The expression “down to earth” means being open and honest. It is easy to get on with some one who is down to earth. A down-to-earth person is the opposite of someone who acts important or proud.
Down-to-earth people could be important members of society. But they do not consider themselves to be better than others who are less important. A person who is filed with his own importance and pride is said to have his nose in the air.
Americans use another expression that is similar in some ways to down to earth. The expression is both feet on the ground. Someone with both feet on the ground is a person with a good understanding of reality（现实）. He may have dreams, but he does not allow them to have influence on his understanding of what is real.
The opposite kind of person is one who has his head in the clouds. Someone with his head in the clouds is a person whose mind is not on what is happening in real life. Such a person may be called a day－dreamer.
When we have both our feet on the ground, and when we are down to earth, we do not have our noses in the air. We act honestly and openly to others. Our lives are like the ground below us— solid(牢固的) and strong.
小题1:A down-to-earth person could be_____________.

A．social and proud

B．good and opposite

C．real and important

D．strong and changeable

小题2:The expression “has one’s nose in the air” means_____________.

A．眉飞色舞

B．目中无人

C．瞻前顾后

D．春风得意

小题3:This passage mainly talks about_____________.

A．the use of some expressions	B．dreams and achievements
C．the lifestyle of honest people	D．honesty and understanding

小题4:If you want to understand what is real in life, you have to_____________.

A．get along with other people easily	B．learn from those who are down to earth
C．be a good dreamer with quick mind	D．have both your feet on the ground

小题5:If you only consider your own importance, __________.

A．you’ll think you are better than others

B．your life will be like the solid and strong ground

C．you’ll be hated by down-to-earth people

D．your life will be filed with love

A. they should spend sometime
B. the students are not expected
C. they had so many choices
D. many of them told me
E. many of them expressed disappointment
In my spoken English class, I asked the students about their university life. To my surprise, 小题1:. After their highly controlled(控制) high school lives, they were having difficulty getting used to (习惯) the free time in the university. When I asked them to describe their high school lives, 小题2:they got up at six in the morning and studied until ten or even later at night. Most of this time was spent doing lots of homework.
When they entered the university, in my opinion,小题3:to spend all their waking hours studying. They should also take an active part in social activities. They should learn to divide their time outside of class between sport sand clubs. What’s more, 小题4:watching TV and chatting with their roommates. But what surprised me most was that many of them did not seem happy because小题5:. They felt that they should be doing something else what ever they were doing. That’s why they were not happy.
To those students, my advice is: Get used to it and learn to make decisions for yourselves.

We live in the computer age. People use computers to do much of their work. But few people know how to look after them. Remember the following when you use your computer:
1.Keep your computer in a cool, dry room. Too much or too little heat is bad for computers. Damp(潮湿) is also bad for them.
2.Do not let people smoke near your computer. Smoke of all kinds is very bad for many parts of a computer.
3.Do not eat or drink when you are near your computer. Pieces of food and a little water in the keyboard are also bad for a computer.
4.Keep your screen clean and do not have it too bright. They are bad for your eyes. Make sure the screen is not too far from or too near your eyes. Some people use different glasses to protect their eyes when they use a computer.
小题1:Computers can          people to do a lot of work.

A．use

B．help

C．make

D．take

小题2:Few people know how to          their computers.

A．look at

B．try out

C．look for

D．take care of

小题3:A computer works well at a temperature of         .

A．0℃

B．-5℃

C．20℃

D．35℃

小题4:Smoke is not good for many parts of a computer, is it?

A．Yes,it is.

B．No,it isn't.

C．Yes,a little.

D．Not at all.

小题5:A dirty screen or a very bright screen is    for your eyes.

A．bad

B．good

C．useful

D．helpful

When you look at the sky at night, the moon looks bigger than the stars. Actually, the moon is much smaller than the stars and the sun. It’s much smaller than the earth. But the moon is much closer to us than any star. That is why it looks so big. If you hold a coin close to your eye, it looks big. If you look at it across the moon, it looks small.
The moon moves around the earth. It makes one trip in about four weeks. The moon looks flat to us. But it is a round ball, like the earth.
People once thought the moon had fire on it. They thought the fire made it bright. Now we know the moon is like a mirror. It gets its light from the sun.
Our sunlight comes from the sun, too. What is the sun? The sun is a star. The stars we can see have their own light. There are many big stars we cannot see. Their light had burned out. Others are still bright, but they are so far away that we cannot see them. The sun looks bigger and much brighter than other stars because it is the nearest of all stars. The sun and the other stars we see are very hot, but the air around us saves us from the heat of the sun.
The sun gives us light and warmth. It makes plants grow and turns leaves green. It makes life possible on our earth. It is a life giving star.
小题1: It takes _______ for the moon to go around the earth.

A．more than a week

B．nearly a month

C．half a year

D．more than a year

小题2: The moon is bright because _______.

A．there is some fire on it	B．it is near the sun, too
C．there is a big mirror on it	D．it can get light from the sun

小题3: The passage tells us _______.

A．the sun is not the biggest star	B．the sun is bigger than any other star
C．only the sun can shine	D．the sun is one of the farthest stars to us

小题4: Why do we call the sun "a life giving star"?

A．Because it gives us warmth.

B．Because there are some living things on it.

C．Because plants and animals can’t live without it.

D．Because people have to live in the dark without it.

We’ve talked about snails (蜗牛) and their slow move. But much of the time snails don’t move at all. They are in their shells (壳) —sleeping.
Hot sun will dry out a snail’s body. So at the least sign of hot sun, a snail draws its body into his shell. A snail will die in a heavy rain. So when it rains, a snail does the same thing, too. A snail can sleep for as long as it needs to. It spends all the winter months in its shell, asleep.
In the spring the snail wakes up. Its body, about three inches long, comes out from the shell. When hungry, the snail looks for food. Its eyes, at the end of the top feelers (触角), are very weak. But its sense (感觉) of smell is very strong. It helps the snail to find food and the new greens.
A snail’s mouth is no bigger than the point of a pin (大头针). Yet it has 256,000 teeth! The teeth are very small, and you can’t see them. If you put a snail in a hard paper box, it will eat its way out! And if a snail wears out its teeth, it will grow new ones.
小题1: A snail _________.

A．moves more slowly at night	B．has thousands of feet
C．doesn’t move at all	D．sleeps much of the time

小题2: In the sentence “A snail draws its body into its shell”, the word “draw” means _____.

A．to make with a pencil

B．to push

C．to pull

D．to move away

小题3: From the story, we know _________.

A．a snail’s shell is very thin	B．a snail can’t see well
C．a snail’s nose is quite short	D．a snail’s body changes in different seasons

小题4: A snail goes to sleep when _____.

A．it feels hungry

B．it is put into a paper box

C．spring is coming

D．it rains heavily

小题5:Which of the following is wrong?

A．In winter the snail doesn’t eat or move.	B．A snail doesn’t like living under the sun
C．The snail’s teeth can’t be worn out.	D．The snail’s nose helps to find food.

Computers are useful machines. They can help people a lot in their daily life. For example, They can help people to save much time to do much work, and they can help people to work out many problems they can’t do easily. Our country asked everyone except the old people, to learn to use computers before the twenty-first century.
Today more and more families own computers. Parents buy computers for their children. They hope computers can help them improve their studies in school. Yet, many of the children use computers to play games, to watch videos or to sing karaoke, instead of studying. So many teachers and parents complain that computers can’t help children to study but make them fall behind. So computers are locked in boxes by parents.
In some other countries, even some scientists also hate computers. They say computers make millions of people lose their jobs or bring them a lot of trouble.
Will computers really bring trouble to people or can they bring people happiness? It will be decided by today’s students themselves!
小题1:Our country asked everyone to learn to use computers except the ________ .

A．young people

B．old people

C．students

D．adults

小题2: Why do we say the computer is a useful machine? Because _____

A．Our country asks us to learn it.	B．it can help us to do a lot of things.
C．We can use it to play games only.	D．it can help us to find jobs only.

小题3:What do many teachers and parents complain about? They complain about _____ .

A．their students and children use computers to learn well.

B．computers let them lose their jobs

C．computers make their students and children fall behind

D．computers bring people a lot of trouble

小题4:In this passage we know computers _____

A．also bring us trouble	B．bring us happiness only
C．are hated by people	D．are good for people’s health

小题5:How do you understand the last sentence of this passage? It means ____

A．computers are used by people

B．people can live well without computers

C．one must decide how to use computers

D．computers are strange machine

Dolphins are our friends. They can use tools to solve problems although they don't have hands.   For example, scientists have ever found that a dolphin can make a shy eel(鳗鱼) come out of its hole with a dead fish.
Dolphins use different sounds to exchange information with each other. Scientists in Hawaii have developed a sign language to give instructions to dolphins, and the results are amazing. They find that dolphins not only understand the meaning of individual (个别的) words, but also understand the importance of word order in a sentence.
Most animals enjoy playing — but dolphins seem to like making their games as challenging as possible. On a beautiful day in 1997, scientists at a beach watched a little dog going into the sea and swimming towards the dolphins. To their surprise, the dolphins came up to the dog and then started throwing it into the air. The dog seemed to enjoy the "game" and continued playing with the dolphins for more than an hour.
Dolphins live in a very different world from ours, but they are very good at our "IQ tests” . For example, they will jump out of the water when they hear a whistle (口哨) noise. They do this because they will get a fish as a prize.
There is still much to learn about these cute problem-solvers, but it is certain that watching a dolphin show is fun.
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。（5分）
小题1: What can a dolphin use to make an eel come out of its hole?

A．Its mouth.

B．Its head.

C．A dead fish.

D．A little dog.

小题2:How do dolphins exchange information with each other?

A．By using tails.	B．By using tools.
C．By using words.	D．By using sounds.

小题3:Where did the dolphins throw the dog when playing?

A．Onto its back.	B．Into the air.
C．Onto the beach.	D．Into the water.

小题4:Why do the dolphins jump out of the water when they hear a whistle noise?

A．Because they want to get a fish as a prize.

B．Because they enjoy playing on the water.

C．Because they want to play with other dolphins.

D．Because the dolphin keepers want them to come out.

小题5: Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Dolphins understand many languages.

B．Dolphins are a kind of clever animals.

C．Scientists have known dolphins well enough.

D．Dolphins seem to make their games relaxing.

Besides studying and tests, teens need to learn some life skills for the future. These skills can help them live by themselves. The following are some necessary skills.
★ Managing money
You often get a little money from your parents, and you may spend it as you like. You can make a list of the things that you want to buy, and plan how to spend the money. Don't waste.
★ Washing and cleaning
Doing laundry correctly is important. You should first read the instructions on clothing, and then check the pockets of the clothes. Pay more attention to different colors of them.
As for cleaning, you should learn how to use brooms, mops (抹布) and so on. If you often do more cleaning, the people who live with you will thank you for the efforts you make.
★ Cooking your favorite meals
You should learn how to cook a few of your favorite meals. First ask your parents for help to decide on the menu and ingredients, and then you can go shopping, cook the meals and clean up the kitchen together.
根据短文内容，判断句子正（T）、误（F）
小题1: This passage is mainly about some life skills for teens for the future.
小题2:Teens should manage money by saving money as much as they can.
小题3:Before they wash clothes, teens should first check the pockets of the clothes.
小题4: The people around will feel uncomfortable if teens do more cleaning.
小题5: Parents can help teens decide on the menu and ingredients to cook meals.

The earth(地球)moves(移动)round the sun ,and the  36  moves round the earth. When our part of the earth turns(转) 37  the sun ,it is  38  .When our part of the earth turns  39 from the sun ,it’s Night.
The sun is  40 bigger than the moon. But sometimes the moon looks bigger than the sun , because it is much  41  to the earth.
The sun is very bright. It  42  very strong light. The moon looks quite bright, too, but it doesn’t give  43  light  44 .The light from the moon comes  45 the sun .

小题1:	A．moon B．earth C．sun D．star

小题2:	A．round B．to C．with D．from

小题3:	A．hot B．cold C．Day D．Night

小题4:	A．out B．away C．on D．of

小题5:	A．quite B．a little C．very D．much

小题6:	A．near B．far C．nearer D．farther

小题7:	A．takes B．gets C．bring D．gives

小题8:	A．very B．any C．many D．some

小题9:	A．more B．too C．much D．at all

小题10:

A．on B．out C．from D．of

We live in “computer age(时代)”. People like using computers to do ___21__work. But more than 20 years ago, ___22__couldn’t do much. They were very big and expensive. Very __23___people were interested in them and knew how to use them. Today computers are smaller and ___24___.Since they are useful, many people like to use them, even at home.
Computers ___25___very important because they can work ___26___than men and make fewer mistakes. Computers can ____27___people do a lot of work. Writers can use computers to write. Teachers can use computers to help teaching and students use them to study. Computers can also remember what you put ___28____ them. Computers are very___29___. They are our good friends. Do you want to ___30____a computer.

小题1:	A．all kinds of B．many C．very much D．a lot

小题2:	A．teachers B．students C．computers D．scientists

小题3:	A．a few B．few C．little D．a little

小题4:	A．cheaper B．cheap C．expensive D．more expensive

小题5:	A．is becoming B．becomes C．become D．became

小题6:	A．quickly B．quick C．fast D． faster

小题7:	A．help B．tell C．ask D．stop

小题8:	A．on B．into C．up D．to

小题9:	A．heavy B．careful C．beautiful D．helpful

小题10:

A．lend B．pay C．have D． sell