Save water, save lives
A BOTTLE of water may not seem like much to you, but it can save the day for people who live in drought-hit (遭受旱灾) areas in China.
In the past few months, some places in southwest China experienced a serious drought. In Yunnan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou and Chongqing, there has been very little rain since last autumn. Crops died, the land cracked, and wells (井) and rivers dried up. More than 20 million people are having difficulty finding safe drinking water.
After learning about the drought, many people around the country helped by giving water, money and other resources.
Last week, China asked every member of the Communist Youth League (团员) and Young Pioneers (少先队员) to give one bottle of water to the drought-hit area. Students in primary schools and middle schools quickly joined the activity.
“A bottle of water isn’t much, but thousands of bottles will be of great use,” said Zhang Zihao, a middle school student at Tongling No 1 Middle School in Anhui.
In Yuhua Primary School in Xi’an, 900 students bought over 100 bottles of water with their pocket money. They also wrote their wishes on the bottles.
The serious drought has also made students realize the importance of saving water.
Students from Nanshan Middle School in Huizhou in Guangdong went on the street to tell people to take part in water-saving activities.
“I heard that some children in drought-hit areas don’t have enough drinking water. They have to drink muddy (泥泞的) water. I feel really sad about that,” said one student. “I decided to take a shower twice a week instead of every day to save water.” he said.

1. 1.

   Why did a serious drought happen in Southwest China?
                                                                          

2. 2.

   What does the underlined（划线的）word “cracked” probably mean in Chinese?
                                                                          

3. 3.

   What did people do after learning about the drought?
                                                                          

4. 4.

   Is a bottle of water helpful for the people in drought-hit areas?
                                                                          

5. 5.

   What can you learn from the passage?
                                                                          

Save the Wild Tiger

　　 When people think of tigers, they think: strong and dangerous.

But now, the big animal is calling for our help.

　　 There were once eight kinds of 　　46　　 in the world, but three died out during the 20th century. In the last 70 years, the 47　 of Siberian tigers (东北虎) has gone from as many as 300 to 　 48　 22 somewhere. The Siberian tiger has been 　　49 dying out completely. If the government doesn't make any efforts, it'squite 　　50　 that there will be no more Siberian tigers in China in ten to twenty years.

　　 In order to double the number of wild tigers in the 　　51　　 ten years, the World Wildlife Fund (世界自然基金会) has started a program recently. It　 52　 save wild tigers and put an end to tiger hunting and killing. China, together with twelve other　 53　 , has joined in.

　　 Wild animals, such as red deer and wild pigs, are the main 　　54　 of the tigers. The hunting of these animals is the greatest threat (威胁) to tigers. So the most important thing is 　55　　 the animals that tigers eat. To protect the wild tigers, we need to call on more people to stop eating and hunting wild animals.

46. A. pigs　　　　　　　　　　 B. tigers　　　　　　　 C. deer

47. A. name　　　　　　　　　 B. kind　　　　　　　　 C. number

48. A. less than　　　　　　　　 B. more than　　 　　　　C. bigger than

49. A. in need of　　　　　　　 B. in danger of 　　　　　　C. in front of

50. A. possible　　　　　　　　 B. impossible　　　　　 　 C. necessary

51. A. last　　　　　　　　　　 B. next　　　　　　　　 　C. past

52. A. aims to　　　　　　　　 B. used to　　　　　　　 　C. refuses to

53. A. cities 　　　　　　　　　B. provinces　　　　　　 C. countries

54. A. friends　　　　　　　　　 B. food　　　　　　　　 　C. members

55. A. to sell　　　　　　　　　 B. to kill　　　　　　 　　C. to save

Save the Wild Tiger

When people think of tigers, they think: strong and dangerous. But now, the big animal is calling for our help.

There were once eight kinds of 　43 in the world, but three died out during the 20th century. In the last 70 years, the 　44 of Siberian tigers（东北虎）has gone from as many as 300 to_____45____22 somewhere The Siberian tiger has been___46____ dying out completely. If the government doesn’t make any efforts, it’s quite___47____ that there will be no more Siberian tigers in China in the to twenty years.

In order to double the number of wild tigers in the __48___ ten years the World Wildlife Fund (世界自然基金会) has started a program recently It ___49___save wild tigers and put an end to tiger hunting and killing. China together with twelve other____50___, has joined in.

Wild animals, such as red deer and wild pigs, are the main ____51____ of the tigers. The hunting of these animals is the greatest threat(威胁)to tigers. So the most important thing is ___52____ the animals that tigers eat. To protect the wild tigers, we need to call on more people to stop eating and hunting wild animals.

（　 ）43. A. pigs　　　　　　　 B. tigers　　　　　　　 C. deer　　　　　　　　 D. lions

（　 ）44. A. name　　　　　　 B. kind　　　　　　　　 C. number　　 　　　 D. type

（　 ）45. A. less than　　　 B. more than　　　　 C. bigger than　　　 D. over

（　 ）46. A. in need of　　 B. in danger of　　　　　　 C. in front of 　　 D. out of

（　 ）47. A. possible　　　　 B. impossible　　　　 C. necessary 　　　 D. sure

（　 ）48. A. last　　　　　　　 B. next　　　　　　　　　 C. past 　　　　　　　 D. later

（　 ）49. A. aims to　　　　 B. used to　　　　　　 C. refuses to 　　　 D. in order to

（　 ）50. A. cities　　　　　　 B. provinces　　　　 C. countries 　　　　 D. towns

（　 ）51. A. friends　　　　　 B. food　　　　　　　　 C. members 　　　　 D. groups

（　 ）52. A. to sell　　　　　 B. to kill　　　　　　　　 C. to save 　　　　　 D. to keep

Save the Game

　 The basketball final between Perfect School and Sunrise School has entered white-hot stage. There are only fifteen seconds left. Sunrise School is one point ahead. Mitchell, who is one of the best players of Perfect School, is now controlling the ball. The students are extremely excited. They cannot help standing up and shouting, “Go! Mitchell!”Other teammates also encourage Mitchell, “Take a shot, boy!”

　 Mitchell knows it will be the last shot. He hesitates (犹豫) and falls into careful thinking. He imagines that he shoots from the halfway line. The hall turns quiet. All eyes follow the track of the basketball. It jumps round the ring over and over again and finally rolls out of the court. The world turns noisy. Mitchell sees his coach lower his head, his teammates kneel down and his fans cry. It gives him so much pain. It is the last match for his coach before retiring. All the teammates practiced hard and hoped to give their coach a perfect ending. But now, the bubble bursts (破裂).

　 “Is that what you want?” Mitchell asks himself.“Certainly not. But how can I change the situation? Teamwork!”Mitchell returns to reality from his thinking. He does not have a shot by himself but surprisingly passes the basketball to his teammate, Jack, who is standing near the basket. Jack catches the basketball and quickly scores a two-point shot. There goes the whistle at the same time. Perfect School finally wins the game.

50. When there are only fifteen seconds left, ______.

A. the students are surprised

B. Mitchell’s coach is shouting

C. Sunrise team is one point ahead

D. Perfect team is two points ahead

51. How does Mitchell help his team win the game?

A. He tries to stand near the basket.

B. He passes the basketball to Jack.

C. He shoots from the halfway line.

D. He quickly scores a two-point shot.

52. What can we learn from the story?

A. Teamwork helps win the game.

B. Jack is the most popular player.

C. The coach will retire next year.

D. The hall turns quiet after the final shot.

To save yourself from embarrassment (尴尬)， it’s good to read a few books or research online about the culture and customs of the country you plan to visit.
Clothing: Wearing shorts in public is generally not acceptable in most parts of the world, including some European countries.
Greetings: Handshake is a usually accepted form of greeting, although in some countries, like Japan, a traditional bow(鞠躬) is preferred. Be careful how you talk with someone; don’t use first names unless you are invited to do something.
Language/Gestures: learn some polite expressions (hello-goodbye-thank you) and relax. English is pretty common worldwide, especially in tourist areas and you can always use body language to get your message across. However, some Americans gestures have different meanings in other countries. For example, in Bulgaria, shaking your head usually means  “yes”; shaking it “vertically” means “ no”.
Food/Drink: you may find yourself looking down at a local delicious snake soup in china, sheep’s eyes in Saudi Arabia… and wonder what to do; especially you are guests in someone’s home. Be brave, take small bites, and pretend it tastes like something you like. Remember that some Buddhists don’t eat beef, and Muslims don’t eat pork. If you are eating with Muslims, never touch food with left hand (the left hand is for bathroom use).
Conversations: if you know the history and culture of the country, you will be confident. The French are angry at the classic American question: “What do you do for a living?” and so on.
【小题1】You should learn about _______ of the country if you want to go to another country.