We are all asked to make a speech at some point in life, but most of us don't do a very good job.
This article gives us some suggestions on how to make an excellent speech.
     Usually people are often afraid of making a speech in public. You get nervous, you forget what you want
to say, you talk too long, and you get your audience bored. Later you think, "Thank Goodness! It's over. I'm
just not good at public speaking. I hope I will never have to do that again."
     Cheer up! It doesn't have to be that hard. Here are some simple steps to make preparations. Firstly, ask
yourself the purpose of your speech. Why are you speaking? Secondly, collect as many facts as you can on
your subject. Thirdly, spend enough time organizing your material so that your speech is clear and easy to
follow. Use as many examples as possible, and use pictures, charts and graphs (圖表) if they help make your
points clearer. Lastly, never forget your audience. Treat your audience with respect. They will be thankful.
      Just remember! Be prepared. Know your subject and your audience. Be brief. Say what you have to say
and then stop. And see yourself. Let your personality (個(gè)性) come through so that you make person to person
contact (聯(lián)系) with your audience.
      If you follow these simple steps, you will see that you don't have to be  afraid of speaking in public. In
fact, you may find the experience so enjoyable that you volunteer to make more speeches! Have a try and
 see
what happens.

1. The second paragraph mainly tell us __________________________.

2. What should you do when you are preparing a speech? (至少列出三個(gè)建議)
     ________________________________________________________________

3. The underlined phrase "Be brief" in paragraph 4 means
    ________________________________________________________________      

4. Translate the underlined sentence in the last paragraph into Chinese. 
    ________________________________________________________________

5. 請(qǐng)給短文擬定一個(gè)適當(dāng)?shù)挠⑽臉?biāo)題。
    ________________________________________________________________

     Middle school students have far too much homework. They usually have to sit up three or four hours
every night doing their homework. Now one school in my hometown has made a rule of limiting (限制)
homework. The homework is limited to an hour a day and the students have no homework on the weekend.
I think this is an excellent idea that will allow students to live better and healthier lives.
     Less homework will give students more time to enjoy other pastimes (休閑活動(dòng)). I have many books
which I received as gifts from my parents and friends. They have been kept there on my shelf for several
years! Because of homework, I will have not read a single one of them. With less homework, students will
be freer to develop their interests in art, music and other hobbies.
     More time free from homework will get our physical health better. Many students like sports, but they
have little time to play football, basketball, volleyball and so on. They hardly have time to have a trip or take
part in any social activities. They must spend so much time solving math problems and doing grammar
exercises. Besides, staying up late to finish their homework leaves many students exhausted in the morning.
Not getting enough sleep is not only unpleasant; it also makes students more likely (有可能得) to get colds
and other illnesses.

1. Which is the best title for the passage?

A. Students dislike homework
B. No use doing homework
C. Homework is good for study
D. Homework should be limited

2. According to the passage, what is an effect of having a lot of homework?

A. Students have little time for their hobbies.
B. Students have to finish their homework.
C. Students are more active in class.
D. Students are good at their lessons.

3. The author of the passage may be ________.

A. a teacher
B. a student
C. a parent
D. a doctor

4. According to the passage, what makes students more likely to get colds?

A. No having time to exercise.     
B. Not getting enough sleep.
C. Getting up early for school.    
D. Reading too.  

     Two students started quarreling at school. One student shouted dirty words at the other, and a fight
began.
     What can be done to stop fights like this at school? In some schools, disputants (爭(zhēng)執(zhí)者) sit down with
peer mediators (同齡調(diào)解者). Peer mediators are usually students with special training in this kind of problems.
     Peer mediators help disputants to talk in a friendly way. Here are some of the ways they use.
     1. Express what you think clearly but don't say anything to hurt the other. Begin with "I feel" instead of
"You always".
     2. Listen carefully to what the other person is saying. Don't stop the other person's words.
     3. Keep looking at the other person's eyes when he or she speaks.
     4. Try to see the problems on the other person's side.
     5. Never put anyone down. Saying things like "You are foolish (愚蠢的)" makes the talk difficult.
     6. Try to find a result that makes both people happy.
     Peer mediators never decide on the winner. They don't decide who is right or who is wrong. Instead
they help disputants to find their own "win-win" result. A "win-win" result can make everyone feel good.
     Peer mediators' work is often successful just because it gets disputants to talk to each other. And getting
disputants to talk to each other is the first step in finding a"win-win" result.

1. Peer mediators' work is _______.

A. to teach lessons to disputants
B. to help find a way to make both disputants happy
C. to find out who starts the quarrel
D. to give students some special training

2. What does the underlined phrase "put anyone down" mean in Chinese?

A. 貶低任何人
B. 落后于任何人
C. 奉承任何人
D. 向任何人低頭

3. What's the first step in finding a "win-win" result?

A. Letting disputants be afraid of peer mediators.
B. Letting disputants feel peer mediators are kind.
C. Getting disputants to talk to each other.
D. Making disputants feel good by telling funny stories.

4. During the talk, if peer mediators say "You are a fool.", _______.

A. disputants will realize they are wrong
B. disputants will understand peer mediators better
C. it is easy for peer mediators to decide who is right
D. it is hard for peer mediators to get a "win-win" result

5. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. All schools have peer mediators.
B. Peer mediators are usually students.
C. When disputants are speaking, peer mediators can stop their words at any time.
D. Peer mediators can make disputants get a "win-win" result every time.

     Children are amazing! They ①pick up languages so naturally and easily. Have you ever wondered why?
It's not because they have great natural language abilities. ② In fact, studies show that an adult's potential (潛
能) to learn language is as good as a child's.
     So why do children still seem to acquire (學(xué)到) languages more quickly than the rest of us? It's because
of the way they learn. Children learn by simply doing what comes naturally-they listen, copy and communicate.
Let's take a closer look at how children acquire languages. Perhaps we can discover a better, more "natural"
way to learn English.
     Children don't practice grammar drills, but use languages to talk about things that interest them. This helps
them learn to express themselves. They don't worry about inadequate (不足的) vocabulary or poor grammar.
They find ways to express themselves, and they do it successfully.
     ③Students should pay more attention to genuine (真實(shí)的) communication. Look for chances to talk with
people in English. If you can't find a foreigner to talk to, talk with other English students instead. Start an
English discussion group and chat about music, movies or whatever interests you.
     Don't worry about making mistakes. The aim is to learn how to communicate easily and comfortably.
Remember that you can communicate successfully even with a small vocabulary.
     Trust your own natural ability to learn English. You've got more potential than you probably realize!

1. 在文中找出①處劃線短語(yǔ)的同義詞。
     ______________________________________________________

2. 將文中②處劃線句子翻譯成漢語(yǔ)。
     ______________________________________________________ 

3. Do children worry about poor grammar when they learn to express themselves? 
     ______________________________________________________

4. 將文中③處劃線句子改為被動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài)。
   Genuine communication should ______  ______ more attention to by students.

5. As a student, how should you learn language by reading the passage? 
    ______________________________________________________

     What's the red star in the sky through a telescope (望遠(yuǎn)鏡)? It is Mars. Do you want to know more
about it? Take the "Mars Orbit Express"!
     "Mars Orbit Express" is a space probe (探測(cè)器). It was sent towards Mars by American scientists on
August 12th, 2005. Its tasks are to study Mars' atmosphere and return photos to Earth. But before that "Mars
Orbit Express" must travel about 100 hundred million kilometers and seven months. It reached Mars' orbit (軌道) in March, 2006.
     Mars and Earth have similar weight and size. However, Mars is closer to the sun than Earth. Mars is very
cold. The average temperature is below 50℃. The temperature at noon only reaches 20℃ during a Mars day.
Its atmosphere is mostly CO₂. It has much sand and two moons---Phobos and Deimos.
     Scientists think Earth and Mars had similar beginnings 4.6 billion years ago. But while Earth supports
millions of lives, Mars becomes bad. "Earth easily could have turned out like that." said an scientist, "It is
important for us to find out why and Mars Orbit Express should do that." "Mars Orbit Express" also would
help scientists to learn what might happen to Earth in the future. "Mars Orbit Express" would work for about
four years.

1. What can you see through a telescope when watching Mars? ________.

A. Much sand
B. A red star
C. Its atmosphere
D. Its size

2. One of the tasks of Mars Orbit Express is _______.

A. taking pictures of Mars
B. studying the weight of Mars
C. finding out distance between Earth and Mars
D. telling the time it takes to go from Earth to Mars

3. Compared with Earth, _______.

A. Mars has a long history
B. Mars is big and heavy
C. Mars is close to the sun
D. Mars' atmosphere is mainly O₂.

4. Which might be the proper title for the passage?

A. Mars:differences from Earth
B. A probe:to learn more about Mars
C. Mars: change of temperature
D. A probe:to tell the future of Earth

     You would see a robot when you were reading a story or watching a movie, such as Star Wars. Today,
however, science stories are becoming true. More and more robots are starting to be used in factories and our
homes. These robots are different in size, shape and colour, but all of them have the same type of man-made
"brain". The robots that work in factories are called industrial robots.
     These kinds of robots are cleverer and faster than the old ones. Industrial robots can do jobs that are often
boring and sometimes dangerous.
     Robots are already coming into American homes, though not as quickly as they are going into factories.
We have made robots work at home. They can do some housework like cooking, or playing with people just
for fun.
    These robots aren't as friendly and clever as those in Star Wars. But their makers say, today's home robots
can "walk" and find objects in their way, though sometimes they may knock into (撞上) those objects. They
can even carry objects, though sometimes they may drop those objects. Well, nobody is perfect. We may
laugh at home robots today,but some day they will do better than humans. We humans can only see certain
length of light, and hear certain sounds, while robots may see and hear better than we do.
    In a word, robots will be widely used in our life in the future.

1. Where are more and more robots starting to be used? 
    ___________________________________________
2. What do all kinds of robots have?
    ___________________________________________
3. What kind of jobs can industrial robots do? 
    ___________________________________________
4. What do you think of today's home robots? 
    ___________________________________________
5. What else do you want home robots to do for you? 
    ___________________________________________

     The high school years are a key period. The things we learn during this time really shape our lives. Liu
Changming, principal of Beijing No. 4 High School made 18 suggestions for students just starting high school
on how to get the best out of high school. Here are ten of them.
1) Read 50 books. But choose them from ten different fields.
2) Help a person. Look for a classmate, an elderly person, in fact anyone who could benefit (獲益) from your
    help. You'll find you benefit too!
3) Research. Research a particular area, such as science, history or art.
4) Make a foreign friend. Try to befriend someone from a foreign country. It's an ideal way to learn about a
    foreign country.
5) Publish (出版) an article. Whether it appears in a newspaper, your school magazine or in your own blog,
     an article will be something to look back on in pride in later years.
6) Take up a new sport. Choose one you've never played before. If you find you like it, you'll have a hobby
    for life.
7) Join a club. Working hard in a club or other activities will give you a life outside of your studies.
8) Find a part-time job. Try and do the job for at least a month.
9) Find a person to learn from. Choose someone with unusual experience or special talent. Try to learn all
    you can from him or her.
10) Learn to cook four Chinese dishes. Learning how to cook is not only a practical skill but a way of
      building a  bridge to other people.

1. According to the passage, by making a foreign friend you can ________. 

A. learn about another culture
B. practice spoken English
C. discuss the international situation
D. share your happiness and sadness

2. Beside learning a practical skill, another purpose of learning to cook is ________. 

A. to help your parents with housework
B. to kill time
C. to have communication with others
D. to make friends

3. Which of the following statements is True according to the passage?

A. You should read fifty books of the same field.
B. Do a part-time job for less than a month.
C. Try to publish an article to make you famous.
D. You can benefit a lot by helping others.

4. The principal made the suggestions in order for the students to ________. 

A. make contributions to society
B. achieve greet progress in high school
C. love high school life
D. finish high school

     After spending years searching for a planet with life, scientists may have found one. In September 2010,
a team of US scientists discovered an Earth-sized planet called Gliese 581g. It has a surface temperature
neither too hot nor too cold for liquid (液態(tài)) water. Scientists think there is a chance that the planet could
have life.
     The planet Gliese 581g goes around a star called Gliese 581, which is about 20 light-years from Earth.
That is about 194 trillion (萬(wàn)億) kilometres－500 million times farther away from us than the moon.
     A spacecraft traveling at a one-tenth of the speed of light would reach Gliese 581g within about 220 years.
A human can't live that long, but robotic explorers could make the job easier. However, our fastest spacecraft
don't come anywhere near that one-tenth light-speed mark.
     At present, scientists don't know what the surface might be like on Gliese 581g. What they know is that
the planet is at the sight distance from its star to have liquid water. It's also at the right distance to have an
atmosphere that could protect the water if it is on the surface.
     Although spacecraft won't be getting there anytime soon, one way to look for life on Gliese 581g is to
turn our radio telescopes (望遠(yuǎn)鏡) towards the planet and search for radiation (放射). By studying the
radiation, scientists would find out about the chemicals (化學(xué)物質(zhì)) around the planet and discover it Gliese
581g has an atmosphere. If it has one, studying the atmosphere would give us a good idea if the planet has
life or not. But it'll probably be many years before we can do this properly.
     People have been arguing about whether there is alien life on Gliese 581g. Any discussion about alien life
is just guessing at this point, according to its discoverers.

1. What did scientists find in September 2010?

A. A planet with water.
B. A planet similar to the earth.
C. A planet without life.
D. A planet near the earth.

2. According to the article, Gliese 581g ________.

A. is at the right distance from its star
B. moves around the earth
C. is as far away from us as the moon
D. can be reached in about 220 years

3. Paragraph 5 is mainly about ________.

A. the possibility of living on Gliese 581g
B. the kinds of chemicals around Gliese 581g
C. the way of looking for life on Gliese 581g
D. the aim of studying the radiation on Gliese 581g

4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage above?

A. Gliese 581g, a Likely Living Planet.
B. Gliese 581g, a Likely Living Planet.
C. Gliese 581g and Its Star.
D. Gliese 581g and Radiation.