Why 2008 is a special year? Because it is a Leap Year(闰年).

     What is so special about that? Well, we have a Leap Year every four years. And it has 366 days, not the usual 365. In a Leap Year, we have 29 days in February, while in a usual year we have only 28 days.

     Why do we have a Leap Year? We have a Leap Year so we can keep the calendar in step                                                                                        

(一致)with the seasons. The calendar is a kind of clock for the year. But how long is a year? A calendar year is 365 days. But a true year is 365 days,5 hours,48 minutes and 46 seconds long. That's the time it takes the earth (地球) to go around the sun. So every four years we have one more day, and we put it at the end of February, the shortest month of a year. Then we have a Leap Year.

1. How often can we have a Leap Year? 

  A. Every year.       B. Every February.       C. Every four years.     D. Every 366 days.

2. The calendar is a kind of clock      

  A. for the year         B. for Leap Year         C. for the usual year   D. for February     3. It takes the earth           to go around the sun.         

A. a day                             B.366 days

C.365 days                            D. a little longer than 365 days

4. We put one more day at the end of           in 2008.

  A. February.                          B. March.

C. May.                             D. The writer doesn't tell us.

5. Mary was born on February 29,1972. Now she is 35. How many birthday parties may she have?

  A.35.                 B.34.                   C.8.                      D.10

It was May 5. It was Mary’s birthday. She came home, and saw a card on the table. It said, “There’s a present for you, Mary. Go and look for it in your room.” Mary ran to her room. Her parents were watching her. They were smiling. On her bed she saw a new red box. She thought, “What’s in the box?” She opened it. There was nothing but a card in it. Mary took it out and read.

“Dear Mary, I’m your present. My first letter is in the word ‘book’, but not in ‘look’. My second letter is in ‘ink’, but not in ‘thank’. You can find my third letter in both ‘ink’ and ‘book’. And my last letter is in ‘she’, but not in ‘ship’. What am I?”

Mary thought hard. B-I-K-E! She smiled and said, “Aha, I know, Mom. But where is it?” Her mother said, “Look at the back of the card.” Mary turned it over and read, “Come and look for me in the garden.”

Mary hurried to the garden. There under a big tree she found her present—a nice new bike!

“Happy birthday, Mary!” her parents said.

“Thank you, Mom and Dad.”

1.Mary’s birthday was on .

A. March the fifteenth

B. May the fifth

C. March the fifth

D. May the fifteenth

2.Mary’s birthday present was .

A. a beautiful card

B. a beautiful box

C. a beautiful bike

D. a comfortable bed

3. The first card was on the table. The second card was .

A. on the bed B. on the desk

C. in the box D. in a book

4. Mary’s present was .

A. on the back of the card B. on her bed

C. in her room D. in the garden

5. Mary’s parents were .

A. very kind and funny

B. very poor

C. very rich

D. very young

“Dear Mary, I’m your present. My first letter is in the world ‘book’, but not in ‘look’ .My second letter is in ‘ink’, but not in ‘thank’. You can find my third letter in both ‘ink’ and ‘book’. And my last letter is in ‘she’, but no in ‘ship’. What am I?”

Mary thought hard. B—I—K—E! She smiled and said, “Aha, I know, Mum. But where is it?” Her mother said, “Look at the back of the card.” Mary turned it over and read, “Come and look for me in the garden.”

Mary hurried to the garden. There under a big tree she found her present—a nice new bike!

“Happy birthday, Mary!” her parents said.

“Thank you, Mum and Dad.”

A．根据短文内容完成下列各句.

1. Mary ______ home and saw a ______ on the table.

2. The card said, “There is a ______ for you.______ for it in your room.”

3. In her ______, she saw a new red box ______ the bed.

4. Mary’s ______ was in ______.

5. Mary ______ her new bike in the ______.

B．根据短文意思选择正确答案

6. Mary’s birthday was on ______.

A. March the fifteenth　　　　　　　　　　  B.May the fifth

C.March the fifth　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D.May the fifteenth

7. Mary’s birthday present was ______.

A. a beautiful card　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　      B.a beautiful box

C.a beautiful bike　　   　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D.a comfortable bed

8. The first card was on the table. The second card was ______.

A. on the bed　　     B.on the desk　　　　　　      C.in the box　　    D.in a book

9. Mary’s present was ______.

A. on the back of the card　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　      B.on her bed

C.in her room　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D.in the garden

10. Mary’s parents were ______.

A. very kind and funny　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　   B.very poor

C.very rich　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  　　  D.very young

　　Today is March 5. It is my birthday.At twenty to seven, my mother wakes me up. I get up and my parents say to me,“Happy birthday to you!”I say,“Thank you，Mum and Dad.”I get a lot of presents from my friends and family. They are in nice boxes.

　　My father gives me a yellow box and there is a book in it. My mother is saying,“It's our present for you. There are a lot of good stories in it. You can read them and it's good for you.”Jack, one of my friends, gives me a long box. What's in it? It's an umbrella. My sister gives me a round box. I think it is a big cake, but it is a basketball. I like playing basketball very much, so I am happy to have it.

　　My brother gives me a big red box. I open it and find another box in it. What color is this box? It's green. I open the small box and see another box. This one is blue in color. In this box I find a little white envelope. There's a piece of paper in it. It is saying.“Go to your bedroom. You can see three boxes there: a black one, a grey one and a white one. Your birthday present is one of them.”I go to my bedroom and find the boxes on the table in my room. Then I open the black one. I'm very happy to see a radio in it.