Jack Johnson is one of the most popular singer-song writers in the world.

  Jack was born on May 18, 1975 in Hawaii. Being the son of a famous surfer, Jack naturally has an interest in surfing. Most of his life lesson were learned in the water. At the age of 17, Jack entered the finals of the Pineline Masters – the world’s most famous surfing competition. Everyone thought Jack would become a professional surfing like his father. Unluckily, one month later, he had a deadly accident while surfing and was seriously hurt.

Life is like a revolving door. When it closes, it also opens. Jack started to practice playing the guitar and write songs when he was staying in hospital. At first, his father thought Jack only did it for fun, but soon he was surprised at the great progress his son had made.

When studying in the university, Jack didn’t stop practicing his guitar skills. He played the guitar for school parties. He wrote songs and sang for his teachers and friends. They liked his songs. His first music album Brushfire Fairytales came out in 2001. It was a great success. His second album, On and On, was much like his first. They were filled with sweet, easy-going songs that everybody liked listening to. Later Jack had lots of concerts in and out of America. He became popular all over the world.

Jack had five albums by 2010 and more than 15 million copies of them were sold. His music doesn’t fall into any of the popular music styles like pop, R&B or hip-hop. It is more like folk music, played with a guitar and beautiful voice. When listening to his songs, you feel like lying on the beach enjoying the warm sunshine.

Jack is a talent, though he himself says he is only a surfer who loves music. In his songs we can find his secret of success: Whatever happen in our lives, we have to accept it and do the best we can.

1.At the age of 17, Jack __________.

A. had his first music album   B. took part in a surfing competition

C. had his first concert   D. became popular all over the world

2.Jack started to write songs ___________.

A. while he was staying in hospital   B. when he had concerts out of America

C. after his second album came out   D. after he played the guitar at the school party

3.What is the secret of Jack’s success?

A.     He was born in Hawaii.

B.     His father was very famous

C.     He wrote many songs for his teachers and friends.

D.     He always faced difficulties bravely and tried his best.

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A. A Famous Writer   B. Surfing in the Sea

C. A Guitar Player   D. Surfing in the Music

Mr. Green worked in an office in London, but he lived in the country and came to work by train every day. The station was not very far from his office, and he always went on foot from the station to his office and back from his office to the station. Every evening he walked past a poor man near a bridge. The man sat at the road and sold matches, and there was a dog near him. There was a piece of wood round the dog’s neck, and the words “I AM BLIND” were on the piece of wood.

Mr.Green was a kind man. He always stopped and gave a penny to the man, but he did not take any of his matches. One day, Mr.Green had a lot of work in his office and left the office very late. He came to the man and his dog, but he did not stop. The poor man stood up quickly, ran after him and said, “You’re always very kind to me. Give me a penny today. I’m a poor man.” Mr.Green stopped and he was surprised. Then he said, “You’re a blind man. How did you see me?” The poor man said, “No, I’m not blind. My dog is.”

1.Mr.Green lived in __________.

          A. London

B. the city near London

          C. the country near London

D. the country not far from his office

2.Mr.Green went to his office __________.

          A. by train

B. first by train and then on foot

          C. on foot

D. first on foot and then by train

3.Every evening Mr.Green passed a poor man near a bridge__________.

          A. on his way to work

B. on the way to his office

          C. on his way home by train

D. on his way to the station

4.One day Mr.Green did not stop and give the poor man a penny because__________.

A. he did not like the man     B. he was afraid of the dog

          C. he worked too late         D. he hurried to catch the train

5.-- What is the Chinese for “blind”?   -- ___________________.

          A. 看见的          B. 聋的         C. 瞎的        D. 哑的

Spend your summer holidays wisely!

1. Where will you have classes if you like playing basketball?

    A. At Cliff College.            B. At Golden Finger Club.

    C. At Whitehawk School      D. At Haved School.

2. The underlined word “Fee” in the ad is about “________”.

    A. the money        B. the teacher      C. the address      D. the school

3.How much will they pay if Darning and his deskmate take part in “Speak Good English”?

    A. $15          B. $30          C. $45          D. $60

4. All classes will end after _________.

    A. 1 p.m.           B. 2 p.m.           C. 3 p.m.           D. 4 p.m.

5. What is the aim of “Easy Trip with mathematics”?

    A. To help students finish their homework.

    B. To make students’ thinking skills better.

    C. To show you some rules of the math class.

    D. To teach students to speak in class bravely.

When the Audet family turns on the lights at Blue Farm, they are using electricity that comes from cows—cow manure (粪肥), to be specific.

Cows produce a lot of wastes. One cow can create 30 gallons of wastes each day. Now imagine the output of over 1,000 cows at Blue Farm. That’s really a big amount.

When farmers clean their barns, they put the wastes in a big heap, and spread some of them on their fields for fertilizer(肥料). But now places like Blue Spruce Farm have a new way of using cow wastes. They use them to produce electricity.

Here’s how it works: A big machine moves back and forth cleaning the barn floor. “The cows aren’t bothered,” says Marie Audet. “They are animals of habit; they get used to it, and just lift one foot and then another to let it go by.”

The machine pushes the manure into a big 600-gallon tank like a small swimming pool. The tank is called a digester (化粪池) because what happens there is just like what happens inside a cow: Bacteria(细菌) get to work and continue to digest the manure.

Methane gas (甲烷、沼气)in the atmosphere is known as a “greenhouse” gas because it keeps heat just like a greenhouse does, causing our planet to warm up. That’s an environmental concern. But the digester has a good result. Its gas is kept and used to power electric generators (发电机).

At Blue Farm, the generators make enough electricity to power 400 homes. The Audet family sells the extra electricity they can’t use themselves.

1. We learn from the text that the Audet family is using cow wastes to ______.

  A. make electricity           B. produce fertilizer       C. build their farm     D. feed the cows

2. How are the cow wastes collected into the digester at Blue Farm?

  A. Marie Audet does the work                          B. The job is done by machine  

C. The cows lift the cow wastes                         D. Bacteria get to work on them

3. According to the passage, which of the following is changed into electricity?

  A. The power of moving water.                         B. The heat of burning coal.       

C. The power of sunlight.                           D. The heat of the methane gas

4.The new way of using cow wastes at Blue Farm might be best described as ______.

  A. reducing                   B. saving                   C. recycling            D. changing

5. What is the main purpose for writing the passage?

  A. To introduce a new way of making electricity           B. To explain how a new energy works better

  C. To show a new rebuilding plan for a big farm           D. To explain the reasons for green house effect