If I were writing a history of my family, some of the darkest moments recorded would be those about Christmas trees. One would certainly think otherwise; selecting and putting up our trees have always been filled with risk. For example, one afternoon dangerously close to Christmas Eve my mother bought what she thought to be a bargain, a glorious tree that was so full and tall that we could hardly get it into the house. Once we did, my father immediately realized that we would have to hire a carpenter（木匠） to build a stand for it. Another December, perhaps the very next one, we bought a tree earlier than we ever had before. We were happy with its shape and delighted that its size was manageable. We easily placed it in a stand, decorated(装饰) it from top to bottom, and then self-satisfiedly sat back by the fire in its soft light. Two or three days passed and the truth could not be hidden; we had bought a tree cut so long ago that its needles were coming off. There was nothing to do but undecorate it, take it down, and begin tree shopping again. Our most recent Christmas tree offered still another difficult task. When we brought it home, once again it seemed larger than it was in the great outdoors. To complicate matters, we had bought a new stand, one whose nuts (螺帽) and bolts (闩子) worked more mysteriously than those of our old stands. I persuaded two young neighbors to stop playing basketball and to help us get the tree into the house and set it correctly in the stand. Unfortunately, no one noticed the mud on our helpers' shoes, so only after removing several reddish brown spots from the carpet were we able to discuss the question of where the lights and ornaments (装饰物)were stored. Perhaps those who cut their own trees have tales more painful than these. I don't care to hear them, as my family's experiences are enough to cause me to make the following suggestion:" Let's forget the tree next Christmas. Let's simply hang some flowers on the front door and over the mirror in the hall. "
1．The darkest moments in the writer's family were with the fact that _____.
A．the family bought big Christmas trees B．they had problems decorating their Christmas trees
C．they had problems picking suitable Christmas trees
D．they had problems finding carpenters for putting up Christmas trees
2．We can learn from the passage that the writer would like to _____.
A．forget about Christmas stories
B．get the neighbors to put up their trees
C．buy a better tree to celebrate Christmas
D．make other decorations rather than Christmas trees
3．When the writer said " my mother bought what she thought to be a bargain", he means ____.
A．she bought the tree at a cheap price
B．she didn't really want to buy it
C．she had to bargain hard with the salesman
D．she couldn't afford a more expensive one
4．Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A．How to Choose a Christmas Tree B．No More Christmas Tree for Us
C．Dark Moments of Life D．Christmas Without Trees
Are you carrying too much on your back at school? You're not alone. Back experts in the USA were worried that young students are having back and neck problems because they are carrying too much in their backpacks （schoolbags）.
"It hurts my back when I run，" said Beeline Reyes, a student in Virginia. "It's hard to get up the stairs with my backpack because it's too heavy. "
Students have to carry heavy backpacks on their backs for a whole week's study. Beeline is one of them. They have regular back-packs with two straps （带子）to carry them, but a number of students with heavy loads have switched to rolling backpacks. The backpacks have wheels and can roll on the ground.
Shirley Park's backpack weighs 10 kilos, and she said，"I'll change to a rolling backpack because I am starting to have back pain. "
How much is too much? Experts say that students should carry no more than 10 to 15 percent of their own body weight. A few students have had a good idea to lighten the load ： Less homework.
Doctor's suggestions ：
•Lighten the load. Take home only the books the students need that night.
•Wide straps are better. They can send out weight over your shoulders and be sure to wear backpacks with two straps.
•The heaviest things should be packed closest to the back.
•Bend （弯曲）both knees when you pick up the pack, don't just bend the waist（腰）.The main idea of the text is __________.
| A．the problems made by rolling backpacks |
| B．the goodness of backpacks |
| C．the best backpacks for students |
| D．how to make students' backpacks light |
From what Eglin Reyes and Shirley Park said, we know __________.
| A．students have to carry heavy backpacks |
| B．students have to do homework |
| C．backpacks with wheels are bad for students |
| D．students have no time to play because of homework |
By the words of the experts, it's better for a student of 40 kilos to carry a backpack of at most __________.
| A．10 kilos | B．8 kilos |
| C．6 kilos | D．7 kilos |
If students follow the doctor's suggestions, they __________.
| A．may do less homework |
| B．may feel their backpacks are lighter |
| C．can learn how to enjoy them |
| D．will know how to use backpacks |
"Let's go down one more, push your enter key..." says a volunteer helping senior citizens work a web（网）session on the Inter-net.
David Lansdale has found a way to light up the lives of the elderly. He gets them wired to the Internet. " If you hit your enter key, it will bring up this particular e-mail..."
Pauline Allen is one of those who has started using the Internet，" I thought I was through with life, I was ready for a rocking chair, because I was 86 years old. And I haven't found the rocking chair yet. " " You found the keyboard?" asks the reporter. " That's right, I found the keyboard. "
The average age of Lansdale's students is around 68. All are in nursing or assisted care homes. He used family relationships to introduce them to the World Wide Web.
David Lansdale says，" Here they are in California, the family was back in New York, the opportunity to connect, to cross the time and space, was incredibly precious （valuable） to them. "
"I hear you are so beautiful. " Lillian Sherly writes an e-mail to a newborn great granddaughter. Working with one another, the senior learn as a group. They learn to master the Internet and to overcome what Lansdale calls the maladies of the institutionalized ：loneliness, helplessness, boredom, and loss of memory.
Mary Harvey says，" Bingo just doesn't interest me. But this does, believe me, this does. "
Ninety-four-year-old Ruth Hyman is a star pupil and instructor. She says，" When I send a letter to my grandchildren, and great grandchildren, they hang it up in their offices, just like I used to hang their drawings on my refrigerator. Ha, ha. "
David Lansdale says，" There's a collective benefit. There is an element （因素）of treatment. Remember we started as a support group. "
Dixon Moorehouse says，"I just wish I was 15 years old and getting to learn all this. " The senior calls their weekly meetings Monday Night Live. And many say the meetings have given them new life. Ruth Hyman says，" Three years ago, they told me I wasn't going to live. But I showed them, and got work, and I've worked ever since.The purpose of David Lansdale's work is to __________.
| A．keep the health of the mind of the senior |
| B．popularize the use of computers among the old |
| C．organize the senior as a group to work |
| D．help the senior connect with their families |
The words "the maladies of the institutionalized" used in the text refer to __________.
| A．the difficulties in learning |
| B．the problems caused by getting old |
| C．some kinds of treatments |
| D．the worries about the Internet |
How many examples does the writer give to prove that the senior enjoy the Internet?
| A．Four. | B．Five. |
| C．Six. | D．Seven. |
It can be inferred that Ruth Hyman's younger generations hang her mails up __________.
| A．in order not to lose the letters |
| B．in order not to forget something important |
| C．to make the offices more beautiful |
| D．to show pride in their grandmother's work |
In the second half of each year, many powerful storms are born in the tropical （热带的）Atlantic and Caribbean seas. Of these, only about half a dozen becomes the strong, circling winds of 75 miles per hour or more that are called hurricanes, and several usually make their way to the coast. There they cause millions of dollars of damage, and bring death to large numbers of people.
The great storms that hit the coast start as soft circling wind hundreds-even thousands-of miles out to sea. As they travel aimlessly over water warmed by the summer sun, they are carried west-ward by the southeast winds. When conditions are just right, warm, moist（潮湿）air flows in at the bottom of such a wind, moves up-ward through it and comes out at the top. In the process（过程），the moisture in this warm air produces rain, and with it the heat is changed to energy in the form of strong winds. As the heat increases, the young hurricane begins to move in a counter-clockwise motion（逆时针运动）.
The life of a hurricane is only about nine days, but it contains almost more power than we can imagine. The energy in the heat re-leased （释放）by a hurricane's rainfall in a single day would satisfy the entire electrical needs of the United States for more than six months. Water, not wind, is the main source of death and destruction（毁灭）in a hurricane. A typical hurricane brings 6 to 12 inch downpours, causing sudden floods. Worst of all is the powerful movement of the sea-the mountains of water moving toward the hurricane center. The water level rises as much as 15 feet above normal as it moves toward shore.When is an ordinary tropical storm called a hurricane?
| A．When it begins in the Atlantic and Caribbean seas. |
| B．When it hits the coastline. |
| C．When it is more than 75 miles wide. |
| D．When its winds reach 75 miles per hour. |
What is the worst thing about hurricanes?
| A．The terrible effects of water. |
| B．The heat they give off. |
| C．That they last about nine days. |
| D．Their strong winds. |
Here the word "downpour" means __________.
| A．heavy rainfall |
| B．dangerous waves |
| C．the progress of water to the hurricane center |
| D．the increasing heat |
Which statement about a hurricane is wrong?
| A．It travels more than 75 miles per hour. |
| B．It usually stays about 9 days. |
| C．It usually causes 6 to 12 inch downpours. |
| D．It sometimes brings the sea water level to the height of 15feet. |
The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place. Now it is an ecological disaster area. Nauru's heartbreaking story could have one good consequence-other countries might learn from its mistakes.
For thousands of years, Polynesian people lived on the remote island of Nauru, far from western civilization. The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798. He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship. He called the island Pleasant Island.
However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first. Then whaling ships and other traders began to visit, bringing guns and alcohol. These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island. A ten-year civil war started, which reduced the population from 1，400 to 900.
Nauru's real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate（磷酸盐）on the island. In fact, it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate, which is a very important fertilizer for farming. The company began mining the phosphate.
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground; it is a strip mine. When a company strip-mines, it removes the top layer of soil. Then it takes away the material it wants. Strip-mining totally destroys the land. Gradually, the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon.
In 1968，Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world. Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate.
Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars. In addition, they used millions more dollars for personal expenses. Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem-their phosphate was running out. Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing. By 2000，Nauru was al-most financially ruined. Experts say that it would take approximately$433，600，000 and more than 20 years to repair the island. This will probably never happen.What might be the author's purpose in writing the text?
| A．To seek help for Nauru's problems. |
| B．To give a warning to other countries. |
| C．To show the importance of money. |
| D．To tell a heartbreaking story of a war. |
What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?
| A．Rich and powerful. |
| B．Modern and open. |
| C．Peaceful and attractive. |
| D．Greedy and aggressive. |
The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from __________.
| A．soil pollution |
| B．phosphate overmining |
| C．farming activity |
| D．whale hunting |
Knowing the best way to study will help you to be a better student. By using your time properly, you can do your homework more quickly. Learning to study is not difficult.
The first thing to remember is that you must be willing to learn. It doesn't mean that you must always like the subject. It does mean, however, that you must be willing to do whatever is necessary to learn. Try to understand why it is important and how it will help you now and later to do and learn other things. Knowing mathematics facts will be useful in your whole life. Knowing how to spell makes any kind of writing easier. Sometimes the subject that you think is going to be uninteresting will be exciting when you begin to work at it and understand it more clearly. Learning things can be fun if you are willing to work with them.
Here's some advice for you ： have a certain time each day and a quiet place with good lighting for study, so that you can concentrate on your study without interruptions （中断）；have everything ready before you sit down to study, a dictionary, paper, a pen and books; be sure you understand what you should learn before you start; read carefully and pay special attention to the most important things; when memorizing, first find out the main parts and then recite the whole thing; check your homework after you finish it; never forget the importance of review and preview.
Don't try to spend a lot of time researching learning methods. There are many students who know many good learning methods but don't study well. They forget that the most useful learning method is to study hard.The main goal of the article is __________.
| A．to prove that learning is not difficult |
| B．to make the readers be interested in study |
| C．to tell the importance of self teaching |
| D．to tell the students how to study well |
The first thing to remember in studying is that __________.
| A．you must like the subject |
| B．you must follow the teacher |
| C．you must enjoy learning |
| D．you must study hard |
We learn things because __________.
| A．our parents want us to learn |
| B．every student learns at school |
| C．we may use these things in the future |
| D．we like the subjects |
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