Watching some children trying to catch butterflies one hot August afternoon, I was reminded of an incident in my own childhood．When I was a boy of 12 in South Carolina, something happened to me that cured me forever of wanting to put any wild creature in a cage.We lived on the edge of a wood, and every evening at dusk the mockingbirds would come and rest in the trees and sing. There isn’t a musical instrument made by man that can produce a more beautiful sound than the song of the mockingbird.

I decided that I would catch a young bird and keep it in a cage and in that way would have my own private musician.

I finally succeeded in catching one and put it in a cage. At first, in its fright at being captured, the bird fluttered about the cage, but eventually it settled down in its new home. I felt very pleased with myself and looked forward to some beautiful singing from my tiny musician.

I had left the cage out on our back porch, and on the second day of the bird’s captivity my new pet’s mother flew to the cage with food in her mouth. The baby bird ate everything she brought to it. I was pleased to see this. Certainly the mother knew better than I how to feed her baby.

The following morning when I went to see how my captive was doing, I discovered it on the floor of the cage, dead. I was shocked! What had happened! I had taken excellent care of my little bird, or so I thought.

Arthur Wayne, the famous ornithologist, happened to be visiting my father at the time, hearing me crying over the death of my bird, explained what had occurred. “A mother mockingbird, finding her young in a cage, will sometimes bring it poison berries. She thinks it better for her young to die than to live in captivity.”

Never since then have I caught any living creature and put it in a cage. All living creatures have a right to live free.

1.Why did the writer catch a mockingbird when he was a boy of 12?

A．He had just got a new cage.                B．He liked its beautiful feather.

C．He wanted it to sing for him.               D．He wanted a pet for a companion.

2.The mockingbird died because it ______.

A．was frightened to death                  B．ate the poisonous food its mother gave it

C．refused to eat anything                   D．drank the poisonous water by mistake

3.An ornithologist probably means ______.

A．a religious person                       B．a kind person

C．a schoolmaster                         D．an expert in birds

4.What is the most important lesson the writer learned from the incident?

A．Freedom is very valuable to all creatures.

B．All birds put in a cage won’t live long.

C．You should keep the birds from their mother.

D．Be careful about food you give to baby birds.

 

Last week, President Barack Obama gave a back- to-school speech to students at the Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Students in schools across the country al­so tuned in to watch the President's speech on TV. He stressed the importance of trying new things, working hard and believing in yourself.

While admitting that times are tough for families across the country, Obama reminded students that hard work now can mean big success later. “Nobody gets to write your destiny(命运）but you,” he said. “Your future is in your hands. Your life is what you make of it. And nothing—absolutely nothing—is beyond your reach."

Obama spoke about his own life, and lessons he learned from his mother, who had to remind him to stay focused on his studies. He told students the recipe (诀窍) for success: “Showing up to school on time. Paying attention in class. Doing your homework. Studying for exams. Staying out of trouble. ”

Obama encouraged students to embrace(欣然接受)what makes them different. “We shouldn't be em­barrassed by the things that make us different,” he said. “We should be proud of them.”

He also suggested taking advantage of all of the opportunities at your school, and always being open to trying new things. “Just because you’re not the best at something today doesn't mean you can't be tomorrow,” he said. “Even if you don't think of yourself as a math person or as a science person—you can still excel in those subjects if you're willing to make the effort. And you may find out you have talents you’d never dreamed of.”

1.What does Obama mainly want to tell the students in Paragraph 2?

A. Some families are experiencing a hard time.

B. Different people have different destinies.

C. They can create their own future.

D. Those who don't study hard will achieve nothing.

2.In Paragraph 3, Obama tried to encourage the students by _______.

A. telling an interesting story

B. sharing the secret to success

C. telling his own life experience

D. referring to some famous people

3.Obama suggested the students should   _________ .

A. not study hard for high marks

B. accept things that make them different

C. do what they are really interested in

D. not do things which are difficult for them

4.The underlined phrase “excel in” in the last para­graph means “_________”.

A. be careful with                                                   B. be attracted to

C. be interested in                                                 D. be good at

 

The quest for success always begins with a target. As Berra once said, “You got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there.”

Too many people wander through life like sleepwalkers．Each day they follow familiar routines, never asking, “What am I doing with my life?” and they don’t know what they’re doing because they lack goals．

Goal-setting is a focusing of the will to move in a certain direction．Begin with a clear conception of what you want．Write down your goals and date them—putting them into words clarifies them．Rather than concentrating on objects to acquire and possess, focus on fulfilling your desires to do, to produce, to contribute—goal-setting that yields the true sense of satisfaction we all need．

It’s important to visualize（想象）yourself accomplishing your goal．While losers visualize the penalties（不利）of failure, winners visualize the rewards of success．I’ve seen it among athletes, statistics contrasting air and highway safety, but it made no difference．I had read too many articles describing crash scenes and imagined these scenes vividly．I had programmed myself, without realizing it, to stay off planes．

Then one summer I had the opportunity to fly on a private plane with friends to a resort；I didn’t want to miss out on a great vacation．So I spent two weeks imagining a smooth flight on a beautiful sunny day and an easy landing．

When the day arrived, I was eager to go．To everyone’s surprise, I got on the plane and I loved every minute of it, and I still use the techniques I employed that day．

1.According to the passage, if you want to be successful, the first thing for you to do is   ________．

A．find the right methods                   B．be careful about everything

C．know your ability                        D．have a clear goal

2.If you have a target, you will ________．

A．wander like a sleepwalker

B．know well what you are doing

C．do the same work every day

D．put it into words

3.The problem with the author before he overcame his fear of air travel is that________．

A．he didn’t know air travel is safer than highway travel

B．he couldn’t imagine himself accomplishing his goal

C．he read too much about plane crashes and tried to avoid flying

D．he wanted to take a private plane instead of a public one

4.What would be the best title for this passage?

A．Define Your Coal

B．Visualize Rewards of Success

C．Overcome the Fear of Air Travel

D．Sleepwalking Through Life

 

AAAGH! The Generation 90s is coming!

Wearing earphones, using complex Net language and constantly text messaging friends, the Gen-90s following the Gen-80s begin to make their world debut （初次登台）.

Each generation or age group has its own symbols and lifestyle. Read on and judge for yourselves if you fit the Gen-90s group.               

Earphones

These little devices seem to grow on the heads of the Gen-90s. They might lead to MP3, MP4 or MP101 players, giving these young people a plugged-in, cool and perhaps self-addicted look, of course, life is not always music to the ears.     

Martian(火星的) language

They have created their own code-like online language. It’s a mixture of English, Japanese and Chinese that perhaps only Martians can understand. This is an imaginative generation, though they need to be careful to keep it out of their term papers.                

Self-Portrait

Saying “cheese” to their own digital cameras is usual for this generation. A little bit of narcissism （自恋） never hurts anyone. It helps them reflect a little on their own lives. But be aware of the risks of posting private photos online.

Text-messaging

They can type their mobile phones as fast as they can speak. This is a generation that respects efficiency(效率). However, oral communication is important and will never go out of style.

1.Who do you think would most likely be the readers of the passage?

A．Teenagers         B．Educators         C．Socialists          D．Parents

2.According to the passage, if you belong to the Gen-90s , you will ____________ .

A．just appreciate yourself and ignore others’ strengths.

B．have your own symbols and lifestyle.

C．have the same symbols and lifestyle of the Gen-80s.

D．like music and dance very much.

3.According to the text, the writer will choose ______ as a good example to the Gen-90.

A．Li Hua likes music and always wearing ipod

B．Zhang Chao is not only an imaginative boy but do everything efficiently.

C．Lily is a shy girl and she doesn’t like making friends.

D．Fangfang likes being taken photos and often posting them on line.

4.According to this passage, which is WRONG?

A．Not all teens are careful about posting photos online.

B．They type their mobile phones so fast that it can catch the speed of speaking.

C．The Gen-90s have a preference for some music players, and even regard them as a necessary part of life.

D．They don’t use the cool and complex online language in formal writing.

5.The main idea of the passage is about________.

A．the Gen-90s’ happy life

B．the difference between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s

C．the Gen-90s’ unique lifestyle and some practical warnings

D．the similarities between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s

 

    The surprising experiment I am about to describe proves that air is all around you and that it presses down upon you. Air pressure is a powerful force. When you swim underwater, you can feel water pushing down on your body. The air all around you does the same. However, your body is so used to it that you do not notice this. The pressure is caused by a layer of air called the atmosphere. This layer surrounds the Earth, extending to about five kilometers above the Earth’s surface.

    The following experiment is an easy one that you can do at home. But make sure that you are supervised, because you will need to use matches. Now for the experiment！

What you need

 ??A hard-boiled egg without the shell

 ??A bottle with a neck slightly smaller than the egg

 ??A piece of paper

 ??A match

 Method

 1） Check that the egg will sit firmly on the neck of the bottle.

 2） Tear the paper into strips and put the strips into the bottle.

 3） Light the paper by dropping a burning match into the bottle.

 4） Quickly sit the egg on the neck of the bottle.

Result

    Astonishingly, the egg will be sucked into the bottle. Your friends will be amazed when you show them the experiment. But be careful when you handle matches.

Why it happened

    As the paper burns, it needs oxygen and uses up the oxygen （air） in the bottle. The egg acts as a seal in the neck of the bottle, so no more air can get inside. This reduces the air pressure inside the bottle. The air pressure must equalize, so more air from outside must enter the bottle. The outside air pressure against the egg and then the egg is pushed into the bottle! This proves that air is all around and that it is pressing down on it.

Why is there the need to take care when you are doing the experiment?

 A. The bottle could break.

 B. You need to light the paper with a match.

 C. The egg needs to be shelled.

 D. The egg has to be perfectly placed on the neck of the bottle.

In the experiment, the burning inside the bottle can___.

 A. equalize the air pressure inside and outside

 B. make a seal in the neck of the bottle

 C. finish up the oxygen inside the bottle

 D. produce more oxygen inside the bottle

How did the egg put into the bottle？

 A. The oxygen inside the bottle sucked the egg in.

 B. It became saft without the shell.

 C. The neck of the bottle was wide enough.

 D. The outside air pressure forced it into the bottle.

The experiment is carried cut to prove ______.

 A. water pushes on your body when you swim underwater.

 B. the earth is surrounded by a layer of air called the atmosphere.

 C. the pressure of air around us has a powerful force.

 D. the air pressure is not equalized around us.