“If you want to see a thing well, reach out and touch it!”That may seem a strange thing to say． But touching things can help you to see them better． Your eyes can tell you that a glass ball is round． But by holding it in your hands, you can feel how smooth* and cool the ball is． You can feel how heavy the glass is． When you feel all these about the ball, you really see it． With your skin, you can feel better． For example, your fingers can tell the difference between two coins*  in your pocket． You can feel a little drop of water on the back of your hand, too．
All children soon learn what “Don’t touch!” means． They hear it often． Yet most of us keep on touching things as we grow up． In shops, we touch things as we might buy: food, clothes． To see something well, we have to touch it．
There are ways of learning to see well by feeling． One way is to close your eyes and try to feel everything that touching your skin． Feel the shoes on your feet, the clothes on your body, the air on your skin． At first, it is not easy to feel these things． You are too used to them!
Most museums are just for looking． But today some museums have some things to touch． Their signs say, “Do touch!” There you can feel everything on show． If we want to see better, reach out and touch． Then you will really see!
【小题1】By touching things, ______．

Many Chinese people like American country music(乡村音乐 ),such as（例如） the songs of John Denver. But still some people don’t know when country music began.
Country music is from the folk music （民间音乐）of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of America. There, people sang while playing the violin and guitar. They sang about everyday life, love and their problems. So the songs were sometimes a little sad.
One of the most popular country music singers is John Denver, who is also quite famous to the Chinese. For Denver, music was a language that could bring the world together. He says music can bring people together. We will understand（理解） each other better through（通过） music. People are different in colour and they may speak different languages, but people are the same in mind and body（在心灵和精神方面）. All of them love music and can understand music.
The world lost a great man when John Denver died in 1997. But his music and words will live on.
【小题1】 John Denver is a great         singer.

University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world and it’s one of the top universities in the world. There is no clear date when the university started, but teaching began at Oxford in some forms in 1096 and developed quickly from 1167.
There are 39 independent（独立的）colleges at Oxford, attracting students and learned men from across the world. There are over 100 libraries for the students and learned men to use. At University of Oxford, they also provide a number of money for the best students. Of course, if you want to study here, first you have to reach a certain level of English language.
College life at Oxford is very exciting but busy. The groups of college provide a friendly and welcoming home for students while the colleges are strict with students about their studies. Many Chinese students are studying here. The number of Chinese students at the university has grown quickly over the past 10 years.
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
【小题1】How many libraries are there at Oxford?
A. Only 100            B. less than 100           C. More than 100
【小题2】University of Oxford will provide a number of money for _______students.
A. most                B. top                     C. foreign
【小题3】If you want to study at Oxford, you first have to__________.
A. be independent      B. pass an English test        C. move to England
【小题4】The number of Chinese students studying at the university is __________.
A. larger and larger                  
B. smaller and smaller    
C. just the same as ten years ago
【小题5】What’s the best title for the passage?
A. The College Life               
B. The University of Oxford  
C. The Chinese Students at Oxford  

In Britain, some people say they will do anything if a famous person they love asks them to. One in three people in Britain have a new kind of disease(病)—they love a famous person too much.
Some people love famous stars like Britney Spears, David Beckham or even Tony Blair. It is not just the young, grown-ups have the same problem. One in four people are so interested in their heroes that it affects their life.
There are two ways of worshipping(崇拜) famous people. One way is just to follow them or talk about them with friends for fun. The other is a more serious way. People have very strong feelings for them and think they are their friends. People who do so for fun are found to be happier. But those who have strong feelings for a famous person are perhaps to feel more lonely and worried.
“Worshipping famous people is not certainly a bad thing,” Dr.John, an expert said, “But like many things, overdoing it may not always be good for you.”
阅读上面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项中，选出一个最佳答案。
【小题1】From what some people say, we know         .

Several years ago, a television reporter was talking to three of the most important people in America. One was a very rich banker, another owned one of the largest companies in the world, and the third owned many buildings in the center of New York.
The reporter was talking to them about being important.
“How do we know if someone is really important?” the reporter asked the banker.
The banker thought for a few moments and then said, “I think anybody who is invited to the Whiter House to meet the President of the United States is really important.”
The reporter then turned to the owner of the very large company. “Do you agree with that?” she asked.
The man shook his head, “No. I think the President invites a lot of people to the White House. You’d only be important if while you were visiting the President, there was a telephone call from the president of another country, and the President of the US said he was too busy to answer it.”
The reporter turned to the third man. “Do you think so?”
“No, I don’t.” he said. “I don’t think that makes the visitor important. That makes the President important.”
“Then what would make the visitor important?” the reporter and the other two men asked.
“Oh, I think if the visitor to the White House was talking to the President and the phone rang, and the President picked up the receiver, listened and then said, ‘it’s for you.’”
【小题1】This story happened in _______.

Father’s Day has a very short history. It was started because there was a Mother’s Day, and just because some Americans thought that if we had a Mother’s Day, we should also have a Father’s Day. Father’s Day has become important in North America. And businesses found it was a good way to get people to buy a present for their father from their shops.
By the way, very few countries have a Father’s Day, though some have a Children’s Day, or a special day for boys and another for girls. More and more countries are having Mother’s Day, so maybe Father’s Day will also become popular before too long. Now, what do people in North America do on Father’s Day? The newspapers, radios, and TV tell children what they should do — buy, buy, buy, buy, buy a Father’s Day present for your father. They even tell a wife to buy, buy, buy, and buy a Father’s Day present — not for her father but for her husband, even if he is not yet a father. And they tell grandchildren to buy, buy, buy, and buy a Father’s Day present for their grandfathers.
The important thing to remember about Father’s Day is that American children can show their love to their fathers in a more open way.
【小题1】Father’s Day was started just because _______________.

Did you ever wonder how some of your favorite foods, products or toys came about? Believe it or not, they may have been an accident, or a failure of some other intention. Below, we found three mistakes we’re thankful for turned out to be what they are.

1. Most historians hold that the Chinese invented fireworks in the 9^th century when they discovered how to make gunpowder. Story has it that a Chinese cook accidentally mixed together what were then considered common kitchen items and noticed they burnt. When put tightly in a bamboo tube and lit, it blew up.

2. In May of 1886, a law led John Pemberton, a pharmacist(药剂师), to rewrite the formula(配方) for “Pemberton’s French Wine Coca”, his popular headache treatment. Containing sugar instead of wine as a sweetener, the outcome became something for Coke, which was later mixed with carbonated(碳酸) water. His bookkeeper suggested the name Coca-Cola because he thought the two C’s would look good together, which is how what we call Coca-Cola, a world-wide drink came into being.

3. During World WarⅡ, scientists at the University of Birmingham invented the magnetron(磁控管)—an important heat-producing part of the microwave oven. While working for Raytheon Corporation after the war, the American engineer Percy Spencer was testing the magnetron when a chocolate bar in his pocket melted. He went on to test other foods including popcorn kernels(仁), and found it to be a much more efficient way to cook. In 1947 Raytheon came out with the first restaurant microwave oven, which was six feet tall and weighed 750 lbs.
【小题1】The right time order of the three inventions should be ________.

2012 is the Year of the Dragon in China. It began on January 23 but not on January 1st. The dragon is a symbol* of power and wealth in Chinese culture. And it is also the sign of the Emperor of China. People born in the Year of the Dragon are active-minded. They show a strong interest in the world around them, and will try their best to make their dreams come true all their lives.
Dragon people are talented while these people enjoy being the center of attention. They will stop at nothing to get what they want. Dragon people are very friendly and if their friends face a problem, they will be there to offer help at once. There are some famous people who were born in the Year of the Dragon, such as the premier* of the Russian Putin and the famous Argentine soccer player Messi. In China, the CEO of Alibaba Group Mayun and movie star Zhouxun are dragon, too.
There are some big events in the Year of the Dragon. In China, the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) * will be held in Beijing in March. The 9th National University Games in Tianjin will happen in September. And soccer fans, they can meet at the 2012 European Cup in June in Poland. And In Britain, the 30th Olympic Games is being held in London on July 27.
【小题1】What does “Dragon” stand for in Chinese culture?

There are many clubs in our school. Let me tell you what they are.
Do you like playing tennis? It’s OK if you can’t play tennis. Mr. Qing can teach you. Come and join the tennis club!
Do you like acting? Do you like to work with other young people? Do you want to be in the school play? Come and join the acting club.
Can you dance? Do you like Latin (拉丁) dance or Chinese traditional (传统的) dance? Join the dance club and dance for the Christmas (圣诞节) show.
Do you like French food? Can you speak French? Do you want to learn French? Join the French club now.
根据上面内容判断正误，正确的写（T），错误的写（F）.
【小题1】Mr. Qing can teach you French.
【小题2】If you join the acting club, you can act in the school play.
【小题3】Christmas Day is coming.
【小题4】You can learn French in the French club.
【小题5】There are three clubs in the school.

【小题1】If Mr. Smith goes to visit Stokesay Castle with his 4-year-old daughter, how much     should he pay for the tickets?