Almost every family in America or England buys at least one copy of a newspaper each day.Some
people buy as many as two or three different papers.
    Why do people read newspapers? Newspapers supply us with news about events in our hometowns,
in our country, and in other parts of the world. Today we can read about important things that took place
in foreign countries on the same day they happened, even in countries far away. But hundreds of years ago news took months or even years to travel from one country to another. In those times, news was often
passed from one person to another and never entirely true. Newspapers today supply us with more than
just what happened m our country or in other countries. If we want to know what the weather will be like, we can read the weather reports. If we want to find out what films are being shown, or what plays or
concerts we can go to, we can look in the newspapers.

1. This article tells us______ .

A. few people read newspapers
B. all people read newspapers
C. almost every family in America or England reads newspapers
D. all families read newspapers

2. Newspapers supply us with ______ .

A. only home news
B. only world news
C. home news and world news
D. important things

3. Today we can read in our newspapers about______. important events ______.

A. that took place hundreds of years ago
B. that took place in far away countries soon after they happened
C. that will take place in foreign countries
D. that will take place in the world

4. Things such as ______can be found in newspapers.

A. weather reports and film or concert guides
B. requirements for a job or a house
C. information about a lost person
D. all of the above

5. Which is NOT true according to the passage?

A. The habit of reading newspapers is found among most people.
B. Newspapers can not only supply us with news from all over the world but also give us a lot of useful
information.
C. Hundreds of years ago news was not entirely true because it was told in spoken words.
D. If you have no place to live in, you can put a notice m a newspaper and then you will  certainly get a
room to live in.

     In China, more and more middle school students are getting shorter sleeping time than before. Most
students sleep less than nine hours every night, because they have much homework to do. Some homework
is given by their teachers, and some by their parents. Also, some students don't know how to save time.
They are not careful enough while they do their homework, so it takes them a lot of time. Some students
spend too much time watching TV or playing computer games. They stay up (熬夜) very late. Some students
have to get up every morning on weekdays to get to school on time by bus or by bike. It can be a long way
from home to school.
     School and parents should cut down some of the homework so that our children can enjoy more than
nine hours of sleep every night for their health. For children, we should make best use of our time. When
we have enough time for sleeping, we will find it much better for both our study and health.

1. What makes most students sleep less than 9 hours every night?

A. Watching TV.
B. Playing computer games.
C. Doing their homework.
D. Doing housework.

2. Who else gives children some homework to do except their teachers?

A. Their parents.
B. Other students.
C. themselves.
D. Nobody else.

3. How many hours of sleep is good for students' health?

A. 6
B. 7
C. 8
D. 9

4. What would happen to a student who often goes to bed late get up early?

A. He would fall asleep in class.
B. He would do well in study.
C. He would finish his homework fast.
D. He would have good health.

5. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. Some students are so careless (粗心) that they spend lots of time on their homework.
B. All the students stay up late for their homework.
C. Children should be given less homework.
D. Schools and parents should take care of children.

    Mr. Ma, a famous mental doctor (心理医生) from Beijing once said at an important meeting, "Now
many young students can have problems with their minds. Some students become worried because they
have to study very hard. Others have trouble getting on well with people around them like their parents
and classmates. Parents and teachers should care more about this problem."
    Then Mr. Ma gave some examples. A middle school student from Xi'an was doing badly in his lessons.
He thought his teachers and friends often laughed at him, and he became so nervous and worried that one
night he left his home without telling his parents. Another student, a 14-year-old schoolgirl from Shanghai,
was very afraid of exams. While she was reading the exam paper, she couldn't think of anything to write.
    A recent report from a newspaper says about 18% of the young students in Shanghai have mental
problems. They often feel worried and very unhappy. Unluckily many of them won't go and ask for help.
Some think they will look stupid if they go to see a doctor. Others won't talk about their secrets.
    At the end of the meeting, Mr. Ma gave some good ideas to young people: 
    ◆ Talk to your parents or teacher often. 
    ◆ Join in group activities. 
    ◆ Try to get on well with the people around you. 
    ◆ Go to see a doctor if you often feel unhappy.

1. The students who often become worried or have trouble getting on with others may have ______.

A. no parents
B. no secrets
C. poor memories
D. mental problems

2. The schoolgirl's problem happened whenever she ______.

A. studied very hard
B. had exams
C. talked with her parents
D. went to see the doctor

3. Some of those with mental problems won't ask for help because ______.

A. they don't want o tell their secrets to others
B. their parents are too busy to look after them
C. doctors can't help them with the problems
D. they can do with the problems themselves

4. The underlined word "stupid" in this passage means ______.

A. pretty
B. happy
C. not clever
D. not friendly

5. According to the last part, which of the followings is a good idea?

A. It's important for children to live with their parents.
B. It's helpful for people to see doctors every day.
C. It's useful for students to keep quiet in class.
D. It's necessary for young people to have group activities.

    Reading newspapers has becoming an important p______1 of our everyday life. Many people read newspapers
a______2 the first thing to do in the morning,   others read newspapers as soon as they are free during the day so
that they can learn what is h______3 in the world.
     Sometimes, however, we do not have e______4 time to read all the news carefully, so we just take a quick look
at the front page,    at other times,   we may be in such a h______5 that we only have a few minutes to look at the
names of the passages.
     Newspapers can be found everywhere in the world. We can get many different kinds of newspapers in the big
cities, of course, but in some of the mountain v______6 we can see few newspapers.
     Some newspapers are published o______7 a week, but most of the newspapers are published once a day with
many pages,    some even published twice a day!    As you  know different    people e______8 reading  different
newspapers, some like sports news, some like economic news and others prefer short stories. They just choose
what they are i______ 9 in.
     Today newspapers in English have the l______ 10 number of readers in the world.

     When the earthquake hit Japan on March 11, 2011, workers in a supermarket in Japan didn't run away
  when they felt the shaking. Instead, they held on to the shelves and tried to stop the goods from falling
 down.
     Reporters from NHK, the country's largest TV station, stayed calm in front of cameras during the earth
 quake, even though some were facing real danger.
     The earthquake was the most powerful one to hit Japan in the country's history. But Japan's reaction to
  the earthquake has shown that it is the most earthquake-prepared (有准备的) country in the world. The
  calm that Japanese showed during and after the quake has impressed the world.
     This is because Japan has an earthquake culture. Japanese people are taught how to prepare for and
  react to an earthquake from a young age.
     One way kids learn about earthquake safety is from the cartoon character Maruko, a 9-year-old
 student. In Chibi Maruko-Chan (《樱桃小丸子》), Maruko has to wear a protective (防护的) hat in
 an earthquake practice. Schools in Japan organize earthquake practices every month. They make students
  become familiar (熟悉的) with being in an earthquake.
     Japan also has a good earthquake warning (警报) system. Warnings were broadcast on TV, the radio
  and cell phones eight seconds after experts first knew about the quake on March 11. The warning system
  is unable to predict an earthquake, but it can usually alert (提醒) people about 15 seconds before they
 feel the effects. Even 15 or 20 seconds can be enough to save people's lives.

1. When the big earthquake happened in Japan on March 11, ______.

    A. people stayed calm
    B. people were too scared to move
    C. people ran outdoors in a hurry  
    D. people escaped from the country at once

2. From this passage, we know that NHK is a _____ in Japan. 

    A. bus stop    
    B. TV station  
    C. famous movie  
    D. five-star restaurant  

3. What does the underlined word "reaction" mean in Chinese?

    A. 影像      
    B. 动作      
    C. 反应        
    D. 保护

4. What can we learn from the passage?

    A. Earthquake practices in Japan are very common.
    B. Japan has a warning system that can predict earthquakes.
    C. Few people were hurt during the Japan earthquake on March 11, 2011.
    D. Japanese kids learn about earthquake safety only from school earthquake practices.

5. Which is the BEST title for the passage?

    A. How terrible the earthquake is
    B. Japan's earthquake culture
    C. Japanese people are very brave
    D. The earthquakes can be predicted

     You have been working hard to learn English. Do you know American kids are trying to learn Chinese?
  More than 60,000 American students now study Chinese.
     "Because of China's fast development, Chinese has become more useful, and more and more
 Americans begin to learn it," said Scott McGinnis, a Washington language expert (专家).
     For example, in 1999, only three schools in Chicago had Chinese lessons. This year more than 30
 schools there have Chinese during school days. Last year China gave them 3,000 textbooks because they
  had done a good job.
     Although Chinese is becoming more and more popular, it is one of the most difficult languages to learn.
  Usually, an English speaker takes about 1,320 hours to become good at Chinese. He needs only 480
 hours for French, Spanish or Italian.

1. According to Scott McGinnis, more and more Americans begin to learn Chinese ______ .    

    A. because of China's fast development  
    B. because of China's interesting culture  
    C. because they have more free time
    D. because Chinese is easy to learn    

2. This year, ______ schools in Chicago give students Chinese lessons.

    A. only three         
    B. thirteen
    C. over thirty      
    D. less than thirty      

3. The students at those schools in Chicago take Chinese lessons ______ .

    A. after school
    B. at weekends    
    C. on school nights    
    D. on school days

4. Last year China gave ______  textbooks to those schools in Chicago.

    A. thirty      
    B. three hundred
    C. three thousand      
    D. thirty thousand

5. From the last two sentences we know that ______ .

    A. Chinese is easier to learn than French, Spanish or Italian
    B. Chinese is more difficult to learn than French, Spanish or Italian  
    C. English speakers like to learn French, Spanish or Italian more than Chinese
    D. English speakers like to learn Chinese more than French, Spanish or Italian