It was 6:00 on a Monday morning. With his books in his bag, 13-year-old James MWangi was on his
way to school, the Mcedo-Beijing school in a slum (贫民窟) in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi (肯尼亚首都
内罗毕). This school was built in 2001 with the help of China, for children from poor families.
    After getting to school, Wangi went straight to his class to do his class work. It is usual that pupils in
this school prepare for their lessons before the teacher comes.
    To study in the school was once a dream for the poor boy. His mother made a living by washing clothes
for others. Some days she took home nothing, and some days she could get about $3-it was hardly enough
to buy them a full meal for a day.
    Before joining the Mcedo-Beijing school, Mwangi was at home with his seven brothers, collecting garbage
(垃圾). The school is giving these children hope for the future by providing a chance to get education.
    "For me, education is the best gift," said Mwangi.

根据短文内容，简要回答下列问题。

1. How old was Mwangi? 
   ___________________________________________________________________________
2. Which country helped build Mwangi's school?
   ___________________________________________________________________________
3. How did Mwangi's mother make a living? 
   ___________________________________________________________________________

4. 把短文中划线的句子译成汉语。 
   ___________________________________________________________________________

5. 请给短文拟一个恰当的标题。
   ___________________________________________________________________________

     Being a youth is one thing, and being a good one is another. A good youth should have these qualities
(品德): First of all, health. A healthy body is the best riches. Without it, nothing can be done well. If you
are poor in health, you will have to take medicine day after day. You can even work, do sports and so on.
Secondly, one must be of good quality. Always do something good for others. Help those in trouble and
care about the people around you. If everyone did the same, what a wonderful world this would be! Thirdly,
one must have the ability (能力) to work with others. Cooperation and communication (合作和交流) are two
important keys to better human relations. Everyone needs friends because no one can live through life alone
or do everything he wants to.
     Besides the examples above, patriotism is the one we should never forget. Patriotism means a love for
one's country. It is one of the highest qualities of human's. Everyone should love his own country. But people
sometimes think that patriots (爱国者) must be fighters or that they live in a time of fighting for their country.
That is wrong. A good youth's work is not only fighting. A good youth will do the things his country asks him
to do. I think a good youth of today should also have some training in art. If everyone can enjoy art and be able
to make more of it for others, then people will live better and enjoy more.

1. What's the first thing a good youth should have?

A. A healthy body.
B. The best riches.
C. The good ability.
D. The patriotism.

2. A person who has good qualities should ________.

A. think of himself
B. help others that need help
C. help the people they know
D. always do as others do

3. The writer tells us that working with others is ________.

A. good for some people
B. important for everyone
C. not necessary to good friends
D interesting

4. From the passage we know the patriots must be ________.

A. fighters to protect their countries
B. people who fight for their countries
C. people who do what their country wants them to do
D. fighters live in a time of fighting for their country

5. It you want to be a good youth of today, ________.

A. you should live alone
B. you should also know art
C. you can keep your own ideas
D. you should fight for your country

     Top student Lin Yijian had a problem recently. The 14-year-old boy from Xiamen used to get marks
of over 110 points (out of 120 possible points) on his math tests. But during last semester's final exams,
his math score was only 90 points.
     It was a shock. "I didn't know what happened,"said Lin, who kept feeling nervous and frustrated (沮丧
的)about math during the following month..
     Like Lin, many of us have setbacks (挫折) in life. What would you do to deal with these setbacks?
Would you just let them be and give up?
     Lin chose to face his problem. His parents and teacher also gave him help. After some hard work he now
gets marks between 100 and110 points on his math tests. Although he still isn't at his original (原来的) level,
Lin doesn't panic anymore.
     "Don't be scared by setbacks," he said. "You will beat it."
     Chen Xingzhu in Shenzhen also has a story to tell. The 15-year-old girl is not good at doing sit-ups (仰卧
起坐), which is necessary for the coming high school PE entrance exam (体育中考). One has to do at least
35 sit-ups in a minute to pass the test. Most of Chen's classmates can do 40. However, Chen could only do
20.
     Feeling worried, Chen decided to do something. She did sit-ups for half an hour every day after school.
Now, after a month, she can do 30 sit-ups a minute.
     "I finally found what made me slow through continuous (持续的) practice and then improved little by
little," said Chen. "I believe next month I will be able to do 40!"

1. What problem did Lin YIjian have recently?

A. He used to get high marks.
B. He did well in math.
C. He did not so well asbofore in math.
D. He had no time to study math.

2. According to the passage, which is NOT true among the following statements?

A. Lin chose to face his problems.
B. His parents and teachers also helped him.
C. After some hard work, he now gets marks over 110 points.
D. Lin faced his problems instead of giving up.

3. What problems does Chen Xingzhu have according to the passage?

A. He is also not good at math.
B. He is also not good at PE.
C. He is also not good at sit-ups.
D. He is also not good at PE entrance exam.

5. How long did Chen do sit-ups every day after school?

A. For an hour.
B. For half and an hour.
C. For many hours.
D. For half an hour.

    The Italian island of Sardinia recently lost its oldest person. Family members say Antonio Todde died in
his sleep early this month. Mr Todde was 112 years old. He was less than three weeks away from his 113th
birthday. Record-keeping experts say he was the world's oldest man.
     His long life and that of other very old Sardinians are the subjects of a scientific project (项目) called
Akea. Luca Deiana of Sassari University is directing (指导) the study. He says the name Akea comes from
a traditional greeting (问候) on Sardinia. It means "health and life for 100 years." Professor Deiana and his
team started to collect information for the study in 1997. They identified (确定)) more than 220 Sardinians
who were centenarians-100 years old or older. His team needed three documents to make sure a person's
age. They were a government (政府) birth record, a church record and a statement (声明) by a close family
member.
     The Akea study has produced two major findings. The first is Sardinia's extremely high number of
centenarians. The island has about 135 centenarians for every one million people. In other Western countries,
the average (平均数) is about seventy-five centenarians for every one million people. The second major
finding is an unusual rate (率) of female (女性) to male (男性) centenarians. Sardinia has two women
centenarians for every male centenarian. In central Sardinia there are the same numbers of female and male
centenarians.
     Studies in other parts of the world have shown a much higher percentage (百分比) of female centenarians.
The Akea study collected information about the health and food of about 140 of the centenarians. About
ninety percent of those in the study also agreed to provide blood (血) for scientific testing. The study team
hopes to identify genetic (基因) material in the blood that can be linked to successful aging. Study leaders
say there is no single reason why people on Sardinia live so long. They believe the answer is a combination
(组合) of genetic and environmental conditions (条件).

1. Centenarians are people who are ______ years old.

A．200
B．100
C．300
D．400

2. Akea is a scientific project about ______.

A．Mr Todde's death
B．the long life of Sardinians
C．Sassari university
D．Professor Deiana

3. What is the general idea of the third paragraph?

A．Sardinia has a large number of centenarians.
B．An unusual rate of female to male centenarians.
C．Two major findings of the Akea study.
D．Sardinia has equal numbers of female and male centenarians.

4. Why do Sardinians live so long according to the study?

A．Because the environment on Sardinia is very good.
B．Because they have special genetic material in their blood.
C．Because they have a glass of wine every day.
D．Because they enjoy special genetic and environmental conditions.

     Picky, Picky
     Scientists have no idea exactly why birds choose certain objects to build their nests. But scientists know
that the main reason birds build nests is to keep their babies safe, warm and healthy. Baby birds grow faster
and are healthier when they are warm. They also learn to fly and leave the nests sooner than birds without
warm homes.   
     What A Yarn (纱)
      Yarn is big on an oriole's shopping list during nest building. Scientists are still trying to work out why
so many birds choose white yarn over other colors for nest building. Scientists think that the white objects
remind birds of cotton fluff (绒毛) they find in the wild.
     Do It Naturally
     Even though birds can help us recycle some of our junk by using it to build nests, they also need to use
lots of natural things. Long grass, dried sticks, spider's silk and mud are some of the natural ingredients that
are good for nests, too.
     You can make a collection box of things to leave for birds so they can help themselves. Hang a small
plastic box with holes on a tree branch. Fill the box freely with nest building goodies. Hang the box on a tree
and watch birds climb on board to pick through the junk to find their treasures.
     Warning: Don't let the birds turn into a tasty treat. Keep your bird station away from places where cats
hang out.
     For The Birds! Stop!
     Don't throw all that garbage out! Give some to the birds. Look and see how your old junk can help
beautify and warm a bird's new home.

1. The baby birds with warm homes are able to _____.

A. choose right objects
B. leave the nests sooner
C. build good nests
D. learn to fly higher

2. What can people make for birds to build nests?

A. Holes on the tree.
B. Food out of the rubbish.
C. A warning board.
D. A collection box of things.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A. Birds build nests to store things.
B. Birds regard white objects as cotton.
C. Birds and humans can help each other.
D. Birds and cats fight against each other.

     Do you have a mobile phone? Do you send text messages to your friends and family?
     Text messaging or "texting" is becoming very popular. But, scientists have discovered that texting can
give us problems with our hands. Be careful! Too Much texting can cause RSI (Repetitive Stain Injury) in
our thumbs and wrists. We spoke to a doctor called Harriet Wilson, who treats many patients with RSI.
She says if we spend more than 10-15 minutes texting each time, we could have problems in the future.
     Dr. Harjeet Deepa, who treats RSI patients, said that the youngest patient she had treated was a
five-year-old girl. She had such bad RSI in her hands that she couldn't hold a pencil.
     As mobile phones develop, they are getting smaller with buttons closer together. Texting with a smaller
phone, is worse than using a larger phone with bigger buttons. Using computers and playing video games
can cause the same problem. So more and more people could find themselves with RSI.
     Many university students and teenagers have RSI. If we don't do anything about this, too many young
people could grow up in terrible pain.

(     )1. Too much texting can cause RSI.                                                       
(     )2. If we spend five minutes texting each time, we could have problems in the future.     
(     )3. Dr. Harriet Wilson said the youngest patient she has treated was a five-year-old girl.
(     )4. Mobile phones are getting smaller and the buttons are getting closer together.        
(     )5. Using computers and playing video games can't cause RSI.                             

      In Chicago, a computerized system has been developed that controls (管理) traffic on the city's 235
miles of seven expressways. Now one-a controller-can follow the movement of Chicago's traffic by looking
at a set of lights. The system uses electric sensors (感应器) that are built into each expressway, every half a
mile. Several times a second, the computer receives information from each sensor and translates it into green,
yellow or red lights on a map in the control room. A green light means traffic is moving forty-five miles an
hour, yellow means thirty to forty-five miles an hour, and red means heavy traffic-cars standing still or moving
less than thirty miles an hour.
     "See that red light near Austin Avenue?"the controller asked a visitor."That's a repair truck fixing the road,
and the traffic has to go around it."At the Roosevelt Road entrance to the expressway, the light kept changing
from green to red and back to green again."A lot of trucks get on the expressway there, "the controller explained."They can't speed up as fast as cars."The sensors show immediately where an accident or a stopped car is
blocking the traffic, and a truck is sent by radio to clear the road. The system has lowered the number of
accidents by 18 percent. There are now 1.4 deaths on Chicago's expressway for each one hundred million
miles traveled, while in other parts of the county there are 2.6.
     Traffic experts say that the Chicago system is the "coming thing". Systems like Chicago's are already in
use on some expressways in Los Angeles and Houston. "Chicago has taken the lead," said New York City's
traffic director and he added, "Chicago's a good example."

1. The passage is mainly about _________ on expressways in Chicago.

A. the traffic control system
B. the movement of the traffic
C. the electric sensors
D. the traffic lights

2. When the cars move under 30 miles an hour, _________ on the map in the control room.

A. the red light appears
B. the red light turns yellow
C. the yellow light appears
D. the green light turns red

3. According to the passage, we may learn _________.

A. some visitors are traveling on the expressway
B. there is no heavy traffic on Chicago's expressways
C. the traffic on Chicago's expressways is well managed
D. the number of accidents in the US has dropped by 18%

4. In Paragraph 2 the underlined word "it" refers to _________.

A. the red light
B. the truck that needs repairing
C. the traffic
D. the truck that is fixing the road

5. The writer writes the article mainly by _________.

A. giving reasons and results
B. giving examples and explaining them
C. describing what he thinks
D. asking and answering questions