People often say that the earth is like our mother. She gives life to all the living things on the earth and provides us with air, food, water and other essential things we need for living.
Once she was beautiful and rich, but now she becomes dirtier and dirtier, poorer and poorer. It is due to what we have done to her. Please have a good look at her: polluted rivers and lakes, growing deserts, the destruction of the forests and wild life, and the depletion (消耗，用尽) of the ozone layer (臭氧层)...
Can she bear to see her children putting the waste here and there? Can she bear to see her children cutting down the trees and destroying the grassland, to see the acid rain destroying everything? Can we bear to see our mother suffering (受苦) so much? Isn’t it time for us to ask ourselves whether this is the way to treat our mother?
Floods, droughts, acid rain..., these are the punishments (惩罚) from nature. Everyone should know that there is only one earth. If we go on treating her like this, it won’t be fit for us to live in any longer. It’s time for us to love her, take good care of her and cure her. We should save the earth so as to save ourselves. What does the earth look like now?
| A．It has clean rivers, lakes and green forests. |
| B．It is like a beautiful girl. |
| C．It is more beautiful and richer. |
| D．It is dirtier and dirtier, poorer and poorer. |
What is the meaning of the underlined word?
| A．Know | B．Stand | C．Imagine | D．Hear |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．The earth—our mother. |
| B．Defenders of the Earth (地球卫士). |
| C．The earth is very beautiful and healthy. |
| D．The water on the earth is very clean. |
When I was seven years old, my family made me an ant farm. First, we put clean sand in a thin glass box. Then we waited for the ants to arrive.
After the ants were in the glass farm, they started to make tunnels（地道）. I was amazed that each one knew exactly what to do. Each had its own job.
On the fifth day a tragedy（悲剧）happened. I put my face so close to the glass farm that I knocked it over. All the tunnels fell down. Although the ants remained alive after their earthquake, one by one they began to die. I was scared as I watched them give up building their tunnels to carry the bodies to a corner of the farm.
My mother said that the ants were dying of sadness. They simply could not stand that their tunnels were gone.
Although much time has passed, I still think of that ant farm. Mom had hoped it would teach me about the natural world, but it taught me much more.
Over the years, I came to realize the importance of teamwork. Working together, the ants were able to make an amazing world for themselves. I also learned that they should be admired（钦佩）for their hard work.
But there was an even larger lesson that I did not realize until recently: Adversity（逆境）is a natural part of life, and must be accepted. Unlike the ants, we cannot give up when we are sad. We have to realize that if a tunnel is gone, we must build another.
Giving up, I say, is not a good choice. What did the writer’s family do for him when he was seven?
| A．They built a farm of ants. | B．They bought a few ants. |
| C．They caught a lot of ants. | D．They found an ant city. |
Which statement is WRONG according to the passage?
| A．The writer knocked the glass box over because he put his face so close to the glass farm. |
| B．The ants didn’t die one by one after the tunnels were destroyed. |
| C．Like people, teamwork is very important for the ants. |
| D．Giving up isn’t a good way when we meet trouble. |
Among the following events, which one happened first?
| A．All the tunnels fell down. | B．The ants died one by one. |
| C．The ants got into the glass box. | D．The ants began making tunnels. |
What did the writer learn from the ant tragedy a few years later?
| A．Working together is useless. | B．Teamwork is important. |
| C．He can’t accept adversity. | D．Working alone is amazing. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Ants Fear Adversity | B．My Family and Ants |
| C．Giving Up in Adversity | D．Don’t give up anytime |
What would you do if a stranger gave you some medicine and said it would keep you slim or help you do well in exams? Would you take it?
Students at Shenzhen Luohu Foreign Language Middle School have learned to keep themselves safe by saying “no”. In fact, what those strangers want to give them are drugs（毒品）. Drugs are dangerous to your health!
“Because teens don’t know much about drugs, they might want to try them.” said Zhang Dongsheng, the director of Shenzhen Drug Control Office.
Now, many schools arrange（安排）courses or organize some activities to help students know about drugs.
Liang, 16, was a good student before trying drugs. One day, some old friends told him it would be fun. After taking drugs only once, he found it very hard to stop. Liang began to spend all his time and money on drugs. Soon, he stopped going to school and started stealing（偷窃）. In the end, he was put in prison.
In China, taking drugs is becoming a big problem for teens. According to a survey, about one million people in China were using illegal（违法）drugs last year, and 72% of them were young people. Worse still, there are about 10,000 drug users under 16 now.
Zhang has some good advice on staying clean. He said, “Drugs are dangerous. Never try them, even if you’re curious! It is the most important for you to keep safe and healthy.” Which statement is right about drugs?
| A．Drugs do harm to your health. | B．Drugs help you do well in exams. |
| C．Drugs keep you slim and lovely. | D．Drugs make you stay well. |
According to this passage, many schools arrange courses or some activities to __________ now.
| A．know more about cigarettes | B．relax |
| C．know about drugs | D．learn some Chinese culture |
Teens want to try drugs because __________.
| A．they are 18 years old | B．they are curious about drugs |
| C．they have enough money | D．they know about the harm of drugs |
From Liang’s story, we can know that it is not __________ to give up drugs even if one tries only once.
| A．easy | B．hard | C．foolish | D．possible |
What does the phrase staying clean here mean?
| A．Being clean and tidy. | B．Keeping clothes clean. |
| C．Wearing clean clothes. | D．Staying away from drugs. |
APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT
（求职申请）
Name Harry Smith
Address 4224 Maple Avenue Oakland, California
Telephone number 555-1660
Work Experience
| Company |
Ames Bookstore Greenfield High School |
| Position |
Book seller English teacher |
| Work I did |
Sold books Taught English |
| Dates I worked |
1997—1999 2000—2009 |
| Yearly pay |
$ 10,400 $ 27,500 |
| Reason for leaving |
Got a job teaching in Massachusetts Got a job in California |
What did Harry Smith do in 2001?
| A．An English teacher. | B．A book seller. |
| C．A secretary. | D．A gatekeeper. |
If you want to know more about Harry Smith, you can call ________.
| A．4224-1660 | B．555-1666 | C．4224-1666 | D．555-1660 |
Where did Harry Smith work in 2009?
A. In New York. B. In California. C. In Massachusetts. D. In Washington D.C. In 2002, the yearly pay Harry Smith got from his work was ________.
| A．$20,800 | B．$ 10,400 | C．$ 27,500 | D．$55,000 |
Harry Smith left Ames Bookstore to work in ________ in Massachusetts.
| A．a high school | B．a bookstore | C．a factory | D．a company |
One midnight, a little girl woke up to pass water. She by herself got up and down her bed, walked to the bedroom door and opened it. She looked outside and walked back, for it was so dark in the hall that she feared.
Her mother said, “Don’t be afraid, honey. Take courage!”
“What’s courage?” she asked, running to her mother’s bed.
“Courage is the brave breath,” her mother answered.
“Mum, do you have courage?”
“Certainly.”
The girl held out her little hands, saying, “Mum, blow some of your breath of courage to me.”
After her mother blew out two mouthfuls of breath into her little cold hands, the little girl clenched her fists(握拳) nervously, afraid that the “breath of courage” would run away. Then with her fists clenched, she walked out of the bedroom towards the bathroom with nothing to fear.
Her mother said to herself, “It will be nice if someone can blow some kind of ‘breath’ to me. Then I can hold it in my hands too when I feel terrified or lost.”
In fact, mostly, what we are terrified of is nothing but the fear in our mind. Who we should defeat(战胜) is nobody but ourselves.The girl walked back because __________.
| A．the bathroom was too far away. | B．her mother wouldn’t go with her |
| C．she was too afraid of the dark | D．the bedroom door was locked |
We learn from the reading that ___________.
| A．the girl went to the bathroom by herself | B．the girl pretended to be terrified of nothing |
| C．the girl’s mother was able to blow brave breath | D．the girl’s mother was very proud of herself |
To stop “mother’s breath” from running away, the girl __________.
| A．held out her little hands | B．clenched her fists |
| C．talk to her mother | D．held her own breath |
The writer mainly wants to tell us that ________.
| A．adults are always brave enough | B．children learn to be brave quickly |
| C．the fear in one’s mind is the real problem | D．the mother can deal with anything with breath |
Which is the best title of the passage?
| A．The Fearless Mother | B．One Lonely Girl |
| C．One midnight | D．The Breath of Courage |
He was struggling(费劲) to tie his shoes. I was struggling with whether I should help him.
I did, and he was grateful.
“Thank you,” he said.
“I’m glad I could help. I just thought it would be easier for me to reach,” I said.
He was a disabled man, and forced to look down most of the time. His arms and legs were twisted(扭曲的) terribly, and he couldn’t do what the rest of us would consider easy tasks. He always managed to look up to see how you reacted(反应) to his words, however. He had a big smile, making me feel comfortable.
I was still on my knees by his wheelchair.
“ Nice shoes,” he said.
“Thanks. No one ever complimented me on them before,” I said.
“No one has the same view of the world as I do,” he replied.
“Tell me about the world as you see it,” I said smiling.
“Most people can see if someone is comfortable with them or not in their eyes. I see it in their feet.” he said. “If people keep moving their feet, I just let them go, because I know they’re impatient with me. I don’t want to make people uncomfortable.
“What about me? I asked.
“I could see your compassion. And then you came down to my level. I was the one who was nervous.” he said. “I don’t normally have someone look me in the eye.”
“They don’t know what they’re missing,” I told him.
“My old face is nothing to brag(自夸) about.” he said.
“But that smile is so big.”
Yes, and it’s not only a big smile but an attitude. The disabled man knew people were impatient mostly by their _________.
| A．words | B．eyes | C．feet | D．smile |
The unlined word compassion is the closet in meaning to ___________.
| A．attention | B．pity | C．trust | D．duty |
We learn that the disabled man _________.
| A．had great difficulty looking after himself | B．always asked people for help |
| C．couldn’t have a big smile | D．liked to talk about people’s shoes |
The writer felt comfortable because _________.
| A．he had a nice talk to the man | B．the man looked him in the eye |
| C．he didn’t move his feet before the man | D．the man had a big smile on the face |
We can infer from the passage that _________.
| A．the disable man had something wrong with his mind |
| B．not many people went down to the man’s level |
| C．the man was good at telling people about the world |
| D．the writer would not give the man move help |
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