Which country grows the most tea? The answer is India. It grows three times as much as China. Which country drinks the most tea? It’s neither China nor Japan. It’s Great Britain.

In the wild, tea plants may be 30 feet tall. But a plant grown for market is pruned. Pruning keeps the plant only three or four feet tall. This is an easy height for tea picking. Only the two top leaves and bud of each new shoot are picked. So to make money, tea plantations must be huge.

In general, there are two kinds of tea. Black tea and green tea. Black tea is fermented. In the process, the tea loses nearly all of its healthy qualities. Green tea is steamed right after the leaves are picked. Green tea retains its healthy qualities. For example, it may prevent heart disease.

How did we get tea bag? The answer: by accident. Tea merchants used to send samples in tin boxes. This was costly. One merchant thought of a cheaper way. He sent samples in small silk bags. Customers would cut open the bag. They would brew the leaves as usual. One customer put the bag into a pot. Then he just poured hot water over it. And the tea bag was born.

Shen Nong was the first to drink tea. (Shen was a Chinese emperor.) This was about 2737 B.C. Shen had bad digestion. So he drank several cups of hot water daily. One day something happened. Leaves from a wild tea tree fell into the hot water pot. The next cup was poured. The water was now colored. Shen sipped it. He liked it. He drank it all. Shen was proud of his new drink. He served it to his guests. Word spread. People thought this way. Tea is good enough for the Emperor. So it must be good enough for the people. Tea became the drink of China.

1.The best title for this passage should be ________________.

A. Black Tea B. Tea Plant

C. About Tea D. Tea Bag

2.One difference between green tea and black tea is that green tea __________.

A. must be pruned B. has a better taste

C. is fermented D. is healthier

3.What does the underlined word “retains” mean?

A. Keeps. B. Makes.

C. Produces. D. Loses.

4.We can know from this passage that __________.

A. tea bag was invented by a merchant

B. tea is better than any other drink

C. tea is popular in many countries

D. tea only grows in warm climates

In Britain you’re allowed to drive a car when you’re seventeen. You have to get a special two-year driving license before you can start. When you’re learning,someone with a full license always has to be in the car with you because you aren’t allowed to drive the car on the road alone. You don’t have to go to a driving school --- a friend can teach you. The person with you isn’t allowed to take money for the lesson unless he’s got a teacher’s license.

Before you’re allowed to have a full license, you have to take a driving test. You can take a test in your own car, but it has to be fit for the road. In the test you have to drive round for about half an hour and then answer a few questions. If you don’t pass the test, you’re allowed to take it again a few weeks later if you want to. In 1970 a woman passed her fortieth test after 212 driving lessons! When you’ve passed your test, you don’t have to take it again, and you’re allowed to go on driving as long as you like. Britain’s oldest driver was a man who drove in 1974 at the age of 100.

Before 1904 everyone was allowed to drive, even children. Then from 1904 car drivers had to have a license. But they didn’t have to take a test until 1935. On the early days of car driving, before 1878, cars weren’t allowed to go faster than four miles an hour, and someone had to lead the car with a red flag.

1.A person can’t take money for driving lessons unless he __________.

A．has learnt to drive in a driving school

B．has a full driving license

C．has a full license and a teacher’s license

D．is given a special two-year driving license

2.In the driving test, one _______________________.

A．mustn’t drive his car, even though the car is fit for the road

B．is usually asked to drive on roads for some time

C．has to be examined(考查) only in car driving skills

D．must drive around for more than an hour

3.When can I take the driving test again if I don’t pass it?

A．a few years later

B．right after the first test

C．a few weeks later

D．never

4.Which of the following is NOT true?

A．There is no limit (限制)to the age of an old man who drives a car.

B．One can take a driving test again and again until he passes it.

C．There was a speed limit to cars before 1878.

D．A car driver didn’t have to get a limit license until 1935.

5.The best title for the passage is _____________.

A．Driving Licenses in Britain

B．Tests for Britain People

C．Driving Cars

D．Young Men’s Driving Licenses

We were doing the best to control the fire of the burning garage. Outside, I heard the sounds of cats crying. I couldn’t stop- I would have to look for the cats after the fire was put out.
It took a long time to finally bring the big fire under control. No one inside was hurt. At that point I was free to find out where the cat noises were from. There was still a lot of smoke and heat coming from the building. I followed the meowing to the sidewalk in front of the garage. There, crying and huddled together, were five frightened kittens . They must have been inside the building, as their fur was badly hurt.
I wanted to find the mother cat. It was obviously that she had gone into the burning garage and carried out all her babies, one by one----unbelievable.
We finally found her. Her paws and face were blackened, and her fur was burned all over. You could even see her reddened skin under the burned fur. She could hardly move. I picked her up, and she relaxed in my arms as much as her pain would allow. I was determined to save this brave little cat and her family.
The veterinarian told me they would watch the kittens and their mother for the night, but they weren’t confident about the about the mother’s chances.
About a week later, I found out she was going to live. We named her Scarlet because of her reddened skin.
I was happy to see Scarlet get together with the kittens again. She touched each of them, nose to nose. She had risked her life five times-and it had paid off. All of her babies had survived.
As a firefighter, I see heroic acts every day. But what Scarlet showed me that day was the kind of bravery that can only come from a mother’s love.
【小题1】Which f the following is TRUE according to the story?

Working Christmas Day

It was unusually quiet in the emergency room （急诊室） on December25.

I didn't think there would be any patients, complaining about having to work on. Just then five people showed up at my desk, a pale woman and four small children.

"Are you all sick?" I asked doubtfully.

"Yes," she said weakly and lowered her head.

But when it came to descriptions of their problems, things got a little unclear. Two of the children had headaches, but I couldn't find any normal body language of holding the head or trying to keep it still. Two children had earaches, but only one could tell me which ear was hurting. The mother complained of a cough but seemed to work to produce it.

Something was wrong, but I didn't say anything but explained that it might be a little while before a doctor saw her. She replied, "Take your time; it's warm in here."

I checked the form after the admitting clerk had finished her work with the family. No address — they were homeless. The waiting room was warm.

I looked out at the family standing by the Christmas tree. The youngest one was pointing at the television and shouting something to her mother. The oldest one was looking at the colorful Christmas tree.

I went back to the nurses' station and mentioned we had a homeless family in the waiting room. The nurses, complaining about working Christmas, turned to pity for a family just trying to get warm on Christmas. The team went into action, much as we do when there's a medical emergency. But this one was a Christmas emergency.

We were all offered a free meal in the hospital dining hall on Christmas Day, so we prepared a big one for our Christmas guests. We needed presents, too. We put together oranges and apples in a basket. We collected from different departments candies, crayons and other things that could be presents. As seriously as we met the physical needs of the patients that came to us that day, our team worked to meet the needs, and beyond the expectations, of a family who just wanted to be warm on Christmas Day.

Later, as the family walked to the door to leave, the four-year-old came running back, gave me a hug and whispered, "Thanks for being our angels today."

1.Why did the family come to the hospital?

A. They were sick. B. They were cold and hungry.

C. They wanted to visit friends. D. They got all their money lost.

2.How did the writer and her workmates help the family?

A. They offered a free meal to them.

B. They bought some presents for them.

C. They sent for a doctor for them.

D. They asked them to stay overnight in the hospital.

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A. The mother was seriously ill.

B. The family were driven out of the hospital.

C. The writer and her workmates always liked to work on Christmas.

D. The family thanked the writer and her workmates for their kindness.

We always want to prepare ourselves to the changes we may face when we go to a different country. Well, I have to say that for me, even after living in the US for one year and a half, I am still not used to the changes of weather, or how to manage my money well. There are many things that can give us culture shocks, but it is up to us whether to make it a big shock or a small one.

I know that changing schools was a big thing for me. It helped me to be stronger and open towards meeting new people.  Sometimes it feels like everybody is already in a group. This makes it harder for someone else to go in. But, it is not that hard. Actually many people know that you are from another country. They feel curious about your “history”, and would often think you are a different man.

Another thing that can produce a shock to me is the sudden change of weather. During the last couple of days, there was an ice-snow storm. It was the biggest in 15 years in the state of Missouri. It was raining ice, really, and you could hear sounds outside the window like little pieces of rocks hitting it, of course it was the ice. It started accumulating so heavily that the University had to close down for two days, and it got worse when it started snowing after the ice storm.

As international students, you may at times find something very difficult, but hey, anyone can beat and overcome it to make studying aboard an unforgettable experience.

1.The author has been in the US for          .

2.Changing schools        .

3.The underlined word “accumulating” means       in Chinese.

4.Which of the following is NOT mentioned to be a shock for the author when he studied in the US?

A. The big changes of weather.  

B. B.Managing money.

C.Changing schools.           

D.Difference in language.

5.What is the main idea of this article?