Louis Armstrong had two famous nicknames. Some people called him Bagamo. They said his mouth looked like a large bag. Musicians often called him Pops, as a sign of respect for his influence on the world of music.
Born in 1901 in New Orleans, he grew up poor, but lived among great musicians. Jazz was invented in the city a few years before his birth. Armstrong often said, “Jazz and I grew up together.”
Armstrong showed a great talent for music when he was taught to play the cornet (短号) at a boy's home. In his late teens, Armstrong began to live the life of a musician. He played in parades, clubs and on the steam­boats that traveled on the Mississippi River. At that time, New Orleans was famous for the new music of jazz and was home to many great musicians. Armstrong learned from the older musicians and soon became respected as their equal.
In 1992 he went to Chicago. There, the tale of Louis Armstrong begins. From then until the end of his life, Armstrong was celebrated and loved wherever he went. Armstrong had no equal when it came to playing the American popular song.
His cornet playing had a deep humanity (仁爱) and warmth that caused many listeners to say, “Listening to Pops just makes you feel good all over.”
He was the father of the jazz style and also one of the best-known and most admired people in the world. His death, on July 6, 1971, was headline news around the world.
【小题1】Armstrong was called Pops because he ________.

A．looked like a musician	B．had great effect on the world of music
C．showed great interest in music	D．traveled to play modern music

【小题2】What is the third paragraph mainly about?

A．Armstrong loved traveling on the Mississippi River.

B．New Orleans was famous for the new music of jazz.

C．Armstrong showed great talent for music in his youth.

D．Many great musicians were born in New Orleans.

【小题3】Which statement about Armstrong is true?

A．His tale begins in New Orleans.	B．He was born before jazz was invented.
C．He learned popular music at a boy's home.	D．His music was popular with many people.

【小题4】So many people loved and respected Armstrong because ____________.

A．his music had a deep humanity and warmth	B．he had two famous nicknames
C．he and Jazz grew up together	D．his mouth looked like a large bag

【小题5】Which would be the best title for the text?

A．The Invention of the Jazz Music	B．The Father of the Jazz Style
C．The Making of a Musician	D．The Spread of Popular Music

Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own. My mom was one of those people.
My father died when I was nine months old, making my mom a single mother at the age of eighteen. While I was growing up, we lived a very hard life. We had little money, but my mom gave me a lot of love. Each night, she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would change my life, “Kemmons, you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”
At fourteen, I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never walk again. Every day, my mother spoke to me in her gentle, loving voice, telling me that no matter what those doctors said, I could walk again if I wanted to badly enough. She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her. A year later, I returned to school—walking on my own!
When the Great Depression(大萧条)hit, my mom lost her job. Then I left school to support the both of us. At that moment, I was determined never to be poor again.
Over the years, I experienced various levels of business success. But the real turning point occurred（出现）on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1951. I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels available for families and was angry that they charged an extra $2 for each child. That was too expensive for the average American family. I told my wife that I was going to open a motel(汽车旅馆)for families that would never charge extra for children. There were plenty of doubters at that time.
Not surprisingly, mom was one of my strongest supporters. She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style. As in any business, we experienced a lot of challenges. But with my mother’s words deeply rooted in my soul, I never doubted we would succeed. Fifteen years later, we had the largest hotel system in the world—Holiday Inn. In 1979 my company had 1759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $1 billion a year.
You may not have started out life in the best situations. But if you can find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you.
【小题1】What Kemmons’ mom often told him during his childhood was_______.

A．caring

B．moving

C．encouraging

D．interesting

【小题2】According to the author, who played the most important role in making him walk back to school again?

A．Doctors.	B．Nurses.
C．Friends.	D．Mom.

【小题3】What caused Kemmons to start a motel by himself?

A．His mom’s support.

B．His previous business success of various levels.

C．His terrible experience in the hotel.

D．His wife’s suggestion.

【小题4】Which of the following best describes Kemmons’ mother?

A．Modest, helpful and hard-working.

B．Careful, helpful and beautiful.

C．Loving, supportive and strong-willed.

D．Strict, sensitive and supportive.

【小题5】Which of the following led to Kemmons’ success according to the passage?

A．Self-confidence, hard work, higher-education and a poor family.

B．Mom’s encouragement, a poor family, higher education and opportunities.

C．Clear goals,mom’s encouragement, a poor family and higher education.

D．Mom’s encouragement, clear goals, self-confidence and hard work.

Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl. She had one big ambition—to play the drums in a band. But one big obstacle lay in her way. To be good enough to play in a band, Brenda had to practice a lot, but she lived next-door to a lot of old people. Many of them are sick. She knew that the sound of beating drums would really get on their nerves. So, she had tried playing in the strangest places: a basement, a kitchen, and even in a shower. But there was always someone it would annoy.
One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she heard that sound cannot travel in space, because there’s no air. At that moment, Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut.
With the help of a lot of time, books and work, Brenda built a space bubble. This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out all the air inside. All that would be left inside was a drum kit（成套设备） and a chair. Brenda got into the space suit she had made, entered the bubble, turned on the machine, and played those drums like a wild child.
It wasn’t long before Brenda Bongos came very famous. Many people came to see her play in her space bubble. Shortly afterwards she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts. Her fame spread so much that the government suggested that she be part of a unique space journey. Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut, and had gone far beyond her first ambition of playing drums in a band.
Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this, she thought for a moment, and said: “If those old people next – door hadn’t mattered so much to me, I wouldn’t have found a solution, and none of this would have ever happened.”
【小题1】Why did Brenda try to play in the strangest places?

A．Because she didn’t want others to hear her play.

B．Because she didn’t want to disturb others.

C．Because she didn’t have a large house.

D．Because she liked to play in strange places.

【小题2】Brenda started to give concerts _______ .

A．after she practiced in her space bubble

B．when she became part of the unique space journey

C．after she became a real musical astronaut

D．when people came to see her in the space bubble

【小题3】Brenda became famous because _______ .

A．she made a space suit

B．she became a real musical astronaut

C．she played drums in her space bubble

D．she played drums in a band

【小题4】Which of the following can be used to describe Brenda?

A．kind, hardworking and clever

B．brave, kind and hardworking

C．lovely, brave and kind

D．nervous, kind and clever

【小题5】We can draw a conclusion from the passage that: “______”.

A．He laughs best who laughs last

B．It’s never too old to learn

C．Two heads are better than one

D．One good turn deserves another

Travelling around the world with children is difficult enough, but attempting it without using motorized transport is even more of challenge. But Dario Schworer, a 42-year-old climatologist and mountain guide, and his 33-year-old wife Sabine are on a journey to do just that.
The Swiss couple want to travel across the world’s oceans and climb the highest mountain on every continent to promote Earth-friendly ways of life.
“We are collecting good examples of dealing with climate change and living in harmony with nature and we want to spread such ideas,” Schworer said. “We want to help people affected by global warming and to inspire children for the future.”
Recently after having spent three months teaching children in the Everest region, the couple want to show it is possible to travel through as the world’s climate zones using just human-power and forces of nature.
In the 47 countries they have visited so far they have collected 22 tons of trash, taught people in Ecuador how the sun’s rays can be used to clean water and inspired a person in Chile to build a house on water with recycled plastic bottles as a foundation. They have also collected trash in the mountains of Nepal with school children.
So far they have communicated with 45,000 children from South America, Australia and Asia, giving presentations about the importance of recycling and using alternative energy like solar and wind power.
“We need to motivate children,” said Sabine.
When they began their adventure in 2003 they had no children of their own. But since then two has become five: daughter Sabine is now five years old, Andri was born in Chile and baby Noe was born in Australia.
Initially the couple thought they would complete their travels in four years, but now, seven years later, they believe it could take seven more.
“Since our belief is the need to respect nature, we travel only when conditions are good,” Schworer said.
【小题1】Why do the Swiss couple travel around the world?

A．To inspire their children for the future.

B．To prove a travel without motorized transport.

C．To explore the secret of global warming.

D．To promote Earth-friendly ways of life.

【小题2】They did a lot during the travel except ________.

A．build a house with recycled plastic bottles

B．collect rubbish and waste

C．communicate with local children

D．show people how to use energy

【小题3】What’s the meaning of the underlined word “Initially”?

A．In the end

B．In a way

C．At the beginning

D．On the whole

【小题4】The best title of the passage can be ________.

A．A Swiss family’ journey across the world

B．An eco-friendly adventure across the world

C．We have a long way to make a good travel

D．Nature needs respecting and protecting

A gentle breeze blew through Jennifer’s hair. The golden red sun was setting. She was on the beach, looking up at the fiery （火红的） ball. She was amazed by its color, deep red in the middle, softly fading into yellow. She could hear nothing but the waves and the seagulls flying up above in the sky.
The atmosphere relaxed her. After all she had been through, this was what she needed. “It’s getting late,” she thought, “I must go home. My parents will be wondering where I am.”
She wondered how her parents would react, when she got home after the three days she was missing. She kept on walking, directing herself where she spent every summer holiday. The road was deserted. She walked slowly and silently. Just in a few hundred meters she would have been safe in her house.
It was really getting dark now. The sun had set a few minutes before and it was getting cold, too. She wished she had her favorite sweater on— it kept her really warm. She imagined having it with her. This thought disappeared when she finally saw her front door. It seemed different. Nobody had taken care of the outside garden for a few days. She was shocked: her father was usually so strict about keeping everything clean and tidy, and now... It all seemed deserted. She couldn’t understand what was going on.
She entered the house. First, she went into the kitchen where she saw a note written by her father. It said, “Ellen, there is some coffee ready. I went looking.” Ellen was her mother but — where was she? On the right side of the hallway was her parents’ room. She went in. Then she saw her. Her mother, lying on the bed, was sleeping. Her face looked so tired, as if she hadn’t slept for days. She was really pale. Jennifer would have wanted to wake her up but she looked too tired. So Jennifer just fell asleep beside her. When Jennifer woke up, something was different... she wasn’t in her mother’s room and she wasn’t wearing the old clothes she ran away in. She was in her snug bed in her pajamas （睡衣）.
It felt so good being back home. Suddenly she heard a voice, “Are you feeling better now? You know you got us very, very scared.”
【小题1】What does “This thought” in the fourth paragraph refer to?

A．The feeling of being warm in her favorite sweater.

B．Her worry about her parents.

C．The idea of going back home.

D．The feeling of getting back home safely.

【小题2】Her father didn’t take care of the garden because _______.

A．he had to look after his wife

B．he was busy looking for her

C．he was not strict in his job

D．he no longer enjoyed working there

【小题3】How did Jennifer probably feel when she came back home?
a. worried    b. crazy    c. tired     d. disappointed     e. shocked     f. excited

A．a, c, e

B．a, b, c

C．b, c, e

D．d, e, f

【小题4】What can we conclude from this passage?

A．In fact Jennifer’s mother had been sick for days.

B．As Jennifer walked towards home, she became increasingly scared.

C．Having experienced a lot outside, Jennifer felt home was really warm and safe for her.

D．When she found the garden deserted, she realized she got cross.

Forest guards in western India are using cell phones with ringtones of cows mooing, goats bleating and roosters crowing to attract leopards that have wandered into human settlements, officials said on Monday.
The wild cats in the state of Gujarat often get into villages near forests in search of food, say officials, adding that this results in attacks on people. But rather than use methods such as live bait(诱惑物) like goats tied to trees to lure the leopards, which then fall into large pits dug by guards, officials say they have found a safer method to trap the cats.
“The moos of a cow, bleating of a goat from the phone has proved effective to trap leopards,” said D. Vasani, a senior forest official in Gujarat. “This trick works.” Vasani said forest guards have downloaded the sounds of over a dozen animals as ringtones on their mobiles which they attach to speakers and fix behind a cage. They then play the ringtone continuously for up to two hours until the curious leopard appears and moves into the cage looking for its easy meal.
At least five leopards have so far been lured from villages since the new ringtone method was introduced three months ago. The cats have all been released back into forest areas.
Wildlife activists welcomed the new initiative saying that previous methods of trapping the cats using pits often resulted in the animals getting injured.
【小题1】What can be the best title of the passage?

A．Cell Phones to Hunt Animals

B．Practical Uses of Cell Phones

C．Wildlife and New Technology

D．Phone Ringtones to Catch Leopards

【小题2】Forest guards in India try to catch leopards mainly because ______.

A．leopards attack villagers

B．they want leopard fur

C．leopards attack animals

D．they have new ringtones

【小题3】What will be needed to trap the leopards using the new method?
① cell phones   ②animals    ③ sounds of animals   ④ cages    ⑤large pits

A．①②③④

B．①③④

C．①④⑤

D．②③⑤

About twenty of us had been fortunate enough to receive invitations to a film-studio（影棚）to take part in a crowd-scene. Although our "act" would last only for a short time, we could see quite a number of interesting things.
We all stood at the far end of the studio as workmen prepared the scene, setting up trees at the edge of a winding path. Very soon, bright lights were turned on and the big movie-camera was wheeled into position. The director shouted something to the camera operator and then went to speak to the two famous actors nearby. Since it was hot in the studio, it came as a surprise to us to see one of the actors put on a heavy overcoat and start walking along the path. A big fan began blowing tiny white feathers down on him, and soon the trees were covered in "snow". Two more fans were turned on, and a "strong wind" blew through the trees. The picture looked so real that it made us feel cold.
The next scene was a complete contrast(对比).The way it was filmed was quite unusual. Pictures taken on an island in the Pacific were shown on a glass screen. An actor and actress stood in front of the scene so that they looked as if they were at the water's edge on an island. By a simple trick like this, palm trees, sandy beaches, and blue, clear skies had been brought into the studio!
Since it was our turn next, we were left wondering what scene would be prepared for us. For a full three minutes in our lives we would be experiencing the excitement of being film ”Stars”!
【小题1】Who is the author?

A．A cameraman.	B．A crowd-scene actor.
C．A film director	D．A workman for scene setting

【小题2】What made the author feel cold?

A．The heavy snowfall.	B．The low temperature
C．The man-made scene..	D．The film being shown

【小题3】What would happen in the "three minutes" mentioned, in the last paragraph?

A．The next scene would be prepared.

B．More stars would act in the film.

C．The author would leave the studio.

D．A new scene would be filmed.

Two thieves came to a house to steal something. They dug a hole in the wall of the house.
There lived many mice in the house. The woman in the moonlight saw a mouse crawl into the house.“Look！In comes one，”she said to the man in the house. The thief was so frightened that he hurriedly crawled out of the house and said to the one waiting outside，“She found me when I was just in.” But the thief outside didn’t believe him，so he said，“Let us two try to crawl into the house together.”At that time two mice happened to crawl into the house，too. The woman saw the mice and shouted，“In come two，catch them！” The two thieves were terribly frightened. The man in the house said，“You saw them come in but where are they？ I will catch them tonight.”The two thieves started running away at once.
The two thieves wanted to make it clear whether they had been found or not the night before. The next day they acted as men selling sweet potatoes and came before the house. The man and the woman were ploughing in their fields. The rein（缰绳）broke and the woman came home for a rope. She saw two men selling sweet potatoes and wanted to buy some. She picked out two which looked like mice. At the time the man couldn’t wait for her any longer in the fields and he ran back from the fields to hurry her up. The woman showed the sweet potatoes to the man and said，“How they look like the two of last night.”The man said，“I asked you to fetch a rope，why don’t you hurry for it？”The two thieves ran away quickly without their sweet potatoes.
【小题1】The two thieves failed to steal anything from the house because______.

A．they were found out

B．they were frightened by what they had heard in the house

C．they didn’t work together well with each other

D．mice stopped them from doing so

【小题2】From the last paragraph，we know that ______.

A．the two thieves were famous selling sweet potatoes

B．the woman recognized the two thieves

C．the woman pretended to know nothing about the two thieves and made fun of them

D．the two thieves didn’t know that they were not found at all

【小题3】“______”is the best title for this passage.

A．Two Clever Thieves	B．Terrible Mice
C．Hit the Mark by a Fluke	D．A Clever Couple

【小题4】Which of the following statements is FALSE？

A．The two thieves not only failed to steal things but also lost their sweet potatoes.

B．Whenever they found mice，the people in the house would try to catch them.

C．The two thieves ran away at once，because they thought the woman had seen them.

D．The man let the woman go home for a rope，which would be used for catching the thieves.

Her frozen fingers touched the flame trying to feel alive. She could feel the warmth but it was a cold heat, as if the candle was rejecting her.
Her arms turned red because of the cold, her short sleeved shirt not giving her enough warmth. The winter air grabbed(抓住) at her arms, causing her pain, but she didn’t mind. She knew she should put her jacket on, it was winter in Connecticut, but that would be giving up. Up here, in this tree she felt safe.
She looked at the candle, surrounded by hardening wax(蜡). She placed her fingers gently on the warm green wax. This candle was a reminder of her life inside that house, a life she would have to return to eventually.
As a child, she had gotten this candle. She spent all she had on it. The beautiful crystal box （水晶盒）had caught her eye. Five whole nickels（五分币） had brought her that candle.
She gave it to her mother for Mother’s Day. Her mother had managed a smile and put it on a shelf. “It’s very pretty, honey! I will put it right here.” Since then that candle had never been moved, never been lighted, sitting dusty on a cluttered shelf that no one could see. Later on, her parents got divorced.
By now the candle was colder than the air and the darkness was complete. The snow on the ground made the night lighter and less satisfying than it had been before the first snowfall. She liked the darkness because she felt safe in it. From the glances of her friends who liked the girl she used to be. From the boys who could never figure out who she was. From her guidance counselor(顾问) whose endless worried looks never made her feel any better.
No one was outside at this time of night. She was alone in the world, just how she liked it. Just as she was about to lean back against the branch, she heard a sound.
She heard footsteps breaking the ice in the snow, heading toward her. He was making his way toward the white fence at the edge of the building, right against the road. Normally she would have ignored this person and stayed on her branch faraway from human contact, but this figure had something with him. He trudged(吃力地走) toward the white fence carrying a case. The figure reached the fence, opened the case and took out a shiny object.
She took her eyes off this figure only long enough to climb down the tree to get a better view of him. She reached the bottom and saw that the person had turned to face the street, sitting on the white fence that she and her friends once sat on. She stepped carefully on the ice, making her way toward him.
And then a beautiful sound of music came from the shiny object. She stopped and listened to it. She started walking towards the guy again. Just as she was about to step onto the snow banks, she slipped on the ice crashing to the ground. The figure turned around in surprise and a sudden recognition fell upon them both.
【小题1】The girl was hiding in the tree at deep night to ______.

A．keep herself from the cold	B．wait for the boy to come
C．want to be left alone	D．seek safety from any hurt

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

A．the girl suffered a lot in her life

B．the girl’s parents divorced because of her

C．teachers and friends treated the girl badly

D．the girl used to stay in the tree when feeling sad

【小题3】The underlined word “it” in the story refers to ______.

A．leaning back against the branch	B．being alone in the world
C．not being disturbed at night	D．it being dark with snow around

【小题4】From the end of the story, it can be known that the girl _______.

A．knew the person	B．knew what the object was
C．realized her wishes	D．would never feel alone any more

An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old son. Suddenly a crow (乌鸦) landed on their window.
The father asked his son, “What is that?”
The son replied, “That is a crow.”
After a few minutes, the father asked his son for the second time, “What is this?”
The son said, “Father, I told you just now. It’s a crow.”
After a little while, the father asked his son the same question for the third time, “What is this?”
This time, the son said to his father in a low and cold tone, “It’s a crow, a crow.”
After a moment, the father yet again asked his son for the fourth time, “What is this?”
This time his son shouted at his father, “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again? I have told you already, ‘ITIS A CROW’. Are you not able to understand this?”
A minute later the father went to his room and came back with a diary, which he had kept since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page.
Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa when a crow suddenly landed on the window edge. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied him 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question. I didn’t at all feel angry, but instead felt affection for my son.
If your parents reach old age, do not look at them as a burden（负担）, but speak to them gently, and be kind to them. From today say this aloud, “I want to see my parents happy forever. They have cared for me ever since I was a little child. They have always showered me with love. I will take care of my old parents in the best way no matter how they behave.”
【小题1】The old man brought out the diary, which he had kept since his son was born, because ______.

A．he forgot what had happened

B．he would like his son to read it

C．it could remind himself of the past

D．he wanted to find what a crow was

【小题2】The underlined word “affection” (last but one Para.) probably means______.

A．puzzle

B．hatred(恨)

C．worry

D．love

【小题3】The writer mainly intends to ______ .

A．tell us the function (作用) of a diary	B．call on us to love our parents
C．teach us what a crow is	D．introduce a pair of son and father