When you read an article you will understand and remember it better if you can work out how the writer has put the ideas together．Sometimes a writer puts ideas together by asking questions and then answering them．For example，if the article is about groundhogs（土拨鼠），the set of questions in the writer’s head might be：
What does a groundhog look like？
Where do groundhogs live？
What do they eat？…
In the article，the author might answer those questions．
Sometimes an author writes out her questions in the article．These questions give you signals．They tell you what the author is going to write next．Often an author has a question in her head but she doesn’t write it out for you．You have to work out her question for yourself．Here’s a sample reading for you to practice this method.
Earthworms
Do you know how many kinds of earthworms there are？There are about 1800 kinds in the world！ They can be brown，purple，green．They can be as small as 3 cm long and as large as 3 m long．
The best time to see earthworms is at night，especially a cool，damp night．That’s when they come up from their burrows（地洞）to hunt for food．Earthworms don’t like to be in the sun．That’s because they breathe through their skin，and they can’t breathe if their skin gets too dry．Earthworms must come out of the earth if it rains a lot，because they can't breathe in their flooded burrows．What a dangerous life！
Earthworms don't have eyes，so how can they tell when it's dark？ They have special places on their skin that are sensitive to light．These spots tell whether it’s light or dark．If you shine a flashlight on an earthworm at night，it will quickly disappear into the ground．
Earthworms don't have ears either，but they can hear by feeling movements in the earth．If you want to hear like an earthworm，lie on the ground with your fingers in your ears．Then have a friend stamp his or her feet near you．This is how earthworms feel birds and people walking，and moles digging，near them．
Earthworms are useful．Farmers and gardeners like having lots of earthworms in their land because the worms help to make better soil when they dig．That digging keeps the soil loose and airy（通风的）．In one year earthworms can pile up as much as 23,000 kg of castings in an area about the size of a football field．

1. 1.

   What’s the purpose of reading Earthworms?

   1. A.
      To show the special life facts of earthworms
   2. B.
      To explain the differences from the groundhogs
   3. C.
      To put the writer’s idea into real use
   4. D.
      To make the readers think more clearly
2. 2.

   Which question CANNOT be answered in the passage?

   1. A.
      How do earthworms help with gardeners?
   2. B.
      What life are earthworms living with?
   3. C.
      When may people observe earthworms?
   4. D.
      Why can human listen like earthworms?
3. 3.

   How can you understand Earthworms better according to this passage?

   1. A.
      Read, ask and answer questions in your own head while reading
   2. B.
      Read to work out all the questions in the writer’s head while reading
   3. C.
      Read and check all the things that are not clear to you again and again
   4. D.
      Read for general ideas and discuss or compare with other similar topics
4. 4.

   What’s the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      One way to help with understanding
   2. B.
      One way to practice with a new idea
   3. C.
      One way to learn to be a wise writer
   4. D.
      One way to be clearer about worms

Pollution means adding dirty or harmful things to land, air, water and so on. As a result, they are no longer pleasant or safe to use. Pollution is bad for animals and plants, and it even makes people’s health in danger. In our daily life, we can see different kinds of pollution in many places. There are three main forms of pollution: land pollution, air pollution and water pollution. 

Land pollution is caused by solid waste, such as cans, bottles and some plastic things which aren’t broken down quickly. It makes the environment look very bad. However, air pollution is more serious than land pollution. It is much worse in cities and towns because of the fumes(废气) from traffic and the waste from human activities. When people drive their cars, fumes which are most made up of CO2, NO2 and SO2 are given off. After the gases get into the air, they may mix with clouds. Then they will become some harmful chemicals (化合物) falling on the ground with rain. It is one of the reasons for soil erosion (土壤侵蚀) which is one example of water pollution.

Various kinds of pollution will cause many health problems. People have realized they must change this serious situation. There are many ways to control pollution. To develop alternative energy is very popular in many countries. China, for example, has made up its mind to be a leader in this field. It is trying hard to make full use of energy from the sun and wind. It has paid plenty of money to make electric cars and trains instead of traditional traffic. We should also take action to make our environment cleaner every day. Take cloth bags while going shopping and drive cars less. We have only one earth. We must take steps now to help protect our environment for the future wherever we are.

1.How many main forms of pollution are mentioned in the passage?

A．Two.             B．Three.            C．Four.             D．Five.

2.Why is air pollution much worse in cities and towns?

A．Because of the cans and bottles that people throw away.

B．Because of the plastic things which aren’t broken down quickly.

C．Because of the fumes made up of SO2, CO2 and O2.

D．Because of the waste from human activities and the fumes from traffic.

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Pollution hardly does harm to humans.

B．China doesn’t want to develop alternative energy.

C．Air pollution will cause soil erosion and water pollution.

D．Land pollution is only caused by solid waste.

4.To make our environment cleaner, we shouldn’t __________.

A．use cloth bags while shopping              B．ride a bike to school

C．drive a car out every day                  D．go to work on foot

5.The main idea of this passage is _________.

A．to introduce different forms of pollution and ways to control it

B．to introduce the harmful chemicals and the solid waste

C．to introduce the alternative energy and the ways to use it

D．to introduce the electric cars and traditional traffic