Most of the TV ads are silly. Watching them is just _______________.

A. waste of time B. a waste of time C. waste time D. wasting of tim

I didn’t get a letter from them ______ the end of last month.

A. in B. since C. by D. till

---Are you getting on well with Tom?

---We used to. But the more I know him, ______ I like him.

A. the more B. the less C. the little D. the least

— Could you tell me ______? I must find him.

— Sorry. I have no idea. But he was here just now.

A. where Tom was B. where Tom has gone

C. where can I find Tom D. where has Tom been

I know my brother better than anyone else in the world. Since the moment of his birth, I’ve been part of his life. I had spent seven______years in the world with the attention of those around me. But when Rohan was born, life______. Suddenly I had to ______my toys and there were no more bedtime stories or my own choice of food.

Finally, I felt my anger at my brother. The poor baby had no ______what had made me so unhappy. Maybe he found me strange, the only person in this home______did not like him. Whatever the reason was, he loved_______me around. However, I seldom talked to him and _______asked him to leave me alone.

Then all that changed. I hardly remember everything of that day six years ago, _______I do remember that I was feeling very angry. Somehow my feet led me to my brother’s bed. My hand, completely________from my mind, reached through the bars(護欄). At once, he reached his small hand and softly touched_______. And that was all I needed. Through all the unhappiness of the day, that one moment changed________. How could I hate someone who made me feel so important? For the _____time, I saw my brother , not through the eyes of a child who was no longer favoured(寵愛), but through the eyes of a _______.

To this day, I can’t imagine life_______my brother. It is unbelievable how much I have _______about life from a seven-year-old boy. Above all, Rohan has taught me that one should not care only for himself.

1.A. happy B. hard C. lonely D. busy

2.A. began B. continued C. changed D. saved

3.A. collect B. choose C. hide D. share

4.A. fun B. idea C. fear D. worry

5.A. which B. where C. who D. what

6.A. showing B. carrying C. meeting D. following

7.A. always B. already C. hardly D. almost

8.A. but B. so C. or D. for

9.A. far B. sick C. different D. free

10.A. one B. both C. mine D. them

11.A. nothing B. everything C. something D. anything

12.A. first B. second C. last D. next

13.A. student B. parent C. teacher D. sister

14.A. except B. with C. without D. through

15.A. cared B. learned C. talked D. heard

Anna was excited about starting her first day in the new school. However, when she first walked past the students in the school, her excitement turned to fear, and then to loneliness over the next few days. “Why didn’t anyone say ‘hi’ to me or invite me to his or her lunch table? Is it because of my clothes or my hair?” she wondered. Almost every day during the first week, Anna stayed alone, thinking that there must have been something wrong with her or that nobody saw her at all!

What caused Anna’s problem? The reason was that nobody knew her. Most people don’t like talking with strangers. So it’s your job to volunteer to make contact with people who you want to know. The easiest way to catch their attention is to notice them first. Make eye contact with them and smile at them. When you smile at them, you are doing your best to show your kindness to them, and they are sure to understand that you are saying, “Hey, how’s everything going?” In this way, you are taking the first step towards the road to friendship.

When Anna realized this, she started talking to her classmates. Guess what happened? It really worked. She had made two friends by the end of the month.

In fact, saying “hi” or making friends with strangers is not hard. And the joy it brings you is really great. So try to open your heart to strangers!

1.What was Anna’s problem?

A. She was afraid of entering a new school. B. She had no friends in her new school.

C. She didn't like making friends with strangers. D. Her classmates didn't like her clothes or hair.

2.Which of the following shows the change in Anna’s feelings?

A. afraid→relaxed→nervous→happy B. happy→lonely→sad→proud

C. nervous→angry→happy →sad D. excited→afraid→lonely→happy

3.According to the writer, what is the easiest way to catch others’ attention?

A. Noticing them first B. Talking to them

C. Doing something for them. D. Making yourself cool.

4.What can you learn from the passage?

A. Teenagers can't get along well with each other.

B. Loneliness is a common problem these days.

C. Opening our heart to strangers can help us get friends.

D. It’s hard to take the first step towards the road to friendship.

5.What is the best title of the passage?

A. Anna’s new school life B. Anna’s problems with the new school

C. Anna’s new classmates D. How to make new friends

It feels like every time my mother and I start to have a conversation, it turns into an argument. We talk about something as simple as dinner plans and suddenly, my mother will push the conversation into World War III. She’ll talk about my lack(缺失) of a bright future because I don’t plan to be a doctor. And much to her disappointment, I don’t want to do any job related to science, either. In fact, when I was pushed to say that I planned to major(主修) in English and communications, she nearly had a heart attack.

“Why can’t you be like my co-worker’s son?” she bemoans all the time. Her co-worker’s son received a four-year scholarship and is now earning 70,000 dollars a year as an engineer. I don’t know what to answer except that I simply can’t be like Mr. Perfect as I’ve called the unnamed co-worker’s son. I can’t be like him. I’m the type of person who loves to help out in the community, write until the sun goes down, and most of all, wants to achieve a career because I love it, not because of fame (名聲) or salary(薪水).

I understand why my mother is worried about my future major. I’ve seen my mother struggle to raise me on her small salary and work long hours. She leaves the house around 6:30 a.m. and usually comes home around 5 p.m. or even 6 p.m. However, I want her to know that by becoming a doctor, it doesn’t mean I’ll be successful. I’d rather follow my dreams and create my own future.

1.Which of the following topics do the writer and his mother often talk about?

A. The writer’s studies. B. The writer’s future job

C. Dinner plans D. Wars around the world

2.We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the writer’s mother ____________.

A. doesn’t want the writer to major in English B. doesn’t think the writer should be a doctor

C. gets along very well with the writer D. doesn’t think working in the science field is a good idea

3.The underlined word “bemoans” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _____________.

A. agrees B. shouts C. complains D. smiles

4.Which of following statements is probably TRUE about the writer?

A. He wants to be like his mother’s co-worker’s son.

B. He wants to find a job in his community in the future.

C. He doesn’t think his mother’s co-worker’s son is perfect.

D. He wants to do something he really likes in the future.

5.What do you think the writer will possibly be in the future?

A. A doctor B. A scientist C. An engineer D. A writer

Have you ever had the strange feeling that you were being watched? You turned around and, sure enough, someone was looking right at you!

Parapsychologists (靈學家) say that humans have a natural ability to sense when someone is looking at them. To research whether such a “sixth sense” really exists（存在）, Robert Baker, a psychologist (心理學家) at the University of Kentucky, did two experiments.

In the first one, Baker sat behind unknowing people in public places and stared at the backs of their heads for 5 to 15 minutes. The subjects(受試者)were eating, drinking, reading, studying, watching TV, or working at a computer. Baker made sure that the people could not tell that he was sitting behind them during those periods. Later, when he questioned the subjects, almost all of them said they had no sense that someone was staring at them.

For the second experiment, Baker told the subjects that they would be stared at from time to time from behind in a laboratory setting. The people had to write down when they felt they were being stared at and when they weren’t. Baker found that the subjects were no better at telling when they were stared at and when they weren’t.

Baker concludes that people do not have the ability to sense when they’re being stared at. If people doubt the outcome of his two experiments, said Baker, “I suggest they repeat the experiments and see for themselves.”

1.The aim of the two experiments is to________.

A. explain when people can have a sixth sense

B. show how people act while being watched in the lab

C. study whether humans can sense when they are stared at

D. prove why humans have a sixth sense

2.In the first experiment, the subjects_________________.

A. were told that they were stared at B. did nothing but sit silently

C. were stared at for 5 to 15 hours D. didn’t know that someone was staring at them

3.The underlined word “outcome” in the last paragraph most probably means_______.

A. value B. result C. effort D. reason

4.In the second experiment, the subjects _________.

A. could tell when they were stared at and when they weren’t.

B. could tell when they were stared at but couldn’t tell when they weren’t.

C. couldn’t tell when they were stared at but could tell when they weren’t.

D. couldn’t tell when they were stared at or when they weren’t.

5.What can be learned from the passage?

A. People are born with a sixth sense.

B. The experiments support parapsychologists’ idea.

C. The subjects do not have a sixth sense in the experiments.

D. People have a sixth sense in all places.

(No more than five words)

It is easy for many people to catch a cold in the springtime or fall. It makes us wonder if scientists can send a man to the moon, why can’t they find a cure for the common cold? The answer is easy. There are actually different cold viruses out there. You never know which one you will get, so there isn’t a cure for each one.

When a virus attacks your body, your body works hard to get rid of it. Blood rushes to your nose and causes a block in it. You feel terrible because you can’t breathe well, but your body is actually eating the virus. Your temperature goes up and you get a fever, but the heat of your body is killing the virus. You also have a runny nose to stop the virus from getting into your cells(細胞). You may feel very uncomfortable, but actually your wonderful body is doing everything it can to kill the cold.

Different people do different things to deal with colds. In the United States and some other countries, for example, people might have chicken soup to help them get over the cold. Some people take hot baths. Other people take medicine to stop different symptoms(癥狀)of colds.

There is one interesting thing to note—some scientists say taking medicine when you have a cold is actually bad for you. The virus stays in you longer because your body doesn’t have a way to fight it and kill it. Bodies can do an amazing job on their own. There is a joke, however, on taking medicine when you have a cold. It goes like this:

It takes about one week to get over a cold if you don’t take medicine, but it takes only seven days to get over a cold if you take medicine.

1.When is it easy for many people to catch a cold?

__________________________________________________________

2.What is the heat of your body doing when your temperature goes up during a cold?

__________________________________________________________

3.How many methods are mentioned to deal with colds in the USA and other countries?

__________________________________________________________

4.How long does it usually take to cure the common cold?

_________________________________________________________

5.What do you think of taking medicine after catching a cold, according to the joke in the last paragraph?

_________________________________________________________

In most situations, light helps us see. But nowadays humans are using so much light that it is in fact a kind of pollution.

When it comes to looking at the night sky, too much light makes it d1.for us to watch some of life’s most wonderful views: stars, planets and even galaxies(星系).

According to scientific research, about 2,500 stars can be seen by the human eye without u2.any special equipment(設備). But because of light pollution, you can only see 200 to 300 stars from today’s countryside, and no more than ten stars from a city. In most big c3., people can’t see the sky filled with stars like they die in their childhood.

Light pollution influences more than just our view of sky. The latest research s4.that lots of nighttime light can harm wildlife too.

When birds fly to a5.place over cities, they sometimes get lost by the brightness and fly in circles u6.they drop from tiredness. Sea turtles need dark beaches for laying eggs, but they can’t find their ideal places because of those bright lights.

Too much light at night m7.even influence human health, but scientists aren’t sure of that. They are still learning more.

In order to prevent things from going w8., governments and some organizations are working to reduce light pollution. Many cities and towns have taken action to reduce the use of lights at night. Lights are used only when and where they are r9. needed.

Hopefully, in the near f10., humans can enjoy the clear and beautiful sky again and all the wildlife will live a peaceful and undisturbed life too.