When your great-grandparents (曾祖父母) were young, the world was very different. People did not have the kind of technology (技术) that we have to communicate with each other today. Things such as mobile phones and computers were not yet invented (被发明). It took longer for people to get news about each other. Today’s technology makes it easier and faster to stay close to people.

Long ago, people wrote letters to keep in touch. From 1860 to 1861, letters were carried by horses. The horse riders were paid to carry letters across the country. Then trains began to carry letters from city to city. By the early 1902, planes were a faster way to carry letters across the country and around the world.

As time goes by, new inventions have made it easy to contact (联系) friends and family in seconds! People began to use telephones in the late 1800s. Modern phones can do many things. Mobile phones can be carried with us wherever we travel. Some phones can even let you take pictures. These images can be sent to other mobile phones.

Computers have made some of the biggest changes in communication. The Internet sends e-mail messages around the world in seconds!

Although new technology helps us stay in touch with each other, many people still enjoy sending and receiving letters. With so many ways to communicate, it’s easy to find your favorite way to stay in touch.

1.When your great-grandparents were young, ________.

A. the world was the same B. people didn’t communicate

C. it was slower to communicate D. mobile phones were invented

2.From the passage, we know that ________ carried letters fastest.

A. horses B. buses C. trains D. planes

3.When did people begin to use telephones?

A. In the early 1900s. B. In the 18th century.

C. In the 21st century. D. in the late 1800s.

4.What does the underlines word “images” mean?

A. pictures. B. messages. C. telephones. D. letters.

5.Which is the best title of the passage?

A. The best way to communicate. B. How we keep in touch.

C. Please communicate. D. No letters any more.

It was Mary’s birthday. She got a present from her uncle: “Dear Mary”, he wrote in the letter, “Happy birthday. I’m sending you some chickens. I hope you like them. Uncle Toby”.

Mary was very pleased. She liked eating eggs and chicken. “I can keep the chickens for their eggs or eat them,” she thought.

When the chickens arrived the next day, they were all in a box. Mary was very happy. She took the box off the truck and began to carry it into her garden, but the box of chickens was so heavy that she dropped it.

The box fell on the ground and it was open. The chickens all ran out. They ran here and there. Mary spent hours in trying to find them.

A few days later her uncle came. He asked. “Did the chickens arrive safely?”

“Yes, but I dropped the box. It broke open and the chickens ran everywhere. It took me the whole morning to look for them.” Mary said.

“Did you find them all?” asked her uncle. “I hope so,” Mary answered. “But I only caught eleven of them.” “That’s very interesting. I only sent you six.” her uncle said with a smile.

1.How many chickens did Mary’s uncle send her?

A. Eleven B. Six C. Twelve D. Five

2.Which statement is NOT true?

A. Mary likes eating eggs and chickens.

B. The chickens arrived after the letter.

C. It took Mary a whole day to find all the chickens.

D. The chickens ran everywhere.

3.From the story, we can infer (推断) that ________ before Mary received the chickens.

A. there were no chickens in the garden.

B. there were five chickens in the garden at least

C. Mary didn’t like chickens

D. Mary likes eggs better

Every year thousands of young people in England finish school and then take a year off before they start work or go to university. Some young people go to other countries and work as volunteers (志愿者). Volunteers give their time to help people. For example, they work in schools or hospitals, or they do something helpful for the environment.

Pauline Jones, 18, lives in Cardiff, Wales. Next year she is going to university to study Chinese, but now she’s living in Belize. Pauline says, “I’m working with other people here to save the coral reefs (珊瑚礁) in the sea near Belize. The reefs here are beautiful, but if the sea water is polluted, the coral will die. I’m helping the coral and the fish that live around the reefs. All over the world, coral reefs are dying. We need to do something about the problem before it’s too late.”

“I’m staying with a family here and I help do some housework. I don’t get any money, but that’s OK. I love my work here, and I’m learning a lot about the people of Belize—and myself! After I finish my work, I want to stay here for another three months. I want to travel around Belize and Central America.”

1.Some young people from England ________ after they finish school.

A. go to university abroad B. spend one year abroad as volunteers

C. go to work for money D. start to work in schools or hospitals

2.Pauline Jones, an eighteen-year-old girl, is living in ________ now.

A. England B. China C. Belize D. Cardiff

3.Pauline Jones is ________ with other people.

A. studying Chinese in a university B. working to save the coral reefs

C. helping do some housework D. doing some research in Wales

4.From the passage, we know that the coral reefs ________.

A. will die because of the pollution B. are not as beautiful as before

C. cannot live without fish in the sea D. will probably be sold for money

C）用括号内所给动词的正确形式填空。

Nora and Justin, the couple, both 35, 1. (get) tired of life and wanted more. Two years ago, they 2. (sell) their house, left things behind. Since they began their journey, they 3. (visit) countries such as China, Australia, and Mexico. The wanted 4. (find) out what meant the most to them. They have found that less is more. One of the 5. (great) things of travel is that they have made lots of friends. These people have helped them 6. (learn) who they really are.

六、阅读短文，按要求回答问题

Do you ever wish you were as thin as a model (模特) or as strong as your favourite football player? Maybe you wish you were taller or just thinner a little. Those thoughts are a natural part of growing up.

But learning what you can and can’t change about your body is part of growing up, too. It can be hard to do. But when people accept the way they look, they often feel happier.

Some children worry that they’re not growing and developing as fast as their friends. It’s important to know that puberty (青春期) doesn’t happen at the same time for every child. And there are no special medicines that can make it happen sooner!

Eating healthy foods and exercising more can make all children feel better. Why?

Because they will help you feel energetic (精力充沛的) and keep your body working just the way it should be.

Watching TV and playing computer games can be fun, but they don’t do much for your body because you sit when you do them.

But when you move your body—by playing, dancing, taking part in sports, or even cleaning your room—you exercise your muscles (肌肉). When you exercise the muscle, it gets stronger. And when you have strong muscles, you can do whatever you want to do!

1.When do people often feel happier about their bodies according to the passage?

__________________________________________________________

2.What do some children worry about in the third paragraph?

___________________________________________________________

3.Why are watching TV and playing computers bad for your body?

___________________________________________________________

4.How does your muscle become when you exercise it?

___________________________________________________________

5.How can you keep healthy at the age of puberty?

___________________________________________________________

七、连词成句

1.town what the like in the past was

__________________________________________________________?

2.I rings a couple of key for my bought classmates

__________________________________________________________.

3.would start showing me to mind how you this online tour

__________________________________________________________?

4.Australian are of seasons the opposite ours

__________________________________________________________.

5.Suzy not who sure ask for was to help

__________________________________________________________.

假设某中学生英文报开展关于计算机与学生生活的征文活动，请你根据下表所提示的要点，以“Computer in my life”为题，用英语为该报写一篇短文，简述计算机在你生活中的用途，并就计算机对你生活的影响谈谈你的感受。

注意：1、表达中必须包含所给要点，可以适当发挥，不要简单翻译。2、词数80词左右，开头已经写好，不计入总数。3、表达中请勿提及真实姓名和校名。

Computer in my life

The computer has become an important part of my life._________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tianjin is ________ interesting and beautiful city on ________ coast of the Bohai Sea.

A. an; the B. an; / C. a: the D. a; a

—Is it ________ dictionary, Tony?

—No it’s not ________. Maybe it’s Lily’s.

A. yours; my B. yours; mine C. yours; my D. your; mine

Beijing Opera is interesting and we ________ to understand more next time.

A. discover B. create C. hope D. forget