Have you ever heard anyone say“It’s raining cats and dogs”? It means“It’s raining hard!”
　　But sometimes cats and dogs do drop from the sky! Here’s how it happens.
　　Not so long ago, a country far away had many large rats. The people there said,“We need cats!”So cats were sent to them by airplane. But the country had many mountains. It was hard for an airplane to land. So the cats came down by parachute(降落伞). Did the cats like the ride? They didn’t say they didn’t! And today they are still catching rats!
　　In another country far away, there is snow the year around. People sometimes got lost in it.
　　“We need big dogs!”the people said.“The dogs could find people lost in the snow. The dogs could help bring them home. Where can we get big dogs?”
　　A man across the sea had big dogs to sell.“I will send dogs to you.”He said.“I have some very big ones. They can find people lost in the snow.”
　　He sent the dogs by airplane.
　　But the airplane didn’t land in the snow. The dogs came down by parachute—you guessed it!
　　Did the dogs like the ride? They didn’t say they didn’t! And today they are well and happy. They find anyone who gets lost in the snow. Then they help him get home. Good dogs!
　　Remember it, so you can say,“Yes, it does rain cats and dogs sometimes. They came down by parachute!”
　　1．The underlined word“it”in Paragraph 2 refers to_________.
　　A. the weather
　　B. the saying“It’s raining cats and dogs.”
　　C. the saying“It’s raining hard.”
　　D. the fact that real cats and dogs drop from the sky
　　2．Cats and dogs drop from the sky because_________.
　　A. there are many mountains in the country
　　B. it snows the year around in the country
　　C. it was hard for a plane to land in the two countries
　　D. coming down by parachute could save money
　　3．The underlined sentence“They didn’t say they didn’t!”in Paragraph 3 means“_________”.
　　A. Poor animals       B. Good animals
　　C. Have a nice trip       D. Thank you
　　4．Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
　　A. Cats and dogs can help people quite a lot.
　　B.“It rains cats and dogs.”usually means a heavy rain.
　　C. When the people saw cats drop from the plane, they were pleased.
　　D. The man across the sea didn’t want his dogs dropped by air.
　　5．The main purpose of the passage is to_________.
　　A. tell the readers a famous British saying
　　B. tell the readers of a new meaning about an old saying
　　C. show cats and dogs are our good friends
　　D. show parachutes is an important invention

阅读短文，根据短文内容回答问题。（共10分，每小题2分）

　　On Thursday afternoon Mrs. Clarke, dressed for going out, took her handbag with her money and her key in it, pulled the door behind her to lock it and went to the Over 60s Club. She always went there on Thursdays. It was a nice outing for an old woman who lived alone.

　　At six o’clock she came home, let herself in and at once smelt cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke in her house? How? Had somebody got in? She checked the back door and the windows. All were locked or fastened, as usual. There was no sign of forced entry. Had anything been taken? She went from room to room, checking. Yes, some things were missing — her small radio, her spare watch, a camera. That was all, she thought; but she couldn’t be sure just yet. She was annoyed, of course, but rather glad that nothing had been thrown about.

　　Over a cup of tea she wondered whether someone might have a key that fitted her front door — “a master key” perhaps. So she stayed at home the following Thursday. Nothing happened. Was anyone watching her movements? On the Thursday after that she went out at her usual time, dressed as usual, but she didn’t go to the club. Instead she took a short cut home again, letting herself in through the garden and the back door. She settled down to wait.

　　It was just after four o’clock when the front door bell rang. Mrs. Clarke was making a cup of tea at the time. The bell rang again, and then she heard her letter-box being pushed open. With the kettle（壶）of boiling water in her hand, she moved quietly towards the front door. A long piece of wire（金属丝）appeared through the letter-box, and then a hand. The wire turned and caught around the knob（门把手） on the door-lock. Mrs. Clarke raised the kettle and poured the water over the hand. There was a shout outside, and the skin seemed to drop off the fingers like a glove. The wire fell to the floor, the hand was pulled back, and Mrs. Clarke heard the sound of running feet.

　　That evening she reported the matter to the police. They were not too pleased, but they came and took away the wire and the skin. “It was only self-protection,” she told the officer. “An old woman must try to look after herself.” With the help of a doctor, the police found the man and recovered Mrs. Clarke’s things. She has become something of heroine at the Over 60s Club.

1. When did Mrs. Clarke go to the Over 60s Club?

___________________________________________________

2. Why did the smell of cigarette smoke surprise her?

___________________________________________________

3. On the third Thursday, did Mrs. Clarke go out at her usual time?

___________________________________________________

4. What was Mrs. Clarke doing when she was waiting for the thief?

___________________________________________________

5. What is Mrs. Clarke like?

___________________________________________________

 A farmer had a cow. He took very good care of this cow and one day when it was ill, he was very worried. He telephoned the vet.

“What’s the problem?” The vet asked him when he arrived.

 “My cow's ill,” the farmer said. “I don’t know what's the matter with her. She’s lying down and won’t eat. She's making a strange noise.”

The vet looked over the cow. "She's certainly ill," he said, "and she needs to take some very strong medicine."

 He took a bottle out of his box, put two pills into his hand and said, "Give her these. The pills should make her better."

　 “How should I give them to her?” the farmer asked.

The vet gave him a tube (管子)and said, "Put this tube in her mouth, then put the pills in the tube and blow. That'll make it."

The next day the vet came to the farm again. The farmer was sitting outside his house and looked more worried.

“How's your cow?” the vet asked.

 “No change,” the farmer said, “and I’m feeling very strange myself.”

 “Oh?” the vet said, "Why?"

 “I did what you said,” the farmer answered. “I put the tube in the cow's mouth and then put two pills down it.”　　“And?” the vet asked.

 “The cow blew first,” the farmer said.

1.In the story, the vet must be _________.

A. the farmer's friend     B. a milk factory     

C. a hospital for cows     D. a doctor for animals

2.The farmer asked the vet for help when his cow _______

A. couldn't lie down     B. didn't eat the pills 　

C. couldn't make any noise   D. was ill

3.What medicine did the vet give the farmer?

A. Bottle of pills.        B. A long tube.       C. Two pills.        D. A small box.

4.The vet taught the farmer how _________.

A. to blow the tube          

B. to make the cow take the pills

C. to take the medicine       

D. to put the tube in his mouth

5.Which of the following is true?

A. The farmer ate the pills himself.     

B. The cow got better after taking the medicine.

C. The vet came to help farmer change the cow the next day.

D. The farmer waited for the vet outside his house the next day.

— How much did the computer 　　　 you?
— About three thousand yuan.
A. take             B. spend       C. cost

假如今天你在上学路上看到了一起交通事故——一个骑自行车的人闯红灯，然后和一辆小汽车相撞。请根据下面的提示写一篇80词左右的英语短文。
提示：
① When and where did the accident happen?
② How did the accident happen?
③What was the result? And what did you learn from the accident?