This is a story about a mother and her son. The boy was only two years old. One day,his mother took him to the park. On their way to the park,the 1 saw some ants for the first time in his life. Many other mothers might 2 their children to trample on the ants so as to practice their courage. But this mother 3 She pointed to the ants and said, “Look,how 4 they are!Their mother must love them very much. ” The boy looked at his mother with puzzled eyes,and then 5 the black ants. When those 6 met a roadblock and couldn’t cross over,he would use his finger as their bridge to let them go through. His mother 7

    It's true that all parents expect their kids to grow greater than others. So parents should be like that 8 mother,and learn to guide their kids. I think parents should take the children to the 9 as often as possible to make them know how beautiful the life is. If you are lucky enough,you can even see bird mothers feeding their babies with worms,farmers 10 happily in the field,teachers leading lovely students across the street,old people doing morning exercise in the park. The children will see those beautiful scenes and learn to love their life.

1. A. girl   B. boy

   C. man   D. woman

2. A. encourage   B. stop

   C. order   D. prevent

3. A. didn't   B. did

   C. does   D. doesn’t

4. A. small   B. weak

   C. strong   D. cute

5. A. cleaned up   B. looked up

   C. threw away   D. turned to

6. A. ants   B. birds

   C. kids   D. farmers

7. A. cried   B. shouted

   C. smiled   D. worried

8. A. foolish   B. clever

   C. beautiful   D. ugly

9. A. factory   B. bookshop

   C. nature   D. supermarket

10. A. reading   B. working

   C. drawing   D. dancing

    Parents are the closest people to you in the world. They love you,and they would do anything for you. But like a lot of middle school students,Linda has a problem. She and her parents don't get on well. “ I really want to be my daddy's sweet girl. But my daddy just doesn’t understand. He talks with me but doesn’t listen. ” said Linda.

   Recently,a study showed that many families had the same problem as Linda's family. The children,12 to 15 years old,don't like talking with their parents much. They aren’t happy at home.

Of course,lots of kids feel that way. But you and your parents will be much happier if you can be friends. Here are some ways to have a good talk with them ：

   ★ Find a good time to talk,like when you’re eating dinner,going out for a walk or watching TV.

   ★ Tell them something you’re interested in,or ask them about their life when they were young. They love to talk about that!

  ★ Listen to them carefully,and look at them in the eye.

  ★ Be honest. Your parents will trust you more.

根據短文內容，回答下列問題。

1. Who are the closest people to us in the world according to the article?

   
   

2. What's Linda's problem？

3. According to the study,how are the 12-to 15-year-old children at home?

4. How can we and our parents be much happier according to the article?

5. What does the underlined word “that” refer to?

     It is surprising many everyday English that Americans use today come from the card game of poker.

     For example,you hear them say like ace (王牌) in the hole. In poker and most card games,the ace is the highest and most useful card. It is often a winning card. In one kind of poker game,a player does not show this card to the other players. The players bet money each time they get another card. No one knows until the end of the game. Often,the ace in the hole wins the game.

     Another everyday English,dealing off the bottom,now means “be not honest” in business. And when someone tells you that the cards are bad for you,maybe you really have a chance to win.

     In a poker game you do not want to let your opponents (對手) know if your cards are good or bad. So having a poker face is important. A poker face never shows either good or bad feelings.

      You can do a better job if you hold your cards close to your vest. You hold your cards close to you so no one can see what you have. In everyday speech,holding your cards close to your vest means not letting others know what you are doing or thinking. You are keeping your plans secret.

1. In card games,an ace is usually card.

   A. the most useful   B. the biggest

   C. the oldest   D. the most beautiful

2. If somebody says that you are dealing off the bottom,he may.

   A. like you   B. want to talk with you

   C. be angry with you   D. be very happy

3. In everyday speech,holding your cards close to your vest tells you

   A. to put your clothes on the cards

   B. to tell your friends your feelings

   C. not to make others know your secret

   D. not to tell others your address

4. What can we learn from the passage?

   A. You will probably succeed if you have an ace in the hole.

   B. Everybody will like you if you deal off the bottom.

   C. A poker face never shows bad feelings except good ones.

   D. The person who has a poker face will win the game at last.

5. What is the best title for the passage?

   A. An Ace in the Hole

   B. Dealing Off the Bottom

   C. A Poker Face

   D. Expressions from the Poker Game

     The word “day” has two meanings. When we talk about the number of days in a year,we are using “day” to mean 24 hours. But when we talk about day and night,we are using “ day ” to mean the time between sunrise and sunset. Since the earth looks like a ball,the sun can shine on only half of it at a time. Always one half of the earth is having day and the other half night. A place is moved from day into night and from night into day over and over again by the spinning (自 轉) of the earth. At the equator day and night are sometimes of the same length (長度) .They are both twelve hours long. The sun rises at 6 o’clock in the morning and sets at 6 o’clock in the evening. For six months the North Pole is tilted (傾斜) towards the sun. In those months the Northern Hemisphere gets more hours of sunlight than the Southern Hemisphere. Days are longer than nights. In South of the equator nights are longer than days. For the other six months the North Pole is tilted away from the sun. Then the Southern Hemisphere gets more sunlight. Days are longer than nights. In North of the equator nights are longer than days. Winter is the season of long nights. Summer is the season of long days.

1. When the Western Hemisphere is having day,the Eastern Hemisphere is having .

   A. both day and night   B. day

   C. neither day nor night   D. night

2. A place is moved from day into night and from night into day over and over again by of the earth.

   A. the pushing   B. the pulling

   C. the spinning   D. the passing

3. At the equator day is as long as night.

   A. sometimes   B. never

   C. usually   D. always

4. When the North Pole is tilted towards the sun,the Northern Hemisphere gets sunlight.

   A. less   B. more

   C. all   D. no

5. When it is winter in China, .

   A. the US is tilted towards the sun

   B. the South Pole is tilted away from the sun

   C. the North Pole is tilted towards the sun

   D. the North Pole is tilted away from the sun

      My daughter was too lazy to read,so I gave her a choice. If she wanted to,she could go to bed 30 minutes later than her younger brother,but she had to spend that time in her room reading. It worked great,and now she spends one more hour than her brother reading. She knows that if she doesn’t read,her bed time is the same as her brother's,so she always chooses to read unless (如果不) she is really tired or sick. I hope this can help. I also allow each child to spend one hour and a half watching TV programs every night and half an hour playing video games. My daughter reads or plays in her room when her little brother watches cartoons,and when she watches game shows,my son plays with toys. I read to my 4-year-old son before bed every night while my daughter is reading. I usually go into her room and listen to her reading for about 10 to 20 minutes.

1. The writer's son is years old.

   A. four   B. ten   C. twenty   D. twelve

2. The daughter reads for almost every night.

   A. 30 minutes   B. 10 to 20 minutes

   C. more than one hour   D. less than one hour

3. The daughter will have to if she doesn’t read every night.

   A. watch TV   B. play video games

   C. go to bed earlier   D. do her homework

4. The son when his sister watches game shows.

   A. watches cartoons   B. plays with toys   C. reads or plays   D. goes to bed

5. We can learn from the passage that the writer .

   A. doesn’t like her daughter

   B. doesn’t go to work

   C. wants her children to read more

   D. wants her children to go to bed early

    A tourist was visiting Times Square in New York when she saw the act of kindness. She,and thousands of other people,will never 1

   A homeless man was begging. He had no shoes or socks on,on the 2 November evening. Then a 3 came up to the beggar. He said ,“ I have these size 12 shoes for you,and they are warm. ” The officer helped the man 4 the new shoes.

    The policeman is Larry DePrimo,25. When he saw the homeless man 5 on his heels,he went into a 6 store and bought a pair of shoes with his own money.

   DePrimo said that his grandfather often told him,uIf you are going to do something,do it 100 percent. Do it,7 don't do it at all. ” That good 8 stayed with him.

    DePrimo still has the bill 9 the shoe store. He wants to tell himself that no matter how 10 things are,some people have it harder.

1. A. know   B. see

   C. want   D. forget

2. A. cold   B. warm

   C. cool   D. hot

3. A. girl   B. visitor

   C. policeman   D. grandpa

4. A. get on   B. put on

   C. take on   D. pass on

5. A. sleeping   B. playing

   C. eating   D. walking

6. A. food   B. clothing

   C. shoe   D. book

7. A. if   B. but

   C. or   D. because

8. A. news   B. advice

   C. decision   D. information

9. A. to   B. on

   C. about   D. from

10. A. difficult   B. strange

   C. dangerous   D. surprising

     April Fool's day,also known as All Fools’ Day,is the first day of April. It is a day when many people play jokes among one another. If you fall for a joke,you will be called an April fool.

   April Fool's Day originated from France. At the time of 1500s,some people still used the old calendar to count day and time. As a result,they celebrated New Year's Day on April 1st. These people were known as April Fools. This cultural custom became adopted (采納) in France and later spread (傳播) to many other countries like the United States of America. It is not a holiday,and so it doesn’t have a day-off,cake,any gifts,or sweets,but it does have a really good laughter after all among friends and family.

   Let me tell you some jokes I have played on my family in the past. The night before April FooFs day,I changed every clock in the house and made sure that when my parents got up the next morning the clock should be pointing to 3 ：00 pm. The next morning,my parents woke up wondering how slept so late and were worried for missing their work. Then I would run out from my room and shout ,“ April Fools!” The whole family laughed happily.

根據短文內容，回答下列問題。

1.When is April Fool's Day?

2. Which country did April Fool's Day originate from?

3. What do people often do on April Fool's Day?

4. Do students have a day-off on April Fool's Day?

5. Did the writer's parents wake up at 3:00 pm? Why?

   Reading is becoming more and more important in language learning and is still the most effective (有效 的) activity to get information.

   There are three possible ways to improve reading. The fastest is probably a speed reading class with good books and teachers. It is quite usual for a slow reader to increase two or three times his reading efficiency (效 率) during a two-day class with a positive atmosphere (氣氛) ，carefully picked texts and reading tests. However,this encouraging improvement often fades (消退) with time.

   A book about speed reading is the second method. Such a book usually gives speed and comprehension (理解) tests as well as ways to improve reading. It often has all kinds of methods to make you pay attention to or be interested in the text. All the methods need a lot of time as well as hard work from the reader.

    Finally,a speed reading computer program is probably the most effective way to achieve top reading levels. Computers give special exercises to improve reading efficiency. Higher reading skills got with a computer screen can change to reading from paper. Unfortunately the inverse (轉變) way does not work so well. Speed reading software (軟件) gives enjoyable and fast reading training,thus giving the practice necessary to break long-time slow reading habits. This is the task that reading classes and speed reading books usually can't give to the reader.

1. What is the most effective way to improve reading?

   A. A speed reading class.

   B. A book about speed reading.

   C. A speed reading computer program.

   D. A good teacher and book.

2. What is the best way to improve reading for a poor and shy girl?

   A. A speed reading class.

   B. A book about speed reading.

   C. A speed reading computer program.

   D. No way for her.

3. What's the Chinese meaning of the underlined word “encouraging” ？

   A. 巨大的   B. 微不足道的

   C. 飛快的   D. 令人鼓舞的

4. Why is a speed reading computer program more effective than the other two?

   A. Because of its positive atmosphere,carefully picked texts and reading tests.

   B. Because it has all kinds of methods to make you be interested in the text.

   C. Because a computer screen is more interesting than a book.

   D. Because it gives enjoyable and fast reading training.

5. What is the best title for this passage?

   A. Reading Is Becoming More and More Important

   B. Three Ways of Improving Reading Level

   C. The IVbst Efficient Way to Achieve Top Reading Levels

   D. How to Choose Ways to Improve Reading  Level

    More and more Chinese words are playing a part in the English language. Maybe that's because 300 million Chinese people are now studying or speaking English.

A study says several hundred Chinese words are coming into the English language every year. One example of a word used in English is chengguan (city patrol officer) . A quick Google searched it over a million times.

    The Oxford English Dictionary now has about 1 ,000 words of Chinese words,such as taikonaut (中國 宇航員) . In China,taikonaut means a person trained by a human spaceflight program to fly in space.

    In August this year,The Wall Street Journal used the word dama,which is Chinese pinyin for “big mother”，to report the middle-aged Chinese women leading the world's gold market.

    But Han Baocheng,a language teacher at Beijing Foreign Studies University,said ,“Using ‘Chinglish,doesn’t mean Chinese words are trying to take the place of the English words. That's only because we cannot find the right words in English to express (表達) the meanings in Chinese. ”

    In fact,the mixing of the two languages makes it easier to learn a second language. 24-year-old Canadian Lisa said ,“ My mom can't speak any Chinese,she has to remember ni hao (hello) by 4 knee,and 4 how’. But she can easily say words with Chinese."

1. Why do many Chinese words come into the English speaking every year?

   A. Because Chinese is useful than English.

   B. Because more people speak Chinese than English.

   C. Because too many Chinese are studying or speaking English.

   D. Because Chinese words are easy to speak.

2. According to The Wall Street Journal,who is dama?

   A. All the middle-aged Chinese women.

   B. All the middle-aged women in the world.

   C. The Chinese women leading the world's gold market.

   D. The Chinese women taking care of kids at home.

3. What does the underlined word “mixing” mean in Chinese?

   A. 結合   B. 學習

   C. 構造   D. 消失

4. How does Canadian Lisa's mother learn Chinese?

   A. By writing Chinese words.

   B. By speaking Chinese pinyin.

   C. By speaking the English words.

   D. By talking with Chinese people.

    Jenny was a five-year-old girl. One day she saw a pearl(珍珠) necklace (項鏈) priced at $2.50. She liked that necklace very much,and her mother said, “Well,I'll buy you the necklace,and you can do chores (家務) to pay for the necklace. Okay?” Jenny agreed.

   How Jenny loved those pearls. She wore them everywhere.

    One night Jenny's father asked her ,“Jenny,do you love me?”

    “Oh yes,Daddy,you know I love you, ” the little girl said.

   “Well,then,give me your pearls. ” father joked (開玩笑) but said seriously (嚴肅地) ，“I love the pearls,too."

    “Oh!Daddy,not my pearls!” Jenny said. “But you can have Rosy,my favorite doll. Or you can have Ribbons,my toy horse. ”

   The next morning,the little girl put the necklace in her father's hand. “ Here you are,Daddy." she said, “Here is the pearl you like. ”

    Dad took the pearl,and his eyes filled with tears. That afternoon,Jenny's father went back home very early,he pulled out of his pocket a blue box. Inside of the box was a real,beautiful pearl necklace.

“Jenny,here is the pearl necklace you like. I love you. ”

1. Jenny's mother bought her a pearl necklace.

   A. expensive   B. cheap but real

   C. cheap but beautiful   D. real and beautiful

2. How did Jenny get money to buy the necklace?

   A. By doing a part-time job at school.

   B. By doing chores at home.

   C. By asking his daddy for money.

   D. By selling her toys.

3. It took Jenny to think about sending her daddy her favorite pearls.

   A. a day   B. a night

   C. a few days   D. a week

4. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

   A. Jenny loved her pearl necklace very much.

   B. Rosy and Ribbons were Jenny's good friends.

   C. Father felt very happy when he got his daughter's necklace.

   D. Jenny's new pearl necklace cost her father much money.

5. What is the best title for the passage?

   A. A Father's Love

   B. Jenny's Dream

   C. Doing chores for Pearls

   D. A Precious (珍貴的) Necklace