There is a poor man. He has an orange tree. On the tree, there are many fine oranges. One of them is very, very big. It is as big as a football. Nobody sees so big an orange. The poor man is very happy. He takes it to the king. The king is so pleased that he gives the man a lot of money for it.

When a rich man hears of it. He says to himself, “It’s just an orange. Why does the king give so much money for it? I’ll take my gold cup to the king. He’ll give me more money.”

The next day when the king receives(收到) the gold cup, he says to the rich man, “What a beautiful cup! I’ll show you something wonderful. Please take this great orange away.”

1.How many people are there in the story?

A. four      B. two        C. three    D. five

2.The orange is _______

A. fine and big  B. fine and nice          C. good and fine        S. small

3.The rich man takes his gold cup to the king for _______.

A. the orange    B. the orange tree     C. a football       D. money

4.What does the underlined(畫線) word “pleased” mean?

A. 有趣的  B. 請        C. 高興的 D. 生氣的

5.The king receives the orange and the gold cup _______.

A. on the same day   C. the next day B. last week       D. on different days

 

Do you know why different animals or insects have their special colors? Colors are used mainly to protect themselves.

Why can’t some birds easily catch locusts（蝗蟲）? It is because locusts change their colors together with the change of the colors of crops. When crops are green, locusts look green. But as autumn comes, locusts change to the same brown color as crops have. Some other insects with different colors from plants are easily found and eaten by others. So they have to hide themselves for lives in the day and appear only at night.

If you study the animal life, you’ll find the main use of coloring is to protect themselves. Bears, lions and other animals can’t be easily seen by hunters. This is because they have the colors much like the trees.

Have you ever noticed an even more strange thing? A kind of fish in the sea can send out black liquid when it faces danger. While the liquid spreads over, its enemies can’t find it. And it quickly swims away. So it has lived up to now though it is not strong at all.

1. From the article we learn that locusts 　　　　　　　　　.

A. are dangerous to their enemies           B. are easily found by birds

C. change their colors to protect themselves   D. are small animals

2.How can insects with different colors from plants keep out of danger?

A. They have to move quietly.

B. They hide themselves in the day and appear at night.

C. They have the colors much like their enemies.

D. They run away quickly.

3. Bears and lions can keep safe because 　　　　　　　　　.

A. they live in forests                  B. they like brown and grey colors

C. they move quietly　                   D. they have the colors similar to the trees

4.What does the word “l(fā)iquid” mean in the last paragraph?

A. 氣體          B. 固體　       C. 液體　       D. 水蒸氣

5. Which is the best title for this passage?

A. The Main Use of Colors for Animals and Insects

B. Colors of Different Animals and Insects

C. The Change of Colors for Animals and Insects

D. The Change of Different Animals and Plants

 

 

When I was a child I never said, "When I grow up, I want to be a CEO," but here I am. When I look back on my career, I realize the road to becoming a CEO isn't a straight, clear path. In fact, no two paths are the same. But whether you want to be a boss one day or not, there's a lot to learn from how leaders rise to the top of successful companies.  

As this series of stories shows, the paths to becoming a CEO may be different, but the people in that position(位置) share the qualities of commitment（義務(wù)）, work ethic（道德） and a strong desire for building something new. And every CEO take risks along the way—putting your life savings on the line to start a software company or leaving a big business to be one of the first employees at a startup.

I grew up in Minnesota, and learned how to be an entrepreneur（企業(yè)家）from my father, who has run a small business for almost 30 years. I went to Georgetown University and tried a lot of business activities in college with success. And I always had a dream job pattern(模式): to walk to work, work for myself and build something for consumers(顧客).  

I'm only 29, so it's been a quick ride to CEO. Out of college, I worked for AOL as a product manager, then moved to Revolution Health and ran the consumer product team. In mid-2007 I left Revolution Health and started LivingSocial with several other workmates, where I became a CEO.

Career advice: Don't figure out where you want to work, or even what industry you'd like to work at. Figure out what makes you do so. What gives you a really big rush? Answer why you like things, not what you like doing. . . and then apply it to your work life. Also, just because you're graduating, don't stop learning. Read more books than you did in college. If you do, and they're not, you're really well-positioned to succeed in whatever you do.

1.What can we know from the first paragraph?

A．The writer hasn't achieved his childhood ambition.

B．The writer thinks there is some easy way to become a CEO.

C．The writer had an ambition of becoming a CEO in his childhood.

D．The writer believes success stories of CEOs can be beneficial(有益的) to everybody.

2.According to the writer, successful CEOs should _____.

A．try not to take risks                      B．stay in the same business

C．have a strong sense of creativity            D．save every possible penny

3.What can we know about the writer from the passage?

A．He started LivingSocial when he was still a student of Georgetown University.

B．He used to run the consumer product team for AOL.

C．His business activities at college ended up in more failure than success.

D．His father had far-reaching influence on him.

4.What does the underlined phrase “figure out” mean? ______.

A．?dāng)喽?nbsp;            B．弄清             C．理解             D．領(lǐng)會

5.Which of the following proverbs may the writer agree with according to the last paragraph?

A．Well begun is half done.

B．Everything comes to him who waits.

C．Time and tide wait for no man.

D．One is never too old to learn.

 

Don’t  you  want to go to school? You could tell your parents you’re ill. But last Monday, students from Shanghai and Zhejiang had an even better excuse: a typhoon(臺風(fēng))!

        Typhoon Khanun hit East China on September 11. In Shanghai, all the school were closed the next day, Monday.

        It was the first time that Shanghai had to close schools because of  bad weather.

        But some students still came to school that day. “ I didn’t get the notice that the school was closing,” said Shen Sheng, a Junior 2 student from Shanghai Aiguo School. “ But it was nice that we could play in school rather than study.”

       The school kept Shen and other 20 students safe inside and let them play sports like table tennis.

        But the storm wasn’t all fun games. Typhoon Khanun killed 14 people. In Zhejiang, it damaged about 8,000 houses. More than one million people had to be taken to safer places.

        Every year, typhoons hit different places around the world. Most happen in July, August and September. This year 15 typhoons hit China. Khanun was the strongest. Typhoons bring strong winds and rains. The winds can blow away houses and cars. The rains are bad for farmers’ fields.

       Typhoon also kills people. Earlier this month, Typhoon Talim hit East and Central China. It killed at least 124 people.

1.When was the first time that Shanghai had to close all the schools?

       A. In August    B. In July   C. On Sep.11.    D. On Sep.12.

2.Shanghai had to close all the schools that day because of _____.

       A. bad traffic   B. heavy rain   C. Typhoon Khanun   D. Typhoon Talim

3.What did Shanghai Aiguo School do with Shen Sheng and some other students when they still came to school that day?

 A.  They were kept safe inside and played sports like table tennis.

     B.  They were asked to go back home as quickly as possible.

     C.  They were sent back home by their teachers at once.

     D.  They still had classed in the classroom as usual.

4.What does the word “damage” in Paragraph 6 mean?

      A.建造   　　 B.損毀　　    C.傷害　　    D.裝飾

5.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A.  If a typhoon hits, many students shouldn’t go to school or go out.

B.  More than one million people were killed in Zhejiang that day.

C.  Every year, 15 typhoons hit different places around the world.

D.  Typhoons do a lot of harm to farmers’ fields and human beings.

 

 

The air pollution was so bad in Harbin, in China, on October 21,2013 that the city had to close roads and schools, and cancel* hundreds of flights from its airport.

News reports said the smog (a mixture of smoke and fog) was so thick that people couldn’t see more than 10 or 20 metres in front of them.

It is also said that people could not even see the person standing next to them. The city’s website said: “You can’t see your own fingers in front of you.”

The local people said there was a “burning” smell in the air. Many people covered their noses and mouths with scarves or masks*.

The pollution was caused on several factors* including: farmers burning off old corn stalks* and crop stubble*; coal*-fired heating systems; and low winds that allowed the smoke to remain over the city.

The smog had been building up for several days. It became worse when the city turned on the public heating system, which uses coal to heat millions of homes and offices in the city.

Harbin has a population of more than 10 million people. It lies in northeastern China, where cold winter weather can last up to six months. The main fuel* there is coal, because it is cheaper than other types of fuel.

Air pollution from burning coal can cause health problems like heart disease. During the smog crisis* in Harbin, the number of people taken to the hospital with breathing problems was 30% higher than usual.

The city government is trying to reduce its use of coal by adding more insulation* and better roofs and windows to buildings to reduce heating needs. It has also used cleaner fuel for cars and factories.

1.The roads and schools in Harbin had to be closed on October 21, 2013 because of  ____

A. the heavy rain   B. the strong wind  C. the serious smog  D.  the terrible snow        

2.There are many reasons for the air pollution EXCEPT____________.

A. farmers burn off old corn stalks and crop stubble                   

B. people use coal to heat millions of homes and offices

C. The smoke remains over the city   because of low winds

D. Many buses and cars use cleaner fuel and so do factories.

3. What is the government trying to do when the air pollution get worse?

A. To offer cars new fuel.                          

B. To give people more masks.

C. To reduce its use of coal.               

D. To ask people to stay at home.

4.What does the passage mainly tell us?

A. The serious air pollution in China   

B. Coal-fired heating systems

C. The population crisis in Harbin      

D. The reasons for heart disease