Once there was a parrot on sale in a pet store. It was a beautiful red and blue bird. It sat on a perch in the middle of the store, so that everyone could see it when they came in. The owner was very proud of it and asked a high price for it.
One day a man went into the store. "That's a beautiful bird,"he said to the pet store owner, "But why is it so expensive? Is it unsual bird?"
"No, it's not very unusual. It's expensive because it can talk," the pet store owner said.
"I see. How can I make it talk?" the man asked.
The pet store owner asked him, "Do you see those string tied to each of the bird's legs?"
"Yes," the man answered.
"Well, you pull those strings," the pet store owner told him."That will make the parrot talk."
The man asked,"Do you mind if I try?"
"Not at all," the pet store owner said.
The man walked up to the parrot and pulled the string on its left leg. The parrot said, "Good morning."
The man pulled the string on the parrot's right leg. This time the parrot said, "How are you today?"
"That's not very interesting, " said the man. "Any parrot could do that." Then he laughed, "But what wold happen if I pulled both strings at the same time?"
"I'll fall off my perch, you fool!" the parrot said.
【小题1】The parrot was expensive because________.

BEING an astronaut sounds cool, doesn't it? In space, they get to do some pretty amazing things, like floating in zero gravity(重力).

However, there are also plenty of things that astronauts can't do because of their weightless environment, and that's very sad. What's worse, they can't even let their sadness show, because it's impossible to cry in zero gravity.

Of course, astronauts can still produce tears. But crying is much more difficult in space, according to The Atlantic(大西洋月刊) in January. Without gravity, tears don't flow(流动) down out of the eyes like they do here on Earth. This means that when you cry in space, your tears have nowhere to go-they just stick(粘) to your eyes.

In May 2011, astronaut Andrew Feustel experienced this during one of his spacewalks. "Tears," he said, "don't fall off of your eyes...They just kind of stay there."

Besides making your vision(视线)unclear, this can also cause physical pain. Back on Earth, tears are supposed to bring comfort to the eyes. But that's not the case in space. The space environment dries out astronauts' eyes, and when tears suddenly wet the eyes, it can cause pain rather than comfort. "My right eye is stinging(刺痛) like crazy," Feustel told his teammate during the walk.

Since gravity doesn't work in space, astronauts need some extra help to get rid of（除去） the tears. Feustel chose to rub his eyes against his helmet to wipe(擦) the tears away. Another choice is to just wait-"When the tears get big enough they simply break free of the eyes and float around," astronaut Ron Parise told The Atlantic.

There are lots of small things-things like crying-that we are so used to on Earth. We usually take them for granted until they become a problem in a totally different environment, like space.  There, astronauts can't talk to each other directly. They also can't eat or drink in normal ways. They can't even burp (打嗝), because there is no gravity to hold the food down in their stomach. If they do burp, they just end up throwing up（呕吐）everything in their stomach, according to the UK National Space Center.

Therefore, perhaps it's only space explorers who can honestly say: "Gravity, you're the best."

1.From Paragraphs 2 and 3 , we can know that_______.

A．astronauts are unable to feel sad in space

B．astronauts produce fewer tears in space

C．tears produced in space flow down more slowly

D．tears produced in space don't flow downward

2.What effect do tears have on astronauts?

A．They cause physical pain.

B．They bring comfort to them.

C．They make their vision clearer.

D．They float around and cause trouble.

3.The underlined phrase "take them for granted" in paragraph 7 means _______.

A．find them important

B．consider them useless

C．need them during an emergency

D．fail to notice their presence(存在)

4.The second-to-last paragraph (paragraph 7) is mainly about_______.

A．suggestions of how astronauts can stay comfortable in space

B．other basic things that are difficult to do in space

C．why burping is impossible in space

D．things human can't do without gravity

Mr. King is a tall and strong man. He teaches P.E. in a middle school. He has a long beard (胡子)and takes care of it.

It was Sunday yesterday. There was a big football match of the year on the playground in the centre of the city. Mr. King likes the games very much and of course he was going to watch it. With his friends’ help he got a ticket a few days ago. After breakfast he hurried to the bus stop, but a lot of people were waiting there. A bus came. There were lots of people on it and it was difficult for them to put their feet. He had to grip(抓住)the back of the chair. At the next stop a boy got on the bus. He was short and couldn’t grip anything. Suddenly the bus stopped and the boy was likely to fall off. He looked around and saw Mr. King’s beard and gripped it. The man found it at once and called out,“Go off(松开)my beard, boy!”

“Are you going to get off, sir?”asked the boy.            

1.Mr. King is a _________.

2.Mr. King was going to watch the match because _________.

3.It was difficult for Mr. King to stand because _________.

4.The boy gripped Mr. King’s beard because __________.

5.Mr. King was afraid __________, so he shouted at him.

Your home is a safe place, right? Think again.
Many serious accidents happen in people's homes. Could you please prevent these accidents? Yes. Many accidents happen because people are careless. So be careful! Here are some tips about safety.
·Don't stand on chairs. Many people may fall off chairs and hurt themselves.
·Keep the floor dry, and you won't slip (滑) or fall.
·Be away from matches. Even a cigarette (香烟) can easily start a fire. Don't use water to put out fires. Use salt instead.
·Be careful with knives! Many people cut themselves in the kitchen. Never touch the broken bottles, doors  or windows. Glass can also cause the most serious cuts.
·Don't keep poisons (毒药) in the kitchen.
·Never use electrical appliances (电器设备) in the shower. Dry the floor before you use them, or  electricity can hurt you!
·Keep children away from hot water and hot drinks. They can be dangerous. But adults often forget it.
·Look through the peephole (门镜) when you hear the knock on the door. Don't let strangers in.
In a word, we should learn to protect ourselves and stay away from danger.
根据短文内容判断正(T)误(F).
【小题1】You must be careful when there is water on the floor.
【小题2】Salt can’t be used for putting out fires.
【小题3】It’ s not safe for people to touch switches(电器)
【小题4】Water and drinks can be dangerous for both children and adults.
【小题5】Open the door at once when you hear someone knocking at the door.

Traffic rules help to keep order on the road. They also help to keep people   1 .
The pedestrian(行人) has as many rules to   2  as the driver of a car. You should walk on the sidewalk(人行道) or at the side of the road. Always look   3  before you walk across the street.
If you like riding a bike, don’t ride in the middle of the road or run   4  red traffic lights. When you ride a bike with a friend, don’t look around or talk.
If you drive a car, you should   5  at the traffic lights. You must always   6  a seat belt(安全带). Without belts   7  the driver and the passengers may be badly hurt in a sudden accident.
You may not need to take a bus, but   8  if you have to travel in one. Get on or get off a bus only when it comes to a   9 . When it is full, don’t try to get inside  10  you may fall off.
Traffic rules are also called Road Safety rules. The maxim(格言) for all road users is “Thinking about others”.