To hitch-hike successfully in any country you must be able to do two things: attract attention and at the same time convince the driver at a glance that you do not intend to rob or murder him. To fulfill the first requirement you must have some mark to distinguish you at once from all other hikers. A serviceman, for instance, should wear his uniform, a student his scarf. In a foreign country an unmistakable indication of your own nationality will also arrest a driver’s attention.

When I hitch-hiked 9,500 miles across the United States and back recently I wore a well-tailored suit, a bowler hat and a trench coat, and carried a pencil-thin rolled black umbrella. My suitcase was decorated with British flags. Having plenty of luggage, moreover, I was not likely to be suspected of being a dangerous lunatic(精神病患者). I then had to get across to the driver the idea that I was a real traveler, and needed to get somewhere cheaply.

But even with careful preparation, you must not assume that the task will be easy. You should be prepared to wait a little, for there are drivers who confess to a fierce prejudice against, （not to say hatred of）, hitch-hikers, and would no more pick up a hiker than march from Aldermaston to London. In America, my average wait was half-an-hour, and my longest two hours, but I have heard of people waiting all day; they probably took less pains to make themselves easy to notice.

Nor must you assume that all the drivers who stop for you are nice, normal people. On one occasion I found myself driving with two boys of about nineteen who turned out to be on the run from the police, and were hoping to use me as an alibi. There are also lesser(较小的) risks: you may find yourself in the car of a Fascist fanatic, a Mormon missionary(传教士), or just a bad driver. You cannot tell, of course until you are in the car. But you soon learn the art of the quick excuse that gets you out again.w(w w.ks&5 u.c*o m

If the hitch-hiker in the U.S. will remember that he is seeking the willingness of drivers to give him a free ride, and is prepared to give in exchange entertainment and company, and not go to sleep, he will come across the remarkable, almost legendary, hospitality of American of the West. It will also help if he can drive—I think that I drove myself about 4,500 of those 9,500 miles I hitch-hiked in the States.

A hitch-hiking serviceman should wear his uniform       .

    A. so as not to look too unusual

    B. to attract attention

    C. to show he is on duty

    D. to put the driver at ease

In paragraph 3, we learn that the writer      .

A. has sometimes failed to hitch a ride

B. has marched from Aldermaston to London

C. has always been successful in hitching a ride

D. has had to wait for long hours for a ridew(w w.ks&5 u.c*o m

The main idea of Paragraph 4 is that       .

A. it is dangerous to be in a car with strangers

B. hitch-hiking may turn out to be risky sometimes

C. a hitch-hiker must also learn the art of quick excuse

D hitch-hikers might come across bad drivers

In the last paragraph, the writer mainly wants to tell us that a hitchhiker should      .

A. not talk to the driver too much

B. fall asleep to make it a peaceful ride

C. try to make himself pleasant and entertaining

D. seek the willingness of drivers

A suitable title for the passage would be      .

A. “The Art of Hitch-hiking”

B. “An Englishman’s View of the U.S.”

C. “An English Hitch-hiker”

     D. “The joys and Dangers of hitch-hiking

Alan took an early interest in gardening---first on his grandfather’s Yorkshire allotment in Ilkley, and then in his parents’ back garden. Small polythene（聚乙烯）greenhouses appeared in the back garden, and cacti（仙人掌）were bought from church markets.
Alan left school at fifteen with one `O’ level in Art and took a job as an apprentice（学徒）gardener in Ilkley Parks Department nursery, studying for his City and Guilds in Horticulture（园艺）in the evening.
He went on to horticultural college at Oaklands in Hertfordshire where he studied for one year full-time, being awarded the National Certificate in Horticultural. This was followed by three years at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, resulting in the award of the Kew Diploma.
After two years as supervisor of staff training at Kew, Alan entered journalism where he became first a gardening books editor, and then Deputy Editor of Amateur Gardening magazine. He appeared regularly on BBC Radio and Television in programs such as Nationwide , Breakfast Time, Open Air, Pebble Mill, Songs of Praise, Titchmarsh’s Travels, and the Chelsea Flower Show. He presented the 100th edition of The Word for Channel 4, and hosted the quiz show Ask the Family.
Gardeners’ World and the hugely popular Ground Force, second only to Easterners in the BBC1 ratings, are broadcast as far as Australia, New Zealand and North America. After leaving both programs, Alan worked on two other series for the BBC to be transmitted in 2003 and 2004, one of them a landmark series on the natural history of Britain. Alan writes for the Daily Express, Sunday Express, Radio Times and BBC Gardeners’ World magazine, and has more than thirty gardening books to his credit. His four novels, as well as a book about his own life, have been best sellers.
Alan, 53, gardens organically, and lives with his wife, two daughters and a medley of animals.
【小题1】We know that Alan ______in his school days.

A．was good at writing novels	B．loved Horticulture very much even
C．didn’t do so well in his studies	D．decided to be an apprentice

【小题2】According to this passage, we can learn that______.

A．Alanaccepted little education	B．Alan wrote many books about food
C．Alan had never been married	D．Alan was first a gardening books editor

【小题3】Though the author doesn’t tell us directly, we can conclude that______.

A．Alan’s school teachers were not good at teaching the subject: Botany

B．when Alan was successful he was working as a journalist of the time

C．Alan had had four years of training in Horticulture before being a journalist

D．born as a man of many talents, Alan didn’t realize the fact until years later

【小题4】Which of the following four programs is more popular than Ground Force in the BBC1 ratings?

A．Breakfast Time.

B．Radio Time.

C．Gardeners’ World.

D．Easterners.

【小题5】 What’s the best title for the passage?

A．A Man of Many Talents.	B．Botany Makes Him What He Is Today.
C．No Pains, No Gains.	D．Can’t a Poorly-graded Student Be Successful?

Do your spirits soar (猛增) on a sunny day? Do you relax at the sound of flowing water?

Some scientists suggest that these contacts with nature are good for your health. In one study, hospital patients with a view of trees had shorter hospital stays and less need for pain medications. Another study indicated that prisoners with a view of the outdoors had fewer doctor visits.

“Why do we desire nature? Maybe we’re programmed to need it, since our ancestors’ survival was so dependent on their connection with nature,” suggests biologist E.O. Wilson.

Want to find out if contact with nature improves your outlook on life? Try a few of these ideas.

Hang out a bird feeder and watch the birds that visit it.

Sit down in the backyard or a nearby park. Close your eyes. What do you hear? Birds singing? The wind in the trees? Crickets (蟋蟀) chirping?

Find an anthill. Sit down and watch the ants work.

Take a walk right after a rainstorm. What looks different? Smells different?

Go barefoot on a sandy beach.

Open the curtains and the window, if the weather allows it.

On a windy day, watch the trees.

Go to a creek, river or park fountain. Listen to the sound of water in motion.

Camp out in the backyard or at a nearby state park. Use a tent or sleep on the ground.

Find a wide-open space to study the stars. Learn about the different constellations (星座).

Raise a garden. Or plant some seeds in a flowerpot.

Go hiking with your family. Talk about all of the colors you see in nature.

Take a camera and capture your nature experience.

1.From Paragraph 2 we can learn that ______.

A．prisoners don’t like to go to the doctor when ill	B．trees can be used as pain medications
C．prisoners should often get out of prison to come into contact with nature
D．contacts with nature are very helpful for hospital patients

2.According to E.O. Wilson, we desire nature probably because ______.

A．it can help us feel relaxed

B．we have inherited (继承) from our ancestors who were dependent on nature

C．people have lived with nature for thousands of years

D．contacts with nature can improve a person’s outlook on life

3.The author gives us many ideas in order to let us ______.

A．find out if contacts with nature improve our outlook on life
B．hear birds sing and watch ants work
C．talk about the colors we see in nature	D．capture our experience in nature

4.From the passage, we can learn that ______.

A．studying the constellations is important to everyone
B．you can know all the colors only by going hiking
C．nature is quite important to us	D．walking in a rainstorm can be very helpful

5.What is the best title of the passage?

A．Go hiking with your family.	B．Let nature nurture you.
C．Visit your doctor less.	D．Watch the trees more often.

 

My friend Karen and I were always together. Karen was only a few months older than I. I always thought she was so beautiful, with long hair and blue eyes. I loved Karen so much because she liked me for being the way I was. I could be myself and share my secrets with her and I never felt like I was being judged.
We had so much fun and were really quite silly. One time I asked my mom to make us the same dresses so we could pretend we were twins.
We continued as best friends throughout grade school. One day, Karen was going to another friend’s place and asked me to come along, but I couldn’t go because I had a babysitting job that afternoon. We walked together to the Becker’s home where I was to babysit and then she continued on her way without me. We had agreed that I would meet her at the corner when she returned and I finished my job.
At four o’clock I rushed to the corner so I wouldn’t be late for meeting Karen. Just as I arrived at the corner, I saw Karen crossing the street. In a second it happened. I saw Karen’s body fly up in the sky. A car had hit her！
Karen was on life support for a week before it was decided that they would allow her to go in peace. Karen’s parents wanted to donate her organs(器官)to the hospital, but there was nothing left healthy enough to be used because she was hit so hard.
I have never got so close to another person since Karen died. I do miss her! Do you cherish(珍惜)your friends? If you don’t, please do, as you may lose them one day.
【小题1】What’s the best title for the passage?

A．A horrible car accident

B．An unforgettable experience

C．My dearest friend—Karen

D．An unforgettable girl

【小题2】When Karen was hit by a car, she was            .

A．on her way to a friend’s place

B．on her way to the Becker’s home

C．shouting to the writer who was so far from her

D．heading to the corner where she and the writer would meet

【小题3】Why were Karen’s organs unable to be donated?

A．Because her parents refused to do that.

B．Because all of her organs were seriously damaged.

C．Because the doctors thought it was too cruel.

D．Because no patients needed organs in the hospital then.

【小题4】What does the writer suggest we do?

A．Cherish our friends.

B．Accept the fact that people die.

C．Be careful when crossing the street.

D．Never be too close to someone.

Here is the Nine O‘clock News：

 1. President Absul Krim of Syria says that the danger of war in the Middle East is greater now than for the past two years. His country does not want war， he says， but the Syrian people have waited too long for an end to the troubles with their neighbors. If war comes, says Mr. Krim, Syria will be ready.

2. Ben Kitson, a writer of stories and plays for children, has died at his home in California. Mr. Kitson was 82. His most famous book of stories, “The Gentleman‘s House” sells all over the world, in more than twenty-five languages.

3. Policemen in New York have gone on strike. Their leader Mr. Paul Angeli says that they will return to work only when they receive more money for working long hours and doing what Mr. Angeli calls “the most dangerous job in the city”.

4. It has been a good year on the farm. The warm, wet spring and the fine summer have been very good for all kinds of food plants. This means that fruits and vegetables will cost less in the shops this year.

5. MORE than 1,100 people committed suicide（自杀）in Beijing last year, and experts have been encouraging the capital to set up a mental health care system as soon as possible, local media reported last week. About 20 per cent of the people of Beijing live in unhealthy conditions, with 3 per cent of these suffering from affective disorder and 5 per cent reporting symptoms（症状）of depression, according to the Beijing Mental Health Service Centre.

The Syrian people _______.

A. are ready and waiting for war

B. are ready to wait another two years for war、

C. do not want war, but will be ready if it comes

D. are a great danger to peace in the Middle East

Mr. Kitson wrote _______.

A. plays and stories for children

B. 82 stories about his home in California

C. in more than twenty-five languages

D. books, and then sold them all over the world

As food plants have grown well， _______.

A. fruit and vegetables will be cheaper this year

B. there will be a warm, wet spring and a fine summer

C. food will be cheaper than it was in the spring

D. plants will be cheaper in the shops this year

What is the best title for the last pieces of news？

A. MORE than 1,100 people committed suicide（自杀）in Beijing last year.

B. About 20 per cent of the people of Beijing live in unhealthy conditions.

C. Beijing needs mental health care.

D. People living in Beijing suffer a lot.