Put 2 February in your diary! It is World Wetlands Day! It marks the date that the

Convention(公约) on Wetlands was signed(签署)in1971.This special day was first celebrated in 1997 and it is celebrated every year.

    The celebration is a call for action. It is a way to show people how important and

useful the wetlands are for people. On World Wetlands Day, people around the world take

part in many wetlands activities. People take trips to the local wetlands. There are talks

about how important the wetlands are. People get together to clean up their local wetlands

Children draw pictures to advertise the day. People also compete(比赛)in boat races.

    The World Wetlands Day is important! If there are no wetlands, there will be no water for anyone in the future. Wetlands help protect nature and resources(资源)like fresh water. Already,  more than 10000 million people in the world do not have fresh water.

    Many people do not know how important the wetlands are. They can understand why an

elephant or a tiger is important because they are big, beautiful animals. It is much harder for

them to understand how important the animals in the wetlands are. These small animals,

such as frogs and snails, play a very important part in keeping the balance of nature.

    All plants and animals are part of the food chain(链).If the small wetlands animals

die, some animals in the food chain will have nothing to eat. They will also die. People

need the wetlands to keep the balance of nature in the world. If we do not protect nature

today，it will be gone tomorrow.

1.What should you put in your diary?

A. Some frogs.

B. The date of World Wetlands Day.

C. 1971

D. Any special day.

2.Where do people celebrate World Wetlands Day?

A. All over the world.                        B. In ships

C. At home.                                D. In their own way.

3.Which of the following sentences is NOT true?

A. People celebrate World Wetlands Day by taking part in competitions.

B. People celebrate World Wetlands Day by taking hips to local wetlands.

C. People celebrate World Wetlands Day by listening to talks about the wetlands.

D. People celebrate World Wetlands Day by talking about the weather.

4.Why are small animals important?

A. They are part of the balance of nature and the food chain.

B. They are beautiful.

C. Bigger animals are eaten by them

D. Without them, there may be no water.

5.Which of the following might be the best title of the article?

A. Wetlands Are Important

B. Small Animals Are Also Important

C. World Wetlands Day

D. Food Chain

 

Three men traveling on a train began a conversition about the world's greatest wonders.

“ In my opinion,” the first man said, “ the Egyptian pyramids are the world’s greatest wonder. Although they were built thousands of years ago, they are still standing. And remember: the people who built them had only simple tools. They didn’t have the kind of machinery that builders and engineers have today.

“ I agree that the Egyptian pyramids are wonderful,” the second man said, “ But I don’t think they’re the greatest wonder. I believe computers are more wonderful than the pyramids. They have taken people to the moon and brought them back safely. They carry out mathematical calculations in seconds that would take a person a hundred years to do.”

He turned to the third man and asked, “ What do you think is the greatest wonder in the world?”

The third man thought for a long time, then he said, “ Well, I agree that the pyramids are wonderful, and I agree that computers are wonderful, too. However, in my opinion, the most wonderful thing in the world is the thermos(保温瓶).”

And he took a thermos out of his bag and held it up.

The other two men were very surprised. “ A thermos?” they exclaimed(大声说), “ But that’s a simple thing.”

“ Oh, no, it’s not,” the third man said, “ in the winter you put in a hot drink and it stays hot, in the summer you put in a cold drink and it stays cold. How does the thermos know whether it is winter or summer?”

1.The travelers passed the time on the train by talking about _______.

A．the journey

B．the train

C．themselves

D．wonderful things

2.The three men could not agree on what the world’s greatest wonder was because _______.

A．they could not think of anything very wonderful

B．they all had different ideas

C．they could not prove that their opinions were right

D．the journey ended too soon

3. The first man thought the pyramids were the most wonderful things in the world because _______.

A．they were very beautiful

B．they were Egyptian

C．they had been built with very simple tools

D．they could do mathematical calculations

4.The third man thought a thermos was the most wonderful thing in the world because _______.

A．it lasted longer than the pyramids

B．it cost less than a computer

C．he thought it knew whether it was winter or summer

D．the other two men were surprised when he told them about it

5.The third man was not very clever because _______.

A．he could not think of anything to say

B．he did not understand how a thermos works

C．he did not think the pyramids were wonderful

D．he did not know anything about computers

 

In England ,people don’t often talk to each other when they travel. If you get on a bus or a train. you can see people sitting and looking out of the window. Other people may read books or newspapers.

When you meet English people, they often start a conversation by talking about the weather . So when you meet somebody in England, you can say, “Nice weather for the time of the year!”

“But it was a little cold yesterday, ”somebody may answer.

“But it will get a bit warmer later,”you can say.

Talking like this, they will think,“How friendly you are!”

1.English people _________on the bus.

A. often talk a lot                         

B. never talk to each other 

C. read newspapers        

D. never looking out of the window.

2.When you meet English people, you can start the conversation by talking about the__________.

A. weather                 B. work            C. family            D. age

3.According to(根据) the passage, if you talk to English people about the weather, they will think_________.

A. you are friendly        B. you are right                      

C. you are English         D. you are clever.

4.Which of the followings is true?

A. English people like traveling by bus     

B. English people often talk about the weather

C. English people are unfriendly.           

D. English people like the cold weather.

 

An American writer, Mr Green once(曾经) said, “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” It is true that everybody talks about the weather. Many people begin their talks by saying, “Isn’t it a nice day?” “Do you think it will rain?” “I think it’s going to snow.”
Many people think they can tell what the weather is going to be like. But sometimes they don’t agree with each other. One man may say, “Do you see how cloudy it is in the east? It’s going to rain tomorrow.” Another man will say, “No, it’s going to be fine tomorrow.”
People often look for the weather they want. When a farmer needs water, he looks for something to tell him it’s going to rain, and he doesn’t look for anything else. When friends have a picnic, they hope the weather is going to be fine and they can sit eating their lunch under the blue sky.
Almost everyone listens to what the weatherman says. But he doesn’t always tell us what we want, and sometimes he makes a mistake. Still, he is right most of the time.
【小题1】People often begin their talk by ______.

A．saying hello to each other	B．Drinking tea
C．Looking for good weather	D．saying something about the weather

【小题2】People sometimes have different ideas about ______.

A．what the weather is going to be like	B．what we should do about the weather
C．how to begin a talk	D．how to have fine weather

【小题3】 ______, they always hope the weather is going to be fine.

A．When people talk about weather	B．When people stay at home
C．When the farmers need water	D．When people have a picnic

【小题4】According to the passage, which is NOT RIGHT?

A．Almost everyone listens to what the weatherman says.

B．People often look for the weather they want.

C．The weatherman never makes a mistake.

D．Many people begin their talks by talking about the weather.

【小题5】What is the best title for the passage?

A．Weather Report	B．Story About a Weatherman
C．About Weather	D．How to Begin a Talk

用括号中所给单词的适当形式完成下列句子

1.The students took the PISA test in _________ subjects - reading, maths and science. (third)

2.Board games are more and more popular among          . (teenager)

3.I liked to walk in fields on         days and to see my footprints left behind. (snow)

4.        people often begin their conversations by talking about the weather. (Britain)

5.The news about education has attracted the public attention   .     . (recent)

6.The World Chocolate Park showed a          of many kinds of chocolates. (collect)

7.To improve your writing skills, you'd better         a habit of reading. (development)

8.Don't tell lies. Nobody likes those         people. (honest)