Long long ago a man went to India and he had never been there before. When he got there, he saw a lot of fruit, but much of it was expensive because they couldn’t grow much because there was little water. Finally he saw a big basket of some very red and long fruit. And it was the cheapest in the shop.

So he went up and asked, “How much each kilo?”and the shop keeper said, “Two rupees(卢比). ”Two rupees in India was nothing. So he bought a whole kilogram of the fruit and started eating it. But after he ate some of it:oh, my god!His eyes watered, his mouth watered and burnt, and his face became red. He jumped up and down, saying, “Ah!Ah!Ah!”

But he still continued to eat the fruit!Some people who were looking at him shook their heads and said, “You’re crazy, man. Those are chilies(辣椒)!You can’t eat so many!People use them as a condiment, but only a little bit to put into food for taste. You can’t just eat them like that. ”But the silly man said, “No, I can’t stop!I paid money for them, and now I’ll eat them up. It’s my money!”

And you think that man was silly, right?We sometimes do a lot of things like that. We spend money, time or effort doing something. And even though it’s been a long time, hard experience tells us it won’t work, and we know there’s no more hope, we still continue just because we’ve put money, time, effort and love in to it. Just like the man who ate the chilies and felt so bad but couldn’t stop because he didn’t want to waste the money he’d paid.

So even if you’ve lost something, let it go and move on. That’s better than continuing to lose.

1.The man chose to buy the red and long fruit only because  .

A．he hadn’t eaten it before                B．he was hungry

C．it was cheap                           D．he hadn’t seen it before

2.The underlined  word“condiment”in Paragraph3 probably means_______.

A．零食             B．水果             C．调料             D．蔬菜

3.Which of the following sentence is TRUE?

A．The man went to India to buy fruit.

B．The man didn’t want to waste money.

C．The man bought the fruit because it was expensive.

D．India can grow a lot of fruit.

4.From the passage, we can learn that_________.

A．we shouldn’t waste money

B．we shouldn’t eat chilies

C．we shouldn’t buy something cheap

D．letting something go is better than keeping on losing

What can you do on the Internet? Many of us like to read the news, buy things and play games. Some students now have a new use for the Internet – helping them with their homework.

Tina, 14, from Shenzhen, Guangdong, often searches online for the answers to her math problems. She said sometimes she and even her parents don’t know the answers to the problems, so she has to turn to the Internet.

“I can see how other people work out these problems and learn from them,” Tina said. “It’s easy and saves time.”

But not all the students welcome this. Leo, 15, from Hangzhou, Zhejiang, thinks it may make students stop thinking.

“We should think over the problems first. Simply copying the answers won’t improve our abilities. ” he said.

In the eyes of Wang Zhaoming, a Shanghai teacher, the success of all this is down to the students. If they use the Internet properly (适当地), it could be a good tool for study, Wang said.

“Students should first think about the problems by themselves. As for the online answers, they should choose the best among different ones. The most important thing is to know the logic (逻辑) behind the answers,” he said. “Don’t be shy to ask teachers and classmates the next day if you don’t understand the answer.”

1.According to the passage, it’s a new use for students to ___________ on the Internet.

A．buy things         B．play games         C．help with homework D．read news

2.The right order to use the Internet to help with our homework is ____________.

① Choose the best answers among different answers online;

② Search the answers on the Internet;

③ Think about the problems by ourselves;

④ Try to understand the logic behind the answer you’ve chosen.

A．①②③④         B．③②①④          C．②③①④         D．④③②①

3.In Leo’s opinion, searching online for the answers may _______________. 

A．make students simply copy the answers instead of thinking

B．help solve the problems between students and their parents

C．be a good tool of study if students use the Internet properly

D．improve the students’ different abilities

4.The best title of this passage is_____________.

A．How to use the Internet                  B．Think before you search online

C．Is Internet bad or good for students         D．Computers or teachers

Your peers are people your age or close to it. Besides close friends, your peers include other children you know who are the same age------like people in your grade, sports team, or neighborhood. Peers may have a positive influence on each other and play important roles in each other’s lives:

Positive examples

Peers set plenty of good examples for each other. Having peers who do well in school or do their best in a sport can influence you to work hard to realize your dream, too. Peers who are kind and helpful can influence you to build these qualities in yourself. Even peers you’ve never met can be role models(模范). For example, watching someone your age compete in the Olympics or give a piano concert might inspire you to go after a dream of your own.

Feedback(反馈) and advice

Your peers listen and give you feedback as you try out new ideas. They can help you make decisions, too: what courses to take, whether to get your hair cut or let it grow, or how to solve a problem. Peers often give each other good advice. Your peers will be quick to tell you when they think you’re making a mistake or doing something dangerous.

Socializing（交际）

Being with your peers----such as classmates or teammates----gives you a chance to learn how to make friends and deal with disagreements with people.

New experiences

Your peers might get you involved(参与) in clubs, sports, or volunteer groups. Your world would be far less rich without peers encouraging you to try some new food for the first time, or listen to a CD you have never heard before.

1.The first paragraph is mainly about     .

A．who your peers are

B．how to find peers whose interests are similar to yours

C．the negative influence of peers on each other

D．the difference between your close friends and your peers

2.The author makes  points of how peers have a positive influence on each other.

A．three            B．four              C．five              D．six

3.With which of the following may the author agree?

A．Peers you have never met cannot influence you.

B．You can ask your friends to make a decision for you.

C．You should not play with peers you don’t like.

D．Your peers may cause you to experience new things.

4.The author mentions that good role models can influence you to      .

① work hard to realize your dream

② do something dangerous

③ build good qualities in yourself

④ have fewer friends

A．①③             B．②④             C．②③             D．③④

5.From the fourth paragraph, we can learn that being with your peers gives you a chance to       .

A．influence other people

B．play an important role

C．learn how to make more friends

D．improve your English skills

People at home keep asking me, "Is it hard to learn Chinese? Why have you learned it so well?" Well, there's one thing that makes Chinese easy to learn: there are so many people to talk to. You've probably heard that it's the most spoken language. Today it's also one of the most written languages online. And with so many Chinese people interested in learning English, it couldn't be easier to find a friend for language learning. You just have to know where to look for them.
?? The really good place to look for them is QQ. QQ has the same status(地位) in China as AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) does in the US. It is reported that at any moment, up to 9,000,000 people are using QQ. They're at work, or in a web café(网吧), or at home, and the information of the users can be found. If you sign on with your address set to "abroad", you'll soon find that many thousands of them are interested in speaking to you! This is a great way for you to learn Chinese, and for them to learn English. I think that it's a very interesting way of cultural contact(文化交流), too, for ordinary people from around the world to be able to have one-on-one contact.

1.In the first paragraph(段落), the writer tells us ___________.

A. why his family members want to learn Chinese

B. where you can find people to talk to for language learning

C. the easiest thing to do is learning Chinese

D. Chinese isn’t so hard to learn as his friends think

2.From the second paragraph we know that QQ and AIM are __________.

A. addresses for the Internet users????????????? ????????????? ??? B. documents you need to get online

C. tools for people to talk online ????????????? ??????? D. programs of a computer?????????????

3.Offices, web cafes and homes ____________.

A. attract the most people to learn Chinese

B. provide both QQ and AIM in China

C. are the best places for English learners????????????? ?

D. have the most people online

4.The writer wrote this passage mainly to __________.

A. tell a way of learning Chinese?????????????

B. show what the Chinese people are doing

C. tell the important of learning Chinese?????????????

D. show the difference between AIM and QQ

5.The writer of this passage is probably ___________.

A. a Chinese who works abroad????????????? ????????????? ????? B. an expert who works at home

C. an American who works in China????????????? ????? D. a salesman who sells soft wares

Choose the best answer to complete the passage.

You've just finished with middle school and you may start wondering, “What is high school like? Is high school a lot  32  middle school? Is it going to be hard to start out in a new place?"

Most high schools in America hold a freshman class  33  school actually starts. When you talk to people in the freshman class, you  34  that a lot of them are feeling just like you are, excited, maybe  35  afraid. Talking about a question of common interest with your classmates could start a new   36  .

The work in high school builds on what you  37  in middle school, and gives you more knowledge of many subjects. So you  38   feel that it's a bit more challenging. But these challenges can make you feel   39  . And there are many resources (资源）to use if you feel that the work is too much.

At the beginning of high school, you'll get to know it has more activities than middle school, such as clubs, music groups, and sports teams. These activities may      40   before or after school, or during your free time. 41  this, time management is an important skill in your 42  year.

Middle school teaches you the  43  of study and social skills while high school gives you the chance to learn 44  to be more independent (独立的).It's all right if you're nervous 45  . Just be patient and keep  46  . Once you've got used to your new independence, you can go farther than you ever imagined.

1.A. the same as       B. different from      C. helpful to

2.A. before           B. after              C. since

3. A. found           B. will find           C. have found

4. A. too             B. so                C. a little

5. A. hobby           B. friendship         C. topic

6.A. are learning      B. will learn          C. have learned

7.A. have to          B. should            C. may

8.A. more bored       B. less bored         C. less excited

9.A. take part         B. take up           C. take place

10.A. Because of       B. Thanks to         C. Instead of

11.A. first             B. second           C. third

12.A. aims           B. pleasure           C. ways

13.A. what           B. how              C. whether

14.A. at first          B. at last             C. at that moment

15.A. doing           B. studying           C. trying