In the summer of 1978 an English man named Steven was driving his tractor through a field of wheat when he discovered something strange. Some of his wheat was lying on the ground. The flattened wheat formed(形成)a circle about six meters across . Around this circle were four smaller circles of flattened wheat.

　 Three years later a farmer who lived nearby discovered almost the same circles in one of his fields. These circles were larger—nearly 15 meters across . That same year , another English farmer discovered three circles of flattened wheat on his land—one large circle between two small circles. During the following years, farmers in England found circles in their fields more and more often.

　 The circles are called “crop circles” because they usually appear in fields of wheat or corn. The wheat in the circles lies on the ground but is never broken; it keeps on growing, and the farmers can later harvest it. Farmers always discover the crop circles in the morning, so the circles probably form at night. They appear only in the months from May to September. What causes the crop circles?

　 At first, people thought that some kids were making them as a joke, or that farmers were making them to attract tourists.(In fact, in 1991, two men said they made the circles themselves, but many scientists don’t believe them.) People tried to copy them: They tried to make circles exactly like the ones the farmers had found. They couldn’t do it. They couldn’t enter a field of wheat without leaving tracks, and they couldn’t flatten the wheat without breaking it.

　 Several times people reported seeing stranger objects near the fields where crop circles later appeared. Many people believe that these crop circles are the messages sent by living things from outer space(外层空间)or the marks left by their spaceships.

　 Scientists who have studied the crop circles try to find out what causes them. In the summer of 1990 some scientists spent three weeks in the part of England where many circles have appeared. They had all the latest high-tech equipment(最新高科技设备). The equipment—worth 1.8 million dollars—got nothing. But one night, as the scientists were watching a field, crop circles formed in the field behind them, which were quite different from the others. The scientists had neither seen nor heard anything.

　 When Steven discovered the crop circles on his land in 1978, he said, “It was just like something that had landed in the field from the air and gone back up again. I don’t know what to make of these things.”

　 Crop circles have appeared in England, Japan, the United States and Russia. Experts from all over the world have studied them, and they say what Steven said: They don’t know what to make of these things.

1.Which picture is probably the one formed in the field behind the scientists?

2.“Flattened wheat” means ___________.

　　   A. broken wheat             B. lying wheat

　　   C. harvested wheat          D. growing wheat

3.The passage is mainly about something ___________ .

A. that is done by living things from outer space

B. that cannot be solved but found all around the world

C. that cannot be made clear or understood

D. that is discovered and copied by the farmers

 

School education is very important and useful. The students both learn knowledge and get educated. Yet, no one can learn everything from school. Scientists, such as Edison, Newton, Galileo and Einstein, didn't learn everything from school. They learnt a lot of knowledge outside school or practiced a lot themselves. A teacher, though he knows a lot, can't teach his students everything.

　　The teacher's job is to teach his students how to learn, how to read and how to think. A good teacher with rich experience in teaching can teach his students the methods (="ways)" of study. Through these methods students are able to learn and get a lot of things by themselves.

Usually it's very easy for students to memorize some knowledge, but it is difficult to use it to solve problems. If a teacher really teaches students the ability(能力) of how to use knowledge, it means the teacher has learned lots of knowledge by himself(or herself). The success in learning shows he or she knows how how how to study.

根据课文内容选择最佳答案（每题两分，共10分）

1.From the passage we know ________.

A．students are taught everything at school

B．a teacher can't teach his students everything

C．school is really not important and useful

D．Edison learned lots of knowledge at school

2.A teacher's job is ________.

A．to help his students with their lessons

B．to teach his students everything

C．to show his students how how to study by themselves

D．to tell them how to study

3.Choose the right order of this passage.

a．How important are the study methods for students?

b．What does the teacher's experience of success in study mean?

c．Where should students study?

d．What is the job of a teacher?

A．c,a,b,d   B．b,c,a,d

C．c,b,d,a   D．c,d,a,b

 

4.Which of the following is right?

A．If we know how to learn, we can get a lot of knowledge.

B．We can learn everything from our teachers.

C．The writer tells us that practice is more important for students than learning.

D．It is the only job for students to learn knowledge.

5.Which of the following is the best title?

A．A real job for teachers

B．Study in and outside school

C．Practice－the only way of learning

D．How to learn language

 

In the Caucasus region（高加索地区）, nearly 50 out of every 100,000 people live to celebrate their 100^th birthday, and many don’t stop at 100! By comparison, in America only 3 people in 100,000 reach 100. But these Caucasus people aren’t alone. The Pakistani Hunzas, who live high in the Himalaya Mountains, and the Vilcabambans of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador seem to share the secret of long life too.
　　These peoples remain healthy in body and spirit despite the passage of time. While many older persons in industrial societies become weak and ill in their 60s and 70s, some Caucasus people aged 110-140, work in the fields beside their great-great-grandchildren. Even the idea of aging is foreign to them. When asked, “At what age does youth end?” most of these old people had no answer. Several replied, “Well, perhaps at age 80.” The very youngest estimate was age 60.
　　What accounts for this ability to survive (live) to such old age, and to survive so well? First of all, hard physical work is a way of life for all of these long-lived peoples. They began their long days of physical labor as children and never seem to stop. For example, Mr. Rustam is 142 years of age. He remembers his life experience: the Crimean War of 1854; the Turkish War of 1878; the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. His wife is 116 years old. They have been married for 90 years. Mr. Rustam has no plan of retiring from his life as a farmer. “Why? What else would I do?” he asks. Oh, he’s slowed down a bit. Now he might quit (stop working) for the day after 6 hours in the field instead of 10.
　　All these people get healthful rewards from the environment in which they work. They all come from mountainous regions. They live and work at elevations（海拔）of 5,000 to 12, 000 feet(1,660 to 4,000meters) above sea level. The air has less oxygen and is pollution-free. This reduced oxygen environment makes the heart and blood vessel（血管）system stronger.
　　Another factor（因素）that may lead to the good health of these people is their isolation. To a great extent, they are separated from the pressure（压力）and worries of industrial society.
　　Inherited（遗传的） factors also play some role. Most of the longest-lived peoples had parents and grandparents who also reached very old age. Good family genes may, therefore, be one factor in living longer.
　　Finally, although these three groups don’t eat exactly the same foods, their diets are similar. All of them eat little animal meat. Their diets are full of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, cheese and milk. They never eat more food than their bodies need.
　　It is clear that isolation from urban pressure and pollution, clean mountain air, daily hard work, moderate diets, good genes, and a youthful approach to life all lead to the health and remarkable long life of all these people.
【小题1】 What is the main idea of this article?

A．Cause and effect of long-lived life.

B．People in the world enjoying a longer life.

C．Factors leading to the health and long life of people.

D．A description of several societies where people living a long life.

【小题2】 “The idea of aging is foreign to them” means that _________.

A．they don’t care much about their age

B．they have no idea of how old they are

C．they won’t say anything about their age until they are asked to

D．the idea of getting old has never come into their mind

【小题3】 How do you think the writer feels about these long-lived people?

A．He is much impressed with them.

B．He doesn’t care a bit about them.

C．He hopes that they will live a still longer life.

D．He doesn’t think their life is full of pressure and worries.

When something goes wrong，it can be very satisfying to say，“Well, it’s so-and-so’s mistake.”or “I know I’m late，but it’s not my mistake；the car broke down.”It is probably not your mistake，but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation，you are a loser You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation. This is the winner’s key to success.

　Winners are good at dealing with problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car checked more regularly. Or, you might start to carry the useful phone numbers with you, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague(同事) causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don’t depend on the person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.

　　This is what being a winner is all about-creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don’t have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on “whose mistake it is.” Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stop on for success.

1.According to the passage, winners___________ .

A. have responsible and able colleagues

B. meet with fewer difficulties in their lives

C deal with problems instead of blaming others.

D. blame themselves instead of others

2.The underlined word remedy in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to__________ .

A．避免             B．接受             C．改善             D．考虑

3.When your colleague brings about a problem, you should______________.

A．find a better way to deal with the problem

B．blame him for his lack of responsibility

C．tell him to find the cause of the problem

D．ask a more able colleague for help.

4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．A Winner’s Secret.                     B．A Winner’s Problem.

C．A Winner’s Opportunity.                 D．A Winner’s Achievement.

 

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:

²   having everyday conversations with your children

²   trying to ask more “wh-” questions instead of easy “yes” or “no” questions

²   encouraging your children to talk about events you don’t know

²   reading to your children each night

²   listening to your children read

²   teaching your children how to use dictionaries

²   talking about your children’s writings

²   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.

1.This passage is mainly written for __________.

A. children      B. teachers     C. parents      D. doctors

2.__________ is the best for the missing part in Paragraph 2.

A. “Listening and speaking skills”         B. “Reading and writing skills”

C. “Listening and writing skills”      D. “Reading and listening skills”

3.__________ is NOT mentioned in the 8 tips above.

   A. “Listening to the radio every day    ” 

B. “Listening to your children read”

   C. “Reading to your children each night”          

D. “Talking about your children’s writings”

4.In the Reading Challenge Club, children have to read __________ in one year.

A. 5 books          B. 10 books  C. 15 books            D. 20 books

5.Parents can help children to write by encouraging them to__________.

A. draw pictures or take photos         B. listen to pop music 

C. write diaries or book reviews            D. play computer games