Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules… planning your next move…acting as a team member… these are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.

Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating.

Many children’s games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones, which sharpens the hand-eye coordination (协调) needed in hunting.

Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.

Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it — some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.

Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life.

1.Through playing hide-and-seek, children are expected to learn to ________.

A．be a team leader

B．obey the basic rules

C．act as a grown-up

D．predict possible danger

2.The underlined part in Paragraph 2 most probably means that games can ________.

A．describe life in an exciting way

B．turn real-life experiences into a movie

C．make learning life skills more interesting

D．change people’s views of sporting events zxxk

3.According to the passage, why is winning Olympic medals so encouraging?

A．It inspires people’s deep love for the country.

B．It proves the exceptional skills of the winners.

C．It helps the country out of natural disasters.

D．It earns the winners fame and fortune.

4.Iribarne’s goal of forming the foundation is to ________.

A．bring fun to poor kids

B．provide soccer balls for children

C．give poor kids a chance for a better life

D．appeal to soccer players to help poor kids

 

America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while — then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us develop more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending(延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.

Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality(好客) easily.

Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.

For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!

1.The writer of this passage must be ______.

A．an American       B．a Chinese          C．a professor        D．a student

2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives.

B．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy.

C．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break.

D．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families.

3.From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be ______.

A．warmly welcomed at the airport            B．offered a ride to his/her home

C．treated hospitably at his/her home          D．treated to dinner in a restaurant

4.The underlined words “generous with our time” in Paragraph 3 probably mean ______.

A．strict with time                         B．serious with time

C．careful with time                        D．willing to spend time

 

Scientists have long understood the key role that oceans play in controlling the Earth’s climate. Oceans cover 70 per cent of the surface of the globe and store a thousand times more heat than the atmosphere does. What’s newer is the understanding of how this key component(组成部分) of our climate system responds to global warming.
A brake on global warming—for now
One of the oceans’ most important climate functions is absorbing heat and carbon dioxide(CO2), one of the gases that causes global warming. Acting as something absorbing heat, the oceans have absorbed huge amounts of heat and CO2 in the last forty years.
Fujita explains, “the oceans are saving us from faster climate change—they are putting a brake on the climate system.”
“That’s the good news,” he adds. “The bad news is that the oceans only slow the atmospheric warming. Once the oceans come to balance with a greenhouse-gas warmed earth, the extreme heat will remain in the atmosphere and things will get much hotter.” But where and how the oceans release this slowly increased heat is uncertain. And as the ocean stores heat, fragile(脆弱的) underwater ecosystems are struggling.
The most recent scientific report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) also notes with concern that the ocean is acidifying(酸化) because of increased absorption of atmospheric CO2. and thus causing a threat to shell-forming species.  Sharp increase in CO2 levels will cause further acidification of the ocean.
Currents distributing heat
Another important role the oceans play is that of distributor(散布者). Oceans deliver heat and life-sustaining nutrition around the globe. Just as blood tube bring oxygen and nutrition to cells in the human body, the ocean’s currents carry oxygen, nutrients and heat throughout the Earth. The ocean distributes 25 to 50 per cent of energy the planet receives from the sun. For example, the Gulf Stream carries heat across the Atlantic. This warm current gives northwestern European a milder climate that it would normally have so far north. A change to the ocean’s circulation patterns could throw Europe into a colder period, even as the rest of the world is experiencing warmer temperatures.
【小题1】 We can infer from the passage that _______.

A．the oceans cause global warming	B．the oceans stop global warming
C．the oceans release nutrients and heat	D．the ocean ecosystems face more dangers

【小题2】 From the passage we can learn that ocean’s currents _______.

1. produce oxygen and nutrients around     
2. absorb 25-50% of the energy from the sun
3. distribute the atmosphere hotter        

D.  change the ocean’s circulation patterns
【小题3】 Which of the following are the results of the ocean absorbing heat and CO2?
a. It causes further acidification.        
b. It makes the atmosphere hotter.
c. It balances the oceans with a green-house gas. 
d. It affects shell-forming species.  
e. It makes the oceans act as a heat sponge.           
f. It controls the Earth’s climate.

A．a-c-f

B．a-d-f

C．b-d-e

D．b-c-e

【小题4】 If the ocean’s circulation pattern changed, ______.

A．Asia would suffer a hotter climate.

B．Europe would become hotter

C．the rest of the world would become warmer.

D．the climate of Europe would become colder.

_______71_______ It is a very happy day for many boys and girls. Before the term ends in some schools, the children act a nativity (基督诞生) or "birth" play, showing how Jesus was born in a stable.（马棚）.

On the twenty-fourth of December, all children are very excited.______72____ The younger children think that Father Christmas will come down the chimney of fireplace, so they hang up a sock for him to put presents in. The greedy ones even hang up a pillowcase or a sack to try to get more presents.________73_____

On Christmas morning, the children wake up very early. Some even turn on the light at two o'clock, and most of them are awake by six o'clock although there is no light in England for another hour or two at this time of the year.

_____74______ At about one o'clock in the afternoon, the Christmas dinner is brought in._____75______ Children search in their Christmas pudding for new coins which are hidden in it. The rest of the day is full of games and eating until the happiness of all Christian holidays comes to an end.

A．People are often busy going shopping.

B．The turkey or chicken is quickly eaten.

C．Now the Chinese people also celebrate Christmas.

D．Children look for their presents, and the young ones play while the dinner is prepared.

E. Later that night, Father or Mother will put presents in the sock, and leave others at the side of the bed.

F. Usually they are sent to bed early so that their parents can get the presents ready.

G. Christmas Day falls on the twenty-fifth of December.

 

When Charles Strattion was five, he stopped growing. His mother took him to see the famous showman, P. T. Barnum, and thought a small person would be the perfect addition to his show. He hired Charles’ parents along with him, and they traveled around the world together.

He gave the two-foot-tall Charles a new name, general Tom Thumb. He taught Tom how to sing, dance, act, and tell jokes. When he felt Tom was ready to perform on stage, he made up ads. To stir up great interest, he said that Tom was eleven years old and had come from England.

Tom’s act was very popular and brought in a lot of money. By the time Tom was an adult, he had grown very rich. He had become a billionaire at the age of twenty-five.

Fortunately for Tom, Mr. Barnum added more little people to his show, and Tom became lucky in love as well. One of the little people was Lavinia Warren, a school teacher. Tom was able to win her love, and they married.

The ceremony and reception were the talk of the town. They were attended by many rich and famous people and by about two thousand guests. Crowds filled the street of New York to have a look at their tiny wedding carriage. The couple even met with President Abraham Lincoln on their honeymoon, just before going to live in Tom’s house in Connecticut.

Their wedding, which took place during the Civil War, provided a welcome escape from the sad problems of war. Not willing to let this bit of sunshine fade, communities throughout the country held Tom Thumb’s weddings. In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun.

1.“the talk of the town” means      .

A．they were in the newspaper

B．people spread many rumors about them

C．they were the most popular things happening

D．they were discussed in a city meeting

2.What does the author think about Tom Thumb’s wedding?

A．People gave it too much of their attention.

B．It helped people cheer up in a dark time

C．It was funny and ridiculous

D．Tom and Lavinia were stupid.

3.Which of the following is the best description of the fact that Tom was smart?

A．He became a billionaire at twenty-five

B．He learned how to sing, dance, and act at a very young age.

C．He met with President Lincoln during his honeymoon

D．He married a school teacher.

4.It was very funny when Tom danced on a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall because      .

A．the wooden plate would make it sound as of Tom were tap dancing

B．it made Tom feel taller

C．the eight-foot-tall man was the only tall person Tom trusted

D．the difference between them would make Tom look even smaller

5.What does the author imply in the last paragraph?

A．Weddings always make people feel full of sunshine

B．People are always disappointed during wartime

C．Entertainment can serve an important purpose

D．People should be married even if they are small