Sometimes known as “The Big Apple” or “the City That Never Sleeps”, New York is both the most populous city in the USA and a leading center of business, commerce, finance and media. The city is often referred to as “New York City”, in order to distinguish it from the state it is in. The city is part of a large metropolitan（大都市的）area, and the combined city population exceeds 18.7 million.
New York City is made up of five boroughs（行政区）and hence another nickname of the city is “The Five Boroughs”. The five boroughs are: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island.
There are many famous buildings and sights in New York, especially in Manhattan. These include the Empire State Building, the Flatiron Building and the United Nations Building. When you visit New York, make sure you see Central Park, Times Square, Chinatown, Little Italy and of course the Statue of Liberty. Additionally, there are many wonderful museums in New York, some truly excellent shops, some of the world’s best theaters in the Broadway area, and the neighborhoods of Greenwich Village and SoHo which are well-known for the artists who reside there.
Getting around New York City is simple—the city’s subway network is one of the most comprehensive in the world, connecting all parts of Manhattan in rapid time.
However, the best way to see New York is undoubtedly on foot. Central Park is an ideal place to start a walking tour of New York City—843 acres of shining ponds and lush greenery attract locals and tourists. And apart from offering breathtaking scenery, it is a centre for recreation. Visitors can listen to music groups, watch performers, walk along the trails and even take a romantic ride in a horse carriage.
1.What is the purpose of this passage?
A. To explain why New York is called “The Big Apple”.
B. To tell people how to visit New York.
C. To tell people the history and scenery of New York.
D. To introduce the city—New York briefly.
2.From the passage, we learn that ________.
A. New York has some of the world’s best theaters in the Broadway area
B. New York State is often called “The Five Boroughs”
C. all the famous buildings and sights in New York are in Manhattan
D. the writer advise people to see New York City by subway
3.The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to ________.
A. New York State B. New York City C. Times Square D. Central Park
4.According to the passage, you can do all the following things in Central Park EXCEPT ________.
A. enjoy the beautiful scenery B. watch great performance
C. go for a swim D. take a ride on a horse carriage
Are you carrying too much on your back at your back at school? I’m sure lots of children of your age will say “Yes”. Not only the students in China have this problem, but children in the United States also have heavy school bags.
Doctors are starting to worry that younger and younger students are having back and neck problems as a result of school bags being too heavy for them.
“It’s hard for me to go upstairs with my bag because it’s so heavy,” said Rick Hammond, an 11-year-old student in the US.
Rick is among students who have common school bags with two straps（带子）to carry them, but many other students choose rolling（有滚轮的）bags.
But even with rolling bags, getting up stairs and buses is still a problem for children. Many of them have hurt their backs and necks because of the heavy school bags.
But how much is too much? Doctors say students should carry no more than 10% to 15% of their own body weight.
Scout Batch, a back doctor, said children under Grade 4 should stay with 10%. But it is also important that older children don’t stay with over 15%, because their bodies are still growing.
“Children are losing their balance and falling down with their school bags,” he said.
Parents and teachers are starting to tell children to only take home library books they will be reading that night. Some teachers are using pieces of paper or thin workbooks for students to take home.
One of the best answers is, as some children said, to have no homework at all!
1.From the passage we can know that ________.
A. only children in China carry too heavy school bags
B. children in other countries don’t carry too heavy bags
C. both children in China and the US carry too heavy school bags
D. only children in the US carry too heavy school bags
2.If a child carries a heavy school bag ________.
A. his feet will be hurt B. his head and arms will be hurt
C. his hands will be hurt D. his back and neck will be hurt
3.According to the doctor, Scott Batch, if a child in Grade 5 weighs（重）about 30 kilos, the school bag he carries should not be over ________.
A. 5 kilos B. 3 kilos C. 5.5 kilos D. 4.5 kilos
4.Some students think the best answer to this problem is that ________.
A. they should have a little homework to do after they get home
B. they should only take home library books they will read that night
C. their teachers had better not ask them to do any homework
D. they should use thin workbooks instead of thick ones
Did you ever notice your shadow at different times of the day? Shadows change as the day goes on.
In the morning the sun makes long shadows. In the middle of the day, the sun seems to be right over your head and your shadow is very, very small. As the sun goes down in the afternoon, shadows grow very long again. But the long afternoon shadows fall in a different direction from the long morning shadows.
Long, long ago people told time by the shadows. Put a piece of paper in the sunlight. Stand a pencil in a spool in the middle of the paper. The shadow of the pencil will fall on the paper and move as the day goes on. Use a watch and every hour marks the place where the shadow falls. Now your paper is a sundial（通过太阳辨别时间的日规）and you can tell every sunny day. Just look at your paper sundial and see where the shadow falls.
1.When do shadows change?
A. Shadows change in the evening. B. Shadows change when it is raining.
C. Shadows change as the day goes on. D. Shadows change when it is snowing.
2.What happens to one’s shadow as the sun goes down in the afternoon?
A. He can’t see his shadow. B. His shadow becomes long again.
C. His shadow becomes short. D. His shadow becomes ugly.
3.What does one need to make a sundial?
A. A pencil, a watch and a spool.
B. A watch, a piece of paper and a pencil.
C. A spool, a piece of paper and a watch.
D. A piece of paper, a pencil and a spool.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.When is the first meeting of the Garden Club this year?
A. On Monday. B. On Wednesday. C. On Friday.
2.What’s the aim of the Garden Club?
A. To teach students to grow food.
B. To promote healthy and organic food.
C. To grow food for the school.
3.What will be served at the first meeting?
A. Cabbages. B. Cucumbers. C. Tomatoes.
4.What do we know about first-year students?
A. They can only work in the school garden.
B. They are not allowed to join the club.
C. They will be in charge of community garden.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the woman?
A. A secretary. B. A tour guide. C. A travel agent.
2.How long will the vacation last?
A. A week. B. Ten days. C. Two weeks.
3.How much is the package tour to Australia per person?
A. $300. B. $500. C. $1,000.
4.Why won’t the man go to Australia?
A. It isn’t warm enough.
B. The cost is a bit high.
C. He wants to of somewhere farther.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.How many people are there in Peter’s family?
A. 3. B. 4. C. 5.
2.When do the whole family walk the dog?
A. On Friday. B. On Saturday. C. On Sunday.
3.What does Peter do at home?
A. Do the laundry. B. Cook food. C. Sweep the floor.
