Why play games? Because they are fun, and a 1ot 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 off 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 (合作) .   

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 play

C. make learning life skills more interesting

D. change people’s views of sporting events

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

5．What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Gamed benefit people all their lives.

B．Sports can get all athletes together.

C．People are advised to play games for fun.

D．Sports increase a country’s competitiveness.

 

In 1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business, but he was not a good artist. So he invented a very simple camera. He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his yard. That was the first photograph.

The next important date in the history of photography was 1837. That year, Daguerre, another Frenchman, took a picture of his studio. He used a new kind of camera and a different process. This kind of photograph was called a daguerreotype. Soon, other people began to use Daguerre’s process. In about 1840, the process was improved. Then photographers could take pictures of people and moving things.

Matthew Brady was one well-known American photographer. He took many portraits of famous people. The portraits were unusual because they were very life-like and full of personality.

In the 1880s, new inventions began to change photography. Photographers could buy film ready-made in rolls. And finally, the invention of the small handheld camera made photography less expensive. With the small camera, anyone could be a photographer. People began to use cameras just for fun. They took pictures of their families, friends and favorite places. They called these pictures “snapshots”.

Photography also turned into a form of art by the end the 19^th century, some photographs were not just copies of the real world. They showed ideas and feelings, like other art forms.

1.Matthew Brady was well-known for _______.

A．inventing daguerreotype

B．taking pictures of French cities

C．taking portraits of famous people

D．inventing the first camera

2.The new inventions in photography made it possible for ________.

A．Brady to take pictures of famous people

B．anyone to be a photographer

C．only rich people to take pictures

D．people to use daguerreotype

3.Photography can also be an art form because artists can _________.

A．take pictures to show the real world

B．make documentaries

C．show ideas and feelings in pictures

D．copy old pictures

 

1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business .But he was not a good artist.So he invented a very simple camera (照相机).He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his garden .That was the first photo.
The next important date in the history of photography was 1837. That year, Daguerre, another Frenchman, took a picture of his studio. He used a new kind of camera and a different processs. In his pictures, you could see everything very clearly, even the smallest details. This kind of photograph was called a daguerreotype.
Soon, other people began to use Daguerre's process. Travellers brought back daguerreotypes from all around the world. People photographed famous buildings, cities and mountains.
In about 1840, the process was improved. Now photographers could take pictures of people and moving things. The process was not simple. The photographers had to carry lots of film and processing equipment. But this did not stop the photographers, especially in the United States, where from the 1840s daguerreotype artists were popular in most cities.
Mathew Brady was a well-known American photographer. He took many pictures of famous people. The pictures were unusual because they were very life-like and full of personality.
Brady was also the first person to take pictures of war. His 1862 Civil War pictures showed dead soldiers and ruined cities. They made the war seem more real and more terrible
In the 1880s, new inventions began to change photography. Photographers could buy film readymade in rolls. So they did not have to make the film immediately. They could bring it back to their studios and develop it later, meaning that they did not have to carry lots of equipment. And finally, the invention of the small handheld camera made photography less expensive.
With the small camera, anyone could be a photographer. People began to use cameras just for fun. They took pictures of their families, friends and favourite places. They called these pictures "snapshots".
Photographs became very popular in newspapers in the 1890s. Soon magazines and books also used documentary photographs. These pictures showed true events and people. They were much more real than drawings.
Photography had turned into a form of art by the beginning of the 20th century. Some photographs were not just copies of the real world. They showed ideas and feelings, like other art forms.
【小题1】The passage is mainly about______________.

A．the invention of cameras

B．a kind of new art -- photography

C．the development of photography

D．the different uses of cameras in history

【小题2】 The first pictures of a war were taken by ____________.

A．a French photographer in the 1840s

B．an American photographer in the 1860s

C．a German reporter in the 1880s

D．a French artist in the 1890s

【小题3】 Which of the following statements is TRUE about the photography in the 19th century?

A．It was mainly based on the invention of the first photograph.

B．Photographers were popular in the United States because they carried lots of equipment.

C．Photographers used to make film themselves and developed it immediately after taking a photo.

D．Small handheld cameras made it possible for anyone to become a gifted photographer.

【小题4】In which order are the following statements mentioned in the passage?
a. Photographs became popular in newspapers.
b. Photographers carried processing equipment when taking pictures.
c. The invention of small handheld cameras made photography easier.
d. Daguerre invented a kind of photograph called daguerreotype.
e. Brady took pictures of famous people.

A．e,a, d, b, c	B．d, b, e, c, a
C．b, e, c, a, d	D．d, c, e, a , b

【小题5】 Photography can also be an art form because artists can ____________.

A．take anything they like

B．keep a record of real life

C．take photos of the famous

D．show ideas and feelings in pictures

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项。

A

Imagine landing in a foreign country where you cannot speak the language, understand the culture and don’t know anybody. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a friend who could help you out?

John Smith, an English explorer who landed in America in 1607, found the best friend ever. She was a Native American named Pocahontas (1595-1617). And she did more than teach Smith the language: she saved his life, twice.

Smith was captured by members of Pocahontas’s tribe (部落) and was going to be killed. But for some reason, the Chief’s daughter, Pocahontas, felt sorry for Smith (who was probably the first white man she had ever seen) and threw her body over his to protect him. Smith returned safely to the small village he was living in.

During the winter the English settlers did not know how to get food from nature. Pocahontas often brought food for Smith and his friends.

A year later Pocahontas’s father tried to kill Smith again because the Native Americans were very scared the English would try to take over their land. Pocahontas warned him and he was able to escape.

Later she became a Christian and eventually married an Englishman named John Rolfe.

She spent the last year of her life in London.

Pocahontas has become an American legend (传奇). Her life story has been re-created in many books and films, including Disney’s 1995 film, Pocahontas.

One of the reasons she is so popular is that many Europeans look at Pocahontas as an excellent example of how a minority can adjust into the majority. Pocahontas is also respected because of her selfless love. She proved that people can be kind and loving even to people of a different race or culture. John Smith was very different from Pocahontas but she could see he was a good man and that was all that mattered. No race or country owns goodness, love and loyalty.

1.What difficulties might early European settlers meet in America EXCEPT ______?

A. the fierce conflict with Native Americans

B. bad-tempered natives who enjoyed killing

C. unfamiliarity with a foreign land

D. lack of food in winter

2.Pocahontas saved John Smith twice because ______.

A. he was the first white man she had ever seen in her life

B. she wanted to become a Christian and marry an Englishman

C. she believed in general kindness even to people of a different race

D. she was on the settlers’ side and against her cruel father

3.Which is NOT an element to make Pocahontas a legend?

A. Her tribal background and her marriage to a white settler.

B. Her selfless help to people regarded as enemy of her tribe.

C. Her complicated life story different from common people’s.

D. The recreation of her life story in the 1995 Disney film.

4.According to the text, Europeans think Pocahontas _____.

A. was brave to break away from her own tribe

B. set a good example for other natives to accept the white settlers

C. was a selfless Christian who can love her enemy

D. was open to a more advanced culture

5.What can we infer from the passage?

A. The battles between early settlers and Native Americans resulted from their               fighting for land.

B. The Europeans think the early settlers should have learned to adjust to the local cultures.

C. The creation of America is based on the settlers’ victory over the Native  Americans.

D. People from different cultures can never really get along well with each other.

B

Chinese students aren’t the only ones who have a sleep loss problem. In Australia, teenagers are also missing out on, on average, one hour’s sleep every night during the school week.

Organized activities and homework push bedtimes later, the first large-scale Australian study of children’s sleeping habits has revealed (显示). Their sleep deprivation (剥夺) is enough to cause “serious drop-offs in school performance, attention and memory”, and governments should consider later or flexible school start times, said the study’s leader, Tim Olds.

 His survey, of more than 4,000 children aged 9 to 18, found those who slept least did not watch more television but spent their time socializing (相处) with family or friends or listening to music.

“Almost all children get up at 7 or 7:15 — they have to get to school on time,” said Olds. He favors a later start over an earlier finish because he believes organized sports and activities would still consume the latter end of the day.

Olds’research also establishes lack of sleep as a cause of weight gain in children, and a possible source of future problems with depression, anxiety and increased susceptibility (易感性) to illness.

It was already known that overweight children sleep less, but Professor Olds found sleep duration (时长) was strongly linked to weight across the full range of body sizes. The thinnest children sleep 20 minutes more than the obese. This showed being overweight had no specific effect on sleep patterns, and it was more likely that shorter sleep times stimulate (刺激) appetite and make kids hungry.

The US National Sleep Foundation says teenagers aged 13 to 18 need eight to nine hours’ sleep a night. Younger school-aged kids need 9 to 11 hours.

On that basis, Professor Olds said, half of Australian children are under-sleeping on weekdays and a quarter on weekends.

6. The Australian students surveyed don’t sleep enough because they spend more time on the following EXCEPT _____.

A. organized activities and homework

B. communication with friends and family

C. watching television programs

D. enjoying music 

7. What effects does lack of sleep directly have on the students according to the survey?

A. They become overweight but begin to eat less than before.

B. They feel more depressed and anxious about their school work.

C. They are more likely to be affected with illness in the future.

D. They pay less attention in class and their memory declines.

8. Which of the following suggestions did Mr. Olds raise?

A. The students should go to bed earlier to have longer sleeping time.

B. The students should participate less in organized activities.

C. The school should put off the start time in the morning.

D. The school should finish earlier in the afternoon.

9. What does "obese" in the sixth paragraph mean?

A. average      B. fat     C. sleepless   D. overeating

10. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Australian students usually take part in activities in the afternoon.

B. More students are short of sleep on weekends than on weekdays.

C. Being overweight has an effect on the length of the sleeping time.

D. The survey suggests that teenagers need 8-9 hours’ sleep a night.

C

By day he is just a normal cat but when the lights go out, he glows (发光) in the dark.

Scientists have genetically modified (更改) a cat as part of an experiment that could lead to treatments for diseases.

Named Mr. Green Genes, he looks like a six-month-old cat but, under ultraviolet (紫外线的) light, his eyes, gums (牙龈) and tongue glow green. That is the result of a genetic experiment at the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species in New Orleans, US.

Mr. Green Genes is the first fluorescent (荧光的) cat in the US and probably the world, said Betsy Dresser, the center's director.

The researchers made him so they could learn whether a gene could be introduced harmlessly into a cat's genetic sequence (次序).

If so, it would be the first step in a process that could lead to the development of ways to treat diseases via gene therapy (治疗).

The gene, which was added to Mr. Green Genes' DNA, has no effect on his health, Ms Dresser said.

Cats are ideal for this project because their genetic makeup is similar to that of humans, said Dr Martha Gomez, a scientist at the center.

To show that the gene went where it was supposed to go, the researchers settled on one that would glow.

The gene "is just a marker"，said Leslie Lyons, an assistant professor at the University of California, Davis. Lyons is familiar with the center's work.

 "The glowing part is the fun part," she said.

 Glowing creatures made international news earlier this month when the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to three scientists who had discovered the gene through their work with jellyfish (水母).

11.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A. A Glowing Cat                  B. Mr. Green Genes

C. One Cat’s Life                  D. An experiment on cats

12. What can we conclude from the passage?

A. Fortunately, scientists have found ways to treat diseases via gene therapy.

B. Scientists think cats’ genetic makeup is the same as that of human beings.

C. Three scientists who had discovered the gene were given Nobel Prize in  Physics.

D. Scientists have managed to introduce a gene into a cat’s genetic sequence.               

13. What does “settled on” most probably mean in Paragraph 9?

A. chose         B. killed        C. took          D. raised

14. From the passage we can see that ____.

A. Mr. Green Genes was made by researchers to treat diseases

B. the cat named Mr. Green Genes can glow when it is dark

C. Mr. Green Genes is the first fluorescent cat in the world

D. Mr. Green Genes is a cat of seven months old up to now

15. Which of the following is WRONG according to the text?

A. The gene added to Mr. Green Genes’ DNA doesn’t affect its health at all.

B. The scientists came up with the idea of the glowing genes totally for fun.

C. Earlier this month glowing creatures became news all through the world.

D. Scientists had discovered the gene from the jellyfish they worked with.

If you look for a book as a present for a child. You will be spoiled for choice even in a year when there is no new Harry Patten J.K Rowling’s wizard is not alone: the past decade has been a harvest for good children’s books , which has set off a large quantity of films and in turn led to increased sales of classics such as The Lord of the Rings.

Yet despite that, reading is increasingly unpopular among children .According to statistics, in 1997 23% said they didn’t like reading at all . In 2003, 35% did . And around 6% of children leave primary school each year unable to read properly.

Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability of computer games. Maybe the books boom has affected only the top of the educational pile . Either way , Chancellor Cordon Brown plans to change things for the bottom of the class .In his pre-budget report , he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to help the children struggling most.

Reading Recovery is aimed at six-year-olds ,who receive four months of individual daily half-hour classes with a specially trained teacher . An evaluation earlier this year reported that children on the scheme made 20 months’ progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months’ progress ,and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age.

International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school they read well ,but read less often for fun than those elsewhere .Reading for fun matters because children who are keen on reading can expect lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator of future educational success . According to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage.

Which of the following is true of Paragraph 1?

A. Many children’s books have been adapted from films.

B. Many high-quality children’s books have been published .

C. The sales of classics have led to the popularity of films.

D. The sales of presents for children have increased.

Statistics suggested that _______.

A. the number of top students increased with the use of computers

B. a decreasing number of  children showed interest in reading

C. a minority of primacy school children read properly

D. a large percentage of children read regularly

What do we know about Reading Recovery?

A. An evaluation of it will be made sometime this year.

B. Weak readers on the project were the most hardworking.

C. It aims to train special teachers to help children with reading.

D. Children on the project showed noticeable progress in reading.

Reading for fun is important because book-loving children _________.

A. take greater advantage of the project    B.show the potential to enjoy a long life

C. are likely to succeed in their education.    D.would make excellent future researchers

The aim of this text would probably be _________.

A. to overcome primary school pupils reading difficulty.

B. to encourage the publication of more children’s books

C. to remind children of the importance of reading for fun

D. to introduce a way to improve early childhood reading