Children all over the world like to celebrate their birthdays. American children are of no difference. They usually celebrate with a party. They invite friends to their birthday parties. The party may not be held on the right date of their birthday if it comes on a school day. It may be held on the weekend instead.

Today two kinds of parties are the most popular. One is held at home. Parents decorate the house with beautiful balloons and colored paper. They prepare a special birthday meal. The children play games. The other kind is held away from home. Some are at a special restaurant. The children eat pizza and ice cream. The waiters, who serve the food, also sing and tell jokes to the children. Other parties may be held at a park, or at a movie theater, or in some other places.

Every birthday party has a cake with candles. There is one candle for each year of a birthday boy’s or girl’s age. When the candles are lighted, everyone sings the special birthday song： Happy Birthday to You.

As Americans grow older, their birthday parties change. In fact, many people stop having them. They say they would like to forget how old they are. Yet they do like to keep the happy birthday parties of their childhood in mind.

Fill in the blanks according to the passage. Only one word for each blank. （每空一词）

Children in the world like having a birthday party at the time of their birthdays. American children are the ______1.________ as others. At that time, their friends are _______2._________ to the parties and the birthday parties are usually held _____3._______ at home or away from home, ________4._______ as at a special restaurant, at a park, or at a movie theater, or in some other places. There are candles for every party. ______5._________ of them stands for one year of the children’s age. But with the children growing, many people want to forget the birthdays.

Choose the best answer from A、 B、or C according to what you read.

(从A、B、C中选择最佳答案)

1. If Mr. Smith wants to learn how to build rain-barrels, he may call       .

A. 410-557-9570

B. 410-727-8120

C. 410-448-5663

2. If 3-year-old Lisa goes to visit Port Discovery with her parents, they will have to pay       .

A. $ 10.75        B. $ 21.5       C. $ 32.25

3. ______ doesn’t provide a website for visitors to get information.

A. Port Discovery

B. The Parks and People Foundation

C. Ladew Topiary Gardens

4.What do we know about the small inventions?

A. They are good for the environment.

B. They help save water at home.

C. They can be bought by visitors.

5. Which of the following is TRUE according to the information above?

A. The exhibition in Port Discovery is after Christmas Day.

B. The Parks and People Foundation will give a two-hour lesson on Wednesday.

C. If Mr. Green wants to learn how to prune plants, he must meet in Stieff Silver Building.

When the weather is hot, you go to a lake or an ocean. When you are near a lake or an ocean, you feel cool. Why? The sun makes the earth hot, but it cannot make the water hot. Though the air over the earth becomes hot, the air over the water stays cool. The hot air over the earth goes up, and then the cool air over the water moves in and takes the air near a lake or an ocean, you feel the cool air when it moves around you. You feel the wind and the wind makes you cool.

Of course, scientists cannot answer all of our questions. If we ask “Why is the ocean full of salt?” scientists will say that the salt comes from rocks. When a rock gets very hot or very cool, it breaks, and rain falls into the cracks(裂缝). The rain then carries the salt into the earth and the rivers. The rivers carry the salt into the ocean. But then we ask “What happens to the salt in the ocean?” The ocean does not get saltier every year. Scientists are not sure about the answer to the question.

We have known a lot of things on the earth, but there is still a long way to go about the study of our world.

Judge the following sentence true (A) or false (B) according to what you read. (判断正A误B)

1.Scientists can answer all our questions.

2.Now scientists know what makes people feel cool near a lake or an ocean in summer.

3.Scientists say that the salt in the ocean comes from rivers and lakes.

4.A rock breaks when rain falls.

5.Scientists are not sure about some questions because there are still many new things for them to

know.

1. If you live in another country, it can help you to learn a language, and about another culture. You will see the world in a new way, and learn more about yourself.

2.Once you decided to study overseas(海外), you have to make some choices. To choose the right country or school, ask yourself： Where do I want to go and why? How long do I want to study overseas?

3.Get your passport and visa(签证) early! Before you go, learn some of the language, and read about some common customs in the country that you are going to.

4. If possible, you can go on the Internet to find an e-pal(网友) in the country which you are going to. Ask him or her as much information as you can. Then it is easier for you to get used to life there.

5.After the first few weeks overseas, you may miss your family and friends. When you feel sad or homesick, try to talk to others, or write down your feelings in a notebook.

Choose the best topic from A to F according to the meaning of the passage.

Complete the dialogue with proper words or sentences.  (用适当的词或句子完成对话)

D → doctor       M →man

D： Good afternoon, young man. _______1._________?

M： Good afternoon, Doctor. I’m not feeling well. I’ve got a headache.

D： ________2.________?

M： Yes. My temperature is OK.

D： Open your mouth and say “Ah”, please.

M： Ah!

D： _______3._________?

M： For two days. Anything serious?

D： ________4._________. You’ve just got a cold.

M： Do I have to stay at home?

D： Yes. Please stay at home and take this medicine three times a day.________ 5.________.

M： Thank you, Doctor.

Choose the best choice from A to F according to finish the dialogue. You have one more answer. Each choice should be used only once.

S → Song Qiang    L → Liu Dandan

S： Hi, Liu Dandan.

L： Hi, Song Qiang. Nice day, isn’t it?

S： Yes. ________1.________What are you going to do?

L： I don’t know. _______2.________

S： Let’s do something interesting with our classmates.

L： Great! ________3._______We can have a picnic there.

S： Sounds good.

L： What shall we take?

S： Food and drinks. _______4.________We can put rubbish in them.

L： OK, I will. ________5.______

S： We can meet at the bus stop near Hope Store at 8：00 tomorrow morning.

L： All right. I’ll tell our classmates.

S： OK. See you tomorrow.

Learning a foreign language can be interesting. It can also be difficult and ______. Here are three ways of learning a language： self-study at home, attending classes and taking online courses. Each of these ______ has its own advantages or disadvantages. In order to ______ your chances of success, it is important to consider which way is ______ for you.

______ you are unable to attend regular classes, self-study may be good for you. The main disadvantage of learning ______ yourself is that there is no one available to answer your questions. One way to ______ this is to make a list of your questions and ask a teacher later.

Learning a foreign language in a classroom is ______ the most popular choice. The regularity(规律性) of the ______ will encourage you to attend classes. And you will be able to ask the teacher questions face to face. Besides, other students may also encourage you to make ______.

Online learning is the newest way of learning a foreign language. It ______ both the students who prefer to learn alone and the students who may prefer to attend classes ______ are unable to do so. Online learning ______ make the whole process more interesting and fun. It’s possible to ask questions and ______ with other students online. Another advantage of online learning is that it costs _____.

Whichever way you choose, keep in mind the reasons why you are learning the language and never give up.

1.A. lively     B. active     C. boring

2.A. methods    B. abilities     C. notes

3.A. realize     B. increase    C. spread

4.A. worst        B. best       C. strangest

5.A. Though     B. Because     C. If

6.A. by          B. with        C. from

7.A. put on     B. learn from    C. deal with

8.A. quickly     B. probably     C. exactly

9.A. lessons     B. conversations    C. expressions

10.A. time     B. money     C. progress

11.A. prevents   B. provides     C. suits

12.A. or     B. but     C. and

13.A. can     B. must     C. need

14.A. agree    B. communicate   C. argue

15.A. fewer    B. more     C. less

It is       that there are       many visitors today that you can’t find a place to rest.

A. said; so

B. say; so

C. saying; such

Yang yang’s mother bought two pens for him. One is blue, and      is black.

A. the other            B. other              C. another

Our class is a big family. About      of the students in our class are from different provinces.

A. three fifths

B. third fifth

C. three five