1 . Spring lifts our spirits. It's a time for Nature to bring us back to life after a cold season. I live not far from the Kairaku Park, which is one of the largest gardens in Japan, and famous for its near 10,000 plum trees. I am fortunate to have them all outside my backyard, and take advantage of the walking paths daily.
I see the same trees and swans every day, but that day was different. At the edge of the small lake, I saw some new -born black swans. They were pretty and cute. They stayed with their mom.While taking a few photos of the sunset, I was interrupted by a high sound going on for some time. So, I turned around and saw one little swan was stuck by two stones. Its mother was trying to make it out but failed. I tried to get near but the mother was ever so angry! She wouldn't allow me to get close, so I turned to an old man sitting on the bench and said,“Excuse me, the swan baby can't move and I want to help it, but the mother is extremely angry! Could you please do me a favor?"
After hearing my words, the man smiled at me first and then agreed to help me. He drove the mother away with great efforts, and for several times, he was almost hurt by the mother. Thanks to him, I was able to get there and push the little swan out of the gap finally. Oh, I really hoped it wasn't injured, but at least it was alive and swimming!
In spring, I become more physically active. Things around don't make us, but Nature does, and it keeps us going. I am positive that all of us have a little piece of nature in our own neighborhoods. Somewhere we will be reminded why natural life is so important-- -because we grow with it! Personally, I am happy that baby birds can put a smile on my face! I struggle for having a small number of "things" in life, and being filled with simple reality--at one with Nature.
1. What can we know about the author from Paragraph 1?| A．Her favorite season is spring. | B．She enjoys doing outdoor sports. |
| C．Her backyard is filled with plum trees. | D．She is satisfied with her living environment. |
| A．She took a few photos of the sunset. |
| B．She made a little swan's mother angry. |
| C．She met some swans and helped one of them. |
| D．She met an old man and made friends with him. |
| A．Well-known. | B．Warm-hearted. | C．Selfish. | D．Outgoing. |
| A．Nature. | B．kindness. | C．The garden. | D．The things around. |
| A．is really a nature lover | B．is short of some life skill |
| C．asks people to help the weak | D．calls on more people to protect the environment |
2 . Interschool Sports Programme
Interschool Sports Programme is coming. It will start on 30th April and end on 15th June.
Students in our school will join the boys' basketball games. Each Wednesday the players will travel by bus to Sports Centre, Erinvale Street, Corinda. They will leave school at 12: 20 p.m. It will take them about 20 minutes to get there. The games will begin at 1:00 p.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. Players must wear their school clothes and sports shoes. It will be great if they can bring large water bottles.
If you are good at playing basketball and want to join the games, please go to Mr. David's office (Room503) before 15th April to fill in form. We will choose 15 players.
Volunteers are also needed. Anyone who wants to be a volunteer needs to send an email to Mr David (davidss@qq.edu.au) to introduce yourself before 20th April.
For more information, please call Mr David (6783-5682) or visit his office.
1. Interschool Sports Programme is about long.| A．half a month | B．one month | C．one and a half months | D．two months |
| A．12:20 p.m. | B．12:40 p.m. | C．1:00 p.m. | D．2:30 p.m. |
| A．practise every Tuesday | B．buy new sports clothes | C．call Mr David | D．fill in a form |
| A．know something about basketball | B．send an email to Mr David |
| C．bring a large water bottle | D．wear sports shoes |
| A．school notice | B．news report | C．teacher' email | D．students' entail |
3 . All of us spend a large part of our lives at home — eating, sleeping, relaxing and communicating with our family members. Our home is a shelter for us, away from the noisy, busy, and polluted world outside — a place where we can let down our hair and dress casually. Ecofriendliness (环保) is a hot word today and we all know we should make our environment as ecofriendly as possible. This is not only good for our health, but also good for the outward environment. Here are some easy and helpful tips to make your home ecofriendly.
Kitchen
Plan the kitchen to be bright and airy so that you don't have to turn on the lights at daytime. Don't make wasteful use of the gas. Keep all ingredients for cooking ready before lighting the gas. Turn it to low when not required — always using it on "high" burns a lot of gas.
Indoor plants
Plants are extremely ecofriendly and can be used to make your home look lively. Apart from adding life to home, they give out O2, thus making the air inside fresh. You can keep plants in your home, but be sure to show them some sunlight regularly. Also, if they are kept outside, clean their leaves with a wet cloth, as dust may be added to them. A home decorated (装饰) with plants looks attractive. Plants are a natural home decorating gift that shows concern about the environment. A green plant is a wonderful gift which will protect the earth and is sure to be appreciated.
Saving water
Most of the time, we take water for granted — we keep water running while brushing our teeth or washing clothes. Needless to say, this is a huge waste of natural resources (资源). Try to recycle water. For example, the water used for washing vegetables can be used for watering plants; the soapy water used for washing clothes can be used to clean the bathroom and kitchen.
1. Why is the importance of our home discussed in Paragraph 1?| A．To advise us to communicate more with our family members. |
| B．To show it's necessary to make our home ecofriendly. |
| C．To advise us to spend more time staying at home. |
| D．To show the outside world is noisy and polluted. |
| A．To open the window. |
| B．To prepare simple meals. |
| C．To save energy. |
| D．To turn down lights. |
| A．We don't realize the importance of water. |
| B．We try our best not to waste water. |
| C．We don't use water frequently. |
| D．We make full use of water. |
| A．Live a relaxing life. |
| B．Create a clean and safe home. |
| C．Our home is a shelter for us. |
| D．Make your home ecofriendly. |
4 . At the beginning of the 20th century there was a big farm called Hollywood Ranch. It was near Los Angeles in California. A few years later Hollywood was one of the famous places in the world. From the 1910s to the 1950s Hollywood was the film center of the world. Every family knew the names of its film stars—Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman and hundreds more.
The reason why people went to Hollywood to make films was the sun. At first，people made films in New York on the east coast of the United States. But then they heard about Los Angeles where there are 350 days of sun every year. As they made all the films by sunlight，the west coast was a much better place to make films. Also near Hollywood you can find mountains，sea and desert. They did not have to travel far to make any kind of film.
When TV became popular, Hollywood started making films for television. Then in the 1970s they discovered people still went to the cinema to see big expensive films. After about thirty years they are still making films in Hollywood and people watch them all over the world.
1. Hollywood used to be a __________.| A．cinema | B．big farm | C．park | D．market |
| A．famous theater | B．good place to have holidays |
| C．film center | D．home for stars |
| A．Charlie Chaplin. | B．Marilyn Monroe. |
| C．Ingrid Bergman. | D．Greta Garbo. |
| A．it was a beautiful place | B．you could find many film stars |
| C．there was a lot of sunlight | D．it was a famous place |
| A．The west coast was a better place to make films. |
| B．There are no mountains near Hollywood. |
| C．People no longer went to the cinema after television became popular. |
| D．Hollywood began to make films for television after the World War I. |
