The average American child spends three to five hours a day watching TV. In 1961, the average child began to watch television at age three; however, today it is nine months. Yet, most parents think that television has bad influence on their children. For example, in the early 1970s, my parents believed that my bad eyesight was the result of sitting too close to the screen, and they therefore made my stay at least six feet from it. Today, most people have no such worry, but many new ridiculous (荒謬的) sayings have appeared:

*TV makes kids stupid. Many children watch more educational programs when they are pre-schoolers. When they grow up, they can read more books and have much better ideas to solve difficult problems than other children.

*TV makes kids violent. The real story is not so simple. Hundreds of studies show that watching violence on TV makes children more aggressive (好斗的). But a study of over 5,000 children also finds that some positive programs make children kinder. The problem is that kids are increasingly watching shows with violence instead of those suitable for their age.

*Sitting around watching TV makes kids overweight. An experiment finds that when children watch less television, they do lose extra weight; however, reducing their television time does not make them more active. The real problem lies in snacking (吃零食). A widespread habit for kids, and junk-food advertisements.

*TV helps kids get to sleep. The opposite is true. The more television children watch, the more likely they are to have irregular sleep and nap(小睡) patterns. Allowing kids to watch television is part of the problem, not the solution.

1.Which one is the advantage of educational TV programs?

A. They will make children solve difficult problems better than others.

B. they will improve children’s ability to get along with others.

C. They are likely to make children more aggressive.

D. They will make sure of children’s success in the future.

2.Why are children spending much time watching TV likely to be fat?

A. Watching TV makes children lazy and inactive.

B. Children are attracted by the food advertisement on TV.

C. Watching TV doesn’t burn up as much fat as doing sports.

D. Children like to snack while watching TV.

3.What influence does watching TV have on a child’s sleep?

A. Children are likely to sleep deeper after watching TV.

B. Children’s sleep time will be greatly reduced.

C. It will make children form a bad habit of sleeping.

D. It will make children sleep easier.

4.What is the purpose of this text?

A. To increase people’s knowledge of watching TV.

B. To warn parents of the disadvantages of watching TV.

C. To explain the bad influences that watching TV has on children.

D. To correct parents’ wrong ideas of television’s effect on children.

In 2006, a large number of new Internet sites became popular around the world. Some of these are for communication, others for entertainment(娛樂).

The blog is one form of communication that increased in popularity. Through these personal websites(網(wǎng)址), people can share their lives, ideas and opinions on the Internet. People of all ages have their own blogs. For young people, they are a way to show their writing and other forms of self-expression. Blogs also connect people with other people who have the same interests. For example, teachers use blogs to share ideas with other teachers’, as well as experiences and concerns about their work.

YouTube is another Internet site that became more popular last year. This website lets anyone create, share and watch short videos. These include videos of people singing or dancing, or animals doing funny things. Three young men created YouTube almost two years ago as a personal video sharing service. They recently sold it to Google for more than one and a half billion dollars.

Games and entertainment also became a larger part of the Internet last year. One Internet social site is called Second Life. It is an online world in which computer users create a new self and live a different life. They get married, build homes, operate businesses, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school.

People also take part in fantasy sports leagues with the help of the Internet. A fantasy sport is a game in which each member of a group acts as the owner of a team. Each owner creates a team of real-life professional players to compete against other teams in the league. More than fifteen million American adults play fantasy sports. The industry earns more than one billion（十億）dollars each year from publications, memberships and other costs.

1.The passage is mainly about __________.

A. the most popular Internet technology in 2006

B. some new ways for people to communicate or have fun on the Internet

C. one online game called Second Life

D. the high price of playing online

2.Who is the owner of YouTube now?

A. Three young men. B. Google.

C. Computer users. D. Yahoo.

3.Whom does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A. The people who are interested in blogs.

B. The people who play games on YouTube.

C. The people who play Second Life.

D. The people who are created in Second Life.

4.What do we know from the passage?

A. Teachers can share ideas, experiences and concerns about their work with other teachers on any website.

B. More than fifteen million American teenagers play fantasy sports.

C. Second Life helps people get married, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school in real life.

D. Fantasy sports, a game in which each member of a group acts as the owner of a team, is very popular around the world.

Do you like chocolate? Maybe most people do. A box of it can be a great gift. Buy one for a friend and give it as a surprise. See how happy that person gets.

Say you just got a box of chocolate. Which piece do you pick first? A man has studied people’s choices. He says they tell something about the person. Did you choose a round piece? You are a person who likes to party. Did you choose an oval (橢圓形的) shape? You are a person who likes to make things. Picking a square shape shows something else. The person is honest and truthful. You can depend on him or her.

What kind of chocolate do you pick? Maybe you like milk chocolate. This shows you have warm feelings about the past. Dark chocolate means something else. A person who chooses it looks toward the future. What about white chocolate? Would you choose it? If so, you may find it hard to make up your mind. Some people like chocolate with nuts. These are people who like to help others.

Do you believe these ideas? Can candy tell all these things? It doesn’t really matter. There is one sure thing about eaters of chocolate. They eat it because they like it.

1.This passage mainly tells us ______.

A. why people like chocolate

B. almost everyone likes chocolate

C. about different kinds of chocolate

D. different choices may show different characters

2.Picking a round shape of chocolate shows that a person ______.

A. can be depended on

B. likes singing, dancing and drinking

C. is good at making things

D. likes to do something for others

3.From this passage we can say that a helpful man may choose chocolate ______.

A. with nuts B. with coffee

C. in square shape D. in oval shape

4.The last paragraph suggests that the writer ______.

A. believes all the information about chocolate

B. does not believe the information about candy

C. is trying to get you to believe these information

D. doesn’t think it important whether you believe the ideas

In the US, people prefer waiting for a table to sitting with people they don’t know. This means a hostess may not seat a small group until a small table is available, even if a large one is. If you are sitting at a table with people you don’t know, it is impolite to light up a cigarette without asking if it will disturb them.

At American restaurants and coffee shops you are usually served tap water before you order. You may find the bread and butter is free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill.

Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing time for stores or restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars. Especially in large cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day.

Serving in restaurants is often large, too large for many people. If you can’t finish your meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask your waitress or waiter for a “doggie bag”. It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everybody knows you’re taking the food for yourself.

Supper and dinner are both words for the evening meal. Some people have “Sunday dinner”. This is an especially big noon meal.

Tips are not usually added to the check. They are not included in the price of the meal, either. A tip of about 15% is expected and you should leave it on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a check is brought on a plate and you put your money there. Then the waiter or waitress brings you your change.

1.Which statement is true?

A. American people like sitting with people they don’t know.

B. A hostess always seats a small group at a large table.

C. American people never sit with people they don’t know.

D. American people will not light a cigarette if the people who sit at the same table mind their smoking.

2.What is served before you order?

A. Bread. B. Butter. C. Coffee. D. Cold water.

3.What do American people always do when servings are too large for them?

A. They take the food home with a “doggie bag” for their dogs.

B. They leave the food on the table and go away.

C. They take the food home with a “doggie bag” and enjoy the food later.

D. They ask the waitress or waiter to keep the food for them.

4.What can you learn about “tips” according to the passage?

A. Customers often add tips to their check.

B. The price of the meal usually includes the tip.

C. People are not expected to pay tips in addition.

D. Tips are supposed to be left on the table when customers leave

單詞拼寫 （共12分）

1.His n___________ language is not Chinese but he can speak it fluently.

2.He seems to be doing nothing , but _________ ( 實際上 ) he is just waiting for his chance.

3.After returning from abroad, the old man s__________ (定居) in Beijing.

4.Thanks to her husband’s good care, the wife has r__________（康復(fù)）from her operation.

5.This popular American TV series is b___________ on a real story.

6.The old couple was so g_______ to us for what we had done for him that he bought us a basket of fresh fruit.

7.Michael once lived in China for ten years. No wonder he speaks Chinese as f________ as native Chinese.

8.Most of the students agree with him, but 10℅ students still d____________ with him.

9.He went s_______________ to the playground even without looking at me.

10.It was quite terrible. It took me some time to c____________ down myself.

11.I didn't r________ her at first because I hadn't seen her for five years.

12.The general(將軍) c_______ the soldiers to shut the gate.

課文填空 （根據(jù)課文內(nèi)容填入單詞或詞組、句型，共16分）

1.I wonder if it’s because I haven’t been able to be outdoors for so long that I’ve ____________everything to do with nature. I can well remember that _____________________ a deep blue sky, the song of the birds, moonlight and flowers could never have kept me spellbound.

2.I stayed awake __________ until half past eleven ____________ have a good look at the moon by myself.

3.The dark, rainy evening, the wind, the thundering clouds held me ______ in their power; it was the first time in a year and a half that I had seen the night _______________.

4.These new settlers enriched the English language and especially its vocabulary. So by the 1600’s Shakespeare was able to _______________ a wider vocabulary than ever before.

5.At that time, two big changes in English spelling happened: first Samuel Johnson wrote his dictionary and later Noah Webster wrote The American Dictionary of English Language. The latter ___________________________ to American English spelling.

In communication, a smile is usually _____ strong sign of a friendly and _____ open attitude.

A. the; / B. a; an C. a; / D. the; an

More money and effort should be spent to _______ the cultural relics in the world.

A. keep B. remain

C. preserve D. support

He had a strange hairstyle and he instantly became the ______ of attention the moment he stepped into the classroom.

A. aim B. focus

C. direction D. point

When he joined them in the work, he was disappointed at there _______ so little to do.

A. being B. were C. having D. had