The world’s population has reached 7 billion（十亿）according to the United Nations（联合国）by 2011. It comes just 12 years since the total reached 6 billion - with official estimates saying the population will top 8 billion in 2025 and 10 billion before the end of the century.

And it is most likely that the 10-billionth baby will be born in the Asia-Pacific region - where the population growth rate is higher than anywhere else in the world.

Of the 2.3 billion people, the United Nations believes will be added by 2050, more than 1 billion will live in sub-Saharan Africa. The Indian subcontinent（次大陆）will add some 630 million people.

With more people to feed, more houses & medical care to provide, experts say the world’s resources（资源）will face more strain than before.

1.According to the picture, the population of the world reached 6 billion in ________.

A. 1987                     B. 1999                     C. 2011

2.We know that more than 1 billion will live in _______ by 2050.

A. sub-Saharan Africa

B. Indian subcontinent

C. the United States

3.According to the picture, _______ will have the largest population in 2050.

A. China                        B. India                        C. Nigeria

4.The underlined word “strain” in the last paragraph（段落）means “_________”.

A. 破坏                     B. 关闭                     C. 压力

5.The population of the world grows ________ according to the picture.

A. slower and slower

B. faster and faster

C. smaller and smaller

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
Mary is an American girl. Now she lives in Beijing with her parents. Mary doesn’t know much Chinese, but she is studying it. She often speaks Chinese with her Chinese friends. Sometimes they can’t understand her, because she can’t speak Chinese very well.
Mary likes animals. Her favourite animal is the panda. On Saturday morning, she goes out. She wants to go to the zoo to see pandas, elephants and monkeys. But she doesn’t know how to get there. She asks a Chinese boy the way. The boy can’t understand her. Then she takes out a pen and a piece of paper. She draws a panda on it, and shows the picture to the boy. And then the boy understands her, and shows her the way to the zoo.
【小题1】Mary is __________ girl.  
A. a Chinese        B. an American       C. an English
【小题2】Mary lives in __________ with her parents now.
A. Shanghai     B. New York          C. Beijing
【小题3】Mary doesn’t know how to get to _________.
A. the zoo      B. the park           C. the cinema
【小题4】Mary’s favourite animal is __________. 
A. the monkey       B the elephant        C. the panda
【小题5】At last, the boy _________.
A. draws a picture for Mary     B. takes her to the zoo    C. shows her the way to the zoo

What would the mascot（吉祥物）of the World Expo 2010 Shanghai probably say in the picture on the right？

A Running can keep you healthy                                 

B Welcome to Shanghai，China

C Animals are our good friend

D Water is very important for all of us

On Thanksgiving Day, a teacher asked her class of first-graders to draw a picture of something they were thankful for. She thought that these children from poor families actually had little to be thankful for. And she found most of them drawing pictures of flowers or tables with food. The teacher was very surprised to see the picture Douglas handed in. It’s a hand, a simple hand.

But whose hand? The class were very interested in the strange picture. “I think it must be the hand of God that brings us food,” said one child. “A farmer,” said another, “because he grows beautiful flowers.” Finally when the others were at work, the teacher went over Douglas’ desk and asked whose hand it was. “It’s your hand, Teacher,” he said quietly and shyly.

She remembered that she had often taken Douglas, a dirty lonely child, by the hand while having a class break. She often did that with the children. But it meant so much to Douglas. Perhaps this is everyone’s thanksgiving, not for the material things we get, but for the chance, in whatever small way, to give to others.

1.Whose hand did Douglas draw?  

2. Why did Douglas draw the picture?

3. What do you learn about Douglas from the passage?

4. According to the passage, which of the following is an opinion, but not a fact?

I didn’t think I had a passion(激情). I would sit in front of the TV all day, thinking about nothing but the next show. It was not long ago that I first learned how important having a passion is to life.
That day I went with my mum to drive my sister to the gym. I was bored. Then, as my mum stopped at a red light, someone on the side of the road caught my eye（吸引我的世界）. It was a man dressed in rags (衣衫褴褛). He was homeless. That didn’t interest me, for I had seen many like him before.
But in some ways he was different. This man was not sitting down with a sad expression(表情). He had a radio in his hand and was dancing happily to the music. The radio seemed to be the most precious(珍贵)thing he had.
“Mum, why does that man have a radio even thought（尽管） he’s homeless?” I asked.
“He bought it,” she replied. I was still unable to understand.
“But if he’s homeless, why doesn’t he use the money to buy food or clothes? He wasted it on something he doesn’t need.”
“Well, Sarah, sometimes food and clothes aren’t the most important things. We need happiness, too.”
The man must care too much about music to buy a radio instead of food clothes. I soon realized（意识到）that happiness is the key to life. Without it, there’s nothing to look forward to.
Since then I’ve never gone a day without thinking of what’s truly important. A home, a meal, clothes—these things are only part of the picture. What’s often forgotten is that we all need a pleasure, a light in a dark day. We all need a passion.
【小题1】How would Sarah spend her days long ago?