阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

I found the imagination of becoming a grandmother somewhat discouraging. I was younger than I thought a grandmother should be when I got the news that I was going to become one myself. I admit, it was not a role that I was emotionally ready to accept. I had been a young mother, and had certainly hoped my daughter would not face that same challenge. I remarried when she was a teenager, and then had two more children. On getting the news that she was expecting(怀孕), I remember thinking “What do I know about being a grandmother? —I haven’t even finished raising my own kids yet!” I don’t like to be unprepared, so I read a few books about grandparenting. That gave me a little help, but I was still uncertain. I thought about other grandmothers I knew, and got a few ideas I liked and a few more that I didn’t. But I couldn’t quite figure out what kind of grandmother I wanted to be. Then I thought about my own grandmother, Granny, as she’s known by most people, and I knew I had the answer.

I didn’t realize it until that moment, but my own grandmother was the example for the kind of grandmother I wanted to be. I am fortunate that I got to spend a lot of time with my grandparents when I was a little kid. Here is what I learned from my Granny：

Grandmothers always have a cookie jar. For my whole life, Granny always had a cookie jar full of cookies. When I was a little tiny girl, just at eye level with the counter, Granny would get the cookie jar down for me. When I was a little older I learned how to pull the chair over so I could reach. As I got taller, if I really stretched, I could reach the cookie jar with my finger tips and move it close enough to get it down off the counter to find out what kind of treat was inside. Always the first thing I did when I went to Granny’s house was check the cookie jar, and there were always cookies in it. Many years later, I’ll drive my own children to Granny’s house and the first thing to do is get us all a cookie.

So grandmothers must have a cookie jar, and on my granddaughter’ s first Christmas，my daughter bought me my own cookie jar. She said when they came to see me，her daughter would find the treat the way she did and I did.

1.The writer thought it was a little discouraging to be a grandmother because________.

2.The underlined phrase “that same challenge ” in the first paragraph refers to “________”

3.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that________.

4.What kind of grandmother did the writer want to be?

5.Which of the following can be the best title of this text?

阅读下面短文，在文中空白处填入最适当的词语，使文章完整。（每空限填一词。）

Dear Toby,

Your trip sounds exciting! I can’t wait to hear ___1.___ Africa is like.

Since my last letter to you, I have had a little adventure of my own. Early this morning, my mother and I took ____2.___ flight to Dunhuang, in the north-west of China. The desert out there was really quite amazing—I had never seen ___3.____ much sand in my life! While we were there, we arranged with a tour company to ride camels. I was really excited because this was the first time I had seen____4.___ up close. We had hoped that we could see some other wildlife on our trip, ___5.____ sadly we didn’t.

Since you are going to the Sahara, I have some advice—be sure to bring a large hat and a shirt with long sleeves—you’ll need these ____6.___ protection. The sun can be so brilliant that you’ll need to keep covered, ___7.____ you’ll get burnt—my cheek were red for days after my trip. And another thing, you’ll need to keep a good supply of water with you, since it is so dry and hot.

Looking forward ___8.____ receiving your postcards!

Best wishes

Aihua

阅读下面短文，根据小题的具体要求，简要回答问题。

UFO is short for Unidentified Flying Object. It’s also called Flying Saucer. It is one of the most popular topics in the 20^th century. With films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and ET in the 1970s came a rapid increase in reports of flying saucers and men from Mars. More than 20 countries said their people once saw the UFO and there were over 1,200 reports about the UFO. Some even said they saw aliens.

In July, 1916, Gaynor was a nine-year-old girl and lived in North Wales. One day, on her way home from school, she saw a silver object in a field not far from her home. The object looked like a saucer. Gaynor was very scared. She stayed in the tall grass and watched the door of the strange object open. She saw two aliens wearing silver suits get ou. Then they use something to examine the ground. They were short and had pink eyes. After about half an hour, the two aliens went back into the object. Then it took off. When Gaynor got home, she told her mother about her unusual experience, but her family decided to keep quiet about it. They didn’t want others to laugh at their daughter. However, 18 months later, Gaynor told her story to UFO scientists. They found out that Gaynor told the truth.

1.What does UFO stand for? (No more than 3 words)

2.How did Gaynor feel when she saw the silver object like a saucer? (No more than 4 words)

3.Why did Gaynor’s parents keep quiet about her experience ? (No more than 10 words)

阅读下面短文，根据所读内容在文后小题的空格里填上适当的单词或短语。 注意：每空不超过3个单词。

Colors can affect our feelings. Generally, they can be divided into four kinds. They are calm colors, warm colors, energetic colors and strong colors.

Calm colors  Some colors make us feel calm and peaceful. Blue is one of those colors. Blue can also represent sadness, so you may say “I’m feeling blue” when you are feeling sad. White is another calm color. It makes you feel calm and peaceful.

Warm colors  Some colors can give you a happy and satisfied feeling. Colors like orange or yellow belong to these. Orange represent joy. It can bring you success and cheer you up when you’re feeling sad. Yellow is the color of the sun and wisdom, too.

Energetic colors  When you feel tired or weak, you should wear energetic colors, such as green. Green can give you energy as it is the color of nature and stand for new life and growth.

Strong colors   Anyone who needs physical or mental strength should wear red clothes. Red is the color of heat and represent power and strong feelings.

Colors and feelings

In 1901, H. G. Wells, an English writer, wrote a book describing a trip to the moon. When the explorers landed on the moon, they discovered that the moon was full of underground cities.

They showed their surprise to the “moon people” they met. In turn, the “moon people” showed their surprise. “Why,” they asked, “are you traveling to outer space when you don’t even use your inner space?”

H. G. Wells could only imagine travel to the moon. In 1969, human beings did land on the moon. People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon. However, the question that the “moon people” asked is still an interesting one. A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it.

Underground systems are already in place. Many cities have underground car parks. In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas. The “Channel”, a tunnel connecting England and France, is now completed.

But what about underground cities? Japan’s Taisei Corporation is designing a network of underground systems, called “Alice Cities”. The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on. A solar dome would cover the whole city.

Supporters(支持者) of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth’s space. The space, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens and wilderness. H. G. Well’s “moon people” would agree. Would you?

1.The explorers in H. G. Well’s story were surprised to find that the “moon people” ______.

2.What does the underlined word  (paragraph 3) “it” refer to?

3.What kind of underground system are already here with us?

4.What would be the best title for the text?

Singapore’s public transport system is one of the best in the world, so you should have no problem finding your way around like a local. There are three main forms of public transport that you would find in any other major city—trains, buses and taxis.

TRAINS

Trains run from 6:00 am to midnight. Single trip tickets start at 80 cents. If you buy an EZ-Link cars for $15, you can ride the trains and buses as you like.

If you need more information, just call Transit Link on 1800 767 4333.

BUSES

There are several bus services in Singapore and fares(费用) start at 80 cents. Be sure always to ask the driver the cost of your ticket as he can not give change.

If you need help, just call Transit Link on 1800 767 4333.

TAXIS

There are three main taxi companies—City Cab (6552 2222), Comfor (6552 1111) and Tibs (6552 8888). Booking can also be easily by calling the numbers listed above.

RENABLE CARS

Driving in Singapore is a pleasure and if you like to travel at your own pace, renting a car is a good choice. Renting takes away the hassle of getting to places around Singapore. Just sit back and enjoy the city. It also means you’ll get to see a lot more that a train or a bus won’t let you see.

For car rental, call Avis on + 65 6737 1668.

1.By an EZ-Link care, you can take ______.

2.When you take a bus there, always remember to ______.

3.What does the  underlined word “hassle” mean in the text?

4.What do you know about travelling in Singapore from the passage?

A driver stopped his car on a street side to have a rest. As he lay down in the seat and closed his eyes, a person came up and knocked at the window to ask him the time. The driver opened his eyes and looked at his watch. “It’s 8:05,” he said. Then he went to sleep again. But soon he was waken up again because a second person was knocking at the window. “Sir, do you know the time?” he asked. The driver looked at his watch, and told him it was half past eight.

In this way, the driver thought he could not have a good rest, so he wrote a short note and stuck it on the window for all to see. It said, “I don’t know the time.”

Again, he lay down in the seat for his sleep. A few minutes later, a third person came and began to knock at the window, “Hey, sir,” he said. “It is a quarter to nine.”

1.Where did the driver sleep?

2.How long had the driver been there when the third person called him?

3.Why did the driver write a note and stick it on the window?

4.The third person knocked at the window to ______.

It is well known that Albert Einstein was one of the greatest scientists of all time, but I think he was also a really great person. I’ve done some research on him and 1. _______ something interesting.

When Einstein started to work in America, someone asked him what he needed. He said he needed a desk, some 2. _______ and a pencil. He also asked for a big wastepaper basket to 3. _______ all of his mistakes. This shows that he knew even the 4. _______ man in the world can only learn by making mistakes.

Einstein was also very modest(谦虚的). Many children wrote letters to ask him for help with their homework. One day, he wrote a letter to a young girl to tell her not to 5. _______ about her maths homework because he thought maths was difficult too.

Einstein regarded time as very valuable. He never wore socks, because he thought 6. _______ socks was a waste of time as people already wore 7. _______. He also thought it was a waste of time remembering things that could be found in a book. That’s 8. _______ he never remembered his own phone number, which was in the phone book. He knew what was worth 9. _______. It is true that if we are going to do  10. _______ things in our lives, we can’t waste time.

She ____ the house the whole morning but it seems to be at least an hour before she finishes it.

We all ____ Yang Liwei, who is the first Chinese astronaut to take a journey to space.