--- Where are you ________?

--- China.

[　　]

Are you ready for the coming festive season? What gifts will you give to make your friends feel special? Here teenagers share their ideas for gifts and look forward to the ones they'll get.

Hu Ziwei, 15, Nanjing Foreign Language School

My class will have a gift exchange party, during which we will put on a small talent show. Many of us had our gifts ready a week ago. I believe that the boys will give magic tools, stationary （文具） or sweets, while girls are likely to give dolls or mobile accessories （挂件）.

The biggest fun about these parties is not knowing from whom you'll receive a gift and who will receive your gifts. The computer will decide everything! Our teacher hopes the activity will help us get to know each other better – you see, we've only known each other for three months. I'm looking forward to my surprise gift!

Liu Wei, 17,Beijing No 8 High School

Although my birthday was in November, I'll get a special birthday gift from my classmates this week. A．collective （集体的） birthday party is scheduled for all the students who had birthdays fall in the last six months.

My classroom has been decorated with colorful ribbons and Christmas balls. Someone told me that there will be a huge birthday cake and that a personalized gift sent with best wishes from other students is being prepared for each birthday student. I'm sure we will treasure this event and I'm so looking forward to the big moment!

Yin Zhaohua, 19, Jixi No 1 High School in Heilongjiang

I'm still enjoying the gifts I received on Christmas Eve. Nowadays traditional greeting cards are being replaced with apples and sweets, which symbolize （象征） hope for the year ahead. I got more than 20 apples this Christmas, which means I sent a similar number of apples out. I think apples are healthier, more environmentally and friendly gifts than cards sent through the post.

Wu Shang, 16, Mianyang High School in Sichuan

These last two weeks have been filled with every kind of exam so the atmosphere（气氛） on campus is not at all like a holiday. I miss the days when I got handwritten cards.

In fact, I haven't received or sent holiday cards since the Internet became popular. It's so fast and easy to send an e-card. Also, text messages are fun and convenient （方便的）. I'll send warm hugs to my best friends on New Year's D．ay to let them know that I'll be always there for them.

1. Where is Yin Zhaohua from?

A．He is from the east of China                   B．He is from the capital of China

C．He is from the north of China                  D．He is from the west of China

2. Before the gift exchange party, Hu Ziwei knows _____________

A．from whom she'll receive a gift           B．who will receive her gifts.

C．what gift she will send to her classmates    D．that she may get a magic tool

3. In Liu Wei’s classroom we can’t see _____________ during the collective birthday party.

A．some colorful ribbons                              B．some Christmas balls

C．a huge birthday cake                               D．some mobile accessories

4. On New Year’s D．ay Wu Shang will _____________.

A．have an important exam                   B．send some handwritten cards

C．meet and hug her best friends warmly       D．send some text messages to her friends

5. From the passage we can infer _____________

A．the kids share the same ideas about gifts  

B．the kids will receive and send expensive gifts

C．apples are sent as gifts to keep young kids healthy

D．the kids are trying to show their wishes in different ways

Maybe you know floods, droughts, earthquakes, sandstorms and so on. But have you ever heard of typhoons?

　　 Typhoons are some of the worst storms, usually around the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. Most happen in July, August and September.

　　 How does a typhoon happen? When lots of sea water gets hot in the summer sun, it evaporates into the air. This makes the air hotter. When the air gets warm enough, it starts to move higher up into the sky. Then, cooler air around it rushes in. It fills the space that is left. After the air gets warmer, it starts to move quickly, making wind. The wind goes in circles, and it keeps moving higher in the sky. The warmer the air gets, the quicker the wind moves. And when the wind moves faster than 30 meters a second, a typhoon begins.

　　 　A typhoon has two parts. One is called the "eye". In the eye, the wind does not move so fast. The other part is the wall of clouds around the eye. This is where the strongest wind and hardest rains are.

　　 Typhoons are very dangerous. In 2004, Typhoon Yunna killed 164 people in Zhejiang, and 24 people were missing. In May 2006, Typhoon Pearl hit Guangdong and Fujian, and thousands of houses were damaged.

　　 What to do when a typhoon hits:

　　 ·Stay inside, close all the windows and stay away from them.

　　 ·Try to bring all of your things inside. Strong winds could even blow away your bikes!

　　 ·Listen to the radio or TV for important information.

　　 ·If you're told to go to a safer place, do so right away.

(　 )35. Which picture can tell meaning of the underlined sentences "... it starts to move higher up into the sky. Then, cooler air around it rushes in. '?

(　 　)36. When a typhoon comes, we cannot .

　　　　 A. close all the windows　　　　　　 B. listen to typhoon news

　　　　 C. stay outside with our bikes　　　　 D. stay inside the strong house

(　　 )37. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

　　　　 A, The warmer the air gets, the slower the wind moves.

　　　　 B. This year Typhoon Peal killed 164 people in Zhejiang.

　　　　 C. The strongest winds and hardest rains are in the eye of typhoon.

　　　　 D. A typhoon will happen when the wind goes faster than 30 meters a second.

“Who needs a shopping mall if you have Taobao?” says Wang Wei, 28, a writer in Beijing.
Taobao, China’s largest online shopping site, has become an important part of Wang Lin’s life. She spends lots of money on Taobao.
A growing number of Chinese Internet users like Wang have found the joys of online shopping. Most online shoppers are students or young workers. More women shop on line than men. Clothing and home-use products are the most popular on line.
It was reported that more than 250 billion yuan was spent on online shopping last year, eighty percent through Taobao.
Taobao means “looking for treasure” in Chinese. People can find almost everything they need on Taobao, from clothes to books , from candies to DVD players.
You may question the security of online shopping. Wang said, “It’s very safe and convenient. Unless you receive the products from the sellers and are satisfied with them, the shop owner will not get the money. You can also get your money back if you want to return the product.
【小题1】The underlined word “treasure” in the passage probably means “_______” in Chinese.