Hummingbirds have got their name from the distinct “hum” sound made by their rapidly flapping (拍打) wings．The size of the bird decides the number of flaps it can do．The average lifetime of a hummingbird is 3 or 4 years, but some of them have lived beyond 12 years also．They are unique in many ways．Besides the number of rapid flaps they can do per second, they can also fly backwards.
Hummingbirds have an amazing sense of assessing the amount of sugar in the nectar (花蜜) they eat．They feed on the nectar of flowers．Hummingbirds do not feed on flowers whose nectar contains less than 10% sugar．Talk about a sweet tooth! As they cannot sustain themselves on nectar alone because of its poor nutritional value, they also feed on insects and spiders, and hummingbird food mixture that one can make at home.
Attracting hummingbirds to your garden will require a little planning．Plant butterfly bush, mimosa, coral bells, foxglove, morning glory, etc．These flowers attract the hummingbirds due to their high visibility (可见性) and nectar production．Avoid using pesticides (杀虫剂), as it will not only kill the insects around the flowers, but hurt the hummingbirds as well.
A common food for these birds is the sweettasting sugar syrup (糖浆)．Hummingbird food ingredients are just two: sugar and water．Take a large clean bowl, pour in it four cups of hot water, and dissolve one cup of table sugar in it．Stir slowly until all sugar has dissolved．
Hummingbirds, tiny as they are, collect a lot of nutrition．Providing them with hummingbird food mixture made of sugar water is a sure way to get all these beauties humming in your garden.
1.Hummingbirds will have some little animals for their meal when .
A．they can't find any green plants
B．they can't take in enough nutrition
C．they are bored with eating nectar
D．they are too old to fly
2.In order to attract hummingbirds, you should .
A．plan high trees
B．grow plants with small flowers
C．grow plants whose flowers are bright in color
D．grow plants coming into flower in the morning
3.The main idea of the fourth paragraph is .
A．how to prepare food for hummingbirds
B．where hummingbirds can find delicious food
C．hummingbirds can't live for long without sugar
D．hummingbirds like manmade food better than nectar
COOL INVENTIONS
From school to band Practice, the Venturi Eclectic is an Earth-friendly way to get Where you want to go．This battery-powered, zero-emission (meaning it doesn't pollute the air) vehicle runs mainly on renewable energy．Solar panels on the Eclectic's roof absorb sun rays when you're driving．On windy days, you can connect a machine to the car's roof that collects energy from the wind while you're parked．The Eclectic's top speed is 28 miles an hour; the battery lasts for 31 miles before it needs to be recharged．Zipping (迅速行进) around the neighborhood has never been better.
Here's an eco-friendly way to tell time: Simply fill the Bedol
Water-powered Clock's tank (箱) with
water, add some lemon juice, and the clock will display the time without the
need for environmentally harmful batteries．There are
two sets of metal electrodes (电极) inside
the water tank．Water contains ions
(离子) that carry negative and positive
charges．These ions complete a
charge between the electrodes, creating enough energy to power the clock．Just refill the tank every few weeks, and this clock will keep on
ticking.
Bloodhound SuperSonic Car (SSC) will be the first car to attempt
to break the l,000-mile-an-hour barrier．(The
current record is 763 miles an hour.) A concept for now, the rocket-shaped car
gets its initial push to 350 miles an hour from a jet engine．Then a rocket fires up, pushing the SSC past 1,000 miles an hour．In order to keep the car streamlined (流线型的), the driver lies back at a 45-degree angle.
You're having a blast at your friend's birthday party．But when it's time to bring out the cake, everyone crowds around,
blocking your view．No worries．Throw the Triops into the air, and this clever camera captures the
view from above．The Triops can take
three pictures at once, each from different angles．You can also record sounds and command the Triops to start
shooting whenever it hears that noise．That's one
smart camera.
1.According to the passage, the Venturi Eclectic .
A．is popular with businessmen B．is suitable for a long trip
C．can turn wind into energy D．has only a little gas emission
2.What is the common characteristic of the Venturi Eclectic and the Bedol Water-powered Clock?
A．They don't need batteries. B．They are difficult to operate.
C．They can be powered by water. D．They are environmentally friendly.
3.The underlined phrase “having a blast” in the last paragraph probably means .
A．looking at a picture B．enjoying yourself
C．blowing out a candle D．recording sounds
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．The Triops is sensitive to sounds.
B．The driver of the SSC must be of great size.
C．The color of the Bedol Water-powered Clock is like that of lemon.
D．The SSC doesn’t have anything to do with a rocket actually.
In 1995, Susan Boyle went to Glasgow to audition (试演) for My Kind of people, a televised talent show popular in the UK．She was immediately rejected．She was nervous during the audition, and felt she didn't perform well, but her brother said that she was rejected because of her plain looks．Boyle was not discouraged and continued to sing at church and at the karaoke nights in a local pub.
Boyle suffered a personal loss in 1997, when her father passed away．After his death．Boyle put her big dreams on hold to care for her sick mother Bridget Boyle．The mother and daughter often talked of Susan's possible fame．Bridget Boyle encouraged her daughter to take part in singing competitions．“She was the one who said I should enter Britain's Got Talent．We used to watch it together.” Susan later told reporters．“She thought I would win.”
In 1999, Boyle used all of her savings to pay for a professional demo (样本唱片) tape．which she sent to record companies．In 2002, Boyle began taking singing lessons from voice coach Fred O'Neil．
In 2007, Boyle's mother passed away at the age of 91．A neighbor reported that when Bridget Boyle died, her daughter “wouldn't come out for three or four days or answer the door or phone.” She lived alone with her cat, Pebbles．For over a year, she refused to sing．But in August of 2008, O'Neil urged her to try out for Britain's Got Talent．Convinced that the performance would be an honor to her mother, Boyle auditioned in Glasgow, Scotland．She sang I Dreamed A Dream in the first round of the show, which was aired on 11 April 2009.
The 47-year-old Scottish woman's plain looks provided a sharp contrast (对比) to her powerfully beautiful voice．The performance astonished the audience and the judges．Online videos of her performance totaled over 40 million views within a week．Although she failed to win the final of Britain's Got Talent, Susan Boyle became globally popular．Her first album I Dreamed A Dream has sold over five million copies.
1.Bridget Boyle's attitude towards her daughter's musical talent can be described as .
A．critical B．doubtful C．indifferent D．optimistic
2.From Para．4 we learn that Boyle .
A．was slightly discouraged by her voice coach
B．entered Britain's Got Talent to prove her ability
C．decided to give up her singing career
D．was deeply affected by her mother's death
3.Which of the following is TRUE about Susan Boyle?
A．Her international fame grew rapidly in 2008.
B．Her audition for My Kind of People failed.
C．She has never stopped singing since 1995.
D．She was the winner of Britain's Got Talent.
4.In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to .
A．tell us how Boyle's dream came true
B．let us know more about Boyle's personal life
C．show how Boyle was influenced by her family
D．explain how to enter and win a talent show
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从16~35各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
My friends and I had just finished lunch at a hotel when it started to pour heavily．When it became lighter．I decided to 16 the rain to get my car．which was parked at my office three streets away．
My friends 17 that I shouldn't go, 18 I was seven months pregnant (怀孕的) then．I told them that I'd be very 19 ．One of them wanted to come with me but I 20 that she should stay with another friend who needed 21 with her baby．
I walked out of the hotel and started making my 22 to the car．At the traffic junction (交叉路口), a car 23 and the passenger got off with an umbrella． 24 I knew what was happening, he walked right beside me and told me he'd accompany me to my 25 ．I was very embarrassed and 26 , but he was very persistent (坚持的)．
During our walk, he kept telling me to walk 27 , as the ground was wet．When we got to the car park．I thanked him and we 28 ．I did not get his name and may not even 29 him now．Did he purposely stop for me? I'll never know．
So how did I pay it 30 ? I was at home when I 31 two Indian construction workers walking in the heavy rain．They were probably on their way to the construction site near my home, which was a long walk．I went out and 32 them an umbrella．The two men were wet through．They were 33 by my gesture, and I told them they should take the umbrella and keep it．They were very 34 and like me, probably wondered why a stranger was 35 such kindness．
1.A．carry B．keep C．brave D．collect
2.A．guessed B．argued C．complained D．promised
3.A．because B．though C．unless D．if
4.A．cheerful B．hopeful C．careful D．regretful
5.A．learned B．insisted C．begged D．worried
6.A．help B．advice C．food D．shelter
7.A．call B．change C．way D．choice
8.A．disappeared B．left C．started D．stopped
9.A．Before B．Since C．When D．For
10.A．home B．station C．hotel D．destination
11.A．agreed B．declined C．smiled D．cried
12.A．slowly B．quickly C．heavily D．gracefully
13.A．waited B．ran C．parted D．rested
14.A．like B．spot C．thank D．recognize
15.A．up B．off C．forward D．out
16.A．noticed B．imagined C．invited D．heard
17.A．made B．passed C．bought D．sold
18.A．disturbed B．impressed C．encouraged D．surprised
19.A．scared B．grateful C．sad D．anxious
20.A．appreciating B．repaying C．accepting D．offering
-- I haven’t got the reference book yet, but I’ll have a test on the subject next month.
-- Don’t worry．You ______ have it by Friday.
A．shall B．could C．must D．may
By the time my mother came back from work, my sister and I supper and were waiting for her at the table.
A．have cooked B．were cooking C．had cooked D．would cook
