Cats are the most popular pets among Americans. So it is not surprising there are many expressions
about cats. Do you know any of them? Now let me introduce some to you.
     Some cats like to catch small birds, like canaries. If someone looks very proud or satisfied with himself,
we say he looks like the cat that ate the canary.
     Sometimes, a cat likes to play with a small animal it catches. So if you play cat and mouse with someone,
you change between different kinds of behavior when dealing with another person. For example, a child might
offer something sweet to her little brother, and then take it away when reaches for it.
     A cat will often catch a small animal and present it to its owner. The saying that looks like something the
cat dragged in describes something in bad condition.
     A fat cat is a person with a lot of money.
     There are many other expressions about cats in America. How interesting! Which kind of cat are you, or
which kind would you like to be?

1. Americans like ________ best as pets.

A. dogs
B. pigs
C. cats
D. mice

2. The canary is a kind of ________.

A. dog
B. cat
C. bird
D. fish

3. If you have much money, we can call you ________.

A. a fat cat
B. a happy cat
C. a thin cat
D. a sad cat

4. If someone always thinks highly of himself, we can say ________.

A. he plays cat and mouse with someone
B. he looks like the cat that ate the canary
C. he is a lazy cat
D. he has dragged in something

5. The passage introduces us ________ expressions about cat.

A. one
B. two
C. three
D. four

     The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of September 2,1666. In four days it destroyed
more than three quarters of the old city, where most of those houses were built out of wood and close
together. One hundred thousand people became homeless but only few lost their lives. The fire started on
Sunday morning. By eight o'clock three hundred houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the
city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known
buildings. The fire stopped only when the king finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the
path (路線) of the fire. With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.

1. What day die the Great Fire happen in London?

A. Sunday.
B. Monday.
C. Tuesday.
D. Wednesday.

2. The Great Fire of London destroyed more than _______ of the old city.

A. 25 percent
B. 30 percent
C. half
D. 75 percent

3. What were most of the houses made of?

A. Plastic.
B. Wood.
C. Stones.
D. Bricks.

4. Finally, the fire was out because there wasn't _______ left to burn it _______.

A. nothing, the fire
B. anything, the city
C. anything, the path of the fire
D. something, the streets

5. How long did the fire last?

A. Two days.
B. Three days.
C. More than four days.
D. Half a month.

     Emma and Hannah are 13-year-old school girls from Minnesota, USA. They are good at making new
thing s and both of them are also good at sales. They are selling charms (小裝飾物) made out of bottle caps.
     The girls came up with the idea last summer when they saw charms were popular with kids. They talked
with their parents about the idea. Since then they have sold enough charms to buy a bike for Hannah.
     The girls collect bottle caps and then clean them. They find some interesting pictures on the Internet or
on paper, and then glue them onto the inside of the caps. There are different kinds of pictures, "Peace signs
are popular with girls, and single-letter charms are popular with boys whose names start with those letters,"
Emma and Hannah said.
     Now, charms can be found everywhere at Dakota Hills Middle School in Eagan. "Students put charms on
purses, backpacks,and their lunchboxes," said Emma. Emma and Hannah also have a shop on the Internet.
They hope they can sell their charms to more kids. They're thinking about selling their charms at the Eagan
Market Festival next summer.
     Their business is not only for getting money. At their Valentine's sale, 20% of the income (收入) went to
charity.

1. What are Emma and Hannah?

A. They're waiters.
B. They're sellers.
C. They're students.
D. They're charm makers.

2. When did the girls begin to sell the charms?

A. About a year ago.
B. About two months ago.
C. Nearly fifty days ago.
D. Nearly five weeks ago.

3. Which of the following may NOT be on the charms?

A. Pictures.
B. Signs.
C. Letters.
D. Numbers.

4. What do Emma and Hannah hope to do now?

A. They hope to become rich people.
B. They hope to give money to charity.
C. They hope to sell more charms.
D. They hope to sell charms in every school.

5. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The two girls love their parents and money.
B.  Boys like charms with signs.
C. They won't sell charms next summer.
D. The charms are popular with students.

    
     Last Sunday, my classmates and I went to Guishan Hill for a picnic. The (1)______ was fine and all of
us were excited and happy. We went there by (2)_______ with fruit, eggs, meat, vegetables, cookers and
some other things.
     About an hour later, we (3)_______ at the foot of the hill. There was s big lake and many green trees.
Birds were singing songs. How wonderful they were! At noon all of us were busy preparing (4)_________
the picnic. Some of us were getting the water, some were cooking, and (5)_________ were putting a big
cloth on the grass. At one o'clock in the afternoon, the lunch was (6)________.
     After lunch, we (7)________ a great time singing, dancing, drinking and talking.(8)_______ three o'clock,
we began to climb the hill. The hill was quite high, but we all tried to (9)________ to the top of it. On the
(10)________ of the hill, we felt that we were much closer to the sky, and we saw the flying birds more
clearly.