Four beggars (乞丐) usually met at an old shack (小窩棚) at the end of the day. One day, they were very upset because none of them had got much in their begging bowls.

“I only got this piece of meat today,” the first said. “ I hardly got anything,” the second said. “ I just picked up these few vegetables outside the fruit and vegetable store.” The third complained that all he had been given was a handful of herds(香草) that he couldn’t eat on his own. The fourth begger had not done much better. “ I only got the handful of old, dried beans, but they aren’t very nice!”

As they sat around the fire, one of them had a great idea. “Let’s put all our bits together and boil them. In this way, we can make a tasty dish and share it.” They all agreed.

However, the first begger thought: “I don’t want to share. I’ll just pretend to throw my meat into the pot. They’ll never know and I’ll eat my meat later.” So he pretended to put the meat into the pot. Now the same idea had also hit the other beggers and the shack was so dark that no one could see what the others were doing.

Finally, one of them suggested that the dish should now be ready and, in turn, each of them helped himself to a bowl. They drank the hot water in absolute(絕對(duì)) silence, learning that selfishness (自私) doesn’t taste all that good.

52. How much did the four beggers get that day?

A. Nothing.             B. Only a little.              C. A lot of food.            D. A lot of money.

53.Why the fourth begger upset?

A. Because he got nothing from people.        B. Because the other beggers didn’t agree with him.

C. Because many people laughed at him. D. Because the beans were old and dried.

54. Which of the following is TRUE according to the story?

A. They didn’t eat anything but the hot water.       B. What they made in the pot was tasty.

C. They didn’t know what others put in the pot.    D. They liked what was in the pot in the end.

55.What does the story tell us?

A. We shouldn’t stay with beggers.               B. We shouldn’t eat beans.

C. We should learn to share.                                D. We should be selfish.

It's the end of class. When the bell rings, students of Luohu Foreign Languages School in Shenzhen quickly take out their cell phones. They want to log on to their micro blogs to check the interesting things that have happened in the last hour.

Since last year, the trend（潮流） of micro blogging has swept the country. Recent surveys shows that most students in middle schools have a micro blog and some even update（更新） their blogs over five times per day.

"We learn many fresh and interesting things on micro blogs and they have become popular topics in class," said Andy Liang, 14. "If you do not know about them, you are out of the loop."

It is also a great place for students to let out stress. "My parents always ask me to study all the time, and encourage me before exams, but it really adds pressure," said Simon Zhang, 15. "When I share these feelings on my micro blog, I get many replies from friends in the same situation, which makes me feel better."

But parents are worried that micro blogging could be a waste of time. Some misleading messages may even cause danger to kids, they said.

Mr. Shen, a professor（教授）at the China Education Association, suggests parents not worry too much as long as kids are not crazy about micro blogging. Maybe it can become a window for parents to understand their children. "If parents can read their children's micro blogs, they'll know their thoughts, thus leading to better communication and solutions to problems," he said. He also gives some tips for kids.

---Don't micro blog for more than one hour a day.

---Never micro blog in class.

---Try to talk face to face with people from time to time.

---Be careful. Don't trust all the messages on a micro blog.

48. The underlined part "out of the loop" in the passage probably means                .

A. not popular                 B. not excited                C. unhealthy                 D. unlucky

49. Micro blog made Simon       when he shared his feelings and got replies on his micro biog.

A. feel sad           B. let out stress       C. add pressure       D. make friends

50. We can know from Mr. Shen that micro blogging can                  .

A. make kids crazy while logging on to it                     B. bring a lot of misleading messages

C. become a window to understand young kids         D. lead to worse communication

51. Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?

A. It's good for kids to micro blog for more than one hour a day.

B. Kids should trust all the messages on a micro blog because they are useful.

C. The trend of micro blogging has swept the country since five years ago.

D. Kids should try to talk face to face with people, not just micro blogging.

So you want to have a tarantula(狼蛛)as a pet? You want to join the fastest growing hobby in the US? Read this beginner’s guide to learn the most important facts.

What is a tarantula? Tarantulas are primitive spiders(遠(yuǎn)古的蜘蛛). They are usually hairier and larger than normal spiders.

Why keep tarantulas? Tarantulas are really interesting pets. They don’t need much space, they aren’t expensive to feed, they live a long time, they don’t make much mess, and they aren’t dangerous.

When did people start keeping tarantulas as a hobby? They started in the 1970s when the ‘Mexican Redknee’ was brought to the US. By the 1990s there were about 200 different kinds of tarantulas in the US, but some are better for beginners than others. Good beginner tarantulas include the ‘Pink Zebra Beauty’ and the ‘Brazilian Black and White’ because they are not as dangerous as some of the other ones.

How do I look after a tarantula? You can keep tarantulas in 10 gallon, glass boxes. They need a water bowl in the box and you should feed them once a week. Tarantulas eat insects, small mice and lizards. You can buy these(already dead)from a pet shop. You only need to clean the glass box about once every six months.

Can I get my tarantula out of its box and hold it? No! A tarantula is not a pet like a dog, a cat or a rabbit and they do not like being held in your hands. Keep it in the glass box and watch it.

Are tarantulas dangerous? Nobody has ever died from a tarantula bite, but some kinds of tarantula could give you a bad bite. Usually they prefer to run away from you than to bite you.

How can I find out more? Look for a club near you for people who keep tarantulas as a hobby. You can also find some information about it on the Internet or find some books.

44. Some tarantulas are better for beginners than others because __________.

A. they don’t need much space                            B. they don’t make much mess

C. they are not as dangerous as other ones            D. they aren’t expensive to feed

45. What do tarantulas NOT eat?

A. Insects                      B. Lizards                     C. Big mice                   D. small mice

46. Which pet don’t like being held in our hands?

A. A cat           B. A rabbit                           C. A dog                       D. A tarantula

47. How often should you clean the glass box for a tarantula?

A. Once a week       B. Once every six months    C. Once a day               D. Once a year

HOT MOVIES IN THEATERS

Flying swords of Dragon Gate

It’s a great action movie with a lot of stars like Jet Li and Zhou Xun. It’s based on the story of 1992’s New Dragon Gate Inn, a work by Tsui Hark.

Ticket: ￥60 （Student Ticket: ￥30）

The Flowers of War

Do you like Zhang Yimou? He likes to play big. His new movie The Flowers of War is China’s most expensive film yet. The film is also aimed to take the international market. It will be on in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco on December 23.The story begins in Nanjing after the fall of the city to the Japanese on December 13, 1937.

Ticket: ￥90 （Student Ticket: ￥45）

41. What kind of movies is Flying swords of Dragon Gate？

A. A documentary.    B. An action movie.      C. A thriller.     D. A comedy

42. Where does the story of the movie The Flowers of War happen?

A. New York          B. Los Angeles        C. San Francisco  D. Nanjing

43. Lindy is a middle school student. She wants to see The Flowers of War with her father.

  How much do they need to pay?

 A. ￥90       B. ￥45         C. ￥180       D. ￥135

The word that has changed the world

Apple is one of the most popular fruits in our life, and people eat apples every day. But there are 26 apples that are especially important to the history of our human beings and they have changed the whole world.

Long long ago when the world just started, apple was a forbidden 27　 in the Garden of Eden, however, a girl named Eve stole and ate it. Unfortunately, she was discovered by God, and was driven away 28　 the Garden together with a boy called Adam. After they 29 the garden, Adam and Eve had their own babies and 30　 the ancestors of all of us. This is the 31 of our world.

In the Autumn of 1665, there 32　 a young man sitting under an apple tree in his garden. His name was Newton. While he was thinking of one problem, suddenly, an apple dropped down from the tree and fell on his head. 33　 this, Newton discovered gravitation(引力) on that day and his new idea of science made people really 34　 and happy, also he changed our opinions about nature and the way 35　 we think, then people began to 36 what science was at that time.

And today, Jobs Steve, this crazy old man changed the world by his apple products. For example, iPhones 37 be found 38　 in the street, young people feel cool when they use this kind of new high-tech（技術(shù)） product. Don’t you think 39　 apple products have become a symbol of our time? As Jobs Steve often said he was born to change the world and he made it. 40　 he has died, people remember him and miss him, because he made our life more colorful and amazing.

—How do you like the zoo?

—That’s very interesting. 　　　　 tourists come to visit it every year.

A. Thousands of　　　 B. Thousand of C. Five thousands　　　　 D. Five thousands of

 It is said that potato chips       by mistake about a hundred years ago.

   A. invent                        B. invented                   C. are invented       D. were invented

 —Must I finish my homework now?

 —No, you        . You         do it this evening.

A. mustn’t; can        B. needn’t; may             C. can’t; must        D. needn’t; must to

 —Look，the light in Jim’s room is still on. Do you know­­______?  

—To study for the coming exam, maybe.

A. if he works hard                                     B. why is he so busy        

C. why he stays up so late                           D. when he will stop working

 Success will belong to those ________ never say “impossible”

A. whose                       B. who                        C. whom                 D. which