On Nov.18th, 1908, three men went up in a balloon. They started early in London. The headman was Auguste Gaudron, and the other two men were Tannar and Maitland. They had a big balloon and they were ready for a long way.

Soon they heard the sea. They were carrying the usual rope, and it was hanging down from the basket of the balloon. At the end of the rope they had tied a metal box. This could hold water, or it could be empty. So they were able to use the box to change the weight of the balloon. The three people were also carrying some bags of sand.

After the sun rose, the balloon went higher. It went up to 3,000 metres, and the air was very cold. The water in the balloon became ice. Snow fell past the men's basket, and they could see more snow on the ground. The men tried to throw out some more sand; but it was hard. They tried to break the icy sand with their knives, but it was not easy. The work was slow and they were still falling, so they had to drop some whole bags of sand. One of them fell on an icy lake and made a black hole in the ice.

　　At last they pulled the box into the basket. It was still snowing; so they climbed to get away from the snow. They rose to 5,100 metres! Everything became icy. They were very cold and  they decided to land. They came down in Poland　heavily but safely. They had travelled 1,797 kilometres from London!

1.Where did they start their travel on Nov.18th, 1908?

                                                                             

2.What was the metal box used for?

                                                                            

3. Why did they have to drop some whole bags of sand during the travel?

                                                                             

4. How long did they travel in the end?

                                                                            

5.

What do you think of the three people and their travel? (请自拟一句话作答)

                                                                             

 

Different weather makes people feel different.It influences health, intelligence(智力) and feelings.

　　In August, it is very hot and wet in the southern part of the United States.People there have heart trouble and other kinds of health problems during this month.In the Northeast and the Middle West, it is very hot at some times and very cold at other times.People in these states(州) have more heart trouble after the weather changes in February or March.

　  The weather can also influence intelligence.For example, in a 1983 report by scientists, IQ(智商) of a group of students was very high when a very strong wind came, but after the strong wind, their IQ was 10% lower.The wind can help people have more intelligence.Very hot weather, on the other hand, can make it lower.Students in many schools of the United States often get worse on exams in the hot months of the year (July and August).

　　Weather also has a strong influence on people’s feelings.Winter may be a bad time for thin people.They usually feel cold during these months.They might feel unhappy during cold weather.But fat people may have a hard time in hot summer.At about 18℃, people become stronger.

　Low air pressure(气压) may make people forgetful(健忘).People leave more bags on buses and in shops on low-pressure days.People feel best at a temperature of about 18℃.

Are you feeling sad, tired, forgetful, or unhappy today? It may be the weather’s problem.

根据短文内容，从A、B、C、D四个选项中选择最恰当的答案。

1.What can cause problems on health？

A.Hot and wet weather   B.A strong wind

C.Warm weather   D.Low air pressure

2.A report shows that people may have more intelligence when ______ comes.

A.rain      B.a strong wind       C.very hot weather      D.low air pressure

3.According to(根据) the writer, fat people may feel bad in ______ weather.

A.cold      B.cool        C.warm         D.hot

4.The writer wants to tell us that ______.

A.hot and cold weather influences all people in the same way

B.weather influences people’s behaviour

C.IQ changes when weather changes

D.people feel good on low pressure days

5.Which is the best title(标题) for this passage？

A.Hot Weather Causes Health Problems

B.Different Weather Makes People Feel Bad

C.Weather Influences Feelings

D.Weather Influences Health, Intelligence and Feelings

 

补全短文。（共10小题；每小题1分，计10分）

用方框内所给单词的适当形式填空，使短文完整、通顺。

thousand,  many,  change,  help,  make, in,  close,  they,  also,  little

Saving electricity and water is important in our life. There are 1.　　　　 little things for us to do at home to help save the Earth. They’re small, but  2.　　　　 of people do the same thing and  3.　　　　 a great difference. By making some small 4.　 　 to the way you do things at home, you are helping our planet day by day.

You can spend 5.　　　　 and improve your health better at the same time, so

6.　　　　 to save the environment is a good exercise!

You can use windows to make the house good to live in. You can keep windows and doors 7.　　　　 to keep the house warm in winter and open in summer. The wind will often keep you as cool as 8.　　　　 the open air.

And you must do something to save water. The water that you use in the kitchen can

9.　　　　 be used to wash the rice or water the flowers, and it’s very good for 10.　　　　. Please always remember to turn off the lights when you leave.

 

At the shopping mall, you probably think about spending, not saving. Think about all the lights that keep the mall bright. Think about all the water faucets in the toilet. Think about all the air conditioning in summer. Saving energy is a hot topic for such a big place!
　　Many things at the mall use energy. Electric lights, infrared faucets and air-conditioners need electricity to work. One way to save energy is by keeping lights clean. More and more dust and dirt make the lights less bright. When  malls keep lights clean, they can use fewer lights and keep the area just as bright ,Using fewer lights means using less energy.
You step up to the  water faucet. The water starts to flow. You don't have to touch a thing. Why do malls have such fancy faucets?. The answer is simple. They save water. Sometimes people forget to turn the water off after they wash. Infrared faucets turn themselves off.
The…
【小题1】________is a hot topic for a big mall.

A．To spend money	B．To save energy
C．To keep the mall bright	D．To buy things

【小题2】Malls use infrared faucets mainly because________

A．they save water

B．they are fancy

C．they are simple

D．they turn themselves off

【小题3】Which of the following cannot save energy?

A．Using fewer lights.	B．Using infrared faucets.
C．Using air-conditioners	D．Keeping lights clean.

【小题4】What will the fourth paragraph probably talk about?

A．How to save water when using infrared faucets in the mall

B．How to save energy when using air-conditioners in the mall

C．How to save money when shopping in the mall.

D．How to spend money when shopping in the mall.

【小题5】The best title for the passage is_________

A．Lights, faucets and air-conditioners

B．Spending less money

C．Energy saving at the mall

D．A hot topic

For several years, Americans have enjoyed teleshopping—watching TV and buying things by phone.Now teleshopping is starting in Europe (欧洲).In a number of European countries, people can turn on their TVs and shop for clothes, jewelry, food, toys, and many other things.

Teleshopping is becoming popular in Sweden, for example.The biggest Swedish company sells different kinds of things on TV in 15 European countries, and in one year it made ＄100 million.In France there are two teleshopping channels, and the French spend about ＄20 million a year to buy things through these channels.

In Germany, until last year teleshopping was only possible on one channel for 1 hour every day.Then the government allowed (允许) more telepshopping.Other channels can open for telebusiness, including (包括) the largest American teleshopping company and a 24?hour teleshopping company.German businessmen are hoping this new teleshopping will help them sell more things.

Some people like teleshopping because it allows them to do their shopping without leaving their homes .With all the problems of traffic in the cities, this is an important reason.But at the same time, other Europeans do not like this new way of shopping.They call teleshopping “junk (垃圾) on the air”.Many Europeans usually worry about the quality (质量) of the things for sale on TV.Good quality is important to them, and they believe they cannot be sure about the quality of the things on TV.

The need for high quality means that European teleshopping companies will have to be different from the American companies.They will have to be more careful about the quality of the things they sell.They will also have to work harder to sell things that the buyers cannot touch or see in person.

(   )11.Teleshopping is ____ in Europe.   

　　A.not popular    B.growing    C.not possible    D.cheap

(   )12.People like teleshopping because it is ____ .

　　A.American     B.cheaper     C.easier         D.more popular

(   )13.Some Europeans don't like teleshopping because they ____ .

A.don't like to buy things               

B.don't watch TV

C.believe the things sold on TV are expensive

D.think the things sold on TV are bad quality

(   )14.In Germany, teleshopping may ____ .

A.help businessmen get more money      B.keep the shops open longer

C.have fewer buyers                   D.bring better TV programmes

(   )15.The best title of this passage is ____ .

A.American Teleshopping           B.Teleshopping Companies

C.Teleshopping in Europe           D.Teleshopping—Junk on the Air