To find how the name Canada came about we must go back to the 16th century. At that time, the French dreamed of disclosing and controlling more land, of expanding(扩展)trade beyond(超出)  their borders and of spreading their faith(信仰) across the world .In 1535, Francois I ,King of France, ordered a navigator (航海家) named Jacques Cartier to explore(探险) the New World and search for a passage to India.

Cartier first arrived at the Gulf of the St. Lawrence, which he wanted to explore. He did not know what to expect but he hoped that this Gulf was just an arm of the ocean between two islands. If it was, he would soon be on his way to the Far East. So he sailed upstream along the St. Lawrence River. However, instead or reaching Asia he arrived at Quebec or Stadacona, as the Indians called it. It was at this point that the term “ Canada” entered the country’s history. Apparently the word “Canada” came from an Indian work “Kanata”, which means community or village. Cartier first used it when he referred to Stadacona or Quebec. What a huge “ village” Canada is!

1.In the early sixteenth century , the King of France ordered Cartier to ______

A． find the new world

B． build an entirely new country

C． go and visit the American Indians

D． get more information about America and find a way to Asia

2.Having reached the Gulf of St. Lawrence Cartier thought _____

A． he had already got to India

B． it was a water way to the New World

C． it was a water passage to the East

D． he had sailed into the Atlantic

3.In the early sixteenth century , Quebec was only ____.

A． an Indian village

B． a little town in southern Canada

C． a village at the entrance to the Gulf of St. Lawrence

D． the place which we call Canada now

4.Pick out the right statements from the following _____

A． Quebec was a village and Stadacona was another

B． Cartier mistook Quebec for Stadacona

C． Stadacona was a village in Quebec

D． Stadacona was what the Indians called Quebec then

5.“Canada” was first used to refer to _____

A． a small town in Stadacona

B． the place called Quebec

C． a long water passage

D． a huge village including Quebec and Stadacona

 

.

Are you carrying too much on your back to school? Lots of kids of your age are. Not only are students in China suffering from the problem, but kids in the United States are puzzled by heavy school bags.

    Experts are starting to worry that young students are having back and neck problems as a result of school bags being too heavy for them. It is hard for me to get up the stairs with my bag because it's so heavy, said Rick Hammond, an 11-year-old student in the US.

    Rick is among the students who have regular backpacks(背包) with two straps (带子) to carry them, but a number of other students choose rolling backpacks. But even with rolling backpacks, getting up stairs and buses with them is still a problem for kids. Many of them have hurt their knees, backs or necks because of heavy school bags.

　  But how much is too much? Experts say students should carry no more than 10 to 15 percent of their own body weight. Scott Bautch, a Wisconsin back doctor, said kids under 4th grade should stay with 10 percent, but it’s also important that older kids don’t go beyond (超出) 15 percent, because their bones are still growing.

    Bautch explained that there are other injuries caused by backpacks. Kids are losing their balance and falling down with these backpacks, he said.

    Parents and teachers are starting to tell kids to only take home library books they will be reading in the evening. Some teachers are using worksheets (作业单 ) or thin workbooks for students to take home.

    One of the best answers is, as some kids suggest, to have no homework at all!

60. According to experts, a primary student in Grade 6, who is 40 kilograms, should carry a bag   weighing ______ kilograms at most.

   A. 4 　      B.6       　C.8 　     D.10

61. As school bags are too heavy for younger students to carry, they ______.

   A. show no interest in studying at school.

   B. often fall ill

   C. are having back and neck problems

   D. usually ask their parents for help

62. The author wrote the passage to _____.

   A. seek(寻找) ways to solve the problem of heavy bags

   B. appeal (呼吁) to teachers for caring for the students

   C. criticize(批评) the government for having done nothing to help students

   D. tell us that heavy bags are bad for students’ health

63. Parents and teachers are starting to tell kids to take home only library books they will be   reading in the evening to ______.

   A. make students more interested in reading than watching TV

   B. give them more free time to play

   C. make their bags easier to carry

   D. let them sleep early at night

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。

　　Are you carrying too much on your back to school？Lots of kids your age are． Not only are students in China suffering from the problem，but kids in the United States are puzzled by heavy school bags．

　　Experts are starting to worry that young students are having back and neck problems as a result of school bags being too heavy for them．“It is hard for me to get up the stairs with my bag because it's so heavy，”said Rick Hammond，an 11-year-old student in the US．

　　Rick is among the students who have regular backpacks（背包）with two straps（带子）to carry them，but a number of other students choose rolling back-packs．But even with rolling backpacks，getting upstairs and buses with them is still a problem for kids．Many of them have hurt their knees，backs or necks be-cause of heavy school bags．

　　But how much is too much？Experts say students should carry no more than 10 to 15 percent of their own body weight．Scott Bautch，a Wisconsin back doctor，said kids under 4th grade should stay with 10 percent，but it's also important that older kids don't go beyond（超出）15 percent，because their bones are still growing．

　　Bautch explained that there are other injuries caused by backpacks．“Kids are losing their balance and falling down with these backpacks，” he said．

　　Parents and teachers are starting to tell kids to only take home library books they will be reading in the evening．Some teachers are using worksheets（作业单）or thin workbooks for students to take home．

　　One of the best answers is，as some kids suggest，to have no homework at all！

1．According to experts，a primary student in Grade 6，who is 40 kilograms，should carry a bag weighing ________kilograms at most．

[　　]

2．As school bags are too heavy for younger students to carry，they ________．

[　　]

A．show no interest in studying at school

B．often fall ill

C．are having back and neck problems

D．usually ask their parents for help

3．The author wrote the passage to．

[　　]

A．seek（寻找）ways to solve the problem of heavy bags

B．appeal（呼吁）to teachers for caring for the students

C．criticize the government for having done nothing to help students

D．tell us that heavy bags are bad for students'health

4．Parents and teachers are starting to tell kids to take home only library books they will be reading in the evening to ________．

[　　]

A．make students more interested in reading than watching TV

B．give them more free time to play

C．make their bags easier to carry

D．let them sleep early at night

Today, roller skating (旱冰) is easy and fun, and it is popular throughout the world. People like roller skate outside on paths and roads, and inside in rinks. But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin's work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man full of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.

   One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball (化装舞会). He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance (隆重出场) at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.

   Merlin tried different ways to make himself fool. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.

   On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking into pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin’s grand entrance for a long time!

 51. The text is mainly about____.

   A. a strange man                B. an unusual party  

C. how roller skating began       D. how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century

  52. People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he____ .

   A. often gave others surprises       B. was a gifted (有天赋的) musician

   C. invented the roller skates        D. was full of imagination

  53. Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to ________.

   A. draw the guests attention        B. arrive at the party sooner

   C. test his invention               D. show his skill in walking on wheels

  54. What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?

   A. The roller skates needed further improvement.

   B. The party guests took Merlin for a fool.

   C. Merlin succeeded beyond expectation (超出预料).

   D. Merlin got himself into trouble