Droughts (干旱)are common in Kenya . Before ,they came every 10 years ,but now they seem to be hitting us more often and for a longer time .

We gave the droughts names :“longoza”was the drought when many animals died ; there was the drought of the “planes” because food was dropped from the air by planes; and one particularly bad drought was called “ man who dies with his money in his fist (拳头)”，because ,even if there was money , there was simply no food to buy .

I was born in 1951 in Machakos. From what my mother tells me , when I was 7, there was a serious drought . I clearly remember the terrible weather and the hunger. I can’t tell you how many times I went to bed without eating . “ I slept like that ,” is how we described it . I can’t count the number of days when “ I slept like that,” or describe the feeling of going to sleep hungry ,knowing I’d wake up and there would still be no food for breakfast.

My father would leave early in the morning carrying a little basket to ask for food on credit (赊欠). Each night he would return home around 10:00p.m. My mother would try to encourage me by telling me to keep the water in our pot boiling so that when my father arrived we could quickly cook any food he brought in the already prepared water . I would keep the fire burning and the water boiling , along with the hopes that we would eat that night. But my father would arrive frustrated and empty -handed. And I would sleep like that.

1.The best title for the text is ________.

A. A Hungry Childhood Caused by Droughts

B. Food and Hunger

C. Protecting the Environment

D. Droughts and Their Names

2.What does the drought of the “ longoza”refer to (指代)?

A. Many animals needed food dropped by planes.

B. People had to eat animals because of hunger.

C. Many animals died because of the droughts.

D. People died of hunger even if they had money.

3.Why would the author keep the fire burning and the water boiling?

A. To wait for her father to come back to have supper.

B. To cook the food that her father would bring back.

C. To keep her house warm all night.

D. To make her hungry mother happy.

4.The sentence “I slept like that ” means “ ________.”

A. I was disappointed when my father came back empty-handed

B. I felt sorry because my family got hungry again

C. I went to sleep with no food for breakfast.

D. I went to bed with nothing to eat

Children laugh often and easily . But as we grow up , we laugh less and feel more stressed. Try laughing for no reason at all . That’s how thousands of people start their day at Laughter Clubs around the world , and doctors now think that having a good laugh may be one of the best ways to stay healthy. The first Laughter Club was started in Mumbai ,India ,in June,1995 by Dr Madam Kataria. “ Young children laugh about 300 times a day. Adults laugh between 7 and 15 times a day , ”says Dr Kataria . “Everyone’s naturally good at laughing . We want people to feel happy with their lives .” There are now more than 500 Laughter Clubs in India and over 1,300 worldwide.

Place: 264 North Main Street , East Longmeadow. We’re in an office building near the entrance . Walk              down the hall and we’re on the right .

When : Every Sunday afternoon from 3:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Cost : Free. Donation will be welcomed.

Ages : Adults from 18 to 75.

Parking (停车)：If you’re facing the building ,the car park is on the right of the building .

Teacher : Robert Rivest.

More information ,go to http:// www. robertrivest.com.

If you want to feel like a kid again ,try our Laughter Club . You will get used to it in five minutes and begin to laugh for real in ten minutes and sometimes you just can’t stop! You’ll experience deeper pleasure in half an hour. You’ll meet other people who want more fun and laughter. And you will feel so relaxed in about one hour !

Come and join us for laughter and a fun social experience!

1.The text is a ______.

A. note            B. report        

C. story           D. poster

2.How soon will you start laughing in the Laughter Club ?

A. In five minutes.                       B. In ten minutes.

C. In half an hour.                       D. In about one hour.

3.The main purpose of Paragraph 1 is to ________.

A. tell people where the first Laughter Club is

B. explain how laugh makes people stay healthy

C. show Laughter Clubs are popular in the world

D. describe the reason why children laugh often and easily

4.Which of the following is true ?

A. When you go out of the Laughter Club ,you should turn left for the car park.

B. You may stay in the Laughter Club for more than one hour.

C. Children can go to the Laughter Club with their parents.

D. You have to donate to join the Laughter Club.

Everyday is afraid of something.

Tommy, 11, is afraid of the dark. Rachel ,11, is most afraid of the big jellyfish （水母）in Australia. Morgan, 9 ,wishes she would stop being afraid to ride a bike on busy streets.

What’s fear ? Fear is a feeling that everyone has, and that’s a good thing because fear is there to protect us . When the fear comes ,it  means we may meet something dangerous.

For the fear of dark , a kid could have much imagination .What’s under my bed ? Is there someone

breaking into （闯入）my house ? With the help of a parent , kids can get more comfortable in the dark. Using a night light to see that there’s nothing there can also help fight that fear.

For other fears ,we needn’t fight . If you’re afraid to ride your bike on a busy street ,you’re right ! You should be afraid because it’s dangerous. There’s no need to fight a fear like that . Find a better place to ride.

It’s also ok for Rachel to be afraid of the big jellyfish because it’s really dangerous . But it lives only in some waters. So when she’s not swimming in one of them ,there should be no worries about the big jellyfish.

Here is some advice about fighting fears from kids.

Monique,10, says when you are scared, just think about happy times . Eight-year-old Jessica finds that taking a deep breath helps when you’re scared. Amanda ,10, thinks kids should talk with a parent . Dustin ,11, likes to talk with a group of friends.

1.What is Rachel afraid of ?

A. The dark.                       

B. Talking with others.

C. The big jellyfish.                 

D. Riding a bike on busy streets.

2.In Paragraph 4, the writer gives ________ way(s) of helping kids fight the fear of dark.

A. one            B. two          

C. three            D. four

3.According to the writer , ________ needs to fight his/her fear.

A. Tommy           B. Rachel       

C. Morgan          D. Dustin

4.Which piece of advice is not mentioned about fighting fears ?

A. Talking with others.               

B. Taking a deep breath.

C. Thinking about happy times.        

D. Regarding fears as challenges.

Today ,I want to tell you a story about something I did when I was 14 years old. I made some friends in school           they turned out to be bad. They were some boys who stole（偷盗）          and sold them. Whenever we were stealing a bike , a boy named John would break the lock          two other boys were watching out. Then one of us would          the bike to a cave （洞穴）. The next day ,we would meet there and repaint the bike. When we stole four or five bikes ,we would sell them          a few hundred dollars.

One         afternoon ,we went to an apartment in Bukit Batok. We found a bike on the fifth floor and started to work on the         . It was hard to break. We spent 10 minutes          it. We were about to escape with the bike when the owner of the bike came out of the elevator. “ My bike !” he         .

We dropped the bike and ran down but two policemen nearby          us. We were taken to the police station. Our parents were called and our teachers were told what had happened. The police took down what we had done. The next day ,a bright Sunday, I         to  the Boys’  Home.

Life in the Boys’ Home was very hard but it         me a very important lesson. I learnt that stealing was not right. At the Boys’ Home ,the officers helped me and encouraged me         my ways. I decided to         stealing.

To this day , I feel so          for what I have done. I hope you will learn something from my story.

1.A. and              B. or               C. but                 D. so

2.A. bikes             B. books           C. Suitcases             D. backpacks

3.A. When            B. while            C. since                D. after

4.A. fetch             B. Pull             C. fill                 D. take

5.A. To               B. with            C. by                  D. for

6.A. Tuesday          B. Friday           C.Saturday             D. Sunday

7.A. floor             B. lock             C. elevator             D. bike

8.A. breaking          B. to break          C. break               D. broken

9.A. said              B. walked          C. Shouted             D. stopped

10.A. saw              B. pointed          C. impressed           D. caught

11.A. sent              B. was sending      C. was sent            D. would send

12.A. offered           B. taught            C. told                D. passed

13.A. to change         B. change           C. to keep             D. keep

14.A. pick up           B. put up            C. look up            D. give up

15.A. scared            B. sorry             C. confident           D. excited

---May I speak to Rachel?

---_________, but I'm afraid you have the wrong number.

A. Yes ,please                        B. Hold on

C. This is Tom                        D. Sorry

--- Mum,_______ of the apples ______ gone bad.

---- We'd better eat up the as soon as possible.

A. one third;have                     B. one thirds; have

C. one third;has                      D. first three ;has

---- The TV play  You Who Come from  the Stars is popular recently.

-Yes. It is the only program _______ I watched this month.

A.who          B. that       

C. where        D. when

Come on, Mike! You will miss the bus ______ you hurry up.

A. unless       B. if        

C. after         D. because

You can find many ______ about famous film star on the Internet.

A. news           B. pictures     

C. tickets        D. information

He can hardly stay awake because he is so tired. ______?

A. does he      B. isn't he    

C. can't he      D. can he