Shopping is not as simple as you may think! Much has to be done for the producers before putting the products on the shelf.
Color, for example, changes a lot according to what the producers are trying to sell. Health foods are packed in greens, yellows or browns because we think of these as healthy colors.
When some kind of medicine was brought out recently, researchers found that the color of the package(包裝) caused the shoppers to lose interest because they made the product look ineffective(無效的). At last, it came on the market in dark blue and white—blue because we think of it as safe, and white as calm.
The size of a package can also attract(吸引) a shopper, although quite often a bottle doesn’t hold as much as it appears to.
It is said that the better-known companies spend about 40 percent of the cost of the product itself on packaging!
The most successful producers know that it’s not enough to have a good product. The head of Pears Soap, who for 25 years has used pretty little girls to sell their goods, came to the conclusion: “Any fool can make soap, but it takes a talent to sell it.”
【小題1】 Health foods are usually packed in colors Except ________.

A．green

B．black

C．yellow

D．brown

【小題2】Why did the shoppers lose interest in the medicine?

A．Because of the size of the product.	B．Because of the color of the product.
C．Because of the color of the package.	D．Because of the cost of the product.

【小題3】If a new product costs $ 60, how much money may be spent on packaging?

A．$ 24

B．$ 36

C．$ 40

D．$ 60

【小題4】Which of the following is the key to the success in product sales?

A．The way to sell goods.	B．A good product.
C．The one who makes a product.	D．A nice color.

【小題5】The passage is mainly about ___________on shopping.

A．a(chǎn)dvantages of products	B．the importance of packaging
C．choices of products	D．the cost of packaging

    Mr. Brown lived in a house less than two miles from his office, so he was able to drive home every day for lunch. Every time he drove home at noon, he found many cars were parked outside his house and there was no room for his own car. He had to drive somewhere else to park his car. Then he had to walk back home. This made him very angry.
He had put up a board, which said, “ No parking” in the garden facing the road, but nobody noticed it. People seemed to obey(遵守) only a police notice with letters on a blue board:
POLICE NOTICE
NO PARKING
Mrs. Brown suggested that he could steal a police notice. He was afraid to do so. She then suggested that he could make one just like a police notice. He said he was not the police and couldn’t use the word “police”. Several days later, Mr. Brown made a blue board with white letters:
POLITE NOTICE
NO PARKING
“ Oh!” Mrs. Brown said, “You told me you weren’t going to use the word  “police”, but why do you use it now?” “Really?” he asked, “Look again.” She started to laugh. “You are really clever.”
【小題1】How many notice boards did Mr. Brown make altogether?

A．Only one

B．Two

C．Three

D．None

【小題2】Mr. Brown made a notice board which ________________ in the end.

A．was just the same as a police notice

B．was different in colour from a police notice

C．looked just like a police notice

D．said “ POLICE NOTICE, NO PARKING”

【小題3】We can infer(推斷) that ____________ after he put up the blue board.

A．more people will park their cars outside his house

B．more policemen will come to park their cars at noon

C．fewer people will visit him at noon later on

D．fewer people will park their cars outside his house

Middle school students have far too much homework. They usually have to sit up three or four hours every night doing their homework. Now one school in my hometown has made a rule of limiting(限制)homework. The homework is limited to an hour a day and the students have no homework on the weekend. I think this is an excellent idea that will allow students to live better and healthier lives.
Less homework will give students more time to enjoy other pastimes(休閑活動).I have many books which I received as gifts from my parents and friends. They have been kept there on my shelf for several years! Because of homework, I will have not read a single one of them. With less homework, students will be freer to develop their interests in art, music and other hobbies.
More time free from homework will get our physical health better. Many students
like sports, but they have little time to play football, basketball, volleyball and so on. They hardly have time to have a trip or take part in any social activities. They must spend so much time solving math problems and doing grammar exercises. Besides, staying up late to finish their homework leaves many students exhausted in the morning. Not getting enough sleep is not only unpleasant; it also makes students more likely(有可能得)to get colds and other illnesses.
【小題1】 Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Students dislike homework	B．No use doing homework
C．Homework is good for study	D．Homework should be limited

【小題2】 According to the passage, what is an effect of having a lot of homework?

A．Students have little time for their hobbies.

B．Students have to finish their homework.

C．Students are more active in class.

D．Students are good at their lessons.

【小題3】 The author of the passage may be ________.

A．a(chǎn) teacher

B．a(chǎn) student

C．a(chǎn) parent

D．a(chǎn) doctor

【小題4】 According to the passage, what makes students more likely to get colds?

A．No having time to exercise.	B．Not getting enough sleep.
C．Getting up early for school.	D．Reading too many books.

Passage 2
When you get tired of homework, several minutes’ walk in a nearby green park helps you relax at once. Or you may stand facing the lake or the seas. They will calm (not to be excited or nervous) you just like the green plants.
Wonder why? Color is a key part of the answers. Since it is so, green and blue help make people feel more quiet and safe.
All colors have special power. Scientists have found that many colors have specific effects (效果) on people’s mind and feelings.
Try an easy and interesting experiment and you’ll see how color “mislead” you sometimes. Wrap (包裝) two boxes of the same size with colored paper, one red and the other white. Then weigh the two boxes with your hands. Which one is heavier? Most people will think that the red box is heavier, even though they weigh the same.
Colors can affect (影響) learning. Scientists have found that students spend more time reading if they read information written in blue text. Blue helps most people calm down and think more.
Clever uses of colors in daily life are to be seen everywhere. Hospitals and libraries seldom paint their walls, tables and desks red. They use light colors, like light blue or green. Red makes people excited while light colors help them relax. Haven’t worked out how color affects your daily life? Start with your small room. Try to make some changes in it and you’ll get to know how important color is!
【小題1】The underlined word “mislead” means _____.

A．a(chǎn)ffects	B．effects
C．causes someone to have a wrong idea	D．give wrong directions

【小題2】We’d better paint the walls of the hospital in _____.

A．light blue or light green	B．deep red or deep brown
C．deep orange or deep red	D．light green or light yellow

【小題3】If you want to ______, you’d better sit in the room painted blue.

A．weigh something with your hands	B．study attentively
C．face the lake or the sea	D．enjoy some rock music

【小題4】Which of the following is NOT true?

A．When you are going to have a rest, you’d better sit in the room painted green

B．Scientists have known some differences among some colors

C．When you get tired of homework, you should look at the green plants far away

D．The passage has told us clearly why some colors are warm and other colors are cool.

【小題5】The reading mainly shows us _____.

A．the difference between red and blue

B．how to get on well with others

C．how to make smart uses of different colors in our daily life

D．how to paint and decorate our rooms

根據(jù)句意和提示寫出單詞，完成句子。

1.There are several ways to solve this problem. Let's have a _________(討論）now.

2.As we know,___________ (抽煙) is a bad habit, and it's not good for our health.

3.It will be much foggier tomorrow. Please drive your car as ____(小心)as you can.

4.Would you like to_____________（分享）your experiences with us?

5.Chinese parents are strict with their children and usually stop them from _________(逗留) out too late with friends.

6.If you want to keep fit, you should eat_____________(健康的)food first.

7._______(沒有事情) is impossible to a willing mind.

8.__________(星期二）is the third day of a week.

9.He’d like to buy a present for his father’s ______ (forty) birthday.

10.—Look, whose ___________(Walkman) are these? —Perhaps they are the twins.

11.The boys walked _______(pass) my house.

12.He ________(nod）to me in greeting when I entered the room.

13.They moved away from the village for ________(safe).

14.We should face the problem and solve it instead of _______(wait) for others' help.

15.There are many books on those ________(shelf).