We have all experienced days when everything goes wrong．A day may begin well enough，but suddenly everything seems to get out of control．It seems as if a single unimportant event may cause a number of things to happen．Let us suppose that you are preparing a meal and keeping an eye on the baby at the same time．The telephone rings and this means your troubles are beginning．While you are on the phone，the baby pulls the table-cloth off the table，destroying your half-prepared meal．You hang up hurriedly and attend to your baby．Meanwhile，the meal gets burnt．As if this were not enough to bring you to tears，your husband arrives,unexpectedly bringing three guests to dinner．
Things can go wrong on a number of people on the road. During the rush hour one evening two cars hit each other and both drivers began to argue．The woman driver behind the two cars happened to be a learner．She suddenly got into a panic(恐慌)and stopped her car．This made the driver following her stop suddenly．His wife was sitting beside him holding a large cake．As she was thrown forward，the cake went right through the window and landed on the road．Seeing a cake flying through the air，a truck-driver had to stop his truck all of a sudden．The truck was carrying empty beer bottles and hundreds of them slid off the back of the truck on the road．This led to yet another angry argument．Meanwhile，the traffic piled up behind．It took the police nearly an hour to get the traffic on the move again．In the meanwhile，the truck-driver had to sweep up hundreds of broken bottles.Only two dogs were enjoying themselves from the accident，for they were happily having what was left of the cake．It was just one of those days!
【小題1】In the writer’s opinion         .

A．a(chǎn)ccidents may happen anytime

B．troubles always come in groups

C．a(chǎn) small matter may cause great trouble

D．a(chǎn)nyone may have trouble any day

【小題2】What did the police do after the accident?

A．They helped the driver clean up the road．

B．They helped the drivers to go on with their journey．

C．They tried to stop the people from arguing．

D．They would find out who should be responsible for(有責(zé)任的)the accident．

【小題3】When the telephone rings        .

A．you’d better have your baby a little distant from your table before going to answer the phone

B．you’d better just let it ring all the way

C．you should never go to answer it in a hurry

D．you should answer it right away

【小題4】From the story we can see_________．

A．some drivers are too careless

B．such accidents are rather strange

C．such accidents are very common

D．we don’t know why such accidents happen

Children start out as natural scientists, eager to look into the world around them. Helping them enjoy science can be easy; there is no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment. You only have to share your children’s curiosity. Firstly, listen to their questions. I once visited a classroom of seven –year- olds to talk about science as a job. The children asked me “textbook questions” about schooling, salary and whether I liked my job. When I finished answering, we sat facing one another in science. Finally I said,” Now that we’ve finished with your lists, do you have questions of your own about science?”
After a long pause, a boy raised his hand, “have you ever seen a grasshopper eat? When I try eating leaves like that, I get a stomachache. Why?”
This began a set of questions that lasted nearly two hours.
Secondly, give them time to think. Studies over the past 30 years have shown that. After asking a question, adults typically wait only one second or less for an answer, no time for a child to think. When adults increase their “wait time” to three seconds or more, children give more logical, complete and creative answers.
Thirdly, watch your language. Once you have a child involved in a science discussion, don’t jump in with “That’s right” or “very good”. These words work well when it comes to encouraging good behavior. But in talking about science, quick praise can signal that discussion is over. Instead, keep things going by saying, “That’s interesting” or “I’d never thought of it that way before’, or coming up with more questions or ideas.
Never push a child to “think”. It doesn’t make sense; children are always thinking, without your telling them to. What’s more, this can turn a conversation into a performance. The child will try to find the answer you want, in as few words as possible, so that he will be a small target for your disagreement.
Lastly, show; don’t tell. Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lesson children can learn from a book or a television program. Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass, and they’ll understand why you want them to wash before dinner. Rather than saying that water evaporates, set a pot of water to boil and let them watch the water level drop.
【小題1】According to the passage, children are natural scientist, and to raise their interest, the most important thing for adults to do is______________.

A．to let them see the world around

B．to share the children’s curiosity

C．to explain difficult phrases about science

D．to supply the children with lab equipment

【小題2】In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the word “l(fā)ist” could best be replaced by ______________.

A．a(chǎn)ny questions	B．a(chǎn)ny problems
C．questions from the textbooks	D．a(chǎn)ny number of questions

【小題3】According to the passage, children can answer questions in a more logical, complete and creative way if adults______________________.

A．a(chǎn)sk them to answer quickly

B．wait for one or two seconds after a question

C．tell them to answer the next day

D．wait at least for three seconds after a question

【小題4】In which of the following paragraph (s) does the author tell us what to say to encourage children in a science discussion?

A．The 2nd and 3rd

B．The 4th and 5th

C．The 5th and 6th

D．The 7th

【小題5】The author mentions all of the following techniques for adults to share with their children’s curiosity except that adults should_____________.

A．tell their children stories instead of reciting facts

B．offer their children chances to see things for themselves

C．be patient enough when their children answer questions

D．encourage their children to ask questions of their own

Margaret, married with two small children, has been working for the last seven years as a night cleaner, cleaning offices in a big building.
She trained as a nurse, but had to give it up when her elder child became seriously ill. “I would have liked to go back to it, but the shifts(工作班次) are all wrong for me, as I have to be home to get the children up and off to school.”
So she works as a cleaner instead, from 9 p．m. till 6 a．m. five nights a week for just ￡90, before tax and insurance. “It’s better than it was last year, but I still think that people who work ‘unsocial hours’ should get a bit extra.”
The hours she's chosen to work meant that she sees plenty of the children, but very little of her husband. However, she doesn't think that puts any pressure on their relationship.
Her work isn't physically very hard, but it's not exactly pleasant, either. “I do get angry with people who leave their offices like a place for raising pigs. If they realized people like me have to do it, perhaps they'd be a bit more careful.”
The fact that she's working all night doesn't worry Margaret at all. Unlike some dark buildings at night, the building where she works is fully lit, and the women work in groups of three. “Since I've got to be here, I try to enjoy myself——and I usually do, because of the other girls. We all have a good laugh, so the time never drags.”
Another challenge Margaret has to face is the reaction of other people when she tells them what she does for a living. “They think you're a cleaner because you don't know how to read and write，” said Margaret. “I used to think what_my_parents_would_say_if_they_knew_what_I'd_been_doing,_but I don't think that way any more. I don't dislike the work though I can't say I'm mad about it.”
【小題1】Margaret quit her job as a nurse because________

A．she wanted to earn more money to support her family

B．she had suffered a lot of mental pressure

C．she felt tired of taking care of patients

D．she needed the right time to look after her children

【小題2】Margaret gets angry with people who work in the office because________.

A．they never clean their offices

B．they look down upon cleaners

C．they always make a mess in their offices

D．they never do their work carefully

【小題3】When at work, Margaret feels________.

A．Light­hearted because of her fellow workers

B．happy because the building is fully lit

C．tired because of the heavy workload

D．bored because time passed slowly

【小題4】The underlined part in the last paragraph implies that Margaret's parents would________.

A．help care for her children

B．regret what they had said

C．show sympathy for her

D．feel disappointed in her

Dear editor,
Mary is my friend and she is a very good-hearted girl. She’s always the first to help out others. But her habits make me mad sometimes and she just won’t change her ways. For most situations, that’s just fine with me, as I know it’s what make her who she is. However, sometimes it’s just so hard for me to bear her behavior. She has recently got a cellphone, but she often borrows mine to make calls. My phone has a chain with it. She always tries to open it like her own phone. I usually open it for her, but not always, as sometimes I’m driving my car, so she needs to get it out of my purse and open it herself.
This weekend we were at a party in a faraway village. She borrowed my cellphone. As it was cold outside, I let her take it outside without opening it. Now it’s broken because she didn’t open it properly. I wouldn’t be so mad, but over the weekend she also borrowed my car and never offered to pay for the gas, which made me very angry. She should have offered to pay for the gas. As I have mentioned, she’s the type to help out others when and where she can. Perhaps because of that, she thinks others should also do the same for her. Sometimes I just think she is very childish. I don’t want to hurt her, but I do want to let her know that not everyone can accept that. What should I do to let her know that?
Yours,
Lily
【小題1】What is Lily’s purpose in writing this letter?

A．to advise us to be careful when making friends.

B．To tell others what kind of person Mary is.

C．To tell Mary what she thinks of her.

D．To ask for advice from an editor.

【小題2】We can learn from Paragraph 1 that _____.

A．Mary doesn’t have a cellphone

B．Mary doesn’t have any good habits

C．Lily is sometimes not pleased with Mary’s behavior

D．Lily has asked Mary to change her ways.

【小題3】What happened at the weekend party?

A．Mary lost Lily’s chain.

B．Mary left before the party was over.

C．Lily’s cellphone was broken.

D．Lily had a quarrel with Mary.

【小題4】What kind of person is Mary?

A．Friendly and beautiful.

B．Kind and careful.

C．Careful and childish.

D．Warm-hearted but childish

Philip was a nine-year-old boy in a Sunday school class of 8-year-old girls and boys. Sometimes the third graders didn’t welcome Philip into their group and usually tricked him. This was not because he was older, but because he was “different”. You see, Philip suffered from a condition called Downs’s Syndrome. This made him “different”, with its facial characteristics, slow responses and mental problems.
One Sunday after Easter, the Sunday school teacher gathered some plastic eggs that pulled apart in the middle. The teacher gave one to each child. On that beautiful spring day, the children were to go out and discover for themselves some symbol of “new life” and place it inside the plastic eggs.
After the children returned to the classroom, the teacher opened their eggs one by one, asking each child to explain that symbol of “new life”. The first opened egg contained a flower. Everyone cheered. In another was a butterfly…. When the teacher opened the last egg, it was empty. “That’s stupid,” said someone. The teacher felt a pull at his shirt. It was Philip. Looking up, Philip said, “It’s mine. I did it. It’s empty. I have new life, because the tomb is empty.” Not a sound was heard in class at all. From that day on, Philip became a real part of the group. They welcomed him, and whatever made him different was never mentioned again.
Philip’s family knew he wouldn’t live a long life, for there were too many things wrong with him.
【小題1】The underlined word “condition” in the 1^st paragraph probably means __________.

A．grade

B．status

C．health

D．disease

【小題2】It can be inferred from the first paragraph that _______.

A．the 8-year-olds were sometimes cruel.

B．The 8-year-olds were friendly to Philip.

C．Philip was really different in school.

D．Philip was older and more sensitive.

【小題3】The teacher gave each child one plastic egg to let them ______.

A．play around on that beautiful spring day.

B．put some symbol of “new life” into it.

C．try to pull it apart in the middle.

D．go out and discover themselves.

【小題4】After Philip explained his new life, _________.

A．the class thought he was clever.	B．The class fell silent.
C．He began to study in the class.	D．He felt dying.

【小題5】We learn from the passage that _________.

A．the teacher used to have classes outdoors

B．Philip was healthy as a whole.

C．The Philip’s new life wish was empty

D．Philip was accepted by his classmates in the end

"Hey, don't read in the hallway. Your eyesight will be damaged." You must have heard such warnings many times. Don’t read in dim (暗的)light! This is one of the “pearls of wisdom” that are supposed to help us live a healthy life. Such common beliefs, however, lack scientific basis, according to a paper published recently in the British Medical Journal.
Do you believe in the following everyday wisdom?
Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight.
In dim light, you might blink (眨眼) more, feel discomfort from drying and have trouble focusing. But the majority of eye experts believe it is unlikely to do any permanent damage.
We must drink at least eight glasses of water a day
In 1945, the Nutrition Council in US suggested that people need to consume 2.5 litres of water a day. But the water contained in food, particularly fruit and vegetables, as well as in milk, juice and soft drinks, also counts towards the total.
We only use 10 percent of our brains.
This myth arose as early as 1907. People have long argued about our power of self-improvement and our brains’ potential abilities. But detailed imaging shows that no area of the brain is silent or inactive.
Shaving your legs causes hair to grow black faster and thicker.
This theory is also illusion. Shaving has no effect on the thickness or rate of hair growth,
studies say. Just over time, the edge of hair gets worn away and thus the edge of long hair becomes finer (更細(xì)). So hair that is newly grown gives the impression of darkness.
【小題1】What does the paper say about some common beliefs?

A．They are pearls of wisdom	B．They help us live in healthy ways
C．They are well-known theories.	D．They do not have scientific basis.

【小題2】Which of the following is true according to the passage ?

A．Reading in dim light does harm to one’s eyes.

B．People need a total of 2.5 litres of water a day

C．People use 90 percent of their brains.

D．Shaving your legs will give you thicker hair.

【小題3】This passage is most likely to be found in __________ ?        

A．a(chǎn) newspaper	B．a(chǎn) science fiction
C．a(chǎn) biology textbook	D．a(chǎn) medical book

We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people. "Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?" "When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it as a friend? Or did he envy my luck?" "And why didn’t Paul pick up that he was friendly just because I had a car?" When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it’s too late.
Why do we go wrong about our friends – or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. And if we don’t really listen we miss the feelings behind the words. Suppose someone tells you，"You’re a lucky dog." that’s being friendly. But "lucky dog"? There’s a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn’t see it himself. But bringing in the "dog" bit puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that he doesn’t think you deserve your luck.
"Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for" is another noise that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn’t important. It’s telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven’t got a date for Saturday night.
How can you tell the real meaning behind someone’s words? One way is to take a good look at the person while talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.
【小題1】In the first paragraph, the writer recalls some things that happened between some friends and they __________.

A．think it was a mistake to have broken up with their girl friends

B．feel happy, thinking of how nice their friends were to them in the past

C．feel very sorry that their friends didn't help them and let them down

D．feel they may not have "read" their friends' true feelings correctly

【小題2】In this passage, the writer tries to tell us how to __________.

A．a(chǎn)void mistakes about money and our friends

B．a(chǎn)void mistakes in understanding what people really want to tell us

C．"size up" people in a more scientific and meaningful way

D．keep people friendly without trusting them any more

【小題3】While we are listening to a person, the important thing for us is __________.

A．to check his words against his manner, tone of voice and posture

B．to notice his tone of voice, his posture, and the look in his eyes

C．to listen to how he pronounces his words in front of you

D．not to believe what he says in any situation or any time

【小題4】According to this passage, the underlined phrase "puts you down" can be replaced by another phrase "__________".

A．reduces you to silence	B．presses you down
C．makes you humble	D．makes you sad

Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag
Difficulty: Very Easy
Average User Rating:★★★★☆(4.3/5)
Milk can become homemade ice cream in five minutes by using a bag! This homemade, creamy treat is a summertime delight for your kids and you alike.
What you’ll need:
1 tablespoon of sugar; 1/2 cup of milk; 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla (香草香精); 6 tablespoons of rock salt; 1 small-sized plastic food storage bag; 1 gallon-sized plastic food storage bag; ice cubes.
How to make it:
l Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
l Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
l Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.
l Shake until the mixture turns into ice cream, which takes about five minutes.
l Wipe the top of the small bag, and then open it carefully. Enjoy!
Tips:
1/2 cup of milk will make about one spoon of ice cream, so double the recipe if you want more. But don’t increase the amount more than that—a large amount might be too big for kids to pick up because the ice itself is heavy.
Here is another version of the homemade ice cream recipe from another parent!
These are the homemade ice cream ingredients:
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla butter and nuts; 1 tablespoon of sugar; 1/2 cup of milk.
These are the other supplies:
Plastic sandwich bag; 12 salt pellets; 1 dish of ice; large plastic bag.
Put the ice cream ingredients in the small bag, and then put the bag, salt and ice in the big bag. Hold the bag shut and move it around on the floor for about 5 minutes.
When I made ice cream at home last time, although the salt pellets didn’t really dissolve (溶解) that well, I still got ice cream. It was not smooth ice cream, probably because of the low-fat milk. It was incredible that it could be ready in 5 minutes (not counting preparing the ingredients)
Next, I changed the recipe, using a tablespoon of cocoa, a tablespoon of sugar, and a cup of milk. It was a bit too chocolaty, but good!
【小題1】The underlined “that” in “Tips” section refers to ____.

A．1/2 cup of milk	B．1 cup of milk
C．1 spoon of ice cream	D．2 spoons of ice cream

【小題2】Which of the following things is NOT included in both recipes?

A．Sugar

B．Ice

C．Plastic bag

D．Nuts

【小題3】Which of the following statements about the second parent is TRUE?

A．He/ She doesn’t agree with the first parent.

B．He/ She doesn’t think five minutes is enough

C．He/ She doesn’t like cocoa better than nuts.

D．He/ She doesn’t think the chocolaty tastes bad.

British Summer Time runs from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. In the depths of winter the nights in the UK are anything from 15-19 hours long. Longer nights mean frost and fog are more likely to form.
Twice a year the clocks change, forward in the spring and then back again in the autumn. But why? It happens twice a year. We all change our clocks and watches by one hour. In the spring, we add an hour, and go onto what is called British Summer Time, while in the autumn, we do the reverse, and return to Greenwich Mean Time.
Why bother?
It’s all to do with saving the hours of daylight, and was started by a guy called William Willett, a London builder, who lived in Petts Wood in Kent. Basically, he figured that you could improve the population’s health and happiness by putting forward the clocks by twenty minutes every Sunday in April and do the opposite in September.
Economics
His idea was not taken up, even though a “Daylight Saving Bill” was introduced some five years before the outbreak of World War One. But once the war started, it was considered wise to economics, to promote greater efficiency in using daylight hours, and in the use of artificial lighting. And so in 1916, “Daylight Saving Time” was introduced. Even though most countries abandoned this after that war, some eventually decided that it was a good idea, and most of these nations began to keep it throughout the year.
Experiment
Since 1972, Britain has decided to go with Greenwich Mean Time in winter, and British Summer Time in Summer.
But back in 1968, Britain tried a four-year experiment by advancing time one hour ahead of GMT throughout the year.
But those living further north, particularly in Scotland, found it most unsatisfactory, with dark mornings for much of the year, and the experiment was dropped.
But the arguments go on …and on.
【小題1】Why some countries decide to change the clocks after World War One?

A．To improve the people’s health and happiness.

B．To do a certain experiment

C．To save energy to develop economies.

D．All of the above.

【小題2】What can you infer from the passage?

A．The idea of changing the clocks suffered disagreement.

B．The people in Scotland don’t change the clocks.

C．The idea was first thought of by an educator.

D．It’s unnecessary to change the clocks.

【小題3】What is the real meaning of the last sentence of the passage?

A．Nobody in the UK likes the idea.

B．All things need arguments.

C．The British are fond of arguments.

D．Different views of the idea still exist.

Sir,
Just over six months ago, I saw an advertisement in the Morning Mail for a set of the complete works of William Shakespeare. Your company, Cosmo books Ltd., offered this set (eight books of plays and two books of poetry) at what was claimed to be a ‘remarkable’ price: fifteen pounds and fifty pence, including postage and packing. I had wanted a set of Shakespeare’s plays and poems for some time, and these books, in red imitation leather, looked particularly attractive; so I sent for them.
Two weeks later, the books arrived, together with a set of the complete works of Charles Dickens which I had not ordered. So I returned the Dickens books to you, with a cheque for fifteen pounds and fifty pence for the works of Shakespeare. Two more weeks passed. Then there arrived on my door step a second set of the works of Shakespeare, the same set of novels by Dickens and a six book set of the plays of Moliere, in French. Since I do not read French, these were of no use to me at all. However, I could not afford to post all these books back to you, so I wrote to you at the end of August of last year, instructing you to come and collect all the books that I did not want, and asking you not to send any other books until further notice.
You did not reply to that letter. Instead you sent me a bill for forty two pounds, and a set of the plays of Schiller, in German. Since then, a new set of books has arrived every two weeks, the works of Goethe, the poems of Milton, the plays of Strindberg; I hardly know what I have. The books are still all in their boxes, in the garage, and my car has to stand in the rain outside.
I have no room for any more books, and even if I read from now until the Last Judgment, I should not finish reading all the books that you have sent me.
Please send no more books, send no more bills, send no more angry letters demanding payment. Just send one large lorry and take all the books away, leaving me only with the one set of the complete works of Shakespeare for which I have paid.
Yours faithfully,
SIMON WALKER
【小題1】Simon Walker wrote the letter to ________

A．show his anger to Cosmo Books Ltd..

B．complain about getting books he didn’t want.

C．a(chǎn)dvise readers not to order books from Cosmo Books Ltd..

D．urge for the final solution to the problem with the unwanted books.

【小題2】The advertisement that Mr. Walker saw in the Morning Mail was for ________

A．unlimited number of Cosmo Books.

B．a(chǎn) set of 10 books of the works of Shakespeare.

C．fifteen pounds and fifty pence.

D．a(chǎn) book containing all the plays and poems of Shakespeare.

【小題3】Mr. Walker answered the advertisement because ________

A．he wanted a set of Shakespeare’s works which was a good bargain

B．he claimed that the books were being offered at a remarkable price.

C．he had ordered the set and had been waiting for them to come for some time.

D．the set he already had was not particularly attractive.