For Americans, a mosquito bite is an itchy bother. But for many in Africa, a tiny bite can be deadly. One million people die each year of malaria, a disease spread by infected mosquitoes. Most of these people live in Africa, and are under age 5.
Malaria can be prevented and treated. However, many African nations don't have the funds to fight it. Nothing but Nets (NBN) hopes to change that. The United Nations Foundation created the campaign in 2006. The aim is to prevent malaria by covering sleeping areas with nets. Hanging bed nets treated with insecticide(杀虫剂) is the simplest way to stop mosquitoes from biting at night. The chemicals last four to five years. For $10, anyone can send a net to Africa and help save a life.
So far, NBN has raised $19 million and delivered 700,000 nets to seven countries. Families are taught how to use the nets. Kids also get vaccines (疫苗)and vitamins. "Women line up for miles to get the medicine for their kids," says NBN director Elizabeth McKee Gore. "They understand the importance."
So do kids in this country. "They get so excited thinking of ways to raise money," says NBN spokesperson and basketball star Ruth Riley.
NBN's biggest fund-raiser is Katherine Commale, 7. She's been spreading the information about bed nets for the past two years. To show how they work, she and her brother made a video. "We teach that bed nets can save lives," she said.
Katherine has raised $42,000 for NBN. "She just wants those who need a net to have one," says her mom, Lynda. "It's pretty simple to her." To find out how you can help, visit nothingbutnets.net.
【小题1】We know from the passage that NBN is in fact _________.

A．a deadly disease	B．an organization
C．a piece of equipment	D．a game

【小题2】The purpose of the passage is most probably ___________.

A．to list the sufferings of the African people

B．to introduce new ways to avoid mosquito bites

C．to call on people to offer their help to Africans

D．to tell people how to buy nets in Africa

【小题3】 By saying “So do kids in this country” in Paragraph 4,the author means that kids in this country also ___________.

A．know the importance of the bed nets

B．know how to protect themselves

C．lack nets to protect themselves

D．suffer from malaria

【小题4】 What do we know about Katherine from the passage?

A．She set up the website nothingbutnets.net.

B．She is the youngest money-raiser for NBN.

C．She raised money by making and selling videos.

D．She started working for NBN at the age of 5.

Would you like to be a king or queen? To have people waiting on you hand and foot? Many Americans experience this royal treatment every day. How? By being customers. The American idea of customer service is to make each customer the center of attention. Need proof? Just listen to the commercials. Most of them sound like the McDonald’s ad: “We do it all for you.” Actually, not all stores in America roll out the red carpet for their customers. But wherever you go, good customer service means making customers feel special.
People going shopping in America can expect to be treated with respect from the very beginning. Most places don’t have a “furniture street” or a “computer road” which allow you to compare prices easily. Instead, people often “let their fingers do the walking” through the store hot lines. From the first “hello”, customers receive a satisfying response to their questions. This initial contact can help them decide where to shop.
When customers get to the store, they are treated as honored guests. Customers don’t usually find store clerks sitting around watching TV or playing cards. Instead, the clerks greet them warmly and offer to help them find what they want. In most stores, the clear signs that label each department make shopping a breeze. Customers usually don’t have to ask how much items cost, since prices are clearly marked. And unless they’re at a flea market or a yard sale, they don’t bother trying to bargain.
When customers are ready to check out, they find the nearest and shortest checkout lane. But as Murphy’s Law would have it, whichever lane they get in, all the other lanes will move faster. Good stores open new checkout lanes when the lanes get too long. Some even offer express lanes for customers with 10 items or less. After they pay for their purchases, customers receive a smile and a warm “thank you” from the clerk. Many stores even allow customers to take their shopping carts out to the parking lot. That way, they don’t have to carry heavy bags out to the car.
【小题1】 By quoting (引用) the McDonald’s ad: “We do it all for you”, the author intends to_______.

A．suggest that customers believe what commercials say deeply

B．show readers the American idea on good customer service

C．express all the stores pay much attention to the customers

D．persuade readers to choose the stores with ads correctly

【小题2】In the USA, what may you do at first if you want to do some shopping?

A．To visit a professional street with lots of similar stores.

B．To compare prices in many shops in the same street.

C．To make phone calls and get better shopping choices.

D．To receive other customers’ answers to the questions.

【小题3】The underlined words “a breeze” in Para.3 most probably means _________.

A．an easy job

B．a trouble

C．a funny thing

D．a boring task

【小题4】Which of the followings shows American stores offer convenience to customers in this passage?

A．The store clerks don’t usually sit around watching TV or playing cards.

B．Some stores offer price bargain to the customers like a yard sale.

C．The clerks give customers a smile and a warm “thank you” after paying.

D．Some stores open new checkout lanes when the lanes are crowded.

【小题5】Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

A．Customer Service in America	B．Excellent Stores in America
C．Shopping Rules in America	D．Being King or Queen in America

Americans have contributed (做贡献) to many art forms, and jazz, a type of music, is one of the art forms started in the United States. Black Americans, who sang and played the music of their homeland, created jazz.
Jazz is a mixture of the music of Africa, the work songs the slaves sang, and religious(宗教) music. Improvisation (即兴表演) is an important part of jazz. This is why a jazz song sounds a little different each time it is played.
Jazz bands formed in the late 1800s. They played in bars and clubs in many towns and cities of the South, especially New Orleans. New Orleans is an international seaport, and people from all over the world come to New Orleans to hear jazz.
Jazz became more and more popular. By the 1920s, jazz was popular all over the United States. By the 1940s, you could hear jazz not only in clubs and bars, but in concert halls as well. Today, people from all over the world play jazz. Jazz musicians from the United States, Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe meet and share their music at festivals on every continent. In this way, jazz continues to grow and change.
【小题1】What can be the best title of the passage?

A．American Art Forms	B．The Development of Jazz
C．The Music of Black Americans	D．The Birthplace of Jazz

【小题2】From the text we can learn that ______.

A．New Orleans is the place where jazz was very popular

B．the American people are all jazz lovers

C．jazz is merrily sung by black people when working

D．jazz may become less popular as time goes on

【小题3】It took about______ years to make jazz popular in the United States.

A．200

B．120

C．80

D．40

I’m sure you know the song “Happy Birthday”. But do you know who wrote the song and for whom it was written?
The retired professor, Archibald A. Hill in Lucasville, USA could tell us the story. Ninety-seven years ago, two of Mr. Archibald Hill’s aunts, Miss Patty Hill and Miss Mildred Hill were asked to write some songs for a book called “Song Storied for the Sunday Morning”. Miss Patty Hill and Miss Mildred Hill were both kindergarten teachers then. They loved children very much and wrote many beautiful songs for the book. One of them was the famous “Good Morning to You.” The song said, “Good morning to you, good morning to you,  children, good morning to all.” This song was very popular at that time among kindergarten children. But not many grown-ups knew it. A few years later little Archibald was born. As his aunt, Miss Patty Hill sang the song “Happy Birthday” to the melody(曲调) of “Good Morning to you” to her little nephew(侄子). She sang the song like this: Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, Archie! Happy birthday to you!
Miss Patty Hill and her sister had never expected that this song would become so popular, but it really did. People all over the world like the song because of its simplicity in tune(曲调简单) and friendliness in words.
【小题1】Archibald A. Hill was _______.
A. English        B. American        C. Russian         D. Australian
【小题2】 Professor Archibald A. Hill was Miss Mildred Hill’s ______.
A. son        B. student       C. brother        D. nephew
【小题3】The song “Happy Birthday” has a history of _______ years.

A．97

B．more than 90

C．less than 90

D．about 90

【小题4】 The sentence “it really did” means _______.

A．The song really became popular

B．Their wish would really come true

C．People all over the world like to listen to the song

D．Yes, but the song didn’t become popular

Do you know Australia? Australia is the largest island in the world. It is a little smaller than China. It is in the south of the earth. Australia is big, but its population is not large. The population of Australia is nearly as large as that of Shanghai.
The government has made enough laws to fight pollution. The cities in Australia have got little air or water pollution. The sky is blue and the water is clean. You can clearly see fish swimming in the rivers. Plants grow very well.
Last month we visited Perth, the biggest city in Western Australia, and went to a wild flowers’ exhibition. There we saw a large number of wild flowers we had never seen before. We had a wonderful time. Perth is famous for its beautiful wild flowers. In spring every year Perth has the wild flowers’ exhibition. After visiting Perth, we spent the day in the countryside. We sat down and had a rest near a path at the foot of a hill. It was quiet and we enjoyed ourselves. Suddenly we heard bells ringing at the top of the hill. What we saw made us pick up all our things and run back to the car as quickly as we could. There were about three hundred sheep coming towards us down the path.
Australia is famous for its sheep and kangaroos(袋鼠). After a short drive from any town, you will find yourself in the middle of white sheep. Sheep, sheep, everywhere are sheep.
【小题1】Australia is _______.

A．the largest country in the world	B．as large as Shanghai
C．not as large as China	D．the largest island in the north of the earth

【小题2】 The government had made _______.

A．too enough laws to fight pollution

B．so many laws that it can fight pollution

C．enough laws that it can hardly fight pollution

D．enough laws because the pollution is very serious

【小题3】 Which of the following is NOT true？

A．Perth is famous for its beautiful wild flowers.

B．Perth is bigger than any other city in Western Australia.

C．Perth lies in the west of Australia.

D．No other city is larger than Perth in Australia.

【小题4】 Which of the following is true？

A．Australia is famous for its sheep, kangaroos and wild flowers.

B．We ran back to the car because we were in the middle of white sheep.

C．Three hundred sheep came towards us because they saw us.

D．If you go to the countryside in Australia, you will see a large number of white sheep.

Research has shown that music has an important effect on one’s body and psyche (心灵). In fact, there is a growing field of health care known as music therapy, which uses music to treat diseases. Even hospitals are beginning to use music therapy. This is not surprising, as music affects the body and mind in many powerful ways.
Research has shown that quick music can make a person feel more alert, while slow music can produce a calm, deep thinking state. Also, research has found that music can change brainwave activity levels. This can help the brain to change speeds more easily on its own as needed, which means that music can bring lasting benefits to your state of mind, even after you’ve stopped listening.
Breathing and heart rates can also be influenced by music. This can mean slower breathing, slower heart rate. This is why music and music therapy can help reduce the damaging effects of long-term stress, greatly promoting (促进) not only relaxation, but health.
Music can also be used to bring about a more positive state of mind by helping to keep worries at bay. Music has also been found to bring many other benefits, such as lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of strokes. It is no surprise that so many people are considering music as an important tool to help the body become or stay healthy.
【小题1】What can we infer about music therapy?

A．It is a type of music.

B．It is a research about music.

C．It is a kind of musical effect on diseases.

D．It is the use of music method to help treat diseases.

【小题2】The reason why music can help deal with stress is that ________.

A．it is used by many hospitals

B．it can help change brainwaves

C．it does good to breathing and heart rates

D．it can bring a more positive state of mind

【小题3】According to the passage, music can help deal with all the following EXCEPT ________.

A．nervousness	B．mind illnesses
C．strokes	D．high blood pressure

【小题4】The passage is mainly about _________.

A．the importance of music therapy

B．benefits music can bring

C．research on the effect of music

D．diseases music can help heal