For years, it has been said that newspapers are at death’s door. Every year brings more news of closing. But why is the situation so terrible for newspapers?
Newspapers have a long history. The first newspaper was printed in the 1600s. Their most successful period is in the early 20th century.
With the appearance of radio and TV, however, newspaper circulation（发行量）began to fall. 3 By the mid-20th century, radio and TV had become so popular that people no longer had to depend on newspapers for news. That was especially true for breaking （突发的） news.
Afternoon newspapers were the first to suffer （受损害）. After work, more and more people turned on TV instead of opening a newspaper. That was because TV could provide news happening a short time ago. It’s true that newspapers couldn’t compete with TV on speed, but they could provide in-depth（深入详尽的）reports that TV news could not.
But newspapers suffered another, heavier blow （打击） in the 1990s. With the appearance of the Internet, tons of information became free. Many newspaper readers realized that they could read news on the Internet. There seemed to be little reason to pay for a newspaper subscription （订阅）.
So what does the future hold? Will newspapers die? Maybe not. Many newspapers are now making changes. Some are going digital （数字的）. Some are going farther and taking the industry to places it has never been to. After all, people still want the news. And many agree that newspapers are still an important source （来源） of in-depth news, analysis （分析） and opinions. 4 If newspapers disappear completely, there will be nothing to take their place.
A. 根据短文内容简要回答问题。
1.What made the newspaper circulation fall?
________________________________________________________
2.Will newspapers disappear? Why or why not? （选择一种情况作答）
____________________________________________________________
B. 将短文中划线的句子译成汉语。
3.______________________________________________________
4.______________________________________________________
C．请给短文拟一个适当的英文标题。
5.______________________________________________________
阅读下面短文，用括号内所给动词的适当形式填空（必要时可加情态动词或助动词）。
George Reeder, 63, has been given a bravery certificate（证书）because of saving the life of a baby.
It was a cold and windy morning. The local harbor（海港）master, George Reeder, 1.（do）his daily work when he heard a noise. On the other side of the harbor, some people were shouting, so he went there quickly by bicycle.
“What’s the matter? Why they2.（shout）?” George Reeder wondered while he was riding there.
“Help! Help my baby!” A woman was screaming（高声喊）, “My baby 3.（be）in the buggy（婴儿车）in the sea. ”
Mr. Reeder looked at the sea, and saw a baby’s buggy in the deep freezing cold water. The strong wind had blown the buggy into the sea. Mr. Reeder quickly decided to do something.
“I went over and saw that the buggy was upside down . . . and I 4.（jump）in,” said Mr. Reeder. He pulled the buggy over to the sea wall. Then some other people came to help. They tied a rope to the buggy and managed to pull it out of the water and to safety.
Tanya Allen, a nurse who was passing by, gave the baby CPR（心肺复苏术）and was able to get him to breathe again. Then an air ambulance helicopter（急救直升机）arrived and the baby 5.（take）to hospital.
After he’d finished 6.（help）the baby and the helicopter had gone, Mr. Reeder went home. A little later, the baby’s grandfather went to his house and said, “Thanks a lot for what you 7.（do）. The boy is out of danger. He 8. （leave）the hospital in two days. ” Mr. Reeder was very happy to hear that.
Mr. Reeder said that he hadn’t really been brave. “It was everyone — from Tanya doing the CPR to the helicopter pilot,” he said. “I’m just glad I 9.（help）. ” But when Mr. Reeder got the certificate, a reporter said, “This was a very brave act, as he put his own life at risk.”
10.（warn）the people not to walk along the seafront in very windy weather, Mr. Reeder has advised the government to put up some signs. “Hope this will help,” said Mr. Reeder.
A tornado（龙卷风）is a kind of strong storm with air which moves in a circle quickly. They can move over 200 miles per hour and cause a lot of damage（损坏）. As they move across the land, they can easily pick up cars, trucks, and even houses, and then throw them very far. It is important to find a safe place if a tornado gets close.
A safe place could be a basement（地下室）or the lowest floor. If you are in a home without a basement, try to find a first-floor bathroom or a small room without windows in the middle of your house. You should curl up（蜷缩）into a ball and cover your head and neck with your hands.
But there are some people who actually want to get close to tornadoes. They are scientists who want to learn more about tornadoes. One of the best ways to do this is to get as close as possible to the tornado. They use special tools to measure （测量） what is happening in and around a tornado.
One special tool is called a tornado probe（探测仪）. Inside the tornado probe, there are sensors（传感器）to measure wind speed, temperature, pressure, and direction. Some probes even have cameras, so the scientists can see and understand what it’s like to be in a tornado.
To be able to get these measurements, the scientists have to get a tornado probe near or into a tornado. Scientists will try to guess where a tornado will go next. Then they drive to that location and put down the probe. If they do not guess correctly, they pick up their probe and try another place. If they are right, the tornado will go near or even right over the probe. Then they take all of the measurements from the probe and use them to predict where future tornadoes may form（形成）and travel. And they can give people some warning to keep away from a dangerous tornado.
1.If a tornado gets close, what should people do to keep safe?
A.Go to a basement. B.Find a small room.
C.Stay in a bathroom. D.Curl the legs up.
2.What can the sensor in a probe NOT do?
A.Measure wind speed and temperature. B.Take photos and videos.
C.Measure wind temperature and pressure. D.Measure wind speed and direction.
3.Which statement about the scientists is TRUE?
A.They risk their lives studying tornadoes.
B.They can easily put the probe in the right place.
C.They get close to a tornado to admire it.
D.With the help of the measurements, they can prevent the tornado forming.
4.The passage mainly tells us ________.
A.what a tornado is
B.how dangerous a tornado is
C.where a tornado may form and travel
D.how scientists do research work on tornadoes
5.You may find this passage in ________.
A.a novel B.a storybook C.a guidebook D.a science magazine
Once upon a time there lived a great storyteller whose stories gave both children and adults a lot of pleasure and enjoyment. He told a story about an emperor who loved new clothes and about a tiny girl who was no taller than a person’s thumb （拇指）.
That storyteller's name was Hans Christian Andersen. He was born in Denmark. He wrote more than 150 stories, which are told in many countries. He became the first author to write and publish his own fairy tales. Andersen grew up poor. His father was a shoemaker, and his mother could hardly read. Andersen once said, “Most of what I have written is a reflection of myself.” His fairy tale, The Ugly Duckling, about a duckling that is laughed by other animals until it grows up to be a swan （天鹅）, was written according to his own experience as a child. His other famous fairy tales include The Little Match Girl, The Daughter of the Sea and The Snow Queen.
Andersen’s fans celebrated the anniversary （周年纪念日） of his 200th birthday in 2005. People are told his fairy tales in many countries. They organized different kinds of celebrations to remind people ofAndersen and Andersen’s fairy tales.
In Denmark, 15-foot-tall puppets（木偶）danced in mid-air every night from May until September. In Singapore, the post office published a series （系列） of Andersen stamps. And in Egypt, the library in Alexandria showed Andersen's books, which were translated into 150 languages! In New York City’s Central Park, storyteller Ellen Shapiro told The Real Princess to a crowd of children.
“Andersen's stories have everything,” Shapiro told the reporter. “They are funny and sad and enjoyable. I never get tired of them. ”
Storytellers such as Shapiro love continuing Andersen’s tradition. Shapiro doesn’t memorize her favorite stories, however. Instead, she learns what happens at the beginning, middle, and end. She changes the words of a story to fit the listeners. So no two tellings of a story are exactly alike.
1.What can we know about Andersen according to the passage?
A.He was born in Denmark in 1820.
B.He was from a rich family.
C.He was the first author to write and publish his own fairy tales.
D.He was laughed by other children because he was a poor storyteller.
2.Which statement about Andersen’s 200th birthday anniversary celebrations is TRUE?
A.In Denmark, puppets danced every night for half a year.
B.In Singapore, the post office published a series of Andersen stamps.
C.In Egypt, Andersen's fans translated his books into 150 languages.
D.In the US, Ellen Shapiro told “The Ugly Duckling” to a crowd of children.
3.How many Andersen’s fairy tales are mentioned in this passage?
A.5 B.7 C.15 D.150
4.What can we know about Shapiro from the passage?
A.She doesn’t like following Andersen’s tradition.
B.She organized Andersen’s 200th birthday anniversary celebrations.
C.She never tells the same story in exactly the same way.
D.She is used to reading Anderson’s stories to her listeners.
5.According to the passage, we can know that________.
A.All of Andersen’s fairy tales reflect his own life.
B.Andersen’s fairy tales can bring people a lot of pain and pleasure.
C.Andersen’s fairy tales are only loved by children in 150 countries.
D.Andersen’s fairy tales are funny and sad and enjoyable.
Mom was cooking in the kitchen. She could hear the girls arguing in the living room. It was the third time this week that the sisters had been arguing over nothing. A few minutes later, Maria rushed into her bedroom angrily and closed the door heavily.
“Come to the kitchen, young lady,” Mom firmly （坚定地） said to Maria in her best mother tone （语气） of voice.
Maria walked into the kitchen and shouted, “I can’t stand living with Felicia another minute. I don’t ever want to talk to her again!”
Mom called out, “Felicia, come to the kitchen right now.”
While Felicia was on her way, Mom put two chairs opposite each other but very close together.
“Maria, you sit here and Felicia you sit there.” The girls sat face to face, with their knees almost touching. “Now you look each other in the eye for five minutes,” Mom ordered.
At first the girls moved their bodies from side to side. Mom said firmly, “You must stay staring at each other for five minutes. Each minute you don’t make eye contact （眼神交流） means another minute sitting in the chairs. ” They both wanted out, so they had to sit there and look at each other.
Felicia looked at Maria’s pouting （噘嘴的） face while Maria looked at Felicia’s angry face. They each thought the other one looked ridiculous （可笑的）. In fact, they were being ridiculous to fight and be mad at each other over nothing.
Soon Maria couldn’t stand it any longer and began giggling （咯咯地笑） and so did Felicia. They giggled and laughed.
Mom wisely didn’t say anything except, “Okay girls, you can go now.”
1.Maria and Felicia argued a lot this week. What was the reason?
A.They argued over nothing.
B.They didn’t want to live together.
C.They didn’t want to talk to each other.
D.They each thought the other one was ridiculous.
2.Which is the right picture to show the way the girls sat?
A.
B.
C.
D.
3.The right order of the following statements is _______.
① Maria and Felicia stared at each other.
② Maria argued with Felicia.
③ Maria and Felicia giggled and laughed.
④ Mom asked Maria and Felicia to sit opposite each other.
A.②④③① B.④②①③ C.②④①③ D.②①④③
4.Which of the following is TRUE?
A.Maria had quite a good relationship with Felicia recently.
B.The kitchen is a good place to stop an argument.
C.Mom solved the girls’ problem wisely.
D.The girls were under pressure from Mom to make it up （和好）.
5.After reading the passage, we can know ________.
A.parents can do nothing about the argument between children
B.it’s difficult to deal with the argument between children
C.there is no need to deal with the argument between children
D.5-minute eye contact is helpful to deal with the argument between children
It is a hot summer day. Clara is drinking juice in the yard. Her mom is cutting grass with a lawnmower （割草机）. The lawnmower is loud, and Clara wishes her mom would play with her instead. But mom says the grass is very long and has to be cut.
Suddenly, the lawnmower stops. Clara’s mom looks upset. Clara wonders what is wrong. Her mom picks something up out of the grass, and walks to Clara.
Clara’s mom has a little turtle in her hand! As Clara looks closer, she sees that one leg is in bad shape. “I think I broke its leg,” Clara’s mom says. “I’m really sorry. Will you help me nurse it back to health?”
Clara feels bad for the little turtle. Turtles move slowly, so it probably could not run away when it saw the lawnmower coming. And Clara’s mom could not see it in the long grass! It was a mistake, but Clara and her mom will make it right. Clara names the turtle Phillip.
They take Phillip to the vet. The vet takes an X-ray of Phillip’s leg, and makes sure that it is broken. The turtle gets a little splint（夹板）and bandage. The vet tells Clara that the turtle needs plants to eat, water to drink and a place to live in. Clara and her mom buy a small tank （水箱） for Phillip on the way home.
At home, Clara takes good care of Phillip. She puts water and rocks in the tank. She brings him fruit and leaves to eat, and keeps his tank clean.
After eight weeks, Clara and her mom take Phillip back to the vet, who says that his leg is healthy again. Clara is both happy and sad. Happy because Phillip is better, but sad because she has to let him go. When Clara gets home, she feeds Phillip some fruit, kisses his back and says goodbye, then lets him go in the yard. Clara will always remember Phillip.
1.Clara’s mom looks upset because ________.
A.she can’t play with Clara B.the grass is too long to cut
C.the lawnmower doesn’t work D.she hurts the turtle by mistake
2.What does the underlined word “vet” mean?
A.兽医 B.药剂师 C.饲养员 D.驯兽师
3.Clara provides ________ for Phillip.
A.some fruit, water and grass B.a tank, some leaves and water
C.a splint, a tank and some rocks D.a bandage, some water and leaves
4.What does Clara do after Phillip becomes healthy?
A.She takes him to get an X-ray. B.She feeds him some leaves.
C.She lets him go. D.She keeps him as a pet in the yard.
5.What do you think of Clara? She is ________.
A.kind B.polite C.careless D.creative
