What is the hottest English word of 2013? It’s “selfie”, according to Oxford dictionaries. Selfie is a photo that one takes of oneself, according to the Oxford online dictionary. People usually take selfies with a smart phone(智能手机) and send them to a social media website.
The word was first used in 2002. In the past 12 months, its frequency (出现频率) in the English language has increased by 17,000 percent, said Oxford dictionaries. Now, almost everybody knows it.
“Almost every day, I take a photo of myself at school, and save it in my Qzone (QQ空间),” said Huang Xu, 13, from Hunan. These photos record her happy and sad moments.
Pop stars also take a lot of selfies. Li Chunping, 14, from Harbin, is a big fan of Yang Mi. “She has used many selfies to tell us what’s going on in her personal life,” said Li.
What makes people love selfies? Some people say it’s narcissism (自恋). “The rise of the selfie is a perfect symbol for our narcissistic culture. We’re crying out: Look at me!” said US psychiatrist(精神科医生) Carole Lieberman.
Young people are using selfies to make friends online, Jonathan Freedland wrote in The Guardian. “The usual purpose of taking a selfie is to share online. They express a human need to connect with others,” wrote Freedland.
Huang Xu agrees with that. “During summer vacation, my classmates and I shared many selfies online. Hair or clothes were not our interests. Through these photos, we got to know each other’s holidays and feelings,” said Huang Xu.
According to the story, a “selfie” is _______.
| A．a person with a smart phone |
| B．a smart phone which can take photos |
| C．a photo taken by oneself |
| D．an English dictionary |
When was the word “selfie” first used?
| A．More than ten years ago. |
| B．In 2013. |
| C．When smart phones appeared. |
| D．12 months ago. |
We can tell from the story that _________.
| A．only famous people enjoy taking selfies |
| B．all the people love selfies because of narcissism |
| C．people love to share selfies online |
| D．US psychiatrist Carole Lieberman hates selfies |
We put the sentence “But some people don’t see it that way.” at the beginning of _______.
| A．Paragraph 4 | B．Paragraph 5 |
| C．Paragraph 6 | D．Paragraph 7 |
What is the best title of this passage ?
| A．Selfies and narcissism. |
| B．Selfies and sharing. |
| C．Selfies and smart phones. |
| D．Selfies, the hottest word in 2013. |
The sun is a huge, hot, bright star. It is important because without it there would be no life on Earth. The sun gives us light and heat.
All living things need light and heat from the sun to live. Plants need light and heat to grow. They use the light from the sun to make food. We cannot make our own food, but plants can. All the food we eat comes from plants in a food chain (链)which starts with the sun. For example, 
Animals need sunlight, too. Just like us, their food comes from a food chain which begins with the sun and the plants.
sun→ leaf→ caterpillar (毛虫)→bird sun→ seaweed (海藻)→small fish→ whale
Sunlight means we can see during the day. If there was no sun, it would be dark all the time. Even when the sky is cloudy, the sunlight is very strong and it shines through the clouds.
| A．Light and heat. | B．Heat and eggs. |
| C．Corn and light. | D．Wheat and bread. |
| A．Because the clouds gives the light. |
| B．Because the sun can't give us light all day long. |
| C．Because the sunlight can shine through the clouds. |
| D．Because the sunlight can shine through the chain. |
| A．plants; earth | B．a food chain; sun |
| C．plants; sun | D．plants; star |
| A．The sun can do harm to your eyes and skin. |
| B．The sun can sometimes make rivers too dry. |
| C．Without it there would be no life on Earth. |
| D．Hot sun on dry land can cause fires. |
| A．Whales like eating seaweed most |
| B．A caterpillar’s favourite food is bread |
| C．Small birds live mainly on caterpillars |
| D．The food hens eat comes from potatoes |
Andy was born in China 17 years ago. In 2007, she went to the USA with her family. As a high school student, she has found many differences between Chinese and Americans:
About money
Americans like to spend more than they have, so many of them are always in debt(欠债). But Chinese usually spend less than they have, so many of them always have money left in the bank.
The American kids themselves make their own money. Most Chinese kids always ask their parents for money.
About education
Many American students have less homework to do while many Chinese students have much.
Many American girls take part in sports, dancing and singing groups while many Chinese girls take part in study groups.
Many American parents think there is no need to send their children to an expensive school. It’s different in China. Many Chinese parents would do anything to send their children to expensive schools though their family isn’t rich enough.
About friends
Most American parents let their sons or daughters make friends by themselves. They never ask them about their friends while Chinese parents usually enjoy knowing more about their children’s friends in many different ways, and usually stop them from staying out too late with friends.
| |
Chinese |
Americans |
| Money |
Chinese usually have some money in the bank |
Many Americans usually money from the banks because they spend more than they have. |
| Chinese children get money from their |
Children usually make money by |
|
| Education |
Parents usually do their to send their children to study in expensive schools. |
Many parents think it isn’t to send their children to an expensive schools. |
| Chinese girls join in groups. |
Many girls exercise, dance and sing together. |
|
| Friends |
Parents are usually |
Most American parents pay attention to their children’s friends. |
During all this time I never stopped thinking about escape. When I traveled across to the other side of the island, I could see the other islands, and I said to myself, “Perhaps I can get there with a boat. Perhaps I can get back to England one day.” 
So I decided to make myself a boat. I cut down a big tree, and then began to make a long hole in it. It was hard work, but about six months later, I had a very fine canoe (独木舟). Next, I had to get it down to the sea. How silly I was! Why didn’t I think before I began work? Of course, the canoe was too heavy. I couldn’t move it! I pulled and pushed and tried everything, but it didn’t move. I was very unhappy for a long time after that.
That happened in my fourth year on the island. In my sixth year I did make myself a smaller canoe, but I did not try to escape in it. The boat was too small for a long journey, and I did not want to die at sea. The island was my home now, not my prison, and I was just happy to be alive. A year or two later, I made myself a second canoe on the other side of the island. I also built myself a second house there, and so I had two homes.
My life was still busy from morning to night. There were always things to do or to make. I learnt to make new clothes for myself from the skins of dead animals. They looked very strange, it is true, but they kept me dry in the rain.
I kept food and tools at both my houses, and also wild goats. There were many goats on the island, and I made fields with high fences to keep them in. They learnt to take food from me, and soon I had goats’ milk to drink every day. I also worked hard in my corn fields. And so many years went by.The purpose of making a canoe on the island was to _____________.
| A．escape in it |
| B．get to the other side of the island[ |
| C．use it for food |
| D．go around the island |
To survive, the writer _____________.
| A．kept goats for milk |
| B．made clothes from animal skins |
| C．worked in the cornfields |
| D．did all the above |
Why didn’t the writer use his first canoe?
| A．Because it was too small for a long journey. |
| B．Because it was too heavy to get down to the sea. |
| C．Because there was something wrong with it. |
| D．Because the writer was busy building a second house. |
From the story, we can learn that _____________.
| A．the writer tried to make his stay comfortable on the island |
| B．the writer had nothing to do on the wild island |
| C．the writer tried to escape in the second canoe, but failed |
| D．the writer was in prison on the island, losing his freedom |
We all have dreams. Do you still remember your dream when you were still a middle school student. As teenagers, you may have many dreams. Maybe you wanted to be a scientist, a teacher or a doctor. These dreams can be very big, such as winning a Nobel Prize, or very small. You may just want to become one of the ten best students in your class. 
If you have a dream, what do you do with it? Do you try to make your dream come true? Andrew Matthews wrote a book called Follow Your Heart. It tells us it’s the biggest challenge(挑战) to make our dreams come true.
There will be many difficulties on the road to your dreams. But you must never give up your dream. Because the biggest difficulty comes from you yourself.
Everyone can make his/her dream come true. The first thing to do is to remember your dream. Don’t let it leave your heart. Keep telling yourself what you want and keep working hard. Do this step by step and your dream will come true one day. Follow Your Heart is the name of .
| A．Andrew Matthews |
| B．a book about hearts |
| C．a book by Andrew Matthews |
| D．a dream |
Which of the following may be a small dream for teenagers?
| A．To be a man like Nobel. |
| B．To win a Nobel Prize. |
| C．To be the best student in the class. |
| D．To be a scientist. |
If you want to make your dream come true, the biggest difficulty is from .
| A．the book | B．your school |
| C．your dream | D．you yourself |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Different people have the same dream. |
| B．If you keep on, you can make your dream come true. |
| C．There are few difficulties on the road to everyone’s dream. |
| D．When you give up your dream, it will come true soon. |
 |
Raymond is a little koala living in Australia. His mom left him when he was only 1 month old. But luckily, a kind woman called Julie took him home and looked after him. Raymond spends his days sitting at Julie’s desk. |
 |
Meet Zeus, the tallest dog in the world. The 3-year-old dog is 168cm tall from foot to shoulder. When standing on his hind legs (后腿), Zeus reaches 226cm. Zeus lives in the US. He eats a 14-kg bag of food. |
 |
Scotland chose two Shetland ponies(矮种马), Fivla and Vitamin, as “ambassadors(大使)” to bring in visitors. Fivla is 17 and Vitamin is 18. They wear clothes made from wool. Scotland uses pictures of them to show the country’s beauty. |
 |
You can’t find a better sheepdog than Jess the springer spaniel (激飞长毛猎犬) in the UK. Every day, the dog goes out to feed lambs from a milk bottle she carries in her mouth. She does it rain or shine, three times a day. |
_______ left Raymond when he was only one month old.
| A．Julie | B．Fivla | C．Vitamin | D．His mother |
is the tallest dog in the world.
| A．Raymond | B．Zeus | C．Jess | D．Fivla and Vitamin |
Fivla and Vitamin are Shetland ponies from_______.
| A．Australia | B．The US | C．The UK | D．Scotland |
How often does Jess feed lambs from a milk bottle in her mouth?
| A．Every two weeks. | B．Three times a week. |
| C．Once a day. | D．Three times a day. |
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