"Other countries have a climate, in England we have weather," Englishmen often say. This really tells us
something about England and it is true. From these words we can see Englishmen believe that what happens in
England is not the same as what happens in other places. And any foreigners staying in the country for longer
than a few days will be sure of the truth of the words.
      Only in England, it has been said, can one go through four seasons in one day. The day may begin as a
gentle morning, an hour or so later black clouds may have appeared from nowhere and it may rain heavily. At
noon it may become winter and the temperature may drop by eight or more degrees. And then in the late
afternoon the sky will clear up, the sun will begin to shine, and for an hour or two before darkness falls, it will
be summer.
      In England one can go through almost every kind of weather except the best or the worst. Some foreigners
seem to think that for ten months of the year the country is covered by fog. It is not true. We never know when
the different kinds of weather will occur. Not only do we get a few different kinds of weather in one day, but
also we may get winter weather in summer and summer weather in winter.
Questions:
1. Who often enjoy talking about weather?
    _____________________________________________________________________
2. Is the weather in England the same as that in other countries?
    _____________________________________________________________________
3. How many seasons can one actually go through in one day in England?
    _____________________________________________________________________
4. What is England covered by for most of the time according to some foreigners?
    _____________________________________________________________________
5. What's the main idea of the passage?
    _____________________________________________________________________

　　I am an English teacher in an international school. I have students from all
over the world. Let me tell you about my favorite students.
　　Matt comes from New York. He loves rap music. When he walks between 
classmates, they respect (尊敬) him because he's big for his age. In his free time
he often watches action movies and practices kung fu. Today he takes part in a
kung competition.
　　Kate is another one of my favorite students. She is a tall, beautiful girl from
London. She is a good student and she's always studying. Sometimes she can't
sleep because she thinks too much about her lessons. Her favorite sport is
swimming. She says she wants to be a doctor when she leaves school. I hope
she will succeed!

1. Where' are the students in the international school from?

A. New York.              
B. London.
C. All over the world.      
D. America.

2. What does Matt do today?

A. He practices kungfu.
B. He joins in a kung competition today.
C. He takes an exam.
D. He watches an action movie.

3. Why do Matt's classmates respect him?

A. Because he is old.
B. Because he is thin for his age.
C. Because he is tall and strong for his age.
D. Because he is a dangerous boy.

4. What country does Matt come from?

A. England.                  
B. France.
C. The USA.                  
D. China.

5. What problem does Kate have?

A. Sometimes she can't go to bed.
B. Sometimes she can't fall asleep.
C. She is a good girl.
D. She is always studying.

Dear Tommy,
     I'm writing to you on your third birthday. I want to tell you something about your grandma's time. I
was born sixty-eight years ago in a small village.
     Transportation used to be a big problem. When we traveled from village to village, we used to walk
or ride horses.
     Shopping was not an easy job, either. There were no supermarkets in the neighborhood. We used to
grow most of our own food: rice and vegetables. We kept things cool in a special underground room.
      The biggest difference is that you have electricity (電). We didn't have electricity until very late in our
small village. We didn't have any televisions of course. We used to perform our local (地方的) music
and enjoy it very much.
     Life used to be very hard, but I was not upset. I would like you to know about the old days and be
happy about what you have when you grow up. Remember, feeling good about life is the key to happiness.
                                                                                                                                      Love,
                                                                                                                                     Your grandma

1. This letter is written by________.
A. a grandfather to a grandson
B. a grandmother to a grandson
C. a grandfather to a granddaughter
D. a grandmother to a granddaughter
2. Tommy is________ when the letter is written.
A. one      
B. two        
C. three        
D. four
3. This letter is mostly about ________.
A. the writer's old life experience
B. the writer's future life
C. what a kid can do for old people
D. how the writer has changed
4. Which is NOT true about the writer?
A. She was born in the countryside.
B. She felt good about the village life.
C. She used to grow vegetables in the village.
D. She used to walk or ride horses from city to city.
5. Why did the writer write this letter?
A. She wanted to show that life now is really happy.
B. She wanted to tell others that life was so hard in the past.
C. She wanted the kid to be positive about life in the future.
D. She wanted the kid to dream about his future life.

     Saturday,                                                                                   June 16th  
     In the morning, we went camping along a path in Green Natural Park. We were happy because it
was a sunny day. We were expecting an enjoyable two-day holiday. On the way, we kept singing and
making jokes.
     However, in the afternoon, when we finished our picnic at one o'clock, it was dark and windy.
Soon, there was a shower. Unluckily, none of us brought an umbrella. We ran about but we could find
no place to hide.
     Twenty minutes passed and it was still raining, There were hours to go before we reached the
campsite (野營(yíng)地). It was even worse that our small compass (指南針) showed that we went to the
wrong way. We had lost our way!  
      We had to make a quick decision as it was raining heavily. Chris said we could set up a tent to hide
in, so Mary and Tom helped to set up the tent. Chris and I tried to make a fire to keep us warm. But we
were unable to light the fire, as everything was wet. We dried ourselves, chatted and waited inside the
tent. At about five o'clock, it stopped raining. We decided to give up the camping trip because all of us
had been very tired.
     This camping trip may not be very successful but we know each other better. And the most
important thing I've learned from this trip is the importance of team spirit.

1. The writer went camping in Green Natural Park __________.

A. for 4 hour      
B. for 2 days      
C. in June      
D. in the afternoon

2. It was even worse that they __________.

A. had no picnic                      
B. lost their way
C. couldn't light the fire                
D. couldn't know each other

3. Chris suggested that they should __________ in the rain.

A. set up a tent                      
B. reach the campsite
C. keep singing                      
D. find a place to hide

4. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. It was sunny in the morning.          
B. None of them had an umbrella.
C. They gave up the camping at last.      
D. They ran about to dry themselves.

5. The writer has learned the importance of __________  from the trip.

A. making a decision                  
B. working together
C. enjoying holidays                  
D. taking a compass