A big, mighty(高大的) tree stood in a forest. Its branches(树枝) spread out and its roots (根) went deep in the earth. A lot of people came here to have a rest under it. And a lot of birds stood on its branches to sing and dance. The big tree was very proud all the time.
At the foot of the tree, there was a little plant. The plant was thin, and seemed to be blown down by any of a little wind.
One day, the two neighbors were having a little chat.
“Well, little one,” said the tree to the plant, “why not put your feet deeply in the earth, and raise your head high in the air as I do?”
“I see there is no need to do so,” said the plant with a smile. “In fact, I think I may be safer in this way.”
“Safer?” said the tree. “Are you safer than I am? Do you know how deep my roots are in the earth and how strong my branches are? Who can possibly pull me out by the roots or bow my head to the ground?” And the tree didn’t want to say anything to the weak plant.
But the tree was to regret its words very soon. One evening, a great hurricane(飓风) came. It blew the trees off their roots and almost destroyed the forest completely. It uprooted（将……连根拔起）the mighty tree and blew it away with great force.
When the storm had gone, the villagers living nearby came to check the damage. The mighty tree lay on the ground, but the little plant still stood there.
【小题1】Who was the big tree’s neighbor?

Astronauts, people who fly into space, need special training. First they go to Houston, Texas. That is the home of the Johnson Space Centre. There they are tested to see how strong and smart they are.
One of the first tests is for the heart. The people walk or run, then the space doctors see how fast their hearts are beating.
Another important test is performed. In this test the person must curl（蜷曲）his body up in a ball. When he is in that position, he is put into a round cloth bag. The doctors give him no idea how long he will have to stay in the bag. If a spaceship broke down in space, the astronauts would get into bags like this. Then they would have to wait and curl up in darkness, until help could arrive. You can see that an astronaut must not be afraid of tight space or darkness.
After the tests, only the best people are chosen to start astronaut training in a training centre. The astronauts in training learn many other things. They learn how to jump out of a moving airplane. They learn to how to blow up a lifeboat and get into it while they are in the ocean. The astronauts also have to learn how to get lifted out of the ocean by helicopter（直升机）. That may look fun, but it can be dangerous.
After they finish training, the astronauts continue to work. They stay in good shape by running and doing exercise. They read about their special jobs. In that way they can learn new facts about space travel.
Then the big day comes. The astronaut is told to go to work on a flight into space. The crew members（全体船员）get to know each other first. Then they can learn which job each will do.
【小题1】The astronauts don’t know how long they will stay in the bag in the test because ________________.

根据句意及首字母填空
【小题1】 My uncle works in that r         , he’s a waiter.
【小题2】We’re h       a good time in the park.
【小题3】I’m very s         to see my teacher here.
【小题4】Hainan island(岛)is in the s      of China.
【小题5】It’s w       today. How strong the wind is!
【小题6】My house is on a b   street. There are lots of people and cars every day.
【小题7】The tree l       often turn yellow in autumn(秋天).
【小题8】Every student in our school must wear a u       .
【小题9】Singaporeans speak English and C      .
【小题10】Your room is too dirty. Please c        it now.

It's very early in the morning and I'm sitting outside. It's also very cold and dark. With me is Jim Nightingale, and he is the reason I'm up so early. He passes me a hot cup of coffee. "Not long to wait now," he says. I hope he's right.

    After a few minutes there is a very weak light in the east, and then I hear a bird singing. It sings very loud and very clear. "That's the robin(知更鸟)," says Jim. A few more birds start singing with the robin and Jim knows the names of them too. Half an hour later, there are more and more birds singing, and it's very loud! Suddenly, all around us the air is full of the sound of birdsong. This is the dawn chorus(晨鸣), and it's beautiful.

    "Wow, this is amazing!" I tell Jim, who is smiling. "Is there a dawn chorus every morning?"

    "Birds can sing any time of the year but the best time is the end of winter and during the spring. This is when the birds sing most."

    "Really? So, why do they sing?" I ask.

    "Well, there are two reasons," explains Jim. "Most of the songbirds who sing are males. They want to find a female(雌性)so they sing to show how strong they are. The females listen and choose the best singer! The birds also sing to tell other males to go away. They need their own area; they don't like sharing with another male."

    I listen to the birds; the songs seem too much to me. "Do the birds sing a special song in the morning?"

"That's a good question," replied Jim. "The successful birds have many kinds of calls and songs. Sometimes they copy the songs of other birds. This makes it sound like there are many birds in that place already and other males stay away. Also the female likes songs with different notes. Some birds, for example the European wren, have songs that contain over 700 different notes per minute!"

So, how does Jim know so much about birds? Well, he works as a volunteer for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. He is trying to help the birds live in the modern world. "More and more of the birds' habitat disappears every year. The sparrow, for example, was a very common bird in the UK, now it's in danger."

    By now the sun is up and the birds are quiet. It's light so they can start looking for food, they need a big breakfast after all that singing.

1.Why does the writer get up early in the morning?

A. To visit her friend.               B. To drink hot coffee.  

C. To see different birds.                  D. To hear birds sing.

2.A bird sings early in the morning mainly_______.

A. to call a female's attention          B. to fight with other males

C. to find a place to live in      D. to start looking for food

3. According to the text, which of the following statements is true?

A. At first the writer is happy to be up so early in the morning.

B. Male birds have their own ways of fooling other birds.

C. It's easier for the birds to find food early in the morning.

D. Jim has a job with the Royal Society for the Proteciton of Birds.

4.The text is mainly about_______.

A. the robin's songs                          B. the birds' habitat    

C. why birds sing                                D. how to protect birds

Astronauts, people who fly into space, need special training. First they go to Houston, Texas. That is the home of the Johnson Space Centre. There they are tested to see how strong and smart they are.

One of the first tests is for the heart. The people walk or run, then the space doctors see how fast their hearts are beating.

Another important test is performed. In this test the person must curl（蜷曲）his body up in a ball. When he is in that position, he is put into a round cloth bag. The doctors give him no idea how long he will have to stay in the bag. If a spaceship broke down in space, the astronauts would get into bags like this. Then they would have to wait and curl up in darkness, until help could arrive. You can see that an astronaut must not be afraid of tight space or darkness.

After the tests, only the best people are chosen to start astronaut training in a training centre. The astronauts in training learn many other things. They learn how to jump out of a moving airplane. They learn to how to blow up a lifeboat and get into it while they are in the ocean. The astronauts also have to learn how to get lifted out of the ocean by helicopter（直升机）. That may look fun, but it can be dangerous.

After they finish training, the astronauts continue to work. They stay in good shape by running and doing exercise. They read about their special jobs. In that way they can learn new facts about space travel.

Then the big day comes. The astronaut is told to go to work on a flight into space. The crew members（全体船员）get to know each other first. Then they can learn which job each will do.

1.The astronauts don’t know how long they will stay in the bag in the test because ________________.

A. the doctors need to know how strong they are

B. the astronauts need to show how smart they are

C. good astronauts mustn’t be afraid of darkness or tight space

D. nobody knows when help will come if the spaceship breaks down

2.The astronauts don’t learn how to ________________ in the training centre.

A. walk or run in space                                  B. jump out of the moving plane

C. blow up a lifeboat                             D. get lifted out of water by helicopter

3.Which is the correct order according to the passage?

a. Doctors do tests on the astronauts.

b. The astronauts go to the Space Centre.

c. The astronauts learn new facts about space travel.

d. The best people are chosen for training.

e. The astronauts go to work on a flight into space.

A. a, b, c, d, e              B. d, a, e, b, c              C. b, a, d, c, e              D. c, d, e, b, a

4.Which of the following is NOT true?

A. After the tests, only the best people are chosen to start astronaut training in a training centre.

B. The crew members get to know each other after the tests.

C. One of the first tests is for the heart.

D. An astronaut must not be afraid of tight space or darkness.