What is the sky？ Where is it？ How bright is it？ What lies above it？ These questions are difficult to answer, aren’t they？

　　Is the sky blue？ The sky has no color. We know that there is air around the world. When planes fly, they need air to lift their wings. Planes can’t fly very high because the air gets thinner when they go up higher. If we go up about 1,200 kilometers from the earth, we’ll find no air there.

　　When we talk about the sky, we usually mean the atmosphere around the earth. It is like a very thick “cover” over the earth and keeps it warm. Without the “cover”, the earth would be a very cold place and nothing could live on it.

　　Looking up above us, you will see the blue sky with white clouds. It is usually light blue, but the sky would be dark blue if you go to the top of the highest mountains. And you will see fewer clouds between you and the sun.

　　And if you sit in a spaceship high above the earth, there is no air at all. The sky would be so dark that its color would be black.

　　Sometimes the sky doesn’t look blue. When the sun rises and falls, you will see red, orange, and other colors in the sky. These are the most beautiful moments of the day.

　　Now you may understand that we see colors because the air scatters (散射) the sunlight. Light travels through the air. Without air, there would be no light and no colors.

1.Planes can’t fly very high because ____________.

A．there is air around the world

B．the air gets thinner when they go up higher

C．it’s warmer in the sky

D．the air gets thicker when they go up higher

2.We can see colors of the sky because ____________.

A．the sun rises and falls every day

B．the sky has lots of colors

C．the air scatters the sunlight

D．the sunlight has many colors

3.Which of the following is TRUE？

A．There is little air without light and colors in the sky.

B．The sky will look red, orange and other colors at noon.

C．The sky has only one color when the sun rises and falls.

D．The sky is dark blue if you go to the top of the highest mountains.

The Guidance Department （教导处）at Berryville High School has a staff of eleven teachers. Most of their work is done with the students. But the staff sees a lot of parents, too.
“Parents meetings make clear monthly diagram（图表）.”says Mildred Freman, head of the Guidance. “This diagram stays much the same from year to year. The busy months are October, March and May. ”
September, the beginning of a new school year, starts rather slowly. Few parents come in. Most of these want to talk about the schedules. October brings many problems caused by some students. Some parents are called in. Others come by themselves. Things quiet down in November. December is a quiet month. “It’s the holiday. ”Ms Foreman says, “People want to come in, I know, but they decide to wait until after New Year’s Day.”
Report cards go home just before Christmas holidays. Bad marks bring parents in as school opens again. This happens again in March, another report card month. May is always the year’s busiest month. That’s when parents begin to think that their children may be asked to stay in the same grade again. They come in to see if anything can be done before things are decided in June.
【小题1】The teachers in the Guidance Department usually ______.

The word “day” has two meanings. When we talk about the number of days in a year, we are using “day” to mean 24 hours. But when we talk about day and night, we are using “day” to mean the time between sunrise and sunset. Since the earth looks like a ball, the sun can shine on only half of it at a time. Always one half of the earth is having day and the other half night. A place is moved from day into night and from night into day over and over by the spinning（旋转）of the earth. At the equator（赤道）day and night are sometimes the same length（长度）. They are each twelve hours long. The sun rises at 6 o’clock in the morning and sets at 6 o’clock in the evening. For six months the North Pole is tilted（倾斜）toward the sun. In those months the Northern Hemisphere（半球）gets more hours of sunlight than the Southern Hemisphere. Days are longer than nights. South of the equator nights are longer than days. For the other six months the North Pole is tilted away from the sun. Then the Southern Hemisphere gets more sunlight. Days are longer than nights. North of the equator nights are longer than days. Winter is the season of long nights. Summer is the season of long days.
（  ）6.When the Western Hemisphere is having day, the Eastern Hemisphere is having ________.
　　     A. both day and night              B. day
　　     C. neither day nor night            D. night
（  ）7. A place is moved from day into night and from night into day over and over by ________ of the earth.
　　     A. the pushing                    B. the pulling
C. the spinning                    D. the passing
（  ）8. At the equator day is as long as night ________.
　　        A. sometimes     B. never       C. usually        D. always
（  ）9. When the North Pole is tilted toward the sun, the Northern Hemisphere gets ________ sunlight.
　　    A. less           B. more       C. all            D. no
（  ）10. When it is winter in China,  ________.
　　    A. the USA is tilted toward the sun
　　    B. the South Pole is tilted away from the sun
　　    C. the North Pole is tilted toward the sun
　　    D. the North Pole is tilted away from the sun