A baby camel asked his mother, "why do we have such large hoofs on our feet?" She turned to him
and began her explanation.
     "The big hoofs are to keep us from sinking into the sand."
      "Oh!So why do we have long eyelashes?"
     "It's to protect our eyes from the sand."
     "Why the big humps?"
     "That is to store fat and have enough energy to go long distances in the hot desert!"
     "I see!"the baby camel stretched his neck and looked up at his mother."Then what are we doing in
this cage in the middle of a zoo?"
     Like the baby camel, I had asked the same kind of questions. When my blindness set in, I first
locked myself in a cage of self-pity and bitterness. I was tired of walking out of that dark cage.
      Heavens! What was I thinking? Those bars were self-imposed (自我強(qiáng)加的). Finally, eagerness to
leave it inspired me to open my ears to hear a reassuring whisper--I was created for much more.
     I broke down those bars and stepped out into the desert of life. I walked difficultly through the heat
with determination. And the hooves of confidence kept me from sinking into the sand of danger.
     Each time I reached another point on my journey, my eyes saw a whole new world with opportunities
to make a difference. Best of all, I was pleased that I was indeed created for much more! Bars come in
all sizes and shapes. But none can hold up the force of determination that breaks them down.
      Step back and peek at what bars limit you. Take a deep breath, break them down, and come out
into the freshness of a new life!

1. The dialogue between the baby camel and his mother is quoted to _____.

   A. show the hard life of camels
   B. encourage readers to ask questions
   C. introduce the topic of the passage
   D. make the passage interesting

2. In the passage, the underlined word "bars" refers to ______.

   A. the cage for the author to stay in
   B. the cage for the camels to stay in
   C. the bad self-imposed situation around the author
   D. something lying here and there in the desert

3. According to the passage, we know that the author _______.

   A. feels sad about the baby camel
   B. seems to like the mother camel's situation
   C. still can't recover form the bitterness
   D. once felt hopeless in his life

      Barbara and Barry Zucker--- Pinchoff, both doctors from New York City, took their three
daughters on a walking safari(旅行)last year in Tanzania. Barbara told about their experience in
Kinbero, "It is the most remote(遙遠(yuǎn)的)place we have ever been to," camping with a few other
Americans, two Tanzanian guides, and several Hadza(哈扎人)who had time to sit and chat
because they had just killed a giraffe.
     About 400 members of the Eastern Hadza tribe(部落)live in Tanzania today, the only
hunter-gatherers who remain in Africa. The Hadza hunt game, gather edible plants and honey,
and move from place to place whenever the weather changes. Every two weeks or so, they move
to a new campsite.
     At the Pinchoffs' campsite, three Hadza men stopped by to visit and ended up staying three
days. One of the guides gave the men a cigarette. They took out the tobacco, put it in a pipe, and
lit the pipe with fire they started.
     It takes less than two hours for Hadza women to build a new camp. They make huts(茅屋)by
bending branches into round structures about six feet high, and then covering them with long,
golden grass. If the weather is very wet, the women may choose a dry cave to set up a camp. Some
rock caves have been used over thousands of years and are decorated(裝飾)with ancient rock
paintings. Whether they sleep in huts, caves or in the open, the Hadza cover themselves only with thin
cloths and depend on fire to keep them warm.
     The Hadza refuse to be "settled" into villages or to have the life of farmers. By 1979, almost all of
them had returned to their old ways. They Hadza may be the only tribe in Africa that has never paid
taxes.

1. The passage mainly tells us          .

A. one of the author's travel experiences
B. the life of the Hadza tribe in Tanzania
C. Barbara's walking safari in Tanzania
D. the efforts of the Hadza to keep their old ways

2. What do we know about the life of the Hadza?

A. They change their campsites regularly. 
B. They live mainly on farming.
C. They keep warm using leaves at night.  
D. It takes them a long time to set up a camp.

3. Where do the Hadza live in wet weather?

A. On the farm.  
B. In huts.  
C. In caves.  
D. In the open.

     It was in 1865 that two Frenchmen were looking into the future. Edouard de Laboulaye, who studied
history, admired the United States greatly. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was a famous artist. De Laboulaye was thinking about 1876, when the country he respected so much would celebrate its 100th birthday.
What gift would be good enough for the people of France to give? Right away, Bartholdi thought of a
giant statue.
     Bartholdi kept thinking about a statue for several years. Then, in 1871, he visited the United States
and saw the perfect place for a huge statue. It was Bedloe's Island in New York.
     The project - the Statue of Liberty - got started almost immediately, and Bartholdi went home to
France to begin work. However, the statue was not finished in time for the 100th birthday. The United
States Congress approved (批準(zhǔn)) the use of Bedloe's Island on February 22, 1877. During the 100th
celebration in 1876, the arm of the statue that would hold the torch was shown in Philadelphia. In 1879
the huge head was put on display in France. For the face of the statue, Bartholdi used his mother as a
     The statue was finally completed in 1884. The work had been difficult enough, but then some really
hard work began. The statue had to be taken apart and packed into boxes. It was not until May 1885
that the statue - in pieces - left France for its new home.
     The statue arrived in June. However, the Americans fell behind on their part of the project. They
hadn't raised enough money for building the base of the statue. People wondered if the country really
needed or wanted such a gift. Finally, though, the money was raised and the base was completed. The
last piece of the statue was put in place on October 28, 1886.

1. What's the right order of the following events?

a.The arm of the statue that would hold the torch was shown in Philadelphia.
b. The United States Congress approved the use of Bedloe's Island.
c. The huge head of the statue was put on display in France.
d. Bartholdi visited the United States.

A. d a b c
B. d b a c
C. b a c d
D. b d a c

2.When did the work on the statue begin?

A. As soon as Bartholdi thought of it.
B. After the United States Congress agreed to it.
C. After Bartholdi saw Bedloe's Island.
D. Not until the US had raised enough money.

3.What happened after the Statue of Liberty was completed?

A. It was put together for shipping.
B. It was taken apart and packed for shipping.
C. It was cleaned up for shipping.
D. It was put in place on its base in France.

     Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But many years ago, it wasn't easy at all. Before 1750, people
never tried skating on wheels. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin's work was
making instruments. In his free time he liked to play the violin. Merlin was a man with many ideas and
many dreams. People called him a dreamer.
    One day Merlin received an invitation to go to an important party. He was very pleased and a little
excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think. He wanted to find a way to make a
wonderful entrance at the party. Merlin had an idea. He thought that he would attract a lot of attention if
he could skate into the room.
    Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each
shoe. These were the first roller skate shoes. Merlin was very proud of them. He dreamed of arriving at
the party and skating into the room while playing the violin. He was sure that everyone would be very
surprised.
    On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room, playing his violin. Everyone was really surprised
to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skating. He rolled on,
playing the violin. Then, with all eyes on him, Merlin hit into a huge mirror on the wall. The mirror broke
into many pieces with a very loud noise.
    Nobody forgot Merlin's wonderful entrance after that.

1. The story tells us that people began to enjoy roller-skating _______.           

A. before the year 1750
B. before the invitation
C. because of Joseph Merlin
D. because it was dangerous

2. People called Merlin a dreamer because ___________.        

A. he slept and dreamed a lot   
B. he was full of different ideas
C. he invented the first roller skates  
D. he always made people's dreams come true

3. ___________ made Merlin think of skating on wheels.

A. Merlin's work          
B. Merlin's violin
C.A huge mirror          
D. An important party

4. What was Merlin's problem after he rolled into the room?

A. He couldn't stop his roller-skating.
B. He couldn't attract a lot of attention.
C. Everyone was surprised at him.
D. He couldn't play the violin while rolling.

1. According to the passage, the sad music make Jack think of _____.

A. His uncle
B. His father
C. His mother
D. His family

2. We can know that Jack used to live______.

A. in Egypt
B. in Jerusalem
C. in Jordan
D. in Cairo

3. Jack tried to find out that_____.

A. Where his father lived in the past
B. Where his grandparents was from
C. He wanted to know more about his family
D. All of above

4. It is implied that______.

A. Jack wants his family to lead a good life
B. Jack has a photograph taken with his family
C. Jack looks happy and enjoys love from his family
D. Jack is a lonely man and knows little about his father