We like to consider ourselves the superior race, and we are. It’s true that we are getting to know more and more, and we actually live in “the information age”. Our human vanity(虚荣心) makes us believe that we really have to know everything! Surprisingly, we do not have this ability. The question “what is happening in the Bermuda Triangle” is the very proof.

Where is the Bermuda Triangle located? The mysterious triangle is believed to be situated between Florida, Bermuda and Puerto Rico, where too many unusual events have happened.

On December the 5^th 1945, five U.S. military planes took off from Florida on a clear day only to disappear over Bermuda. Furthermore, some other disappearances took place; in 1947, an American C54 plane simply disappeared at 100 miles from Bermuda; at 80 miles, a Star Tiger plane disappeared in 1948.

Even Columbus had trouble in Bermuda. Some of his journals were about the strange happenings there: “the waters are changing their colors” and “compasses are going wild”.

Maybe it’s why it is called the Devil’s triangle or the Atlantic cemetery.

Many hypotheses were stated in order to explain the strange events. In spite of these attempts, the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle remains unsolved.

Some people get to say that maybe aliens are involved in it. Other imaginative scientists relate the happenings in Bermuda to Einstein’s theory, saying that the missing ships and planes are translated to another dimension of space and time and taken into another world.

Maybe we will just have to wait to go to Heaven and ask the One who made it. The answer will surely be a satisfying one!

1.The writer may probably think that______.

2. Columbus’ journals told us that in Bermuda _______.

3.The underlined word “hypotheses” in the 6^th paragraph probably means______.

4.The purpose of the writer is to______.

A fried of mine named Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a naughty street boy was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. “Is this your car, Mister?” he asked..

Paul nodded, “My brother gave it to me for Christmas.” The boy was surprised. “You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you anything? I wish…” He hesitated（犹豫）.

Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the boy said made Paul think all the way.

“I wish ,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that.”

Paul looked at the boy in surprise, adding, “Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?”

“Yes, I’d love that.” After a short ride, the boy turned and said, “Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?”

Paul smiled, He thought he knew what the boy wanted. But Paul was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked.

He ran up the steps. Then in a while Paul heard him coming back, but he didn’t come fast. He was carrying his little crippled（伤残） brother. He pointed to the car and said, “There it is, Buddy, just like I told you up stairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas. And some day I’m going to give one just like it and then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I’ve been trying tell you about. ”

Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.

That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what “It is more blessed to give” means.

1.The naughty street boy wished to _____________ .

A．have a brother like Paul’s

B．get a present from his brother

C．become a brother like Paul’s

D．take a ride in his automobile

2.When the boy asked for a ride home, Paul thought the boy wanted to ______________.

A．play a trick on him

B．own a car like Paul’s

C．pick up someone important to him.

D．show off by riding home in a car

3.What did the boy want to show to his crippled brother?

A．His pride.         B．His bravery.        C．His love.          D．His generosity.

4.What would be the best title for text?

A．A brother like that

B．A Christmas present

C．A boy’s crippled brother

D．An unforgettable Christmas

5.(Originally created)  The last sentence “It is more blessed to give” in this story means following EXCEPT____.

A．It is better to help than to get helped.

B．The more help you give to others, the happier you will feel.

C．To help other people is a way to make a person to become a true man.

D．To give away all your wealth, otherwise, you won’t be blessed by God.

What is the hottest topic at your school? In Hangzhou Yongjin Middle School, it's money. The school ran an activity called" making a living "recently. About 800 Junior1 and Junior 2 students were divided into 112 teams .They went out to make money by selling things.
What did they choose to sell? Some sold newspapers; some chose bottled water ;some sold environmentally friendly shopping bags and bamboo baskets.
Hu Qi's team decided to sell educational books in front of the Children Activity Center. There are always many parents around there and they thought parents would like to spend money for their children, especially on books .But unfortunately, they came across urban management officers(城管）.The officers asked them to leave.
"We played hide-and-seek (捉迷藏）with the officers for the whole morning" said Hu." Finally we gave up and moved to other places."
Wang Yongyi and her team sold ice cream in a square. They didn't meet any officers. But few people were interested in what they were selling.
The team then put up a board saying the money was to help the "Project Hope“for country kids .It worked. More people came to their stall(小摊）.A foreigner even gave them 100 yuan." He didn't want any change .He said he wanted to help the children," said Wang." We were touched ."
They gave the100 yuan to the "Project Hope" office later that day.
Meng Zhaoxiang and his team were luckier. They sold all their cakes in four hours, spending 39.5 yuan and getting back 80yuan.
"It was not easy to make the money," said Meng "Some people just looked .Others just tasted but didn't buy."
Now I know how hard it is for our parents to earn the money we need to lead happy lives."
60.Hu Qi's team sold books in front of the children Activity Center because_____.
A.there were no urban management officers there
B.they could play hide-and -seek there
C.they thought parents would buy books for their kids
D.they are familiar with the place
61.More people came to Wang and her team's stall because they___________.
A.liked their ice cream         B.wanted some change 
C.were interested in their stall   D.wanted to help country kids
62.How much did Meng Zhaoxing's team earn in four hours?
A.39.5yuan    B.80yuan   C.40.5yuan   D.100yuan
63.Through the activity, most children learn that_______.
A.it's hard to make money   B.it's necessary to help country kids
C.it is easy to sell cakes      D.it's important to live a happy life.

Oprah Winfrey, the queen of American daytime talk TV, is considered one of the most powerful women in the world．Now, after 25 years’ hosting The Oprah Winfrey Show, the star has announced she is calling it quits．

According to the Los Angeles Times, the move “signals the beginning of the decline for the daytime talk show．” More women are working full-time jobs, and people are turning to cable (有线电视) and pre-recorded shows for their entertainment．

It may be that Oprah isn’t quitting so much as moving on．She has created the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), and will most likely move her show to the network．If audiences around the world need Oprah, they well know where to look．

Oprah Winfrey was born to a single teenage mother in a small town in rural Mississippi, US．As a child, she lived with poverty and abuse．But she got a job at a local radio station, where her honesty, emotional style won her many fans．She quickly rose through the ranks of radio and television before launching her own production company and starting her own show．

Oprah’s talk show was not the first of its kind, but it quickly became the best and most popular．It made talk shows popular, and others jumped in to start similar shows．But while other talk shows turned ugly, featuring guests who argued and attacked each other with chairs, Oprah rose above the mess．

“Part of her power lies in the fact that her life story resonates (产生共鸣) with her audience, as a kind of version of the American dream,” writes Kevin Connolly, a reporter with the BBC．

She became a star because of the way she opened up about her problems to her audience．She shared her own struggles with relationships and weight．She focused on self-help．Connolly believes “something in her honesty and her sometimes painfully emotional directness struck home with a certain type of American”．

1.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

2.What does the underlined sentence mean?

3.From Kevin Connolly, we know people like Oprah’s show for all the reasons EXCEPT ________．

4.According to the text, Oprah ________．

Beatrix Potter was a great English writer and artist, best known for her children's books featuring animal characters such as in the children's classic -- The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

         Beatrix was born into a rich London-based family where she was tutored by very strict private teachers and so spent her youth isolated from other youngsters.

         During her youth she had a lot of pets and spent vacations in Scotland and also the Lake District. It was at the Lake District that she developed a love of wildlife. She studied the area's natural wonders carefully and painted them continuously. But her old-fashioned, Manchester-born parents discouraged her intellectual improvement, thinking it inappropriate for a young lady. However, her study and watercolour paintings of wild mushrooms made her widely respected within the field of biology.

         In her 30's, Beatrix Potter wrote the remarkably successful kid's book, The Tale of Pew Rabbit. Close to that time she became secretly engaged to her publisher Norman Warne. This caused a great disagreement with her parents, who did not approve of Beatrix getting married to somebody of lower social status. Sadly, Warne died before the marriage ceremony.

         Ultimately Beatrix Potter began writing and also illustrating (绘图) kid's books full-time. Using profits from her books, Beatrix grew to become economically independent of her parents and was eventually in a position to buy Hill Top Farm in the Lake District. She extended the property with additional purchases of neighbouring land over time. In her 40's, Bestrix married William Heelis, a local lawyer. She ended up becoming a sheep breeder and farmer while continuing to publish as well as illustrate books for children. In all she authored 23 publications.

         Beatrix died on December 22, 1943, and left the majority of her property to the National Trust. Her books carry on selling well globally, in many different languages. Her stories have been retold in numerous formats including a ballet, movies, and cartoons.

         Such is her reputation, and that of the characters from her publications, that many Beatrix Potter statues have been created. These tiny Beatrix Potter statues which include pretty much all the actual characters in her publications have become highly valued by art collects and fans of her literature throughout the world.

1. What can we learn about Beatrix Potter's early life?

   A. She learned drawing skills from her tutors.

   B. She was very sociable and outgoing.

   C. She was greatly inspired by the beauty of nature.

   D. She was encouraged to think creatively and independently.

2.Why did Beatrix Potter's parents oppose the idea of her marriage to Norman Warne?

   A. They did not believe she was mature enough to get married.

   B. They thought Warne was only interested in Beatrix Potter's wealth.

   C. They believed that the couple's characters were mismatched.

   D. They considered Warne to be too common for their daughter.

3.According to the passage, which part of the UK did Beatrix Potter love most?

   A. Manchester.         B. Scotland.           C. The Lake District.      D. London.

4.In which of the following areas did Beatrix Potter show an interest during her life?

   A. Writing, biology, farming.

   B. Drawing, nature, ballet.

   C. Movies, farming, drawing.

   D. Writing, mushrooms, travel.

5.What is the function of the last two paragraphs of the passage?

   A. To describe the consequences of Beatrix Potter's death.

   B. To present the lasting cultural influence of Beatrix Potter and her works..

   C. To show the changes in attitude towards Beatrix Potter's works over the past years.

   D. To criticize the commercialization of Beatrix Potter's characters since her death.