Can plants eat people? Probably not, but there are many plants that eat meat. Some of them are big. And they can eat small animals. One famous meat-eating plant is the Venus flytrap(捕蝇草).

The Venus flytrap is a very strange plant. It grows in dry parts of the United States. Its leaves are like the pages of a book. They can open and close very quickly. Inside the leaves, there are three small hairs. If a fly touches one of the hairs, the leaf closes quickly. The fly cannot get out. In about half an hour, the leaf presses the fly until it is dead. Then, the plant covers the fly. Slowly, the plant eats the fly.

Why do plants do it? Most plants get what they need from the sun, the air, and the ground. In some places, the ground is very poor. It doesn't have all these important things, especially nitrogen(氮). Animal meat has a lot of nitrogen, so some plants eat meat to get what they need. Let's hope that some of the bigger plants don't get the same idea!

1.The Venus flytrap is a kind of _________.   

A．plant             B．animal            C．food             D．meat

2.The underlined word "presses" probably means _________ in Chinese．

A．挤压             B．关上             C．打开             D．松开

3.Why do some plants eat animal meat?

A．Because plants are dangerous to animals.

B．Because animals are dangerous to plants.

C．Because plants want to get what they need from animal meat.

D．Because plants want to protect themselves against animals.

 

Jenny wanted to encourage students to read more famous books, so she decided to put an introduction to some interesting children’s story books in the school newspaper.
The Little Prince (《小王子》is a famous work written by French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. In the book, the little prince leaves his own planet to explore the universe (宇宙). In his journey, he finds that the adult world is really strange and boring. Finally, he goes back to his planet which is full of love. The book is really popular throughout the world.
Charlotte’s Web (《夏洛特的网》is a famous children’s novel written by American author E. B. White. The novel tells the story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a spider named Charlotte on a farm. When Wilbur is in danger of being killed for his meat by the farmer, Charlotte writes messages to praise Wilbur in her web and saves him. Wilbur becomes famous in the village and he is safe in the end. When it came out in 1952, the book was welcomed by both adults and children. And it is still very popular today.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (《爱德华的奇妙之旅》is a 2006 novel written by Kate DiCamillo. The book is about an unusual journey of a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. He travels from one place to another, meeting many people. During his journey, he learns to love and finally finds love again. This book is popular nowadays and was mentioned many times in the famous South Korean TV series My love from the Star (《来自星星的你》. The warm and sweet story will surely make you understand more about love.
【小题1】 Jenny introduced some interesting children’s story books to ________.

A．encourage students to read more

B．encourage students to write more

C．show off the books she has read

D．make money by selling books

【小题2】The underlined word “praise” properly means “________” in Chinese.

A．欺骗

B．批评

C．赞扬

D．攻击

【小题3】 Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The three books mentioned in the passage are popular today.

B．The writers of the three books are all Americans.

C．When Charlotte’s Web came out, it was only popular with adults.

D．My Love from the Star is a famous Chinese TV series.

Can plants eat people? Probably not, but there are many plants that eat meat. Some of them are big, and they can eat small animals. One famous meat-eating plant is the Venus flytrap.

   The Venus flytrap is a very strange plant. It grows in dry parts of the United States. Its leaves are like the pages of a book. (A) They can open and close very quickly. Inside the leaves, there are three small hairs. If an insect touches one of the hairs, the leaf closes quickly. The insect cannot get out. In about half an hour, the leaf presses the insect until it is dead. Then, the plant covers the insect with a special liquid （液体）. Slowly, the plant eats the insect.

(B) Plants are living things that have leaves and roots and grow in earth. Most of them get energy from the sun, the air, and the ground. In some places, the ground is very poor. It doesn’t have all the important things that plants need, especially nitrogen （氮）. Animal meat has a lot of nitrogen, so some plants eat meat to get what they need. Let’s hope that some of the bigger plants don’t get the same idea!

1.__ Can plants get energy from the air?

2.__Why is Venus flytrap a famous plant?

3.__In some places, why do some plants get energy from animal meat?

4.__ 写出（A）处划线单词they所指代的名词。

5.__将（B）处划线句子改为两个简单句。

Plants are living things.   ______________________________

 

Do you know what special birthday presents the German Chancellor Schroeder（德国总理施罗德）gave his mother?
In 1990, he took her to lunch in a Mercedes（奔驰）car for her 80th birthday.
Schroeder’s family was very poor when he was young. Once his grandma had to steal（偷）meat from their neighbors. That was the only way to give the family a good supper. His mother was very sad and cried about it. Young Schroeder held his mother in his arms and said, “Mom, one day I’ll take you out in a Mercedes.” Forty years later he made these words come true.
Schroeder gave the old lady a second special present ten years later.
His father died before he was born. He was killed in World War II. His family didn’t know where his grave（坟墓）was. So Schroeder gave his mother a map on her 90^th birthday. This map was very special. It showed where his father’s grave was. The old lady smiled happily at the surprising gift. Then Chancellor held his mother in his arms and kissed her face.
【小题1】Where did Schroeder take his mother to lunch for her 80th birthday?

A．In a big restaurant.	B．In his office.
C．In a Mercedes car.	D．At home.

【小题2】When did Schroeder say he would take his mother out in a Mercedes?

A．In 1990.

B．In 1950.

C．In 2000.

D．In 1948.

【小题3】What special present did Schroeder give his mother for her 90^th birthday?

A．A Mercedes car.	B．A grave.
C．A very special map.	D．A big cake.

【小题4】Who killed his father?

A．The war.	B．His grandfather.
C．A driver in a Mercedes.	D．An earthquake.

【小题5】What can we learn from the passage?

A．Schroeder’s family was rich when he was young.

B．Schroeder’s grandma liked stealing things very much.

C．Schroeder was very young when his father died.

D．Schroeder has a strong love for his mom.