1 . It was nearly dark. The sun was dropping down behind the mountain. Little Tom came back home, with tears in his eyes.
“What’s the matter, Tom? How’s your trip?” his mother asked with a big smile.
“I failed. The mountain is so high and full of big or small stones on the way. I still wanted to go ahead, but I was tired and it was so late that I had to come back,” Tom cried.
“It doesn’t matter. You are only 14 years old after all. You will have another chance,” his mother said.
“But standing at the top of the mountain is my dream!” Tom said.
His father came over and asked, “Did you see the green trees on your way to the mountain?”
“Sure, and there were a lot of beautiful flowers on both sides of the road,” Tom replied.
“Did you hear the birds singing?” his father asked.
“There were many kinds of birds singing in the trees, and the sound was very sweet,” Tom said.
“Did you feel the beauty of nature?” his father asked.
“Yes, the blue sky, the white clouds, the green trees and the colourful flowers made a nice picture,” Tom answered.
“That’s enough!” his father smiled and said. “Please remember, son, for often, completing your goal (目标) is not the most important thing. You didn’t reach the top of the mountain, but you got a lot on the way.”
“It is true that not every dream will come true, and that not every job will end up with a success. The most beautiful views are on the way.
1. When did Tom return home?| A．In the morning. | B．At noon. | C．At midnight. | D．In the evening. |
| A．Because he got lost in the mountain. | B．Because he was too hungry. |
| C．Because he was tired and it was so late. | D．Because he was only 14 years old. |
| A．Clear water. | B．Blue sky. | C．Beautiful flowers. | D．Green trees. |
2 . For many kids in Africa, the colorful PlayPump (踏水车) is the first playground thing they have ever seen. When the children give it a push and jump in for their first ride, smiles of wonder appears on their faces.
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, it pumps (用泵输送) 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. What do people need to do to get water from a PlayPump?| A．Walk for a long way. | B．Give it a push. | C．Make it in a circle. | D．Use a big tank. |
| A．Pump | B．Merry-go-round | C．PlayPump | D．Underground |
| A．Because she didn’t know how to use a PlayPump. |
| B．Because she had no money to pay a taxi driver. |
| C．Because the only place to get water was far away from home. |
| D．Because there was not enough water in the well. |
| A．The PlayPump can bring people together. |
| B．The PlayPump helps turn work into play. |
| C．Every country in the world is thirsty. |
| D．The PlayPump is a great invention in the world. |
3 . My problem started after I went to a boarding school. I was only 14, and at first I missed my family a lot. I often called them and cried on the phone. But after two weeks, I found I enjoyed being with my classmates at school.
I had many friends who were boys. I thought of them as my best friends – but only friends. I never guessed my friendships with boys would become a problem.
Then, three months later, my friends told me that some teachers and girls said I was hanging out with boys all day long in order to get attention from them. Seven months after that, the head teacher Mr. Wang asked the class to choose some students to join the Student Union. I thought I could win for I was doing well in school. I’d already won prizes for the best math and English exams. A week later, the list came out and it didn’t include me. I was sad.
Mr. Wang came to me and said, “Don’t be sad. I know you’re excellent! Maybe, you’re a little distant from the girls in our class. They don’t know much about you, so some of them didn’t choose you. It doesn’t matter. Do your best to get along well with everyone and I think you’ll make it next time.”
1. What was the writer’s problem when she first entered the boarding school?| A．She didn’t like her new school. |
| B．She didn’t get along well with her classmates. |
| C．She missed her family very much. |
| D．She didn’t like her new teacher. |
| A．Her teachers didn’t like her. |
| B．She was a poor student. |
| C．She likes hanging out with boys. |
| D．Some girls didn’t choose her. |
| A．热诚的 | B．好斗的 | C．疏远的 | D．无礼的 |
| A．The writer won prizes for the best science and English exams. |
| B．The writer didn’t think that her friendships with boys would cause problems. |
| C．The writer was sad because she failed to join the Student Union. |
| D．The head teacher thought she was an excellent student. |
4 . Big Ben is not the name of a man. It is the name, of a huge (庞大的) clock in London. London is the capital of England. This clock has four faces. So, no matter where you stand, you can read the time on the face of Big Ben. Each face is the size of a double-decker (双层的) bus. The hands are about four meters long. It is about the size of two people standing on top of each other. If you go to London, you may want to visit the Houses of Parliament (国会大厦). There you will find Big Ben sits at the top of the clock tower (塔) in the Houses of Parliament. Maybe you will hear it as well as see it. The huge clock makes such a loud noise. “Ding dong, ding dong,” it goes every quarter of an hour.
The clock was named after a big man. He was Sir Benjamin Hali. This man did much building work in London many years ago.
1. Big Ben is ______.| A．a double-decker bus | B．a huge clock |
| C．the name of Ben | D．another name of London |
| A．ten minutes | B．fifteen minutes |
| C．thirty minutes | D．forty minutes |
| A．at the top of the clock tower | B．in the Houses of Parliament |
| C．on the four faces of the clock | D．under the clock tower |
5 . In recent years, China has greatly developed its high-speed railway. Many cities even some rural areas have high-speed railway stations. Thus, it is more convenient for people to travel.
With the development of the high-speed railway, tourists have increased in many places of Yunnan. For example, every year, a large number of people flood into Dali and Lijiang taking the high-speed train. The reason is that the high-speed train is not only faster than buses but also cheaper than planes. It only takes two hours to travel from Kunming to Dali by high-speed train, but it takes four hours by bus. In addition, people in Yunnan can travel by high-speed train from Kunming to Beijing, Shanghai, Guiyang and many other big cities in China. People contribute the changes to the development of our country. It is believed that Yunnan will become better and better with the development of China.
1. Why is it more convenient for people to travel according to the text?| A．Because of the development of the art. |
| B．Because of the development of the business. |
| C．Because of the development of the agriculture. |
| D．Because of the development of the high-speed railway. |
| A．One hour. | B．Two hours. | C．Three hours | D．Four hours. |
| A．Mohe. | B．Shanghai. | C．Beijing | D．Guiyang |
| A．Only cities have high-speed railway. |
| B．High-speed railway is faster and cheaper than buses. |
| C．People in Yunnan want to live in other big cities. |
| D．Yunnan will be a better place to live in the future. |
6 . The kitchen and bedroom are the most unsafe places. Common accidents in these rooms include falls, fires, poisoning, cuts, hot water burns and electric shocks. How to make sure your kitchen and bedroom are safe. The following are some tips.
THE KITCHEN
*Turn off all appliances after use.
*Make sure the floor is not slippery.
*Keep matches out of the reach of children,
*Turn pan handles away from the front of the stove.
*Always cut away from your body when you use a knife.
*Follow instructions for all electrical appliances carefully.
*Always use a ladder to reach high cupboards; never stand on a chair.
*Store all cleaning materials and poisonous materials in a locked cupboard.
THE BEDROOM
*Never smoke in bed.
*Keep a lamp near the bed.
*Turn off electric blankets when not in use.
*Have a telephone near the bed, especially if ill.
1. What accidents may NOT happen in the kitchen and bedroom?| A．Falls. | B．Fires. | C．Burns. | D．Drown. |
| A．Use a ladder. | B．Jump up. |
| C．Stan d on others’ shoulders. | D．Stan d on a chair. |
| A．Smoke in the bed. | B．Tum on electric blankets when not in use. |
| C．Keep a lamp near the bed. | D．Don’t have a telephone near the bed. |
| A．The safety tips in the park. | B．The safety tips in the bathroom, |
| C．The safety tips in the classroom. | D．The safety tips in the kitchen and bedroom. |
1. The material above is a (an) ________ .
| A．notice | B．report | C．time table | D．advertisement |
| A．the prices of the meals |
| B．the address of the restaurant |
| C．the business time of the restaurant |
| D．the telephone number of the restaurant |
| A．check online first | B．make a phone call first |
| C．cook some dishes first | D．pay some money first |
8 . Once there was a club that only smart people could join. Many people wanted to join it so that they would be able to spend more time with other smart people.
One night, the club’s members were having a dinner party in a restaurant. They talked and enjoyed their food. One of them thought that his salad tasted a little boring, so he asked for a salt shaker and added some salt. However, it turned out to be sugar. The group found that the salt on the table was in the sugar shaker (调料瓶) while the sugar was in the salt shaker.
The club members told the waiter about the problem. But there were no other bottles. How could the waiter solve this problem? After a long discussion, the group suggested some ways to make it right.
But the waiter simply looked at the shakers and said, “It’s easy.” He took the labels off both shakers and exchanged them. The room quickly became silent.
Sometimes we make problems more difficult to solve than they should be. It’s good to take a step back and see if there is a simpler way first.
1. Many people hoped to join the club because ________.| A．they thought they were not smart enough |
| B．they could get free meals |
| C．they could spend more time with smart people. |
| D．they could spend more time eating |
| A．Their salad tasted a little boring. |
| B．They had nothing to eat but the salad. |
| C．There was no salt or sugar shaker on the table. |
| D．Sugar and salt were put in the wrong shakers. |
| A．He did not know what to do. |
| B．He took the labels off both shakers and exchanged them. |
| C．He simply looked at the shakers and said it was easy. |
| D．He stayed with the smart people and waited for help. |
| A．Clever. | B．Brave. | C．Interesting. | D．Boring. |
