In Asia, there are special competitions where kites have complex designs and are fitted with instruments that make musical sounds as the wind blows through them. Although all kites have a similar structure （结构）, they are widely different in size and shape. Kite-fighting competitions are also held, in which competitions us their kites to attack and bring down their opponents'（对手）kites or cut their strings（线）.
For more than 15 years, the Big Wind Kite Factory has been giving kite-making and kite flying classes for the children on an island in Hawaii. In its kite-making lessons, students can make kites in as little as 20 minutes! Children as young as four years old can learn how to fly a kite.
Jonathan Socher and his wife Daphne started the kite factory in 1980. Their kites are made of nylon（尼龙）.Their designs are Hawaiian themes created by Daphne. The designs are cut out of the nylon with a hot knife that seals the edges and then fastened directly onto the kite.
The kite that is used to give lessons is a regular diamond kite with a rainbow pattern. The difference between this kite and the ones they make during the lessons is that it is a two-string controllable kite. Big Wind employees fly the kite and for a few minutes show students how pulling on one line and then on the other controls the direction the kite goes in. Then the controls are given to the students.
Jonathan insists that it is not necessary to make a huge impressive kite to have fun making and flying kites. Even the simplest structure can work, and can give hours of fun. Go on, give it a try!
| 1． |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
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| 2． |
What is different about the kite used for flying lessons?
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| 3． |
According to Jonathan, what do you need to have fun with kites?
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| 4． |
What is mainly described in the text?
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He was 1
1 years old and often went fishing. On the day before bass (鲈鱼) season opened, he and his father were fishing early in the evening.
When his pole doubled over, he knew something huge was on the other end. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully worked the fish. Finally, he lifted the tired fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass.
Lighting a match, the father looked at his watch. It was 10 pm — two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy, saying, “You’ll have to put it back, Son.”
Looking around, he saw no other fisherman or boats. Even so, the boy could tell from his father’s voice that the decision couldn’t be changed. He threw the huge bass into the water. The boy thought that he would never again see such a big fish.
That was 34 years ago. Today the boy is a successful architect (建筑师) in New York. He often takes his son to fish at the same place.
And he was right. He has never again caught such a large fish as the one he got that nigh
t long ago. But he does see that same fish… again and again… every time he has an ethical (道德的) decision to make. As his father had taught him, ethics are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult.Seeing the boy skillfully pulling a big fish out of the water, the father felt __________.
| A．admiring | B．nervous |
| C．worried | D．shocked |
On seeing that the big fish was a bass, __________.
| A．they discussed how to deal with the fish |
| B．the boy threw the bass back into the water gladly |
C．th e father made a decision that the fish must be set free |
| D．they were worried that other fisherman might know what they had done |
From the passage, we can learn that __________.
| A．the father was an architect |
| B．the son never forgets the lesson |
| C．the father used to catch a big bass |
| D．the father made his son feel regretful all his life |
The passage mainly wants to tell us that __________.
| A．an ethical decision is not difficult to make |
| B．it is hard to tell right from wrong sometimes |
| C．fishing helps you to make right ethical decisions |
| D．it’s easier to make an ethical decision than to carry it out |
Bamboo (竹子) is one of nature’s most surprising plants. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass.
Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist reported one bamboo plant which grew 1.5 meters in 
24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe. There are more than 1, 000 kinds of bamboo.
Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimeters wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimeters across. This plant also comes in different colors, from yellow to black to green.
Bamboo has been used to make many things such as hats and kitchen tools. Because it is strong, bamboo is also used to build buildings.
Many Asian countries have used bamboo for hundreds of years. They often use bamboo for buildings and supporting new buildings and bridges while they are being built.
In Africa, poor farmers are taught how to find water using bamboo. These African countries need cheap way to find water because they have no money, and their fields often die from no rain and no water. Bamboo pipes (管子) help poor farmers bring water to their thirsty fields without spending a lot of money.How is bamboo like grass?
| A．It grows quickly. | B．It’s wood. |
| C．It is easy to cut. | D．It is very thin. |
Though you can see bamboo everywhere, it doesn’t grow __________.
| A．in China | B．in Europe |
| C．on mountains | D．in Africa |
Why is bamboo used by African poor farmers?
| A．It is cheap. | B．It has different colors. |
| C．It is strong. | D．It has been used by Asians. |
In Asia, bamboo has been used for __________.
| A．a short time | B．about 100 years |
| C．many hundreds of years | D．many thousands of year |
If we bought only things we needed, there would be enough for everybody. What do we need? What you need depends on how old you are and your way of life. Rearrange the list of things you can buy and put the things you think we most need at the top of the list.
Coat Designer jeans Water CD player
Dental check up Restaurant meal Telephone Jewelry
Food Shampoo MP3 player Beer
Toothpaste Bar of chocolate Cushion covers
If we don’t need to buy so much, we don’t need to work so much. We can take part-time jobs or reduce our working day from eight hours to six hours. Some people are leaving very well paid jobs to live a healthier life in the countryside or a more exciting life abroad. Parents can spend more time with their children and the unemployed are given more opportunities to work.
If we start to respect saving the earth more than spending money, we will become ‘conservers’ (保护者). When we are conservers, we try to choose environmentally friendly products that last a long time. We may find growing our own vegetables or making our own clothes more rewarding than buying them.
Next time you go shopping, think about what you really need to buy. Don’t deprive (剥夺) yourself of things you like, but decide what you should buy before you go out, so that you won’t be influenced by advertisements or promotions. If it is more expensive to buy goods that don’t have much packaging and things that are more durable (耐用的), buy less. If you can choose to work less, decide which things you would like to make, do or grow yourself. Even though you have less money, your life will become richer.
by Julie Bray From the passage, we can see the author suggests us consumers ______.
| A．find out more about a product instead of buying blindly |
| B．consider what we really need before going shopping |
| C．avoid regret at not buying enough |
| D．find a real bargain |
. The writer will agree with you if you buy products that are ______.
| A．beautifully packaged | B．extremely cheap |
| C．usable for a long time | D．fashionable now |
According to the passage, if we don’t need to buy so much, the benefits
will include ______.
a. we will have more time enjoying life
b. the employment rate will increase
c. we will get better paid jobs
d. we as consumers will have more choices of what to buy
| A．abc | B．abd | C．ab | D．ad |
This passage is mainly written to _____.
| A．persuade people to buy less and buy environmentally friendly products |
| B．put forward some questions so that you can become a smart buyer |
| C．introduce some good ways to make a wiser choice when shopping |
| D．criticize the consumer society in which people buy too much |
Just five minutes of exercise a day outdoors can improve mental health, according to a study.
Researchers from the University of Essex, UK have found that a
s little as five minutes of a “green activity” such as walking, gardening, cycling or farming could help to improve mood and increase self-esteem (自信).
Many studies have shown that outdoor exercise can reduce the risk of mental illness and improve a sense of well-being, but the new study, led by Jules Pretty and Jo Barton, was the first to determine how much time needed to be spent on green exercise for the benefits to show.
Barton and Pretty looked at data from 1,252 people of different ages, genders (性别) and mental health status (情况) taken from 10 studies in Britain.
They analyzed their different outdoor activities including walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming in locations such as a park, garden or nature trail (路径).
They found that the mental health changes were seen after just five minutes. With longer periods of time exercising in a green environment, the positive effects were more apparent.
Looking at men and women of different ages, the researchers found the health changes 
were particularly strong in the young and the mentally ill.
Green and blue
A bigger effect was seen with exercise in an area that also contained water – such as a lake or river.
“This is because historically we are drawn to water to survive and it is
in our genetic (遗传的) make-up to be at one with nature,” the researchers wrote in their report.
Pretty said those who were generally inactive, or stressed, or with mental illness would probably benefit the most from “green exercise”.
“Employers, for example, could encourage staff in stressful workplaces to take a short walk at lunchtime in the nearest park to improve mental health.”
He also said exercise programs outdoors could benefit youth offenders. How is the study this article refers to different from other studies?
| A．It involved more people. |
| B．It took longer to finish the research. |
| C．It determined the exact amount of time needed. |
| D．It was led by just two researchers. |
What can we conclude from the findings of the study?
| A．Just five minutes of “green exercise” daily can help improve mental health. |
| B．Gardeners and farmers do not need “green exercise”. |
| C．Walking in a park with a lake will weaken the effect. |
| D．“Green exercise” is not suitable for the mentally ill. |
. According to Pretty, _______ would probably benefit the most from “green exercise”.
| A．stressed, inactive people | B．office workers |
| C．youth offenders | D．women and children |
What is th
e main problem discussed in this article?
| A．Physical well-being. | B．Outdoor exercise. |
| C．Mental illness. | D．Harmony with nature. |
Everyone knows that you can study the English language for years and still not understand a native speaker of English.
Well, here’s a secret for you: a lot of British people can’t understand each other either! Apart from the different regional accents across the country, language can also differ (不同) among age groups. The words and pronunciations used by young Britons can be very different to those used by adults. This is called “yoof” culture.
The word “yoof” is a slang (俚语) spelling of “youth”. Some people consider “yoof” to be a negative (消极的) term, since its pronunciation is easier than “youth”. Other people see the term as positive, because it describes how young people are creating their own language, concepts (观念) and identity.
When parents find it difficult to understand their children, the children can say more things without the censorship (审查) of their parents. In this way, young people are starting to find freedom, independence and self-expression.
They are creating a “yoof culture”. It is impossible to come up with a complete list of words used by yoof. By the time the list was completed, it would be out of date. New words come and go like fashions.
By A.J. DaltonThe point of the article is _____.
| A．to list words used by yoof |
| B．to introduce UK yoof culture |
| C．to give advice on how to communicate with native English speakers |
| D．to explain why it is hard for British people to understand each other |
According to the article, children are creating a “yoof culture” _______.
| A．to stay cool among their peers |
| B．to draw more attention from their parents |
| C．to avoid interference of their parents in their lives |
| D．to keep up with the fast pace of modern society |
According to the article, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The variety of regional accents in the UK is an obstacle to communication. |
| B．Some people consider the term “yoof” positive because it is easier to pronounce than “youth”. |
| C．A few vocabularies used by yoof are going to be collected in dictionaries. |
| D．Yoof culture is getting popular all around the English speaking countries. |
By saying “Sorted!”, yoof probably means ____
__.
| A．“I’m very tired.” | B．“I understand.” |
| C．“You got it wrong!” | D．“I don’t care!” |
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