Trees are useful to man（人類）in three very important ways. The first important way is that they provide man with food, wood and other products. Trees provide not only man with food, but also many animals with food. Without trees many animals could not live on the earth. It's not easy for man to live on the earth, either.
The second important way is that trees give us shade. On a hot summer day, people are eager(渴望)to have a rest under the shade of a tree after they have walked a long way. You can imagine how important the shade of a tree is to man and to animals.
The third important way is that trees help to prevent drought（干旱）and floods（洪水）. However, in many parts of the world, man has not realized the third important way. He has cut trees down in large numbers. In the end he finds that he has lost the best friends he had.
【小題1】Trees are important to man in       ways.

A．2

B．3

C．4

D．5

【小題2】Which sentence is true?

A．Trees give food to both man and animals.

B．Trees only provide animals with food.

C．Trees give food to neither man nor animals.

D．Trees only provide man with food

【小題3】On a hot summer day,        .

A．people are eager to have a rest

B．people usually walk a long way

C．a(chǎn)nimals don't need shade

D．the shade of a tree is very important to man and to animals

【小題4】In many parts of the world, man has not realized that trees help to          

A．give us food	B．give us shade
C．prevent drought and floods	D．give us wood

【小題5】In this story the underlined word "He" means       .

A．farmer

B．man

C．worker

D．boy

Childhood is a time of fun and games. Many people still remember when they were young, they often played games like hide-and-seek and chess. Playing teaches children how to get along with others, and it also helps to exercise the mind and body. However, children today spent most of their playing time in front of the computer, playing video games.
A recent survey found that in the US children between 8 and 12 spent at least 13 hours a week playing video games or “gaming”. Boys of this age spend even more time, almost 16 hours a week. Although some people will say that gaming is helpful, it brings many problems as well.
One big problem is that kids who spend most of their time on games might have difficulty communicating with real people. They might have trouble sharing and resolving problems because they do not practice these shills when sitting alone at a computer.
Another problem is about health. Game players usually sit for hours without doing any exercise. And they might not eat healthily. As a result, they might be out of shape.
Next, game players might have trouble with their lessons. Many of them spend more time playing games than working on their homework. In the end, _______________.
Finally, it is always possible that the gamers become addicted(成癮). Some people play four or five hours a day or even all day. This happened to a 28-year-old Korean man. He spent about 50 hours playing an online game without sleeping or eating well. He died while gaming!
This is one example of the dangers of video gaming. It tells us that video gaming, like everything else, should not be done too much. A few hours a week should not hurt, but several hours a day just might be dangerous to your health.
【小題1】Children of 8 to 12 in the US spent at least _____ hours a week playing video games.

A．13

B．16

C．28

D．50

【小題2】How many problems about playing video games are mentioned in the passage?

A．Two.

B．Three

C．Four

D．Five

【小題3】Which of the following is the right sentence for the blank(空白處) in Paragraph 5?

A．they might become ill	B．they might lose their friends
C．they might stop playing games	D．they might get lower grades at school

【小題4】What does the writer want to tell us by writing this passage?

A．Video gaming has quite a lot of advantages.

B．Video gaming might be a dangerous thing.

C．Childhood is a time of fun and games.

D．Children should learn how to get along with others

Space travel is nothing new. The first spacecraft with a human was sent up into space in 1961. Since then, people have not only traveled to space, but also many of them have lived there in space stations for some time.
The Soviet Union(前蘇聯(lián)) sent the first space station into space in 1971. This space station was called Salyut 1. Salyut 1 was designed as a place where people could live while they observed space and did experiments. The first group of astronauts lived there for 23 days. The Soviet Union went on to make seven more Salyut space stations. At about the same time, the United States built its own space station, called Skylab.
Astronauts visited and often lived in these space stations for a short time. However, it wasn’t until the late 1980s when The Soviet Union sent the Mir space station that people began to live in space for a longer time. Mir stayed in space from 1989 until 2001, when it was decided that the space station was too old and no longer safe to live in.
Living in space stations seems to be fun, but astronauts face many problems. One of them is food. All the meals on space station are put together on Earth and sent there by space shuttle. Because the food has to last a long time (sometimes up to three months), a lot of it has to be stored in cans. The space station does not have a fridge, but it has a cool room to keep fruit and vegetables fresh. Astronauts also eat many other foods such as dried meat that do not need special care.
Without the help of gravity, sitting down to eat can be tough. Astronauts sometimes have to fix themselves to the wall while eating. They also have to be very careful to that food does not float away.
【小題1】Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “observed” in Paragraph 2?

A．Discovered

B．Checked

C．Watched

D．Fixed

【小題2】 What can we infer(推斷)from the passage?

A．Astronauts can never have a chance to eat fresh food when they live in space station.

B．The Soviet Union sent a total of 9 space stations into space in the 1970s and 1980s.

C．Astronauts could live in the Mir space station for no more than three weeks.

D．Space travel has quite a long history of more than 60 years.

【小題3】What is the best title of this passage?

A．Exploring Space

B．Space Travel

C．Living in Space

D．Space Stations

Americans use many expressions with the word dog. People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well.
Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world. That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs. They say if a person wants to be successful he has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people dog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.
Still, people say every dog has its day. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks(手藝). They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.
Dog expressions are also used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rain in summer may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs.
【小題1】If a person without lots of money wants to buy a car, he or she has to ______.

A．treat the dog well	B．live with lots of dogs
C．work like a dog	D．become sick as a dog

【小題2】The saying you can never teach an old dog new tricks tells us older people ______.

A．have more ways to do things	B．do things more slowly
C．dislike to learn new things	D．know wonderful tricks

【小題3】Which of the following is NOT true according to this passage?

A．Many dogs are loved and treated well by people in America.

B．“Every dog has its day” means dogs are the most successful animal.

C．“It rains cats and dogs” has the same meaning as “It rains heavily”.

D．There are many expressions with the word dog in English.

Co-operation (合作)is always needed when you make a project that the teacher gives you.
First, discuss all you would like to do with your classmates. Choose one of the members to write down what you’re talking about. Then, with the ideas you get, list all you want. Everyone shares the duty for the project. You can collect information not only from books but also on the internet. Making a survey and doing a research are also good ways. After that, all the members put what has been found together. Try to make the project more well-organized. In the end, you can give a report in front of your class to show the results of your hard work.

【小題1】You need ________________when you make a project.
How to do it?	【小題2】First,           with your classmates and choose one of the members to 【小題3】           what you’re talking about. Second, collect and list all you want. 【小題4】                           are also good ways. After that, put what has been found together and make the project more well-organized. 【小題5】In the end, show the results of your hard work by                   .

 

If you want to become a better reader, here are four important points to remember about rate or speed(速度)of reading:
First, knowing why you are reading and what you are reading to find out will often help you to know whether to read rapidly or slowly.
Second, some things should be read slowly. Examples are directions for making or doing something; arithmetic(算術(shù))problems, science and history books. They are full of important information. You must read such things slowly to remember each important step and understand each idea.
Third, some things should be read rapidly. Examples are simple stories for enjoyment, news, letters from friends, items or bits of news from local or hometown paper, telling what is happening to friends and neighbors.
Fourth, in some of your readings, you must change your speed from fast to slow, and slow to fast, as you read. You’ll need to read certain pages rapidly and then slow down and do more careful reading when you come to important ideas which should be remembered.
【小題1】A tale about fairies(神話) should be read_________.

A．slowly

B．carefully

C．rapidly

D．to change one’s speed fast to slow

【小題2】A book about knowledge of the nature should be read _____________.

A．either rapidly or slowly

B．rapidly

C．neither rapidly nor slowly

D．slowly

【小題3】__________should be read slowly.

A．Novels	B．Letters
C．Some things full of important information	D．Newspapers and magazines

【小題4】In this passage the author advises us to ____________.

A．read more books	B．be better readers
C．fit our speed to our needs	D．change our speed of reading now and then(不時地)

【小題5】According to this passage, one must pay attention to _______in your reading.

A．why you are reading	B．what you are reading
C．the speed of reading	D．careful reading

Basketball is still a young game. It's over a hundred years old. In the winter of 1891, a certain college was having some trouble with its boy students. The weather was bad and the students had to stay indoors. As they couldn't play outdoors, they were unhappy, and some even got into fights from time to time.
　　Some of the teachers, at the college asked Dr. Naismith to invent a game so that the students might have something to play with. It was not easy to invent such a game because it had to be played indoors , and the court (球場) was not very large.
　　Dr. Naismith thought for a few days and invented a kind of ball game. It was a fast, wonderful game with much moving and passing of the ball. It was played between two teams. To make a score , the ball had to be thrown into the basket ten feet(英尺) above the floor on the wall . At each end of the court there was such a basket. At first, Dr. Naismith wanted to throw the ball into a box. As he could not find boxes of the right size, he had to use fruit baskets instead. That is how the game got its name.
【小題1】How long is it since basketball was invented?

A．1000 years	B．More than 100 years
C．1100 years	D．Less than 100 years

【小題2】The students felt unhappy because _______.

A．they had much homework to do

B．they often got into fights

C．they couldn't play outdoors

D．they had little time to study

【小題3】Who asked Dr. Naismith to invent a game?

A．Some students	B．Some teachers
C．Some students' parents	D．Some of his friends

【小題4】When a student ______ , he makes a score.

A．receives the ball.

B．throws the ball to another student

C．runs quickly with the ball in his hand

D．throws the ball into the basket

【小題5】Which sentence is right?

A．Dr. Naismith had to use fruit baskets to throw the ball.

B．It was easy to invent the game.

C．The students could go outdoors when the weather was bad.

D．The ball had to be thrown into the basket ten feet above the floor.

Bamboo (竹子) is one of nature's (自然) most surprising plants. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass.
Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist reported one bamboo plant which grew 1. 5 metres(4 feet) in 24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe. There are more than 1, 000 kinds of bamboo.
Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimetres wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimetres (1 foot) across. This plant also comes in different colours, from yellow to black to green.
Bamboo has been used to make many things such as hats and kitchen tools( 廚房用具). Because it is strong, bamboo is also used to build buildings.
Many Asian countries have used bamboo for hundreds of years. They often use bamboo for buildings and supporting (支撐) new buildings and bridges while they are being built.
In Africa, poor farmers are taught how to find water using bamboo. These African countries need cheap way to find water because they have no money, and their fields often die from no rain and no water. Bamboo pipes( 管子) help poor farmers bring water to their thirsty fields without spending a lot of money.
【小題1】How is bamboo like grass?

A．It grows quickly.

B．It's wood. `

C．it is easy to cut.

D．It is very thin.

【小題2】Though you can see bamboo everywhere, it doesn't grow      .

A．in China

B．in Europe

C．on mountains

D．in Africa

【小題3】Why is bamboo used by African poor farmers? Because       .

A．it is cheap	B．it has different colours
C．it is strong	D．it has been used by Asians

【小題4】Bamboo pipes can      .

A．make money

B．be trees

C．grow quickly

D．carry water

【小題5】In Asia, bamboo has been used for      .

A．a(chǎn) short time

B．many thousands of years

C．many hundreds of years

D．a(chǎn)bout 100 years

Audrey is a Chinese-American student. She has found many value differences between Chinese and Americans.
About money
Americans would like to spend more than they have, so many of them are always in debt(欠債). Chinese usually spend less than they have, so many of them have money left in the bank.
American kids love to make money by themselves. Chinese kids always ask their parents for money.
American parents think it is not useful to send their children to an expensive university. Chinese parents would do anything to send their children to a good university and that might make them very poor sometimes.
About school
Many American girls take part in sports, dancing and singing groups while Chinese girls take part in academic groups.
Some American students think that “B” is a gift while Chinese students think that “B” is terrible.
American parents and Chinese parents
American parents allow their daughters or sons to go out to have some part-time jobs in their free time or at the weekends. Chinese parents usually don’t allow their children to do so in middle or high schools.
【小題1】What would a Chinese middle school student probably NOT do at the weekends according to the passage?

A．Study at home	B．Do part-time jobs
C．Take part in sports groups	D．Do chores

【小題2】Some Chinese people have money left in the bank because _______.

A．they usually spend less than they have

B．they spend more than they have

C．they don’t like spend money at all

D．they make a lot of money

【小題3】Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Chinese parents usually give their kids money.

B．American children love to make money by themselves.

C．The reason why Chinese parents would do anything to send their children to good universities.

D．Americans usually spend more money than they have.

【小題4】The underlined word “academic” probably means _________ in Chinese.

A．學(xué)術(shù)的

B．娛樂的

C．運(yùn)動的

D．休閑的

【小題5】The best title for the passage would probably be _______.

A．Differences between Chinese and Americans.

B．Chinese students and Americans

C．Chinese parents and American parents.

D．Chinese values and American values

Is there someone you hate? Well, maybe you don’t really hate them. But you get really angry every time you think of them. If you don’t let this anger go, it can turn into bitterness(痛苦)。
Bitterness often appears when we can’t forgive someone who has hurt us or made us angry. Someone might say or do something that hurts us. But instead of controlling the anger, we keep it deep inside. Before long, a bitter feeling begins to grow. We may think we’re hurting that person by criticizing(指責(zé)) him or her often, but we’re really only hurting ourselves.
Bitterness can not only lead to serious health problems such as heart disease, but also hurt our relationship with friends and family members. No one enjoys being around an anger person for very long.
If you see bitterness in your life, here are some ways to help you to deal with it.
Accept(接受) it
Instead of trying to deny your anger, make it clear to yourself and accept it. See your anger for what it is and quickly deal with it.
Stop making excuses for it
You may feel you have a right to be angry. You may think you’re right and the other person is wrong. You may even secretly enjoy making the other person look bad. But in the end, bitterness hurts you much more than the other person. The bitterness will hold you back, and the other person will go on with his or her life.
Forgive(原諒) and forget it
You probably can’t completely put the anger out of your mind. But you can decide to forgive the other person. Forget it and move on. You’ll enjoy better health and peace of mind.
【小題1】According to the passage, we might get angry when someone_________.

A．holds us back

B．forget us

C．doesn’t like us

D．does hurt us

【小題2】Bitterness comes from      .

A．our health problems like hear disease

B．the anger that lives deep inside our mind

C．the person who says something that hurts us

D．our relationship with friends and family members

【小題3】The underlined word “deny” in the passage means         .

A．誤解

B．否認(rèn)

C．疏遠(yuǎn)

D．減輕

【小題4】The best way to deal with the bitterness is to___________.

A．make the person who hurts you look bad

B．hate the person who hurts us often

C．a(chǎn)ccept that we are hurting the other person

D．forgive the person who hurts us and forget it

【小題5】The writer wrote this article to tell us that ______________.

A．we should enjoy someone who hurts us

B．we should pay more attention to our friends.

C．the peace of mind is more important than hurt itself

D．it’s better to let bitterness go along with the other person