1 . When I was about twelve, I headed to a restaurant for dinner with my family. It was a windy winter night. As my mom and I headed towards the restaurant from our car, a girl about my age and her mother came up to us. They asked if we had any spare dollars. My mom immediately asked where they kept their things. They pointed to an old car in the parking across the street. The girl said there were six of them living in that car, the same size as my own family.
My mom said she had something to do after handing the people a few dollars. She sent me inside the restaurant with my dad and my three siblings(兄弟姐妹). But she didn’t come.
Later, I found out she had gone home and emptied our cupboards into a few bags. Then, she brought that food over to the car and handed the bags to the family. I wasn’t there when that part happened, but I could imagine the joy it brought to their faces.
A few days later, when I actually found out about what she had done, I asked her why she helped those people. She told me that they were not lucky. I remember the face of that girl who had asked us for dollars;she was the same age as me, yet our lives were so different.
Here I stood, dressed in almost new clothes, headed to a restaurant and then back home to the bedroom I shared with my younger sister. I remembered thinking that the girl didn’t have any food to eat and that she was heading back to a cold car shared with five other people.
After painting this picture in my mind, I understood my mom. I will never forget what she did that night. And that night I also learned one of the best lessons she taught me.
1. We learn from the passage that the girl about the writer’s age_____.| A．lived a hard life |
| B．had her own bedroom |
| C．received a good education |
| D．made friends with the writer |
a. My mom gave the girl a few dollars.
b. My family was on the way to a restaurant.
c. My mom went home and brought some food.
d. We met with a girl and her mother asking for dollars.
| A．b, d, a, c |
| B．b, a, c, d |
| C．d, a, c, b |
| D．d, c, b, a |
| A．Patient. |
| B．Strict. |
| C．Proud. |
| D．Kind. |
On Thanksgiving weekend, the Heffelmire family gathered for a meal at their home. After dinner, the family went down to the finished basement to relax except Charlotte’s father, Eric, who was in the garage to fix his truck．
Around 8 p.m., Charlotte decided to check on her dad. She walked through the kitchen. When she opened the side door to the garage, black smoke rose up into the kitchen. She could barely make out her father lying on his back, trapped under the truck. He’d removed the front passenger-side tyre and raised the truck on a jack（千斤顶）. The truck had slipped off the jack, and now the whole weight of the wheel was on his chest and shoulders．
Charlotte ran to the front of the truck and struggled to lift it. Eric was still conscious, and he yelled, “You got it! One more try!” She tried again and was able to tip the truck backward just enough for her to pull her dad by the shirt with both hands from under the truck．
She dragged him across the garage and 20 feet down the driveway. Then she ran back to the garage, which had burst into flames. “I was afraid the car was going to explode,” says Charlotte, so she climbed into the truck, which faced forward, turned the key, and pressed the gas pedal（油门）. The car slowly rolled out, the metal wheel scratching loudly against the concrete．
Safely on the driveway, Charlotte stopped the truck and ran back to the basement. “There’s a fire! Everybody get out!” she yelled as she picked up her three-month-old niece and ran out. Outside, she handed the baby to her mom, and then ran around to the burning garage. She picked up a garden hose（水管）and sprayed the fire while calling 911．
A few minutes later, firefighters and an ambulance arrived. Charlotte was treated for second-degree burns on both her feet and face. Her dad had injuries on his chest and shoulders, as well as minor burns on his face. The garage and the house were damaged but the family survived．
The Heffelmires are staying in an apartment while their house is rebuilt. “Charlotte is a remarkable kid,” says her dad. Charlotte, however, simply says, “ I was saving my family and my house. I wasn’t going to let my dad die.”
1. Eric got trapped because_________| A．the truck slipped off the jack. |
| B．the wheel fell off the truck. |
| C．the front tyre was removed. |
| D．the kitchen was on fire. |
a. Charlotte called the firefighters．
b. Charlotte saved Eric from under the truck．
c. Charlotte drove the truck out of the garage．
d. Charlotte warned the family to leave the house．
| A．b, c, a, d | B．a, b, d, c |
| C．b, c, d, a | D．a, c, b, d |
| A．the house was not fit to live in. |
| B．the truck exploded. |
| C．the three-month-old baby was injured. |
| D．Charlotte was burned on her chest and shoulders. |
| A．proud and clear-headed. |
| B．calm and quick-minded. |
| C．modest and easy-going. |
| D．independent and self-centered. |
3 . Cattle manure(粪肥) has become one of the world’s greatest environmental killers, but one Dutch artist is using chemistry to turn it into something that is both eco-friendly and valuable.
In recent years, scientists around the world have made great progress in their attempts to recycle cattle manure, including turning it into natural fertilizer, but Eindhoven designer Jalila Essaidi didn’t think they were efficient enough to solve the global manure problem. So she started on her very own solution, one that approached animal waste as a valuable material that could be processed into useful products.
She started by separating the waste, with the dry manure used to get pure cellulose(纤维素) from the grass that cows eat. From the wet manure, she got acids used to create a natural liquid plastic which was used to make fiber that are later turned into fabric(material used for making clothes).
This new material was named Mestic, from mest, the Dutch word for manure. Essaidi claim that it has the same function as plastic from fossil fuels, but is bio-degradable(可生物降解的). Better yet, the degradability can be dealt with in the lab, making it possible to create materials that last for different periods of time depending on their purpose. “This is not the first time that scientists have been looking for ways to solve the manure problem, but it is the first time that manure is being considered as a valuable resource.” the Dutch designer said.
Last year, Jalila Essaldi partnered with the city of Eindhoven to produce a fashion show using Mestic-based fabrics. Her Mestic collection was so impressive that clothing giant H&M awarded her the Global Change Award and a $1million prize. And cow manure is just the beginning of Jalila Essaldi’s experiments with animal waste. “After cows, we’ll deal with pigs and other animals,” she said.
1. Why has the author written the text?| A．To suggest practical ways to deal with cattle manure. |
| B．To advertise for some clothes made by a Dutch company. |
| C．To introduce a designer who turns cow manure into clothing. |
| D．To persuade people to purchase products made from manure. |
| A．acids→liquid plastic→manure→fabric→fibers→clothing |
| B．manure→acids→liquid plastic→fibers→fabric→clothing |
| C．liquid plastic→manure→fabric→fibers→ acids→clothing |
| D．fibers→manure→acids→fabric→liquid plastic→clothing |
| A．Its smell is rather terrible. | B．It is made from fossil fuels. |
| C．Its name has a Dutch origin. | D．It can only be made in the lab. |
| A．Something more needs to be done about cow manure. |
| B．She will switch to other animals waste in the future. |
| C．What experiments to do next really puzzles her. |
| D．The future of fashionable clothing is optimistic. |
4 . The lander-ascender (上升器) combination of China's Chang’e 5 robotic lunar probe (探测器) has finished gathering subsurface samples and packed them in vacuum container and is continuing collecting surface samples, according to the China National Space Administration.
The administration said in a statement on Wednesday morning that the drilling and packing processes of rocks and soil from 2 meters beneath lunar surface concluded at 4:53 am. A mechanical arm is continuing gathering surface samples.
The combination landed on the moon at 11:11 pm on Tuesday, becoming the third spacecraft that has successfully touched down on the lunar surface this century. The first two aircraft that had achieved this are also from China — the Chang’e 3 and 4. The combination is tasked with collecting about 2 kilograms of samples.
China’s largest and most sophisticated lunar probe, Chang’e 5 was launched by a Long March 5 heavy-lift carrier rocket early on Nov 24 at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province, undertaking the world’s first mission since 1976 to return lunar samples to Earth. The spacecraft is composed of four parts — orbiter (轨道飞行器), lander, ascender and re-entry capsule (返回舱).
Before the landing, Chang’e 5 separated into two parts — the orbiter-reentry capsule combination and the lander-ascender combination — in a lunar orbit early on Monday morning so as to prepare for the landing operation.
While the lander-ascender combination is carrying out surface operations, the orbiter-reentry capsule combination is traveling in a lunar orbit at an average altitude of around 200 km above the moon. After all surface operations are done, an engine on the ascender will lift it to meet the reentry module. It will transfer the lunar samples to the module and then separate from it.
The orbiter-reentry combination capsule will then return to the Earth’s orbit, where the pair will break up and the reentry capsule will return to a preset landing site in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region in mid-December.
If the mission is successful, it will make China the third nation to bring samples back from the moon, after the United States and the former Soviet Union.
1. What does the underlined word “sophisticated” in Paragraph 4 refer to?| A．Popular. | B．Advanced. | C．Necessary. | D．Difficult. |
a. landing on the moon.
b. separating Chang’e 5 into two parts.
c. launching Chang’e 5 lunar probe from the rocket.
d. collecting subsurface and surface samples.
e. returning to the Earth’s orbit.
| A．cbade. | B．baced. | C．bcaed. | D．cbdae. |
| A．Chang’e 5 has finished collecting samples on the surface. |
| B．The reentry capsule will return with the lunar samples. |
| C．The orbiter-reentry capsule will be together all the time. |
| D．The reentry capsule will return to the launch center. |
| A．In a travel brochure. | B．In a geography textbook. |
| C．In a science newspaper. | D．In a personal diary. |
5 . Rocky was a 65-pound dog. Rita was his eleven-year old owner. When Rocky was given to her, Rita immediately liked him. Whenever she was not in school,the two were always together and within touching distance. The family would lovingly call the pair “R and R".
But Rocky had one shortcoming. He feared water very much because of a terrible experience. When he was at the age of seven weeks long before he met Rita,he was nearly drowned by a naughty boy who had been blamed by his father.
One late afternoon,Rita's mother took R and R to a shopping area near a lake. Rita was running along the wooden bridge over the water,enjoying the beautiful scenery around. Suddenly a boy on a bicycle hit Rita. She let out a cry of pain and fell into the lake.
Rita's mother was at the entrance of a store not far away. She rushed to the lake shouting for help. Rocky seemed to forget his fear and jumped into the water to save his owner. Rocky immediately swam to Rita and held her by the shoulder's clothes with his mouth. Rita's face was quickly out of the water and she could cough.Luckily,the water was calm,they were not far from the bank,and Rocky finally reached a depth where his feet were on solid ground. He pulled Rita hard until her head was completely out of the water, and then he stood beside her, licking(舔） her face.
Rita and her family firmly believed that it was only the big dog's love for the little girl that caused him to take action that might be life-dangerous.
1. From the text, we know .| A．Rita was once blamed |
| B．Rocky was eleven years old |
| C．Rita spent her spare time with Rocky |
| D．Rocky lived in Rita's home since his birth |
| A．Brave. | B．Honest. | C．Unkind. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．At noon. | B．At night. | C．In the morning. | D．In the afternoon. |
① Rocky came into Rita's life.② Rocky was nearly drowned.
③ They were playing near the lake. ④ Rocky saved Rita from the water.
| A．①②④③ | B．②①③④ | C．③①②④ | D．④③②① |
| A．It is love that can defeat fear when in danger. |
| B．It is life-dangerous for children to be left alone. |
| C．Anyone who treats animals badly should be blamed. |
| D．Children should be encouraged to keep a pet as a friend. |
6 . One day in March, seven years ago, during happy hours at a bar in my hometown of Fayetteville, Arkansas, I made a surprise announcement to my friends: I was going to shut down my law practice and attempt to travel around the globe in a year. What’s more, I would do it without taking any flights or making a single advance reservation (预定) of any kind. My announcement drew mixed reactions from my friends. Some offered support and encouragement, while others were more doubtful.
Once I had said the words, there was no turning back. I took months to shut down my law practice and get things in order. Once I set off on my adventure in December 2008, I found travelling without using planes was not easy. Trying to circle the globe in 16 months (it took me a bit longer than the initial 12 months I planned) made it even harder. Even so, travelling overland was the most amazing way to truly understand the immensity (浩瀚无际) of our wonderful planet.
I took three consecutive (连续) overnight buses to travel 3,000 km through Argentina, from Ushuaia to the capital Buenos Aires. I would look out of the windows for hours continuously at the completely plains, as if humans had never touched it.
It took seven consecutive days and nights on trains to get from Moscow to Beijing, each day spent staring out of the windows for hours as the Siberian plains swept by. Sometimes, I wouldn’t see a village or a human being for 10 hours. Later in my journey, it took 22 days on a cargo freighter (货船) to get from New Zealand through the Panama Canal and back to Philadelphia, to finish my round-the-world adventure.
It turned out that travelling with no reservations was far less difficult than I had imagined. Pulling into a city on a bus with a backpack, looking in a guidebook for a few suggestions of accommodations (住所), and then finding an empty room was never much of problem anywhere. It also kept me flexible (灵活) and open about all my travel plans, which is advice I give everyone who asks—plan for less than you think you should.
1. The author’s trip was special in that ________.| A．he made it at the expense of giving up his job |
| B．it hardly cost him anything |
| C．he did not make advance booking or travel by air |
| D．It was a global trip |
| A．Jane 2009 | B．December 2009 |
| C．February 2010 | D．April 2010 |
① Moscow
② Philadelphia
③ New Zealand
④ Ushuaia
⑤ Beijing
⑥ Buenos Aires
| A．⑤④①⑥③② | B．④⑥①⑤③② |
| C．④⑤①⑥③② | D．⑤①⑥④③② |
| A．Challenging but pleasant. | B．Dangerous but wonderful. |
| C．Boring and disappointing. | D．Costly and painful. |
Do you have imagination? Do you like to solve problems? Can you? If so, you could be the next great inventor. “But I’m just a kid，” you might say! Don’t worry about a little thing like age. For example, one famous inventor — Benjamin Franklin — got his start when he was only 12. At that young age, he created paddles for his hands to help him swim faster. Finally his creation led to what we know is called flippers!
So you don’t have to be an adult to be an inventor. One thing you do need, though, is something that kids have plenty of: curiosity and imagination. Kids are known for looking at things in new and unique ways.
So what should you do if you have what is a great idea for an invention? Talk to a friend or family member about it. Get input from others about your idea. Then ask them to help you create a working model — called a prototype (原型) — of your idea.
Once you have a prototype, you can test it. Sometimes your idea turns out to be not as great as you thought. At other times, though, you realize it is a good idea and your prototype can help you figure out how to make it even better.
If your idea is really a good one, an adult can help you contact companies that might be interested in it. You will also want an adult’s help to get a patent (专利权) for your idea, so that it is protected and can’t be stolen by someone else. If you need some inspiration, consider these kids and their inventions：
Jeanie Low invented the Kiddie Stool when she was just 11. It’s a folding stool that fits under the kitchen sink. Kids can unfold it and use it to reach the sink all by themselves.
At the age of 15, Louis Braille invented the system named after him that allows the blind to read.
Chelsea Lanmon received a patent when she was just 8 for the “pocket diaper”， a new type of diaper that includes a pocket for holding baby wipes and powder.
1. By saying “But I’m just a kid”， you probably mean you ________.| A．are too young to achieve anything |
| B．can do anything though you are young |
| C．are old enough to become an inventor |
| D．have to learn knowledge from other people |
| A．a patent—a prototype—a good idea—an invention |
| B．an invention—a good idea—a patent—a prototype |
| C．a good idea—a prototype—an invention—a patent |
| D．a prototype—a patent—a good idea—an invention |
| A．Jeanie Low. | B．Benjamin Franklin. | C．Chelsea Lanmon. | D．Louis Braille. |
| A．Kids have curiosity and imagination |
| B．There are some world famous inventors |
| C．Kids are exactly like adults in a way |
| D．It is possible for kids to be inventors |
8 . A Wolf in Danger
What is happening to the timber wolf (森林狼) today?
Native Americans and early settlers often went to sleep to the sound of a lonely lullaby (催眠曲). It was the song of the wolf howling in a distant forest. There were many wolves then. One kind was the North American timber wolf.
Wolves are important to the balance of nature because they eat sick and weak animals. In Colorado, people tried to help deer by shooting wolves. But then there were so many deer that many of them starved to death.
The timber wolf is on the endangered special list . Animals on this list are in danger of disappearing from the earth. People drove the wolves away by cutting down the forests to build houses, towns, and highways. Timber wolves are now found only in Canada, Alaska, Michigan, and Minnesota.
This special animal may soon disappear from our forests forever. Then, its lonely howl will never be heard again.
1. Animals that are in danger of disappearing from the earth are called a(n)_______species.| A．endangered |
| B．living |
| C．alive |
| D．lived |
| A．are an endangered species |
| B．eat sick and weak animals |
| C．no longer live in forests |
| D．help the farmers |
| A．in many parts of North America |
| B．only in Colorado and Canada |
| C．in towns and cities in Alaska |
| D．in many parts of Africa |
| A．People built towns and highways. |
| B．The timber wolf was driven away from its home. |
| C．People cut down the forests. |
| D．Timber wolves are endangered species. |
9 . Seventy years ago, in the city of Boston, there lived a small girl who had the naughty habit of running away. On a certain April morning, almost as soon as her mother finished buttoning her dress, Louisa May Alcott slid out of the house and up the street as fast as her feet could carry her.
It was a beautiful day, and she did not care so very much just where she went so long as she was having an adventure, all by herself. Suddenly she came upon some children who said they were going to a nice, tall ash heap to play. They asked her to join them. Louisa thought they were fine playmates, for when she grew hungry they shared some cold potatoes and bread crusts with her.
When she was tired of the ash heap she said goodbye to the children, thanked them for their kindness, and hop-skipped to the Common, where she must have wandered about for hours. All of a sudden, it began to grow dark. Then she wanted to get home. It frightened her when she could not find any street that looked natural. She was hungry and tired, too. She threw herself down on some door-steps to rest and to watch the lamplighter, for you must remember this was long before there was any gas or electricity in Boston. At this moment a big dog came along. He kissed her face and hands and then sat down beside her with a sober look in his eyes. Poor tired Louisa leaned against his neck and was fast asleep in no time. The dog kept very still. He did not want to wake her.
Pretty soon the town crier went by. He was ringing a bell and reading in a loud voice, from a paper in his hand, the description of a lost child. You see, Louisa's father and mother had missed her early in the forenoon and had looked for her in every place they could think of. Each hour they grew more worried, and at dusk they decided to hire this man to search the city.
When the runaway woke up and heard what the man was shouting— "Lost— Lost— A little girl, six years old, in a pink skirt, white hat, and new, green shoes" —she called out in the darkness, "Why— that's ME!" The town crier took Louisa by the hand and led her home, where you may be sure she was welcomed with joy.
1. The reason why Louisa thought the children were very nice playmates was that .| A．they had been good friends | B．they asked her to play with them |
| C．they shared with her some food | D．they all liked taking adventures |
| A．A street performer. | B．A milkman. | C．A news reader. | D．A policeman. |
① Louisa couldn't find the way back home.
②Louisa returned home safe and sound.
③Louisa ran away and slid into the street one morning.
④Louisa came across some children in the street.
⑤The town crier searched the street for Louisa.
| A．③④①⑤② | B．③①⑤④② | C．⑤②①④③ | D．⑤②④①③ |
10 . Surtsey was born in 1963.Scientists saw the birth of this island. It began at 7.30 a.m. on 14th November. A fishing boat was near Iceland. The boat moved under the captain's(船长)feet. He noticed a strange smell. He saw some black smoke. A volcano(火山)was breaking out. Red-hot rocks, fire and smoke were rushing up from the bottom(底部)of the sea. The island grew quickly. It was 10 meters high the next day and 60 meters high on 18th November. Scientists flew there to watch. It was exciting. Smoke and fire were still rushing up. Pieces of red-hot rock were flying into the air and falling into the sea. The sea was boiling and there was a strange light in the sky. Surtsey grew and grew. Then it stopped in June 1967.It was 175 meters high and 2 kilometers long. And life was already coming to Surtsey. Plants grew. Birds came. Some scientists built a house. They want to learn about this young island. A new island is like a new world.
1. Surtsey is ______.| A．an island not far from Iceland | B．a new volcano |
| C．a fishing boat | D．a place in Iceland |
| A．to watch the birth of the island | B．to save the fishing boat |
| C．to learn about the island | D．to build a house |
| A．Before the volcano broke out. | B．As soon as the volcano broke out. |
| C．About four days after the volcano broke out. | D．After the volcano stopped rushing up. |
a. The captain found the boat was moving.
b. A new island appeared in the sea.
c. Fire, smoke and rocks were seen rushing up.
d. A fishing boat was near Iceland.
e. The island grew quickly.
| A．d-a-c-b-e | B．a-b-c-d-e | C．a-b-e-c-d | D．b-e-d-a-c |
| A．A new island | B．The birth of an island |
| C．A new world | D．Scientists discovered Surtsey |
