The Mystery of the Flashing Fireflies
During summer nights fireflies flash in the darkness. They look like bright spots of light dancing on the breeze. Catching them in a jar for a few minutes can be fun. Fireflies are not really flies, though. They are winged beetles. Scientists are using these special beetles to learn more about our world.
The reason a firefly flashed its light is to find a mate. There are around two thousand species, or kinds, of fireflies. Fireflies mate only with their own species. Each kind of firefly has its own flash pattern. It is important that fireflies recognize this pattern. That way they can find bugs of their own kind. The male firefly flies around in the sky while the female firefly stays close to the ground.
For many years, how a firefly flashes its light was a mystery. Scientists now know that a firefly’s light is a cold light. It gives off all of its power as light. It does not produce heat. A normal light bulb gives off only ten percent of its power as light. The rest of the power is wasted as heat. That is why a light bulb that has been on for a while is very hot. The firefly’s light does not feel hot like a light bulb.
Scientists have also learned that fireflies have a small built-in lantern. This special lantern is located inside a firefly’s body. To create light, a gas flows through tiny tubes. This causes the firefly to light up. A firefly can also turn its light on and off quickly. This puzzled scientists. They learned that short bursts of this gas make the firefly glow. When the gas fades, the light goes out. This process happens very quickly.
Scientists know that what they learn from fireflies will be important. Medical studies using fireflies are helping scientists fight illnesses in human beings. They have made new medicines from the chemicals used by fireflies to make light. Fireflies have also helped with new discoveries. New flashlights and flares have been made based on fireflies. These new flashlights and flares produce a cold light like a firefly. This way all the power makes the light shine. This little bug may be a pleasure to watch, but it is also an important part of our lives.
1.Why did the author most likely include Paragraph 4?
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A．To explain how fireflies make light. |
B．To describe different kinds of fireflies. |
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C．To show how much power fireflies use. |
D．To describe why fireflies make light. |
2.Which of these is the best choice for a heading for Paragraph 5?
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A．The Cool Light of Fireflies |
B．Watching Fireflies Flash |
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C．Understanding the Patterns |
D．Learning from Fireflies |
3.According to the passage, a firefly’s light is different from a light bulb’s light because the firefly’s light _______.
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A．shines brighter |
B．does not fade |
C．lasts longer |
D．is not hot |
4.A reader asks this question about the passage: “ How many different kinds of fireflies are there?” Which paragraph from the passage answers the question?
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A．Paragraph 2 |
B．Paragraph 3 |
C．Paragraph 4 |
D．Paragraph 5 |
5.The author most likely wrote this passage in order to __.
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A．tell why fireflies light up |
B．give facts about fireflies |
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C．show how fireflies help doctors |
D．compare a firefly to a light bulb |
Most Americans have great respect for their flag and every school day begins with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Stars and Stripes. Written in 1892, this pledge is recited in schools before classes begin and it serves as a sign of unity and identity for the various groups of people who have come from so many different lands and cultures.
Students stand at attention with their right hand over their heart, face the flag which is displayed in the classroom before them and begin, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.” Even the immigrants who come from distant lands must recite this pledge to the flag when they become eligible for citizenship.
The American flag is also known as “Old Glory” and over the years has evolved to its present form of fifty stars and thirteen stripes. The stars represent the fifty states and the stripes stand for the original thirteen colonies.
The first version of the flag with its stars and stripes appeared in 1777, but only had thirteen stars. As each new state joined the union, a new star was added. The last star to be added was in 1960 after Hawaii became the fiftieth state. In the future if another state joins the Union, another star will be added to the field of blue. The number of stripes, however, remains consistent and never changes.
The design of the flag may have altered over the years, but the colors, red, white and blue, have remained constant. In 1782 the Congress of the United States proclaimed that red stood for hardiness and courage, white stood for purity and innocence, and blue for justice and perseverance.
It was the flag which inspired the creation of the national anthem: “The Star Spangled Banner” in 1812. President Wilson in 1916 and later President Coolidge in 1927 suggested in proclamations to fellow countrymen that a special day be set aside to honor the flag. In 1949 the American Congress gave official recognition of June 14 as Flag Day.
1.According to the passage which of the following statements is NOT true?
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A．The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892. |
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B．Another name of the American flag is “Old Glory” or “The Stars and Stripes”. |
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C．The design of the flag has stayed the same over the years. |
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D．June 14 was set aside as Flag Day to honor the flag from 1949 on. |
2.What is the purpose of the Pledge of Allegiance?
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A．It opens the school day. |
B．It is recited in all schools. |
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C．It is a sign of unity and nationalism. |
D．It makes someone eligible for citizenship. |
3.What do the fifty stars on the flag represent?
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A．Purity and innocence. |
B．Truth and honesty |
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C．Bravery and courage |
D．The fifty states. |
4.The colors of the American flag ________.
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A．have changed from time to time. |
B．have always been red, white and blue. |
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C．used to be only red and white. |
D．used to be red and blue. |
5.The best title of the passage would be ________.
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A．“Old Glory”: the American Flag |
B．The Pledge of Allegiance |
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C．American National Anthem |
D．Flag Day |
语法填空（共10小题，每小题1.5分，满分15分）
阅读下面短文，根据上下文填入适当的词语，或使用括号中的词语的适当形式填空。
Chinese President Hu said before arriving in Pittsburgh ahead of the G20 summit, “To realize __1__ safer world for all, we must first and foremost remove the threat of nuclear war,” saying Beijing has always wanted complete __2___ (prohibit) and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons. Hu also said, “All countries should join the NPT (Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty) and make real efforts to uphold and enhance its authority and __3__ (effective).” It was the third day when Hu had made a major speech before world leaders. __4__ was the first time that he __5__ (address) such a high-level summit on disarmament(解除武装) and nonproliferation(消除核扩散). Hu made five proposals in his speech, _6__ (say) all countries with nuclear weapons should publicly commit to not wanting to possess _7__ in the long term. Hu said China will consistently support nonproliferation and disarmament treaties. “We have adhered to(坚持) the policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons at any time and __8__ any circumstance, and made the commitment that we will unconditionally not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons _9__ non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones,” said Hu. The Chinese president said the function of the International Atomic Energy Agency should __10__ (strength).
完形填空（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从下列各题所给的四个选项中, 选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Last summer Tom and his friends George and Bill wanted to take a vacation. But they did not have much __26__.They decided that a ___27____ mountain climbing expedition(探险；郊游)was the only trip they could ___28____.Since each of them was ____29____ to climbing，the vacation would be a lot of fun. Tom made all the plans. He ____30_____ that they should share the expenses for food and gas equally and that each one should bring some ____31____ clothes because the weather at ____32____ altitudes is usually cold. The boys were not in a hurry，so they climbed ____33____ the first day. The weather was __34__，and they enjoyed the fresh __35__ as they climbed up a narrow path.
Tom expected the weather to stay nice，but late in the afternoon there was a __36__.The boys rushed toward a cave and decided to camp there that night.
When the sun rose the next morning，they continued __37__.As the boys went higher，the climbing became more __38__，and by late that afternoon the trip appeared endless. When they finally reached the __39__ of the mountain，they saw a beautiful sight. The colors of the sunset were yellow，red，and gold. The boys relaxed and enjoyed the view. The farms and fields of wheat and corn below appeared very small. In the distance，they could see trees，hills and valleys. They __40__ a week in the mountains. They really had great fun.
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B．money |
C．cost |
D．fare |
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A．sunshine |
B．wind |
C．storm |
D．cloud |
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课文填空 (共5小题，每小题1分，满分5分)
根据课文内容，准确补充完整下列句子，完全正确方可得分。
1. _______________________ the earth is becoming warmer (see Graph 1) and that it is human activity that has caused this global warming rather than a random but natural phenomenon.
2. It will those who love Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings.
3. When I was young, I didn’t know much about the harmful of smoking.
4. They also agree that it is the burning of more and more fossil fuels that has __________ this increase in carbon dioxide.
5.I was as a volcanologist working for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) twenty years ago.
基础写作（15分）
请根据下面的提示写一篇短文，介绍台风（typhoon）的一些基本知识。
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台风发生的时间 |
多数出现在夏季 |
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与人类的关系 |
可以给广大地区带来充足的雨水，与人类生活和关系密切 |
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对人类的影响 |
1. 台风经常带来各种破坏，它具有突发性强、破坏力大的特点，是世界上最严重的自然灾害之一 2. 台风所引起的暴雨会造成洪涝灾害，淹没城镇和农田，造成大量人员伤亡和财产损失 |
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政府的做法 |
政府应该采取有效措施来防止台风给人民的财产和安全带来伤害 |
【写作要求】
只能使用5个句子表达全部内容
【评分标准】
句子结构准确，信息内容完整，篇章结构连贯。
