A lot of teenagers are good at art at school, but how would you feel if people called you “the new Picasso(毕加索)” or if presidents and other famous people collected your paintings?
Alexandra Nechita was ten when her paintings became famous all over the world. She visited Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and her family’s native place (祖籍) Romania where 5,000 fans came to see her at the airport. Alexandra said, “When it all started, I was moved. It was very exciting and I loved the traveling, but I got very tired. And I missed home.”
Alexandra is a good student. Her studies always come first. She only starts painting after she’s done her homework. She works on two or three paintings at a time. The paintings sell for thousands and Alexandra’s parents have given up their jobs to work for their daughter. Life for the Nechita family is very different from what it was like a few years ago.
Alexandra’s father Niki left Romania for political reasons in 1985. At first he tried his best to learn English and had different kinds of low-paid jobs. In 1987, he brought his wife and Alexandra, who was then 18 months old, to America. The family was very poor. Alexandra began to draw at the age of three.
She was drawing for four or five hours a day. Soon people offered to buy her paintings and she had her first art show at the age of eight. Stories about this child appeared in the newspapers and television. They now live in a large house with a swimming pool. Her mother said, “We started without anything, but thanks to Alexandra, we have everything we ever dreamed of.”
【小题1】Alexandra became well-known all over the world for her paintings at the age of _______.

A．18months

B．three

C．eight

D．ten

【小题2】Which country does Alexandra live?

A．America.

B．Britain.

C．Romania.

D．France.

【小题3】 Alexandra’s painting _________.

A．took her a lot of time at school

B．made her drop out of school

C．didn’t influence her studies at school

D．made her fall behind others in studies at school

【小题4】 When her family arrived in America in 1987, _________.

A．their life was very hard

B．they lived by selling Alexandra’s paintings

C．Alexandra began to draw her painting

D．her parents left their jobs and worked for her

【小题5】 From the passage, we can learn ________.

A．Alexandra was not interested in travelling

B．Alexandra’s success changed her family’s life

C．Alexandra’s parents were good at English

D．Alexandra’s stories appeared often on the radio and TV

A new school term begins, Is anything new at your school? Sichuan students are getting an extra (额外的)hour to sleep in the morning.
This year, Sichuan schools decided that students should start classes later. This should help them feel less tired, For Junior high schools, the first classes will begin no earlier than 8:30 am.
The changes have made students happy.
Liu Xian, 15, said his class was excited by the news on the first day of school. “It’s so good we can get up later!” said Liu.
Liu studies in Chengdu No.4 Middle School. He used to get up at 6:40 am. Now he can get up at 7:40 am because class doesn’t start until 8:40 am.
Wu Hongli, 15, said the new timetable is good for her health. “I used to drink coffee every night or I would feel to sleepy to finish my homework, ”said Wu. “Now I can finish it without coffee.”She used to get up at 6:30 am. Now she can get up at 7:30 am.
Wu Hongli’s mother was happy, too. She thought more sleep would help her daughter grow taller.
But some parents worried that more sleep would mean less learning. There used to be five classes in the morning. Now there are only four.
Many teachers, though, say the changes will help students learn better.
“Students used to doze(瞌睡)for the first two classes in the morning,”said Wu Zongping, an English teacher at Chendu No.12 Middle School. “But now they look fine and they learn much better than before.”
A.The new school term began.                        B.Their schools took on a new look.
C.They felt a little bit tired.          D.They could get up later.
【小题1】In the new term, the first class in the morning in middle schools started at about          .

A．7:00

B．7:30

C．8:00

D．8:40

【小题2】Why was Liu Xian excited at the news on the first day of school?

A．There were many changes in his school.

B．He could sleep one more hour in the morning.

C．He could study in Chengdu No.4 Middle School.

D．He would have only five classes in the morning.

【小题3】What did the teachers think of the changes of the school timetable?

A．They didn’t like the changes.	B．They could use the timetable more easily.
C．They spoke highly of the changes.	D．They looked fine when they taught.

A. hungry    B. look up   C. are used to   D. fair E. However   F. without   G. look after    H. offer   I. freely

Nowadays there's a general discussion on zoos among people. These two students write their different ideas on a newspaper.
Zoos Do a Good Job------ Maria Smith
I know a large number of people think it is not wise to keep animals in zoos. ___1__ , I believe that it is good to keep animals in zoos.
Firstly, zoos are places for people to see many different kinds or animals from all over the world. ___2____zoos, most people would never see a real bear or tiger.
Secondly, zoos ___3___the animals very well. The animals are given food and cleaned regularly. In the wild (野外) , it is not always easy for an animal to find food, so sometimes it goes___4____. But animals kept in zoos never suffer from hunger.
Thirdly, zoos protect the animals they take care of. They ___5___them safe places to live in. In the wild, some kinds of animals are in danger of' becoming extinct (灭绝) . But zoos give these animals a chance to live. There would be fewer kinds of animals in the world if there were no zoos.
Zoos Are Unnatural ------Philip Black
In my opinion, zoos are not good for animals; they are only good for people.
It is not natural and    6   to keep wild animals in cages. Most animals are kept in cages that are too small for them. In the wild, these animals would travel __7__. In zoos, they can't do this. This is why the bears and tigers always look so sad.
Most cages are not very clean, either. It is true that zoos give the animals food regularly, but this is not natural. Wild animals _  8    looking for their own food. We should treat animals in the same way that we treat other people----with respect.
Would anyone be happy if you don't let him go outside his home? Would Maria like to have lots of people standing outside her flat looking at her?  No, she wouldn’t. And animals don't like it, either.

A lot of teenagers are good at art at school, but how would you feel if people called you “the new Picasso(毕加索)” or if presidents and other famous people collected your paintings?
Alexandra Nechita was ten when her paintings became famous all over the world. She visited Britain, France, Italy, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and her family’s native place (祖籍) Romania where 5,000 fans came to see her at the airport. Alexandra said, “When it all started, I was moved. It was very exciting and I loved the traveling, but I got very tired. And I missed home.”
Alexandra is a good student. Her studies always come first. She only starts painting after she’s done her homework. She works on two or three paintings at a time. The paintings sell for thousands and Alexandra’s parents have given up their jobs to work for their daughter. Life for the Nechita family is very different from what it was like a few years ago.
Alexandra’s father Niki left Romania for political reasons in 1985. At first he tried his best to learn English and had different kinds of low-paid jobs. In 1987, he brought his wife and Alexandra, who was then 18 months old, to America. The family was very poor. Alexandra began to draw at the age of three.
She was drawing for four or five hours a day. Soon people offered to buy her paintings and she had her first art show at the age of eight. Stories about this child appeared in the newspapers and television. They now live in a large house with a swimming pool. Her mother said, “We started without anything, but thanks to Alexandra, we have everything we ever dreamed of.”
【小题1】Alexandra became well-known all over the world for her paintings at the age of _______.

A．18months

B．three

C．eight

D．ten

【小题2】Which country does Alexandra live?

A．America.

B．Britain.

C．Romania.

D．France.

【小题3】 Alexandra’s painting _________.

A．took her a lot of time at school

B．made her drop out of school

C．didn’t influence her studies at school

D．made her fall behind others in studies at school

【小题4】 When her family arrived in America in 1987, _________.

A．their life was very hard

B．they lived by selling Alexandra’s paintings

C．Alexandra began to draw her painting

D．her parents left their jobs and worked for her

【小题5】 From the passage, we can learn ________.

A．Alexandra was not interested in travelling

B．Alexandra’s success changed her family’s life

C．Alexandra’s parents were good at English

D．Alexandra’s stories appeared often on the radio and TV

A new school term begins, Is anything new at your school? Sichuan students are getting an extra (额外的)hour to sleep in the morning.
This year, Sichuan schools decided that students should start classes later. This should help them feel less tired, For Junior high schools, the first classes will begin no earlier than 8:30 am.
The changes have made students happy.
Liu Xian, 15, said his class was excited by the news on the first day of school. “It’s so good we can get up later!” said Liu.
Liu studies in Chengdu No.4 Middle School. He used to get up at 6:40 am. Now he can get up at 7:40 am because class doesn’t start until 8:40 am.
Wu Hongli, 15, said the new timetable is good for her health. “I used to drink coffee every night or I would feel to sleepy to finish my homework, ”said Wu. “Now I can finish it without coffee.”She used to get up at 6:30 am. Now she can get up at 7:30 am.
Wu Hongli’s mother was happy, too. She thought more sleep would help her daughter grow taller.
But some parents worried that more sleep would mean less learning. There used to be five classes in the morning. Now there are only four.
Many teachers, though, say the changes will help students learn better.
“Students used to doze(瞌睡)for the first two classes in the morning,”said Wu Zongping, an English teacher at Chendu No.12 Middle School. “But now they look fine and they learn much better than before.”
【小题1】What made the Sichuan middle school students happy?

A．The new school term began.	B．Their schools took on a new look.
C．They felt a little bit tired.	D．They could get up later.

【小题2】In the new term, the first class in the morning in middle schools started at about          .

A．7:00

B．7:30

C．8:00

D．8:40

【小题3】Why was Liu Xian excited at the news on the first day of school?

A．There were many changes in his school.

B．He could sleep one more hour in the morning.

C．He could study in Chengdu No.4 Middle School.

D．He would have only five classes in the morning.

【小题4】What did the teachers think of the changes of the school timetable?

A．They didn’t like the changes.	B．They could use the timetable more easily.
C．They spoke highly of the changes.	D．They looked fine when they taught.