Try reading the following sentences as fast as you can. “ She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. So if she sells shells in the seashore, I’m sure she sells seashore shells.”
Not very easy, was it? What you’ve just read is called a tongue twister（绕口令）. It is an exercise made up of sounds that are hard to pronounce in order to help people pronounce words faster and more correctly. Try the next example.
“Peter Piper picked a peck of picked peppers, Did Peter Piper pick a peck of picked peppers? If Peter Piper picked a peck of picked peppers, where’s the peck of picked peppers Peter picked?”
Tongue twisters usually do not have much meaning. They are just designed to improve people’s ability（能力）to pronounce words. Although they may be very difficult, these exercises are very important to people who are trying to speak English correctly. This is because tongue twisters help people to tell the differences between similar sounds.
So if you wish to pronounce words more smoothly, you’d better try picking out some tongue twisters and practicing them.
小题1:Tongue twisters are helpful in improving ________ skills.

A．listening

B．writing

C．pronunciation

D．communication

小题2:The first tongue twister is hard because _________.

A．it is very boring to read

B．it teaches us a lot of knowledge

C．we don’t know who “she” is

D．the sounds of “s” and “sh” are similar

小题3:What does the “ability” mean in Paragraph 4?

A．Pronouncing words faster and more correctly.

B．Pronouncing words faster

C．Knowing the meaning of words.

D．Picking out tongue twisters smoothly.

If you are a visitor，you may look for the post office in a foreign country．Can you imagine (想像)how those people will tell you the way?
In the countryside of American Middle West，people will tell you，‘Go north three  miles．Turn east，and then go another two miles.’
While in Los Angeles，California，the American people have no idea of the distance on the map．‘How far is the post office?’ you ask．‘oh,’ they answer，‘it is about ten minutes by taxi from here．’But in fact，they don't know how far it is.
In Greece(希腊)，a Greek will often say，‘Follow me．’Then he'll go with you through the streets of the city to the post office．
In many places, people usually say ‘Sorry，I don't know’ when they can't tell you the way．However，in Mexico(墨西哥)，the people think ‘I don't know’ is not polite(有礼貌的)．They usually give an answer, often a wrong one．
So you must be careful of their habits (习惯) when you are asking the way in a foreign country．　
小题1:In      ，the people don't tell you the direction but lead(引导) you to the post office．

A．Japan

B．America

C．Greece

D．Mexico

小题2:You will often lose your way in         because the people can't give you the right direction．   

A．Japan

B．America

C．Greece

D．Mexico

小题3:The underlined word‘distance’means‘         ’ in Chinese．　

A．方向

B．地方

C．距离

D．终点

小题4:           countries are mentioned(提到) in the passage?　

A．Two

B．Three

C．Four

D．Five

小题5:What do people usually do in many places if they don't know the way?　

A．They lead you to the place．	B．They give you a wrong answer．
C．They say nothing．	D．They say ‘Sorry，I don't know．’

A king was old and he knew it was time to choose a new king. He told all the young people in the country,” I’ll give        of you a seed(种子). Plant it and bring it back one year later. Show me the plant that you bring,          I’ll choose a new king from you.
A boy        _Ling got a seed, too. He planted it       . But the seed didn’t grow at all. A year later, Ling had to take his       box to the palace . Others all brought beautiful plants there and Ling felt      . 
The king          the palace and looked around. When he found there was nothing in Ling’s box. The king smiled and said to the others, “ One year ago, I gave everyone a seed         couldn’t grow. But all of you, except Ling, have brought me plants and flowers. Ling was the only one          the honesty(诚实) and courage(勇气)to bring         a box. So he will be the new king.”

小题1:	A．each B．neither C．both D．every

小题2:	A．and B．but C．although D．so

小题3:	A．liked B．helped C．named D．asked

小题4:	A．careful B．carefully C．careless D．carelessly

小题5:	A．full B．empty C．beautiful D．broken

小题6:	A．sad B．excited C．happy D．lucky

小题7:	A．got B．arrived C．went D．arrived at

小题8:	A．that B．who C．what D．it

小题9:	A．for B．with C．have D．has

小题10:

A．so B．such C．very D．quite

阅读下面表格，然后从各小题所给的四个选项中选出一个最佳答案。   

Name	Personal Information
Norman Bethune	Born in 1890，a doctor Canada，died in 1939 in China，came to China in 1938．
Celine Dion	Born in Montreal，Canada，a singing star，in 1997 sang My heart Will Go on for film Titanic．
Thomas Edison	Born in 1847，Kentucky，the U．S．made over 1,000 inventions，died in 1931．
Mark Twain	Born in 1835 in the U．S，a writer in the U．S，died in 1910，wrote The Adventure of Tom Sawyer．
Bill Gates	Born in 1955 in the U．S，wrote Business@the Speed of Thought，owns Microsoft Corporation．

小题1:___________ is from Canada.

A．Bill Gates

B．Mark Twain

C．Thomas Edison

D．Celine Dion

小题2:The ________ was born in 1835.

A．inventor

B．singer

C．doctor

D．writer

小题3:My Heart Will Go On is the name of ___________.

A．book

B．song

C．story

D．film

小题4:Doctor Bethune worked in China about _______ years.

A．Two

B．Four

C．six

D．eight

小题5:Which of the following is true?

A．Mark Twain wrote Business@the Speed of Thought

B．Bill Gates started working for Microsoft Company in 1995

C．Thomas Edison made over 1,000 inventions.

D．Celine Dion stopped singing in 1997

Name	Confederation of European Baseball	Asian Hockey Federation	Volleyball Federation	African Football
Logo
Formation	1953	1963	1946	1957
Leadquarters	Lausanne, Switzerland	Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Cairo, Egypt
Region	Europe	Asia	South America	Africa
Members	38	30	12	56
Official Languages	English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch	English, Chinese, Indian	Spanish, Portuguese	English, French, Arabic
Website	www.baseball europe.com	www.asiahockey.org	www.voleysur.org	www.cafonline.com

小题1:When was Asian Hockey Federation set up?

A．In 1953

B．In 1963

C．In 1946

D．In 1957

小题2:Which organization has the most members?

A．

B．

C．

D．

小题3:In how many organizations can English be spoken as an official language?

A．One

B．Two

C．Three

D．Four

小题4:If you are from China, which sport can you probably take part in?

A．Baseball.

B．Hockey

C．Volleyball

D．Football

小题5:If you want to know something about volleyball, you can go to     .

A．www.baseballeurope.com	B．www.asiahockey.org
C．www.voleysur.org	D．www.cafonline.com

Do you have a headache? Take an aspirin or eat bird brains. Do you want beautiful skin? Use skin cream or eat pearls. Is your hair turning gray? Color your hair or eat black rice.
“Eat bird brains, pearls, and black rice?” some people ask. “How strange!” But for many Chinese people, bird brains, pearls, and black rice are not strange things to eat. Instead, they are good medicines.
Food that people use for medicines is called medical(药用的) food. The Chinese have eaten medicinal food and spices(香辛料) for centuries. Ginger, for example, is a common spice in Chinese cooking. Ginger gives food a nice flavor. The Chinese began to use ginger many years ago. They used ginger not because it tasted good. They used ginger because it was medicinal. Ginger, they thought, was good for the digestion. It also helped people who had colds. Pepper and garlic, too, were probably medicines a long time ago.
Some people don’t believe that food and spices are good medicines. They want to buy their medicine in drugstores, not in supermarkets. Other people want to try medicinal food. They say, “Maybe medicinal food can’t help me. But it can’t hurt me, either.”
People can try medicinal food at a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco, California. The restaurant serves medicinal food. The menus at the restaurant have a list of dinners. Next to each dinner there is information about the food. The information helps people order “Queen’s Secret,” for example, is one dinner at the restaurant. This dinner has meat from chickens with black feathers. It is for women who want to look young.
小题1:All of the followings are common spices in Chinese cooking EXCEPT     .

A．ginger

B．pepper

C．garlic

D．pearls

小题2:What do you know about medicinal food?

A．The Chinese have eaten medicinal food for a long time.

B．Many Chinese believe medicinal food tastes good.

C．Medicinal food may be bad for your health.

D．Medicinal food is served all over the world.

小题3:Why did the Chinese begin to use ginger many years ago?

A．Because it gave food different flavors.

B．Because it made food more delicious.

C．Because it was good for people’s health.

D．Because it made people feel cold.

小题4:Which answer to the following questions can be found out from the passage?

A．When did the Chinese start to eat bird brains?

B．Why do women like “Queen’s Secret”?

C．What is the advantage of using pepper?

D．How do Chinese people stop a toothache?

小题5:What can we infer (推测) according to the passage?

A．More foreigners will learn more about medicinal food.

B．All the Chinese will believe black rice stops hair turning gray.

C．Ginger will be more and more popular in China.

D．Medicinal food will be sold in drugstores and supermarkets.

Venice is a great place in the world. People call it “City of Water” because it is built on the water just like some stone buildings floating (漂浮) on the water. There are more than 350 bridges in the city. It’s in the southeast of Italy. You can hardly hear the sound of cars in the city. All transportation is by boat or on foot. And the most popular vehicle (交通工具) is gondola (贡多拉). You can see the beautiful sights and at the same time hear Italian operas on it. It’s also a city of art and music. It played a very important role in the Renaissance (文艺复兴). There are a lot of buildings there. Venice is a special and unique (独一无二的) place in the world, so a lot of people come to visit it every year. It’s better to visit the city in July, August, or September. And the people who come here will never forget this beautiful place.
小题1:Where is Venice?    

A．In Italy.

B．In Japan.

C．In England.

D．In France.

小题2:Why is gondola the most popular vehicle in Venice?

A．Because it goes very fast.

B．Because you can have delicious food on it.

C．Because it is very cheap.

D．Because you can see the sights and hear the operas on it.

小题3:When is better to visit Venice?

A．In June and July.	B．In August and September.
C．In September and October.	D．In May and July.

Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful cities in Holland(荷兰). It is the capital of Holland. There are many big squares and nice museums. Hundreds and thousands of people from all over the world visit there every year.
Riding bicycles is a fun and easy way to get around Amsterdam. Most students go to school by bicycle. People ride their bicycles to work. Even the policemen work on bicycles.  There are many roads and traffic signs for bicycles in Amsterdam. There are also many places for bicycle parking.
If you travel in Amsterdam, you don’t need to take a bus or a taxi, just ride a bicycle. You can reach more places by bicycle than by any other way. It is also fantastic to go for a ride. There are a lot of bicycle shops in Amsterdam. You can buy yourself a nice bicycle at a good price in the shops. If you don’t wants to buy a bicycle, you can go to a bicycle rental(自行车租赁店). You can find one in almost every place of the city. You’d better find a guide when you are travelling in Amsterdam. Because he would take you to some of the city’s most beautiful places.
Riding bicycles in Amsterdam is great fun and relaxing. But there is one thing you must keep in mind. You should always follow the traffic rules.
小题1:Why do many people visit there every year?  

A．Because riding bicycles is very easy and fun.

B．Because there are many big squares and nice museums.

C．Because there are many bicycle rentals.

D．Because it is the capital of Holland.

小题2:How can you enjoy more in your trip to Amsterdam?  

A．You should find a guide.

B．You needn’t follow the traffic rules.

C．You can enjoy a bus trip.

D．You’d better go on the trip alone.

小题3:What can’t you get from this passage? 

A．You can buy a bicycle by yourself.

B．You can go to a bicycle rental to borrow one.

C．You can borrow a bicycle in some special bicycle shops for free.

D．There are also many car rentals there.

小题4:This passage may not be from______.

A．Magazine.	B．Homepage of Amsterdam.
C．Book of travelling.	D．Book of science.

仔细阅读下面的短文并按要求完成后面的小题。7分
Men have always wondered about the earth they live on and about the ①_____ above them.
When early men looked at the night sky, they asked themselves a lot of questions. They looked at the moon, and wondered what this strange bright object in the sky was. They did not understand why it changed its shape from night to night. They looked at the stars and planets. They also wondered why some of them changed their positions, while others did not.
②他们也思考地球的形状。 Most early people believed the earth was flat.
③In different parts of the world, there were different ideas about the universe. The ancient Greeks were the first people to study the universe(宇宙) more scientifically. In the sixth century BC Pythagoras put forward the idea that the world was round. However, he could not explain why people at the bottom of the world did not fall off.
It was not until the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that scientists found the answers to some important questions. ④With the help of Galileo’s telescope, people could see the sky more clearly, and find the positions of the stars and planets. Finally in 1665, Isaac Newton explained to the world what gravity (重力) was and people at last understood why they did not fall off the earth.
小题1:在文中①处填写一个单词，使得句意完整、上下文通顺。___________________ （ 1分）
小题2:将文中②句翻译成英语。
______________________________________________________________(shape) （2分）
小题3:将文中③句翻译成汉语。
_________________________________________________________________________ （2分）
小题4:写出文中④句的同义句，每空限填一词。（2分）
Galileo’s telescope made ________ __________ for people to see the sky more clearly, and to find the positions of the stars and planets.

In most parts of the world there are four seasons. They are spring, summer, fall and winter. In different seasons people wear different clothes and do different things. For example, in summer the weather is hot, so people usually wear cool clothes and do things like swimming, boating or surfing(冲浪). But near the polar regions(极地), there are only two seasons: winter and summer. In winter, nights are long. For more than two months(两个多月) you can’t see the sun. In summer, days are long and the sun is always in the sky. There are no nights. The people living near the North Pole(北极) are called Inuit(伊努伊特人). In summer they live in tents and catch deer for food. In winter they live in small round snow houses. They can build(建造) a snow house. They make holes(洞) in the ice and catch fish and seals(海豹). They eat much meat but not many vegetables.
小题1:How many seasons are there in most parts of the world?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．One.

D．Four.

小题2:In summer, people usually wear        clothes and do things like swimming, boating or       .

A．cool; skating

B．warm; flying

C．cool; surfing

D．cold; flying

小题3:Inuit live in tents and catch        for food in summer.

A．deer

B．dogs

C．fish

D．seals

小题4:There are two seasons near the polar regions. They are       .

A．summer and spring	B．fall and winter
C．summer and winter	D．summer and fall

小题5:Which sentence is right?

A．We can skate in summer.

B．Inuit build snow houses in winter.

C．Inuit eat little meat but many vegetables.

D．There are four seasons near the polar regions.