For thousands of years, people have used plants to make medicines. They used different parts of the plants —the roots, the leaves, the flowers, and the bark (树皮). Today, doctors have rediscovered more medicinal (药用) values of some plants. Let’s look at some examples.

Foxglove is a common plant. People have used it to make the heart slow down. Recently scientists have developed another drug from it. This new drug helps prevent other heart problems.

In some areas, malaria has been a problem. Scientists have learned that the bark of a South American tree, the cinchona, can be made into a drug to prevent malaria. For a long time, the Chinese have known that a special plant, wormwood, can also fight malaria. Scientists have been working with it to develop new drugs against malaria.

In Germany, some scientists studied garlic (大蒜) for four years. They found that it helps prevent the build-up of plaque (血小板) because too much plaque is bad for health. This very common plant continues to be studied.

As we know, there are about 250,000 kinds of flowering plants in the world. Scientists have only studied little more than one percent of plants for their medicinal value. Maybe medicines for AIDS and cancer will be made from the other 99 percent.

1.What can foxglove be used for?

A．Studying plants.

B．Building up the plaque.

C．Treating AIDS and cancer.

D．Preventing heart problems.

2.What does the underlined word “malaria” in Paragraph 3 refer to (指的是)?

A．A drug.                               B．A plant.

C．An illness.                             D．An animal.

3.How many plants are mentioned in the passage?

A．3.               B．4.                C．5.               D．6

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

A．Past and future

B．Plants and medicine

C．Health and illness

D．Scientists and doctors

Every year many young people leave school for a few weeks or months and enjoy an unusual type of educational program. They learn new skills by living in a different country and doing unusual jobs. There are several organizations. They help students to find the experience they are looking for. The table below shows a few possibilities for students.

One interesting possibility is helping elephants in Thailand. Most people think o elephants as animals in zoos. In fact, many elephants in Thailand are no longer kept in cages. Now, hundreds of them are homeless. They don’t have owners to care for them. Although they may look well, they are often in poor health and don’t have enough to eat.

One centre in Thailand cares for these elephants. It gives them a safe and natural living space. When they  are at the centre, they stay in a building but are free to walk around. Students come from all over the world to help here. The student helpers work with the elephant keepers. These keepers train the students in caring for the elephants. In the morning, they go to the forest together and lead the elephants to the centre. They clean them and give them food. In the afternoon, they take the animals back into the forest for the night. Helping at the center is interesting and the young people learn a lot.

1.Which country can you choose if you want to prepare yourself for a medical career?

A. India           B. Ghana             C. Thailand           D. New Zealand

2.Which job might be suitable for the students who love children and arts?

A. Teaching young children                B. Health care work

C. Saving elephants                      D. Teaching Chinese

3.What does the underlined word “they” in the last paragraph probably refer to?

A. The keepers     B. The doctors

C. The students        D. The elephants

4.What does the writer think of the unusual educational program?

A. It is amazing    B. It is boring

C. It is helpful         D. It is expensive

Jeff Keith has only one leg. When he was only twelve years old, Jeff had cancer. Doctors had to　16　 off most of his right leg.
　17　 Jeff puts on an artificial leg(假肢). The leg is plastic. With the plastic leg, Jeff can ski, ride a bicycle, swim, and play soccer. He can also run.
Jeff made a plan with his friends who had plastic legs, 　18　. They decided to 　19　 across America. They all wore special T-shirts.　20　 it was “Run, Jeff, Run, Jeff Keith’s Run Across America”.
Jeff Keith ran across the United States from the east to the west 　21　 he was twenty-two years old. He started running in Boston(波士顿). Seven　22　 later, he stopped　23　 in Los Angeles（洛杉矶）. He ran 3,200 miles (1 mile =" 1.6093km)." Jeff wore out thirty-six pairs　24　 running shoes and five plastic legs. Jeff　25　 in cities on the way to Los Angeles. In every city people gave Jeff money. The money was not for Jeff,　26　 for the American Cancer Society. The Society used the money to help people know 　27　 about cancer.
On the way to Los Angeles, Jeff talked to people about　28　. Jeff is disabled, but he can do many things. He finished college and is studying to be a lawyer(律师). Jeff says, “People can do　29　 they want to do. I want people to know that. I ran　30 for disabled people. I ran for everybody.”