Some countries have large numbers of earthquakes. Japan is one of them. One of the most serious
earthquakes in world history took place in Japan in 1923. The shock and fires caused by it destroyed
much of Tokyo and Yokohama and left more than 7000 dead. Other countries do not have many. For
examples, there are few earthquakes in Britain, France, Germany.
      There is often a great noise during an earthquake, but it is not always. The earth rocks. Houses fall
down. Railway lines are broken. Sometimes many people are killed in an earthquake. People think earthquakes
often happen near volcanoes (火山), but this is not always true. The centers of some are under the sea.
The bottom of the sea suddenly moves. The powerful forces inside the earth break the rocks. The coast
is rocking and great waves are caused there. These waves travel long distances and rush over the land
when they reach it. They are strong enough to break down houses and other buildings; sometimes they
break more buildings than earthquake itself.
     What kind of building stands up best in an earthquake? A building with concrete (水泥) walls is perhaps
the best. A steel frame (框架) will make it even stronger. The frame holds the different parts together and
the walls do not easily fall. There is less chance of fire because concrete and steel (鋼材) does not burn.
This kind of building is the safest. Today modern concrete and steel apartment buildings are commonly
seen in cities of Japan.
1. Why do we say that an earthquake is terrible?
_____________________________________________________________________.
2. What kind of building is the safest for us to live in against earthquakes?
_____________________________________________________________________.
3. Which country has the largest number of earthquakes, Britain, Japan, or France?
_____________________________________________________________________.
4. 判斷正誤：正確的在括號里寫T，錯誤寫F。
(     ) The text mainly tells us how to protect ourselves when the earthquake happens.
5. Put the underlined sentences into Chinese.
_____________________________________________________________________.

     Antifreeze is a liquid (液體) that is added to water to keep it from freezing. When water freezes and turns
to ice, it expands (膨脹). The force of water expanding is so great that it will break the hardest metal. Water
is used in car engines (發(fā)動機) to keep them cool while they run,and if this water is allowed to freeze in
winter it can break the iron block of the engine. That is why antifreeze is necessary.
     Water freezes at 0℃；the usual kind of antifreeze will not freeze until the temperature is －40℃. A
mixture (混合物) of five parts of water and four parts of antifreeze will prevent freezing at －18℃；four
parts of water and five parts of antifreeze reduce this to －22℃.
     Alcohol is a kind of good antifreeze, but when the air is running it becomes hot and the alcohol boils away,
so it must be changed very often. Most people use antifreeze that does not boil away when the engine is
running. There are several chemicals that do this. One of the most popular is called ethylene glycol.

1. People use ________ to keep car engines cool.

A. antifreeze
B. water
C. alcohol
D. ethylene glycol

2. The usual kind of antifreeze freezes at ________.

A. 0℃
B. －18℃
C. －22℃
D. －40℃

3. We use antifreeze in order to ________.

A. keep alcohol in water
B. stop ice from becoming water
C. make the freezing point of water lower
D. raise the freezing point of water

4. Besides alcohol, ________ is another kind of popular antifreeze.

A. water
B. ethylene glycol
C. any chemical
D. any mixture

5. The text is written to ________.

A. tell us what antifreeze is
B. make people buy antifreeze
C. tell us that cars need antifreeze
D. show us how to protect car engines

     I love to write! Ever since I was a five-year-old girl, I wrote stories in my notebooks and on small pieces
of paper. I told stories to my friends. As a grown-up, I have written over 100 books! That's a lot! As a teacher,
it's my goal to encourage all of my students to love to write.
     Writing is easy if you're careful enough, I told them. Everyone I meet is a possible character.
     Everything I see or do is a possible scene in a book. Start looking around you. You'll be amazed at what
you discover.
     Anyone can be a writer. You just put your pencil on your paper and write what you like to read,
 step by step:   
    ● Create great characters. If you know your characters well, they'll write the story for you. 
    ● Interest the reader right at the beginning. You can start your stories with dialogue or action. If you can
make the reader ask questions, then he has to keep reading to find out the answers. 
    ● Follow the steps. The steps for every story are almost the same: Introduce the characters and the
conflict (爭端); things get worse; all seems lost; the hero saves the day!
    ● Balance is the key. Remember, when writing, it doesn't hurt to add some humor (幽默).

1. What did the writer begin to do when she was five years old?
    ___________________________________________________________________
2. What's the writer's goal as a teacher?
    ___________________________________________________________________
3. How many steps are mentioned about writing according to this passage?
    ___________________________________________________________________
4. Does the writer think it hurts to add some humor when writing?
    ___________________________________________________________________
5. What does the passage mainly talk about? 
    ___________________________________________________________________

     Sometimes people call ours a "throwaway society". That means that we're always throwing away old
things and buying new ones. Many times, you no longer need something, but someone else may just need to
buy one. For example, if your baby doesn't like his toy car any longer, why not give it to a nearly family who
has a little kid? That's one less plastic toy car that they need to buy. It's also one less plastic toy that needs to
be produced, packaged and shipped to the toy store.
     Here are some other ways to help save resources (資源) for the society:
     ★Use the other side of the paper. 
     ★Use rechargeable (可再充電的) batteries for your electric toys, MP3 players, cell phones, and cameras.
     ★Choose reusable travel cups instead of disposable (一次性的) paper or plastic cups.
     ★Take your own cloth shopping bags when you go shopping.
     ★Drink tap water instead of buying bottled water.
     And there are some things you can exchange with your friends, for example, books, toys, even clothes.
It's a way for everyone to get something new without spending any money and without throwing many
things away.

1. The underlined word "ours" in the passage refers to (指代) ________.

A. our society
B. our old things
C. our life
D. our throwaway things

2. According to the writer, if we give a second-hand toy car to a neighbor kid, we can ________.

A. buy another new one
B. help toy business develop
C. make the family very thankful to us
D. help save resources for the society

3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. We should buy things that can be reused in our daily life.
B. We can exchange some things with others for further use.
C. It's good for us to throw away old things and buy new ones.
D. We are supposed to give the things we no longer need to our neighbors.

4. What should we do in our daily life after reading the passage?

A. Try to throw as few old things as we can.
B. Use as many disposable things as possible.
C. Drink bottled water even though there is tap water around.
D. Buy everything we need instead of exchanging them with others.

    The computers changed our lives in the 1980s, the Internet changed our lives in the 1990s, and the robots
will change our lives in the new century.
    Do you think there will be robots in people' s homes? It' s not a dream that every home will have a robot.
    Now, robots are not only able to help people do the housework, they can also help the doctors do the
difficult operations, play chess with people, play the piano and so on.
    A new cooking robot is used in Beijing. It can cook all the dishes on the menu, you only need to wait two
to four minutes. In the future, the robot will be a nurse, a security (安全) guard, or a partner in your life.
    Experts believe robots will be used everywhere from the industrial (工業(yè)的) robots to service robots. In
the future, robots will become part of the family, and provide close service for people. We all look forward
to the new robot age.

1. ________ changed our lives in the 1990s.

A. The robots
B. The computers
C. The TV sets
D. The Internet

2. According to the passage, we know that a new cooking robot is being used in ________.

A. the future
B. Beijing
C. many countries
D. many families

3. What can the robots do now?

A. They can help people do the housework.
B. They can help the doctors do the difficult operations.
C. They can play chess with people.
D. A, B and C.

4. Which is the best title (標(biāo)題) of the passage?

A. The computers changed our lives
B. Robots can cook
C. Robots are coming
D. Robots will be doctors

     Reading is very important. World Book Day falls on April 23 every year. It encourages people, especially
teenagers, to discover the pleasure of reading. It is also the day to honor (尊敬) great writers.
     Many countries celebrate (慶祝) World Book Day. On that day, millions of school children can buy books
at a much lower price than usual in any bookstore in England. It has been done every year since 1998. World
Book Day is also celebrated in China. Wen Jiabao, Premier of China, is an avid reader. He does lots of reading
every day though he is very busy. On World Book Day 2009, he called on (號召) people to do more reading.
Wen suggested that young people should spend more time reading. "Books can not change the world, but
people can change the world by changing themselves through reading," he said.
     Reading helps us become more knowledgeable and smarter. Reading helps us to follow the latest
developments of science and technology (技術(shù)). Reading gives us information about other cultures and places
in the world. Reading is also one of the most important ways to learn a foreign language like English. We all
know that it is difficult to learn everything in the classroom, for example, the ways English people are living
and working today can be learnt by reading.
     Books, magazines, newspapers and other kinds of reading materials can help us to know more about the
outside world. Therefore, it is necessary for us to spend time reading every day.

1. When is World Book Day?

A. August 8 every year.
B. March 12 every year.
C. April 23 every year.
D. June 6 every year.

2. An avid reader is a person who ________.

A. loves reading
B. never reads
C. does some reading
D. hates reading

3. World Book Day was set up in order to encourage people to ________.

A. learn foreign languages
B. do more reading
C. buy more books
D. know more about science

4. According to the passage, reading can help people in many ways EXCEPT ________.

A. learning English better
B. knowing more about cultures
C. improving your health
D. knowing more about the outside world

5. What's the best title for the article?

A. World Book Day in England.
B. Suggestions on Reading.
C. World Book Day in China.
D. World Book Day and the Advantages of Reading.

     The computers changed our lives in the 1980s, the Internet changed our lives in the 1990s, and the robots
will change our lives in the new century.
     Do you think there will be robots in people's homes? It's not a dream that every home will have a robot.
     Now, robots are not only able to help people do the housework, they can also help the doctors do the
difficult operations, play chess with people, play the piano and so on.
     A new cooking robot is used in Beijing. It can cook all the dishes on the menu, you only need to wait two
to four minutes, in the future, the robot will be a nurse, a security guard, or a partner in your life.
     Experts (專家) believe robots will be used everywhere from the industrial (工業(yè)的) robots to service
robots. In the future, robots will become part of the family, and provide else service for people. We all look
forward to the new robot age.

1. ________ changed our lives in the 1990s.

A. The robots
B. The compilers
C. The TV sets
D. The Interact

2. According to the passage, we know that a new cooking robot is being used in ________. 

A. the future
B. Beijing
C. many countries
D. many families

3. What can the robots do now?

A. They can help people do the housework.
B. They can help the doctor do the difficult operations.
C. They can play chess with people.
D. A, B and C.

4. Experts believe robots will be used ________.

A. only in a hospital
B. only in a filmily
C. only in a factory
D. everywhere

5. Which is the best title (標(biāo)題) of the passage?

A. The computers changed our lives
B. Robots can cook
C. Robots are coming
D. Robots will be doctors

    
     In some science fiction movies, people in the future have their own robots. They are just like humans.
These robots 1______(use) by the people to do the? housework and the most unpleasant jobs. Some
scientists 2______(mink) that there will be such robots in the future. However, they agree it may take
hundreds of years.Now scientists 3______ (try) to make robots look like people and do the same thing as
us. Over the years, Japanese companies 4______(make) robots walk and dance already.
     But scientist James White 5______(disagree). He thinks that it will be difficult for a robot to do the same
thing as a person. Once he gave us an example. It was easy for a child to wake up while he 6______(sleep)
and know where he was, but robots couldn't do this. But other scientists disagree. They think that robots
7______(be) able 10 talk to people in 25 to 50 years. Scientists are not just trying to make robots look like
people. Several years ago, some robots 8______(invent). Those robots looked like huge arms. They did the
simple jobs over and over again. People would not like to do such jobs and would get bored.
     In the future, new robots will have many shapes. Some might even look like snakes. After an earthquake,
a snake robot could help look for people under buildings. That may not seem possible now, but computers
and space rockets 9______(seem) impossible a hundred years ago. We don't know what 10______(happen)
in the future. Let's wait!

     The summer holiday is coming, which can be a relaxing time for sleeping, eating good meals and seeing
old friends. Try to take some time off from school and spend a few weeks of fun. Here are some ideas for
planning your summer holiday.
     First of all, joining a club is a good choice! You can join a music club, a sports club or an art club. It's
good for your future development and the teachers in the club can give you good advice.
     Doing something good for society is also great. There are many volunteer (志愿的) programmes for you
to choose from, such as looking after the old or the young, cleaning the streets, planting trees or keeping the
traffic in order. You know that teens can also make the world better.
     Have you ever lived with another family? You can join in a programme called "Meeting a New Family".
Two families exchange their children for some time so that they can learn how to get on well with others.
Summer camp is still popular today.
     An English summer camp may be a good choice. You can not only make friends but also practise your
English.

1. The writer gives some ideas for ______ your summer holiday.                                                               
2. to learn drawing, you can join an ______ club.                                                                            
3. Teens can make the world better by ______ as volunteers.                                                                  
4. In an English summer camp you can ______ your English.                                                                    
5. If you are one of the children in the programme "Meeting a New Family",
    you ______ live with you own parents for some time.

     Robots have been designed to do many things-play music, work in hospitals, but run a restaurant? There
are two robot receptionists (接待員) and six robot waitresses and waiters in the Dalu Robot Restaurant in
Jinan, Shandong. One hundred customers can eat in the restaurant at a time. Two of the robots serve drinks,
while the other four serve the food. Not all the work in the restaurant is done by them. There are also people
working there, especially in the kitchen. The cooks are humans because the robots don't have the skills to cook.

(     )1. Robots can play music.                                  
(     )2. Six robots work in the Dalu Robot Restaurant.           
(     )3. No people work in the kitchen.                          
(     )4. Only a few customers can eat in the restaurant at a time.
(     )5. The robots can't cook delicious food.