) than our red blood. Octopuses lose energy easily. This may help explain their outstanding intelligence: They can’t chase after their prey（猎物）for a long time. They must use clever tricks.

As a hunter, an octopus brings prey under control through the use of a powerful poison（毒）. The smaller the octopus, the stronger the poison. The ten-centimeter-long blue-ringed octopus is so poisonous that it can easily kill a grown man. Octopuses themselves can be delicious prey to many different animals in the vast（辽阔的）ocean, but they are clever enough to know how to keep themselves safe many of the times. With their colour changing skin, octopuses can easily “hide” themselves or flash alarming colours to frighten their enemies away. If that doesn’t work, the octopus will release a cloud of dark ink and quickly escape.

Perhaps the most amazing part of an octopus is its arms. They can turn in any direction. The arms are too complex to be controlled from a central brain. Instead, they work almost independently. An octopus gives instructions and believes that they will be carried out. This means that the animal doesn’t have a very good idea of where its arms are. They can’t work out the shape of something by feeling it like we can.