If you want to find out a piece of information about anything , the best place to search for it is Wikipedia（维基百科）. This online encyclopedia is written by thousands of people around the world. Anyone can add or change the information if he or she finds it not correct or not well written. In this way, people who know a lot about a certain subject can write about it even if they are not university professors.
What is more, Wikipedia includes articles written in about 235 languages. This fact makes it one of the few websites (网站)on the internet that are truly international. It was started in 2001 by Larry Sanger and Jimmy Wales, as a free online English-language encyclopedia project. By April 2008, over 10 million articles had been put on Wikipedia. A quarter of the articles are in English. Wikipedia is also a place where people can find the latest news.
However, Wikipedia has its own problems. There have been many complaints that some of the information on Wikipedia is not accurate（准确的）and some important subjects are not included. This has led to arguments between the writers of articles. The people running Wikipedia say that the accuracy of the information is improving and that it is one of the top 20 visited websites on the internet.
So, if you are looking for some information, why not try Wikipedia? Wikipedia is ___________.
| A．a computer game | B．an online magazine |
| C．a free university | D．a website encyclopedia |
People who write on Wikipedia__________.
| A．know much about a certain subject |
| B．likes writing different stories |
| C．should be university professors |
| D．are usually famous scientists |
Wikipedia is truly international because_________.
| A．everything is written in English |
| B．the articles are in about 235 language |
| C．there are over 10 million articles |
| D．each writer can write in Various languages |
Besides information about different subjects, people can also__________ on Wikipedia.
| A．watch interesting movies | B．send e-mail to friends |
| C．read about the latest news | D．play exciting games |
Do you know the girl in a hat with flowers on it? Her name is Yingzi. She is a nice Japanese girl, my new friend. She is in our class, studying Chinese.
I like Yingzi. I don't know Japanese, and Yingzi doesn't know Chinese. We know some English. We are the same age. And we have the same interests(兴趣). We like to sing Chinese, Japanese and English songs. I help her to ride a bike and fly a kite. She helps me to swim and jump. We like playing football, but we can't play at school because the playground is small.
Yingzi and the other girls in our class will go to the swimming pool on Monday, and I want to go with them.Yingzi _________.
| A．is from England | B．comes from China |
| C．is from America | D．comes from Japan |
The Japanese girl doesn’t know _________.
| A．Chinese | B．English | C．Japanese | D．France |
Yingzi and the other girls want _________on Monday.
| A．to play games | B．to play football |
| C．to go swimming | D．to fly kites |
Missing friends who live far away? Or just need a little family comfort after a long day? Sometimes you just need a hug(拥抱). And sometimes there’s just no one around to give you one. So what do you do? How about a virtual (虚拟的) hug?Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have invented a social media vest (社交背心) that allows people to give hugs to their friends, family and loved ones on Facebook.
The vest is called Like-A-Hug, which is connected(连接) with your Facebook page. Whenever Facebook friends “Like” a photo, video or anything you post on the network, a fan will blow air into the vest to give you a hug. Hugs can also be sent back to the sender by pressing the vest to lose air, according to the website of designer Melissa Chow.
She worked with Andy Payne and Phil Seaton at the MIT Media Lab to build the black vest, making the wearer “feel the warmth, encouragement, support, or love that we feel when we receive hugs.” Melissa Chow said, “We came up with the idea over a free talk about long-distance relationships and the disadvantages of video chat interfaces (视频聊天界面) like Skype.”
Chow and her workmates actually finished work on the vest last year, but it’s only just recently drawn the attention of the public.
Chow provided no pricing or ordering information for the Like-A-Hug vest, so don’t expect to see people blowing up all over town just yet.
Although researchers believe that Like-A-Hug will cause a worldwide storm, a lot of people think it can’t take the place of the feeling of a real hug. Body temperature or the taste of hair and so on is far from what a social vest can match.
| A．To show how to design a magic vest. |
| B．To suggest a newly-built website. |
| C．To introduce a virtual social media vest. |
| D．To explain the weak points of Skype. |
| A．those who play computer games |
| B．those who need comfort or support |
| C．those who design chat interfaces |
| D．those who like to give others hugs |
| A．She built the vest all by herself. |
| B．She expects to sell the vest at a high price. |
| C．She made the vest public last year. |
| D．She got the idea for a vest while chatting. |
| A．can be ordered on Facebook |
| B．can take the place of a real hug |
| C．can not only be used by Facebook users |
| D．produces a hug when you get a Facebook “Like” |
Imagine the situation. You are driving in a village or on a mountain. You have no idea where you are. You passed the last house two hours ago. Then your car doesn’t work. It is night and it is cold. You have no mobile phone. What do you do? Well, next time take a GPS with you. This invention may be able to help you. It is used for finding your position(位置) with the help of satellites (卫星). A GPS can’t start your car, but at least you will know where you are.
GPS, which means Global Positioning System(全球定位系统), is a small radio receiver. It looks like a mobile phone. You can hold it in your hand, or put in your pocket. It is sometimes put into a watch or a telephone. We also find a GPS in cars, planes, or boats. Some of them have electronic maps, so you know where you are. For example, in a city they can tell you the name of the street.
There are three parts to GPS. The first part is the receiver. You can hold it in your hand, or have it fixed into your car, plane, etc. The second part is a group of satellites going around the Earth. The receiver communicates with at least four of the satellites and calculates its position. The third part of the system is a network of ground stations all over the world. They control (控制) the satellites and make sure they are working well.
Some people think that in the future the GPS will be as common as the mobile. They are becoming better and cheaper. There are also new uses for the GPS. Perhaps they will become like watches. Everyone will have one and you will never be lost again.
| A．can’t be lost in a new city |
| B．can’t find their way in different countries |
| C．can learn about the culture of an unknown place |
| D．can spend the least time getting to another place |
| A．there are three parts to the GPS |
| B．a GPS can’t be put into a watch |
| C．a GPS can help you start your car |
| D．the GPS are becoming more and more expensive |
| A．Receivers | B．GPS | C．Satellites | D．Ground stations |
| A．All GPS devices have electronic maps. |
| B．People in many countries will use the GPS for free. |
| C．The receiver of the GPS communicates with at least five of the satellites. |
| D．The GPS will become more and more common in everyday life. |
There are many colors in nature. But do you know if a color has weight? I think you’ll say “no”. But I am afraid you are wrong. If you don’t believe, you may do a small experiment.
First, put two objects with the same weight into two boxes. Then cover the box. Third, wrap one box with a red piece of paper, the other with a white piece of paper. OK. Now hold the boxes with your hand one by one. It is certain that you will think the red one is a little heavier.
Why do you think so? A scientist found that different colors have different weight in a man’s mind. So he did many tests and at last he got the result. That is to say, every color has its own weight in our mind and their order is the same. The heaviest color is red, then blue, green, orange, yellow and white.
The scientist told us that colors also have smell. Can you smell the color? Of course not. Then why did the scientist say so? That is because every color stands for a kind of light with a certain wavelength. It reaches our brain through sense organs.
According to this discovery, scientists say that people accept the colors they like, and refuse the colors they hate. So your body and mind will be healthy by using the colors you like. Or you’ll be nervous or even get ill. For example, if you stay in a room with red windows, wallpapers and furniture for two hours, you’ll feel you have been there for four hours. But if the room is blue, you’ll feel you have been there for only an hour. Another example, if a person walks out of a red room and into a blue room, his temperature will fall. That means our body temperature will change with different colors.
| A．a red box is heavier than a white one |
| B．a color has weight in one’s mind |
| C．white paper is lighter than red paper |
| D．you can know the weight of a color by holding it |
| A．Because people can sense the light from colors. |
| B．Because we can smell colors with our nose. |
| C．Because every color has its own sweet smell. |
| D．Because every color can give off light of the same length. |
| A．colors have orders in weight |
| B．colors can change the weight of an object |
| C．people would stay longer in a room with red windows |
| D．colors can affect our mood and health |
| A．book review | B．fiction novel | C．fairy tale | D．science report |
What do you think Americans in the early twentieth century (1900--1925) did on weekends? What do they do on weekends now?
| Then Once upon a time, people spent lots of time at home on weekends. Then new inventions changed the weekends. People used electric（电动的） streetcars to travel in cities. On weekends, they rode the streetcars to parks. Young people liked roller coasters.（过山车）The first movie lasted only one minute. Soon movies lasted longer. In the 1920s, movie theaters sold millions of tickets each week. In 1927, movies eventually（最终） had sound. Sometimes, people stayed at home instead, and listened to another new invention—radio. People in cities worked indoors during the week, so they wanted to be outdoors on weekends. Bicycling became a popular activity. |
| Now With more time, money and inventions, people have many more choices. They can visit large parks like Disney World and ride modern roller coaster that go higher and faster than ever before. They can choose from lots of different movies at a multiplex (a building with many movie theaters) or watch a video at home. Many people jog （慢跑）, bicycle, work out at the gym, or play sports. Others turn on their TV and watch sports. |
| A．at home | B．in the theater | C．outdoors | D．in the park |
| A．It had no sound | B．It got longer | C．It sold well | D．It lasted minutes |
| A．Many More Choices | B．The New Invention |
| C．The Popular Activities | D．The Changing Weekend |
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