A peer is a person who is about the same age as you. Peers affect your life, whether you know it or not, just by spending time with you.
Peers can have a good effect on one another. Maybe another student in your science class taught you an easy way to remember the planets in solar system. Maybe you got others excited about your new favorite book and now everyone’s reading it.
However, sometimes peers affect one another in another way. For example, one kid in school might try to get another to cut class with him, your soccer friend might try to persuade you to be mean to another player and never pass her the ball, or a kid in the neighborhood might want you to shoplift with him.
Some kids give in to peer pressure because they want to be liked, to fit in, or because they worry that other kids may make fun of them if they don’t go along with the group. Others may go along because they are curious to try something new that others are doing. The idea that “ everyone’s doing it” may influence some kids to leave their better judgments or their common senses behind.
Peer pressure can be extremely strong and hard to get rid of. Experiments have shown how peer pressure can influence someone to change her/ his mind from what she/ he knows for sure is a correct answer to the incorrect answer——just because everyone else gives the incorrect answer! That holds true for people of any age in peer pressure situations.
It can be hard to walk away from peer pressure, but it can be done. Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what is right and wrong can help you know the right thing to do. Inner strength and self- confidence can help you stand firm, walk away and resist doing something when you know better.
【小题1】 What is the passage mainly about ?

A．Peers have a good effect	B．Children give in to peer pressure
C．Peer pressure is hard to resist	D．Peer pressure

【小题2】 The underlined word shoplift in Paragraph Three probably means __________.

A．do some shopping	B．carry goods for shops
C．steal in shops	D．take the lift upstairs in shops

【小题3】The writer will not agree that ____.

A．only children change their correct answers to incorrect ones because of peer pressure.

B．peers have an effect on one another

C．Peer pressure can be got rid of

D．Peers will believe in themselves if there are other peers who agree with them

【小题4】The writer intends to _________ by writing the passage.

A．tell people to follow other’s opinions

B．warn people to stay away from their peers.

C．tell it is hard to walk away form per pressure.

D．persuade people to do the right thing regardless of peer pressure.

【小题5】It can be learned from the passage that_________.

A．A peer is someone older than you.

B．Peers always affect you in good ways.

C．It is easy to get rid of peer pressure.

D．The effects of peer pressure have two sides.

Tea drinking was common in China for nearly one thousand years before anyone in Europe had ever heard about tea．People in Britain were much slower in finding out what tea was like, mainly because tea was very expensive. It could not be bought in shops and even those people who could afford to have it sent from Holland did so only because it was a fashionable curiosity. Some of them were not sure how to use it. They thought it was a vegetable and tried cooking the leaves. Then they served them mixed with butter and salt. They soon discovered their mistake but many people used to spread the used tea leaves on bread and give them to their children as sandwiches.
Tea remained scarce and very expensive in England until the ships of the East India Company began to bring it direct from China early in the seventeenth century. During the next few years so much tea came into the country that the price fell and many people could afford to buy it.
At the same time people on the Continent were becoming more and more fond of tea．Until then tea had been drunk without milk in it, but one day a famous French lady named Madame de Sevigne decided to see what tea tasted like when milk was added．She found it so pleasant that she would never again drink it without milk. Because she was such a great lady her friends thought they must copy everything she did, so they also drank their tea with milk in it. Slowly this habit spread until it reached England and today only very few Britons drink tea without milk.
At first, tea was usually drunk after dinner in the evening No one ever thought of drinking tea in the afternoon until a duchess (公爵夫人) found that a cup of tea and a piece of cake at three or four o’clock stopped her getting “a sinking feeling” as she called it. She invited her friends to have this new meal with her and so, tea-time was born.
【小题1】Which of the following is true of the introduction of tea into Britain?

A．The Britons got expensive tea from India.

B．Tea reached Britain from Holland.

C．The Britons were the first people in Europe who drank tea.

D．It was not until the 17th century that the Britons had tea.

【小题2】This passage mainly discusses_____________.

A．the history of tea drinking in Britain

B．how tea became a popular drink in Britain

C．how the Britons got the habit of drinking tea

D．how tea-time was born

【小题3】Tea became a popular drink in Britain_____________.

A．in eighteenth century	B．in sixteenth century
C．in seventeenth century	D．in the late seventeenth century

【小题4】People in Europe began to drink tea with milk because_____________.

A．it tasted like milk

B．it tasted more pleasant

C．it became a popular drink

D．Madame de Sevigne was such a lady with great social influence that people tried to copy the way she drank tea

【小题5】We may infer from the passage that the habit of drinking tea in Britain was mostly
due to the influence of  ________.

A．a famous French lady	B．the ancient Chinese
C．the upper social class	D．people in Holland

There is a story about the moon cake．During the Yuan dynasty, China was ruled by the Mongolian people． Leaders from the preceding Song dynasty were unhappy about being ruled by foreigners, so they began to organize a secret rebellion． The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes． Baked into each cake was a message containing the outline of the attack． On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government． Today, these cakes are eaten to commemorate（纪念）this legend and are called Moon Cakes．
For generations, moon cakes have been made with sweet fillings of nuts, mashed red beans, lotus-seed paste or Chinese dates, wrapped in pastry． Sometimes a cooked egg yolk can be found in the middle of this rich tasting dessert． Some people have compared moon cakes to the plum puddings and fruit cakes which are served in the English holiday seasons．
Nowadays, there are hundreds of varieties of moon cakes on sale a month before the arrival of the Moon Festival．
【小题1】According to this passage, people eat moon cakes on the Moon Festival because___________ .

A．it is a tradition

B．moon cakes are tasty

C．moon cakes look like the moon

D．people want to remember the rebellion against the Mongolian rulers

【小题2】The leaders ordered the special cakes to be made in order to _________________

A．prize the rebels	B．celebrate the holiday
C．plan the attack	D．carry the message secretly

【小题3】Why did those leaders want to overthrow the government? __________________ .

A．Because they wanted to rule the country．

B．Because they were unhappy that China was ruled by the Mongolian．

C．Because they were from the preceding Song dynasty．

D．Because they wanted to celebrate the Moon Festival in their way．

【小题4】Which of the following statements is WRONG? __________________ .

A．China was once ruled by the Mongolian people during the Yuan dynasty．

B．Moon cakes were originally made to carry a message．

C．All moon cakes have a cooked egg yolk in them．

D．A variety of moon cakes can be bought a month before the Moon Festival now．

【小题5】The best title for the passage is “_______”．

A．The origin of moon cakes	B．Moon cakes and the Moon Festival
C．Moon Festival	D．How the Moon Festival came into being

English is a very interesting language. It has borrowed words from many other languages. Immigrants(移民) coming into the United States have contributed many words to the language, which have kept their original pronunciation. “Coolie” and “kowtow” were taken from the Chinese language, “kamikaze from the Japanese, “shampoo” from India, “blitz” from German, “amigo” and “Los Angeles” from Spanish and so on.
Many students have studied English for years, some as many as eight. However, some students still have difficulty in speaking fluent English. Some know many words but are unable to discern them when native speakers use them. In our Oral English classes we will focus on speaking and listening to native English speakers. For this reason, because we are trying to train your ears to hear English and your mouths to speak intelligible (易理解的) English, we will have a rule that ONLY ENGLISH will be spoken in our English classes. Anyone speaking Chinese in class will be required to pay a fine in order to encourage the speaking and understanding of English. If teachers enter a classroom and discover that anyone is speaking Chinese, they will require everyone in the room to pay the fine. It is everyone’s job to enforce the English-Only rule. It is for your benefit. It is because we want to accustom (使习惯于) your ears to hearing English.
Other subjects may be learned solely from books but the only way to learn a foreign language is to SPEAK IT! Students are often nervous about speaking in class at first but we hope to make the classes fun, so you will forget your nervousness and learn to speak out. Enjoy your classes.
【小题1】The first paragraph is mainly about________.

A．the difficulty of learning English.	B．how interesting and various English is
C．different words in different languages	D．the immigrants’ contributions to America

【小题2】The underlined word “discern” in Para 2 can be replaced by___________.

A．understand

B．notice

C．hear

D．speak

【小题3】In the author’s opinion , the only way to learn a language well is to__________.

A．listen to it on the radio

B．learn it from books

C．play games with it

D．speak it often

【小题4】The article is probably aimed at________.

A．Japanese students

B．German students

C．Chinese students

D．Indian students

The Mississippi is the major river system in the United States. The Yangtze is China’s longest river.
Although a world apart, the two waterways share conservation concerns that provide a cultural bridge between students in the United States and China, as well as from around the world.
The Mississippi flows almost 3,800 kilometers from a small lake in Minnesota, gathering the waters of 250 other rivers and streams before reaching the Gulf of Mexico.
In mid-May, as spring flowers began to open, about 41 students from a dozen colleges, mostly in the Midwest, explored a section of the river in Wisconsin and Iowa, to learn about the environment, and each other.
The students, from the U.S., China and around the world, came to join the River Spirit Exchange program.
The cross-cultural educational experience - set up by the University of Wisconsin, Madison-based Environment and Public Health Network for Chinese Students - focuses on the Mississippi and China’s longest river, the Yangtze.
This three day get-together featured story-telling, hiking, camping and canoeing, all part of a larger lesson about conservation projects that can be used on both the Yangtze and Mississippi.
While the students learned about the problems challenging the Mississippi and Yangtze, Jeb Barzen, a wildlife biologist, explained they should also learn about the importance of bridging each other’s culture.
The president of the Environment and Public Health Network for Chinese Students, Xiaojun Lu, said the Mississippi and Yangtze Rivers are uniting these students from opposite ends of the earth.
Organizers say the success and spirit of this first gathering of students will lead to other trips, including one down the Yangtze.
【小题1】Where is the source of the Mississippi?

A．Minnesota

B．the Gulf of Mexico

C．Wisconsin

D．Iowa

【小题2】 According to the passage, the get-together             .

A．lasted a week	B．took place in May
C．was held in China	D．was organized by students

【小题3】 According to Paragraph 8, Barzen believes that             .

A．China and the U.S. should work together to protect the environment

B．the Mississippi is more important than the Yangtze to the world

C．cultural exchange between different countries is of great importance

D．the program encourages technical cooperation between China and the U.S.

【小题4】What is the passage mainly about?

A．A major river system in the United States.

B．The differences between the Mississippi and the Yangtze.

C．An educational program about tourism.

D．An international cultural exchange program.

【小题5】Where is the passage most probably taken from?

A．A personal diary	B．A news report
C．An official document	D．An advertisement

Health insurance can be very expensive. Some working people do not make enough money to pay for it. In the US there is a program called Healthy Families. This program offers people health insurance at a low cost.
Families are charged about ￥7.00 a month for every child, and ￥10.00 for every adult. It costs much less than any other kind of health insurance. Having health insurance is very important. With this insurance, people can see a doctor when they are sick or hurt.
The program is not expensive at all, but many people are still not enrolling in it. People say that it still costs too much money. They need all of their money to pay for things like food and rent.
It would be great if everyone could have health insurance. People are working hard to come up with ways to make this happen. One idea is to make the Healthy Families Program free for some people.
It is important for people to see a doctor when they need to. The Healthy Families Program makes it possible for more people to do this. Many ideas are being considered. Hopefully some of them will allow even more families to get health insurance.
The Healthy Families Program is made to help those who don’t have welfare (社会保障金) and cannot earn enough to pay for private health insurance. It is an important program, but officials say that too many people are signing up for it and then dropping out because of the Healthy Families Program’s cost.
【小题1】 The aim of the Healthy Families Program is to __________.

A．help people earn more and pay for the program

B．help more families get health insurance

C．make it free for people to see a doctor

D．help families pay for private health insurance

【小题2】If a couple has two children, how much would health insurance cost every month in the family?

A．￥24.

B．￥28.

C．￥34.

D．￥40.

【小题3】Why is it very important for people to have health insurance?

A．They can afford to see a doctor when they need to.

B．They can get special medical care.

C．They can see a doctor free of charge.

D．They can go to see a doctor as soon as possible.

【小题4】In the passage we can learn all of the following EXCEPT that __________.

A．health insurance is very important for ordinary people

B．the program is still too expensive for many people

C．people should make more money to pay for private health insurance

D．many people don’t make enough money to pay for health insurance

【小题5】The passage is mainly about __________.

A．health insurance at a low cost	B．the benefits of health insurance
C．the cost of health insurance	D．the Healthy Families Program

On a small farm in Mexico, there are no schools. A bus is the school! The driver of the bus is the teacher! It is a school bus, but it doesn’t take children to school. It just goes round from place to place, and sometimes it comes to this farm. The bus will stay here for three months. The farmers call it a school on wheels (车轮).
Every time the bus comes, the farmers come running to it, shouting and laughing. They warmly welcome the school bus!
When the bus is on the farm, in the morning, the teacher teaches the small children. In the afternoon, the bigger children come to have their lessons because they must work in the morning. At night, the fathers and mothers come to school. They want to learn, too. How the farmers hope that some day they can have a real school on their farm!
【小题1】The driver of the bus is ________.

A．the teacher

B．the student

C．the farmer

D．the school

【小题2】 The bus school will ________.

A．take children to school	B．stay there for lunch
C．go round from place to place	D．take the fathers and mothers to school

【小题3】 When the school bus comes, the farmers________.

A．stop working

B．warmly welcome it

C．be happy

D．Both B and C

【小题4】Which one of the following is true?

A．A school bus is a real school for farmers’ children.

B．The bus school has no teacher at all.

C．The bus school has no students.

D．The children and their parents on the farm all come to the bus school to learn.

Singles Day falls on every November 11th, and as the name indicates, this relatively new holiday is one exclusively for people who are still living the single life. I was a bit surprised when I googled “Singles Day” on the Internet, to find that China is the only country in the world that has set aside a special day for singles to celebrate their lives. To find out more about this celebration, please read on.
An old story goes that once there were four single men, leading very boring lives. None of them were married, or had lovers, or did anything exciting. They just sat around all day and played Mahjong.
One day they played Mahjong from 11 in the morning until 11 at night. During the game, no matter who won, the winning card was always the “four columns” card (the card shows four independent, parallel columns in two lines). Even more of a coincidence, it was Nov 11, or 11/11. In order to commemorate the day, they nicknamed it Singles Day.
Singles Day was first celebrated at various universities in Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu Province during the 1990s. It got the name Singles Day because the date consists of four “ones”. These college students have since graduated, and carried their university tradition into society. Singles Day is now a special day for all fashionable youths.
The main way to celebrate Singles Day is to have dinner with your single friends, but it’s important that each person pay their own fee to show their independence. People also hold “blind date” parties in an attempt to say goodbye to their single lives.
Many singles also choose to say goodbye to their single lives on this day. Many attend “blind date” parties and many people choose to marry on this day. In addition to meaning “single” the four “ones” of the date can also mean “only one” as in “the only one for me.” Some people will use this date and this meaning to tell their special someone that they are the only “one” in their heart.
【小题1】Singles Day got its name because _______.

A．the persons who play Mahjong are four singles

B．the date consists of four “ones”

C．only single persons celebrate the day

D．it was first celebrated at universities in Nanjing

【小题2】Which of the following is wrong?

A．Singles Day was first celebrated in Nanjing’s universities.

B．Many singles choose Singles Day to say goodbye to their single lives.

C．The only way to celebrate the Singles Day is to have dinner with your single friends.

D．It was these college graduated students that carried their university’s tradition into society.

【小题3】We can infer from the passage that ______.

A．the four singles did not get married

B．Singles Day receives great popularity among young people

C．when having dinner, one pays the fee for all his friends

D．on Singles Day many attend parties where blind people were present

【小题4】What is the best title for the passage?

A．The Origin of Singles Day.	B．How to Celebrate Singles Day.
C．Singles Day.	D．Say Goodbye to Singles Day.

Have you ever been to the beautiful country of Holland and its capital Amsterdam? Anyone who has traveled to Amsterdam would probably agree on one thing: Amsterdam’s story is a tale of two cities — one during the day and a completely different one at night.
When the sun is up, this largest city in the Netherlands sits quietly on the Amstel River. You can rent a bicycle, visit the Van Gogh or Anne Frank museum, or take a water taxi. But when the sun goes down, the partying begins. In the big clubs and in the coffee shops, tourists gather to talk politics and smoke.
Several areas of the city clearly show the two worlds that rule Amsterdam. And they’re all within a short cab ride of each other. For example, Dam Square attracts daytime sightseers to its festivals, open markets, concerts and other events. Several beautiful and very popular hotels can be found there. And there’s the Royal Palace and the Magna Plaza shopping mall. But at night party-seekers come to the square. Hip hop or funk music (疯狂音乐) is heard there. So if you come, be ready to dance. The clubs don’t shut down until 4 am.
And while you’re there, check out the various inexpensive ways to tour the city. Don’t worry about getting lost. Although Dutch is the official language, most people in Amsterdam speak English and are happy to help you with directions. And you’ll notice that half the people walking around in the streets are on bicycles they rent. Amsterdam also has a well-planned canal system. For about 10 dollars, you can use the canal bus or a water taxi to cruise (巡游) the “Venice of the North”.
The city has a historic past. One impressive (印象深刻的) place to visit is the Anne Frank House on Nine Street. It was there that the young Jewish girl wrote her famous diary during World War II. Visitors can view Anne’s original diary and climb behind the bookcase to the room where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years.
【小题1】 What means of transport is not available to visitors in Amsterdam?

A．A carriage.	B．A bicycle.
C．A canal bus.	D．A water taxi.

【小题2】What can you learn about by visiting the Anne Frank House?

A．The wonderful past of Amsterdam.

B．The experience of a beautiful girl survivor.

C．The life of Jewish during World WarⅡ.

D．The suffering of the Dutch in wars.

【小题3】The passage is intended to _______.

A．call up people’s memories of World WarⅡ

B．tell readers what A Tale of Two Cities is about

C．instruct visitors what to do and see in Holland

D．offer readers some information about Amsterdam

【小题4】This passage is most likely taken from _______.

A．a private diary

B．a test paper

C．a travel journey

D．a history book

Americans like to travel on their yearly holiday．Today，more and more travelers in the United States are spending nights at small houses or inns （客栈） instead of hotels．They get a room for the night and the breakfast the next morning．
Rooms for the night in private homes with breakfast have been popular with travelers in Europe for many years．In the past five to ten years，these bed-and-breakfast places have become popular in the United States．Many of these America’s bed-and-breakfast inns have only a few rooms，others are much larger．Some inns do not provide telephones or televisions in the rooms，others do．
Staying at a bed-and-breakfast inn is much different from staying at a hotel．Usually the cost is much less．Staying at an inn is almost like visiting someone’s home．The owners are glad to tell about the areas and the interesting places to visit．Many vacationers say that they enjoy the chance to meet local families．
【小题1】Americans take a holiday trip _____．

A．all the year round

B．for years

C．every year

D．every other year

【小题2】According to the passage，which of the following is NOT true？

A．Some Americans like to stay at bed-and-breakfast homes instead of at hotels．

B．The bed-and-breakfast inns are private homes opened to vacationers．

C．The bed-and-breakfast inns have been popular in America for a long time．

D．The bed-and-breakfast inns owners provide a morning meal for their visitors and a room for the night．

【小题3】Why do American travelers prefers staying at bed-and-breakfast inns?

A．It is like visiting someone’s home．	B．The money they spend there is much less．
C．They can meet local families．	D．All of the above

【小题4】Staying at the bed-and-breakfast inns，_____．

A．the travelers needn’t pay anything

B．the travelers don’t have to pay for the telephone or television

C．The travelers can meet and talk with the local people

D．The owners will show the travelers around the area