What’s language for？Some people seem to think it’s for practicing grammar rules（规则） and learning lists of words --the longer the lists, the better. That’s wrong. Language is for the exchange of ideas and information. It’s meaningless if you can’t use it freely. Many students I have met know hundreds of grammar rules, but they can’t speak correctly or fluently(流利地). They are afraid of making mistakes. One shouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes when speaking a foreign language. Native（本土的） speakers make mistakes and break rules, too. Bernard Saw once wrote, “Foreigners often speak English too correctly.” But the mistakes that native speakers make are different from those that Chinese students make. They’re English mistakes in the English language. And if enough native speakers break a rule, it is no longer a rule. What used to be wrong becomes right. So Chinese students should pay attention to grammar, but they shouldn’t overdo(做过头)it. They should put communication(交际)first.
【小题1】 Language is used to __________ .

What are your clothes made of? Are they made of cotton or wool? Some students in Shandong wear different things. Their clothes are made of discs(光盘) or old clothes!
On October 7th, 36 students in Linyi, Shandong Province, wore beautiful clothes in a show. Their clothes were made of all kinds of things.
The show gave the students a chance to make things with their own hands. It also helped them learn to make good use of waste and not to throw everything away.
Students had lots of good ideas. Some found used things, like old clothes, to make new dresses.
“We hope to save energy. Our world is short of energy. So I don’t want to just throw old things away,” said Xie Jing at Linyi Art School.
Xie had more than 20 discs on her nice blue dress. She got them from her family and friends.
“Though the discs are old, I look very cool in them!” she said.
Song Dandan, a student from the school, looked like a farmer in her straw(稻草) coat and hat. She picked the straw from the fields and put them all together.
“I want to show what people wore in the past.” she said.
Du Yue made clothes for astronauts(宇航员)! She had white cloth all over her. When she walked, she tried to be slow. It looked like she was walking on the moon.
“I hope to wear it in space(太空) some day. I wish that I could walk on the moon!” she said.

1. 1.

   The passage mainly talks about ____.

   1. A.
      how to make clothes
   2. B.
      energy saving
   3. C.
      how to look cool
   4. D.
      a special fashion show
2. 2.

   The students’ clothes were made of ____.

   1. A.
      silk
   2. B.
      cotton
   3. C.
      waste paper
   4. D.
      all kinds of things
3. 3.

   The underlined(画线) word “short” in the sentence “Our world is short of energy. ” has the same meaning as “short” in the sentence “____”

   1. A.
      It’s only a short way from here.
   2. B.
      The man is short.
   3. C.
      I’m short of money. Can you lend me some?
   4. D.
      She was here a short time ago.
4. 4.

   The three students used all these things except ____ to made clothes.

   1. A.
      discs
   2. B.
      straw
   3. C.
      old paper
   4. D.
      cloth
5. 5.

   The show tells people ____.

   1. A.
      we should save energy
   2. B.
      they are clever
   3. C.
      how to make use of old things
   4. D.
      A, B and C

A baby carrier is like a backpack for carrying a baby. Ann Moore introduced the idea of a baby carrier to American people nearly 50 years ago.
Ann spent two years in Africa in the early 1960s. She worked as a nurse there. Ann saw babies wrapped in bright cloth tied to their mothers’ backs. The babies snuggled (依偎) close to their mothers, and the mothers could use their hands to do other things.
In 1964, Ann had her own baby. She tried making a carrier like the one African mothers used. The carrier was like a backpack. Everywhere Ann went with her baby in the carrier, people asked, “Where can I buy one?” In 1965, Ann and her mother began to sell handmade carriers. Ann received a patent (专利) for the baby carrier in 1969. By that time, the baby carrier had leg holes and straps (带子) that could be made longer or shorter. It could also be worn on the back or front.
By 1979, the baby carriers were made in a factory. These baby carriers cost less to make and more than 25,000 were sold every month.
When Ann made her first baby carrier, she just wanted to keep her baby close and still have her hands free to do other things. Now all over the world babies ride in baby carriers, close to their parents, safe and happy.
根据材料内容选择最佳答案，并将其标号填入题前括号内。
【小题1】 Ann Moore made her first baby carrier in        .