I’m five years old, and my mother is washing the kitchen floor. I’m telling her about a new girl in school, and she suddenly looks up at me and says, “ Who are your two best friends ? ”

I’m not sure what to say. I’ve been friends with Jill since I was three or so , and I really like Jaime , a friend in kindergarten .

“ Jill and Jaime .”

“ Well , what about Karen and Cindy ?”

“ I don’t know who their best friends are ,” I say .

“ No ,” she says . “ I’m saying , why aren’t they your best friends ?”

“ But they’re my sisters .”

“ Yes , but they can still be your best friends . Friends may come and go, but your sisters will always be there for you .”

At that time, the idea of my two sisters being my closest friends seemed strange to me. We fought all the time over toys, food , attention , and what to watch on television . How could my sisters be my best friends ?

But my mother never let the three of us forget it : Sisters are lifelong friends . Her wish—like most parents’—was to give us something that she never had. Growing up as an only child, she longed for brothers and sisters. She gave birth to three daughters. She had given us each a gift—our sisters.

As we grew up, we realized that our mother was right. Today I share things with my sisters that I do with no one else. My sister Cindy and I ran the New York City Marathon together , side-by-side , even holding hands when we crossed the finish line . The three of us trust each other with our greatest secrets.

It was twenty-three years ago that my mother first asked me who my two best friends were. Today she doesn’t have to. She already knows.

46. How old was the writer when she wrote the passage ?

A. 5 .               B. 9 .              C. 23 .               D. 28 .

47. According to the writer , why can’t her sisters become her friends ?

A. Because they are older than her .          B. Because they don’t like her .

C. Because they often fought with each other .  D. Because they have their own friends .

48. What did the writer feel when her mother said her sisters could be her best friends ?

A. Strange .          B. Excited .          C. Interested .           D. Pleased .

49. What might be the most suitable title for the passage ?

A. My best friends .                       B. The greatest gift .     

C. My sisters and I                        D. My mother’s dream .

50. What can we learn from the passage ?

A. My mother used to give us some gifts .

B. My mother’s sisters are her best friends .

C. My sisters and I always get along well .

D. My sisters and I become good friends now .

The tiger

　　The tiger is the largest wild cat in the world. The big cat weighs about 363 kilograms and is about two metres long.

　　Tigers wait until it is dark, then they go out to find their food. When a tiger sees an animal, it moves very quietly, then jumps on the animal to kill it. Sometimes it can take several days for a tiger to finish eating its kill. The tiger eats until it's had enough, then it covers the dead animal with leaves. Later, when the tiger is hungry again, it comes back to eat some more.

　　Tigers are different from others in the cat family: they like water, and they often jump into rivers to swim.

　　Some tigers live in very cold places—in parts of North Korea, eastern Russia, and northeast China. Other tigers live in warmer places—in India and parts of Southeast Asia.

　　All tigers are in danger. People killed them to use their skins for clothes, and their bodies for medicine. In addition, there is also less and less land for tigers to live on. But now people know that tigers are in danger and have made plans to protect them.

(1) How weighty is a big tiger?

[　　]

(2) When do tigers go out for their food?

[　　]

(3) Can tigers swim?

[　　]

(4) Which country can't you see the wild tigers in?

[　　]

(5) What do people kill tigers for?

[　　]

A．Eat their meat.

B．Use their skin for clothes.

C．Drink their blood.

D．All above.

 

 

 

Look at the paper in the picture carefully. Is there anything different from your notebook paper? This kind of paper feels as soft as your notebook paper. It’s also easy to write on. But do you know, this kind of paper is made from stone?

As we know, stone is easy to get on the earth, so it’s cheap. And the stone paper is about 20% to 30% cheaper than ordinary paper. The stone paper causes little pollution and helps protect the environment, because it makes tree and water free. The following table shows what is needed to make one ton of stone paper and one ton of ordinary paper. 

Ingredients    (成份) One ton of	Trees	Water	Bleach (漂白剂)	Stone	Additives (添加剂)
Stone paper	No	No	No	0.8 ton	0.2 ton
Ordinary paper	5 tons	72 M3	Yes	0.2-0.3 ton	0

 

Now in Beijing, some students begin to use stone paper to do their homework. And during the two sessions (两会) in 2011, stone paper was also used.

1.Stone paper is ______________.

    A. cheap          B. difficult to write on    C. not soft          D. bad

2. We need  _______________ ton of stone to make one ton of stone paper..

    A. 0.8            B. 0.3                 C.  0.2           D. 0.25

3. ________________in Beijing begin to use stone paper to do their homework.

    A. All the students   B. Some students       C. Many students   D. Nobody