A little stream (小溪) ran down from a high mountain through many villages and forests. Then it reached a desert,“I went through so many difficulties. I should have no problem crossing the desert,”she thought. As she started, she found herself slowly disappearing into the sand. After many tries, she still failed.
At this time, a deep voice said,“if a breeze (微风) can cross the desert, so can a river.”It was the voice of the desert. But the little stream answered,“that’s because a breeze can fly, but I can’t.”
“That’s because you can’t give up what you are. Let yourself evaporate (蒸发) into the breeze, and it can take you across,”said the desert.
“Give up what I am now? No! No!”The little stream could not accept this idea.
“The breeze can carry the vapor (蒸汽) across the desert and let it leave as rain. The rain will form a river again,”said the desert.“And whether you’re a river or vapor, your nature (本性) never changes.”
Hearing this, the little stream went into the open arms of the breeze. It carried her to the next stage (阶段) of her life.What did the stream think when she reached a desert?
| A．She thought she couldn’t cross the desert. |
| B．She believed she could cross the desert. |
| C．She thought she knew well about the desert. |
| D．She started to worry about herself. |
What does the underlined word“it”refer to (指的是)?
| A．The desert. | B．The nature. |
| C．The breeze. | D．The stream. |
What did the stream do in the end?
| A．Crossed the desert. | B．Stopped trying. |
| C．Failed to get to the ocean. | D．Died. |
What is the main idea of the story?
| A．The road to success is not always easy. |
| B．We should do the right thing whatever others say. |
| C．Our lives can be as difficult as the little stream’s. |
| D．To succeed, we should change the way we used to be. |
Do you want to live a happier, less stressful life? Try laughing for no reason at all. That’s how thousands of people start their day at Laughter Clubs around the world.
The first Laughter Club was started in Mumbai, India, in 1995, by Dr Madan Kataria. “Children laugh about 300 times a day. Adults laugh between 7 and 15 times a day,” says Dr Kataria. “Everyone’s naturally good at laughing — it’s the universal (共同的) language.” There are now more than 500 Laughter Clubs in India and over 1,300 worldwide.
Many doctors are also interested in the effects of laughter on our health. According to a 5-year study at the UCLS School of Medicine in California, with laughing there is less stress in the body. Laughter improves our health against illness by about 40%.
So what happens at a Laughter Club? I went along to the nearest club in the south of London to find out. I was quite nervous at the beginning of the class. I had no interest in laughing with a group of strangers, and I was worried about looking stupid (愚蠢的). Our laughter teacher told us to clap our hands (拍手) and say “ho ho ho, ha ha ha” while looking at each other. Although we couldn’t tell the differences between fake laughter and real laughter, they still produced the same healthy effects.
Surprisingly, it worked! After ten minutes, everybody there was laughing for real and some people just couldn’t stop! At the end of the class I was shocked by how relaxed and comfortable I felt. So if you’re under stress, then start laughing. The passage is probably taken from ______________ .
| A．a storybook | B．a health magazine |
| C．a comic book | D．a travel magazine |
The writer was nervous at the beginning of the class because _______________ .
| A．he was not clever enough |
| B．he wasn’t interested in laughing at all |
| C．he wasn’t good at getting along with others |
| D．he knew no one there and was afraid it would look silly to laugh for no reason |
The underlined word “fake” probably means “___________” in Chinese.
| A．假的 | B．真诚的 |
| C．真的 | D．难堪的 |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．People feel less stressed when they laugh. |
| B．Adults don’t laugh as often as children. |
| C．People who often laugh never fall ill in their lives. |
| D．The first Laughter Club was set up in Asia. |
Which is the BEST title for the passage?
| A．A 5-year study | B．Try laughing at Laughter Clubs |
| C．The first Laughter Club | D．A difficult language to learn |
Many young people all over the world love to travel and see the world. Have you heard of backpackers? They are normally young people who travel cheaply with just one bag and comfortable walking boots. They buy local food in supermarkets to save money and at the same time become friends with local people.
Some people prefer adventure tours. Brave people may try bungee(蹦极) jumping from the bridge overlooking the Victoria Falls in Africa with only a rope around their legs. Some enjoy the challenge of rock climbing in the Alps in Switzerland. Others may go ice skiing in the Rocky Mountains in the USA.
Have you ever heard of an ecotourism (生态旅游)? It means a holiday in which people come close to nature but are very careful not to destroy the nature beauty or living things in the area. How can this be possible? Let's read an interview with people who enjoyed a swimming with dolphins tour.
Interviewer what was the most exciting part of your holiday?
Sharon from South Africa I felt excited when I heard the sound of wild dolphins beside me in the water and then swimming directly under me. An image I will never forget.
Xavier from Portugal There were two dolphins below us swimming downwards. One stopped and looked back at me as if to say “What are those strange things?” Fantastic!
Interviewer Did you feel that your holiday helped local people and areas to keep their beautiful environment?
Jane from New Zealand The hotel and the whale and dolphin watching companies hire local people. They used to hunt those whales and dolphins, but now they can earn money from tourism and mustn’t kill whales and dolphins. Not many boats are used at the same time so these animals aren't disturbed. The boat companies also work to educate the local schools about the importance of protecting these wonderful animals.
Helen from England I am glad they are not killing the whales and dolphins any more, but the cars and boats use fuel(燃料) which could cause pollution and make the sea dirtier.
Well, what do you think? Thousands of people visit the Forbidden City or the Great Wall of China every year. Do you think that's a good thing, or do you feel that China's important tourist attractions can be affected? Are there any ways of sharing your treasures (珍宝) but keeping them in good condition?
From the first paragraph, backpackers are young people________.
| A．visiting historical places in China |
| B．traveling cheaply with just one bag |
| C．who love to travel and see the world alone |
| D．who love to buy local things as souvenirs |
What can't you do when you take an ecotourism?
| A．Come close to nature in the holiday carefully. |
| B．Protect the living things in the area. |
| C．Be careful not to destroy the nature beauty. |
| D．Keep the local people unhappy. |
Sharon, Xavier, Jane and Helen think the tours are helpful EXCEPT________.
| A．the hotel and the companies hire local people to help them earn money |
| B．local people used to hunt and kill whales and dolphins but now they don't |
| C．not many boats are used at the same time so animals aren't disturbed |
| D．the cars and boats use fuel to cause pollution and make the sea dirtier |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．It's a cheap and popular way to travel and see the world as a backpacker. |
| B．We believe an ecotourism can greatly protect the nature beauty and living things. |
| C．China's tourist attractions can be protected because of being visited by tourists. |
| D．We’d better find good ways to share our treasures and keep them good. |
We always regard dogs as man’s best friends. But what about cats?
Cats can also do us a favor sometimes.
Here is a comparison of the two animals.
A Friend Helps You When You’re Sick
| Dogs |
When Catherine lay down on the sofa, Pepe stared(盯) into her eyes and kept sniffing(嗅). After being pushed away, he suddenly jumped onto her chest. That’s when Catherine felt a pain that made her visit a doctor, and a fast-growing cancer was found. Months later, however, Pepe started staring and sniffing again. It seemed strange, but sure enough, Catherine’s cancer had spread. |
| Cats |
Alana immediately finds a chair when Tee sits and stares directly into her face. That’s because Tee is warning her that she is about to faint(昏倒), which can happen as often as three times a day. But Alana won’t get hurt if she sits down. Not only does Tee warn Alana, but also her husband. Then the cat stays with Alana until she recovers. |
A Friend Saves Your Life
| Dogs |
Ryan fell into the water by accident. The river was full of ice, and Ryan was very cold and his body temperature was dropping dangerously low. Luckily, he was found by Chelsea, who was playing with her dog, Zion. “Zion knew the boy was in trouble,” says Chelsea. “Ryan grabbed onto the dog’s collar, and Zion just turned around and came back to the bank.” |
| Cats |
Bernice says: “I was sleeping in my bedroom, and then I was woken by Joey screaming and running”. Then she found smoke around her. With Joey helping her, she managed to get out of the door. “I found him in a mailbox when he was young and now I feel very lucky. Without him, I’d have probably died in the smoke.” |
When Alana is about to faint, Tee will ________.
| A．stare at her and keep sniffing | B．jump onto her chest suddenly |
| C．sit and stare directly into her face | D．scream and run |
What can we learn about Ryan?
| A．He likes swimming in rivers. |
| B．He has a lovely dog, Zion. |
| C．Chelsea helped him swim back to the bank. |
| D．He was in danger when he was found by Chelsea. |
What happened when Bernice was sleeping?
| A．She was badly hurt in a big fire. |
| B．She found the brave cat in a mailbox. |
| C．A fire broke out when she was sleeping. |
| D．She ran out of the burning house with the help of firemen. |
When something becomes fashionable very quickly , we say that it’s a “craze”. The latest craze is sometimes a style of clothes or a hairstyle. Sometimes it is a game or a TV programme.
In the 20th century a lot of crazes started in the USA and then became popular in the USA andthen became popular in other parts of the world. American youth culture has spread through tourism , TV , films, magazines and music videos.
One of the biggest crazes was the hula hoop（呼啦圈）. Hula hoops are not popular now, but in the1950s they were a sensation. An American company called Wham-O started to make plastic（塑料的）hoops toys, and in the USA the company sold 100 million hoops in a year.
Frisbees（飞盘）were another Wham-O product（产品）. Some people say that the idea
started in the factory of the Frisbee Baking Company in Connecticut. Workers there threw metal pans to each other during their breaks. Two businessmen made a plastic type of the flying pans, and sold their products to Wham-O. They became a big business.
So businesses usually help to produce a craze. Yoyos were another example. In the Philippines, where its name means “comeback”, the yoyo was a popular toy in the 1920s. But it didn’t become a global (世界性的) craze until an American called Donald Duncan bought the idea and sold it to the world. Around 100 million people bought yoyos in 1962 and 1963.
Most crazes come and go, but sometimes they survive. When the big skateboard started in California in 1965, many parents and governments said that the boards were dangerous, and they were not allowed in some areas. But the boards became popular again and they are still an important part of youth culture today.What is a “craze” ?
A. A special culture in the western country.
B. Something that is liked by the young.
C. Something that first spreads in the USA.
D. Something that becomes very popular over a short period (时期) of time.What does the underlined word “sensation” mean ?
| A．昂贵的物品 |
| B．值得珍藏的物品 |
| C．轰动一时的物品 |
| D．昙花一现的物品 |
What fact does the passage provide ?
| A．All crazes in the world come and go quickly. |
| B．Skateboards are not allowed in most areas of America. |
| C．In the last century the USA introduced many new crazes. |
| D．Crazes have nothing to do with culture. |
Which of the following can be chosen as the best title of the passage ?
| A．Something about Crazes |
| B．Wham-O products |
| C．A successful Company |
| D．American Youth Culture |
If you’ve tried studying when you’re tired, you know that it can seem very impossible to do well.
A study of sleep in sparrows suggests the relationship between sleep and the ability to learn may be more complicated(复杂) than people knew.
Niels C·Rattenborg, a scientist from Wisconsin-Madison, wanted to find out how the sparrows were able to deal with getting so much less sleep. He and his team brought eight wild birds into a lab and watched them for one year. They invented a game to check how well the birds could learn. In the game, the sparrows had to peck(啄)three buttons （按钮）in a right order to get a food treat. The scientists discovered that the birds’ ability to learn the right button order depended on(依靠)two things: the time of year and the amount of sleep the birds had had.
During the migration（迁徙）season, the sparrows were restless at night and got much less sleep than usual. Even so, they were able to understand how to get the food quickly as if they’d had a regular night of sleep. Outside the migration season, they found the sparrows that got less sleep than usual had much more difficulty learning how to get the food treats than birds that had a regular sleep.
The results show that the sparrows can deal with much less sleep during the migration season than usual. If scientists can find out why, they may learn from sparrows and find ways of helping people deal with getting much less sleep. Until scientists fully understand the relationship between sleep and learning, it’s better to get plenty of sleep when preparing for an exam.
| A．sparrows’ migration. |
| B．sleep lessons from Sparrows. |
| C．how to get less sleep while studying |
| D．how sparrows that got less sleep get food treats |
| A．They eat more. |
| B．The climate is better |
| C．They can get food quickly |
| D．Scientists still don’t know the reason. |
| A．We should sleep as little as sparrows do. |
| B．We should get enough sleep before an exam. |
| C．When tired, we should try to focus on(聚焦) our study. |
| D．When tired, we should check how we can sleep less than usual. |
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