| A．Salesman and customer. | B．Boss and secretary. | C．Husband and wife. |
| A．Do sports. | B．Draw pictures. | C．Listen to music. |
4 . Malala Yousafzai, the teen activist from Pakistan, has just become the youngest person ever to win a Nobel Prize. In 2012, Malala survived from being shot by terrorists for speaking out for a girl’s right to be educated in her native country. She is being recognized today for her global activism on education for girls. Winning this award is a huge honor, especially for such a young person.
Malala’s journey to the Nobel Prize has not been easy. She grew up in a dangerous district of Pakistan called the Swat Valley. This area was taken over by the Taliban. The Taliban ruled the district with an iron fist. They were especially cruel to women, not allowing them to go shopping, have jobs, or go to school.
In 2009, Malala began speaking out publicly for every girl's right to an education. She blogged about how the Taliban didn’t want her to go to school. She also continued to attend her local school, despite the danger involved.
Then, in 2012, the Taliban tried to kill Malala to silence her. Two Taliban gunmen shot her and two other students while they were on a school bus. Malala was flown to the United Kingdom for immediate medical treatment.
Malala eventually recovered from her injuries. She now lives in Birmingham, England, and continues to work hard to support girls' and women’s rights around the world.
“The terrorists thought that they would change my aims and stop my ambitions,” she said, “but nothing changed in my life except this. Weakness, fear, and hopelessness died. Strength, power, and courage were born.”
The 17-year-old girl from Pakistan is sharing the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize with a children’s activist Kailash Satyarthi, who is from India Satyarthi leads many campaigns dedicated to removing child labor.
1. Which of the following is the correct order of the events relevant to Malala?a. She recovered from the serious injuries.
b. She won the Nobel Peace Prize.
c. She began speaking out publicly for girls' education.
d. She was shot by the terrorists on a school bus.
| A．c, d, a, b | B．a, d, c, b | C．a, c. d, b | D．c, a, d, b |
| A．People in Pakistan were brave. |
| B．Women in Pakistan were not allowed to go shopping. |
| C．The Taliban’s cruelty was severe. |
| D．Malala’s journey contributed to her Nobel Prize. |
| A．Sensitive and stubborn. | B．Devoted and fearless. |
| C．Proud and optimistic. | D．Creative and outgoing. |
5 . You may not have heard of it before, but Solid Rain has been helping Mexican farmers fight droughts for over a decade. The magic powder can take in water up to 500 times its original size and keep it in the ground for up to a year.
The story of Solid Rain began in 1970, when American scientists developed an absorbable product used to help keep baby bottoms dry. However, a Mexican chemical engineer saw this magic powder as an opportunity to fight the drought. He developed with a different version of this product that could be mixed with soil and slowly feed water to plants over a long period of time. His company, Solid Rain, has been quietly selling the product to Mexican farmers for over 10 years.
The crop yield is absolutely on the increase. For sunflowers, the yield was 3000 kg per hectare when Solid Rain was used, compared to just 1,000 kg in regular conditions. For beans, the difference was much higher—3,000 kg compared to just 450 kg.
Solid Rain seems greatly effective in Mexico. However, it has not come into use around the world. Well, that’s mainly because a lot of people still don’t know about it. The Mexican company has invested almost nothing into marketing, relying instead on word-of-mouth between Mexican farmers. However, recently, they have gotten requests from other dry countries like India and Australia.
Solid Rain has received the Ecology and Environment Award, but it has also attracted some negative views. Dr Linda Scott says that the product is hardly new and that there is no scientific evidence that it can hold water for a year or last in the ground for a decade. Besides, Solid Rain can cause more harm than good in certain conditions. However, real-life use seems to show that Solid Rain is actually of great use to farms. Frank Torres, a former green bean farmer used to rely on it even though the drought wasn’t such a big issue. He said that his crop yield had increased by 50%.
1. What is Solid Rain used to do by Mexican farmers?| A．Offer water to plants. |
| B．Keep baby bottom dry. |
| C．Fight the drought. |
| D．Improve the soil. |
| A．Solid Rain works perfectly in Mexico. |
| B．The crop yield has reached the maximum so far. |
| C．Mexican farmers earn more than before. |
| D．More plants should be planted in Mexico. |
| A．It’s forbidden to spread abroad. |
| B．Other countries don’t want to use it. |
| C．It’s not known in other countries. |
| D．It’s kept as a secret in Mexico. |
| A．Positive. | B．Objective | C．Hopeful | D．Critical |
1. Who is making the announcement?
| A．The student government. |
| B．The school newspaper. |
| C．The football team. |
| A．Four. | B．Three. | C．Two. |
| A．They organize trips. |
| B．They attend concerts. |
| C．They have dancing nights. |
| A．To have friends. |
| B．To make good grades. |
| C．To keep up with world news. |
1. Which subject is difficult for the woman?
| A．Math. | B．History. | C．Chemistry. |
| A．On Tuesdays. | B．On Thursdays. | C．On Fridays. |
| A．Mr. Jennings. | B．Mr. Hobart. | C．Mrs. Lee. |
1. Where does the conversation take place?
| A．In an office downtown. |
| B．In an apartment downtown. |
| C．In an apartment in the East End. |
| A．Get to work. |
| B．Go to a restaurant. |
| C．Visit the woman’s company. |
| A．Junk food. | B．Healthy food. | C．Delivered food. |
| A．She failed one of her exams. |
| B．She is worrying about other lessons. |
| C．She has no time to do her math homework. |
