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Once upon a time, a hippo lived in a river next to a big tree.
One day, a bird came and nested in the tree. The songs of the bird filled the hippo with so much envy(羡慕) that he couldn’t think of anything else. Every day he would think why he wasn’t born to be a bird even though the bird told him many times he was so lucky to be so big and such a good swimmer.
Finally，the hippo made up his mind that he would come out of the river, climb the tree, and start singing. However，when he tried to climb the tree, it was very clear that the hippo didn’t have wings, nor claws to climb with.
Realizing that he would never climb up the tree, he angrily hit the tree until it came crashing on the ground. Then he stepped onto the leaves of the fallen tree, and began singing.
Unfortunately, hippos can't sing, either. All that came from his mouth were terrible noises, and when the other animals heard this, they all came around to make fun of the hippo.
He was so ashamed by this. He also felt bad about having knocked the tree over. He used all his strength to raise the tree back up again, and look after it until it completely recovered.
1.The hippo envied the bird because the bird ________.
A.had wings to fly B.could nest in the tree
C.was good at building a nest D.could sing very well
2.After the hippo realized that he couldn’t climb the tree, .
A.he tried to climb it again B.he hit the tree angrily
C.he soon felt ashamed of himself D.he ran away angrily
3.Which of the following is in the right order according to the passage?
a. The hippo made great efforts to raise the tree back.
b. The bird came and built a nest in the tree.
c. The bird told the hippo that he was a good swimmer.
d. The other animals laughed at the hippo.
e. The hippo tried to climb the tree.
A.b-c-e-d-a B.c-e-d-b-a C.b-d-c-e-a D.c-b-d-e-a
4.According to this passage，we can infer that the hippo would after such an experience.
A.be good at singing B.not make friends with other animals
C.stop envying the bird D.learn how to climb trees
5.The best title of the passage may be “ ”.
A.The bird that could sing well B.The hippo that was envied
C.The bird that wished to swim D.The hippo that wished to sing
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Pollution inside homes and buildings kills more than 4 million people each year. Many people die as a result of breathing smoke or from cooking over wood-powered or coal-powered stoves.
One way to reduce the number of deaths is through cooking equipment powered by the sun. Crosby Menzies, a solar power expert in a South African company, described his latest solar cooker called the “Sol-4”. “It’s four square meters of mirrors, six to eight meters in length. It is quite a large cooker.”
The “Sol-4” works by reflecting (反射) light from the sun off large mirrors. The mirrors direct（把……对准）the light as a cooking pan. Then the light heats the pan with solar energy. Within two minutes, the pan is hot enough to cook sausages and onions. In just four minutes, water can be boiled. That is as fast as cooking with natural gas or electricity.
The cooker is also much “friendlier” than other models because people do not have to stand in the sun to use it. And people can prepare meals without having to collect firewood or spend money on coal. Such individuals would be less likely to have breathing illnesses from harmful smoke.
At present, the cooker only works when the sun is shining. But engineers are working on a way to make it work without sunlight. Each cooker costs about $2,000, which is a large amount of money for most Africans. To solve that problem, Crosby Menzies has created a non-governmental organization called Solar Cookers for Africa. It plans to raise money through donations to provide poor people with solar cooking equipment.
1.This passage probably comes from .
A.a magazine B.a storybook C.a guidebook D.a textbook
2.The “Sol-4” is mainly used to .
A.shorten the time of cooking
B.reduce the cost of making cookers
C.raise money through donations to help African people
D.reduce the number of deaths caused by harmful smoke
3.The underlined word “individuals” most probably refers to .
A.cookers B.mirrors C.people D.experts
4.How soon can water be boiled in the “Sol-4”?
A.That is much faster than cooking with natural gas. B.Within two minutes.
C.That is as slow as cooking with electricity. D.In only four minutes.
5.From the passage, we can infer that .
A.the “Sol-4” will be designed in a smaller size
B.more Africans can use the solar cooker in the future
C.the “Sol-4” is the first product of the South African company
D.the African government will provide poor people with solar cookers
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Young novelist
Suzanne Todd has just won the Best New Writer Prize for her first book, Roadrunner. The idea for the book came from her own travels－four years ago she decided to give up her job in a bank to go round the world on her own for a year.
“I was tired of doing the same thing every day and wanted to find some excitement before it was too late,” she says. “It was fun getting ready for the trip, and thinking about all the things I would do. But when the day came to leave, I was suddenly afraid, and I didn’t want to go. I kept thinking, what am I doing? What’s wrong with me? I have no job, no money, and I am all by myself! I felt so worried sitting on the plane that I was counting the weeks until I could come back! But once the plane landed, I realized how exciting life was, and how lucky I was able to do this. I saw many wonderful things, and in India I met Richard, who is now my husband.”
Back home, she started writing Roadrunner. This novel is about Tara Roberts, who decides to give up her job and travel round the world, and it sounds like it is all a true story about Suzanne. “Tara goes to the same places as me and feels the same about them, but I don’t have her crazy way of behaving or get into danger as she does,” Suzanne explains.
Suzanne’s second book, called Sailing, shows Tara in different funny situations, and unusually for a second book, is just as enjoyable as the first. This is even more surprising when you consider that since the birth of her son, Suzanne has had to find the time for writing while looking after him. “I have to plan things better now,” she says.
Roadrunner is going to be made into a film, a third and final novel about Tara is planned, and Suzanne is still only 29. How does she feel about her future? “I just take things as they come,” she says with a smile.
1.The underlined word “this” in Paragraph 2 refers to .
A.giving up her job B.travelling around the world
C.meeting her husband D.being a worker in a bank
2.In what way are Suzanne and the character of Roadrunner similar?
A.They have similar travel experiences. B.They have similar characters.
C.Both write books about their journeys. D.Both lead dangerous lives.
3.How does the writer feel about Suzanne’s second book Sailing?
A.He’s not pleased Suzanne spent less time on it.
B.He’s surprised Suzanne can repeat her success.
C.He’s not interested in reading more about the same person.
D.He’s pleased she’s included ideas about children in it.
4.What can we learn from the story?
A.Suzanne Todd was a bank clerk after going around the world.
B.Three novels about Tara are planned and one of them has finished.
C.It tells us some background information about the book Roadrunner.
D.Suzanne Todd won the Best New Writer Prize for her first film.
5.What kind of person is Suzanne?
A.She is quiet and shy and doesn’t take risks.
B.She does crazy things and gets into dangerous situations.
C.She likes to plan things very carefully.
D.She is happy and enjoys the challenge.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Welcome to the Painting Competition for Woolands Students
The International AntiDrug(禁毒) Day this year is coming soon. In order to raise teenagers' awareness(意识) to fight against drug taking, the City Art Council is going to hold a painting competition for the students in our city.
Students who want to take part in the competition can hand in their own 2D paintings in either of the following two ways：
★Each school will be provided with a box for students to put in their paintings. Boxes will be picked up by the City Art Council on Thursday, June 23rd, 2016, before the end of the school day.
★Paintings can be also handed in on Friday, June 24th, from 8：00 am to 10：00 am at the Woodlands Art Hall (175 Riverside Street)．
All paintings are required to be 60cm wide by 80cm long or smaller. Larger sizes will not be accepted. Each student can only hand in one painting.
The final decision on the competition results will be made on June 26th, the AntiDrug Day. The name list of the winners will be made known on the website of the City Art Council on the same day. All winning paintings will be shown to the public at the City Youth Park from June 27th till the end of July.
Prizes: 1st Prize(10 students)＝$300 Gift Card each
2nd Prize(20 students)＝$200 Gift Card each
3rd Prize(30 students)＝$100 Gift Card each
For further information：Visit http: //www.WoodlandsArtCouncil.org or call 25698632.
1.Students in Woodlands can take part in ________ held by the City Art Council.
A.a pop music concert B.a singing competition
C.a painting competition D.a namesigning activity
2.The main purpose of this competition is ________.
A.to teach the teenagers some painting skills
B.to tell the teenagers to walk away from drugs
C.to provide the teenager with some art knowledge
D.to introduce the history of the AntiDrug Day to the teenagers
3.The size of the paintings like ________ will NOT be accepted.
A.40 cm wide by 60 cm long
B.50 cm wide by 70 cm long
C.60 cm wide by 80 cm long
D.80 cm wide by 100 cm long
4.The public can enjoy the winning paintings ________.
A.at the City Youth Park B.at the City Art Council
C.at 175 Riverside Street D.at the Woodlands Art Hall
5.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.Students must put their paintings in the school box on June 24th.
B.Each student can take part in the competition with one 3D painting.
C.Students can get more information about the competition in two ways.
D.Each of the second prize winners in the competition will get 300 dollars.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析