“If you want to see a thing well, reach out（伸出手）and touch it!”

That may seem a strange thing to say. But touching things can help you to see them better. Your eyes can tell you that a glass ball is round. But by holding it in your hands, you can feel how smooth（光滑）and cool the ball is. You can feel how heavy the glass is. When you feel all these about the ball, you really see it. With your skin, you can feel better. For example, your fingers can tell the difference between two coins（硬币）in your pocket. You can feel a little drop of water on the back of your hand, too.

All children soon learn what “Don’t touch!” means. They hear it often. Yet most of us keep on touching things as we grow up. In shops, we touch things as we might buy: food, clothes. To see something well, we have to touch it.

There are ways of learning to see well by feeling. One way is to close your eyes and try to feel everything that touching your skin. Feel the shoes on your feet, the clothes on your body, the air on your skin. At first, it is not easy to feel these things. You are too used to（习惯于）them!

Most museums are just for looking. But today some museums have some things to touch. Their signs say, “Do touch!” There you can feel everything on show. If we want to see better, reach out and touch. Then you will really see!

71. By touching things, ______.

A. you will have a strange feeling　　

B. you will learn how to reach out your hand

C. you can tell the difference of the things

D. you can tell what colours they are

72. When people buy things in shops, they often _______.

A. try them on first　　　 B. keep their right hands on them

C. ask about them　　　 D. feel and touch them

73. Why does it say “At first, it is not easy to feel these things”? Because _______.

A. the things are used by people, too　　　 B. people feel the things too often

C. people know how to use the things　　　 D. the things are easy to feel

74. Which of the following is true?

A. Touching is more important than seeing

B. Our feet, fingers, hands and skin can help us buy food.

C. People have to learn to see by feeling as they grow up.

D. Visitors can feel the things on show in some museums.

75. Which of the following can be the best title of the story?

A. Touching by Feeling.　　 　　　　　　　　　　　 　　 B. To See or to Feel?

C. To See Better—Feel.　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Ways of Feeling.

　 Talking on a mobile phone is expensive, so a lot of people send text messages. Text messages are much cheaper than talking on a mobile phone, and you can make it even cheaper by shortening the words that you use. You can do this by taking out “unimportant” letters in the words and using numbers instead of words(2=to, 3=free, 4=for, 8=ate, h8=hate, etc. ). Here is an example :Im 3 nw, why nt gv me a cll? (I’m free now, why not give me a call?)

Mobile phone users have developed a series of symbols to show how they feel. They are called emoticons(情感符号). To read an emoticon, you have to look at it sideways. For example, if you say something in a text message which is a joke, you can follow it with a smiling face. Like this: Why did t u cll me? Im so sad. ∶－)

　 Here are some others. Can you think of these text messages where you could use them?

　 ∶·)laughing∶ ·(sad∶·<really sad

　 ∶·v shouting| · | sleep∶ o shocked

　 8 · | surprised＼· o bored

1. The underlined word “sideways” in this passage means______ .

A. 从侧面地　　　 B. 从旁边地

C. 斜眼地　　 D. 颠倒地

2. What do you think of this text message “Whr hv U bn? Im wtng 4 U”means?

A. Where have you been? I’m waiting for you.

B. Where have you been? I’m looking for you.

C. What are you doing? I’m waiting for you.

D. What are you doing? I’m looking for you.

3. Which one means“laughing” in the text messages?

A. ∶·（　　 　　　　　　 B. ∶· )

C. ∶· <　　　　 D. 8 ·

 

We started early ______ before dark.

　 A. in order to reach 　 B. in order that arrived

　 C. so as to arrive 　  D. so that got to

If you had got up early,you 　　　 here on time.

A.would reach　　　　　　　　　　　B.would have reached

C.have reached　　　　　　　　　　D.had reached

　  Animals can move from place to place, but plants cannot. When an animal is under attack, it can run away or fight back. Plants certainly cannot run away, and they lack teeth and claws. But plants can defend (保护) themselves by using both physical and chemical means.
　　Some plants have their own ways to keep animals away. For example, the leaves of the holly plant have sharp spines (刺) that discourage grass-eating animals. Holly leaves on lower branches have more spines than leaves on upper branches. This is because the lower leaves are easier for most animals to reach.
　　Some plants, such as the oak tree, have thick and hard leaves that are difficult for animals to eat. Some grasses may contain a sandy material; eating such grasses wears down the animal's teeth.
　　Many plants also have chemical defenses. Some plants produce chemicals that taste bitter or cause an unpleasant reaction. Some plants may fight against an attack by increasing the production of these chemicals. When a caterpillar (毛虫) bites a tobacco leaf, the leaf produces a chemical messenger. This messenger sends to the roots the information to produce more nicotine. The higher levels of nicotine discourage the caterpillar.
Many plants depend on both physical and chemical defenses. A certain plant in China, for instance, has prickly (多刺的) leaves, and each prickle contains poisonous venom (毒液) A single experience with this kind of plant will teach an animal to stay away from it in the future. 
【小题1】To defend themselves, oak trees use________.

A．chemical means	B．physical means
C．bitter chemicals	D．sandy materials

【小题2】How does tobacco protect itself against an attack from a caterpillar?

A．Its leaves fight against the attack by physical means.

B．Its roots send a messenger to discourage the caterpillar.

C．Its roots increase the production of nicotine when it is attacked.

D．Its leaves produce poisonous sand to drive the caterpillar away.

【小题3】What would be the best title for this passage?

A．Plants and Animals

B．How Plants Defend Themselves

C．Attacks and Defenses

D．How Animals Eat Plant Leaves