Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy. He was the oldest of five children in a worker’s family. He enjoyed going to the sea when he was a young boy.

He heard that there was a lot of gold and other valuable things in East India. He wanted to find a short way to get to the Indies by ship. On August 3, 1492, he sailed toward the west from Palos, Spain with three ships. After many days, the sailors had covered a long distance on the sea and were ready to turn around for home when they saw land, an island Columbus named San Salvador. He thought he had found the Indies and called the people he saw there “Indians”. When they got to Cuba, he thought he was in Japan. The world was a lot larger than he thought.

In his life, he made four trips across the ocean. His 13-year-old son, Ferdinand, went with him during the last time. He returned to Spain in 1504. Columbus did not become rich as he had hoped. At the end of his life he only had a pension(退休金) the king and the queen had given him because he was the first to reach the New World. He died in 1506, still believing that he had found a new route to East India and that he had reached Asia.

Columbus didn’t get to school very much, but he learned to read and write Spanish during his travels. He also taught himself Latin because all the geography books were written in Latin. He is remembered by all not only for the New World he discovered, but also for the way he led for other explorers.

More and more people like bicycling and it is no surprise. It is amazing, healthy and good for the environment. Maybe that’s w 1. there are l. 4 billion bicycles and only 400 million cars on roads worldwide today. Bikes can

t 2. you almost anywhere, and there is no oil cost!

Get on a bicycle and r 3. around your neighborhood. You may discover something new all around you. Stopping and getting off a bike is e 4. than getting out of your car. You can bike to work and enjoy exercise w 5. polluting the environment.

You don’t even have to ride all the way. Folding(折叠) bikes work well for people who take the train. Just fold the bike and take it with you. You can do the s 6. on a plane. A folding bike can be packed in a suitcase. You can also take a small bike with you when you fly. But be s 7. to look for information on the airline websites.

Bicycling is good for your health. It helps c 8. your weight and prevent heart diseases. If you go to and r 9. from work by bike three times a week for 15 minutes, you’ll lose five kilos of fat in a year. It can a 10. improve your mood. Exercise like bicycling has been shown to make people feel better, more relaxed and confident.

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Which of the following words is pronounced ?

A. floor B. fine C. fire D.flight

Mrs. Brown often goes to visit those AIDS patients in hospitals to cheer up.

A. they B. them C. themselves D. theirs

Look! All the roofs and trees are covered snow and it's so beautiful.

A. on B. under C. in D. with

The police have searched the mountain the missing student for a few days.

A. for B. by C. from D. at

There a lot of furniture in the house. so we don't have to buy any more.

A. am B. is C. are D. be

I have got three tickets for the concert. One is for today and are for tomorrow.

A. the other B. others

C. the others D. another

Computers are becoming smaller and lighter so that they can be carried very .

A. easily B. more easily

C. most easily D. less easily