Be careful on April 1st! When your classmates say "Your shoe's untied (未系好的)!" it may not be
true. And if you find your alarm clock is set back an hour, this may be a joke (玩笑), too.
     April Fool's Day is a traditional occasion. On that day people play harmless jokes on others and then
shout, "April Fool!" It's a "for-fun-only" day, so people don't buy gifts(礼物)or get the day off work or
school.
     April Fool's Day started in France (法国) in the 16th century. At that time, New Year's Day was
between March 25th and April 1st.
     When New Year's Day changes(改变)to January 1st in the mid-1560s, some people still celebrate
(庆祝) it on April 1st. Others played jokes on them and called them "April Fools".
     Each country celebrates April Fool's Day differently. In France, it is called "April Fish". The French
fool their friends by sticking (粘) paper fish to their friends' backs. When someone finds out this joke, they
shout, "April Fish!" In England, it is bad luck to play an April Fool's joke on someone after midday.
Americans play small tricks on friends and strangers alike.
根据短文内容判断下列句子正（T）误（F）。
(     )1. People think Americans started the April Fool's Day.
(     )2. New Year's Day was on January 1st five hundred years ago.
(     )3. People are late for work on April 1st.
(     )4. People don't get the day off work or school.
(     )5. A stranger may play jokes on you in America on April Fool's Day.

     J_____(1) 1st is New Year’s Day.   Women’s Day (三八节) is on March 8th.  The f_____(2) day of
May is May Day. China’s Youth(青年) Day comes a_____(3) it. It’s on the t____(4) day after May Day. C____(5) Day is on June 1st. July 1st is our Party’s birthday. August 1st is the Army(军队) Day. T_____(6) Day is on the t_____(7) of September and  O_____(8) 1st  is our National Day (国庆节).   Then we
come to C_____(9) Day. It’s December 25th. Then we have winter(冬天) h_____(10) in February. We have a lot of fun on these days.

     The Spring Festival is the Chinese New Year's D   1   . It usually comes in F   2   . Everyone in
China l   3    the Spring Festival. When the Spring Festival comes, Li Lei usually h   4    his parents clean
their h   5    and do some shopping and other housework. On that day everyone in China e   6    jiaozi,
New Year's cakes and some other delicious food. Li Lei likes New Year's cakes, but Lanlan says jiaozi
is nicer than New Year's cakes. The C   7     people eat the New Year's cakes and jiaozi in their
houses. How h   8   they are!

     Do you know Eskimoes? Let me tell you something about their life. The
Eskimoes live near the North Pole. There are only two seasons there:
winter and summer. There is no spring o_______(1) autumn there. In
winter night are long. You can't see the s_______(2) for more than two
months, even at noon. In summer days are long. For more than two months,
the sun never g__________(3) down and there is no night.
     The Eskimoes have w________(4) clothes. Their clothes are made of
the skin of animals. From animals they make coats, caps and s_________(5).
Near the North Pole trees can't g_________(6), for it is too cold there.
The Eskimoes h_______(7) to make their houses from skins, stones or snow.
When they g_________(8) out in a storm and can't get back home, they make
houses of snow. They l__________(9) these snow houses when the storm is
over. Life is hard for the Eskimoes, but they still l________(10) to live there.

      In 1955, Walt Disney (迪斯尼) himself opened the first Disney Park in Los Angeles, the USA. Later
Disney world was opened in Florida in 1971. It cost between $ 500 and $ 600 million to build. Tokyo
Disney Park opened in Japan in 1983, and Europe (欧洲) Disney opened in France in 1992.
      Now Hong Kong is going to build a Disney Park and it will be open in 2005.
      More than 80% of Hong Kong's population would like to visit the Disney Park when it's opened. But
about half of them thought the adult admission fee (成人参观费), of between HK $250 to HK $ 300 (US $
32 to US $ 38), was too high. The children's admission fee is not known yet. But children may not mind
paying any entrance fee. "If I start saving money now, I'll have enough money to pay the entrance fee in
five years' time," said Chan Po-sang, a 12-year old girl. "I can't take my son to the Disney Park in the USA,"
said Mrs. Yu, mother of a small boy, "That's why I agree with the government's plan (政府计划) to build
one here. Then I'll be able to take my son there. The admission fee of several hundred dollars is nothing
compared with (与...相比) the price of an air ticket to the USA."

1. The first Disney Park was built in ______.

A. France
B. Tokyo
C. America
D. Hong Kong

2. How many Disney Parks will there be in Asia (亚洲) by the year 2005?

3. What do the Hong Kong people think about the plan?

A. Most of them agree with it.
B. Half of them don't agree with it.
C. Few of them agree with it.
D. Only children like it.

4. Do all the Hong Kong people care (关心) much about the entrance fee?

A. Yes, they all think that the fee is too high.
B. No, the children may not mind how much the fee will be.
C. Yes, most of them feel that the fee is not high.
D. The writer doesn't tell us.

A. The adult admission fee is lower than the children admission fee.
B. Disney Parks are getting more and more popular among children and adults.
C. The children's admission fee is about HK $ 250 to HK $ 300.
D. Since the fee is too high, few Hong Kong people want to visit the park..

       You have plans for future study. A country also has plans. At the beginning of March, the 2006
National People's Congress (NPC, 全国人民代表大会) passed China's 11th Five-Year Plan. The plan
promises higher incomes (收入), better education and less pollution by 2010. If the promises all come
true, Chinese people's lives will change a lot.
       Let's take Cai Wenkang as an example. 
                                                             Roads and water
      The 13-year-old boy is a junior one student in Hunan. His parents are both farmers.
      According to the plan, Cai's family will benefit a lot. For example, the government will provide safe
drinking water to 100 million countryside people by 2010. Asphalt (沥青) roads will be built to connect
all towns and villages.
      So, Cai will soon drink running water instead of well water. Trips on the bus will be more comfortable. 
                                                                 More money
      Also, Cai's parents don't need to worry about money to pay to send their son to school in two years.
The plan promises that by the end of 2007, countryside students won't need to pay school fees until they
finish junior high.
       People's lives will continue to improve. Each year, people will get 5 per cent more money, says the
plan.
       That is to say, if an average Chinese family made about 10,000 yuan in 2005, in 2010 the family could
earn 12,800 yuan a year.
        At that time, as the plan describes, China should see great progress in science. Chinese astronauts
would land on the moon. China might build its own airliners (客机).
       So in 2010, if Cai goes to university by air, he probably would find the airplane is not from Boeing or
Air Bus. It's made in China.

      Not long ago, China decided to build a bridge to link Zhuhai, Hong Kong and Macao. People will finish
building it in 2016. It will be the world's longest sea-crossing bridge!
     The Y-shaped bridge is about 50 kilometers altogether. 35 kilometers of it will be over water.
     Officials say the bridge we use will last in good condition for 120 years. It can handle big earthquakes
as well as strong winds. And it will be all right even if it is hit by a 300,000-ton ship.
     With six car lanes, a car can go as fast as 100 km per hour on the bridge. It will only take 30 minutes
to drive from Zhuhai or Macao to Hong Kong.
     Some people worry that the building of the bridge will pollute the sea and hurt sea animals. Officials
say they will protect the ocean.
     China hopes that the bridge can bring the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao closer. Building the bridge
will cost about ￥73 billion. Hong Kong, Macao and the mainland will share the cost.

1. It will take China ______ years to build the bridge.

A. 3
B. 6
C. 10
D. 14

2. The shape of the bridge is like the letter "______".

3. The bridge is about ______ long.

A. 50 kilometers
B. 36 kilometers
C. 100 kilometers
D. 120 kilometers

4. What do some people worry about?

A. The bridge is too long.
B. It will take a long time to build it.
C. Officials will protect the ocean.
D. The building of the bridge will pollute the sea and hurt sea animals.