What is the first thing you want to do when you see someone yawn（打哈欠）？You want to yawn, too! Yawning is contagious.
Scientists have found that all people yawn. Babies start to yawn even before they are born. The earliest yawn takes place when a baby is still inside its mother. When young children are about one year old, they start to yawn when they see others yawning. That’s why scientists seem to think yawning is contagious.
It’s no secret that yawning is contagious, but why do we yawn? Well, scientists are not really sure.
Some think we yawn because we feel bored. Recently scientists studied two groups of students between the ages of 17 and 19. One group watched music videos, and the other watched a boring color test. Scientists compared the numbers of their yawns and found that the color test group yawned more times than the video group.
Another reason for yawning has to do with breathing. Some scientists believe that when we are bored or tired, we breathe more slowly. As our breathing slows down, we cannot get rid of （去除）enough carbon dioxide, our bodies will tell the brains（大脑）to breathe deeply. The result is a big yawn.
In 2007, scientists suggested a new reason. They said that the reason why people yawned was to cool down their brains. These scientists found that people who were warmer than others yawned more often.
Scientists are still trying to find out why yawning happens and why it is so contagious. But they are only sure that when one person yawns, almost everyone else nearby wants to yawn, too.
1.The underlined word “contagious” in Paragraph 1 means _________.
A. helpful to our health
B. passing from one person to another
C. hard to understand
D. getting into one trouble after another
2.According to the scientists, people start to yawn when they are _______.
A. bornB. one year oldC. 17 or 19 years oldD. inside their mothers
3.Which of the following are the possible reasons for yawning according to the passage?
①People yawn because they are bored
②People yawn to catch others’ attention
③People yawn to cool down their brains
④People yawn to get rid of carbon dioxide.
A. ①②③B.②③④C.①②④D.①③④
4.We can probably read this passage in a ____________
A. storybookB. travel guidebookC. movie posterD. science magazine
Try reading the following sentences as fast as you can. “ She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. So if she sells shells in the seashore, I’m sure she sells seashore shells.”
Not very easy, was it? What you’ve just read is called a tongue twister（绕口令）. It is an exercise made up of sounds that are hard to pronounce in order to help people pronounce words faster and more correctly. Try the next example.
“Peter Piper picked a peck of picked peppers, Did Peter Piper pick a peck of picked peppers? If Peter Piper picked a peck of picked peppers, where’s the peck of picked peppers Peter picked?”
Tongue twisters usually do not have much meaning. They are just designed to improve people’s ability（能力）to pronounce words. Although they may be very difficult, these exercises are very important to people who are trying to speak English correctly. This is because tongue twisters help people to tell the differences between similar sounds.
So if you wish to pronounce words more smoothly, you’d better try picking out some tongue twisters and practicing them.
1.Tongue twisters are helpful in improving ________ skills.
A. listening B. writingC. pronunciationD. communication
2.The first tongue twister is hard because _________.
A. it is very boring to read
B. it teaches us a lot of knowledge
C. we don’t know who “she” is
D. the sounds of “s” and “sh” are similar
3.What does the “ability” mean in Paragraph 4?
A. Pronouncing words faster and more correctly.
B. Pronouncing words faster
C. Knowing the meaning of words.
D. Picking out tongue twisters smoothly.
Last week, 169 Junior One students at No. 35 Middle School of Shenyang took their first no teacher exam. After the teacher handed out the exam papers, he left the room and never came back. A student collected in the papers when the exam was over.
“That test was not only a test of knowledge, but also a test of morality（道德）. We wanted to show the students how important honesty（诚实）is,” said the school’s headmaster. Next year, it wants 80% of its exams to be without teachers. But students have different ideas.
“I was happy and excited during the exam because my teachers trusted（信任）me,” said a 15-year –old girl in Class 11.
“Schools must trust students a lot and do not use invigilators（监考人）in exams. But I think it is too early. Some students will cheat（作弊）if there are no invigilators. And the students will not be able to ask for help when they need,” said another student.
“I don’t like having invigilators in exams. When they walk around the classroom, they make me nervous. I would get higher marks without them in the room because I would feel more relaxed,” a third student said.
“I think it’s very important to have invigilators in exams. Many students want to check their answers with each other after they have finished papers. And invigilators can also keep the classroom in order when something unusual happens. They may make me nervous, but I still think we need them,” a girl student said.
No-teacher exams may be a good idea. But before using them, schools must tell students the importance of honesty and try to find ways to solve something unusual in exams.
1.Why did No. 35 Middle School of Shenyang hold a no – teacher exam?
A. Because the teachers were too busy with their work.
B. Because it wanted to show the students the importance of honesty.
C. Because the students didn’t need their teachers to invigilate.
D. Because the headmaster wanted to know who cheats in exams.
2.How many students don’t agree to no-teacher-exams mentioned in this passage?
A. OneB. TwoC. ThreeD. Four
3.What does the underlined word “them” in the last paragraph refer to（指代）？
A. StudentsB. TeachersC. InvigilatorsD. No-teacher exams
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. More students will cheat if there are no invigilators in exams.
B. No-teachers exams can make students honest and get good grades.
C. Most students are worried about having no invigilators in class exams.
D. Some students may feel relaxed if there are no invigilators in exams.
Being fit is a way of saying a person eats well, gets a lot of physical activities, and has a healthy weight. If you’re fit, your body works well, feels good, and can do all the things you want to do, like running around with your friends.
Some steps only parents can take – such as serving healthy meals or deciding to take the family on a nature hike. Here are three rules you can follow, if you’re a kid who wants to be fit.
1. Eat a variety of Foods
You may have a favorite food, but the best choice is to eat a variety. Taste new foods and old ones you haven’t tried for a while. Some foods, such as green vegetables, are more pleasing than the older you get. Take at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day – two fruits and three vegetables.
2. Drink Water & Milk
When you’re really thirsty, you can drink cold water. It’s also enough to drink 2 or 3 cups of milk a day.
3. Listen to Your Body
When you’re eating, notice how your body feels and when your stomach feels comfortably full. Sometimes, people eat t
oo much because they don’t notice when they need to stop eating. Eating too much can make you feel uncomfortable and can make you put on weight.
1.Who can help kids stay healthy in daily life?
A. TeachersB. Parents.C. ChildrenD. Cooks.
2.What does the underlined phrase（短语） “a variety of” mean in English?
A. a kind ofB. different kinds ofC. freshD. a lot of
3.What kind of drinks should you take when you are really thirsty?
A. Iced waterB.
Hot waterC. Cold waterD. Warm milk
4.What does the last paragraph tell us?
A. Don’t hurt your stomach when you eat something
B. Eating comfortably can make you put on weight
C. Eating too much can make you feel comfortable.
D. Take care of your stomach while you are eating
I used to have little passion（激情，热情）in my life. But what happened the other day changed my mind. It was then that I learned how it is to have a passion in life.
That day I went home in Mom’s car. When Mom at a red light, someone on the side of the road caught my eye. It was a man dressed rags. He was homeless. That didn’t interest me, because I had seen like him before. Those people usually looked unhappy and hopeless
.
But this man was in some way. He was not sitting down with a expression. Instead, he had a in his hand and was dancing happily to the music. The radio seemed to be the most precious thing he had.
“Mom, why does that man have a radio he’s homeless?” I asked.
“He it, “ she replied.
“But why doesn’t he use the money to buy food or clothes? He something that he didn’t need.”
“Well, Sarah, sometimes food and clothes aren’t the most important.”
That man must care so much about that he bought a radio instead of food or clothes. I soon realized that is the key to life.
Since then I am always thinking of is truly important in life. A home, a meal, clothes – these things are part of the life. What we often forget is that we all need a joy, a light on a day. We all need a passion which gives a person the happiness they need to keep going.
1.A. strangeB. importantC. dangerousD. difficult
2.A. stoppedB. walkedC. stoodD. exercised
3.A. inB. onC. atD. of
4.A. noneB. fewC. allD. many
5.A. commonB. differentC. politeD. rude
6.A. sadB. nervousC. politeD. rude
7.A. hatB. phoneC. scarfD. radio
8.A. thoughB. becauseC. untilD. unless
9.A. borrowedB. madeC. fixedD. bought
10.A. asked forB. waited forC. paid forD. looked for
11.A. storiesB. musicC. newsD. languages
12.A. knowledgeB. healthC. happinessD. friendship
13.A. whoB. whatC. whereD. when
14.A. onlyB. allC. alsoD. never
15.A. warmB. hotC. darkD. relaxing
—Which one of these T—shirts do you want? —______，Either will be OK.
A. No problemB. I’m sureC. ThanksD. I don’t mind
