Do you have an umbrella？Someone invented the umbrella about 4，000 years ago.People used umbrellas in Egypt，Assyria，Greece，and China in ancient times.We use our umbrellas for protection from rain.However，people first used umbrellas for protection from the sun.People in China were the first ones to use their umbrellas for rain.They put wax(蜡) on paper umbrellas.
European women used umbrellas before European men used them.Jonas Hanway was the first man to carry one in England.He made umbrellas popular for men and women.Some people called the umbrella a Hanway because of him.
We make umbrellas of many different things.The first ones were wood and cloth.Now many are plastics(塑料)．Today umbrellas are easy to carry.They are folded up into small packages(包)．The umbrella is a great invention.Don't forget yours the next time it rains.
阅读短文，回答下列问题。
1.When was the umbrella invented?
________________________________________
2.What were the first umbrellas used for?
________________________________________
3.Who used umbrellas earlier，European women or European men?
________________________________________
4.Why did some people in England call the umbrella a Hanway?
________________________________________
5.What were the first umbrellas made of?
________________________________________
1.My brother's English__________(pronounce) is terrible.
2.We are given__________(warm) and light by the sun.
3.It's__________(polite) to talk with your mouth full.
4.He felt__________(sleep) after he watched TV for a long time.
5.His brother stuck to__________(spread) messages about how to prevent pollution.
1.When the bell rang，he was writing a__________ (明信片)．
2.The better you know her，the more you will__________(欣赏) her.
3.__________ (知识) comes from questioning.
4.She is as__________ (活泼的) as a child.
5.Very little of the old house__________(遗留) after the earthquake.
Do you know that in some parts of the world, people build temporary（暂时的）hotels made of snow and blocks（大块）of ice? These are known as ice hotels.
Unlike usual hotels, all the rooms in the ice hotels are made of ice. In some ice hotels, even the glasses for drinks are made of ice blocks. So they only serve cold drinks. Also, hot food is not served in the ice hotels, but guests can eat hot food at places nearby.
To keep warm, guests sleep in comfortable sleeping bags on ice blocks that are covered by mattresses（床垫）and reindeer skins（驯鹿皮）.
There are some places in the ice hotels that are heated, such as the bathrooms. This is because, even though it is not as cold in the ice hotels as it is outdoors（在户外）, indoor temperatures are still very low.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the ice hotels is that they are rebuilt every year. They can be used only during the winter months. The ice hotels melt（融化）away when spring arrives. The ice blocks used to build these hotels are from nearby rivers. So, when the ice hotels melt away, they melt back into the rivers.
1.According to the passage, ice hotels ______.
A. are found everywhere B. do business in summer
C. are made of glass D. are made of snow and ice
2.Which of the following about the ice hotels is true?
A. They are just like usual hotels.
B. The glasses are made of wood.
C. They serve cold drinks.
D. The rooms are made of bamboo.
3.You can’t see ______ in the ice hotels.
A. hot food B. reindeer skins
C. sleeping bag D. mattresses
4.Why are bathrooms heated in the ice hotels?
A. Guests want to eat in them.
B. Indoor temperature are very low.
C. Guests ask the hotels to do that.
D. It is as cold indoors as it is outdoors.
5.What happens to the ice hotels in spring?
A. They melt away. B. They are rebuilt.
C. They are repaired. D. They need more ice.
A science fiction flying car looks like a normal car, but it is an aircraft (飞行器) that anybody can fly directly from any place to another without using roads or runways. Science fiction writers have written about flying cars for a long time. But now flying cars will soon fly out of the world of science fiction into our real world. And the dream of the science fiction writers will soon come true.
The first-known sky car is the FSC-1. The FSC-1 looks like an expensive sports car. You can drive the FSC-1 on the road like a normal car. If you touch a button, its wings and propeller (螺旋桨) fold out and then it can take off, fly and land as an airplane. The owners of the FSC-1 can choose if they want to drive or fly.
Another flying car or sky car is the Moller Skycar M400. Although you can’t drive it on the roads, it is small and easy to fly and can take off and land like a helicopter (直升飞机). Urban Aeronautics’ X-Hawk is another type of sky car. It is expected to be available for about $3 million.
Just like any new technology, flying cars have taken a long time to be developed. But some experts think the technology is far from what people imagine when they are sitting in traffic. It still needs to be improved.
1.______ kinds of flying cars are mentioned in the passage.
A. Two B. Three C. Four D. Five
2.The writer thinks that flying cars will be no longer a dream because ______.
A. science fiction writers’ ideas are stupid
B. they are too expensive to make
C. they will soon be available
D. they are only in science fiction
3.The FSC-1 can ______.
A. change itself into a robot
B. move on water like a ship
C. be flown only like an airplane
D. be driven like a car and flown like an airplane
4.The Moller Skycar is different from the FSC-1 because ______.
A. it can’t fly
B. it can’t be driven like a car
C. it is difficult to land
D. it is much more expensive
5.Some experts think the technology of flying cars is ______.
A. normal B. traditional
C. not good enough D. strange
A famous study was done in a school by a professor from a university.At the start of the school year，the teachers were given the names of five children.They were told that these five were the most excellent students in the class.But the fact was that these students were only average，and they were not the best students at all.Well，guess what？At the end of the year，all the five average students scored among the highest in the class.
What made these average students change so much to become top students？The only difference was the change in their teachers' attitude.Because the teachers believed that these five kids were top students，they expected more from them.And so these five average students became to believe and expect more from themselves.So they worked harder to do as well as they could.
Do you know？If you expect the best from people，they'll usually want to give you their best.A great leader said，“Treat a person just how he appears to be on the outside，and you'll make him even worse.But treat a person like he's already a success，and you'll help make him the best he can be.”
Like the true story of 7yearold Johnny，his teacher got so angry with him that one day she said.“Johnny，you're the naughtiest(最调皮的)boy in this class.I'm sure you'll never change.”The next year Johnny had a new teacher.And on the first day of class，she met with Johnny after school and said.“Johnny，I've heard a lot about you！But do you know that I don't believe a word of it？”And every day after that，this new teacher treated Johnny as if he was one of the smartest students even when Johnny did naughty things.Later on，Johnny became a school leader，because that's the power of our belief and attitude towards children.
1.The professor started his research by ________．
A. telling the five students to work harder than ever before
B. teaching the five children himself
C. telling the teachers that the five students were the best in the class
D. asking the five children to find a new teacher
2.The five average students became top students mainly because of ________．
A. the professor's study
B. the change in the professor's attitude
C. the teachers' hard work
D. the change in the teachers' attitude
3.Why did the writer tell us the story of 7 year old Johnny?
A. To show the importance of encouragement
B. To show that the boy was clever enough.
C. To let us know the famous boy.
D. To let us know how good his new teacher was.
4.According to the story，we can learn that ________．
A. the research began at the end of the school year
B. the students scored highest only because they worked hard
C. if you expect the most from people，you'll get the least
D. little Johnny liked his new teacher very much
5.What does the passage mainly tell us?
A. If you want to get more，you should have new teachers.
B. Attitude and belief can change a person.
C. A professor's study can help you score highest.
D. Only teachers can make you a top student.
