Thousands of years ago, people didn’t know that the Earth moved. They thought the sun really did move across the sky. The Greek god Helios was said to drive the sun around the sky with his chariot（战车）. But now, these ideas have all changed. Nowadays, it is the sun that drives our “chariot” around the sky.

So what does all this mean? Well, quite simply, there is now a plane （or “chariot”） that is powered by the sun. It has special parts in its wings. These parts absorb power from the sun. They absorb so much power that they can carry on flying at night. In the Greek myths（希腊神话）, Helios had to take a break at night. It seems we’re finally even more efficient than the gods themselves.

This plane is called Solar Impulse （“太阳驱动”号）. It will fly across the US in May. This is very important for the future of the world.

So why is solar energy so good for us? Well, other kinds of energy cause a few problems. If you live in China, you’ve probably noticed the pollution. This is caused by burning coal or gas to make energy. The heat and chemicals（化学制品）from this make things work. But if we use the heat from the sun, we don’t have to burn anything, and there’s no pollution.

Solar energy is not all there yet. It needs to be improved. But the best thing about it is that, unlike coal and gas, it doesn’t run out. Solar Impulse could keep flying forever. Well, actually, the sun will run out too, one day, but not for another 5 billion years. That’s a pretty long flight.

1.What does “chariot” really refer to in the last sentence of Paragraph 1?

A．The Earth.         B．The Greek god.     C．Solar Impulse.      D．Birds.

2.Which of the following is TRUE of Solar Impulse?

A．It can only fly at night.                    B．It has already flown across the US.

C．It is powered by the sun.                  D．It needs gas to work.

3.In the passage, what is mentioned as the cause of pollution in China?

A．Overpopulation.                        B．Burning coal or gas.

C．Using solar energy.                      D．Heavy traffic.

4.What does the writer mean by “That’s a pretty long flight”?

A．It takes a lot of time to get Solar Impulse going.

B．Solar Impulse moves very slowly.

C．Solar Impulse will be in use for a long time.

D．Solar Impulse has a long way to go to take the place of the sun.

5.The passage is most probably taken from___________.

A．a Greek myth      B．a science fiction     C．a story-book       D．a science magazine

根据短文内容和所给中文提示，写出空白处个单词的正确形式，每空限填一词。
It was a   46  (晴朗的) day. We decided to have a picnic outside the   47  (城市). In the morning, we took an   48  (早的) bus there. It was quite a colorful world. there were green trees, orange leaves, red  49   (花). At noon, we reached the place, we   50  (坐) by the river bank and took out a lot of things, such as   51 (面包), orange juice, apples, cakes, eggs and so on.   52 (在…之后) lunch, some classmates played games, some flew kites ,  53  (其他的) painted pictures. But suddenly, it began to rain. Unluckily we didn’t bring umbrellas . We had to take a bus to go back   54  (家) in a hurry. But we still felt very   55  (兴奋) .
What an unforgettable picnic it was!    

根据短文内容，回答下列问题。

Mrs. Herry lived in a city of America. Her husband had a few big stores. Two years ago the rich shopkeeper was hit(被撞) in a traffic accident. He was taken to a hospital at once, but the doctors could not save him and he soon died. He left his wife plenty of money, but the woman was very sad. She sent(打发) all servants(佣人), cooks and drivers away and began to live alone. But she took good care of Bobby, her husband’s dog. And she can’t leave him now.

One summer afternoon, Mrs. Herry went to do some shopping. Suddenly it began to rain, so she had to take a bus. As soon as she got on, she said to the driver, “Can you look for a seat for my dog if I buy a ticket for him, Sir? ”

The driver had a look at the dog and found its legs were very dirty. He said, “Of course I can, Madam. But he must sit on the seat like you do!”

根据短文内容，回答问题。

1.When was the rich shopkeeper hit in a traffic accident?

________________________________________________________

2.Did Mr. Herry leave his wife plenty of money?

________________________________________________________

3.How did Mrs. Herry go home when it began to rain?

________________________________________________________

4.What did Mrs. Herry look for for her dog on the bus?

________________________________________________________

5.Why did the driver want the dog to sit on the seat like Mrs. Herry did?

________________________________________________________

Thousands of years ago, people didn’t know that the Earth moved. They thought the sun really did move across the sky. The Greek god Helios was said to drive the sun around the sky with his chariot（战车）. But now, these ideas have all changed. Nowadays, it is the sun that drives our “chariot” around the sky.
So what does all this mean? Well, quite simply, there is now a plane （or “chariot”） that is powered by the sun. It has special parts in its wings. These parts absorb power from the sun. They absorb so much power that they can carry on flying at night. In the Greek myths（希腊神话）, Helios had to take a break at night. It seems we’re finally even more efficient than the gods themselves.
This plane is called Solar Impulse （“太阳驱动”号）. It will fly across the US in May. This is very important for the future of the world.
So why is solar energy so good for us? Well, other kinds of energy cause a few problems. If you live in China, you’ve probably noticed the pollution. This is caused by burning coal or gas to make energy. The heat and chemicals（化学制品）from this make things work. But if we use the heat from the sun, we don’t have to burn anything, and there’s no pollution.
Solar energy is not all there yet. It needs to be improved. But the best thing about it is that, unlike coal and gas, it doesn’t run out. Solar Impulse could keep flying forever. Well, actually, the sun will run out too, one day, but not for another 5 billion years. That’s a pretty long flight.
【小题1】What does “chariot” really refer to in the last sentence of Paragraph 1?