On Nov.18th, 1908, three men went up in a balloon. They started early in London. The headman was Auguste Gaudron, and the other two men were Tannar and Maitland. They had a big balloon and they were ready for a long way.

Soon they heard the sea. They were carrying the usual rope, and it was hanging down from the basket of the balloon. At the end of the rope they had tied a metal box. This could hold water, or it could be empty. So they were able to use the box to change the weight of the balloon. The three people were also carrying some bags of sand.

After the sun rose, the balloon went higher. It went up to 3,000 metres, and the air was very cold. The water in the balloon became ice. Snow fell past the men's basket, and they could see more snow on the ground. The men tried to throw out some more sand; but it was hard. They tried to break the icy sand with their knives, but it was not easy. The work was slow and they were still falling, so they had to drop some whole bags of sand. One of them fell on an icy lake and made a black hole in the ice.

　　At last they pulled the box into the basket. It was still snowing; so they climbed to get away from the snow. They rose to 5,100 metres! Everything became icy. They were very cold and  they decided to land. They came down in Poland　heavily but safely. They had travelled 1,797 kilometres from London!

1.Where did they start their travel on Nov.18th, 1908?

                                                                             

2.What was the metal box used for?

                                                                            

3. Why did they have to drop some whole bags of sand during the travel?

                                                                             

4. How long did they travel in the end?

                                                                            

5.

What do you think of the three people and their travel? (请自拟一句话作答)

                                                                             

 

______ volleyball here, ______ you may break the windows.

A. Play, or    B. Don’t play, or   C. Play, so    D. Don’t play, so

 

Young people and older people don’t always agree. They sometimes have different ideas about living, working and playing. But in one special programme in New York State, adults and teenagers live together in a friendly way.
Each summer 200 teenagers and 50 adults live together for eight weeks as members of a special work group. Everyone works several hours each day. They do so not just to keep busy but to find meaning and enjoyment in work. Some teenagers work in the woods or on the farms near the village. Some learn to make things like tables and chairs and build houses. The adults teach them these skills.
There are several free hours each day. Weekends are free, too. During the free hours some of the teenagers learn photo taking or painting. Others sit around and talk or sing. Each teenager chooses his own way to spend his free time.
When people live together, rules are necessary. In this programme the teenagers and the adults make the rules together. If someone breaks a rule, the problem goes before the whole group. They talk about it and ask, “Why did it happen? What should we do about it?”
One of the teenagers has this to say about his experience, “You stop thinking only about yourself; you learn to think about the group.”
【小题1】In one special programme in New York State, young and older people _______ .

A．don’t work well together.

B．are friendly to one another.

C．teach one another new ways of building houses.

D．spend eight weeks together, working as farmers..

【小题2】All the members work some time every day mainly to _______ .

A．lead a busy life.

B．learn new skills of farming;

C．get used to the life on the farms

D．find value and pleasure in work

【小题3】Living together, _________ .

A．the teenagers don’t have to obey the rules

B．the teenagers have to obey the rules the adults make

C．the members have no free time on weekends

D．the members are not allowed to break the rules they make together

【小题4】The last programme shows that the teenager thinks his experience in the programme is ____ .

A．unpleasant

B．tiring

C．helpful

D．boring

【小题5】The best title for the passage is __________ .

A．The rules of living together

B．Life in New York State

C．Teenagers in the special group

D．Free hours in the special work group

Many years ago, there was an old man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge(判断) things too quickly. So he told them to go and look at a pear tree. It was far away from his home. The first son went in winter, the second in spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in autumn.

When the sons came back, the old man asked them to say what they had seen.

The first son complained the tree was ugly. The second son said the tree was covered with buds and full of hope. The third son said the tree was full of green leaves. They looked so beautiful, and it was the most wonderful thing he had ever seen. The youngest son said that the tree was bowed down with heavy fruits. It was full of life and fulfillment(收获).

The man explained that all of his sons were right, but each of them had seen just one season of the tree. He told them that they couldn't judge a tree or a person by only one season. "If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the hope of your spring, the beauty of your summer, and the fulfillment of your autumn." said the old man

It is true that we shouldn't let the hard season break the happiness of the other seasons. Never give up during the difficult days and better times are sure to come some day.

1.Why did the old man ask his sons to look at the pear tree?         

A．Because he liked. eating pears.

B．Because the tree was important to his family.

C．Because he wanted to teach them not to judge things too quickly.

D．Because his sons didn't judge things quickly.

2.The fourth son went to see the tree in          .                     

A．Spring

B．Summer

C．Autumn

D．Winter

3.The underlined word "buds" probably means        in Chinese.        

A．叶子

B．枝条

C．果实

D．花蕾

4.Which of the following is true?                                     

A．The pear tree was near his home.

B．The third son said the tree was beautiful.

C．The four sons all liked the tree.

D．Even you give up in winter, you can still get hope in other seasons

5.What's the main idea of this passage?                              

A．Don't judge a life by one difficult season.

B．Father's love is great.

C．Every tree has four seasons.

D．Life is different for everyone.

 

Many Chinese students think American students enjoy more freedom than them at school. In fact, American schools also have their rules. If students break(违背) the rules, they will get punishment（惩罚）, too.  On the first day of a new term, 128 students of Morton High School were sent back home for wearing the wrong clothes. There are altogether(总共)1,200 students in the school. Usually only 20 students break the school dress rule every day. So the headmaster（校长）Theresa Mayerik said it was the worst new term she had ever seen.
At Morton High School, students’ favorite clothes such as wide pants and low-necked shirts are not allowed( 允许). Some students think they have the right to choose what to wear, but the headmaster doesn’t think so.“ I’d be supportive if half the school was sent back home ,because 99% will get the message that our school is for education”
“Freedom” doesn’t mean “free of restrictions(限制性规定)”. That is to say, there is no total(完全的) freedom in the world, no matter in the US or in China.
【小题1】Many Chinese students think that American student_______.

A．are very free at school

B．as clever as them

C．love their school a lot

D．have many rules at school

【小题2】Some students of Morton High School were sent back home for_______.

A．not finishing their homework

B．playing computer games

C．not wearing the right clothes

D．being late for school

【小题3】Some students in Morton High School thinks they have the right(权利) to____

A．decide when to go to school

B．choose what to wear to school

C．eat and drink in class

D．decide how to go to school

【小题4】The underlined( 划线的 ) word means“_______ ” in Chinese.

A．高兴的

B．支持的

C．害怕的

D．反对的

【小题5】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．In America, if students break the school rules, they won’t get any punishment.

B．In Morton High School, there are usually 128 students breaking the school dress rules

C．The writer doesn’t think there is freedom in America

D．The writer doesn’t think there is total freedom in the world.