Do you know that it is your own immune system working against the virus that makes you uncomfortable when getting a cold, but not the virus itself? So when you have got a strong immune system and the virus is strong enough too, you will possibly get terrible cold symptoms( 症状) ?

Vitamin C won't stop a cold

It is claimed that Vitamin C helps by increasing white blood cells. However, many tests have shown that it does not prevent colds. At best, it only slightly reduces the rime of symptoms.

Staying indoors won't protect you

One of the most likely sources of cold viruses is your computer mouse or desk. A study of the cold virus in offices found that 47% of desktops, 46% of computer mice and 45% of telephones had cold viruses on them.

Wrapping up warm won't protect you

Colds are more common in autumn and winter. That's because the cool, wet and cold weather drives people indoors, where viruses may more easily jump from one person to another. And the distinct peak in colds(感冒高峰) is in September and early January, which is likely due to the return of students to schools and colleges after the summer and winter vacation.

Old granny's chicken soup is right

Granny's chicken soup is an old cure for colds since a long time ago. Scientists say it is true. Chicken soup does help cure a cold. Many canned soups are just efficient as homemade ones.

1. It is ______ that makes you uncomfortable when getting a cold.

A. the virus itself                    B. Vitamin C

C. the terrible cold symptom            D. your own immune system

2. "Staying indoors won't protect you" tells us that ______ indoors.

A. there are many desks                 B. there are many telephones

C. there are many cold viruses          D. there are many computer mice

3.The distinct peak in colds is in September and early January. That's because______.

A. it's in autumn and winter               

B. the weather is cool, wet and cold

C. students return to schools and colleges 

D. viruses can jump from one person to another more easily

4.Many canned soups are just efficient as homemade ones. The underlined word "efficient" means _____ in Chinese.

A. 有效的     B. 美味的     c. 值钱的     D. 方便的

Do you know that it is your own immune system working against the virus that makes you uncomfortable when getting a cold, but not the virus itself? So when you have got a strong immune system and the virus is strong enough too, you will possibly get terrible cold symptoms( 症状) ?
Vitamin C won't stop a cold
It is claimed that Vitamin C helps by increasing white blood cells. However, many tests have shown that it does not prevent colds. At best, it only slightly reduces the rime of symptoms.
Staying indoors won't protect you
One of the most likely sources of cold viruses is your computer mouse or desk. A study of the cold virus in offices found that 47% of desktops, 46% of computer mice and 45% of telephones had cold viruses on them.
Wrapping up warm won't protect you
Colds are more common in autumn and winter. That's because the cool, wet and cold weather drives people indoors, where viruses may more easily jump from one person to another. And the distinct peak in colds(感冒高峰) is in September and early January, which is likely due to the return of students to schools and colleges after the summer and winter vacation.
Old granny's chicken soup is right
Granny's chicken soup is an old cure for colds since a long time ago. Scientists say it is true. Chicken soup does help cure a cold. Many canned soups are just efficient as homemade ones.
【小题1】 It is ______ that makes you uncomfortable when getting a cold.

阅读理解。

     Dragons can be friendly or fierce (凶狠), they can bring good luck or cause death, but one  thing is
sure——people  talk about  them almost everywhere in the world. For a creature that doesn't actually
exist, that's quite something.
     In Chinese culture, dragons are generous and wise, although  they can be ①unpredictable. The
dragon was closely connected  to  the royal  family: theemperor's robes (礼袍) have a symbol of a gold
dragon with five claws. ②Other members of the royal family were allowed to wear dragon symbols, too,
but with fewer claws and of a different colour. According  to popular belief,  if you were born  in  the
year of the dragon, you are intelligent, brave, and a natural leader.
     But in the west, dragons had a different reputation (名声). The very first text in English, the
Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, tells the story of a Scandinavian hero, Beowulf, who fights and kills a
dangerous dragon but is himself killed in the fight. However, across the border in Wales, the red
dragon which appears on the Welsh flag is a positive symbol, indicating strength and a sense of national
identity.
   ③Why should  the dragon have a different character  in different parts of  the world? Some experts
believe it is due to the animals that  the myths grew out of.  In  the west,  the  idea of  the dragon
probably came  from  the snake——an animal which people hated and ④____ ____of (害怕). 
     But in China, the idea of the dragon may have come from  the alligator--a shy animal which lives in
rivers, but which  is usually only seen when  there  is plenty of water--a good sign for agriculture(农业).
So the Chinese dragon was a bringer of ⑤good fortune.

1.(A) 请写出文中画线部分①unpredictable的汉语意思：
   _______________.
   (B) 请从文中找出与画线部分⑤good fortune意思相近的短语：
   _______________.
2.将文中画线部分②改成主动语态：
   They ____________________________________
3.将 文 中 画 线 句 子 ③ 翻 译 成 汉 语 ：
   _______________________________
4.根据文中④处的汉语提示，用英语将句子补充完整，每空一词。
   In  the west,  the  idea of  the dragon probably came from the snake-an animal which people hated and _______ _______ of (害怕).
5．What  are  the  differences  between Chinese dragons and western dragons? (从文中找出相关描
述的英语单词或短语，每空至少一个。)
Chinese dragons：_____________        
Western dragons：___________..

Two weeks ago, Ruichang City in Jiangxi Province was hit by an earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale(里氏震级). It killed 18 people and left hundreds homeless.

　  Earthquakes are one of the most deadly natural disasters(灾难) in the world. They happen more often than you would expect.

　  In the 24 hours after you read this, 400 to 500 earthquakes will shake the earth. You won't notice most of them because you live in a relatively(相对地) safe area or the quake is too far away or because the quake will be too small to notice.

　  Earthquakes are caused by sudden breaks in rock masses(群) deep in the earth. Rock masses are always under very high pressure. If the pressure in a certain area become too much and the rock masses break, an earthquake happens. But exactly when the rock masses reach the breaking point is a mystery(谜).

　  China is on the Eurasia(欧亚) plate, where earthquakes happen very often due to the earth's plates knocking against each other. Up to 17,139 earthquakes have taken place in China in the past 44 years, according to scientific research.

1What happened to the City of Ruichang?

A.18 people were killed in an earthquake.

B. Hundreds homeless people left the city.     

C. An earthquake ruined thousands of houses there.

D. An earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale happened.       

2How many earthquakes can happen in a day in the world?

A. 24.                  B. 44.                  C. 400 to 500.                   D. 17139.

3Why does the earth quake? Because ______.

A. we live in a relatively safe area                                             

B. the pressure in the earth is too big

C. the rock masses is reaching the breaking point

D. the rock masses break suddenly deep in the earth

C

Once upon a time a woman found she was not easy to wake up in the morning as early as she wished. So she bought a beautiful alarm clock. These clocks are so made as to strike with loud whirring noise at any hour the owner pleases to set them.

The lady placed her clock at the head of the bed, and at the right time she found herself roused by the long, rattling sound.

She got up at once, and felt better all day for her early rising. This lasted for some weeks. The alarm clock faithfully did its duty, and was plainly heard so long as it was obeyed.

But, after a time, the lady grew tired of early rising. When she was waked by the noise, she merely turned over in bed, and slept again.

In a few days, the clock ceased to wake her from her sleep. It spoke just as loudly as ever; but she did not hear it, because she had been in the habit of not obeying it.

Finding that she might as well be without it, she made up her mind that when she heard the sound she would jump up.

Just so it is with conscience(自觉意识，诚意). If we will obey its voice, even in the least important things, we can always hear it, clear and strong.

But if we allow ourselves to do what we have some fears may not be quite right, we shall grow more and more sleepy, until the voice of conscience has no longer power to wake us.

4Why did the clock failed to stop to get the woman up later?

A. Because she was tired of getting up early in the morning.

B. Because she could not hear the clock any more.

C. Because she was too tired to wake up at it.

D. Because the clock stopped to do its duty.

5 Both the underlined words “whirring” and “rattling” are kinds of ______.

A. colours                        B. sounds         C. actions                   D. feelings

6 The writer mainly wants to tell us that ______.

A. we should always obey our clocks

B. the clock sometimes can’t wake us up as we wish 

C. It is conscience that ensures early rising not the clock

D. The voice of conscience has no longer power to wake us.

Amy was a dear little girl, but she was too ready to waste time in getting ready to do her tasks, instead of doing them at once as she ought to.

In the village in which she lived, Mr. Thornton kept a store where he sold fruit of all kinds, including berries in their season. One day he said to Amy, whose parents were quite poor, “Would you like to earn some money?”

“Oh, yes, ” replied she, “for I want some new shoes, and papa has no money to buy them with.”

“Well, Amy,” said Mr. Thornton, “I noticed some fine, ripe blackberries in Mr. Green’s field today, and he said that anybody was welcome to them. I will pay you thirteen cents a quart(度量单位) for all you will pick for me.”

Amy was delighted at the thought of earning some money; so she ran home to get a basket, intending to go immediately to pick the berries.

Then she thought she would like to know how much money she would get if she picked five quarts. With the help of her slate(书写板) and pencil, she found out that she would get sixty-five cents.

“But supposing I should pick a dozen quarts,” thought she, “how much should I earn then?” “Dear me!” she said, after figuring(测算) a while, “I should earn a dollar and fifty-six cents.”

Amy then found out what Mr. Thornton would pay her for fifty, a hundred, and two hundred quarts. It took her some time to do this, and then it was so near dinner time that she had to stay at home until afternoon.

As soon as dinner was over, she took her basket and hurried to the field. Some boys had been there before dinner, and all the ripe berries were picked. She could not find enough to fill a quarter of a quart.

As Amy went home, she thought of what her teacher had often told her---“Do your task at once; then think about it,” for “One doer is worth a hundred dreamers.”

7How many times did Amy figure with her slate?

   A. 3.                               B. 4.                         C. 5.                     D. 6. 

8The underlined sentence may mean “______”.

A. she got ready to waste some time to do her tasks

B. she thought it was a waste of time to do her tasks

C. she liked to waste time when should do her tasks immediately

D. she was not ready to get her tasks ready, and it’s a waste of time

9What can we infer from the story?

A. Amy’s family was very poor.

B. Amy was good at counting with a slate.  

C. Mr. Thornton was the richest person in the village.

D. Amy would learn a better lesson from this affair than from school.        

10 The best title of the passage may be “_____”.

A. The Money Amy Did Not Earn               

B. The Girl Did Not Like To Waste Time    

C. Amy, A Good Student To her Teachers

D. A Poor Girl Wanted To Earn Some Money