There have been many great inventions or things that changed the way we live. The first great invention was the one that is still very important today——the wheel. This made it easier to carry heavy things and to travel long distance.
For hundreds of years after that there were few inventions that as much effect as the wheel . Then in the early 1800s the world started to change. There was little unknown land left in the world. People didn’t have to explore much any more. They began to work instead to make life better.
In the second half of the 19^th century many great inventions were made. Among them were the camera, the light and the radio. These all play a big part in our daily life today.
The first part of the 20^th century saw more great inventions. The helicopter in 1909, movies with sound in 1926, the computer in 1928, jet planes in 1930. This was also a time when a new material was first made. Nylon came out in 1935. It changed the kind of clothes people wore.
The middle part of the 20^th century brought new ways to help people get over diseases. They worked very well. They made people healthier and allowed them to live longer. By the 1960s most people could expect to live to be at least 60.
By this time most people in developed countries had a very good life. Of course new inventions continued to be made. But man now had a desire(渴望) to explore again. The earth was known to man but the stars were not. Man began looking for ways to go into space. Russia made the first step. Then United States took a step. Since then other countries , including China and Japan, have made their own steps into space.
In 1969 man took his biggest step away from earth. Americans first walked on the moon. This is certainly just a beginning, though. New inventions will some day allow us to do things we have never yet dreamed of.
【小题1】 This passage talks mainly about         .

A．why cars were very important

B．when light was invented

C．how inventions affect people’s daily life

D．which country made the first step into space

【小题2】According to the passage man didn’t have a desire to explore a lot         .

A．at the beginning of 1800s	B．in the 1960s
C．since the 1900s	D．from the 1800s to 1960s

【小题3】In the 1800s, people began to work in order to make      

A．explorations

B．their life better

C．discoveries

D．a trip to space

【小题4】 Nylon came out of five years later than        .

A．radio

B．camera

C．jet planes

D．movies

【小题5】People can live longer lives because        that help cure diseases have worked very well.

A．doctors

B．new ways

C．medicines

D．new hospitals

Hearing the front door open, I ran down to the kitchen and waited. I saw my dad come in, with the white envelope in his hand. I had waited all day for this, so I reached over him for it as soon as he set foot into the house. Angrily, he      41    the envelope on the table and said that it was nothing to get excited about, and that it was just a piece of paper. I grabbed (抓取) it and ran upstairs. I wondered why my dad did not understand how      42  I was to see my mid-year report card for my first year in middle school. I was really      43     by how he refused to consider all my hard work.
I saw my class rank (等级): 1/139. I did not behave what I saw. I felt my lips (嘴唇) form a smile and wanted to run downstairs to tell everyone. Then I      44    what my dad had said--- it was nothing to get excited about. I wanted to share my happiness with someone, but felt lonely.
I realized that I had become distant (远隔的) from my family. We used to ___45______late watching Disney movies, and my brothers, sisters and I would play tennis in the backyard all the time. I wondered when all that had    46    . I just no longer took part in them. My school work     47    all my time and energy.
While I had been busy with my study, I had also built a   48   between me and my family. I was only trying to become a person everyone could be     49      of.
I wanted to go downstairs, say sorry for my rude behavior and for every refused movie and tennis game, and be    50 of my family again, I knew I had to do something--because without their support, my achievement meant nothing.
【小题1】A, caught            B. cleaned up         C. pinked up        D. threw

【小题2】

A．anxious B．scared C．sad D．frustrated

【小题3】

A．beaten B．hurt C．bothered D．troubled

【小题4】

A．remembered B．realized C．forgot D．listened to

【小题5】

A．come back B．go down C．stay up D．keep out

【小题6】

A．begun B．stopped C．improved D．appeared

【小题7】

A．set up B．gave up C．used up D．put up

【小题8】

A．wall B．bridge C．road D．house

【小题9】

A．famous B．careful C．proud D．afraid

【小题10】

A．hope B．pride C．child D．part

根据中文和首字母及所给单词完成句子。(15分)
1.Every day my father spends over an hour ________________(锻炼)
2.The water in the lake used to be __________(脏) than it is now.
3. He is one of my _____________(偶像) in my mind from my childhood.
4.I will never forget the _____________(经历) that we had in Africa.
5.Our teachers and parents all _____________(期望) we will have a bright future.
6.Do you often go to the supermarket n_________ TIMES near our school?
7.A lot of foreign guests will be i________ to our school to attend the meeting.
8.Would you please r_________ him for the Most Helpful students? Everyone is happy with him.
9.I can solve the problem e____________ though many people think it hard.
10.His spoken English is e_________. How did he learn such good English?
11.The more you eat, the _____________（fat） you will be.
12.My little dog’s ____________(die) made me sad very much.
13.I found the man passing by breathing ___________（heavy）then .
14.___________(study) English better, and you will catch up with others.
15.----Has anyone been ____________(choose) to be the host of the charity show?
----Sorry, I don’t know.