What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher? A doctor? How about an ice-cream taster?
Yes, there really is a job where you can get paid to taste ice cream. Just ask John Harrison, an “Official Taste Tester” for the past 2l years. Harrison’s job has been responsible for approving（批准）large numbers of the sweet ice cream – as well as for developing over 15 flavors（味道）.
Some people think that it would be easy to do this job; after all, you just have to like ice cream, right? No – there’s more to the job than that, says Harrison, who has a degree in chemistry. He points out that a dairy or food-science degree would be very useful to someone wanting a job in this “cool field”.
In a typical morning on the job, Harrison tastes and grades 60 ice-cream samples. He lets the ice cream warm up to about 12^oF. Harrison explains, “You get more flavor from warmer ice cream, which is why some kids like to stir it, creating ice-cream soup.”
While the ice cream warms up, Harrison looks over the samples and grades each one on its appearance. “Tasting begins with the eyes,” he explains. He checks to see if the ice cream is attractive and asks himself, “Does the product have the colour expected from that flavor?” Next it’s time to taste!
Continuing to think up new ideas, try out new flavors and test samples from so many kinds of ice cream each day keeps Harrison busy but happy – working at one cool job.
【小题1】What is John Harrison’s job?

A．An officer.	B．An ice-cream taster.
C．A chemist.	D．An ice-cream producer.

【小题2】According to John Harrison, what is useful to get a job in “cool field”?

A．To just like ice cream.

B．To find out new flavors each day.

C．To have new ideas every day.

D．To have a degree in food-science.

【小题3】What does Harrison do first when testing ice cream?

A．He smells it.	B．He lets it warm up.
C．He tastes its flavor.	D．He examines its colour.

Who's building the new China? It's not the factory owners or the business men and women of China. It's someone else. We see them every day, They work day and night in the terrible working conditions and weather. They build the roads, the theaters, the cinemas and the supermarkets. They even clean up our rubbish. They are China’s migrant workers(民工).
More than 140 million workers have left their homes in the countryside to look for jobs in big cities all over China. They hope to be rich, but they realize they have many difficulties in making enough money. And one of the difficulties that these workers have is the pride and discrimination(歧视)from the people in cities. When night falls, everywhere I look I see the sad faces of the migrant workers. Many are living far away from those whom they love. Yes，they dress differently, they speak differently, and they have different habits, but they work hard .The people in cities regard them as outsiders, and most governments refuse to give them medical care and public schooling for their children. If China hopes to move into the future, many things need to change. The first is discrimination! We need to stop our discrimination against the migrant workers of China! They may not make as much money as some people in cities, but they are good honest people just trying to survive this game of life. These workers are very important and necessary to China’s economic (经济)development and have become an important force for the change of Chinese society. They are building the new China, so we should help them.
【小题1】The journalist think __________is building the new China.

A．the factory owners of China	B．the business men and women of China
C．the migrant workers of China	D．the people in Chinese cities

【小题2】Which is the best title for the fourth and fifth paragraphs?

A．Moving forward	B．The discrimination from the people in cities.
C．How to make more money.	D．A lonely life.

【小题3】The    word “survive” here in Chinese means “________”.

A．活过来

B．挺过来

C．活得累

D．活得长

【小题4】Which one is NOT TRUE about China's migrant workers according to the report?

A．They should be helped by us.

B．More than 1.4 billion migrant workers have been in big cities to make money.

C．They are not welcomed by the people in cities because they regard them as outsiders.

D．They have become quite important to the change of Chinese society.

【小题5】What does the report mainly tell us?  .

A．Though China's migrant workers work hard, their condition is terrible.

B．The condition of China's migrant workers needs to be changed for China's development.

C．The people in cities aren't polite to the migrant workers.

D．China's development only depends on the migrant workers.

A fish that lives in America can live out. of water for months at a time, similar to how animals got used to land millions of years ago, a new study shows.
The Mangrove Rivulus, a kind of little fish, lives in small pools of water. When their living place dries up, they live. on the land, said Scott Taylor, a researcher in Florida.                        
The fish can grow as large as three inches. They group together and breathe air through their skin before they can find water again.
The new scientific discovery came during a trip.
"We were travelling for fun. and one day I kicked over a log (圆木) and the fish came out," Taylor told reporters by telephone. He said he would make his study on the fish known to the public in an American magazine early next year.
In lab tests, Taylor said he found the fish can live up to 66 days out of water without eating.
Some other fish can live out of water for a short period of time. The walking catfish found in Southeast Asia can stay on land for hours at a time, while lungfish(肺鱼) found in Australia, Africa and South America can live out of water, but only in a not active(活波的)way. But no other known fish can be out of water as long as the Mangrove Rivulus and keep active, according to Patricia Wright, a biologist at a Canadian University.
More studies of the fish may tell how animals changed over time.
"These animals live in conditions similar to those millions of years ago, when animals began to move from water onto land," Wright said.
【小题1】The Mangrove Rivulus is a type of fish that_________.

A．lives on land in Africa

B．can stay alive for months out of water

C．prefers living in dry places

D．is the longest living fish on earth

【小题2】Who will write a report on Mangrove Rivulus?
A, Scott Taylor.                     B. Some reporters.
C. Patricia Wright.                   D. Scientists from Europe.
【小题3】According to the passage, lungfish can___________.

A．breathe through its skin	B．be found in Asia
C．keep alive out of water	D．keep alive and walk on land

【小题4】Which one of the sentences below is not true?

A．The Mangrove Rivulus fish can live out of water as long as other animals if it has something to eat.

B．Millions of years ago, animals began to live onto land from water.

C．Lungfish found in Australia, Africa and South America can live out of water in a not active way.

D．The walking catfish found in Southeast Asia can stay on land for hours at a time.

【小题5】What can we say about the discovery of Mangrove Rivulus?

A．ft was made by Scott Taylor, a researcher in New york.

B．It was helped by an American magazine.

C．It was helped by Patricia Wright.

D．It was made by a researcher while travelling.

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

Who is the superstar of the cat world? It has to be Uncle Cat. Uncle Cat is a fat white cat living in the countryside of Japan. He is already nine years old, as old as our 50-year-old uncle in cat years. That’s why he gets the nickname(绰号) Uncle Cat.
Uncle Cat is a lazy cat. He often half shuts his eyes and lies in the sun. It makes him look relaxed and peaceful. He also enjoys himself in a basket, so he has another name: Basket Cat.
Uncle Cat is clever. He knows exactly how to make himself look cool—to wear a pair of sunglasses. From hats to flowers, Uncle Cat likes everything that makes him a different cat.
Uncle Cat’s owner likes to take pictures of Uncle Cat. To his surprise, these photos are very popular on the internet. They make people from all over the world to know and love this cute cat.
Recently, a big earthquake happened in Uncle Cat’s hometown. But don’t worry. Uncle Cat is also a lucky cat. He is safe and sound. That means there will be more photos of Uncle Cat on time and he will soon bring us more fun!
【小题1】What do you know about Uncle Cat’s looks?
A. He is a fat white cat.
b. He is already nine years old.
C. He is a lonely cat.
D. He lives in the country of Japan.
【小题2】The main reason why Uncle Cat is called Basket Cat is that          .
A. He often half shuts his eyes.
b. He always lies in the sun.
C. He enjoys himself in a basket.
D. He looks relaxed and peaceful.
【小题3】People from all over the world get to know and love Uncle Cat           .
A. during a big earthquake.
b. on the Internet.
C. from photo collections.
D. in the newspaper.
【小题4】Which of the following can best explain “Uncle Cat knows exactly how to make himself look cool”?