Dictionaries say that “spring fever” is a lazy or restless feeling . People usually have the feeling on the first warm day of spring. Everyone has probably felt it at one time or another . people have talked about it for years.

          Recently, scientists have taken a good look at spring fever. What they found is quite surprising.

          In many places we live in , the winter months often seem dark and dreary. When spring comes late March , the world becomes colorful . The number of daylight hours grows with each passing day. According to many scientists, all the sunlight sets off chemicals in the brain (大脑). The chemicals make our feeling change and bring on spring fever.

(   ) 1. How do people who have spring fever feel ?

              A. active            B. awake           C. energetic       D. restless .

(   ) 2. Scientists think that ______________ cause(s) spring fever .

               A. colors           B. sunlight         C. dark           D. illness

      (   ) 3.According to the passage ,the underlined word “dreary ”means“__________” in Chinese.

               A. 沉闷的         B.暖和的           C. 晴朗的        D.明亮的

      (   ) 4. The best title for the passage is ______________ .

               A. How to Get Over Spring Fever          B. Spring Fever

               C. Darkness in winter                    D.Spring and winter

Great changes _________ in Tongren in the past five years.

Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost mention recycling, which is the process (过程) of treating used things, such as paper or steel so that they can be used again. Recycling in the home is very important of course. However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more things than we need. We are now dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the possible greenest way, but it would be far better if we did not bring so many things home in the first place.
Here is an example. In the UK, the total of packaging increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005. It now makes up a third of a household’s waste. In many supermarkets, foods are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard.
Too much packaging causes serious environmental problems. The UK is running out of different kinds of ways for dealing with this unnecessary waste. If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect (效果). Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy. The best way of avoiding this problem is to stop producing such unnecessary things in the first place. Food waste is another serious problem, too. Too many supermarkets encourage customers (消费者) to buy more than they need. They seldom encourage customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example. However, a few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue.
But this is not just about supermarkets. It is about all of us. We have learned to connect packaging with quality (质量). We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality. Is it true for all the products? In fact, more and more companies realized the importance of protecting the environment. They try to package what really should be packaged, including products in good quality.
As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realize how many unnecessary things are being collected. We need to face the waste of our daily life. Although many people have taken action to recycle, we have a high mountain to climb.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “over-consumption” mean?

Many people like to search the Internet. Exploring the Internet is one of the most important activities of the day. The Internet brings the outside world closer to people’s homes. Some people say the world is smaller than before because of the Internet.

    What’s going on in other countries? How do people live in places far away? Is there a good sports game somewhere? What’s the life like in the deepest part of sea? If you want to answer all these questions, just come to the Internet. Of course, people can also learn through reading or listening to the radio. But with the Internet they can learn better and more easily. A lot of information can be collected at a great speed.

    Can we go shopping without leaving home? Can we see a doctor without going to the hospital? Can we study without going to school? Can we draw money without going to bank? All these things seemed to be impossible, but now they have become quite possible.

    The Internet helps us open our eyes. The Internet also helps open our minds. The Internet often gives us new ideas. In a word, it helps us in many ways. Great changes have taken place in our life since the appearance of the Internet.

1.Some people say the world is smaller than before because_________.

A. all people like to search the Internet

B. the Internet makes the search smaller in size

C. the Internet brings the outside world closer to them

D. exploring the Internet is one of the most important activities of the day

2.The sentence “The Internet also helps us open our minds.” means_____ .

A. the Internet is new to us 

B. something is wrong with our minds

C. our minds can be opened only by the Internet

D. we can learn more with the help of the Internet

3.We can’t _________ through the Internet.

A. know a good sports match somewhere 

B. cook the meal

C. know a lot of information

D. see a doctor and study all kinds of subjects

4.This passage has told us _________ .

A. it’s helpful to explore the Internet

B. not to explore the Internet any more

C. to stop reading to explore the Internet

D. students should not explore the Internet at any time

5.Which of the following sentences is not true?

A. The Internet can get the information faster than reading.

B. Without leaving home, we can get the money from the bank by radio.

C. People can learn better and more through the Internet.

D. People often learn a lot of new ideas from the Internet.

Once upon a time there lived a poor farmer called Smith. He didn't like to share things with others. Smith had a friend who was famous for the wonderful apples he grew.
One day, his friend gave Smith a young apple tree and told him to take it home and planted. The farmer was pleased with the gift, but when he got home, he did not know where to plant
He thought and thought. Finally at night he planted the tree in his wood where no one could see it. But without sunlight and good soil, the tree soon died.
Later the friend asked the farmer why he had planted the tree in such a poor place.
"What's the difference?" the farmer said angrily. "If I had planted it near the road, strangers would have stolen the fruit. If I had planted it in one of my fields, my neighbors would have come at night and stolen some of the apples. If I had planted it near my house, my own children would have taken the fruit,"
"Yes," said the friend, "but at least someone could have enjoyed the fruit. Now you not only have got nothing, but also you have destroyed a good apple tree."
【小题1】Was Smith happy about the gift?
【小题2】When did he plant the apple tree?
【小题3】Where did Smith plant the apple tree in the end?
【小题4】Why did the apple tree soon die?
【小题5】What would probably happen if the farmer had planted the tree near his house?