How many things can you see in the night sky? A lot! On a clear night you can see the moon, some planets, and thousands of sparking stars.

You can see even more with a telescope. You might see that many stars look larger than others. You might see that some stars that look white are really red or blue. With bigger and bigger telescopes you can see more and more objects in the sky. And you can see those objects in more and more detail.

But scientists believe there are some things in the sky that we will never see. We won’t see them with the biggest telescope in the world, on the clearest night of the year.That’s because they’re invisible. They’re the mysterious dead stars called black holes.

You might find it hard to imagine that stars die. After all, our sun is a star. Year after year we see it up in the sky, burning brightly and giving us heat and light. The Sun certainly doesn’t seem to be getting old or weak. But stars do burn out and die after billions of years.

As a star’s gases burn, they give off light and heat. But when the gases run out, the star stops burning and begins to die.

So next time you look up at the night sky, remember: there’s more in the sky than we can see!

1.On a clear night we might see things except______.

A．the moon         B．some planets       C．sparkling stars      D．the sun

2.How can we see even more in the sky?

A．By using a telescope

B．By using a microscope

C．By climbing up to the top of a mountain

D．By going outside on a clear night.

3.What does the underlined word”invisible”mean in Chinese?

A．看不见的         B．听不见的          C．摸不着的         D．无形的

4.When a star’s gases_______,the star begins to die.

A．burn             B．run out           C．give off heat       D．get weak

5.Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A．We might see that many stars look larger than others with a telescope

B．We might see that some stars that look white are really red and blue with a telescope.

C．We can see some objects in more and more detail with bigger and bigger telescopes.

D．The sun certainly seems to be getting old and weak.

 

Earthquakes are hard to predict. but do you know what to do before, during and after an earthquake? Here’s some advice:
Before an earthquake It’s necessary to prepare yourself and your family. All family members should know how to turn off gas, water and electricity and know useful telephone numbers(doctor, hospital, police, 119, etc.). Never put heavy things over beds.
During an earthquake It’s important for each of you to stay calm. If you are indoors, quickly move to a safe place in the room such as under a strong table. The purpose is to protect yourself from objects, stay away from windows, large mirrors, heavy furniture and so on. If you’re cooking, turn off the gas. If you’re outdoors, move to an open area like a playground. Move away from buildings, bridge and trees. If you are driving, stop the car as soon as possible, staying away from bridges and tall building. Stay in your car.
After an earthquake Once the shaking has stopped, DO NOT run out of the building at once. It’s better to wait and leave when it’s safe. Check around you and help the people who are in trouble. If your building is badly broken, leave it. If you smell of hear a gas, get everyone outside and open windows and doors. If you can do it safely, turn off the gas. Report it to the gas company.
【小题1】Which of the following is mentioned in the second paragraph?

A．People should know how to turn on gas.

B．People should now how to save water.

C．People shouldn’t put heavy boxes over beds.

D．People shouldn’t forget the phone numbers of others.

【小题2】When an earthquake happens, __________can help you deal with it.

A．standing still

B．staying calm

C．looking outside

D．moving indoors

【小题3】 During an earthquake, if you are driving in an open area, you should ________.

A．speed up your car	B．stop your car and stay in
C．slow down your car	D．stop your car and run out

【小题4】 When the earth stops shaking , you should_________.

A．check around you first	B．run out of the building at once
C．break the windowns and doors.	D．write a report to your company

【小题5】You can learn _______after reading the passage.

A．what an earthquake is like	B．what to do to avoid an earthquake
C．how an earthquake happens	D．how to protect yourself in an earthquake

Look at the centre circles of Diagram (图)A and Diagram B. Which of the centre circles looks larger? In fact, they are exactly the same size.
Then look at the picture on the right. What do you see? A vase? Or two faces？Does the picture change quickly from one to the other again and again? Maybe or maybe not, but you can never see them at the same time.
“What’s happening? Is something wrong with my eyes?” You may wonder at what you see. Don’t worry. Here is how it goes:
When we look at things, our eyes send messages to our brains and then our brains interpret（解读）the information. However, sometimes our brains interpret the received information in a wrong way. It seems that our eyes are playing a joke on us. This often happens and we call it “visual illusion(视觉错误)”.
Movie makers often make use of visual illusions. They make the objects around actors much smaller or bigger than usual. This makes us believe that the actors are much larger or smaller than they usually are. The movies Jurassic Park and Honey I shrunk the kids just make use of visual illusions.
【小题1】Why does the centre circle in Diagram A look smaller than that in Diagram B?

A．something is wrong with our eyes

B．the two circles are not the same size

C．our brains interpret the information in a wrong way

D．the two pictures change quickly from one to the other

【小题2】What do movie makers make use of visual illusions for ?

A．To help the actors look better

B．To make the actors much braver

C．To help the actors become stronger

D．To make the actors seem different in size

【小题3】In the picture below, it seems that Line AB is shorter than Line CD, but in fact Line AB is as long as  Line CD. Which paragraph can explain what has happened to our eyes?
A. The second one.               B. The third one.
C. The fourth one.                D. The sixth one.
【小题4】What’s the right order according to the passage?
a. We look at things with our eyes.
b. Our brains interpret the messages.
c. Our brains tell us what we have seen.
d. Our eyes send messages to our brains.

A．a d b c

B．c a b d

C．a c d b

D．b c a d

【小题5】Where may this passage be from?

A．A letter	B．An English newspaper
C．A science book	D．An advertisement

When visiting Beijing, the Palace Museum is a must-see for many people.

Last year, the museum received 14.2 million visitors, which is twice the number of visitors in 2002. This year it is expected to increase by 10 percent. Compared with other popular museums around the world, the number of visitors at the Palace Museum is very high. Last year the Louvre(罗浮宫) in Paris welcomed 8.8 million visitors and the British Museum in London received 5.8 million.

A large number of visitors can bring a lot of money from ticket sales. But there are also worries that people will do demage(破坏) to relics(文物) and old buildings.

To solve the problem, some people suggested taking cultural objects out of the Palace Museum. In this way, visitors coming for ancient buildings and cultural objects will go to different places. “It is a sign of progress. Letting more people see these treasures is more important than keeping them in their original(原始的) place,” said Song Xiangguang, a professor at Peking University.

However, Shan Jixiang, director of the Palace Museum, doesn’t agree on this idea. He thinks that the most important thing in protecting the Palace Museum is to keep it complete. “The 1.8 million cultural relics and the historical buildings are two key parts of the museum. They can’t be separated.” he said.

Shan said that they are planning to increase the space that is open to the public. This will not only feed visitors’ curiosity(好奇), but also spread them out so they are not putting too much pressure on one area.

Shan also wanted to set up an appointment system. “ If visitors make an appointment before they come, we can make better and different visiting routes(路线) for them.” Shan said.

1.How many visitors did the Palace Museum welcome in 2002?

A．14.2 million        B．8.8 million         C．5.8 million         D．7.1 million

2.Why did some people suggest taking cultural objects out of the Palace Museum?

A．To let more people see the relics.           B．To bring less damage to the relics.

C．To make more money from ticket sales.       D．To keep the Palace Museum original.

3.The underlined word “separated” means ______ in Chinese.

A．分离             B．破坏             C．偷窃             D．压迫

4.By reading the article, we can know that______________.

A．the Palace Museum has an appointment system now.

B．relics are the only important part of the Palace Museum.

C．the Louvre welcomed the most visitors in the world last year.

D．Shan thought that more areas of the palace should be open to public.

 

Disasters happen all the time somewhere in the world. Are you ready if one hits your neighborhood next week? Find out what you need to do now before it is too late. Let’s take an earthquake for example.

    During an earthquake, get under a strong object like the kitchen table. Don’t leave the building during the shaking, or you might be hurt by falling objects from the outside of the building.

    When you are in bed during the night and an earthquake happens，simply roll off the bed. There will be a safe void around the bed.

    If you are watching TV and you cannot easily run away by getting out through the door or window, then lie down and curl up(蜷伏) next to a sofa, or a large chair.

    Never go to the stairs. The stairs are likely part of the building to be broken. Even if the stairs are not destroyed by the earthquake，they may fall down later when people run down.

    Try to get into an open area away from trees，buildings，walls，advertisement boards and power lines if you are outdoors.

    If you are driving when an earthquake suddenly happens，just stay in your car until the shaking ends. However, if the footbridge falls and breaks your car，get out of it and sit or lie next to it. All the broken cars have voids 3 feet high next to it.

1. What should you do if you are in a building when an earthquake happens?

   A. Rush out quickly            B. Sit in the kitchen

   C. Stay below strong objects      D. Go down the stairs

2.The underlined word “void” in Paragraph 3 means“_______”.

   A. space          B. seat            C. distance         D. sign

3. When you are outdoors during an earthquake，you should go to _______.

4. If you are inside a car when there is a sudden earthquake，you should _______.

A. get out of it      B. keep inside it   C. move away fast   D. stay under the footbridge