Mark Twain was 1. (bear) in Florida 2. November 30th, 1835. He was 3. (bring) up in Hannibal, Missouri, along the Mississippi River. He is 4. (good) known for his novels set in his boyhood world on the river, such 5. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain loved the river so much 6. even his pen name is about the river. “Twain” is 7. old word for “two”. The phrase “mark twain” means that the water is two fathoms deep. The author’s real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Mark Twain was a 8. (success) writer. His works and speeches made people laugh. However, his 9. (late) life was not a happy one. Two of his daughters died. His wife died in 1904 after a long 10. (sick). Some critics think Mark Twain’s later works were more serious because of that.
Falling on April 23 every year, it is the twentieth World Book Day this year. It was_______by UNESCO(取合国教科文组织）in 1955 to encourage people, especially teenagers, to discover the pleasure of_______.
Many countries_______World Book Day. On that day in the UK, millions of students can buy_______of special prices, much lower than usual in any bookstore. It has been done every year_______1998. World Book Day is also celebrated in China. Xi Jinping does lots of reading _______he’s very busy. On World Book Day 2015, he _______people to do more reading. He suggested that young people_______ more time reading. “Books can’t change theworld, but people can change the world by changing _______through reading.” he said.
Reading can benefit (有益于) people_______. Reading helps us become more knowledgeable and more intelligent. Reading helps us to follow the_______development of science and technology. Reading_______us with information about other culture and places of the world. When we read, we may find many things that are _______to us. We would have to use our brain to_______about them or do more reading to find out the answers. The_______we read, the more we know. The more we know, the_______we become. Reading is also one of the most important ways to learn a foreign language______English. We all know that we can’t learn _______ at school, for example, the ways of English people are speaking and writing today.
“Reading makes a full man.” Books, magazines, _______and other kinds of materials can help us know more about the outside world and perfect us. _______, it is necessary for us to form a habit of reading every day.
1.A. set up B. put up C. brought up D. turned up
2.A. listening B. speaking C. reading D. writing
3.A. spot B. seek C. consult D. celebrate
4.A. clothes B. dictionaries C. computers D. books
5.A. since B. in C. from D. by
6.A. because B. though C. through D. when
7.A. allowed B. ordered C. advised D. introduced
8.A. spend B. take C. pay D. cost
9.A. ourselves B. yourselves C. themselves D. itself
10.A. in many ways B. by the way C. in any way D. in the way
11.A. earlier B. later C. latest D. late
12.A. shares B. gets C. opens D. provides
13.A. familiar B. unfamiliar C. believable D. unbelievable
14.A. think B. worry C. talk D. care
15.A. much B. less C. little D. more
16.A. outstanding B. prettier C. smarter D. outgoing
17.A. like B. at C. about D. towards
18.A. anything B. something C. everything D. nothing
19.A. phones B. games C. newspapers D. exercises
20.A. So B. However C. Although D. Therefore
The earth is the only planet that scientists think has life. Why does the earth have life while the other planets don’t? For one thing, the earth is just the right temperature. As the third planet from the sun, the earth seems to be just the right distance away. The planets which are closer to the sun are so hot. The farthest planets are cold balls.
When the earth developed—which scientists believe may have happened about 4 billion years ago—many gases covered the earth. The gases caused the earth to be hot. But something wonderful happened. The temperature was just right for thick clouds to form. It rained very hard for a very long time. This gave the earth its oceans. Water made it possible for plants to grow. The plants created oxygen in the atmosphere. Oxygen is the gas that humans and animals breathe.
Only one other planet in the solar system seems to be something like the earth. That planet is Mars(火星). Mars is smaller than the earth, and it is quite a bit cooler. But it is not too cold for humans. On some days, the temperatures are as low as a winter day in the northern United States. If you wore a special spacesuit, you could walk around on Mars. The most difficulty is that you have to bring your own air to breathe, because the air on Mars is too thin to breathe.
Mars has the largest volcano(火山) in the solar system. It is sixteen miles high. The highest volcano on the earth is five miles high. Scientists believe that Mars was once much better than it is now. Does this mean there could have been living things on Mars? Scientists are not sure, but there has been no sign so far.
1.Which of the following is NOT the reason that the earth has life?
A. The earth is just the right temperature.
B. There is oxygen in the atmosphere of the earth.
C. The volcanoes on the earth are lower than those on Mars.
D. The earth seems to be just the right distance away from the sun.
2.The underlined phrase “the third planet” in the first paragraph refers to_______.
A. the Sun B. the Moon
C. the Earth D. the Mars
3.Which of the following about the Mars is NOT true?
A. There is almost no oxygen in the air on Mars.
B. There could have been living things on Mars.
C. Mars has the largest volcano in the solar system.
D. Mars is smaller and quite a bit cooler than the earth.
4.Which is the first trouble for human to live on Mars?
A. The volcanoes. B. The temperature.
C. The air. D. The food.
5.Which of the following is probably the best title for the passage?
A. The Earth B. The Moon
C. Planets in the Solar System D. Mars is Most Like the Earth
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful bird, which had always wondering what Hell(地狱) was. When she was little, her mother always told her that if she didn’t get the hang of the flying skills, she would go to Hell. She was so puzzled that she always asked others what Hell looked like, but no one was sure, because none of them had ever been there. Some said Hell was a place full of water, and others told her that Hell was full of burning fire. However, the bird knew they were lying. She wanted to find out what Hell was.
When other birds were learning flying skills, she always hid herself and watched them. She thought in this way she could go to Hell and see what Hell looked like. However, she spent so little time learning flying skills that one day she was caught by a little boy. The little boy gave her to his grandpa in the countryside as a gift. The old man liked her very much. He made a beautiful cage(笼子) and put her in it. The bird was very worried because she thought she couldn’t find out what Hell was like staying in this small cage. However, she couldn’t escape. Day after day, she just stayed in the cage, watching other birds flying. She lost her freedom and she became sadder and sadder. At last, she became ill. The old man finally opened the cage, but she was too weak to fly. Lying on the ground, she thought of the question that she ever asked all the time.
“What does Hell look like?”
“Hell is a small well-decorated cage.” Before she closed her eyes forever, she finally answered that question herself.
1.Who warned the bird of hell?
A. Her mother B. Other birds
C. The little boy D. The old man
2.What did the bird think of other birds’ opinions on hell?
A. She thought they were telling lies.
B. She thought they were all right.
C. She thought nothing of them.
D. She thought highly of them.
3.Why did the bird hide herself when other birds were learning flying skills?
A. Because she was lazy.
B. Because she didn’t like learning flying skills.
C. Because she thought she could go to Hell by doing this.
D. Because she thought it was of no use to learn flying skills.
4.According to the passage, the bird at last found out that________.
A. there was no Hell at all
B. Hell was full of burning fire
C. Hell was a place full of water
D. Hell was a place without freedom
5.The bird _______ at last.
A. died B. was free
C. went to Hell D. lived a good life
Mrs. Williams has been in a small street in London for ten years, and now she had a new neighbour from Manchester. Her name was Mrs. Briggs, and she talked a lot about her expensive Italian furniture, her beautiful Persian carpets and her new kitchen.
“Do you know,” she said to Mrs. Williams one day, “I’ve got a new dishwasher. It washes the plates and glasses and knives and forks beautifully.”
“Oh?” Mrs. Williams answered. “And does it dry them and put them in the cupboard, too?”
Mrs. Briggs was surprised. “Well,” she answered, “the things in the machine are dry after an hour, but it doesn’t put them away, of course.”
“I’ve had a dishwasher for twelve years,” Mrs. Williams said.
“Oh?” Mrs. Briggs answered, “And does yours put the things in the cupboard when it has washed them?”
She burst into laughter. “Yes, he does,” Mrs. Williams answered. “He dries the dishes and puts them away.”
1.We can know that _______.
A. Mrs. Williams wants to buy something from Mrs. Briggs
B. Mrs. Williams works together with Mrs. Briggs
C. Mrs. Williams is the mother of Mrs. Briggs
D. Mrs. Williams lives next to Mrs. Briggs
2.Why was Mrs. Briggs surprised?
A. Because her dishwasher can do its work so beautifully.
B. Because her dishwasher can’t put dishes in the cupboard.
C. Because she has never heard of such a dishwasher before.
D. Because she has the same dishwasher as one of Mrs. Williams’.
3.Mrs. Briggs used to live _______.
A. London B. Manchester
C. Italy D. Persia
4.We can infer(推断) that Mrs. Williams has been married for ______.
A. 10 years B. 12 years
C. 1 hour D. No mentioned
5.Mrs. Williams’ dishwasher is _______ in fact.
A. herself B. a new-designed machine
C. Mr. Williams D. an old- style dishwasher
On Saturday morning, every boy in town was happy, except Tom sawyer. Tom’s aunt said he had to paint the fence. It was thirty yards long and three yards high! Tom painted a small corner, and then he sat down under a tree to have a rest.
Soon the boy who were free would come along and make fun of him. Just then, he had a wonderful idea. He picked up his brush and went back to work.
Ben Rogers came along the road. He sang happily, with an apple in one hand.
“I’m going swimming,” said Ben. “Do you want to come? Oh, but you have to work, don’t you?” “Work?” he said. “I don’t think that this is work. It’s fun. Does a boy get a chance like this every day?”
Ben thought about this. Tom went on painting. Ben was watching Tom’s every move. He was getting more and more interested.
After awhile, he said, “Tom, will you let me do some painting?”
Tom said, “No, Ben, I can’t. You see, Aunt Polly wants it to be done properly. I’m the only one that can do it right.”
“Oh, please, Tom,” begged Ben. “I’ll be really careful. I’ll give you half of my apple. I’ll give you all of it!”
“Well, all right, Ben,” said Tom. “But you must be careful.”
He gave Ben his brush with worry on his face but joy in his heart. He sat down again under the tree, and started to eat Ben’s apple.
All day, boys passed by and wanted to paint. When Ben got tired, Billy Fisher began to paint. He gave Tom a kite which he liked. Then Johnny Miller gave him twelve marbles, and so on.
That afternoon, Tom got many toys, and the fence gained three coats of paint. Aunt Polly was so pleased when she saw the painted fence that she gave him a large cake!
1.How did Tom feel when he began to paint the fence?
A. He felt very grateful. B. He felt responsible.
C. He felt unhappy. D. He felt energetic.
2.Tom’s wonderful idea was to ________.
A. work as quickly as possible
B. fool other boys into doing his work
C. persuade other boys to work with him
D. offer apples to get help from other boys
3.Tom got a kite from _______.
A. Ben Rogers B. Billy Fisher
C. Johnny Miller D. Aunt Polly
4.What does the underlined word “it” refer to?
A. the apple B. Tom’s every move
C. Ben’s request D. the fence
5.Aunt Polly was _______ with Tom’s work.
A. satisfied B. disappointed
C. angry D. familiar
