Do you know what the White House is? Perhaps some of you do，while others don't.

　The White House is a house in Washington. The president of the U.S.A. lives in it. It's really white. But do you know why the White House is white? The story happened in 1812. That year England was at war with America. The British army got to Washington and set the president's house on fire. In 1814，in order to hide the marks of the fire，the stone walls of the president's house were painted white and it has been the “White House”ever since.

1. White House is a house for ___________.

　　  A. the American people.　　  B. the soldiers of U.S.A.   C. the presidents of U.S.A.　 

2.England fought with America in ____________.

　　  A. 1810　　　　　　       B. 1812　　　 C. 1814　　　  　　 

3. The house is called “White House” because ____________.

　　  A. it's covered with snow      B. the house is very clean

 C. the stone walls of the house were painted white

4.The White House was painted white because ____________.

　　  A. the house is old　　  B. the house is new  C. it was once on fire and was with marks

5. “ever since” means ___________.

　　  A. never　　               B. once　　   C. from then on　　

BALTIMORE. MARYLAND—An old postcard changed the lives of an eleven-year-old boy and a very sick woman. The postcard had a picture of the steamship Titanic. The Titanic was the largest ocean ship in the world. It hit an iceberg（冰山）and sank on April 14. 1912. More than 1,500 of the 2,200 people on the ship were killed.

　　The postcard was passed from one person to another for more than 80 years. Then it appeared at a card show for people who liked to collect postcards. An eleven-year-old boy, Joey Russell, came to the show with his grandfather. His grandfather knew everything about the Titanic and its trip from England to New York. “Let’s buy that postcard.” he told Joey. “It will be important someday.”

　　Two years later, Joey’s grandfather took him on a special trip. They went on a trip to the North Atlantic ocean to watch as workers pulled the Titanic up from the bottom of the ocean. Joey put his special postcard in his bag for the trip. On the ship, Joey met Edith Haisman. This woman was on the Titanic when it sank. She was one of the people who were rescued. Joey pulled the postcard out of his pocket. “Please sign this, Mrs. Haisman.” he said. She was happy to write her name on the back of the postcard.

When Joey got home, he put the postcard away and forgot about it, Then Kate Shelley, one of Joey’s friends, told him that her mother was very sick. She needed an operation, but there was a problem. The operation was very expensive, and the family needed $80, 000 to pay for it. Friends and relatives tried to help. But where could they get so much money?

　　Then when Joey went to see the new movie “Titanic”, he had an idea. “Millions of people are seeing this movie and reading about the Titanic.” Joey thought. He remembered the old postcard with Edith Haisman’s signature on it. “Maybe I can sell it for some money. Then I can help Kate’s mom.”

　　Joey told his mother and father about his idea to help Mrs. Shelley. His parents helped him try to sell the postcard to the person who would pay the most money for it. Joey’s story was on television and in newspapers. Joey and Kate even went to New York to be on a national TV show. After the show, many people called in to offer money for the Titanic card. Someone bought it for $60. 000.

Joey’s kind heart and the old Titanic postcard worked together to save a woman’s life.

1.Which of the following is NOT true about the old postcard?

A. The Titanic was the largest steamship in the world in 1912.

B. The steamship Titanic hit an iceberg and sank about a hundred years ago

C. Over two thousand passengers were killed in the ocean accident.

D. More than eighty years had passed before the postcard belonged to Joey.

2.Joey Russell _________.

A. decided to buy the postcard at a shop

B. showed great interest in collecting postcards

C. took the postcard with him to see Mrs. Shelley

D. asked Mrs. Haisman to sign her name on his postcard

3.What does the underlined word “rescued” mean in the sentence?

A. Be made safe from danger.

B. Be on an ocean trip.

C. Be working on board.

D. Be asked to sell the postcard.

4.When did Joey Russell have the idea of selling his old postcard for money?

A. When Kate Shelley told him of her mother’s sickness.

    B. When he went to see the new movie “Titanic”.

    C. When he was reading the new book of Titanic.

    D. When he remembered Mrs. Haisman’s signature on his card.

5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The Titanic arrived in New York at the end of April, 1912.

B. At the age of 13, Joey Russell got Mrs. Haisman’s signature.

C. Joey Russell sold out his postcards on a national TV show.

D. The Titanic card was sold to many people for $60, 000.

Spring is coming．People in different countries like different outdoor activities．Leo，a reporter from Learning English in interviewing（采访）some students．Here is what they have said．
Mary （13, America）　　
I want to go out of the city to a beautiful field. It's happy to smell beautiful flowers, touch green grass and take some photos. And I like to have a picnic in the field, It's interesting!
Jim （14, Canada）　　
The weather turns warmer and they days become longer in spring. It's a good time to go camping. It would be fun to sleep in a tent. I enjoy the comfortable weather too.
Tony （13, England）
In spring, I like going cycling alone. It can not only make me enjoy the beautiful season but also help me became stronger. I can write something about what I see on the way.
Wang Fang （12, China）
I'm good at making all kinds of kites. And in spring. I like flying kites with my family or my friends in the park. One of us holds the kite. and another one catches the line. It's exciting to see the kite flying high in the sky.
【小题1】Mary maybe lives in the ______.

  Ann comes from England. She’s English. She speaks English. She can also speak a little Chinese. She’s in Shanghai now. She’s studying(学习) in a middle school of Shanghai. She has classes on weekdays. On Sundays she often plays games with her Chinese friends. Her father is working in a factory near her school. He helps the Chinese workers to make nice watches. Ann and her father like Chinese food. And they like China and the Chinese people very much.
【小题1】Which is right(正确的)?
A. Ann speaks little Chinese.　   B. Ann is good at Chinese.
C. Ann can speak some Chinese.
【小题2】   Can Ann’s father speak Chinese?
A. We don’t know.　　      B. Yes.　　　　　　　    C. No.
【小题3】   Ann has _______ classes on Sundays.
A.some                  B.no                        C.many
【小题4】   Ann’s father works in a _______ factory.
A.bike                 B.watch                 C.food
【小题5】   Does Ann’s father like China?
A. We don’t know.　　      B. Yes.　　　　　　　    C. No.

An English traveler found himself in Norway with only enough money to buy the ticket for him to go back home. As he knew that it would take him only two days to get to England, he decided that he could easily spend the time without food. So he bought a ticket and got on the ship. The man closed his ears to the sound of the lunch bell. When dinnertime came, he didn’t go to dinning room, saying that he was not feeling very well.

　　The next morning he still didn’t have breakfast and at lunchtime he again stayed in his room. But at dinnertime he was so hungry that he went to the dinning room and ate everything the waiter put in front of him. He got ready for the quarrel(争执).

　　“Bring me the bill,” he said. “The bill, sir?” said the waiter in surprise. “There isn’t any bill. On our ship meals are included (包括) in the money for the ticket,” said the waiter.

1.The story happened _________.

A. in England?????????

B. on a ship from Norway to England

C. in Norway????????

D. on a ship from England to Norway

2.The traveler didn’t go to the dinning room first because __________.

A. he had no money???????????????? B. he didn’t feel very well

C. he didn’t want to eat anything????? D. he didn’t hear the sound of the bell

3.The traveler went to the dinning room to eat something because __________.

A. his friend had given him some money

B. the waiter had asked him to change his mind

C. he learned that there was no bill on the ship

D. he was too hungry

4.After the traveler finished eating, __________.

A. he had a quarrel with waiter over the bill

B. he drank a lot

C. he asked the waiter to bring him the change(零钱)

D. he came to know that travelers on the ship had free meals