Everybody hates rats. But in the earthquake places of the world – Japan, Los Angeles, Turkey – rats will soon be man’s new best friends.
What happens after an earthquake? We send in rescue(救援) dogs. Why? Because they can smell people. Dogs save lives. They help rescuers to find living people. But dogs are big and they can’t get into small spaces. So now a new research project is using a smaller animal to save lives: the rat.
How does it work? First, the rat is trained to smell people. When this happens, the rat’s brain gives a signal. This is sent to a small radio on its back, and then the rescuers follow the radio signals. When the rat’s brain activity jumps, the rescuers know that someone is alive. The rat has smelled that person.
Although there are already robots which can do this job, rats are better. Christian Linster at Cornell University, New York, says, “ ‘Robot’ noses don’t work well when there are other smells around. Rats are good at that.” Rats can also see in the dark. They are cheaper and quicker to train than dogs, and unlike robots, they don’t need electricity.
The “ rat project” is not finished, but Julie Ryan of International Rescue Corps in Scotland says, “ It would be fantastic. A rat would get into spaces we couldn’t get to and a rat would get out if it wasn’t safe.” Perhaps for the first time in history, people will be happy to see a rat in a building ( but only after an earthquake, of course.)
【小题1】In the earthquake places, rats will become man’s best friends because they can __________.

A．take the place of man in rescue jobs

B．find the positions of people alive who are trapped in buildings

C．serve as food for people alive who are trapped in buildings

D．send signals for the coming earthquake

【小题2】The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 4 refers to(所指)  _________  

A．treating wounded people.

B．helping rescuers.

C．smelling people among different smells.

D．carry the wounded people to safety.

【小题3】From the third paragraph we know the rescuers can judge a person is alive by ___________.

A．the nose made by the rat

B．the rat’s unusual behavior

C．the signal sent by the radio on the rat’s back

D．the smell given off by the person

【小题4】In doing rescue jobs, __________________________.

A．rats have better sense of smell than dogs.

B．dogs don’t need to be trained to smell people.

C．robots’ sense of smell can be affected by other smells around.

D．rats can see in the dark and are smaller than robots.

【小题5】After reading the passage we can know ______________________________.

A．rats have taken the place of dogs in search for people.

B．the “ rat project” has been completed

C．people are now happy to see a rat in a building

D．now people still use dogs and robots in performing rescue

In every school there is “top” crowd that sets the pace, while the others follow their lead. For example, if the crowd decides that it is smart to wear bright red sweaters, then very soon everybody is wearing bright red sweaters.
There is nothing wrong with that, except the fact that for some people bright red sweater is really unsuitable.
The situation can even become dangerous, if the top crowd decides that it is smart to drink and to drive cars at seventy miles an hour. Then the people who follow the lead are endangering their lives. They are like the sheep being led to the slaughter(屠杀).
Now it’s possible that you have come across situations like these more than once in your life. In fact you probably did something you knew to be wrong one time or another. You may have excused yourself by saying, “ Gee, the crowd does it.” Well, let the crowd do it, but don’t do it yourself. Learn to say “No”.
Develop your own standards(标准)and your own judgment. If you know the crowd is planning something you disagree to, you’d better take the courage to bow out in a polite way. You’ll have the satisfaction of standing on your own two feet.
【小题1】The main idea of the passage is that _____________ .

A．in every school there is a “top” crowd that sets the pace

B．it’s a mistake to follow the “top” crowd blindly

C．people who follow the “top” crowd are endangering their lives

D．you probably did something wrong more than once in your life

【小题2】The author(作者)doesn’t think it good wearing red sweaters if _______.

A．the crowd is wearing them

B．you can't afford them

C．you don't look good in red

D．it is against school rules

【小题3】The writer encourages the readers to ___________ .

A．respect his or her parents

B．find excuses when he or she is wrong

C．learn to stand on their own two feet

D．take the advice of his or her elders

【小题4】What does the underlined phrase “bow out” in the passage probably mean?

A．鞠躬

B．退出

C．参与

D．应允

【小题5】The best title for this passage is __________ .

A．Follow the Leader	B．The “Top” Crowd
C．Being Yourself	D．Rules for Teens

I have been using the Internet since I was five years old, when my dad first sat me down in front of a computer and connected me the World Wide Web.
I’ve always felt like a master of the Internet world. AOL Instant Messaging, MSN, Gmail, Facebook. Myspace---I’ve got it all under control. I thought there was nothing more to it besides checking my e-mail and wasting my time, until I was introduced to electronic commerce(e-commerce): business on the Internet.
Some online business are run from one- room home offices. Others have hundreds of employee(雇员)spread across five different continent. Have you ever heard of Amazon. com, Yahoo. com?
My friends often said they got cheap textbooks off Amazon.com, or had a good deal(交易)on Steve Madden boots that were on sale at SteveMaden.com. Unfortunately for me, I continued my “e-commerceless” Web-surfing, unaware(不知道)of all the deals I was missing out on.
That is, of course, until my sister finally sold the idea to me.
“Why are all these packages arriving in the mail for you, Katy?” I asked her one day. Strange envelopes had been put on our doorstep for weeks now, each one always addressed to my sister; and we all know little sisters should never be getting more mail than their elders!
“Oh, it’s the things I ordered online!” she answered. I watched speechlessly as she opened them. There was no way our parents were letting her spend that much money- online or off!
“How much did all of this coat?”
“Oh, only about $15in all!” She said excitedly. “Everything on eBay is on sale! It’s way better than going to the mall.”
I felt as if my entire life, there had been a store right in my backyard that I had never walked into! That week, I ordered a used Spanish textbook for my summer course online for 10 percent of the publishing price. A few days later, I bought an iPod protector and a book or two via the wonderful eBay.com.
【小题1】From the first two paragraph we can conclude that the author        

A．had no experience using computers

B．had no idea of what e-commerce is

C．only used the Internet to check e-mail

D．thought surfing the Internet was a waste of time

【小题2】The writer didn’t find out about e-commerce until       

A．he stopped web-surfing

B．he visited a store in his backyard

C．his friends told him about the online deals they made

D．his sister explained the packages she got by mail

【小题3】We can infer from the last paragraph that the author       .

A．has begun to enjoy online shopping

B．loves the big store in her backyard

C．feels she is a true master of the Internet

D．never enjoyed shopping that much

【小题4】What’s the purpose of the article?

A．To make an online shopping ad.

B．To do business on the Internet.

C．To advise people to do online shopping

D．To suggest how he begins online shopping.

【小题5】What would be the best title of the article?

A．Online Business	B．Good deals
C．A master of the Internet	D．Everything on Sale

①The Dream It is everyone’s dream to work at home or not work at all．You can plan your own hours and work when you want to．There is no more rush hour and no hours that people waste when they get to and from a job every day．
②The Fact The fact is that this dream can be attained．You can stay at home，work when you want to and make money when you need to．There are plenty of opportunities for you to make money at home，just by using your computer and the Internet．
③Start Today! Educate yourself，look closely into all the opportunities and decide on what works best for you．It will not happen during one night，but you can make the decision today and start to make it happen today．
④How Could You Do It? Do you have a blog（博客）or a personal website like millions of other people?  Are you using it to make money? Most of these blog and website owners are not．But you can do that!
⑤          When you have your computer and the Internet working for you，your businesses will be working for you 24 hours a day，seven days a week．You will make money while you sleep，travel or do whatever you want to do all day long．
⑥Get Going! There are many ways you can make money with your computer．And you can begin your stay – at – home businesses with just a little money．What are you waiting for ?
【小题1】In which part of a newspaper would you most probably read this passage?

A．Sports

B．News

C．Culture

D．Business

【小题2】What does the underlined word “attained” in Point ② mean ?

A．Broken

B．Realized

C．Lost

D．Destroyed

【小题3】What’s the best title for Point ⑤ ?

A．Sleep 24 Hours a Day	B．Make Money Every Moment
C．Play All Day Long	D．Travel Around the World

【小题4】Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage ?

A．People need a lot of money to start a stay – at – home business.

B．People can even use their blogs to make money.

C．People can plan their own time when they work at home.

D．People can make the best decision and start to make it happen today.

【小题5】How is the passage organized ?

A．By using famous people’s words.

B．By giving reasons only.

C．By showing a topic and giving solutions.

D．By telling old stories.

Height is just one of the thousands of features (特征) that your genes (基因) decide. In fact, because you have two parents, your genes provide you a height that usually lands somewhere between the height of each parent. If both your parents are tall, then maybe you will be tall, too, but if you have questions about how tall you’re going to be, ask your doctor if he or she can help you find it out.
But genes don’t decide everything. For example, eating an unhealthy diet can keep you from growing to your full potential (潜力). Getting enough sleep and enough exercise will help you grow to the right height.
No doubt you’re wondering how fast you should grow. There’s no perfect or right answer. Kids grow about 2 inches (5 centimetres) a year between age 3 and the time when they start puberty (when your body starts changing and becoming more grown up).
Your doctor will know how your growth has been going over the years. Two centimetres here and 2 inches there are not nearly as important as the height you’re at now, how you’ve been growing up to this point, and what other changes your body may be going through.
Don’t be scared if you seem to have grown a lot in a very short time. Everyone has a very quick growth during puberty. The age for starting puberty is about 10 for girls and about 11 for boys. But it can be earlier or later – between 7 and 13 for girls, 9 and 15 for boys.
You’ll usually begin to notice that you’re growing faster about a year after your body starts to show the first changes of puberty.
【小题1】The Chinese for the underlined word in the third paragraph “puberty” is           .

A．童年时期

B．婴幼儿时期

C．习惯养成期

D．青春期

【小题2】If you want to know how fast and how tall you should grow,          .

A．you should have enough exercise

B．you can ask doctors for help

C．you should protect the environment

D．you can record your growth during puberty

【小题3】This passage is mainly about            .

A．how the genes work in your body

B．when is the time you grow fast

C．why you look like your parents

D．how you grow to a certain height

【小题4】After reading this passage, we can explain ___________.   

A．how good it is to be a doctor

B．how much sleep we need

C．why genes can’t decide everything

D．what an unhealthy diet is

【小题5】Which is NOT mentioned (提及) in the passage?

A．Your height most probably depends on (取决于) how tall your parents are.

B．Girls’ age for starting puberty is usually earlier than that for boys’.

C．The time showing the first changes of puberty is never noticed.

D．You may be scared sometimes when you grow too fast.

It’s cool, it’s hot, and everyone is doing it. People talk about it often, and friends tell other friends how good they look. Sound like a fashion? In fact, it’s another trend (流行趋势): “blog”. What’s a blog? A blog is a personal online diary. The word “blogger” means a person who writes diaries online.
Many bloggers are teenagers who log (进入) onto websites to discuss anything in their lives. Many of today’s teenagers are not afraid to openly discuss everything in their lives. Teenagers complain about parents and homework. They share diaries, post songs from the latest bands (乐队) and show pictures of theirs. They write their own poems, say something about their girlfriends or boyfriends and complain to each other or offer support. But mostly they just write down what they do every day.
However, many parents are worried about these young bloggers. Parents see the kids talking about how they got drunk last weekend and how they don’t like studying. They are using language that is surprising to their parents. Besides hearing from their friends, teen bloggers also get messages from strangers. Most of the time, it’s older men asking to meet teenage girls. “These strange men are dangerous for my kids. They sometimes teach my kids bad words,” said Cara Cabral, a mother of two.
Many teenagers and young adults know it’s not safe to use blogs on the Internet. They know they are putting information about themselves in a place they can be seen by anyone. But teenagers are unwilling to give up these new communication tools that have become a way of life for many of them.
【小题1】The word “it” means ________ in the sentence “People talk about it”.

A．the Internet

B．the blog

C．the website

D．talking online

【小题2】Parents think it’s dangerous for their kids to use blogs because _______.

A．their kids use a surprising language

B．their kids talk about how they don’t like studying

C．teen bloggers get messages from strangers

D．their kids talk about their girlfriends or boyfriends

【小题3】Which of the following is NOT true according to (依据) the passage?  

A．It’s easy for teenagers to give up blogging.

B．Many teenagers know it’s not safe to use the blog on the Internet.

C．A blogger’s information about himself can be seen by anyone on the Internet.

D．Most of today’s teenagers aren’t afraid to openly discuss everything in their lives.

When you get tired of homework, several minutes’ walk in a nearby green park helps you relax at once. Or you may stand facing the lake or the sea. They’ll calm (not to be excited or nervous) you just like the green plants.
Wonder why? Color is a key part of the answers. Since it is so, green and blue help make people feel more quiet and safe.
All colors have special power. Scientists have found that many colors have specific effects (效果) on people’s minds and feelings.
Try an easy and interesting experiment and you’ll see how color “misleads” you sometimes. Wrap (包装) two boxes of the same size with colored paper, one red and the other white. Then weigh the two boxes with your hands. Which one is heavier? Most people will think that the red box is heavier, even though they weigh the same.
Colors can affect (影响) learning. Scientists have found that students spend more time reading if they read information written in blue text. Blue helps most people calm down and think more.
Smart (clever) uses of colors in daily life are to be seen everywhere. Hospital and libraries seldom (很少) paint their walls, tables and desks red. They use light colors, like light blue or green. Red makes people excited while light colors help them relax. Haven’t worked out how color affects your daily life? Start with your small room. Try to make some changes in it and you’ll get to know how important color is!
【小题1】The underlined word “misleads” means ______

A．affects

B．effects

C．causes someone to have a wrong idea

D．give wrong directions

【小题2】 We’d better paint the walls of the hospital in ______

A．light blue or light green

B．deep red or deep brown

C．deep orange or deep red

D．light green or light yellow

【小题3】 If you want to _______, you’d better sit in the room painted blue.

A．weigh something with your hands

B．study attentively

C．face the lake or the sea

D．enjoy some rock music

【小题4】 Which of the following is NOT true?

A．When you are going to have a rest, you’d better sit in the room painted green

B．Scientists have known some differences among some colors

C．When you get tired of homework, you should look at the green plants far away

D．The passage has told us clearly why some colors are warm and other are cool

【小题5】The reading mainly shows us _____

A．the difference between red and white.

B．how to get on well with others

C．how to make smart uses of different colors in our daily life

D．how to paint and decorate our rooms

Did you see snow in your hometown last winter? Did you feel it was warmer than before?
"There have been 21 warm winters in China since 1986," said scientists. They also said that in the past 100 years, as the global (全球的) temperatures went up by 0.74 °C , the temperature in North China has climbed 1.4 °C in only 50 years.
China needs to take quick action to cut carbon dioxide emission (排放)
because it's the main reason for global warming. The good news is that China has seen the importance of going green. China set the goal of cutting energy use by 20% and pollution emission by 10% in the 11th Five-Year Plan.
Can you slow down global warming? Sure! You and your family can take steps to cut the amount of carbon dioxide that is sent out into the air.
Here are some pieces of advice to help you save the earth..
Wear used clothes. Wearing your brother's, sister's or dad's old T-shirt means you save the energy.                                                                       
Change your light bulbs (灯泡). Use energy-saving light bulbs. And don't forget to turn off the lights when you leave a room and turn off your television and computer when they are not in use!
Ride the bus. Taking a bus saves a lot of oil every year.
Say no to plastic bags. The next time your parents go to the market, ask them to use baskets
Open a window. Don't use the air conditioner, and let some fresh air in. When you have to use the conditioner, set the temperature higher in the summer and lower in the winter to save energy.
Make small changes in your daily life. Don't use paper cups, bags and boxes.
It's time for all of us to do something to save the earth.
【小题1】 How many pieces of advice are there in this passage?
A. Three.         B. Four          C. Five.           D Six
【小题2】 Which of the following is true?

A．It's a pity to wear your dad's old T-shirts.

B．Using air conditioners may be a waste of energy.

C．Taking a bus wastes a lot of oil every year.

D．Using paper bags saves energy a lot.

【小题3】 The passage is mainly about the ways to ____.

A．slow down global warming

B．make energy

C．change our daily life

D．change the world weather

A study finds that not enough morning light causes teenagers not to get enough sleep at night. “As teenagers spend more time indoors, they miss necessary morning light. Day light is needed to keep the balance of the body’s 24-hour biological system (生物系统), which regulates (调节) body temperature and sleep styles,” reports Dr. Mariana Figueiro. “These teenagers who receive little morning light are going to bed later, getting less sleep and doing badly in tests. They are more likely to fail in their exams.”
In the study, Dr. Figueiro asked 11 students in Grade 8 to wear special glasses to prevent blue morning light from reaching their eyes. At the end of the 5-day study she found that they fell asleep 30 minutes later than usual.
Throughout her research, Dr. Figueiro has been very worried about teenagers going to bed too late. The problem is that today’s schools require teenagers to be in school very early in the morning. These students are likely to miss the morning light because they often go to school before the sun is up or as it’s just rising.
Furthermore (此外), the schools are not likely to provide enough electric light to keep the balance of this biological system. Our biological system is much more sensitive (敏感的) to blue light. Therefore, having lots of light in the classroom does not make sure that there is enough light to keep our biological system balanced.
【小题1】Which of the following is the result of the study?

A．Blue light in the morning harms the biological system.

B．Not enough morning light keeps teenagers sleep less.

C．Not getting more light in the morning make teenagers happy.

D．Not enough sleep makes teenagers fail in tests.

【小题2】We know from the passage that morning light __________.

A．has the same effects as afternoon light

B．may change studying habits of teenagers

C．is important to children’s biological system

D．has no effect on students’ tests

【小题3】What’s the problem of the students according to the study?

A．There are not enough electric lights in the classroom.

B．Being in school early affects their study habits.

C．They have to go to bed very early to have enough sleep.

D．They go to school too early to get enough morning light.

Rivers are one of our most important natural resources(资源). Many of the world’s great cities are located on rivers, and almost every country has at least one river running through it that plays an important part in the lives of its people.
Since the beginning of history, people have used rivers for transportation. The longest one in the United States is the Mississippi. The lifeline of Egypt is the Nile. To the people of India, the Ganges is great, but it is also important for transportation; ships can travel along it for a thousand miles. Other great rivers are the Congo in Africa and the Mekong in southeastern Asia. The greatest of all for navigation（航海）, however, is the Amazon in Brazil（巴西）. It is so wide and so deep that large ships can go about two thousand miles up it.
Besides transportation, rivers give food to eat, water to drink, water for crops, and chances for fun. In order to increase the supply(供给) of water for crops, engineers sometimes build a dam (大坝)across a river and let a lake form behind the dam. Then people can use the water not only to irrigate(灌溉) their fields but also to make electricity for their homes and industries.
However, large cities and industries that are located on rivers often cause problems. As the cities grow in size and industries increase in number, the water in the rivers becomes polluted with chemicals and other materials. People are learning the importance, however, of doing more to keep their rivers clean if they want to enjoy the benefits of these natural resources.
【小题1】The greatest river for navigation is ________________.

A．the Mississippi	B．the Nile
C．the Mekong	D．the Amazon

【小题2】Which is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Many cities are located on rivers.

B．Almost every country has at least one important river.

C．The Nile is in India.

D．Rivers play an important part in the lives of people.

【小题3】When rivers are dammed, people use the water for __________.

A．keeping the rivers clean

B．making electricity

C．washing clothes

D．irrigation and the production of electricity

【小题4】Most water in rivers is polluted with ___________.

A．people’s drinking water too much

B．people’s swimming in the river too much

C．chemicals and other materials

D．people’s building a dam across a river

【小题5】The best title for the passage is _____________.

A．The Importance of Rivers	B．Rivers in Cities
C．Transportation	D．Natural Resources