Have you ever wondered?

1. Why do airplanes take longer to fly west than east?

It can take five hours to go west-east from New York (NY) to London but seven hours to travel east-west from London to NY. The reason for the difference is an atmospheric phenomenon known as the jet (噴射) stream. The jet stream is a very high altitude wind which always blows from the west to the east across the Atlantic. The planes moving at a constant air speed thus go faster in the west-east direction when they are moving with the wind than in the opposite direction.

2. What would happen if the gravity on Earth was suddenly turned off?

Supposing we could magically turn off gravity. Would buildings and other structures (建筑物) float away? What happened would depend on how strongly the things were attached to the Earth. The Earth is moving at quite a speed, moving at over a thousand miles per hour. If you turn something around your head on a string (細(xì)繩), it goes around in a circle until you let go of the string. Then it flies off in a straight line. ‘Switching off’ gravity would be like letting go of the string. Things not attached to the Earth would fly off in a straight line. People in buildings would suddenly shoot upwards at a great speed until they hit the ceiling. Most things outside would fly off into space.

1.What information can we get from the first passage?

A．It is the jet stream that affects how fast airplanes fly.

B．Planes go slower when they are moving with the wind.

C．It takes more time to fly from NY to London than from London to NY.

D．The jet stream always blows from the east to the west across the Atlantic.

2.The word “shoot” underlined in the 2nd passage probably means “__________”.

A．send for                              B．move quickly

C．come out                             D．grow quickly

3.It can be inferred that without gravity __________.

A．buildings and other structures would float away

B．trees and buildings would not so easily fly off

C．something around your head would not float away

D．everything outside buildings would fly off into space

4.Which of the following statements is not mentioned in the passage?

A．It takes seven hours to travel from London to New York.

B．The earth is moving at a high speed

C．Everything on the earth will float away if there’s no gravity.

D．Everything not attached to the earth would fly off in a straight line.

5.Where can we most probably read this text?

A．In a research paper.

B．In a short story.

C．In a travel magazine.

D．In a student’s book.

 

A thousand years ago Hong Kong was covered by a thick forest. As more and more people came to 　1　 in Hong Kong, these trees were cut down and burnt. Now there is 　2　 forest left, though there are still some small areas covered with trees. We call these woods.
Elephants, tigers and many 　3　 animals were living in the thick forest. When people came to live in Hong Kong, the 　4　 began to die out. Early farmers grew rice and 　5　 pigs and chickens in the valleys. They cut down the trees and burnt them. They needed 　6　 to keep themselves warm in winter, to cook their food and to keep away the dangerous animals. Elephants quickly disappeared because there was not enough food for them. So did 　7　 of the wolves and tigers. Monkeys and many other animals soon 　8　 in the same way.
You might think that there are no longer any animals in Hong Kong 　9　 in the zoos. But there are still about 36 different animals 　10　 there. One of the most interesting of Hong Kong's animals is the barking deer. These are beautiful little animals 　11　 a rich brown coat and a white patch (補(bǔ)丁) under the tail. They look like deer but they are much smaller. They are less than two feet（英尺） 　12　. They make a noise rather like a dog 　13　. In Hong Kong the barking deer has only a real enemy--　14　. People hunt these little animals though it is illegal (違法的). There are now not many barking deer left. So it is important 　15　 people to protect wild animals.

【小題1】

A．work B．study C．live 　　 D．enjoy

【小題2】

A．many　　 B．a(chǎn) few C．no D．not

【小題3】

A．other 　 B．others　　 C．the other　 D．a(chǎn)nother

【小題4】

A．people　 B．a(chǎn)nimals　 C．plants 　 D．things

【小題5】

A．grew　　 B．made C．got D．kept

【小題6】

A．fire　　 B．hotness　 C．heat　　 D．stoves(爐子)

【小題7】

A．much　　 B．a(chǎn) little C．a(chǎn) lots　　 D．most

【小題8】

A．lived　 B．died　 C．came　　 D．left

【小題9】

A．besides B．except　　 C．a(chǎn)nd　　 D．or

【小題10】

A．live　 B．to live　 C．lived　 D．living

【小題11】

A．have B．without　 C．with　　 D．get

【小題12】

A．high 　 B．higher　　 C．short　　 D．shorter

【小題13】

A．shouting　 B．crying　 C．barking　 D．talking

【小題14】

A．tigers　 B．men　 C．wolves D．elephants

【小題15】

A．to 　 B．for　　 C．like 　　 D．of

Rivers are one of our most important natural resources(資源). Many of the world’s great cities are located on rivers, and almost every country has at least one river running through it that plays an important part in the lives of its people.
Since the beginning of history, people have used rivers for transportation. The longest one in the United States is the Mississippi. The lifeline of Egypt is the Nile. To the people of India, the Ganges is great, but it is also important for transportation; ships can travel along it for a thousand miles. Other great rivers are the Congo in Africa and the Mekong in southeastern Asia. The greatest of all for navigation（航海）, however, is the Amazon in Brazil（巴西）. It is so wide and so deep that large ships can go about two thousand miles up it.
Besides transportation, rivers give food to eat, water to drink, water for crops, and chances for fun. In order to increase the supply(供給) of water for crops, engineers sometimes build a dam (大壩)across a river and let a lake form behind the dam. Then people can use the water not only to irrigate(灌溉) their fields but also to make electricity for their homes and industries.
However, large cities and industries that are located on rivers often cause problems. As the cities grow in size and industries increase in number, the water in the rivers becomes polluted with chemicals and other materials. People are learning the importance, however, of doing more to keep their rivers clean if they want to enjoy the benefits of these natural resources.
【小題1】The greatest river for navigation is ________________.

A．the Mississippi	B．the Nile
C．the Mekong	D．the Amazon

【小題2】Which is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Many cities are located on rivers.

B．Almost every country has at least one important river.

C．The Nile is in India.

D．Rivers play an important part in the lives of people.

【小題3】When rivers are dammed, people use the water for __________.

A．keeping the rivers clean

B．making electricity

C．washing clothes

D．irrigation and the production of electricity

【小題4】Most water in rivers is polluted with ___________.

A．people’s drinking water too much

B．people’s swimming in the river too much

C．chemicals and other materials

D．people’s building a dam across a river

【小題5】The best title for the passage is _____________.

A．The Importance of Rivers	B．Rivers in Cities
C．Transportation	D．Natural Resources

Here is the bulletin board in Class 2. Some of the notes can be seen every day. Here are some notes before a holiday. Please read them and answer the following questions.

We want to say thanks to Miss Wang, our dear teacher. We couldn’t have a wonderful English class without you.                              Class 2	I am thankful to Annie for lending me the pen. I’ll remember to bring mine next time.                                  Mary
The class meeting will be held this Thursday. The topic is “Thanks a lot.” Please get ready.                              Class 2	A thousand thanks to John . He always helps me clean the windows when I am busy.                                  Julia
Many thanks to Jack for helping with my Chinese homework.                                Tom	I’m thankful to know that I have so many kind students. I love you all.            Miss Wang

 

1.The meaning of “bulletin board” is _________.

       A. 廣告欄          B. 尋物啟事        C. 公告欄       D. 意見箱

2.When Julia was busy, what did John help her do?

       A. To do Chinese homework.           B. To clean the windows.  

       C. To do English homework.           D. To lend her a pen.

3.What is Miss Wang?

       A. A Chinese teacher of Class 2.     B. An English teacher of Class 2. 

       C. A Chinese teacher of Class 3.     D. An English teacher of Class 3.

4.Why did Annie lend the pen to Mary?

       A. Ann had too many pens.

       B. Mary lost her pen.

       C. Miss Wang asked her to do so.

       D. Mary forgot to bring her pen to school.

5.What holiday might be coming according to the notes on the bulletin board?

       A. Thanksgiving Day                  B. Teachers’ Day

       C. New Year’s Day                    D. Christmas

 

 

Do you know who invented tea? It is said that the emperor Shen Nong  discovered   tea when he was boiling drinking water 21 an open fire. Some leaves from a nearby tree fell into the water and the leaves were in the water for   22 . The emperor noticed that the leaves in the water produced a   23   smell. Later he decided  24  the hot water with the leaves. It was quite delicious. And  25 , one of the worl’s favorite drinks was invented.

26 is the home of tea. And tea has more than 4,000 years history. 27  the three drinks—tea, coffee and cocoa, tea is drunk by  28  people in the world. Tea  29 China began to be known by the world over a thousand years ago and has been an important Chinese export (出口商品)  30  .

Tea leaves  31  mainly in the south of the Yangtze River, 32 the warm climate (氣候)there. Longjing, Wulong, Pu’er and Tieguanyin are all   33   kinds of tea.

Over the past centuries, Chinese people   34   their tea culture(文化), including tea planting, tea-leaf picking, tea making and so on. We know tea is   35   a popular topic(主題) in dances, songs, poems and novels.

1.A. in               B. by                    C. over                  D. to

2. A. sometimes        B. some time         C. some times           D.some days

3.A. pleasant          B. pleased                C. bad                      D.terrible

4.A. not to taste            B. to taste                   C. tasting           D.taste

5.A. by the way     B. on the way              C. on its way            D. in this way

6. A. Japan                   B. China                     C. America               D.England 7.A. In                        B. For                        C. Of                       D. By

8.A. the number of                     B. a number of          

C. a large number of                                   D. the largest number of

9. A. to                   B. from                   C. in                        D. off

10.A. At that time  B. from now on           C. since then             D. since now

11. A. produce              B. are produced           C. make                   D. are made

12. A. becauuse of       B. because                  C. as                        D. for  

13.A. interesting           B. important        C. famous                 D. expensive

14.A. had developed      B. have developed       C. developed          D.are developing

15.A. too               B. as well                   C. either                D. also