I love my iPhone---it’s my little connection to the larger world that can go anywhere with me. I also love my computer, as it stores all of my writing and thoughts. Though I love these devices(装置) of technology, I know that there are times when I need to move away from them and truly communicate with others.
I teach history in a high school. My goals for the class include a full discussion of historical themes(主题) and ideas. Because I want students to thoroughly study the material and share their ideas with each other in the classroom. I have a rule---no computers, iPads, phones, etc. When students were told my rule before class, some of them were not happy at all.
Most students think that my reasons for this rule include unpleasant experiences in the past with students misusing technology. There’s a bit of truth to that. Some students believe that I am anti-technology. There’s no truth in that at all. I love technology and try to keep up with it so I can relate to my students.
The real reason why I ask students to leave technology at the door is that I think there are very few places in which we can have deep conversations. Interruptions(打断) by technology often break concentration and allow for too much dependence on outside information for ideas. I want students to dig deep within themselves for ideas. I want them to push each other to think differently and to make connections between the course material and the class discussion.
I’ve been teaching my history class in this way for many years and students realize that with deep conversation, they learn at a level that helps them keep the course material beyond the classroom.
I’m not saying that I won’t ever change my mind about technology use in my history class, but until I hear a really good reason for the change. A few hours of technology-free dialogue is just too sweet to give up.
小题1:What’s the second paragraph mainly about?

A．The reasons why students should use computers or iPads in class.

B．The advantages of using cell phones and computers in the classroom.

C．What the writer is trying to do and what rule has been made in class.

D．A new learning style that the teacher enjoys using in history class.

小题2:According to the writer, the use of technology in the classroom may _____.

A．improve teaching and offer more help

B．allow students to get on well with each other

C．help students concentrate on what they learn

D．keep students from making deep conversations

小题3:What can we infer from the passage?

A．The teacher will carry on the success in the future.

B．The teacher will have to cancel the rule in class.

C．Some students will be punished according to the rule.

D．More and more students will be absent in history class.

The ocean can be a great place to swim and play, it may also be useful in another way. Some scientists think that waves could help make electricity.
“Have you ever been on a surfboard or boat and felt yourself being lifted up by a wave?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group in Scotland. “There is certainly a lot of energy in waves.”
Scientists are working on using that energy to make electricity. The United States and a few other countries have started doing research on wave energy, and it is already being used in Scotland.
Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean. “The winds start out by making little ripples (波纹) in the water, but if they keep on blowing, those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves,” Taylor said. “Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey.”
When waves come towards the coast, people can set up dams(大坝) to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine(涡轮). The turbine can then power an electrical generator(发电机).
We will never run out of wave power. Besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as oil and coal do.
Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface. That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy around the world. But there are some disadvantages that need us to pay more attention to.
Jamie Taylor said that wave power still cost too much money. He said that its influence on animals in the sea is still unknown. Besides, wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic.
With more research, “Many of these problems might be solved,” Taylor said. “Finding more energy sources(资源) is very important, for traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day.”
In the future, when you turn on a light button, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!

小题1:We can learn from the passage that__________________.

A．almost every country is making use of the wave power at present

B．it is necessary for us to develop wave power instead of oil and coal

C．wave power will be sure to make some bad influence on sea animals

D．scientists are making efforts to find new ways of fishing and boat traffic

小题2:What does the fourth paragraph tell us?

A．Why scientists are doing the research on wave power.

B．What experience that scientists have achieved so far.

C．How the wave energy forms and grows bigger.

D．Which countries are trying out wave power.

小题3:What’s the writer’s attitude towards wave power?

A．The writer believes that wave power will be used widely by man.

B．The writer doubts if wave energy can be changed into electricity.

C．The writer is sure the experiments will come to the end some day.

D．The writer thinks that wave power isn’t worth researching at all.

小题4:What can be the best title for the passage?

A．Sea Animals and Wave Power.

B．How Do We Get Wave Energy?

C．The Advantages of Wave Power.

D．Can Waves Make Electricity?

Even though global warming may have made the weather more mild, many animals are still hibernating（冬眠）. It’s too bad that humans can’t hibernate. In fact we almost did.
Apparently, at times in the past, farmers in France liked a semi-state of human hibernation. So writes Graham Robb, a British scholar who has studied the sleeping habits of the French farmers. As soon as the weather turned cold, people all over the France shut themselves away and practiced the forgotten art of doing nothing at all for months.
In line with this, Jeff Warren, a producer at CBC Radio’s The Current, tells us that the way we sleep has changed since the invention of lighting.
When historians began studying texts of the Middle Ages, they noticed something referred to as “first sleep”, which was not clarified, though. Now scientists are telling us our ancestors most likely slept in separate periods. The business of eight hours’ continuous sleep is a modern invention.
In the past, without the artificial light, humans went to sleep when it became dark and then woke themselves up around midnight. The late night period was known as “The Watch”. It was when people actually kept watch against wild animals, although many of them simply moved around or visited family and neighbors.
According to some sleep researchers, a short of insomnia（失眠）at midnight is not a disorder. It is normal. Humans can experience another state of consciousness（清醒状态）around their sleeping, which happens in the brief period before we fall asleep or wake ourselves in the morning. This period can be a creative time for some people.
Playing with your sleep rhythms（节奏）can be dangerous, as worry may set in. Medical science doesn’t help much in this case. It offers us medicines for a full night’s continuous sleep, which sounds natural; however, according to Warren’s theory, it is really the opposite of what we need.
小题1:The late night was called “The Watch” because it was a time for people ______.

A．to set time to catch animals

B．to remind others of the time

C．to guard against possible dangers

D．to wake up their family and neighbors

小题2:We can infer from the last paragraph that people should ______.

A．sleep in the way animals do

B．follow their natural sleep rhythms

C．keep to the eight-hour sleeping way

D．ask doctors for help if they can’t sleep

小题3:What is the writer’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To throw new light on human sleep.

B．To encourage people to sleep less.

C．To give some suggestions on insomnia.

D．To find out people’s hibernating history.

根据短文内容，选择正确的选项。
Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
This is an old English saying. It means that we should go to bed early at night and get up early in the morning. If we do, we shall be healthy. We shall also be rich and clever.
Is this true? Perhaps it is. The body must have enough sleep. Children of your age need ten hours’ sleep every night. If you do not go to bed early, you can not have enough sleep. Then you can not think properly and you can not do your work properly. You will not be wise and you may not become wealthy!
Some people go to bed late at night and get up late in the morning. This is not good for them. We should sleep at night when it is dark. The dark helps us to sleep well. When the daylight comes, we should get up. This is the time for exercise. If the body is not used, it will become weak. Exercise keeps it strong.
Exercise helps the blood to move around inside the body. This is very important. Blood takes nutrition (营养) to all parts of our bodies. The brains in our heads also need blood. We think with our brains. If we keep our bodies healthy, and take exercise, we can think better!
Our bodies also need air to breathe. Without air we will die. Get up early in the morning and we can have plenty of clean, fresh air. That will keep us healthy and happy.
小题1:The old English saying“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”mainly shows _______.

A．what good habits are

B．what bad habits are

C．how to become healthy, rich and clever

D．it’s easy for people to get up and go to bed early

小题2:It’s important for people to have enough sleep. If not, they _______.

A．may not be strong

B．may not become wealthy

C．can not think and do their work properly

D．will not get up early

小题3:The word“properly”means“_______”.

A．correctly

B．carefully

C．quickly

D．easily

小题4:The last paragraph but one (倒数第2段) tells us that _______ helps the blood to move around inside the body.

A．fresh air

B．enough sleep

C．good habits

D．exercise

小题5:This passage is probably written for _______.

A．old people	B．middle-aged people
C．weak people	D．children

About 70，000，000 Americans are trying to lose weight．This is almost one out of every three people in the United States．Some people eat  1  food and they hardly have any fats or sweets. Others do running exercise with machines，take medicines，or even have operations.2 you can see losing weight is  3  work，and it will also cost a lot of money．But  4 do so many people in the United States want to lose weight?
Many people in the United States worry about their look of the body．For many people，looking nice also means to be  5 ．Other people worry about their health as many doctors 6  overweight is not good．
Most people want to find a faster and  7  way to take off fat，and books of this kind are very popular．These books tell people how to lose weight．Each year a lot of new books like these are  8  ．Each one says it can easily help people take fat away．
Losing weight can be expensive．Some overweight people go to health centers，like La Costa in California．Men and women 9 several hundred dollars a day at these health centers．People live there for one week or two，taking exercise，eating different foods．Meals there may be just a little．All this works for losing weight． 10 4 days on the program，one woman called Mrs. Warren lost 5 pounds(2.27kg)．At 400 dollars a day, she spent 320dollars to lose each pound．But she said she was still glad to do so．
Health centers，books，medicines，operations，running and exercise machines all get a lot of money．So in the United States，losing Weight may mean losing money too。

小题1:	A．1ess B．more C．nice D．fast

小题2:	A．For B．So C．Or D．And

小题3:	A．good B．useful C．hard D．easy

小题4:	A．why B．what C．how D．when

小题5:	A．high B．short C．thin D．fat

小题6:	A．talk B．say C．speak D．tell

小题7:	A．dearer B．harder C．shorter D．easier

小题8:	A．taken B．given C．written D．copied

小题9:	A．pay B．cost C．take D．have

小题10:

A．Before B．Until C．After D．At

    Do you always understand the instructions on a bottle of medicine? Here’s one for John. John is twelve years old. He had a bad cold and coughed(咳嗽) day and night. He went to see a doctor and was given some cough medicine. Please read the following instructions and if you can understand them.

Cough Medicine: The medicine is for a person with a cough. Shake it well before use. Take it three times each day before meals or before sleep. Dose (药量): Age: over 14     2 teaspoonfuls 8~13      1 teaspoonful 4~7       1/2 teaspoonful Dot fit for children below the age of three or old persons with heart trouble. Put it in a cold place. Use it before December 1st, 2004.

小题1:John should take ____________ a day.

A．2 teaspoonfuls

B．3 teaspoonfuls

C．4 teaspoonfuls

D．1 teaspoonful

小题2:John should ___________ before he takes it.

A．shake the medicine well

B．eat nothing

C．do some exercises

D．drink a cup of tea

小题3:When people are ____________ years old, they cannot take this medicine.

A．eighty

B．thirty

C．two

D．twelve

Trees are one of the oldest plants on the earth. Just like us, trees change a lot  1 they grow. At one to three years old, young trees learn to   2  themselves. For example, many tree grow thorns (刺)to tell animals  3 near. Most young trees have large and deep green leaves to  4  enough sunlight and turn it into their food and energy. When trees are four years old, they are strong enough to  5 the challenge(挑战)in life. At the age of fifteen, they become young adults and grow more   6 . They will have their own flowers and fruit. After the trees are twenty to twenty-five years old, they are called real adults because they reach their  7 . Adults trees give us oxygen and natural beauty. If we  8 them very well, they will live healthily for many years. As time goes on, trees begin older and older and even  9 . At this time, they still have their important places in nature and uses for people.  10 many ways, the life of trees is like our own life experience.

小题1:	A．before B．when C．after D．since

小题2:	A．protect B．provide C．prevent D．pollute

小题3:	A．to go B．to leave C．not to go D．not to leave

小题4:	A．enjoy B．keep C．stay D．catch

小题5:	A．get B．receive C．face D．welcome

小题6:	A．fast B．faster C．slow D．slowly

小题7:	A．weights B．heights C．styles D．sizes

小题8:	A．look for B．look after C．look out D．look at

小题9:	A．die B．hurt C．waste D．throw

小题10:

A．On B．In C．For D．At

Have you ever stayed in a hotel? Most Chinese hotel often provide guests with things like disposable(一次性的)toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo and slippers. Many guests like the idea because they don’t have to bring their own.  But ,if you travel to Beijing, remember to bring your own things.  Starting from June, some hotels in Beijing will no longer provide guests with these disposables.  They want to ask people to use fewer disposable things.
Many disposable things are made of plastic.  People throw them away after only using them once.  It is a waste of natural resources(资源)and is very bad for the environment.  Do you know that one Chinese person makes as much as as 400kg of waste a year? Most of that waste comes from disposable things.  In Beijing, people throw away about 19,000 tons of plastic bags and 1,320 tons of plastic lunch bowls every year! Plastic can take between 100 and 400 years to bread down.  So wherever you travel, bring your own things and use them again and again.
Back at home and school, you can also do something to make our world a better place.  Try to do these things in your daily life: use cloth shopping bags, not plastic ones. After using a plastic bag, wash it out and let it dry.  Then you can use it over and over again.  Do not use paper cups.  At your school canteen(食堂). use your own bowl and chopsticks instead of(代替) disposable ones.
小题1:Which of the following may still be provided(被提供) in Beijing hotels after June?

A．toothbrushes

B．tea cups

C．shampoo

D．paper slippers.

小题2:Why do many hotels provide guests with some disposable things?

A．To let their guests take fewer things while travelling.

B．To hope their guests use fewer disposable things.

C．To wish their guests to save money.

D．To want their guests to use more disposable things.

小题3:Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Many disposable things are made of plastic.

B．Throwing disposable things away is a waste of natural resources.

C．Plastic is very bad for the environment.

D．Plastic breaks down easily.

小题4:What can we do to make our world a better place at home and school?

A．Using shopping bags made of plastic.

B．Using paper cups instead of plastic ones.

C．Using disposable plates, bowls and chopsticks.

D．Using everything over and over again.

小题5:We can tell from the story that____________________________.

A．People don’t like disposable things at all.

B．We can’t use paper or plastic bowls at school.

C．We should use fewer plastic things and protect our environment.

D．Hotels won’t provide disposable things to save money.

Li Ping is a Grade Eight student in Zhenjiang Sunshine Secondary School．The table below is his mid-term self-assessment(自我评价)．He draws faces to show his progress：
excellent  OK weak
Read the table and find out how well Li Ping is doing.

Unit/ Item	Unit l Past and present		Unit 2 Travelling		Unit 3 Online travel
Vocabulary	opposites		Suffixes‘ful’ and‘less’		Words about computers
Grammar	Present perfect tense		Past continuous tense		Passive voice
Study skills/ Pronunciation	Using a dictionary		Linking words		Organizing information
Main task	A report		My best holiday		Favourite educational computer game

小题1:What does Li Ping need to improve in Unit 1?

A．Present perfect tense．	B．Using a dictionary
C．A report．	D．Opposites．

小题2:Which do you think Li Ping does well in?

A．Present perfect tense．	B．Passive voice．
C．Organizing information．	D．Favourite educational computer game．

小题3:From the table we know Li Ping is weak in _____ ．

A．Vocabulary	B．Main task
C．Study skills／Pronunciation	D．Grammar

Many people like to  36   the Internet. Exploring the Internet is one of the most important activities of the day. The Internet brings the outside world closer to people’s   37  . Some people say the world is smaller than before    38   of the Internet.　　
What’s  39   in other countries?  40  do people live in places far away? Is there an 41   sports game somewhere?   42  life like in the deepest part of sea? If you want to answer all these questions, just come to the Internet.    43   people can also learn through reading or listening to the radio. But with the Internet they can learn better and  44 . A lot of information can  45  at a great speed.
Can we go shopping without leaving home? Can we see a doctor without going to the school? Can we see a 46  without going to the hospital? —All these things seemed impossible but now they have become quite 47  .
The Internet helps us open our eyes. It also helps us 48   our minds. The Internet often gives us new ideas.   49   , it helps us in many ways. Great changes have taken place  50  the use of the Internet.

小题1:	A．look for B．search for C．exploring D．search

小题2:	A．families B．homes C．houses D．rooms

小题3:	A．without B．because C．because of D．unlike

小题4:	A．is happened B．happening C．is going on D．is taken place

小题5:	A．Why B．What C．How D．Where

小题6:	A．excited B．good C．exciting D．hard

小题7:	A．What is B．What does C．How does D．How is

小题8:	A．Instead of B．By the way C．Because of D．Of course

小题9:	A．more easily B．easier C．much easily D．more easier

小题10:

A．be collected B．collect C．collected D．collecting

小题11:

A．friend B．film C．cook D．doctor

小题12:

A．impossibly B．possibly C．impossible D．possible

小题13:

A．open B．make C．let D．give

小题14:

A．In a word B．At last C．At first D．However

小题15:

A．since B．because of C．after D．though