初中英语说明文阅读理解

Every day when Cora Castle, 14, from Indiana, US goes back home, she opens her computer and logs into a website（登录网站）called Fuel Up to Play 60.
She puts on what she has eaten and what kind of activities she has played that day. Then the site decides whether Castle has eaten healthily and done enough exercise.
All the seventh graders in Castle's school have done the same thing since the year started. It's part of their health class.
If the site finds her habits are unhealthy, it will give her advice. If she does something good, the website will give her a star.
Her health teacher set up a competition to see which student could get the most stars from the website. Castle has got 30 stars so far.
Cameron Bartlett said she liked tracking（跟踪）the food and activities. "This is the first year we've done it," she said. "It's really interesting to see all of the different choices that we have."
The seventh grade health class is coming to an end. They won't be in health class, but the students all said that they would go on to take part in the Fuel Up to Play 60.
"There's lots of bad food out there that we've all been eating," Bartlett said "This really helps all of us eat healthier food."
The passage is mainly about a website for helping people ________.

A．win in competitions	B．eat more healthy food
C．do enough exercises	D．have good living habits

Castle logs into the health website because ________.

A．it's part of her health class	B．her teacher set up a competition
C．she wants to know bad food	D．she can get lots of stars from it

From the passage we learn that all students ________.

A．are eating little bad food

B．have their classes at home

C．are interested in the website

D．are clear about unhealthy food

On the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar（农历）, which is Wednesday this year, all Chinese celebrate one of their traditional festivals, the Dagon Boat Festival, or Dragon Boat Festival. Their celebrations include eating zongzi, rice wrapped in bamboo leaves in the shape of a pyramid, racing dragon boats and sticking mugwort leaves on their doors.  
In 2007, the central government decided to add the Dragon Boat Festival, together with two other traditional festivals - Tomb Sweeping Day (清明节) and Mid Autumn Festival - to the list of public holidays
According to tradition, our ancestors（长辈） believed the hot weather in midsummer might cause different kinds of diseases (疾病). So, to keep off diseases and drive out evil were the main purposes of the Dragon Boat Festival. Parents used colorful threads to make necklaces and bracelets （手镯） for children, gave them beautiful embroidered bags（荷包）, painted the Chinese character for "king" (wang) on their foreheads to drive away bad luck. The Dragon Boat Festival was also called "kids festival" in some places. Spending such happy hours with parents, young children began to understand the festival as well as the traditions and culture behind it. Repeating the customs year by year makes it possible for kids to learn the traditions, accept it and pass it on when they become adults.
How do people celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival?

A．People celebrate this festival by eating eggs.

B．People celebrate this festival by eating zongzi, racing dragon boats.

C．People celebrate this festival by sending cards.

D．People celebrate this festival by singing and dancing.

What is the Chinese meaning of “mugwort leaves” in the second paragraph?

A．粽叶

B．红叶

C．艾叶

D．松叶

How many public holidays added by the central government in 2007?

A．2

B．3

C．4

D．only one

What is the main purpose of the Dragon Boat Festival according to tradition?

A．To keep off diseases and drive out evil and bad luck.

B．To spend happy time with parents.

C．To make necklaces and bracelets for children.

D．To have a long holiday with family members.

______________
Song Zuying is the most famous soprano(女高音歌唱家) in China. In the eyes of the Chinese people, Song Zuying is the star of oriental art(东方艺术).She was born in a beautiful place–Guzhang County in West Hunan. In recent years, she has been awarded many highest prizes in various music contests. She loves her hometown and does a lot for the people there.
__________________
Wen Jiabao is the premier(总理) of the world’s most populous(人口众多的) country. But, millions of people would rather call him“grandpa”.Always in plain(朴素的) jackets, he seems an ordinary old man with a kind smile. But in the face of disasters he has the power to pull together the whole country.
_________________
Ding Cong, a famous cartoonist(漫画家) in China, died on May 26,2009.He started to draw cartoons more than seventy years ago, but he always called himself Xiao Ding of Little Ding.
He seemed to have a lot to learn in this world. His cartoons are humorous(幽默的) and interesting and loved by the old and the young in China.
_________________
An 18–meter high “Olympic torch(火炬)”made of more than 110,000 pots of flowers, the biggest “Olympic torch” in the world, is seen at the Liberation Park in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The “Olympic torch” was exhibited at the opening ceremony（开幕式） of the 2008 Wuhan Flower Expo(展览会) to express local people’s best wishes to this summer Olympic Games.
________________
Liu Qian is the only magician(魔术师) form Taiwan invited by Las Vegas and the Hollywood Magic Castle for performance(表演).When Liu Qian was 7 years old, he started to study magic. The first magic he performed was to put a coin into his mouth and then take is out from his hindbrain(后脑).Now Liu’s magic tricks have made the old art popular again, and made him the hottest magician in China.

A．The premier is our “grandpa”.

B．The most famous soprano in China.

C．The cartoonist who was loved by old and young.

D．The famous magician from Taiwan.

E. The biggest “Olympic torch” in the world.

If you find Grace’s dictionary, you can call  .

A．9873-8769

B．668-0796

C．233-4105

D．15968720230

From the family tree we can see John is Jim and Helen’s

A．daughter

B．son

C．brother

D．cousin

Lily needs of Celion Dion.

A．three pencils

B．a red jacket

C．new CDs

D．2 sharpeners

Bill Smith is a    in No. 9 Middle School.

A．student

B．teacher

C．worker

D．singer

What’s Tom Cooper’s address?

[e-mail]	[e-mail]
C．312 Lin He Road	D．321 Yongfu Road

If we find a bird nest (巢), we will have a good place of watching and knowing about birds. Birds sit on eggs and take care of their babies from April to June. Because the baby birds are too young to leave the nest, parents often go to look for food and come back in several minutes. So it is good to watch birds. When we watch birds, we'd better hide ourselves in a close place to the nest, and it's better to use binoculars (双筒望远镜).
But how do we make a bird nest? A good bird nest must be very fine, strong, thick and comfortable. If you want to make one, please follow these:
a) Each nest must have six boards (木板) for its cover and floor, for its left and right sides, and for its front and back sides. Don't make the boards too slippery (滑的).
b) Dig a small hole in the front of the nest as a "door". The "door" is big enough so birds can fly in or out easily.
c) Make sure the rainwater can't go into the nest.
d) One piece of the board should be easy to open.  
e) Don't forget to colour the nest.
We need ______ near a bird nest if we want to watch and know about birds.

A．a good place

B．some trees

C．to sit on eggs

D．to make a bird net

When we're watching birds, we have to ______.

A．look after the birds more often	B．use the binoculars to catch the birds
C．hide ourselves to make the birds do everything as usual	D．catch the birds at last

We should leave a hole in the front of the nest so that ______ easily.

A．we can clean the nest	B．birds can fly in or out
C．we can hang it	D．we can make it

According to the text, we can make a bird nest like Picture ______ with the boards.

Chinese Restaurant We specialize in banquets and parties. Authentic(正宗) Chinese food. Special lunchtime dishes. licensed and BYO(bring your own) SUNDAY DIM SUM(点心）LUNCH Situated in Smithfield Shopping centre. Tel: [phone] Place: 589 Walkley Road, Smithfield	Hamburger Joe’s Dine in or take away 7 days a week. Friendly, polite waitress service. Pleasant, informal and air-conditioned surroundings. Time:  Mon. Noon—10pm Tues. Noon—11pm Wed.—Sat. Noon—Midnight Sun. Noon—9pm Place:  14 Jetty Road, Glenelg Tel:    [phone]
The Seafood Inn Licensed Café We offer lunch and dinner in a relaxed atmosphere（气氛）with indoor or outdoor seating. We have an interesting wine list and freshly prepared foods. Time:  Tuesday to Friday 12:00—3:00 pm  6:30—11:30 pm Tel:    [phone] Place:  482 Spring Street, Carlton	Peppi’s Italian Restaurant Pasta just like Mama used to make Italian or Australian wines or BYO Time: Open 7 days for lunch and dinner Car parking available Tel:    [phone] Place:  28 O’Connell ST CITV
Pizza Palace Pizza ·Beer ·Wine Fully Licensed Full take-away service Special children’s menu Everard Park, Glenelg City

If you’d like to order some dim sum, you should dial ______________.

A．361 9042

B．306 2481

C．224 1086

D．295 7783

Pizza Palace is the best place for children to eat because ______________.

A．the waitress service is friendly and polite

B．there is a special children’s menu

C．there are indoor or outdoor seats

D．it’s close to Smithfield Shopping centre

How many hours a day is the Seafood Inn open from Tuesday to Friday?

A．3.

B．5.

C．8.

D．12.

The address of Hamburger Joe’s is ______________.

A．589 Walkley Road, Smithfield	B．14 Jetty Road, Glenelg
C．28 O’Connell ST CITV	D．482 Spring Street, Carlton

Which statement is wrong?.

A．Peppi’s Italian Restaurant allows you to bring your own drinks

B．You can’t buy breakfast at Hamburger Joe’s

C．You can enjoy authentic Chinese food in Chinese Restaurant

D．You can dine in or take away from Pizza Palace

Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa. It is also the second largest lake in the world. It is an important lake because it is one of the sources(源头) for the longest river in the world, the Nile River. Lake Victoria provides a source of water, food, and power(电力) for several African countries. Lake Victoria is a big part of African life.
Unfortunately, Lake Victoria has a problem. It is shrinking. There are several power stations at Lake Victoria in Uganda. These are on the Nile River, and besides producing power, they keep the water of the lake at a certain level. For the past forty years, that level has been 11.9 meters. Over the last several years, the water level has dropped by about 2.5 meters. There seem to be several reasons for this drop.
One possible reason is drought(干旱). Drought has been very bad in the area since 2000. Lake Victoria gets all of its water from rain, so the drought means less water in the lake.
However, some environmentalists believe that the real problem is the power plants(工厂) on Lake Victoria. Uganda depends on those power plants for most of its power, and they made the power plants larger in 2000. Many people believe the power plants have been taking too much water off Lake Victoria. As a result, they have been asked to use less water until Lake Victoria goes back to its old level.
Whether the low water level is caused by drought or power plants, the result is the same. This is already a poor area of Africa, where many people live a really hard life. People, animals and plants around Lake Victoria will suffer even more from low water levels on the lake. Many people need Lake Victoria for fishing or growing food. Fish need the water to live, and animals need it for water. Plants around the lake will die without the water, and then more animals and people will suffer. Unless the lake fills soon, many people will suffer and die.
Lake Victoria is __________.

A．an important lake in Africa

B．the largest lake in the world

C．the source of water, food and power for America

D．the only source for the Nile River

What does “It is shrinking” most probably mean?

A．It is becoming larger.

B．It is becoming more beautiful.

C．It is becoming smaller.

D．It is becoming more useful.

The water level of Lake Victoria is now __________.

A．2.5 meters

B．11.9 meters

C．14.4 meters

D．9.4 meters

Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Rain water is the only source for the lake.
B. There has been little rain in the lake area since 2000.
C. The power plants in Uganda provide water for the lake.
D The power plants in Uganda were made larger in 2000.
According to the passage, how can we solve the problems around Lake Victoria?

A．People must build more power plants.

B．More sources of water must be found.

C．Every country should offer some money to Africa.

D．All the people living in the area should move to another place.

Mascots(吉祥物) for the Olympic Games

(the first Olympic mascot)
20th	23rd	26th	27th	29th	30th
1972	1984	1996	2000	2008	2012
Munich(慕尼黑)	Los Angeles	Atlanta	Sydney	Beijing	London
Germany(德国)	America	America	Australia	China	the UK

阅读表格内容，选择最佳答案。
From the form(表格), we know the Olympic Games is held every ______ years.
A. 2           B. 3    C. 4
The mascot for the _______ Olympic Games was the first Olympic mascot in Olympic history.
A. 20th           B. 26th       C.  30th
From the form, we know the ______ Olympic Games had the most mascots.
A. 1984 Los Angeles
B. 2000 Sydney
C. 2008 Beijing
_______ held both the 23rd and the 26th Olympic Games.
A. Germany
B. America
C. Australia
Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Atlanta held the Olympic Games in 1996.
B. Sydney is one of the cities in Australia.
C. London Olympic Games had three mascots.

Just a Quick Nap 只要打个盹儿
Do you feel a little sleepy after lunch? Well, that’s normal. Your body naturally slows down then. What should you do about it? Don’t reach for a coffee! Instead, take a nap.
It’s good to have a daily nap. First of all , you are more efficient（有效的） after napping . You remember things better and make fewer mistakes. Also, you can learn things more easily after taking a nap. A nap may increase your self-confidence（自信） and make you more active . It may even cheer you up. But, there are some simple rules you should follow about taking a nap. First, take a nap in the middle of day, about eight hours after you wake up. Next, a 20-minute nap is best. If you sleep longer, you may fall into a deep sleep. After waking from a deep sleep, you will feel worse. Also, you should set an alarm clock. That way, you can fully relax during your nap. You won’t have to keep looking at the clock so you don’t oversleep.
Now，the next time you feel sleepy after lunch , don’t get stressed . Put your head down, close your eyes, and catch forty winks.
It is       to get sleepy for you at noon.
A. normal          B. strange         C. amazing
After taking a nap, you may feel more        .
A. stressed         B. confident        C. sleepy
The proper period（一段时间）of time for taking a nap is      .
A. as long as you like       B. eight hours     C. about twenty minutes
What can help you have a fully relaxing nap according to the passage?
A. A cup of coffee.         B. A quick meal.   C. An alarm clock.
What is the text mainly about?
A. Why and how to take a nap.
B. Rules to increase your self –confidence.
C. How to make your body slow down.

Wancheng Language School Li Tong (pianist) 67 Wutong Road, Taiyuan 030001 Shanxi, China Tel：[phone] Fax：[phone] E-mail：[e-mail] WAITER WANTED Our restaurant needs some waiters. If you can work hard and work late, please call Wangfu Restaurant at 0351-2037204. Or you can also call the manager Li Fanhui at ，. The work time is from 4∶00 pm to 10∶00 pm SUMMER JOB 　　Our school magazine needs some reporters. Can you write stories? Are you interested in meeting different people? Please call Liu Hong (reporter) at 0351-5768900 or 13700430051 (mobile). You can also send e-mail to [e-mail]. Gao hui (driver) 135 Renmin Road, Linfen 041000 Shanxi, China E-mail：[e-mail] Tel：[phone]

根据表格内容，选择正确答案
If you want to take a taxi in Linfen very early in the morning, you can call    .
A、0351-6587701         B、0357-8765312         C、0351-2037204
You can send an e-mail to all of them except the       .
A、manager              B、pianist              C、driver
      can teach you to play the piano.
A、Liu Fanhui           B、Gao Hui              C、Li Tong
If you want to be a waiter, you can call      .
A、0351-5768900 or 13700430051
B、0351-2037204 or 13623016363
C、0351-6587703
Which of the following is wrong?
A、You can send an e-mail to [e-mail] if you want to work as a reporter.
B、We can’t call Li Tong by mobile phone.
C、Call 13623016363, you can get a taxi at any time.

Algae(水藻) are very simple plants. They grow in fresh water or salty water. Seaweed is algae that grow in salty water. Seaweed is red or brown in color. The Japanese people use these plants from the sea in many ways. From it, they make a food called Kombu. Kombu is seaweed that has been dried, cooked and pressed together. Then it is dried again and cut into long pieces. The Japanese eat a lot of Kombu and like it very much.
Japanese farmers often use seaweed as fertilizer. It makes their plants grow better. Many farmers also find seaweed makes a fine food for their animals.
From seaweed the Japanese also get iodine(碘), which they sell to other countries. Iodine is used in many ways all over the world. It is used in making medicine. It is added to the salt we use at the table. Scientists even use one form of iodine to "seed clouds" when they want rain to fall.
Kombu is a kind of ____ according to the text.

A．plant

B．medicine

C．food

D．fertilizer

In the last sentence of the text, "seed clouds" means ____.

A．clouds spreading like seeds

B．the seeds like clouds

C．to make rain fall with human power

D．dropping seeds by clouds

The main idea of the story is that ____.

A．The Japanese eat seaweed when they want rain to fall.

B．Kombu is made into medicine for farmers.

C．The Japanese use seaweed in many ways.

D．The Japanese eat a lot of Kombu.

SPACE is a lonely place. Hundreds of thousands of kilometers from home, astronauts have a hard life. It stands to reason that, once in a while, they need to have a good cry. But this is a lot harder than it sounds.
We still know very little about space, and about living in zero gravity. In fact, we are discovering new things every time astronauts take to the skies (and beyond). As The Atlantic reported in January, crying is not all that simple in space. This is because when a person normally cries,  gravity makes their tears move downwards. But in a spacecraft, this is not the case. Here, there is no gravity, which is why we so often see pictures of astronauts floating around. This means that, strangely, when you cry your tears have nowhere to go. As a result, they just stick to your eyes.
In May 2011, astronaut Andrew Feustel experienced this. “Tears,” as he said, “don’t fall off your eye… they just kind of stay there. ” This can be quite painful. In space, your eyes get very dry, and the added moisture is irritating (气人的). Sometimes, things get even weirder(更怪异的). The astronaut Ron Parise told The Atlantic that when tears get big enough, they “break free of the eye and float around”.
No one can be quite sure why we cry. Why should water in our eyes have anything to do with feeling sad? If you stop to think about it, crying is a very strange thing indeed. And now, thanks to the wonders of space, it just got even stranger.
The first paragraph mainly wants to tell us that       .

A．living in space is lonely

B．it’s easy to feel sad in space

C．it’s hard to cry in space

D．nobody wants to live in space

If astronauts cry in spacecraft, their tears will       .

A．move downwards	B．move upwards
C．go out of the window	D．stick to their eyes

Astronauts feel       if tears are always in their eyes.

A．sad

B．comfortable

C．happy

D．uncomfortable

What can we learn from the passage?

A．In space our eyes are very wet.

B．Tears will float around if they are big enough in space.

C．People know everything about living in zero gravity.

D．Gravity makes people’s tears move upwards in space.

For Rent A big apartment（单元房） for a family of three people.￥650 a month. Call Mr. Zhang. Tel：[phone].

Wanted Looking for a quiet single room under $120 per month. Please call Harry at 138-7682-5856.

Lost ID card Name：Dick  Number：232324198804125510 Please call [phone].

Found A red bag with some books. Come to Room 402 in the evening or call White at [phone].

Please call            to rent a three-bedroom apartment.

A．[phone]	B．138-7682-5856
C．[phone]	D．[phone]

You can rent your single room to         for $120 per month.

A．Dick

B．Harry

C．White

D．Mr. Zhang

If you find an ID card, you can call            at [phone].

A．White

B．Harry

C．Dick

D．Mr. Zhang

If you can’t find your bag, you can            to get it back in the evening.

A．call [phone]	B．go to Room 402
C．call Harry	D．go to look for a single room

You want to rent a big apartment for your family for three months.You must take out         .

A．￥1 950

B．$1 950

C．￥650

D．$650

In America, just as in Europe, men usually open doors for women, and women always walk ahead of men into a room or a restaurant, unless the men have to be ahead of the ladies to choose the table, to open the door of a car or do some other things like the above. On the street, men almost always walk or cross the street on the closer side of the ladies to the traffic. But if a man walks with two ladies, he should walk between them. Then if the host or hostess or both of them come in a car to get their guest for dinner, the guest should sit at the front seat and leave the back seat though there're no people sitting on it.
In America, men usually_________.

A．walk ahead of women	B．eat in a restaurant
C．walk behind women	D．drive a car to work

In the street, men __________.

A．cross the street	B．walk on the right side of the ladies
C．walk near the ladies	D．walk on the closer side of the ladies to the traffic

If a man walks with two ladies, he should _________.

A．walk between them	B．run before them
C．follow them	D．go away

If a man asks you to speak at a meeting, first you should say,"______".

A．How are you?	B．Is everyone here?
C．Ladies and gentlemen	D．How do you do?

If Mrs. Green invites you to her house in a car, you should________.

A．jump into the car	B．sit at the front seat
C．sit at the back seat	D．drive the car

Have you ever been in a meeting while someone was making a speech and realized suddenly that your mind was a million miles away? You probably felt sorry and decided to pay attention and never have daydreaming again. Most of us have been told from earliest school days that daydreaming is a waste of time.
L. Giambra, a psychologist（心理学家）, says,” On the contrary , daydreaming is quite necessary. Without it, the mind couldn’t do all the thinking that it has to do during a normal day. You can’t possibly do all your thinking with a conscious （神志清醒的）mind. Instead, your unconscious mind is working out problems all the time. Daydreaming may be one way that the unconscious and conscious states （状态）of mind have silent conversations .”
Early psychologists paid no attention to the importance of daydreams or even thought they were harmful. At one time people thought that some psychological illness caused day dreaming. They did not have a better understanding of daydreams until the late 1980s. Eric Klinges, a professor, is the writer of the book Daydreaming. Klinges says, “We know now that daydreaming is one of the main ways that we organize our lives, learn from our experiences, and plan for our futures. Daydreams really are a window on the things that we fear and the things we long for (渴望) in life.”
Daydreams are usually very simple and direct（直接）, quite unlike sleep dreams. Sleep dreams may be hard to understand. It’s easier to get a deep understanding of your life by paying close attention to your daydreams than by trying to examine (分析)your sleep dreams carefully. Daydreams help you know the difficult situations（情况）in your life and found out a possible way of dealing with them.
Daydreams cannot be predicted（预言）: they move off in unexpected directions which may be creative and full of useful ideas. For many famous artists and scientists, daydreams were and are a main source of creative energy.
The passage is mainly about _______ .

A．winter sleeps

B．sleep dreams

C．daydreaming

D．predictions

The underlined phrase On the contrary  means _________ .

A．总之

B．相反

C．毕竟

D．因此

The writer of this passage thinks daydreams are__________.

A．hard to understand	B．important and helpful
C．harmful and unimportant	D．the same as sleep dreams

Psychologists now believe that ________.

A．daydreams are usually very simple and can be predicted

B．daydreams are usually difficult to understand

C．daydreams cause some psychological illness

D．daydreams may be creative and full of useful ideas

The writer quoted  (引用 )L. Giambra  and Eric Klinges  to ________.

A．list out two different ideas

B．point out the wrong ideas of early experts

C．support his own ideas

D．report the latest research on daydreams