Years ago there was a group of kids who would hang around at some local ponds（池塘） in the woods near their houses in Warwick, Rhode Island. In summer they caught frogs and fish. When winter arrived they couldn’t wait to go skating. Time passed, and the ponds became the only open space for the kids to enjoy themselves in that neighborhood.
One day a thirteen-year-old boy from this group of kids read in the local newspaper that a developer wanted to fill in the ponds and build over a hundred small houses called apartments. So the boy went door to door and gathered more than two hundred signatures to stop the development. A group of citizens met and decided to support him.
At the meeting of the town planning organization，the boy was quite nervous at first and spoke very softly. But when he saw the faces of his friends and neighbors in the crowd and thought about what was happening to their favorite ponds，his voice grew louder. He told the town officials that they should speak for the citizens. He also insisted that they should leave enough space for children. A few days later，the developer stopped his plan.
Nine years later, when that teen was a senior in college, he was informed that the developer was back with his proposal to build apartments. Now twenty-two years old, he was studying wetlands ecology. He again appeared before the town planning organization. This time as an expert, he used environmental protection laws to explain restrictions on development in and around wetlands and the knowledge of wetlands ecology to help to improve the development. Finally some apartments were built, but less than half the number the developer wanted. The ponds where those kids used to hang around were protected by a piece of natural land, and are still there today.The kids liked to ___________ at the local ponds in winter.
| A．make a snowman | B．throw snowballs |
| C．go skating | D．go skiing |
The boy thought that the town officials should be ___________ for the citizens.
| A．responsible | B．modest | C．anxious | D．thankful |
Which statement is true according to the passage?
| A．The apartments were built as the developer had planned. |
| B．The grown-up boy helped to protect the wetlands as an expert. |
| C．The developer stopped the boy’s plan at the meeting years ago. |
| D．The ponds were filled in and some apartments were built on them. |
The underlined word “restrictions” in the last paragraph probably means________.
| A．rules | B．plans |
| C．advantages | D．limitations |
Bill Robinson is on trial for murder（因谋杀而受审）．He grew up in a small town in Ohio and then went to Kent State University for one year．When he was nineteen years old，he was asked to join the army and was soon sent to fight in Vietnam．He was very unhappy there as he hated the war and he hated killing people．Two years later he returned home and tried to pick up where he had left off，but things were never quite the same again for the young black man．For one thing，he always had terrible dreams about the war．He could not concentrate on his studies and soon he had to leave school．Then he was fired from one job after another．He wanted to meet someone nice and get married，but he just couldn't seem to get close to anyone．He became angry easily and people avoided him．He was always lonely．Finally one day，while eating at a restaurant，Bill lost control of himself and shot someone for no reason at all．Bill's lawyer hopes that he will not be held responsible for the shooting．He hopes that the judge and the jury（陪审团）will understand that Bill was“temporarily insane（一时精神错乱）”and did not really choose to kill anyone． What did Bill Robinson do after he returned from abroad？
| A．He gave up the chance to go back to college． | B．He tried to go back to his normal life． |
| C．He picked up his things and left again． | D．He found what he had dreamed of． |
He failed to complete his college education because he ____ ．
| A．hated school | B．joined the army |
| C．didn't study hard | D．found it difficult to keep his mind on his studies |
He never married because ____ ．
| A．there were no nice girls around | B．he didn't care to meet any girls |
| C．he hadn't met girls that he liked | D．he found it hard to make friends with girls |
The best title for this article is ____ ．
| A．Robinson on Trial | B．Murder at a Restaurant |
| C．A Young Black Man | D．A Victim of the Vietnam War |
For thousands of years, man has enjoyed the taste of apples. Apples, which are about 85 percent water, grow almost everywhere in the world but the hottest and coldest areas (地区). Among the leading countries in apple production are China, France and the United States.
There are various kinds of apples, but a very few make up the majority of those grown for sale. The three most common kinds grown in the United States are Delicious, golden Delicious, and McIntosh.
Apples are different in colour, size, and taste. The colour of the skin may be red, green, or yellow. They have various sizes, with Delicious apples being among the largest. The taste may be sweet or tart (酸的). Generally, sweet apples are eaten fresh while tart apples are used to make applesauce (苹果酱).
Apple trees may grow as tall as twelve metres. They do best in areas that have very cold winters. Although no fruit is yielded during the winter, this cold period is good for the tree. It can be learned from the text that delicious apples are _______________
| A．grown in France. | B．sold everywhere. | C．very big. | D．quite sweet. |
Cold winter weather is good for _______________
| A．the growth of apple trees. | B．producing large apples. |
| C．improving the taste of apples. | D．the increase of water in apples. |
China, France and the United States are considered to _______________
| A．be large producers of apples. | B．be large producers of applesauce. |
| C．have the longest history in apple production. | |
| D．have the coldest winter among apple producing countries. |
It’s not the first movie to show the end of the world. But in the latest box office hit 2012 it is neither aliens nor a killer disease that threaten the human race, but climate change.
Some say the film lacks good dialogue and its science is questionable， others believe German director Roland Emmerich makes up for these flaws in special effects. An earthquake destroys the White House and Yellow stone National Park ends up in flames．
Emmerich borrows from the old Mayan(玛雅人的) story which says, that the world will end in 2012．He is being criticized for fuelling Internet rumors(传闻) about doomsday(世界末日)
“There is no factual basis for these claims,’’ NASA said on its website. “Credible(可信赖的) scientists worldwide know of no threat connected with 2012,’’ it insisted. “After all, our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, ” they added．
According to the UK’s Daily Telegraph, it was first thought that the disaster would happen in May 2003. When the world continued, supporters picked the last day of the Mayan calendar．
“Every culture has a myth(传说) of destruction(毁灭), just as they have a myth of creation. These myths |of destruction tend to surface(重新出现) during times of crisis(危机), ” Michael A. Ryan, an assistant profess of history，speaking to Purdue University News. Ryan studies apocalyptic(像世界末日的) themes from the Middle Ages at the US university. “Today’s current economic climate is a state of crisis for many people who are worried whether they can afford to feed themselves,”he added. What led to the end of the world according to the film 2012?
| A．Aliens． | B．The human race． | C．Climate change． | D．A killer disease． |
What does the underlined word “fuelling’’ in the third paragraph refer to?
| A．Making sth. stronger．． | B．Putting gas into a car． |
| C．Producing power or heat． | D．Burning |
Which of the following statements about the film 2012 is TRUE according to the text?
| A．A big fire destroys Yellow-stone National Park． |
| B．All scientists in the world know of no threat connected with 2012． |
| C． The old Mayan story says that the world will end in |
| D．Every culture has a myth of destruction rather than creation |
Why do the rumors about doomsday come about now and then?
| A．Because during times of crisis, people tend to worry about their future． |
| B．Because aliens often threaten the human race． |
| C．Because killer diseases happen at times． |
| D． Because the old Mayan story says that the world will |
“I Love My Neighborhood” Poster Contest
The “I Love My Neighborhood” Poster Contest was developed in l993．It aims to educate your students and their families about neighborhood pride and duty．Lessons and activities are provided in a teacher’s guide．Students can learn about the sources of litter and pollution prevention．
RULES
All children in primary schools are invited to submit(提交) one piece of work. The Winning posters will be reproduced and handed out throughout the neighborhood．
◆Students are encouraged to bravely use different colors and to be as creative as possible! It is up to the student and you to decide which art tool to use such as crayons. Color pencils are not advised because they do not reproduce well．
◆The topic, “I am part of my neighborhood!” must be included in the design of each poster. The Committee requires that students include their
mascot(吉祥物) in each poster.
◆All work must be on normal-sized paper for winning posters reproduction purposes. Over-sized posters will have no chance of taking part in the final competition．
◆All work submitted must be the child’s own work．Your students can be guided by you or their parents; we simply want to avoid poster not drawn by themselves．
◆Please review each poster before submitting．
Each work to be submitted must include the student’s name, grade level，your name and school name on the BACK of each poster．
For more information or questions about the 2012 “I Love My Neighborhood” Poster Contest, contact(联系) Jaixen Webb at (818) 551-6933 or jwebb@ci.glendale. ca.us． ’We can learn from Paragraph l that the contest ______.
| A．has a history of more than 20 years |
| B．offers kids activities organized by parents |
| C．aims to protect the environment by the power of art |
| D．hopes kids can feel proud of their neighborhood |
To win the contest, students must _____.
| A．use different-sized Paper | B．design a mascot for the contest |
| C．avoid using crayons and color pencils | D．draw the posters by themselves |
The text is mainly written for ______.
| A．students | B．neighborhood committees | C．teachers | D．parents |
Australians have been warned they face a life or death decision over their water —— drink recycled sewage(污水) or die.
With the drought(干旱) continuing, the country is set to be forced to use purified waste water for drinking, even if there is great opposition to the measure
Queensland has become the first state to introduce the policy after a warning from its premier.
“I think in the end, because of the drought, all of Australia is going to end up drinking recycled purified water,” said former Premier Peter Beattie. “These are difficult decisions, but you either drink water or you die. There’s no choice. It's liquid gold; it a matter of life and death.”
Beattie said Australia's second largest state would become the first to use recycled water for drinking．
Water is recycled in Britain and parts of northern Europe along with the US and Israel．
But Australians have never liked the idea．
To try to change the way Australians think, John Howard and Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull have Supported Queensland’s move.
“I am very strongly for recycling and Mr Beattie is right and I agree with him completely,” Howard said．
“Australian cities, all now facing water shortages because of the worst drought on record, must start to use recycled water,” added Turnbull. “All of our big cities have to widen the range of water sources to include sources which are not dependent on rainfall.”What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Australians face the choice of life and death． |
| B．Continuing drought forces Australians to drink recycled sewage． |
| C．Mr Beattie is worried about his people’s health． |
| D．We should avoid drinking recycled water to keep healthy． |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The drought is the worst one in the droughts recorded in Australian history． |
| B．Australia’s largest state has become the first state to introduce the policy． |
| C．No other countries but Australia decides to drink recycled water． |
| D．Nobody disagrees to the idea of drinking recycled purified water． |
It can be inferred from what Peter Beattie said that_________.
| A．he gives orders to drink purified waste water. |
| B．if the decision is made, people won't survive the drought |
| C．it is painful for him to see his people drink recycled sewage |
| D．it's up to you to make a life or death decision |
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