8．Peyton，an 11-year-old boy from Florida，has the enthusiasm of scientific invention and the-gift of Thomas Edison．
The sixth-grader put his math and science skills as well as some real-life experience to use and created something that could benefit our world a lot--the sandless sandbag．Today he was named the winner of the Young Scientist Challenge for his sandbag．
"I had a really terrifying experience with a hurricane，"said Peyton．"When I was 4，I experienced Hurricane Wilma．When it hit Florida in October 2005，my family and I crowded in a closet and watched the storm bring damage and death to our area，feeling terrible and hopeless．"
Saltwater flooding caused great damage，which made him think about how people can prepare for floods．Peyton，who has been solving math problems since he was 3，eventually came up with the sandless sandbag．   
"Instead of filling it with sand，I filled it with just the right amount of chemicals and salt，"he said．"What's amazing is that when you pick these bags up and they're not wet，they only weigh a pound or two．"
Unlike regular sandbags，Peyton's is light and easy to carry．They only expand when doused （浸泡）with water．The bags are portable when dry and will not float away when wet．
Experts praised his invention and said that the sandless sandbag could someday save a lot of lives and possessions．"He understands the big picture．He thinks in terms of the influence on society and safety for the people around this area，"said Dr．Antonio，the engineering chairman at the University of Miami．"We'd love to have him at our university．"
Peyton has to get through middle school and high school first，but until then，the young scientist will continue thinking and inventing．   
46．Why did Peyton win the Young Scientist Challenge？D
A．Because he is interested in scientific invention．
B．Because he has the gift of Thomas Edison．
C．Because he solved many maths problems．
D．Because he invented the sandless sandbag．   
47．What inspired Peyton to invent the sandless sandbag？A
A．An experience in Hurricane Wilma．       
B．Others'scientific invention．
C．An idea of Thomas Edison．                   
D．His maths and science skills．
48．What makes Peyton's sandbag different from a regular one？B
A．Outlook of the bags．                             
B．Content of the bags．
C．Material of the bags．                                
D．Usage of the bags．
49．when the sandless sandbag is wet，it willC．
A．be portable    B．float away    C．get heavy  D．1ose weight
50．We can infer from the passage thatD
A．Peyton has been admitted into the University of Miami
B．Peyton's sandbag has saved a lot of lives and possessions
C．Peyton has drawn a big picture of his sandbag
D．Peyton's sandbag could protect people from flooding better．

7．Iee Lok Sze was the first woman in Hong Kong to reach both the North and South Poles．In 1992 and1993，she went to Mount Everest and the Taldamkhan Desert in Xin-jiang．"I wanted to be an adventurer when l was small．I have loved reading adventure books since I was a child．"Since 1970，Miss Lee has always been on trips，travelling to different parts of the world with a backpack and a sleeping bag．
    She said that these journeys changed her values．"After visiting these places，I started to treasure my life much more than before．During this time，I came to realize how small I am in the universe，but nothing in this world is unsolvable．
    Miss Lee said she had a lot of unforgettable experiences on her journeys．There was one terrible storm at sea when she was returning from the South Pole．The whole team was happy to be returning home after a one-year stay at the South Pole．During the storm，waves reached heights of up to 30 meters．as high as a 10-story building．She stayed calm at the time and took steps to protect their research findings．She hoped the rescuers would find them even if they lost their lives．Part of the ship was destroyed and a lot of water came in．Luckily they all survived，but she came away from the experience with a realiza-tion about the power of nature．
    Miss Lee is also the founder of the China Polar Museum Foundation．Building a polar museum has always been her dream．According to Miss Lee，the museum will use advanced technology to help develop scientists work in polar areas．Also，it will provide Places for scientists to do research．
41．From the first paragraph we know Lee Lok Sze enjoysA．
A．exploring remote unknown places   
B．visiting popular places of interest 
C．reading all kinds of books on science
D．travelling with expensive equipment
42．What is the second paragraph mainly about？C
A．Lee Lok Sze's great journeys
B．Lee Lok Sze's values on life
C．The journeys'influence on Lee
D．Lee's ideas of the universe．
43．Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 3？D
A．Lee Lok Sze travelled to the South Pole alone．
B．Lee Lok Sze stayed at the South Pole for a month．
C．The ship was completely destroyed in the storm．
D．Lee Lok Sze valued the research findings greatly．
44．Why did Lee found a polar museum？B
A．To attract more people to the Poles
B．To promote studies of the Poles．
C．To educate the public about the Poles
D．To help protect the Poles．
45．Which would be the best title for the text？D
A．Fighting Against Nature   
B．Attractions of the Poles
C．Surviving a Terrible Storm  
D．A Brave and Noble Woman．

6．American LaMar Baylor spends most of his time in New York City，working as a performer in the Broadway musical-The Lion King．But since 2011，he has also spent weeks in Kigali，the capital of Rwanda．There，he teaches dance to boys who live on the street．His teaching is part of an effort by the Rebecca Davis Dance Company．The project helps young people learn more about dance and learn how to behave in a classroom environment．
LaMar Baylor describes his students as genocide （种族屠杀） survivors．They have lost all of their families，some even have been in prison．"They have been through things that no one should ever have to go through，"said Baylor．Dance classes provide the children with structured learning and self-expression that they've never had before．They can also take classes in information and technology after they have learned to attend classes and follow directions．
Boys who have done best in the classes win scholarships，and are sent to the Sunrise Boarding School．About 30 boys have won this kind of financial aid．All the students are male，because few girls in Rwanda live freely on the street．
The Rwanda program is the largest one set up by the Rebecca Davis Dance Company，founded and directed by Rebecca Davis．Ms．Davis has also set up dance programs in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Guinea．About 2，000 children in the three countries have taken part in the project since it was launched in 2010．
As for LaMar Baylor，he knows from his own experience how dance can lead to a better life．He is from Camden，New Jersey．Camden has sometimes been called America's poorest and most dangerous city．Mr．Baylor says that growing up in Camden，it took a long time for him to find out what he wanted to do．He now thanks dancing saved his life．
41．What do we know about LaMar Baylor according to the text？C
A．He spends most of his time in Rwanda．
B．He is director of the musical The Lion King．
C．He himself grew up in a poor environment．
D．He started the Rwanda Program on his own．
42．It can be learned from the text that the children in RwandaA．
A．have gone through tough times
B．have committed violent crimes
C．worked hard to win scholarship
D．forced mainly on dancing
43．In how many countries are the dance programs launched？B
A．Two        B．Three            C．Four             D．Five
44．Which of the following is true of the dance project？B
A．Most children participating in it were boys．
B．The project could date back to the year 2010．
C．In is aimed to improve the kid's dancing skills．
D．It has gained much support from the world．
45．What can be the main idea of the text？A
A．Dance offers street children path to education．
B．The largest dance project was set up in Guinea．
C．Education is important to street children．
D．Where you grow up decides what you are．

5．Her only problem，if you can call it a problem，is ________ she expects to be successful all the time．（　　）

A．

whether

B．

what

C．

that

D．

where

4．Kenji Croman has broken his bones，his shoulder and elbow，and nearly drowned several times．He's also had three close encounters with sharks over the years．A 10-foot  wave landed directly on top of him five years ago，bending his body to the point that he  actually kicked himself in the head．"I literally heard every bone in my body crack，"he said．
   Croman has been photographing ocean waves since 2008，sometimes risking his life to get that perfect shot at the surf break．Despite the risks and certain injuries that come with wave photography，the Hawaii resident，body surfer and former competitive swimmer wouldn't do anything else．The 36-year-old photographer loves the thrill of meeting breaking waves head on，shooting waves as his interest and shooting surfers to pay the bills．
   The process of photographing waves requires more than just swimming out to where the surf breaks and waiting，he says．The night before a photo shoot Croman checks Surfline．com，a website and the coastal camera network that provides live and predicted ocean weather  information，to see what the winds，waves and tide will be like at certain times．Croman has  both a primary camera and a backup for emergencies．He goes without a wetsuit and uses  heavy duty underwater housing to protect his camera．There is no great way for him to  protect himself．He admits there are probably protective clothes he should be wearing，but  there is little he could have done to decrease the impact of the lo-foot wave that crashed on  top of him．
   The hardest part of Croman's job is staying calm in the face of breaking waves when his  initial reaction is to panic and swim away．At most，Croman will take two to three shots of a  single wave．"I've shot waves for so many years now that I see the wave in slow movement，"he said．
41．What do we know about Kenji Croman's job from the first paragraph？D
A．It is a game of death．
B．It is full of mysteries．
C．It requires patience．
D．It calls for courage．
42．How does Kenji Croman make a living？C
A．By taking swimming races．
B．By teaching photography．
C．By shooting surfers．
D．By surfing waves．
43．Why does Kenji Croman check the websites like Surfline．com？A
A．To get better prepared for shooting．
B．To predict something about weather．
C．To learn more about surfing waves．
D．To buy better equipment for safety．
44．What is the biggest problem for Croman in his own eyes？D
A．Staying away from shark attacks．
B．Protecting himself from getting hurt．
C．Taking good care of his cameras．
D．Staying calm facing breaking waves．
45．What would be the best title of the text？B
A．Taking adventures around the ocean
B．Risking his life for the perfect wave
C．Making preparations for life risks
D．Appreciating breaking waves in danger．

3．After a terrible electrical accident，which caused him to become both blind and deaf，the whole world became completely dark and quiet for Robert Edwards for almost ten years．The loss of sight and hearing threw him into such sorrow that he tried a few times to put an end to his life．His family，especially his wife，did their best to tend and comfort him and finally he regained the will to live．
One hot summer afternoon，he was taking a walk with a stick near his house when a thunderstorm started all at once．He stood under a large tree to avoid getting wet，but he was struck by the lightning．Witnesses thought he was dead but he woke up some 20 minutes later lying face down in muddy water at the base of the tree．He was trembling badly，but when he opened his eyes，he could hardly believe what he saw：a plough and a wall．When Mrs．Edwards came running up to him，shouting to their neighbors to call for help，he could see her and hear her voice for the first time in nearly ten years．
The news of Robert regaining his sight and hearing quickly spread，and many doctors came to examine him．Most of them said that he regained his sight and hearing from the shock he got from the lightning．However，none of them could give a convincing answer as to why this should have happened．The only reasonable explanation given by one doctor was that，since Robert lost his sight and hearing as a result of a sudden shock，perhaps，the only way for him to regain them was by another sudden shock．

21．The reason for Robert's attempts to kill himself was thatB．
A．a terrible traffic accident happened to him     
B．he had to live in a dark and silent world
C．he was struck by the lightning once more    
D．nobody in the world cared about him
22．What was Robert doing when he was struck by the lightning？A
A．Sheltering from the rain under a tree．
B．Driving a car．
C．Taking a walk with a stick．
D．Lying on the ground．
23．We can infer from the text thatA．
A．there was no accurate explanation for Robert's recovery
B．many doctors came because Robert was badly injured
C．Robert's wife sent for doctors immediately after the shock
D．a sudden injury in the head led to Robert's recovery
24．What's the best title of the whole passage？C
A．A Terrible Electrical Accident          
B．Robert Edwards and His Wife
C．What a Sudden Shock             
D．An Unforgettable Experience．

2．You must know what BYD stands for？Yes，Build Your Dream．Have you built your dream and spare no effort to achieve it？Here is an inspiring story from http://www．naijamotiveation．com
    Eddie Arcaro dreamed of becoming the world's greatest jockey（赛马骑师）．But after watching him ride a horse for five minutes，reality reflected a rough contradiction．He was awkward and clumsy，and in his early years in the saddle he couldn't do one thing right．
    In his first 100 races he never even came close to winning．Still，he got right back on and trained again．Even as a schoolboy，Arcaro had set his own track in life．Because he was only a little over five feet tall （1.5 meters） and weighed barely 80 pounds （36kg），the other students picked on him．So he skipped school，hanging out at the local race track where a trainer let him ride horses．
    His father reluctantly agreed to let him pursue a career as a jockey．The trainer had told him so．"Send him back to school，"he said．"He'll never be a rider．"In spite of that，Arcaro was determined not just to ride，but to become the world's greatest jockey．But first someone would have to give him a chance．
    He finally got to ride in a real race．Before it was over，he'd lost his whip and his cap and had almost fallen off the saddle．By the time he finished the race，the other horses were on their way to the stables（马厩）．He'd come in dead last．Nevertheless，Arcaro went from track to track，looking for any opportunity to ride．
    Finally，a trainer who pitied him took him in and gave him a chance．One hundred losses later，he was still giving him chances．He saw something in this unlucky jockey，something he couldn't define．
    There were many brushes with death and several broken bones．Every time he would return to the saddle．Then Arcaro began to win．In thirty years of riding，he won 4，779 races，becoming the only jockey in history to win the Kentucky Derby five times．By the time he retired in 1962 he was a millionaire and a legend in his own lifetime．
21．The underlined phrase"picked on"in the passage probably meansB
A．paid attention to   
B．made fun of    
C．offered help to   
D．took special care of
22．The trainer who believed in Arcaro gave him chances becauseD
A．Arcaro had shown great talents in horse racing
B．he thought all that Arcaro needed was a bit of luck
C．he had sympathy for Arcaro for his unfortunate experiences
D．he was impressed by the way Arcaro stuck to his dream
23．The key message the author wants to convey through the passage is thatC    A．a man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds
B．you can't stop the waves，but you can learn how to surf
C．winners in life set goals and follow through on them
D．life consists not in holding good cards，but in playing well those you hold
24．Which of the following would be the most proper title for the passage？A
A．The Man With The One Track Mind           
B．A Star With Many Skills
C．An Inspiring Website Story                  
D．Inspiration Is Around Us．

1．Is this hotel _________  you said we were to stay in your letter？（　　）

A．

where

B．

what

C．

which

D．

the one

20．Don't be sad．The most important thing is ______ we must learn from our mistakes and move on．（　　）

A．

how

B．

that

C．

what

D．

why

19．Besides the content of a book，_____the editor also cares about is the number of readers．（　　）

A．

who

B．

why

C．

how

D．

what