1 . Kids' health：Four steps for fighting stress

Everybody gets stressed from time to time.     1     Some ways of dealing with stress — like screaming or hitting someone — don't solve (解决) much. But other ways, like talking to someone you trust, can lead you to solving your problem or at least feeling better.

Try taking these four steps the next time you are stressed：

(1)Get support. When you need help, reach out to the people who care about you. Talk to a trusted adult，such as a parent or other relatives.     2     They might have had similar problems，such as dealing with a test, or the death of a beloved pet.

(2)Don't take it out on yourself. Sometimes when kids are stressed and upset they take it out on themselves. Oh, dear，that's not a good idea. Remember that there are always people to help you. Don't take it out on yourself.     3    

(3)Try to solve the problem. After you're calm and you have support from adults and friends，it's time to get down to business.     4     Even if you can't solve all of it，you can solve a piece of it.

(4)Be positive. Most stress is temporary (暂时的). Remember stress does go away, especially when you figure out the problem and start working on solving it.

These steps aren't magic，but they do work. And if you can stay positive as you make your way through a tough time，you'll help yourself feel better even faster.     5    

A．Ask for a helping hand to get you through the tough situation.

B．Notice your friends' feelings and find a way to help them.

C．Different people feel stress in different ways.

D．Ah, it feels so good when the stress is gone.

E．You need to figure out what the problem is.

F．And don't forget about your friends.

G．Then, find a way to calm down.

2 . On a hill 600 feet above the surrounding land, we watch the lines of rain move across the scene, the moon rise over the hills, and the stars appear in the sky. The views invite a long look from a comfortable chair in front of the wooden house.

Every window in our wooden house has a view, and the forest and lakes seldom look the same as the hour before. Each look reminds us where we are.

There is space for our three boys to play outside, to shoot arrows, collect tree seeds, build earth houses and climb trees.

Our kids have learned the names of the trees, and with the names have come familiarity and appreciation. As they tell all who show even a passing interest, maple（枫树）makes the best fighting sticks and white pines are the best climbing trees.

The air is clean and fresh. The water from the well has a pleasant taste, and it is perhaps the healthiest water our kids will ever drink. Though they have one glass a day of juice and the rest is water, they never say anything against that.

The seasons change just outside the door. We watch the maples turn every shade of yellow and red in the fall and note the poplars’（杨树）putting out the first green leaves of spring. The rainbow smelt fills the local steam as the ice gradually disappears, and the wood frogs start to sing in pools after being frozen for the winter. A family of birds rules our skies and flies over the lake.

1. What can be learned from Paragraph 2?

A．The scenes are colorful and changeable.

B．There are many windows in the wooden house.

C．The views remind us that we are in a wooden house.

D．The lakes outside the windows are quite different in color.

2. By mentioning the names of the trees, the author aims to show that ______ .

A．the kids like playing in trees

B．the kids are very familiar with trees

C．the kids have learned much knowledge

D．the kids find trees useful learning tools

3. What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A．The change of seasons is easily felt.

B．The seasons make the scenes change.

C．The weather often changes in the forest.

D．The door is a good position to enjoy changing seasons.

4. What is the main purpose of the author writing the text?

A．To describe the beauty of the scene around the house.

B．To introduce her children’s happy life in the forest.

C．To show that living in the forest is healthful.

D．To share the joy of living in the nature.

3 .         In early autumn I applied for admission to college. I wanted to go nowhere but to Cornell University, but my mother fought strongly against it. When she saw me studying a photograph of my father on the sports ground of Cornell, she tore it up.

“You can’t say it’s not a great university, just because Papa went there.”

“That’s not it at all. And it is a top university.” She was still holding the pieces in her hand. “But we can’t afford to send you to college.”

“I wouldn’t dream of asking you for money. Do you want me to get a job to help support you and Papa? Things aren’t that bad, are they?”

“No,” she said. “I don’t expect you to help support us.”

Father borrowed money form his rich cousins to start a small jewellery shop. His chief customers were his old college friends. To get new customers, my mother had to help. She picked up a long-forgotten membership in the local league of women, so that she could get to know more people. Whether those people would turn into customers was another question. I knew that my Parents had to wait for quite a long time before their small investment could show returns. What’s more, they had not wanted enough to be rich and successful. Otherwise they could not possibly have managed their lives so badly.

I was torn between the desire to help them and change their lives, and the determination not to repeat their mistakes. I had a strong belief in my power to go what I wanted. After months of hard studying, I won a full college scholarship. My father could hardly contain his pride in me, and my mother eventually gave in before my success.

1. The author was not allowed to go to Cornell University mainly because      .

A．his father graduated from the university	B．his mother did not thinks it a great university
C．his parents needed him to help support the family	D．his parents did not have enough money for him

2. The father started his small shop with the money from         .

A．a local league

B．his university

C．his relatives

D．his college friends

3. Why did the mother renew her membership in the league?

A．To help with her husband’s business	B．To raise money for her son
C．To meet her long-forgotten friends	D．To better manage her life

4. According to the text, what was the author determined to do in that autumn?

A．To get a well-paid job for himself	B．To improve relations with his mother
C．To go to his dream university	D．To carry on with his father’s business

4 . Mark Twain was a great writer. He was from the USA. He was born in 1835. He was also a famous speaker. He was famous for his sense of humour. Many people liked to listen to him talk because he liked to tell some interesting stories to make people laugh all the time.
One day Mark Twain was going to a small town because of his writing. Before he was going to leave, one of his friends said to him that there were always a lot of mosquitoes in the town and told him that he’d better not go there. Mark Twain waved his hand and said, “It doesn’t matter. The mosquitoes are no relatives of mine. I don’t think they will come to visit me.”
After he arrived at the town, Mark Twain stayed in a small hotel near the station. He went into his room, but when he was just about to have a rest, quite a few mosquitoes flew about him. The waiters felt very sorry about that. “I’m very sorry, Mr Mark Twain. There are too many mosquitoes in our town.” One of them said to him.
Mark Twain, however, made a joke, saying to the waiter, “The mosquitoes are very clever. They know my room number. They didn’t come into the wrong room.” What he said made all the people present laugh heartily.
But that night Mark Twain slept well. Do you know why? That was because all the waiters in the hotel were driving the mosquitoes away for him during the whole night.
1. That day Mark Twain went to the town _____.

A．to see one of his friends

B．because he wanted to do something there for his writing

C．because he was told there were a lot of mosquitoes there

D．to see one of his relatives

2. The waiters felt sorry because _____.

A．they did something wrong to Mark Twain

B．their hotel was too small

C．the room was not very clean

D．there were quite a few mosquitoes in Mark Twain’s room

3. All the people present laughed heartily because _____.

A．the mosquitoes were very clever and they didn’t come into the wrong room

B．the mosquitoes knew Mark Twain’s room number

C．Mark Twain gave the waiters some nice presents

D．Mark Twain made a joke

4. From e story we know _____.

A．no mosquitoes troubled Mark Twain in the night

B．the owner of the hotel told the waiters to look after Mark Twain well at night

C．Mark Twain didn’t have a good rest that night

D．there were not mosquitoes in the hotel any longer

5 . Mr. Lang worked in a factory. As a driver, he was busy but he was paid much. His wife was an able woman and did all the housework. When he came back, she took good care of him and he never did anything at home. So he had enough time when he had a holiday. A few friends of his liked gambling (赌博) and he learned it soon. So he was interested in it and forgot anything except gambling. He lost all his money and later he began to sell the television, watches and so on. His wife told him not to do it but he didn’t listen to her. She had to tell the police. He and his friends were punished for it. And he lost his job. After he came out of lockup (拘留所), he hated her very much and the woman had to leave him.
It was New Year’s Day. Mr. Lang didn’t go to work. He felt lonely and wanted to gamble again. He called his friends and they came soon. But they were afraid the police would come. He told his five-year-old son to go to find out if there were the policemen outside. They waited for a long time and didn’t think the police would come and began to gamble. Suddenly opened the door and in came a few policemen.
“I saw there weren’t any policemen outside, daddy,” said the boy, “so I went to the crossing and asked some to come.”
1. Mr. Lang was paid much because _______.

A．he was a driver

B．he worked in a factory

C．he had a lot of work to do

D．he had worked there for a long time

2. Mrs. Lang did all housework because _______.

A．she couldn’t find any work

B．she thought her husband was tired

C．her husband spent all time in gambling

D．she wouldn’t stop her husband gambling

3. _______, so he was put into lockup.

A．Mr. Lang often gambled

B．Mr. Lang was late for work

C．Mr. Lang didn’t help his wife at home

D．Mr. Lang wasn’t polite to the police

4. The woman had to leave Mr. Lang because _______.

A．he didn’t love her any longer

B．he wouldn’t stop gambling

C．he had been put into lockup

D．he was hardly sent away by the factory

5. Which of the following is right?

A．The boy hoped his father to be put into lockup again.

B．The boy thought his father needed some policemen.

C．The boy hoped his father to stop gambling soon.

D．The boy hoped his mother to come back.

6 . I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles”(风格)of directions every time I ask “ How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often confused(困惑的)in Japan because most streets there don’t have names. In Japan, people use landmarks(地标)in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “ Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat. In many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “ Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map. They measure distance in time, not miles. “ How far away is the post office?” you ask. “ Oh,” they answer, “ it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “ Yes, but how many miles is it?” They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn't know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, “ Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “ I don't know”. People in Yucatan believe that “I don't know” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
1. When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually _______ .

A．describe the place carefully

B．show him a map of the place

C．tell him the names of the streets

D．refer to recognizable buildings and places

2. What is the place where people measure distance in time?

A．New York.	B．Los Angles.
C．Kansas                 C. Iowa

3. People inYucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ________ .

A．in order to save time	B．as a test
C．so as to be polite	D．for fun

4. What can we infer from the text?

A．It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences.

B．It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly.

C．People have similar understanding of politeness.

D．New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors.

7 . February has long been a month of romance（浪漫）. With the sweet smell of roses in the air, romantic films hit cinemas and love stories fill newspapers and magazines.
On the 14th day, it is a custom for a boy to take his girlfriend out to dinner, buy her flowers and chocolates, write poems, sing to her or even spell out her name with rose petals! This is what you see on Valentine’s Day, a day named after Valentine who was a priest（牧师） in the third century Rome. When the emperor (皇帝) decided that single men could become better soldiers than those with wives, he didn’t allow marriage. But Valentine continued to perform（主持） marriage ceremonies（典礼） for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered, the emperor sentenced him to death. While in prison（监狱）, it is said that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his prison guard. Before his death, he wrote her a letter, which he signed （签名）“From your Valentine”, an expression that is still   in use today. Valentine died for what he believed in and so he was made a Saint (圣徒), as well as becoming one of history’s most romantic characters.
Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is also popular among Chinese young people. Some students are planning to make Valentine’s cards for parents, teachers and friends. Others want to hold parties at which they will exchange small gifts and eat heart-shaped（心形的） cakes. The idea is to have fun and encourage people to share in the spirit of St. Valentine.
1. Why did the emperor in Rome not allow marriage in his country?

A．Because there were few women in his country at that time.

B．Because he wanted to control the birth rate.

C．Because there wasn’t enough food for so many people.

D．Because he thought men without wives could be better soldiers.

2. Valentine was put into prison because ______.

A．he killed one of the soldiers

B．he didn’t obey the emperor’s order

C．he stole a lot of food

D．he didn’t want to be a soldier

3. The last paragraph mainly tells us ______.

A．students in China send cards to their teachers

B．Valentine’s Day is also popular in China now

C．it is interesting to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China

D．it is a good idea to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China

4. The best title for this passage should be ______.

A．Valentine’s Day in China	B．A Brave Priest
C．Valentine’s Day	D．A Romantic Man

8 . Hobbs was an orphan（孤儿）. He worked in a factory and every day he got a little money. Hard work made him thin and weak. He wanted to borrow a lot of money to learn to paint pictures, but he did not think he could pay off the debts.
One day a lawyer said to him, “One thousand dollars, and here is the money.” As Hobbs took the package of notes, he was very dumbfounded. He didn’t know where the money came from and how to spend it. He said to himself, “I could go to find a hotel and live like a rich man for a few days; or I give up my work in the factory and do what I’d like to do: painting pictures. I could do that for a few weeks, but what would I do after that? I should have lost my place in the factory and have no money to live on. If it were a little less money, I would buy a new coat, or a radio, or give a dinner to my friends. If it were more, I could give up the work and pay for painting pictures. But it’s too much for one and too little for the other.”
“Here is the reading of your uncle’s will（遗嘱）,” said the lawyer, “telling what is to be done with this money after his death. I must ask you to remember one point. Your uncle has said you must bring me a paper showing exactly what you did with his money, as soon as you have spent it.”
“Yes, I see. I’ll do that,” said the young man.
1. Hobbs wanted to borrow money to _______.

A．study abroad

B．work abroad

C．pay off the debts

D．learn to paint pictures

2. What does the underlined word “dumbfounded” （in Paragraph 2） probably mean?

A．Surprised.

B．Frightened

C．Satisfied.

D．Excited.

3. With the money he got, at first Hobbs _______.

A．planned to have a happy life for a few days	B．decided to give up his work in the factory
C．was to give a dinner to his friends	D．had no idea what to do

4. Hobbs was asked to _______.

A．tell the lawyer what he did with the money after spending it

B．read his uncle’s will

C．buy some pictures

D．tell the lawyer what was to be done with the money