People often complain they face too many problems. Every day and everywhere there are problems. Many times we find it hard to stay happy. When one problem is solved, another one comes up.

People have money problems, work problems, family problems, health problems..... the list goes on. And we usually think that people who are happy and successful are having fewer problems than us. Look at the successful people we often mention. They have money they need, they have jobs they love, they have good friends, they have obedient(孝順的) kids, they have the successful business, they have loving families etc. Everything goes well with them. That is why they are happy and successful. But in fact, the more successful you are, the more problems you have to face. More success means more challenges they have to face, and more success means more risks they have to take.

Young and old, rich and poor, successful and unsuccessful, educated and uneducated, all have problems. The difference is that their problems are different from each other.  Rich and successful have big problems. Poor and unsuccessful have small problems. Still they all have problems which they can face. Successful people are successful just because they are ready to face challenges larger than ordinary people.

Winning the US elections(選舉) makes Obama very happy. As a new US president, he has to face bigger challenges. He has to be more careful about his work he does, or he will lose his position(位置). Looking at him, we may say he is lucky, happy and successful. But, I think, as the US president, he has more pressure than an ordinary person.

1.You will be a/an ______ person if you are afraid to face more challenges.

A．ordinary          B．successful         C．famous           D．educated

2.From this article we know that President Obama ______.

A．has fewer problems                     B．was born in a rich family

C．takes more risks                        D．is a successful businessman

3.The main idea of this article is _______.

A．why poor people are always poor

B．how many problems people usually have to face

C．how lucky and happy President Obama is

D．how to deal with problems in life

My friends，how do you spend your summer vacation? I know most American families like to have a holiday __1__ summer．Summer is a good season（季節(jié)）__2__ holidays．It is very hot during the months of July and August．Children do not go to school during these __3__ months．

Some __4__ like to stay at home during the holiday．They work in the garden，visit friends，_5__ books，or __6__ TV．Many families _7__ their lunch to a park or somewhere far __8__ the city．They like to eat where there are many trees or there is a nice lake．If they live near the sea，they often go to the beach（海濱）．They can fish，swim or enjoy the sun there．

America is a large country．Many families travel by __9__ or by train to see interesting places．They also travel by plane to a foreign country．Many big cities have many famous buildings（建筑物），shops and other places __10__ travelers．

1．A．a(chǎn)t                       B．in                        C．on                         D．of

2．A．under                    B．of                        C．for                        D．a(chǎn)bout

3．A．ten                        B．two                      C．three                      D．four

4．A．people                B．peoples                   C．man                       D．woman

5．A．go                         B．do                       C．look                     D．read

6．A．see                        B．watch                  C．look                       D．read

7．A．takes                     B．take                     C．look                       D．a(chǎn)re looking

8．A．from                     B．a(chǎn)way                   C．to                          D．off

9．A．car                        B．cars                     C．their cars                      D．A car

10．A．for                      B．in                        C．on                         D．a(chǎn)t

What will the house look like in the future? Could it have gardens on its walls, or a pool with fish for dinner? Architects（建筑師） believe that they are all possible. The only thing for sure is that the houses will be as green as possible.

The tree house

Many architects in the world would like to build a “tree house.” Like a leaf, the surface of the house collects sunlight during the day. The energy can be used to heat water, produce electricity, and even create fresh air for the home. The “root” (根) of the house is deep under the ground. It uses the soil (土壤) to keep the home’s temperature.

 The Lizard house

Like a lizard (蜥蜴), changing color with the weather is the most important design of a lizard house. When it’s in the bright sun, the cover of the house will turn dark to protect it from strong heat. During dark days, it turns white and takes in as much light and heat as possible to produce energy.

 Meals at home

This design is perhaps as much about the future of food production as architecture (建筑風格). It has gardens on the outside wall of the house. People can plant tomatoes, carrots and green tea on them. So every day in the morning, you just need to walk outside and collect your meals.

Learning from the past

Looking to the future isn’t the only way to be green. Sometimes, ancient techniques (古老的技術) can also help cut down energy use. For example, a chimney (煙囪) can be a useful air conditioner because it is easier to flow out hot air from the chimney.

1.What is the best title (標題) of the passage?

2.We can heat water, produce electricity or create fresh air for the home_______.

3.What will happen to the cover of the lizard house when it’s in the bright sun?

4.The passage seems to tell us that meals at home in the future________.            .

5. A chimney can be a useful air conditioner but it used to cause________.          .