Have you ever thought of taking a train and having an adventure (奇遇)？Riding the train can be a real adventure.That is how I feel every time I take Amtrak.I often take a four?hour trip to visit my children.Every time I take this trip I never know what will happen.

Last week when I was on the train and over an hour into the train ride，there was a man sitting by himself in the back of the train carrying on a mobile phone conversation— in another language.It was loud and disturbed most of the people on the train.I think it was annoying.

Fortunately I sat next to a wonderful old lady who was taking a two?day trip by train.She said her two daughters were distraught at the thought of her driving for three days to reach her home，although she had no trouble driving.The train ride was the only choice for her.She loved to look out of the window and watch the world go by on the train.

She was fun to talk to and asked me when my children started being parents.That is a very good question.Both of us are old and have children.She asked that same question from time to time.

There are always many people on the train from all walks of life，different countries，and many languages.Riding the train is a great way to increase your knowledge and take in all kinds of cultures.If you get hungry，you can buy food in the food car at any time.If you need to use the restroom there is always one available.

It sure beats driving the car，which has to stop for food and restrooms.And it is better than taking the bus.

1．According to the passage，the purpose of the author’s train ride was________.

A．to do business　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．to see her children

C．to visit places of interest 　　　　　　　　　 D．to see her old friends

2．Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “distraught” in Paragraph 3?

A．Disappointed. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．Satisfied.

C．Worried. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．Pleased.

3．Which of the following is TRUE about the old lady sitting next to the author?

A．She is too old to drive now.

B．She does not like to take trains.

C．Although she is old，she has a good memory.

D．Her daughters live far away from her home.

4．In the author’s opinion，on the train Amtrak________.

A．the services are quite good

B．the food is terribly expensive

C．all the passengers are polite

D．all the passengers are American

5．What is the best title for this passage?

A．Train ride—a cultural experience

B．A painful experience on the train

C．The history of Amtrak

D．A wonderful lady

Do you still remember the terrible earthquake in 2008 in Sichuan, which killed at least 87,000 people and left millions homeless? On the twelfth day after the earthquake, Premier Wen Jiabao said, “A new Wenchuan will rise from the ruins（废墟）.” Now his words have come true. Three years has passed and the worst-hit areas in Sichuan have risen from the ruins.
So far, 95% of the reconstruction projects（重建项目）have been completed. Nearly 3,000 schools, 1,000 hospitals and more than 5 million homes have been built. Now everyone has been provided with a home, a job and social security（社保）.
Dong Xinjun, a villager in Qingchuan, said volunteers from Zhejiang taught him how to grow mushrooms and now he makes about 3,000 yuan more than before every year.
Zhu Lihu, the headmaster of a village primary school in Qingchuan, told us that teaching equipment had been greatly improved. Now they have new classrooms, a library and a computer room with 20 computers.
On May 8th, 2011, Premier Wen Jiabao made his 10th visit to Sichuan Province after the earthquake. He visited a lot of middle schools and neighborhoods. At Beichuan Middle School, Premier Wen embraced a student named Zheng Haiyang, who lost both of his legs in the earthquake. The students told Premier Wen that their new school was very beautiful. And they would never forget that it was built with the hearts and strength of people across the whole country.
Premier Wen believes that the people in Wenchuan have a “strong will” and a “bright future”. They will never back down, but stand bravely on this land.
【小题1】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Nearly 1,000 schools have been built.

B．Dong Xinjun makes about 3,000 yuan every year.

C．Zhu Lihu’s new school has a new large gym.

D．Zheng Haiyang is a student of Beichuan Middle School.

【小题2】What does the underlined word “embraced” mean in Paragraph 5?

A．Put arms around him in a loving way.

B．Shook hands with him in a friendly way.

C．Bowed to him in a very polite way.

D．Smiled at him in a very kind way.

【小题3】How does the passage show us “Wenchuan has risen from the ruins”?

A．By giving facts and examples.

B．By comparing different places.

C．By describing people’s looks.

D．By using volunteers’ words.

Do you know more and more Chinese artists have made regular donations to charity or put their efforts into charity work in China? Here let’s know some of them.

Faye Wong and her husband Li Yapeng started the Yan Ran Angel Foundation for harelipped(兔唇的) children three years ago. It was named after their daughter. Its purpose is to help children under 14 to cure their harelips. The couple donated one million yuan (about $ 133,000) to start the organization.

Cong Fei was born in a poor family. He became a successful singer in Shenzhen. He helped 178 poor students and disabled people for more than 10 years. Before he died of an illness at the age of 37 in 2006, he decided to donate his cornea(角膜) to people with eye diseases. He helped six people see the world.

Guan Mucun has donated money to Project Hope to help poor students finish primary education. Thirty of these poor students have already finished high school with her support. Guan has also helped with charity work for environment protection, HIV/AIDS prevention, blood donation and “Mother Water”. Guan had an unlucky childhood: her mother died when she was only 10. years old. With the help of the government and her neighbors, she grew up and was successful as a famous singer.

Action star Jackie Chan is a wholehearted supporter of charities including UNICEF, Operation Smile and his own Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation. In 2007, he used much of his spare time to visit the farthest parts of China on his Dragon’s Heart Charity Missions.The Dragon’s Heart Foundation aims to meet the needs of poor children and the elderly in the hardest-to-reach areas of the country. Chan has made several trips to these poor villages, bringing warm clothing, wheelchairs and school supplies, and helping to build schools.

【小题1】Who can get help from the Yan Ran Angel Foundation?

A．Harelipped children under 14.	B．All disabled children.
C．All disabled children under 14.	D．All harelipped children.

【小题2】 What can we learn from the passage?

A．Faye Wong and Li Yapeng don’t like their daughter.

B．More than 7 people’s eyes were cured thanks to Cong Fei’s Cornea.

C．Guan Mucun was once helped by the government and her neighbors.

D．Jackie Chan didn’t have chance to visit the people he helped.

【小题3】 What is the passage mainly about?

A．Chinese charity work.

B．Charity work of some Chinese artists.

C．Some famous Chinese artists.

D．Organizations started by Chinese artists.

A sign is another kind of language. Here are some of them that you see on the roads.

Number one is a sign with the number thirty on it. When drivers see this sign , they must not go at more than thirty kilometers can hour. We see this sign when we are getting near a town. Number two is a sign that we're near a crossing. We must drive carefully. Number three is a sign that there is a bend in the road. Again, we must drive slowly and carefully. It is not safe to go round a bend very fast. Number four is a sign that there is another road coming in from the right. There is a junction at this place. Number five is a sign that there is a hill and number six is a sign that the road gets narrow. Drivers must go slowly and carefully. Number seven has the word “ SCHOOL” on it. This is a sign that there is a school at the side of the street or the road. Perhaps there are children going to or leaving school. So drivers must look carefully and go slowly. Number eight is a sign with the letter “ P ” on it. The letter “ P ” means “ Parking ”. At some places, there're the signs “ No parking ” or “ No waiting”. If a driver leaves his car near one of these signs, a policeman may come and write down the number of his car.
【小题1】At the places where you see Sign 1,        .

A．you are already out of a town

B．you still have thirty kilometers to go

C．there must be many houses and buildings not far away

D．there must be a town thirty k8ilometers away

【小题2】The underlined word bend probably means         here.

A．traffic	B．subway
C．turning	D．danger

【小题3】You have to drive not only slowly but also carefully when you find        .

A．each of the eight signs

B．either of Signs 2 and 3

C．all of Signs 2, 4, 6 and 7

D．any of Signs 3, 5, 6 and 7

【小题4】People put these signs on the road in order to        .

A．teach drivers lesson

B．make drivers even safer

C．stop cars going there

D．learn another kind of language

【小题5】Which can be the best title for this message?

A．Another language.

B．On the road.

C．What to do.

D．Traffic signs.

Have you ever rubbed your hands together when they get cold? Why do we do that? We do that for friction. Friction happens when two things that aren’t very smooth rub together to make heat energy. The faster you rub two things together, the more friction (and heat) you can make. Let’s discover friction!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED: ● Soap           ● Water          ● Your hands! WHAT TO DO: 1. Make sure your hands are dry. 2. Rub your hands together until you feel the heat of your hands. 3. Now, use soap and water to get your hands very slippery (滑的). 4. Try to make friction happen while your hands are slippery. 5. Please write down what has happened. LET’S TALK! Friction is an energy that happens when two things rub together. When friction happens, it makes heat! When your hands are slippery, they won’t make very much friction and your hands won’t get so hot. DID YOU KNOW? 1. Friction happens when you stop your fast running bike. 2. Ancient people made fires by rubbing two pieces of wood together. Friction happened though they didn’t know it.         ?        Friction is everywhere. Have you ever noticed situations where friction is happening? If not, ask your parents to take you out in a car. If it is not too hot, touch the tires (轮胎) of the car before and after a short drive to see how much warmer they get from friction.

根据表格内容，选择正确答案。
【小题1】 You’d better make your hands                 to get heat when you rub them.

A．slippery

B．dry

C．wet

D．smooth

【小题2】 What does the word “friction” in this text mean in Chinese?

A．摩擦

B．冷却

C．膨胀

D．震动

【小题3】                        is NOT an example of friction.

A．Bike riding

B．Car driving

C．Hands rubbing

D．Friction discovering

【小题4】 What’s the last column (栏目)?

A．THINK IT OVER!	B．WHAT HAPPENED?
C．EVERYDAY ACTION:	D．WORK WITH PARENTS!

【小题5】This text is most probably                         .

A．a science report	B．a car advertisement
C．a rubbing introduction	D．a chemistry programme