1 . Bill Gates was born in 1955. He grew up in Seattle, Washington. When he was young, he was good at science and maths. And he wanted to be a scientist.

Bill started to play with computers when he was 13. At that time, computers were very large machines. Once he was interested in a very old computer. He and some of his friends spent lots of time doing unusual things with it. In the end, they worked out a software program with the old machine. Bill sold it for 4,200 dollars when he was only 17.

In 1973, Bill went to Harvard University. He developed the Basic Language for the first microcomputer. In his third year, he left Harvard. Bill began his company in 1975 with his friend Paul Allen. They thought that the computer would be a very important tool in every office and in every home, so they began developing software for personal computers. They developed the software to make it easier for people to use computers.

In 1999, Bill wrote a book. In the book, he told people how computer technology could solve business problems in new ways. It was one of the best-sellers on The New York Times’ list. Bill Gates has many hobbies. He enjoyed reading very much. He also enjoys playing golf and bridge.

1. When did Bill begin to play with computers?

A．In 1968.

B．In 1966.

C．In 1965.

D．In 1972.

2. How old was Bill when he went to Harvard University?

A．17 years old.	B．18 years old.
C．19 years old.	D．20 years old.

3. Bill wrote a book about _______.

A．how to do unusual things

B．how to play computer games

C．how to work out a software program

D．how to solve business problems with the help of computers in new ways

4. We can learn from the text that _______.

A．Bill worked for Microsoft before he went to Harvard University

B．Bill sold his first software program for 420 dollars

C．reading is one of Bill’s hobbies

D．Bill began his company in 1976 with his friend

5. Which of the following is true?

A．Bill Gates developed the Basic Language for the first microcomputer.

B．Bill Gates enjoys playing computer games.

C．Bill Gates wrote many science books.

D．Bill Gates books are on the top of best-sellers.

2 . I have been in England three months now. I hope you don’t think I’ve forgotten you. There have been so many places to see and so many things to do that I’ve not had much time for writing letters.

I shall soon be starting my studies at King’s College. So far I’ve been learning about England and British ways of living. I won’t tell you about London. There are lots of books you can read and lots of pictures you can look at about this famous city. I’m sure you’ll be more interested to know what I think about life here.

I find some of the customs interesting. People here do not shake hands as much as we do in the mainland of Europe. During the first few weeks I was often surprised because people did not put out their hands when I met them. Men raise their hats to women but not to each other.

1. The writer came to London from _______.

A．Asia

B．the mainland of Europe

C．America

D．Africa

2. The writer did not write the letter earlier because _______.

A．she had forgotten her friend	B．she was lonely and sad in this strange land
C．she was too busy to write	D．she was too busy with her courses at King’s College

3. How does the writer feel about British ways of living?

A．Happy.

B．Angry.

C．Sad.

D．Interesting.

4. The writer came to London _______.

A．to make a living	B．to study
C．to learn British ways of living	D．for sightseeing only

5. Which of the following about people in England is true?

A．Men raise their hats to women but not to each other.

B．Men often shake hands with others when they meet.

C．Men raise their hats to all friends when they meet.

D．Men do not shake hands with friends when they meet.

4 . How exercising changed their life

Name: Katelyn Block, 19 The problem: At the end of her junior year of high school, she fell into a serious eating disorder. The change: She was an athlete, but while she was sick, she stopped running. Later, she decided to get back into running. She made the decision to build her body back from the ground up. With a few months of hard work and determination, she graduated from high school with a healthy body.

Name: Amalia Biro, 24 The problem: Amalia was a horseback rider with her sight set on the Olympics, until one day she was thrown off a horse, leaving her left knee badly injured. The change: She ran a 5K at the request of her friend. Running lets her clear her head. She found herself starting to turn to running instead of breaking away from her social life. And she was in good shape and felt better than before.

Name: Sarah Jane Parker, 28 The problem: She had a lot of fear and anxiety about different things. The fear was taking over her life. The change: She tried indoor rock climbing with her friend’s encouragement. When she finally managed to climb to the top, she fell in love with the sport. Eventually she used the courage she got from climbing to break away from her fear.

Name: Kimberly Whittaker, 25 The problem: Two car accidents in one month made Kimberly have joint problems in both knees and pain in her lower back. The change: She joined a gym and worked with a physical trainer three times a week to help her become healthy again. She took spin classes (动感单车) the most often because she felt like she was able to focus her energy just on riding.

1. What was the problem that Katelyn was facing?

A．She got a fever.	B．She was anxious.
C．She couldn’t eat normally.	D．She hurt her knees.

2. What do Amalia and Sarah have in common?

A．They had the same dream.	B．They attended the Olympics.
C．They didn’t trust themselves.	D．They should thank their friends.

3. How did Kimberly become healthy again?

A．By changing her diet.	B．By seeing a doctor.
C．By joining a gym.	D．By studying hard.

7 . What are the speakers talking about?

A．A neighbor.

B．A phone.

C．A movie.

8 . Where are the speakers probably?

A．On a train.

B．In a taxi.

C．At a railway station.

10 . A quick walk onto a frozen pond (池塘) could have been a disaster for these two boys.

Cruz Genet, 11, and Anthony Skopick, 10, couldn’t agree more. Were the birds out on the ice ducks or geese? There was only one way to find out. So on a cold January evening last year, the two friends walked onto the frozen pond near their homes to get a better look.

First, they threw a rock onto the ice to test it. Believing the ice would hold their weight, Anthony took a few steps, and then he crashed through the seemingly frozen surface. “There was no sound and no crack”, he told the reporter. “I just fell through immediately.”

Cruz rushed to help his frightened friend. And he fell in the pond, too. Cruz managed to lift himself out of the water and onto a harder part. He then carefully worked his way toward Anthony, but he fell in the pond again. This time, he couldn’t get out.

The two boys were in icy cold water and quickly losing feeling in their limbs (四肢). Cruz was sure that he was going to die.

Anthony’s older sister had seen the boys fall through the ice and started shouting for help. John Lavin, a neighbor driving nearby on his way to the store, heard her. He quickly pulled over. Seeing the boys, he took a nearby buoy (浮标), kicked off his shoes, and ran into the water. Lavin made his way to Cruz and Anthony and drew them back to land. They were taken to hospital, where doctors discovered that their five-minute stay in the water had lowered their body temperature nearly ten degrees.

Luckily, the boys have fully recovered, though they are still a little awestruck (敬畏的) by their fearless neighbor. “Just to think,” says Cruz, “if he hadn’t been there, I could have died.”

1. Why did the boys go to the frozen pond?

A．They had planned to go skating on the ice for a medal.

B．They wondered whether the ice could hold their weight.

C．They wanted to have a better understanding at the pond.

D．They were curious about what birds there were on the ice.

2. Before the boys walked onto the ice,           .

A．they threw a rock to test if the ice was strong enough

B．they caught a nearby buoy and kicked off their shoes

C．they asked their neighbor who should be the first to go

D．they asked Anthony’s older sister to protect them nearby

3. What did Cruz do when Anthony fell into the pond?

A．He went to find a buoy nearby.	B．He went to his neighbor for help.
C．He rushed in to help his friend.	D．He went to ask for his sister’s help.

4. What can we infer from this passage?

A．A stranger passing by rescued the two boys at last.

B．The two boys were very thankful to their neighbor.

C．Cruz fell into the pond with Anthony at the same time.

D．Anthony’s older sister invited the two boys to the pond.