Most students in America do housework after school. Parents often ask their children to do something 1 or interesting at home. Also,they 2 their children to do something hard or boring. Parents would like to give their children some pocket money for their 3 And the children can 4 the money by doing the housework.

     President Obama 5 that he gives his eight-and eleven-year-old daughters Sasha and Malia just a dollar every week,6 they often set the table,wash the dishes and clean up their 7 on weekends. One dollar is little for the housework,but the two 8 are very happy to make their pocket money. They buy their favorite books or food with 9 Obama hopes his daughters can 10 some money-management skills.

1. A. difficult   B. easy

   C. busy   D. bad

2. A. want   B. help

   C. need   D. take

3. A. study   B. party

   C. homework   D. housework

4. A. make   B. enjoy

   C. find   D. buy

5. A. says   B. thinks

   C. hopes   D. hears

6. A. and   B. then

   C. because   D. but

7. A. office   B. classroom

   C. bedroom   D. library

8. A. parents   B. friends

   C. children   D. students

9. A. it   B. him

   C. her   D. them

10. A. teach   B. ask

   C. find   D. learn

    It seems that everybody tells lies—well,not big lies,but“white lies”(善意的謊言) .Telling white lies isn’t really that bad. Most of the time,people do it because they want to protect (^ f/1) friendship or they don't want to hurt someone. Here are some ways they do it.

              ★ Giving false excuses 

  Sometimes people like telling lies because they don't want to do something. For example,someone invites you to a party. You think it will be boring,so you say you’re busy.

            ★ Lying to make someone feel good 

   Often we don't tell the truth to make someone feel good. For example,your friend cooks dinner for you,but it tastes terrible. Do you say so? No!You will probably (可能) say, “Mmm,this is delicious!”

            ★ Lying to hide bad news 

   Sometimes,we don't want to tell someone bad news. For example,you have just had a terrible day at work,but you don't want your family to worry about you. So if your parents ask you about your day,you just say everything is fine.

Dear Anna Peterson,

   I'm having some troubles now. I ever did well in my study before. But now I find it difficult to concentrate on (集中精力) it. Even when I'm in school,in the quiet classroom and when the teacher is speaking in class,I can't concentrate. I don't think about anything;my mind goes nothing. And sometimes I think about something. It could be anything,say a movie. And then I act like one of the characters (人物) ，and I do this everywhere. I don't even realize what I'm doing till something gets my attention and pulls me back to my real life.

    I can't always remember the important things my teacher says,because I write too slowly. I'm not good at writing and I usually hand in my homework late because I put off doing it until the last minute. So I often have to find different excuses to tell my teacher why I didn't do my homework. I'm sure I'm going to fail my final exam in late January. I'm behind other students now and I don't know how to catch up with them. But there is only one month left,you know. I am worried all day,and I know this won’t be helpful for me at all. I get distracted (分心的) really easily.

    My life has changed a lot. Can you help me?

                                          Yours,

                                         Mel Barnes

1. From the letter we can see that needs great help.

   A. Anna Peterson

   B. Mel Barnes

   C. Mel Barnes’ friend

   D. Anna Peterson and Mel Bames

2. We can believe that Anna Peterson may be a

   A. father   B. doctor

   C. student   D. hotline host

3. Mel Bames likes now.

   A. working hard at school

   B. doing sports in his spare time

   C. having a daydream in his mind

   D. doing housework at home

4. Mel Bames wrote to Anna Peterson .

   A. in early December   B. in late December

   C. in late January   D. in late February

5. According to the passage,which of the following is NOT true?

   A. Mel was good at his study before.

   B. Mel can't remember the important things in class now.

   C. Mel didn't get through his final exam in January.

   D. Mel's life has changed a lot.

    There was a very self-sufficient (自負(fù)的) blind man,who did a lot of traveling alone. He was making his first trip to Texas and happened to be seated next to a Texan on the flight. The Texan spent a lot of time telling him how everything is bigger and better in Texas. By the time the blind man had reached his destination (目的地) ，a large hotel,he was very excited about being in Texas.

    The long trip had worn him out a little so he decided to stop at the bar for a small drink and a light snack before going up to his room to change his clothes. When the waitress set down his drink,it was in a huge cup. ‘‘Wow,I had heard everything in Texas is bigger,” he told her.

    “That's right”，she answered. The blind man ate his snack and finished his drink. After drinking so much,it was only natural his next stop was going to the restroom. He asked the waitress where it was. She told him to turn left at the register (登 i己處) and it would be the second door on the right.

   He reached the first door and continued down the hall. A few steps later he stumbled (緙腳) and missed the second door altogether and ended up going through the third door instead. Not knowing he had entered the swimming area he walked forward and fell into the swimming pool.

    Remembering everything he had heard about things being bigger in Texas,as soon as he had his head above water he started shouting, “Don’t flush (7中 洗) ！

   Don’t flush!”

1. What was the first thing the blind man did in the hotel?

   A. He talked with a Texan.

   B. He had a small drink and a light snack.

   C. He went up to his room to change his clothes.

   D. He wanted to go to the restroom.

2. What is the Chinese meaning of the underlined word “waitress” ？

   A. 店主   B. 男服務(wù)員

   C. 女服務(wù)員   D. 客人

3. What did the blind man know about Texas before he got there?

   A. He went there for the first time and knew nothing about it.

   B. He knew that the Texan were very friendly.

   C. He knew Texas very well from others.

   D. He knew everything was bigger and better in Texas.

4. Where did the blind man really go at last?

   A. He went into the restroom.

   B. He went into a bar.

   C. He went into the swimming area.

   D. He went up into his room.

5. Where did the blind man think he went?

   A. He thought he went into the restroom.

   B. He thought he went into a bar.

   C. He thought he went into the swimming area.

   D. He thought he went up into his room.

    If you are easily angry or too tired,maybe you need better sleep. Many reasons can influence (影響) a good night's sleep,such as relationship or illnesses (疾 病) Start with the following simple sleep tips. Of course,if you often have trouble sleeping,see your doctor. He may help you get the better sleep.

   ★ Keep a sleep schedule (時間表) Go to bed and get up at the same time every day,even on weekends and holidays. If you don't fall asleep in 15 minutes,get up and do something helpful so that you can feel relaxed. Go back to bed when you’re tired.

   ★ Care what you eat and drink Don’t go to bed when you are hungry or full. Or it can keep you up. If something you eat has nicotine (尼古丁) ，caffeine (咖啡因) or alcohol (酒精) ，it can influence the quality (質(zhì)量) of sleep.

   ★ Keep a bedtime habit Do the same things each night to tell your body it's time to calm down. You can take a warm shower,read a book,or listen to relaxing (令人放松的) music. Don’t use the TV set or other electronic devices (電子設(shè)施) as part of your bedtime habit.

    ★ Limit daytime naps (小睡) If you have some naps during the day,you will be active and can't fall asleep quickly in the evening. Limit (限制) the naps in the daytime.

1. If you don't fall asleep in 15 minutes,you should

   A. be angry with yourself

   B. never sleep again

   C. get up and do something relaxing

   D. get up and eat something

2. can not influence your sleep.

   A. Nicotine   B. Caffeine

   C. Alcohol   D. Milk

3. Before going to bed,you can do the following except

   A. taking a warm shower

   B. playing computer games

   C. reading a book

   D. listening to relaxing music

4. If you often can^ sleep well,please .

   A. keep a sleep schedule

   B. care what you eat and drink

   C. keep a bedtime habit

   D. ask the doctor for help

5. The advice of “Limit daytime naps” mainly tells us that .

   A. you should have fewer naps during the day

   B. the naps during the day are bad for your health

   C. you shouldn’t have any naps at all during the day

   D. you’d better fall asleep quickly in the evening

    Last week,our teacher,Ms Chen,and the whole class went camping in the mountains. When we 1 there,Ms Chen began to teach us to start a camp fire 2 If bears and snakes were close to 3 , they might get burned and run away. Ms Chen also 4 us to catch fish,so we could have more food to eat that night. I really liked the air there because it was so fresh and 5 Many stars were up high in the 6 and the moon looked so lovely. We sat around the fire and Ms Chen told us some stories about her childhood. She was bom into a poor 7 but she worked very hard. Many of us were so touched. I couldn’t 8 the whole night. I was thinking about being a teacher in the future. When I got home,my dad 9 me about the camping, “ Was it fun?” I told him ,“Everything was 10 . I especially love Ms Chen's stories. I want to be a teacher in the future. ”

1. A. left   B. arrived

   C. flew   D. lost

2. A. first   B. then

   C. finally   D. next

3. A. him   B. them

   C. me   D. it

4. A. fed   B. finished

   C. taught   D. spoke

5. A. dirty   B. clean

   C. thin   D. fat

6. A. sun   B. bag

   C. sky   D. tree

7. A. room   B. school

   C. river   D. family

8. A. drink   B. eat

   C. sleep   D. walk

9. A. asked   B. answered

   C. told   D. explained

10. A. bad       B. great

   C. hard   D. easy

閱讀左欄的五段文字，然后在右欄A-G中找出與它們匹配的信息。

1.2.3.4.5.

 One day,I was cooking with my friend Sandy in the kitchen. Suddenly,Sandy had her finger cut. I went to her quickly. But to my surprise,I saw computer chips in her finger.

   “Now you know my secret,you have to die!” Sandy said and picked up the knife. ‘‘No,please,Sandy. Aren’t we good friends?” I shouted. But before Sandy could say anything,she fainted.

   “Oh,Sandy!” I took her to the hospital in a hurry. After a doctor checked her,he said, “I'm afraid I can't help her. Why don't you take her to a robot center?”

    I hurried to a robot center. A few days later,Sandy was well. She asked,uMary,why did you save me even after I tried to kill you?”

    “Because I'm sure you are my friend. Can you tell me where you are from?”

    “I'm from another planet (星球) . It's far from here. Thank you,my friend. Now I see how friendly people are on Earth. ”

Two days later,a UFO came and picked her up. Since then,I've never seen her.

1. What was Sandy doing when she had her finger cut?

   A. She was watching a film named UFO.

   B. She was cooking in the kitchen.

   C. She was getting ready for the coming party.

   D. She was doing some shopping with her friends.

2. What did Sandy want to do when her friend knew her secret?

   A. She wanted to kill her friend.

   B. She wanted to run after her friend.

   C. She wanted to go to the hospital.

   D. She wanted to play with the knife.

3. Who saved Sandy's life in the end?

   A. The writer and the police.

   B. The doctors in the hospital.

   C. The doctors and the robots.

   D. The writer and the experts in the robot center.

4. Where was Sandy from?

   A. Another country. B. A robot center.

   C. Another planet. D. A hospital.

5. According to the passage,which of the following is NOT true?

   A. Finally,Sandy told the writer her secret.

   B. At last,Sandy thought the people on the Earth were friendly.

   C. Sandy went away by UFO.

   D. Sandy has returned to the Earth several times.

 On Miami Beach,you can see a large group of huge pink snails creeping (爬行) there. Will you 1 that they are part of a strange cartoon show? The answer is No!2 ，

they are part of an art project to encourage people to have a clean environment.

   The forty-five huge pink snails are not 3 snails. They were made 4 Italian organization Cracking Art Group using recycled material and having a very small carbon footprint (碳足跡) .Cracking Art Group 5 with Italy's Galleria Ca’d’Oro for this project.

   These pink snails have 6 Paris,Milan and Prague. Now,they are placed throughout the whole city of 7 “ The huge pink snails are 8 to make people pay more attention to the importance of recycling and its environmental influence. At the same time,they will leave a strong artistic trace (足跡) on Miami Beach,” said the organizers.

    The project will encourage Miami Beach visitors to 9 the present living environment and rebuild the city in a new,10 way. Besides this,the organizers also hope that these snails can help people to slow down their lives and enjoy their lives better.

1. A. say   B. find

   C. think   D. believe

2. A. In fact   B. By the way

   C. However   D. Instead

3. A. pink   B. clean

   C. busy   D. real

4. A. from   B. into

   C. by   D. with

5. A. played   B. agreed

   C. helped   D. worked

6. A. lived in   B. come from

   C. visited   D. arrived in

7. A. Paris   B. Milan

   C. Prague   D. Miami

8. A. designed   B. asked

   C. hoped   D. made

9. A. look for   B. think about

   C. close to   D. give away

10. A. pleasant   B. healthy

   C. hard   D. familiar

  Eating habits are different in many countries. The Chinese have a saying ,‘‘ Eat good things for breakfast,eat a big meal for lunch,but eat less at dinner. ”Many Americans agree that one should start the day with a good breakfast,but their ideas about lunch and dinner are different.

    Most Americans only give themselves a short time for lunch. So they eat a small meal. After work they will have more time to eat a big dinner. Also a quiet dinner at home with all the family members talking about their day is a way to rest after a long,hard day of work.

    Eating at a restaurant is also different. In China,people like to talk and laugh while eating. Very often you can hear people talking and laughing loudly,and they are just having a good time. In America it is not like this. People want a quiet place where they can eat a good meal far away from the noise of the outside world. If some people are talking too loudly,the manager may come out and ask them to leave.

1. Which is the good way for keeping healthy in China?

   A. Eating nothing for breakfast.

   B. Eating less to lose weight.

   C. Eating less at dinner.

   D. Eating what you want.

2. How long do most Americans only give themselves for lunch?

   A. The whole noon. B. A long time.

   C. A short time. D. At the workplace.

3. Is talking at table a way to rest in America?

   A. Yes,it is.

   B. No,it isn’t.

   C. No,they don't talk.

   D. They have dinner in a restaurant.

4. What do people like to do when we are having a meal in China?

   A. Talking. 

    B. Laughing.

   C. Only eating quietly. 

    D. A and B.

5. What will the manager of the restaurant do if some people are talking too loudly in America?

   A. Talk with them happily.

   B. Ask them to be quiet.

   C. Let them go away.

   D. Do nothing.