I learned about life from an ant farm. When I was seven years old, my family created one. First, we put clean sand in a thin glass box and put the ants into it. Soon they got to work making tunnels. I was amazed that each one knew exactly what to do. With my mom’s help, I kept a record of what happened each day and named the ants.
One day when I had put my face close to the structure (building), accidentally I knocked it over, and all the tunnels fell in. Although the ants survived their earthquake, one by one they began to die. I was frightened as I watched them give up their tunnel-building to carry the bodies to a corner of the farm. My mother reported that the ants were dying of “frustration (挫折)”. They simply could not stand the reality that their tunnels had been destroyed.
Although much time has passed, I still think of that ant farm. Over the years, I came to realize the ants have the spirit of teamwork. Working together, they were able to create an amazing world for themselves. I also learned that they should be admired for their hard work. Day in and day out, each worked at their task. The ant farm showed that teamwork and perseverance (毅力) are indeed the keys to success. But there was an even larger lesson that I did not realize until recently —Adversity (逆境) is a natural part of life, and must be accepted. Unlike the ants, humans cannot give up when they face disappointment.
So I try to live my life like those hardworking ants. But, unlike them, I try not to let frustration defeat (击败) me. I will have to keep building my tunnels.
【小题1】The family created an ant farm in a glass box because it was easy _________.

①"I will think of it." It is easy to say this, but do you know what great things have come from thinking? Though we can not see, or hear, or feel our thoughts, they have great power (力量) !

      ②Isaac Newton was seated in his garden on a summer evening when he saw an apple fall from a tree. He began to think, and tried to find out why the apple fell. Then he discovered how the earth, sun, moon, and stars are kept in their places.

    ③James Ferguson once saw the inside of his father's watch, and he wondered, "Why should I not make a watch?" This set him thinking and it led to a wooden clock which kept good time.

④Walt Disney, the famous American film-maker, was often thinking of new ideas. One day, when he was in a meeting, he suddenly stopped talking, deep in thought. He looked and looked at a place high up in the room. This continued for a long time, end then he got an idea for a new cartoon.

 ⑤Ideas come at any time, end the important thing is to think. When you meet with any difficulty, don't lose heart. Try to think of it before asking someone to help you. Think and by thinking you will learn how to think creatively.

1.Newton wanted to find out ________.

A. when the apple hit him                 B. why the apple fell

C. who made the apple fall                D. where the apple fell

2.________ made a wooden clock.

A. Isaac Newton     B. Walt Disney

 C. James Ferguson    D. James' father

3.Walt Disney was ________ when he got an idea for a new cartoon.

A. making a film         B. telling a story

C. having a meeting    D. sitting in a garden

4.From the passage we can learn that

A. we should always ask others for help

B. every one of us likes thinking

C. it is easy to see and hear our thoughts

D. thinking helps to get new ideas

5.Which of the following shows the structure (结构) of the passage?

（①=Paragraph 1, ②= Paragraph 2, …）

阅读下面的短文， 并根据短文后的要求答题（请注意问题后的字数要求）

    _[1]If you think English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?

[2]According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.

[3]The researchers also found the effect is greater on the younger people who learn a second language.

[4]A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals(通两种语言的人)”, who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.

[5]Scans showed that grey matter density（密度）in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without___________________. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference was.

[6] “Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.

[7]It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.

[8]Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible,” he said, “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”

1.What is the best title for this passage? （no more than 10 words）

_____________________________________________________________________

2.Which sentence in the text is the closest in meaning to the following one?

Mastering two languages can broaden your views in the world and makes you clever.

_______________________________________________________________________________

3.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 5 with proper words． （no more than 4 words）

______________________________________________________________________________.

4.What does the word "they" Line2, Paragraph4） probably refer to? （no more than 5 words）

______________________________________________________________________________.

5.What do you think of English learning after you read this passage?

（no more than 10 words）

______________________________________________________________________________.

I learned about life from an ant farm. When I was seven years old, my family created one. First, we put clean sand in a thin glass box and put the ants into it. Soon they got to work making tunnels. I was amazed that each one knew exactly what to do. With my mom’s help, I kept a record of what happened each day and named the ants.

One day when I had put my face close to the structure (building), accidentally I knocked it over, and all the tunnels fell in. Although the ants survived their earthquake, one by one they began to die. I was frightened as I watched them give up their tunnel-building to carry the bodies to a corner of the farm. My mother reported that the ants were dying of “frustration (挫折)”. They simply could not stand the reality that their tunnels had been destroyed.

Although much time has passed, I still think of that ant farm. Over the years, I came to realize the ants have the spirit of teamwork. Working together, they were able to create an amazing world for themselves. I also learned that they should be admired for their hard work. Day in and day out, each worked at their task. The ant farm showed that teamwork and perseverance (毅力) are indeed the keys to success. But there was an even larger lesson that I did not realize until recently —Adversity (逆境) is a natural part of life, and must be accepted. Unlike the ants, humans cannot give up when they face disappointment.

So I try to live my life like those hardworking ants. But, unlike them, I try not to let frustration defeat (击败) me. I will have to keep building my tunnels.

1.The family created an ant farm in a glass box because it was easy _________.

A．for the ants to live in                     B．to get sunlight in

C．to keep the sand clean                   D．for the boy to watch

2.Which of the following is NOT the lesson from the ant farm?

A．The ants have the spirit of teamwork.

B．The ants give up when they face frustration.

C．The ants should be admired for their hard work.

D．Teamwork and perseverance are indeed the keys to success.

3.What’s the writer’s purpose of writing the passage?

A．To share a personal experience.

B．To tell readers a story about ants.

C．To warn readers not to build an ant farm.

D．To call on readers to learn from the ants.

4. What did the writer think of the ants?

A．Persistent (执着) and friendly.

B．Selfish and foolish.

C．Clumsy (愚笨的) and lazy.

D．Hard-working but pessimistic (悲观).

阅读下面的短文， 并根据短文后的要求答题（请注意问题后的字数要求）
_[1]If you think English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
[2]According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
[3]The researchers also found the effect is greater on the younger people who learn a second language.
[4]A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals(通两种语言的人)”, who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
[5]Scans showed that grey matter density（密度）in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without___________________. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference was.
[6] “Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.
[7]It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
[8]Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible,” he said, “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
【小题1】What is the best title for this passage? （no more than 10 words）
_____________________________________________________________________
【小题2】Which sentence in the text is the closest in meaning to the following one?
Mastering two languages can broaden your views in the world and makes you clever.
_______________________________________________________________________________
【小题3】Fill in the blank in Paragraph 5 with proper words． （no more than 4 words）
______________________________________________________________________________.
【小题4】What does the word "they" Line2, Paragraph4） probably refer to? （no more than 5 words）
______________________________________________________________________________.
【小题5】What do you think of English learning after you read this passage?
（no more than 10 words）
______________________________________________________________________________.