1 . Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October as a day to make someone happy. It is an occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, the aged, and children who have lost their parents, but also friends, workmates, relatives and neighbors whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.

Over 60 years ago, when a Cleveland man noticed that some people, such as children who lost their parents and patients who lay in bed, too often felt forgotten and neglected, he developed in his mind the idea of showing them that they were remembered. He did this by giving them small gifts. With the help of his friends and neighbors, he gave those people small gifts on a Saturday in October. During the years that followed, other Clevelanders began to take part in the celebration, which came to be called "Sweetest Day". Over time, the Sweetest Day idea of spreading cheer to the poor, the sick and children who had lost their parents was broadened to include everyone, and became an occasion for remembering others with a kind act or a small gift. Soon the idea spread to other cities all over the USA.

Sweetest Day is not based on any single group’s religious beliefs or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning. Because for many people remembering takes the form of gift giving, Sweetest Day offers us the opportunity to show others that we care, in a positive way.

1. What group of people is the Sweetest Day intended for?

A．The sick.

B．The aged.

C．The orphans.

D．All the people.

2. Which of the following sentence can express the underlined word “neglected”?

A．Ignored.

B．Forgotten.

C．Remembered.

D．Loved.

3. Why did the man think about the idea of Sweetest Day?

A．He felt lonely and wanted to be noticed.

B．He wanted to be helpful to those who need love.

C．He needed someone to give out some small gifts.

D．He was helped by his friends and neighbors.

4. What can we know from the passage?

A．A gift is always needed on Sweetest Day.

B．Only those sick and children need to be remembered.

C．Sweetest Day is limited to families and friends.

D．It's a chance for everyone to express your care.

4 . What is the greatest threat to mankind? Maybe different people come up with different answers. However, there is no denying the fact that the only threat to humankind, apart from humankind itself, is, without any doubt, the nature. Natural disasters are the result of natural environmental processes that have a damaging effect on people. Natural disasters can come in many forms: such as geological events like earthquakes, tsunamis or mud-rock flows, climatic events like storms, hurricanes or tornadoes and fire events like forest fires and wildfires.

The damage done by natural disasters is mainly as a result of our inability to predict exactly when they will happen. Although great progress has been made in designing and developing forecasting models for some natural disaster, complete certainty is still impossible. Even to be pessimistic there is a possibility that human beings will never achieve accurate prediction of the happening of all natural disasters.

What's more, even though we were able to predict these disasters from nature, preventing them is equally impossible. So we only have two ways to both prevent injuries or deaths and reduce economic losses to the least. These two methods are to prepare before a natural disaster comes to hit, and to manage the necessary resources and public services after a natural disaster strikes.

These two things have always been at the leading position of the projects of both national governments and international organizations. In the United States, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible for the "preparedness, response and recovery planning" of both man-made and natural disasters.

Most natural disasters cannot be prevented, and both emergency preparation and good disaster management are the best ways to deal with them. Although natural events may appear to serve no purpose but simply to punish and destroy, natural disasters, a perfect symbol of the great power of the nature, are display of our planet's evolution and its state of change.

1. Which can't be regarded as a similarity between tornadoes and earthquakes?

A．They can not be prevented.

B．They are both geological events.

C．They cause damage to people.

D．They are both the result of natural environmental processes.

2. The reason why natural disasters cause so much damage is that ________.

A．it is very difficult to predict when exactly they will happen

B．our forecasting equipment is too old for many natural disasters

C．we don't do enough preparation before natural disasters strike

D．we don't have the necessary public services to use after natural disasters strike

3. It may be concluded from the passage that ________.

A．natural disasters can not be predicted at all

B．human beings are pessimistic to the future

C．being well-prepared can avoid economic losses

D．good preparation and disaster management are advisable.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．a symbol of the power of nature	B．the greatest threat to mankind
C．Natural disasters and mankind	D．reduce losses to the least

5 . Tropical rainforests (热带雨林) are home to native peoples who rely on their surroundings for food, shelter, and medicines. Today very few forest people in many areas like the Philippines, Papua New Guinea live in traditional ways; most have been displaced by outside settlers or have been forced to give up their lifestyles by governments.

Of the remaining forest people, the Amazon supports the largest native or native populations, although these people, too, have been affected by the modern world. While they still depend on the forest for traditional hunting and gathering, most Amerindians, as American native people are called, grow crops, use western goods, and make regular trips to towns and cities to bring foods and products to market. In Africa there are native forest people sometimes known as pygmies. The tallest of these people, also called the Mbuti, are not more than 5 feet in height. Their small size enables them to move about the forest more quickly than taller people.

Tropical rainforests have supported humans since ancient times. Although forest life cannot be described as easy, these peoples have built their lives around the surrounding forest and its systems. Still, these forest people can teach us a lot about the rainforest. Their knowledge of medicinal plants used for treating illness is valuable, and they have a great understanding of the ecology (生态学) of the Amazon rainforest. As a result, they are a great storehouse of the knowledge about the forest. They know the medicinal functions of plants and understand the value of the forest as an undamaged ecosystem. As forests fall, these native peoples lose their homes and culture, resulting in the drop of the native population.

1. Where do the greatest number of native rainforest peoples live today?

A．In the Philippines .	B．In Africa.
C．In the Amazon.	D．In Papua New Guinea.

2. What do we know about most Amerindians?

A．They know little about growing some crops.

B．They make trips to towns and cities for trade.

C．They would like to use eastern goods in daily life.

D．They seldom know traditional hunting and gathering.

3. What can we learn from the third paragraph?

A．Forest people can get benefits from rainforests.

B．We can learn how to build storehouses from forest people .

C．Forest people live an easy and comfortable life as we imagine.

D．The knowledge of medicinal plants for treating illness can be ignored.

4. What is the purpose of this text?

A．To make an advertisement for tropical rainforests.

B．To introduce the lifestyles of the native forest people.

C．To spread the knowledge and value of the forest plants.

D．To raise the awareness of protecting tropical rainforests.

6 . At thirteen, I was diagnosed (诊断) with kind of attention disorder. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.

In my first literature class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said, “Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it.”

She glanced down at me through her glasses, “You are not different from your classmates, young man.” I tried, but I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.

In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braile. He lived in a time when the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots (点), which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.

Wasn’t I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was not different from others; I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problem, why should I ever give up?

I didn’t expect anything when I handed in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day — with an “A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words, “See what you can do when you keep trying?”

1. What problem did the author meet when he was in class?

A．He didn’t like the teacher.	B．He was not fond of literature.
C．The classroom was too noisy.	D．He couldn’t focus his attention in class.

2. What can we learn about Louis Braile from the passage?

A．He managed to cure his blindness.

B．He got a good education at school.

C．He made an invention which helped the blind.

D．He couldn’t see and read for the whole life.

3. What’s Mrs. Smith’s attitude to the author in the classroom?

A．She encouraged him.	B．She looked down on him.
C．She sympathized (同情) him.	D．She was angry with him.

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A．How to be a great teacher.	B．Keep trying, and you can do it.
C．What should you do as a blind.	D．Ways to overcome attention disorder.

7 . The traditional Chinese lunar calendar(农历）divides the year into 24 solar terms(节气）．Start of Winter, the 19th solar term of the year,begins this year on Nov 7 and ends on Nov 21.

Start of Winter is the first solar term of winter,which means winter is coming and crops harvested in autumn should he stored up.

In ancient times, the Start of Winter was regarded as the beginning of winter, however,due to geographical factors, the actual winter time varies from place to place.

In fact,the Start of Winter is not the beginning of winter in terms of meteorology(气象学）。The weather every year is different, so the beginning of winter could be quite different.And as China is very large, it starts at different times in different areas.

The beginnings of the four seasons were important festivals in ancient times. Before the Start of Winter,the ancient emperor would take a shower and have no more meat.On that day,the emperor would lead his officials to the countryside and"welcome the winter".

People eat dumplings on the beginning of winter. Legend has it that in the late Eastern Han Dynasty,Zhang Zhongjing invented "Jiao Ear"(娇耳）to treat typhoid(伤寒） patients with ear frostbite(冻疮）.He cooked mutton,hot peppers and herbs to drive out the cold and warm up the body.He put these materials into a dough skin and made them into an ear shape.Since then,people have learned to make the food which became known as "dumpling" or jiaozi. Today there is still a saying that goes "Eat dumplings on Start of Winter Day, or your ears will be frostbitten.”

1. Which of the following is right about Start of Winter?

A．It is one of the solar terns in Chinese calendar.

B．People begin to harvest crops on this day.

C．Winter begins on November 7 this year.

D．It begins in different months in different places.

2. What does it in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．the Start of Winter

B．the change of weather

C．the important festival

D．the beginning of winter

3. What do the last two paragraphs mainly talk about?

A．Importance of Start of Winter.

B．Customs of Start of Winter.

C．Origin(起源）of Start of Winter.

D．Food eaten on Start of Winter.

4. Why do people eat dumplings on Start of Winter day?

A．Because dumplings can drive away typhoid.

B．Because they wish for good luck for themselves.

C．Because eating dumplings can warm up their ears.

D．Because they want to prevent the coming of winter.

8 . After an earthquake most survivors can be expected to recover over time, particularly with the support of family and friends. Some families will be able to return to their normal life quickly, while others will have to contend with the destruction of their homes, medical problems, and injury to family members. Children especially will need time to recover from the loss of a loved one or a pet or from the closing down of their school.

Children often turn to adults for information, comfort and help. Parents should try to remain calm, answer children’s questions honestly and remain understanding when they see changes in their children’s behavior.

Children react differently to an earthquake depending on their ages, developmental levels and former experiences. Some will respond by withdrawing (不与人交往), while others will have angry outbursts (爆发). Parents should remain sensitive to each child’s reactions. Parents should spend time talking to their children，letting them know that it’s OK to ask questions and to share their worries. Although it may be hard to find time to have these talks, parents can use regular family mealtimes or bedtimes for them. They should answer questions briefly and honestly and be sure to ask their children for their opinions and ideas. Issues may come up more than once and parents should remain patient when you answer the questions again. For young children, parents, after talking about the earthquake, might read a favorite story or have a relaxing family activity to help them calm down. Parents should also tell children they are safe and spend extra time with them. They could play games outside or read together indoors. Most importantly, be sure to tell them you love them.

1. The underlined phrase “contend with” in Paragraph 1 can be replaced by “________”.

A．deal with

B．make up

C．put off

D．turn back

2. When children ask the same question again, parents should ________.

A．read a favorite story to comfort them

B．ask them to help do some housework

C．be patient and answer the question again

D．take them out to play games

3. Which of the following pieces of advice is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Keep a close watch on children’s behavior.

B．Tell the children they are safe.

C．Tell the children you love them.

D．Ask educational experts for help.

4. What can we know from the passage?

A．All people will recover from an earthquake quickly.

B．Children may need a longer time to recover after an earthquake.

C．Children should turn to their classmates for help after an earthquake.

D．Children react in the same way as adults do to an earthquake.

9 . Earthquake rescue robots experienced their final tests in Beijing. Their designers said with these robots, rescuers would be able to buy more time to save lives during an earthquake.

This kind of robot looking like a helicopter is a flying robot. It’s about 3 meters long, and it took about 4 years to develop the model. Its main functions (功能) are to collect information from the air, and send goods of up to 30 kilos to people trapped by an earthquake. It has a high-definition 360-degree panoramic (全景的) camera. It can work day and night and is also able to send the latest pictures from the quake area.

Dr Qi Juntong, a researcher at Chinese Academy of Sciences, said, “The most important feature of this flying robot is that it doesn’t need a distant control. We just set the destination information on it, and then it takes off, and lands by itself. It flies as high as 3, 000 meters, and as fast as 100 kilometers per hour.

This robot has a different function—it can change as the environment changes. Its main job is to search for any signs of life in places where human rescuers are unable to go. As well as a detector (探测器) that finds victims and detects poisonous gases, a camera is placed in the 3-metre-long robot, which can work in the dark. Another use for the rescuers is the supply bot. With its 10-metre-long pipe, people who are trapped in the ruins will be able to get supplies including oxygen and liquids.

Experts have said that the robots would enter production and serve as part of the national earthquake rescue team as soon as possible.

1. What does Dr Qi Juntong think makes this robot mainly different from the others?

A．It has more functions.	B．It has a unique shape.
C．It has more advanced cameras.	D．It can work by itself once given the information.

2. What does the underlined word “which “ in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．A camera.

B．A detector.

C．A rescuer.

D．A supply.

3. What can we learn about this robot from the text?

A．It is carried by the helicopter.	B．It weighs about 30 kilos.
C．It is a machine with a length of 10 meters.	D．It hasn’t been put into production so far.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．What the robot looks like.	B．An introduction to a robot.
C．How the robot is made.	D．Information about earthquakes.

10 . The first visit to a foreign country that I can remember was when I was about seven years old. We live about 5 miles away from the Canadian border(边界). My family and I went to Parc Safari, Quebec, a wonderful place that has animals and rides. We drove down a nice long road. My sister and I sat in the back of the car, and it was a hatchback(有仓门式后背的汽车) so we opened it up. I remember feeding the animals snacks we had bought for ourselves.

The time we went we were told there would not be monkeys because they had escaped and had not been found. I remember thinking to myself, how cool it would be to see a monkey in our backyard.

Even though the monkeys were not there it was still so much fun. When we reached the area that had camels, giraffes and other animals, I remember one of the camels reached into the car to get our snacks. However, we were a little gross out because the camels seemed to froth(吐白沫) at the mouth and we had camel slobber(口水) all over the car and us.

It was one of the best family vacations that I can remember. It was not too far from home, it was in a different country and it was with my family. I cannot remember if we went on the rides or not but seeing many animals was a great time. Now I am grown up and have a son, and I am planning to go there again. He is 7 years old and I think he is at a great age to enjoy a trip like this. I am sure it has changed a lot over the years but it will still be a great family trip.

1. Where did the author live when he was 7 years old?

A．In Canada	B．Near the Canadian border
C．In the central US	D．In Parc Safari

2. We fed the animals something _____.

A．offered by people living there	B．we bought for them
C．we prepared for ourselves	D．cooked by my sister

3. what does the underlined part “gross out” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．surprised

B．excited

C．tired

D．uncomfortable

4. What does the author intend to do?

A．To revisit the place he went to at seven.	B．To take his 7-year-old son to a zoo.
C．To have a family trip in his own country.	D．To have a holiday abroad with his parents.