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 heard of Steven Jobs, the co-founder and CEO of Apple?
---- Yes, but it’s a pity that he has _____ for a half year..

A．died

B．been dying

C．been dead

D．death

Have you ever heard of the group Westlife? Maybe you have, but I’m sure many of you don’t know very much about it.
Westlife is an Irish boy band group, which was made up of 6 boys in the beginning and called IOU. The group quickly became popular with young people thanks to their song Swear It Again, which was at the top of the UK charts (排行榜) in April 1999.
Chinese fans got their first chance to see Westlife on March 6th, 2006 in Beijing. Although the four-member group has been singing pop for seven years, the young boys have all since grown up and their songs are still very popular. When they performed in Beijing, Westlife released (发行) their new album Face to Face in China. Face to Face has been at the top of the British charts for a long time. The album’s most popular song You Raise Me Up mixes traditional Irish music with pop music.
Although hip-hop is quite popular among the young, Westlife has no plans to change. They said, “Hip-hop is for the young, but pop can be enjoyed by moms who are busy cooking meals and raising the kids.
【小题1】Westlife is from _________.

A．America

B．China

C．Ireland

D．Germany

【小题2】The number of people in the group __________ between 1999 and 2006.

A．went from 6 to 4

B．went from 4 to 6

C．went from 5 to 4

D．didn’t change

【小题3】What happened on March 6th, 2006?

A．Chinese fans fell in love with Westlife.

B．Chinese fans were first introduced to Westlife.

C．Chinese fans first heard Westlife’s songs.

D．Chinese fans could see Westlife in Beijing.

【小题4】 Which of the following is Not true about Westlife’s new album Face to Face?

A．Swear It Again is one of the songs in the album.

B．You Raise Me Up mixes traditional Irish music with pop music.

C．The new album came out in 2006.

D．Face to Face was popular in Britain.

【小题5】What style of music does Westlife make?

A．Hip-hop music

B．Pop music

C．Rock music

D．Classical music

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 you ever heard of a famous charity called Operation Smile? We hope we can help you understand how we are trying to help children all over the world.
Operation Smile was started by a doctor and his wife. In 1982, together with some volunteers, they went to Philippines to help children who had holes in their lips or inside their mouths. It was very difficult for them to eat and drink. These volunteers worked very hard. But they worried that they could not carry on with the work because they were short of money. Then they decided to start a charity so that they could help these needy children. They called it Operation Smile.
Operation Smile works in more than twenty developing countries and has cured over 10,000 children who have problems with their mouths. Operation Smile has won many prizes for its work and in 1999 they even started a special event called“The World Journey of Hope”. 5,000 children in 18 countries are cured during the event.
On the other hand, Operation Smile trains local doctors and nurses in developing countries so that they can continue to help children when Operation Smile has left. As to the children with much more serious problems, they will send them to America for further treatment.
So show your kindness and generosity to the needy children now. You can send your donation to Operation Smile at local banks. Many thanks from the children who can smile now will come to you.
【小题1】Operation Smile is a famous _____, which was started by a doctor and his wife.

A．school

B．charity

C．building

D．person

【小题2】Operation Smile helps the children by _____.

A．curing the children who have problems with their mouths

B．helping poor children go back to school

C．helping blind children to see again

D．offering houses to homeless children

【小题3】 Five thousand children from _____ countries are cured during the event “The World Journey of Hope”.
A. ten                 B sixteen          C. eighteen            D. twenty
【小题4】Why did they worry that they could not carry on with the work?
Because  _____.

A．there were no more volunteers

B．they went to America for further study

C．they didn’t have enough money

D．the doctors were too busy

【小题5】What does the writer ask us to do to show our kindness and generosity to the needy children?

A．To donate money at local banks.

B．To be a volunteer in Philippines.

C．To send cards to the needy children.

D．To be a doctor of Operation Smile.