When did you last see a polar(极地的)bear? On a trip to a zoo, perhaps? If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These “Polar Bears” are people who meet frequently in winter to swim in freezing cold water. That day, air temperature was 3℃, and the water temperature was a bit higher. The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island , New York are usually about the age of 60. Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group, this is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February.
Doctors do not agree about the medical effects of cold-water swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body’s temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter.
The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits(or advantages) of cold-water swimming. They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system(循环系统) because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm. Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water. A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming.
The main benefits(or advantages) of cold-water swimming are probably mental（精神的）. The Polar Bears love to swim year-round; they find it fun and relaxing. As one 70-year-old woman says,“When I go into the water, I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away(漂走).”
1.The members of the Polar Bear Club must meet the following requirements except that __________.
A. they must reach the age of 60
B. they should be easy to make friends with
C. they must swim outdoors at least 8 times in the four cold months
D. they must agree to swim outdoors from November through February
2.Doctors __________.
A. encourage people to take part in cold-water swimming actively
B. point out the possible danger of blood illness during cold-water swimming
C. believe swimming is helpful both in winter and in summer
D. have different ideas about the medical effects of cold-water swimming
3.According to the passage, some doctors believe it is true that __________.
A. you are healthy if cold-water swimming turns your skin color blue
B. cold-water swimming causes more heart attacks in summer than in winter
C. cold-water swimming can make the body temperature dangerously high
D. Polar Bears are bears swimming in freezing water
4.The Polar Bears like to swim all the year round, for __________.
A. they can remain young
B. it is an easy way to keep the body warm in winter
C. they find it enjoyable and interesting
D. they might meet fewer troubles in life
5.The passage is mainly about __________.
A. a group of cold-water swimming lovers
B. the polar bears' life
C. doctors' ideas about cold-water swimming
D. the requirements of the Polar Bear Club
Nowadays more and more people care about the exploitation(开采)of the natural resources, such as oil. Though there’re many kinds of resources, with the fast increase of population and the increase of many more factories, the more we use, the fewer there will be left for the future. Oil is getting less and less year after year. It’s said that oil can last for only 50 years. Natural gas perhaps will last about 38 years.
Oil can be used in many ways and it’s difficult to imagine what the modern world will be like without oil. But oil isn’t easy to find and get out of the earth. Men must study the rocks. When they think the rocks in a certain place may have oil, a metal tower is built. A machine in the tower cuts a hole down into the ground. At the same time, a steel pipe(钢管)is pushed down to stop the sides from falling in and to keep out water. At last if the men are right, usually the oil rushes up the sides with great force(力量)by the pressure(压力)of the gas in the top of the rock, and it rushes high into the air. If the oil catches a light, there will be a terrible fire. So a kind of cover is fixed on the top of the pipe, and the oil can run out through taps(活塞).
If we are near the middle of the oil field, we can also get gas. Such gas is sent through pipes to towns far away and used in houses and factories like coal gas.
Today oil is under pressure as never before. The price of oil keeps rising all the time. In many countries, the governments encourage people to save oil as much as possible.
1.The word “resource” in the passage means ___________. .
A.资源 B.现象
C.商品 D. 资金
2.Which is the right order of the exploitation of oil?
a. push down a steel pipe. b. study the rocks.
c. build a metal tower. d. oil rushes up.
A. b, c, d, a B. b, a, c, d
C. b, c, a, d D. c, a, d, b
3.Which of the following can be true according to (根据)the passage?
A. Coal gas can’t be used in houses and factories.
B. Oil is very important in the modern world.
C. Many governments encourage people to waste oil as much as possible.
D. It’s very easy to get the oil.
4.The oil is getting______________ but its price is getting _____________.
A. more and more, lower and lower
B. less and less, higher and higher
C. less and less, lower and lower
D. more and more, higher and higher
5.The governments are ________ because the resources are under pressure.
A. excited B. happy
C. worried D. patient
Two-year-old hero Ye Chengfeng saved most of his family from a deadly gas leak(泄漏). As his grandfather lay dead, the child woke up his grandmother and saved five other family members from deaths.
More and more British school kids use their mobile phones to cheat(作弊) in exams. They use them to send messages to get the answers. So far this year, 1,013 students were caught cheating with mobile phones. Teachers are now teaching themselves so they can find the cheats. They also ask the students to hand the phones in before exams.
A new study shows that girl chimps(黑猩猩) are faster to use tools than boys! Experts found that girl chimps in East Africa use sticks to dig in the soil two years earlier than boys do. But they don’t know why. Girls watched their moms work, but boys climbed trees. Yes, human girls always learn to write and draw first, but boys often run and play balls earlier than girls.
In Germany, doctors have three ways to help kids who are addicted(上瘾的) to the Internet. First, learning art — Kids learn painting or singing; second, doing sports — Kids do swimming or horse riding. The last one is to go into nature — Kids plant flowers and grow vegetables. Doctors want kids to find other ways to have fun rather than surf the Internet.
1.How many family members did 2-year-old Ye Chengfeng save?
A. Six. B. Five.
C. Three. D. Four.
2.The British teachers are teaching themselves to .
A. send messages to each other
B. find their students’ cheats in exams
C. stop the students from using their mobile phones
D. ask the students to hand in their phones before exams
3.According to the third piece of news, we know .
A. chimps are cleverer than monkeys
B. only chimps in East Africa can use tools
C. human boys always learn to write and draw earlier than girls
D. experts don’t know why girl chimps use tools faster than boys
4.The German doctors help kids addicted to the Internet so that they can .
A. go into nature
B. enjoy their school life
C. become famous painters and singers
D. find some other ways to enjoy themselves
5.Choose the best title for each piece of news above from the following six ones:
①Girls learn faster than boys? ②Phone cheats
③Little hero ④No cheating!
⑤Internet cure ⑥Go into nature
A. ①⑤④⑥ B. ③④⑥ ⑤
C. ③②①⑤ D. ②③①⑤
Everyone needs friends. There is an old saying, “Friends are God’s way of taking care of us.” But how do you find real friendship and keep it?
The American writer Sally Seamans tells young students some smart ways to find friends. Sally says finding friendship is just like planting a tree. You plant the seed(种子) and take care of it to make it grow.
First, you should choose a friend. What makes a good friend? It is not because a person has money or good looks. A good friend should be kind and patient(耐心). For example, if you have a bad day, a good friend should listen to your complaints and do his best to help. To make a good friend, you cannot be too shy. You should make each other happy and share your lives.
But things cannot always be happy. Even the best friends have fights. What should you do when you have a fight with your friend? You have to talk to him or her. When there is no one around, have an honest talk. If he or she doesn’t want to talk, you could write a letter.
There are three steps to being friends again:
Tell him or her how you are feeling; say what your friend has done wrong, and explain why you did this or that. Remember that friendship is the most important thing in your life.
1.Sally wants to tell students the ways to .
A. find friends B. plant trees
C. get happy D. keep fit
2.What makes good friends? A good friend should .
A. be lovely and cool B. be kind and patient
C. have lots of money D. have good looks
3.According to the text, you can ___________ your friend after a fight.
A. buy a present for B. never say a word to
C. have dinner with D. write a letter to
4.What is the best title of the text?
A. Teenagers and friendship. B. The good friends around you.
C. The trouble of growing up. D. The care and keeping of friends.
Spending two or three hours playing outdoors each day can reduce a child’s chance of becoming short-sighted, a research shows. It challenges (挑战) the belief that short-sightedness is caused by computer use, watching TV or reading in weak light.
The Australian government researchers believe that sunlight is good for people’s eyes. They compared the vision(视力) and habits of 100 seven-year-old children in Singapore and Australia. In all, 30% of the Singaporean children were short-sighted—this rate(比率) was ten times higher than Australian children.
Both groups spent a similar amount of time reading, watching television and playing computer games. However, the Australian children spent an average(平均) of two hours a day outdoors—90 minutes more than the Singaporean children.
Professor(教授) Ian Morgan, from the Australian Research Council’s Vision Centre, said, “Humans are naturally long-sighted, but when people begin to go to school and spend little or no time outdoors, the number of short-sighted people gets larger. We’re also seeing more and more short-sighted children in cities all around the world—and the main reason may be that city children spend less time outdoors.”
Daylight can be hundreds of times brighter than indoor light. But why does playing outside prevent us from becoming short-sighted? Scientists believe that natural light has a special chemical(化学物质) which stops the eyeball from growing out of shape and prevents people becoming short-sighted.
So be outdoors. It doesn’t matter if that time is spent having a picnic or playing sports.
1.How much time did the Singaporean children spend outdoors on average every day in the research?
A. 2 hours. B. 90 minutes.
C. 1 hour. D. 30 minutes.
2.What is the fifth paragraph mainly about?
A. Why people become short-sighted.
B. Why natural light has a special chemical.
C. Why playing outside is good for one’s eyesight.
D. Why daylight is much brighter than indoor light.
3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. People will all become short-sighted after they begin to go to school.
B. Playing outdoors for 2 or 3 hours every day can help protect your eyesight.
C. Children in Australia are more likely to get short-sighted than those in Singapore.
D. If you spend two or three hours playing outside each day, you won’t get short-sighted.
What do you do if you're stranded（处于困境的）on a lonely island? Surely you need to find a way to get in touch with the outside world. Your best chance of doing this is to draw the attention of a passing plane.
Body signals（信号）
Pilots from different countries understand body signals if they have the correct training. When you wave your arms up and down in a straight line, it means "yes". When you point downwards and swing your arm from side to side, it means "no". If you want the pilot to know that it's safe to land, push your hands out in front of you and bend（弯曲）your knees. If you want to say that it's not safe to land, put your arms in the air and move them to one side.
Smoke signals
The smoke from a fire can be seen from far away, so it's a good way to draw attention. If the weather is dry, it isn't hard to start a fire. Remember, however, that fires can be very dangerous if they get out of control. Never light a fire unless you're sure that it can't spread. If the ground is dark, light smoke can be seen more easily. Green grass and leaves produce light smoke.
Ground-to-air signals
It's a good idea to build some signals, too. Use large pieces of wood to make the symbols(标记). If you can't find any wood, use earth. Some useful symbols are:
F "I need food and water."
II "I need medicine."
I "I am badly hurt."
X" I am unable to move from here."
Pilots' replies
If the pilot lowers the plane's wings from side to side, this means "message received and understood". (At night, the pilot flashes the plane's green lights.) If the pilots flies the plane in a clockwise circle, this means "message received but not understood".(At night, the pilot flashes the plane's red lights.)
However, there is no signal which means "message not received". Why not?
1.Which picture means "it's not safe land"?
2.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Swinging your arm from side to side means "yes".
B. If the ground is dark, light smoke can't be seen.
C. If you need some medicine, make a symbol "II".
D. The pilots make replies with a blue light at night.
3.What is the passage mainly about?
A. The explanation of building signals on an island.
B. The importance of making signals on an island.
C. Ways of sending out signals on a lonely island.
D. Ways of receiving signals from a lonely island
