We have twenty minutes’ break time after the second class in the morning.  Look!  Most of us are playing during the break time. Some students are on the playground(操场). They are playing basketball. Oh! A boy is running with the ball.  And another is stopping(阻止) him. They look so cool. And there are some girls watching the game. Some students are in the classroom. They are talking.  A few of them are reading and doing homework. Look! A girl is looking at the birds in the tree in front of the classroom. She must be thinking of something interesting because she is smiling(微笑).

　   What are the teachers doing? Some of them are working in the office. And some are talking with students. Everyone is doing his or her things, busy but happy!

1.Where are the students playing basketball? 

A. In front of the tree.

B. In front of the classroom. 

C. On the playground.   

D. In the tree.

2.A girl is looking at the birds. She is __________ .

A. happy                                B. cool

C. interesting                          D. exciting

3.What are the teachers doing? 

A. Working or talking with students.  

B. Having a basketball game. 

C. Playing with the students.        

D. Looking at the birds.

4.There are __________ students in the classroom. 

A. no                   B. some             C. few              D. many

5.The passage is mainly(主要)about __________ .

A. students                         B. a basketball game 

C. break time activities                D. teachers

George Stephenson was born in 1781 in a poor family. He had to start work when he was only eight．When George was fourteen, he became his father's helper．He spent a lot of time learning about engines（发动机）．And on holidays he often made one engine to pieces and studied each piece carefully．Soon he became a very good worker though he could not read or write．He began to learn English letters when he was seventeen years old．Every day after he did twelve hours of hard work, he walked a long way to have lessons from a young school teacher. On his eighteenth birthday，he wrote his own name for the first time in his life．George invented（发明） many things in his life．The train was the greatest one among them．Today when we take trains from one place to another，we'll think of this great man---George Stephenson．
【小题1】In which year did George Stephenson start to help his father？________．

Mr. Jackson works in a college. He likes reading and often   1    some books from the library. He keeps   2    to the radio every morning and reading   3    after dinner. So he knows much and teaches well. He is also good   4   his students. His students   5   him very much. Mike, Mr. Jackson's little son is only nine. He   6   likes reading books. And he often asks his father some questions. Mr. Jackson always thinks his son is too   7   to understand him, so he chooses（选择）  8   ones to answer. Of course the boy is not satisfied (对……满意) with them.
One day Mike read something about the electric lights and was   9   them. When his father told him to do housework, he went on（继续）thinking  10   it. He asked him   11   questions, and his father answered all. Then his father said proudly（自豪地），“Fathers always know   12   than sons!” The boy thought for a while and said, “  13   .” “Oh, why?” Mike didn't answer but asked. “  14    invented（发明） the electric lights?” “Thomas Edison.” answered Mr. Jackson “Why didn't his father invent them then?” Mike asked again.
Looking at his son, Mr. Jackson didn't know   15   to answer.

Helping your children to read and write at home will improve their skills and confidence—it will also make them get ready for learning in the classroom environment.
　    　 are needed by every child in every subject in every year of their life in or outside school. Students who improve their reading and writing skills will increase their vocabulary and their ability（能力）to use the English language correctly. As parents, you can play an important role in improving your children’s literacy（读写能力）. You can make a difference by listening, asking questions, giving information, and reading with your children outside school hours.
Here are 8 tips on how to help your children to read and write:
having everyday conversations with your children
trying to ask more “wh-” questions instead of easy “yes” or “no” questions
encouraging your children to talk about events you don’t know
reading to your children each night
listening to your children read
teaching your children how to use dictionaries
talking about your children’s writings
practicing filling in forms, writing letters, sending cards or emails
You can also encourage your children to join the Reading Challenge Club and discuss the books they are reading together. In the club, children must read 15 books from the Challenge book list and 5 more books chosen by themselves. There are over 1,000 books on the list. The reading must be done in one year. What’s more, it is a wonderful way to help your children to write. For example, you can encourage them to write diaries or book reviews. Remember to make positive comments as much as possible.
【小题1】 This passage is mainly written for __________.