On Nov.18th, 1908, three men went up in a balloon. They started early in London. The headman was Augusta Gaudron, and the other two men were Tannar and Maitland. They had a big balloon and they were ready for a long way.
Soon they heard the sea. They were carrying the usual rope, and it was hanging down from the basket of the balloon. At the end of the rope they had tied a metal box. This could hold water, or it could be empty. So they were able to change its weight. It was for use over the sea. They were also carrying some bags of sand.
After the sun rose, the balloon went higher. It went up to 3,000 meters, and the air was very cold. The water in the balloon became ice. Snow fell past the men’s basket, and they could see more snow on the ground. The men tried to throw out some more sand, but it was hard. They tried to break the icy sand with their knives, but it was not easy. The work was slow and they were still falling, so they had to drop some whole bags of sand. One of them fell on an icy lake and made a black hole in the ice.
At last they pulled the box into the basket. It was still snowing; so they climbed to get away from the snow. They rose to 5,100 meters! Everything became icy. They were so cold that they decided to land. They came down in Poland heavily but safely. They had travelled 1,797 km from London!
1.Three men flew in a balloon ________.
A. to visit Poland B. to another city
C. for nearly 1,800 kilometers D. nearly a century ago
2.The metal box was used for ________.
A. carrying the bags of sand B. changing the weight
C. holding ropes of the balloon D. keeping drinking-water
3.When the balloon went up higher, ________.
A. the temperature of the balloon began to fall
B. they saw the sun go down and the snow falling
C. they made a hole in the basket with their knives
D. nothing could be seen but snow on the ground
4.At last the balloon landed ________.
A. early in London B. on the sea heavily
C. on a lake with safety D. in a foreign country
5.Which of the following is TRUE?
A. The three men started their long journey before the sun rose.
B. The balloon began falling down when they threw bags of sand.
C. The three men had to land because they felt cold and hungry.
D. They put the rope into the basket and the balloon went higher.
Americans with small families own a small car or a large one. If both parents are working, they usually have two cars. When the family becomes large, one of their cars is sold and they will buy a van.
A small car can hold four persons and a large car can hold six persons but it is very crowded. A van can hold seven persons easily, so a family of three children could ask their grandparents to go on a holiday travel. They could all travel together.
Mr. Hagen and his wife had a third child last year. This made them sell a second car and buy a van. The sixth and seventh seats are used to put other things, for a family of five must carry many suitcases when they travel. When they arrive at their grandparents’ home, the suitcases are brought into the two seats. The van can then carry the grandparents.
Americans call vans motor homes. A motor home is always used for holidays. When a family are traveling to the mountains or to the seaside, they can live in their motor home for a few days or weeks. All the members of a big family can enjoy a happier life when they are traveling together. That is why motor homes have become very popular. In America there are many parks for motor homes.
1.The word “van” in this text probably means ________.
A. 住房汽车 B. 机动车辆 C. 移动家庭 D. 大型卡车
2.Before Mr. Hagen and his wife bought a van, they ________.
A. sold their old house B. sold their second car
C. moved to their grandparents’ home D. built a new place for a van
3.A motor home is usually owned by a family with ________.
A. a baby B. much money C. more than two children D. interest in vans
4.Americans usually use motor homes ________.
A. to visit their grandparents at weekends
B. to drive their children to school every day
C. to travel with all the family members for holidays
D. to do some shopping with all the family members
5.Motor homes have become popular because ________.
A. they can take people to some other cities
B. big families can take more things along
C. some people think motor homes are cheap
D. they can bring families a much happier life
In 1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business. But he was not a good artist. So he invented a very simple camera. He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his garden. That was the first photo.
The next important date in the history of photography was 1837. That year, Daguerre, another Frenchman, took a picture of his reading room. He used a new kind of camera in a different way. Daguerre invented the Daguerreotype process, which started the history of human flat image. In his picture you could see everything very clearly, even the smallest thing. This kind of photo was called a Daguerreotype.
Soon, other people began to use Daguerre’s way. Travelers brought back wonderful photos from all around the world. People took pictures of famous buildings, cities and mountains.
In about 1840, photography was developed. Then photographers could take pictures of people and moving things, which was not simple. The photographers had to carry a lot of film and other machines. But this did not stop them, for example, some in the United States worked so hard. Mathew Brady was a famous American photographer. He took many pictures of great people. The pictures were unusual because they were very lifelike.
Photographers also became one kind of art by the end of the 19th century. Some photos were not just copies of the real world. They showed ideas and feelings, like other art forms.
1.The first photo taken by Niepce was a picture of _______.
A. his business B. his house C. his garden D. his window
2.The Daguerreotype was_________.
A. a Frenchman B. a kind of picture C. a kind of camera D. a photographer
3.If a photographer wanted to take pictures of moving things in the year of 1840, he had to_____.
A. watch lots of films B. buy himself an expensive camera
C. stop in most cities D. take lots of film and other things
4.Mathew Brady______________.
A. was very lifelike B. was famous for his unusual pictures
C. was quite strong D. took many pictures of moving people
5.This passage mainly tells us__________.
A. how photography was developed B. how to show your feelings in pictures
C. how pictures spread around the world D. how to use different cameras
When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly as possible and head for safety. But there are a few people who will get into their cars and go straight for the center of the storm. These people are willing to risk being killed by floods or 100-kilometer-an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up.
“Storm chasing(追逐)” is becoming an increasingly popular hobby, especially in the Midwest of the United States, where there are frequent storms between March and July. A storm chaser begins the day by checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to 1,000 kilometers to where the storm will be and waits for it to develop.
Although anyone can do it, storm chasing is extremely dangerous. The power of a big storm can throw a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds. Storm chasers are also often hurt in accidents caused by driving in a heavy rain. If you are a beginner, it is much safer to join a group for vacations during the storm season.
Even then, storm chasing is not all adventure and excitement. “Storm chasing is 95% driving,” says Daniel Lynch, who spends most of his summer storm-chasing. “Sometimes you can sit around for hours waiting for something to happen, and all you get is blue sky and a few light showers.”
However, for storm chasers, it is all worth it. “When you get close to a storm, it is the most exciting sight you will ever see in your life,” says Jasper Morley. “Every storm is an example of the power of nature. It is the greatest show on Earth.”
1.For storm chasing, the first thing storm chasers do is to _______.
A. get quickly into their cars for safety
B. wait patiently for the storm to develop
C. head straight for the center of the storm
D. collect information about a coming storm
2.Beginners of storm chasing are advised _______.
A. to do it in an organized way B. to spend much more time on it
C. not to get too close to a storm D. not to drive in a heavy rain
3.By saying “it is all worth it” in the last paragraph, the author means that _______.
A. storm chasing costs a lot of money
B. efforts in storm chasing are well paid
C. storm chasing is worth hours of waiting
D. a storm presents the greatest show on Earth
4.What is the purpose of the author?
A. To appeal to more people to take the adventures.
B. To give people advice when a storm is coming.
C. To introduce a hobby called storm chasing.
D. To present difficulties of storm chasing.
5.What can we learn from the text?
A. Storm chasing is only fit for young people.
B. Some storm chasers were killed during the storms.
C. Storm chasing is becoming popular around the world.
D. Sometimes storm chasers get nothing but disappointment.
你们班计划在下周日下午4：00—5：00在本班教室举行一次题为“How I Understand China Dream”的英语演讲比赛，假定你是班长李华，请给你们外籍教师Ketty写封书面邀请函，请她担任评委，对演讲作出简要点评，并对获奖者颁发证书。
注意：
(1)词数100左右；
(2)可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
(3)开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Ketty,
____________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
The other day, some of my classmates and I took a bicycle trip along the “Ren Min Road”, where was specially built for people to relax ourselves. The scenery along the road was fascinating, with trees, flowers, hills and lakes on both side. We stopped by a lake for a rest, where a good many of people were playing happily. But something unpleasant catch our attention. There was rubbish here or there, and there were many plastic bags and bottles floated on the surface of the lake. Such beautiful place was so serious polluted. What a shame! In the end, we couldn’t help collecting the rubbish after we left.
