Have you ever thought of taking a train and having an adventure (奇遇)？Riding the train can be a real adventure.That is how I feel every time I take Amtrak.I often take a four?hour trip to visit my children.Every time I take this trip I never know what will happen.

Last week when I was on the train and over an hour into the train ride，there was a man sitting by himself in the back of the train carrying on a mobile phone conversation— in another language.It was loud and disturbed most of the people on the train.I think it was annoying.

Fortunately I sat next to a wonderful old lady who was taking a two?day trip by train.She said her two daughters were distraught at the thought of her driving for three days to reach her home，although she had no trouble driving.The train ride was the only choice for her.She loved to look out of the window and watch the world go by on the train.

She was fun to talk to and asked me when my children started being parents.That is a very good question.Both of us are old and have children.She asked that same question from time to time.

There are always many people on the train from all walks of life，different countries，and many languages.Riding the train is a great way to increase your knowledge and take in all kinds of cultures.If you get hungry，you can buy food in the food car at any time.If you need to use the restroom there is always one available.

It sure beats driving the car，which has to stop for food and restrooms.And it is better than taking the bus.

1．According to the passage，the purpose of the author’s train ride was________.

A．to do business　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．to see her children

C．to visit places of interest 　　　　　　　　　 D．to see her old friends

2．Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “distraught” in Paragraph 3?

A．Disappointed. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．Satisfied.

C．Worried. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．Pleased.

3．Which of the following is TRUE about the old lady sitting next to the author?

A．She is too old to drive now.

B．She does not like to take trains.

C．Although she is old，she has a good memory.

D．Her daughters live far away from her home.

4．In the author’s opinion，on the train Amtrak________.

A．the services are quite good

B．the food is terribly expensive

C．all the passengers are polite

D．all the passengers are American

5．What is the best title for this passage?

A．Train ride—a cultural experience

B．A painful experience on the train

C．The history of Amtrak

D．A wonderful lady

Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy.  After all，you probably sing or whistle when you are happy.
Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy. However，they sing most of the time for a very different reason. Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory.
Do you know what a 'territory' is? A territory is an area that an animal，usually the male，claims(声称)as its own. Only he and his family are welcome there. No other families of the same kind are welcome. Your garden and house are your territory where only your family and friends are welcome. If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten(威胁)you，you might shout. Probably this would be enough to frighten him away.
If so，you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him. A bird does the same thing. But he expects an outsider almost any time，especially at nesting(筑巢)season. So he is screaming all the time，whether he can see an outsider or not. This screaming is what we call a bird's song，and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.
Birds sing loudest in the spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs..
You can see that birds have a language of their own. Most of it has to do with attracting mates and setting up territories.
【小题1】 Some scientists believe that most of the time bird's singing is actually _______.

A．away of warning	B．an expression of happiness
C．an expression of anger	D．away of greeting

【小题2】What is a bird's "territory"?.

A．A place where families of other kinds are not accepted.

B．A place where a bird may shut at the top of its voice

C．An area for which birds fight against each other.

D．An area which a bird considers to be its own.

【小题3】 Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season?

A．Because they want to invite more friends.

B．Because they want to find outsiders around.

C．Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away.

D．Because their singing helps remove their fears.

【小题4】How does the writer explain bird's singing?

A．By comparing birds with human beings.	B．By reporting experiment results.
C．By describing birds' daily life.	D．By telling a bird's story.

Have successful people ever felt sad? Do they have any "secrets" to success? The answers to these questions can be found in US president Barack Obama's "back to school" speech. Here is a small part of his speech.
I know that sometimes, after watching TV, you may feel that you can be rich and successful without any hard work--that your ticket to success is through rapping (饶舌音乐) or basketball or being a TV star. But when chances come, you may not succeed.
The truth is, being successful is hard. And you may not succeed at everything the first time you try. That's OK. Some of the most successful people in the world have had the most failures. JK Rowling's first Harry Potter book was rejected(退稿)12 times before it finally came out. Michael Jordan lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career (职业生涯). But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
These people succeeded because they understand that you can't let your failures beat you--you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.
No one's born being good at things. You become good at things through hard work. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
And even when you're struggling(挣扎), even when you're discouraged(泄气), and you feel like other people have given up on you--don't ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
【小题1】Why does Barack Obama talk about JK Rowling and Michael Jordan in the second paragraph?

A．To show that these two famous persons are different.

B．To show that writing and sports are difficult skills.

C．To show that the two persons were treated unfairly.

D．To show that being successful is hard.

【小题2】Barack Obama believes ____________ in his speech.

A．you can be rich and successful without any hard work

B．you may succeed at everything the first time you try

C．you can't let your failures beat you

D．you shouldn't ask other people for help

【小题3】What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．If you're discouraged, you should give up on yourself.

B．You should believe in yourself no matter how difficult it is.

C．When you're struggling, you'll feel like other people have given up on you.

D．If you are not struggling or discouraged, you can give up on yourself.

【小题4】What's the best title of this small part of Mr. Obama's speech?

A．The way to succeed	B．Failures can help you
C．Don't give up on yourself	D．Barack Obama's success

No Car Day was first started by 34 cities in France on September 22, 1998. It was started to protect the environment. By now, more than 1,000 cities around the world have had a No Car Day.
The first No Car Day in China was in Chengdu in 2001. Other cities including Taipei, Shanghai and Wuhan, also support the day.
In Beijing, more and more people are taking part in the activity. It asks drivers to leave their cars at home for one day each month and walk or ride a bike to work. It also calls on Beijingers not to use cars on June 5th (World Environment Day). The slogan(口号) for the day is, “ If we drive for one less day, we can have one more nice day.”
So far, more than 200,000 drivers have shown their support. “We can’t control the weather, but we can choose not to drive,” said Wu Zhonghua, a car club chairman. Beijing is trying to have 238 blue sky days this year. In the first quarter of 2007, Beijing only had 52 blue sky days. This was 11 days less than the number for the same period last year. Much of the dust comes from the desert, but cars cause most of the air pollution. We must do more for No Car Day.
【小题1】No Car Day was started _______.

A．to save money	B．to control the weather
C．to make the air cleaner	D．to keep out dust from the desert

【小题2】The No Car Day activity asks Beijing drivers _______.

A．to work hard to get fewer blue sky days

B．not to work on World Environment Day

C．to ride a bike or walk instead of driving to work once a month

D．to leave their cars at home for a week each month

【小题3】When is World Environment Day?

A．On July 5th.	B．On June 5th.
C．On September 22nd.	D．On February 2nd.

【小题4】Which of the following about No Car Day is WRONG?

A．It was started in France in September, 1998.

B．It was first started in China in 2001.

C．It is supported by over 1,000 cities around the world.

D．It was first started by a car club chairman in Beijing.

【小题5】What can we infer(推断) from the passage?

A．More and more people in Beijing are joining car clubs.

B．People will have one more World Environment Day each month.

C．More and more people won’t drive on No Car Day in Beijing.

D．The car club chairman Wu Zhonghua won’t drive any more.

Have successful people ever felt sad? Do they have any “secrets” to success? The answers to these questions can be found in US president Barack Obama’s “back to school” speech. Here is an excerpt(摘录) from his speech.
I know that sometimes, you get the sense that you can be rich and successful without any hard work—that your ticket to success is through rapping (饶舌音乐) or basketball or being a TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.
But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. Not all the homework will seem completely important to your life right this minute. And you may not succeed at everything the first time you try.
That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was turned down 12 times before it finally came out. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots (投篮) during his career. But he once said, “I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures beat you—you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.
No one’s born being good at things. You become good at things through hard work.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit(承认) when you don’t know something, and to learn something new.
And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged (泄气), and you feel like other people have given up on you—don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
【小题1】Why does Barack Obama mention (提到) JK Rowling and Michael Jordan in the fourth paragraph?

A．To compare these two famous persons.

B．To explain that writing and sports are difficult skills.

C．To show that the two persons were treated unfairly.

D．To prove that failure is the mother of success.

【小题2】Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．No one can be successful without working hard.

B．Failure can be good if you treat it in a right way.

C．Those who believe in themselves shouldn’t ask others for help.

D．One should try his best to make his dream come true.

【小题3】Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined sentence?

A．One should change his mind when others give honest advice to him.

B．One should believe in himself no matter what difficulty he is faced with.

C．One doesn’t have to work hard when he has failed several times.

D．One doesn’t have to take others’ advice when they get away from him.