Coober Pedy is a small town in the Australian desert. It’s famous not only for its opals (猫眼石), but also for a very unusual ________—the people there live and work underground.
Why do people choose to live under the ground? To avoid the hot days and cold nights—daytime temperatures can ________ to 50℃ or more and on a cold night they can fall to zero. The locals say that their strange lifestyle is the only answer ________ the unpleasant climate (气候). In the underground homes, the temperature is always a very pleasant 19℃ to 24℃. But that’s not the only advantage; the people there don’t need to pay builders if they want to build a home or make any ________.
You would be very surprised to see ________ people manage to live underground. They have modern kitchens and bathrooms. “People think it’s ________ to live here and that we’re like ancient people, but that’s not true.” says Bev Smith, ________ has lived in Coober Pedy for over 30 years. “When my husband, Larry, and I first came here, life was very ________ and many people decided to leave. But now, things have changed a lot, we have got used ________ here and we’re very comfortable. We now have underground shops, hotels, restaurants, cafes and churches!”
Abigail and Brian Tynan left their large house in Melbourne (墨尔本) two years ago to have in an underground home. “My mouth ________ open when I saw my wonderful underground home,” remembers Brian. “I really enjoy living here.”
1.A.question B.problem C.matter D.reason
2.A.fall B.drop C.rise D.raise
3.A.with B.of C.to D.in
4.A.changes B.change C.changed D.changing
5.A.how well B.how good C.what good D.what well
6.A.possible B.impossible C.important D.believable
7.A.which B.whom C.who D.whose
8.A.easy B.different C.difficult D.interesting
9.A.live B.to live C.living D.to living
10.A.felt B.fell C.came D.made
It’s not easy for a mythology-based (神话) movie, which has been changed ________ times, to keep viewers interested in.
But the popular summer movie, Ne Zha, which ________ in Chinese mainland cinemas on July 26, has done just that. That month had seen it break a box office records to become the biggest ever cartoon movie in China.
The ________ of the film comes from the well-known work of Chinese mythology. Ne Zha, one of the main characters, has traditionally been seen as a lovely child hero, but this ________ movie has made him into a person who isn’t liked at the beginning but has to overcome hardship and his dark destiny (命运) to become a hero in the end. It has a strong faith in the traditional Chinese culture, giving it a “modern meaning”. Young Chinese people are crazy about Ne Zha’s words, “My destiny depends on nothing else ________ myself”, which encourages them to become dream-chasers and fate-changers.
1.A.a little B.a bit of C.a number of D.the number of
2.A.came out B.came up C.came on D.came over
3.A.try B.pride C.invention D.success
4.A.closet B.newest C.oldest D.furthest
5.A.like B.as C.but D.besides
Mike Myers is a teacher at Chauncey Rose High School in Terre Haute, Indiana. Last year, he taught his students about the world’s rain forests. They learned that rain forests are important because the plants and animals of the rain forest give us food, wood, and medicine.
Destruction of the world’s rain forests is a serious problem. Unluckily, rain forests are disappearing at a rate of 80 acres (英亩) per minute! As part of a class project, Myers’ students bought three acres of rain forest in Central America. They paid $25 per acre. The students hope that the land they bought will be protected and not destroyed. The students became so interested in rain forests that they decided to get a closer look at a real rain forest.
So this June, Myers and four of his students took a boat ride down a river. They saw alligators and crocodiles. In the middle of the week, a guide took Myers and his students into the rain forest. “The monkeys were not happy that we were in their forest. They broke small branches off the trees and threw them at us,” one of the students said, “It was a great learning experience for all us,” said Myers.
Each student chose something specific about Costa Rica to study involving the plants, animals, food, and culture. During the last few days the group had time to do fun activities. They went whitewater rafting and horseback riding, and visited Costa Rica’s active volcano.
Myers hopes to make the trip every year with a different group of kids.
Myers also talked about the big disaster about the rain forest fires in the Amazon—the lungs of the Earth. The Amazon forests produce 20% of the world’s oxygen (氧气). Even if it’s just a small part of the rain forests that are destroyed, it’s a great loss to the whole world. That means, once an area of land burns, it doesn’t regrow as forest. Now Myers’ students know that we should try to protect the rain forests, or the last drop of water on the earth will be our tears.
1.How much did Myers’ students pay for the rain forest they bought?
A.$25 B.$75 C.$80 D.$2000
2.What did Myers and his students do at the beginning of the trip?
A.They went into the rain forest. B.They bought acres of rain forest.
C.They took a boat ride down a river. D.They visited Costa Rica’s active volcano.
3.The word “Destruction” in paragraph 2 probably means “Being __________”
A.discovered B.developed C.described D.destroyed
4.What will cause “The last drop of water on the earth will be our tears”?
A.Killing some pigs and beef for meat.
B.Cutting down a large amount of trees in the forest.
C.Buying some fruits grown in the rain forest.
D.Traveling in the rain forest.
5.The passage mainly shows that Myers and his students __________.
A.did something to protect rain forest
B.wanted to buy the rain forest in Costa Rica
C.were interested in the culture of Costa Rica
D.went to the rain forest for various fun activities.
Today, roller skating is easy and fun, young people all over the world like skating. But, before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist (存在). That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making musical instruments, he was a quick-minded person, and he always came up with many original ideas.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a music party which invited some other important people. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance (隆重登场) at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates in the world. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin. He could imagine that everyone would cheer for him.
On the night of the party, Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on, suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking into pieces. Everyone laughed hard and they never forgot Merlin’s entrance!
1.The idea of roller skating didn’t exist __________.
A.until the middle of the 18th century B.after the middle of the 18th century
C.until the middle of the 17th century D.after the middle of the 17th century
2.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Merlin had no chance to enter the party hall on that night.
B.Merlin was better at skating than playing the violin.
C.Merlin had fun skating at the music party.
D.The first pair of roller states in the world had four wheels.
3.Which statement is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Merlin was a creative person who is good at playing the violin.
B.Merlin took pride in his invention but it was not perfect.
C.Merlin didn’t get all the people’s attention successfully in the end.
D.Merlin planed to appear at the music party differently and greatly.
4.What do you think of Merlin’s entrance?
A.Terrible and wonderful B.Surprising and unforgettable
C.Funny and successful D.Interesting and valuable
5.Which is the best title of the passage?
A.A story of poor Merlin B.Merlin and the first roller skates
C.A sudden event D.Merlin’s roller states and the violin
Imagine having a simple app (应用程序) that works like: When you need help, just open the app, touch the “notOK” button and a message will be sent to five pre-selected (预先设定的) people, along with a location to show where you are. The message reads: Hey, I’m not OK. Please call me, text me, or come to find me.
US teenagers Hanaah Lucas, 15, and her brother Charlie, 13, have created an app called notOK. People just need to pay $1.99 each month to use it.
Hannah was inspired to create the app during a dark time in her life last year. She developed an illness that made her pass out at school. Other kids sometimes bullied (欺凌) her about this. She felt sad and wanted to find an app that would allow her to get help when she wasn’t feeling OK.
She asked her brother Charlie to find such an app. When they couldn’t find, they decided to create one themselves.
The came up with some designs for the app first. Charlie took a programming class last summer and built a website for the app. Hannah also shaerd her idea in her summer class. Some app developers showed interest and decided to help her. At last, the app came out in the US and Canada on January 31.
Hannah is happy that her app is helping others.
1.Who will know you’re in nee when you touch the “notOK” button?
A.Five people who were pre-selected. B.Five people who bullied you.
C.Five people who are the developers. D.Five people who are your family members.
2.What do the underlined words “text me” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A.Send me a report. B.Send me a letter. C.Send me a message. D.Send me a paper.
3.The main purpose of creating the app is to allow people __________.
A.to bully others B.to build a website C.to make money D.to ask for help
4.Which one is the right order of the following statements about the invention of the app?
a. Hannah developed an illness last year.
b. Charlie took a programming class last summer.
c. The app came out in the US and Canada in January.
d. Hannah and Charlie didn’t find such a useful app.
A.c, d, a, b B.c, d, b, a C.a, d, b, c D.a, d, c, b
5.What are the best words to describe the app?
A.Simple and helpful B.Pleasant and dangerous
C.Creative but expensive D.Interesting and pre-selected
The Gifts for Jenny’s 15th Birthday
Gift item |
A doll |
A dress |
A toy bear |
A watch |
The material of the gift | Cotton | Silk | Cotton | Metal |
The reason why she likes the gift | Sleeping with it every night | Looking beautiful on it | Bringing her joy and happiness | Bringing her good luck |
The person who bought the gift | Mother | Cousin | Father | Grandparents |
The place where the gift is from | Shanghai | Paris | Hong Kong | London |
The price of the gift | ¥ 50 | $ 100 | $ 50 | $ 200 |
1.According to the form above, how many countries are the gifts from?
A.Two. B.Three. C.Four. D.Five.
2.The dress is __________ expensive than the watch.
A.100 dollars more B.50 dollars more C.100 dollars less D.50 dollars less
3.According to the form above, the doll is made of cotton besides __________.
A.the toy bear B.the dress C.the watch D.the others
4.Why does Jenny like the toy bear?
A.Because she sleeps with it every night. B.Because it brings her joy and happiness.
C.Because it brings her good luck. D.Because she looks beautiful on it.
5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the form above?
A.Jenny’s grandparents sent her a watch for her fourteenth birthday.
B.The doll from Jenny’s mother is as expensive as the toy bear from her father.
C.The dress that was bought by Jenny’s cousin is from Paris.
D.The toy bear that was bought by father is from London.
