Once upon a time, in the forest there lived a baby elephant who had no friends. None of the animals wanted to be his friend because he was too large.

One day, a wild fire happened in the forest. The animals ran to safer places. The dry trees caught fire and the fire was sure to go all around the forest. The baby elephant ran to the nearest river, collected much water in his trunk（象鼻） and rushed to the burning trees. He sprayed（噴） the water on the fire. Finally, he put out the fire.

Later, while he was resting after the hard job, all the animals came to him and expressed their thanks for his kind help in time. They were now ready to regard him as their good friend and their hero. They said, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.”

The baby elephant was happy to get so many friends and played games with them. He walked through the forest, carrying several small animals on his back.

1.Why did the baby elephant have no friends at first?

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2.Where did the wild fire happen?

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3.Who put out the fire in the end?

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4.What was the baby elephant doing after the hard work?

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5.Was the baby elephant happy to get so many friends?

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1.Because he was too large. 2.In the forest. 3.The baby elephant 4.He was resting. 5.Yes, he was. 【解析】試題分析：本文是一篇記敘文，主要講述了一頭小象因為個頭太大而沒有朋友。一天森林著火了，小象用它的長鼻子吸水撲滅了火，拯救了森林和動物。所有的動物都視小象為好朋友和英雄...

My mother only had one eye. I never wanted her to show up in my school. One day during my primary school, I was terribly ill and my mother came. “Your mother only has one eye!” Some of my classmates yelled(喊叫). I wished my mother would just disappear(消失). I shouted at her, taking no notice of the sad look on her face. My mother just handed me some medicine and left without saying anything.

At that time, I didn’t think I had hurt her feelings. That night I saw my mother crying in her room. Even so, I hated her tears from one eye. I made a decision: I must study hard and leave my mother.

Years later my dream came true. I was quite successful. I never thought of going back to see my “ugly” mother until one day I got a letter.

“My son I’m sorry I only have one eye. When you were little, you had an accident and lost your eye. I couldn’t stand watching you live with only one eye. So I gave mine to you. I never regretted doing it because I love you.” I cried out aloud. Only then did I realize how beautiful my mother’s eye was!

1.Why did the writer never want his mother to show up in his school?

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2.What did the writer’s mother give him when he was ill?

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3.Was the writer a successful man when he grew up?

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4.When did the writer think of going back to see his mother?

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5.What did the writer think of his mother’s eye finally?

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1.Because his mother only had one eye 2.Some medicine. 3.Yes, he was. 4.When he got a letter. 5.Beautiful. /It is beautiful. 【解析】試題分析：本文是一篇記敘文，講述了作者因母親只有一只眼睛而討厭母親，甚至傷害母親。作者努力學習實現(xiàn)夢想后離開了母...

Diana Gopear was expecting a nice dinner and maybe some flowers for her 46th birthday, but what she got was a much bigger surprise.

“My heart was beating fast. I was shaking. I was so nervous,” Diana Gopear, Emily’s step-mother, said.Emily gave her step-mother the surprise of a life time. “It was just amazing. I could hardly read it. ” Diana said. She read some of the letter aloud. “Without you, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today.”

“I wrapped it really nice so it wouldn’t be broken. It was five pages about how amazing she is and each page had a picture of her, and then at the end said ‘will you accept me?’ And then the paper behind it was the one where she had to sign it,” Emily said.

Diana Gopear has known Emily since she was a little baby. “I never liked the word step for step-parent because some people aren’t step-parents. Some people are worth being a step-parent but in our situation it was just the way it was, ” she said. And while the birthday gift probably won’t ever be the best, but it is the most valuable for her.

“Blood doesn’t make you family, so she’s my mom because she’s been there for me, so she is worth being my mom in-law.” Emily said.

1.How old was Diana Gopear when she received the surprising birthday gift?

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2.How was Diana Gopear feeling while reading her daughter’s letter?

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3.Where was Diana Gopear asked to sign?

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4.Who has been there for Emily since she was a little baby?

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5.What’s the best title of this passage?

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1.46/ 46 years old. 2.Moved./ Surprised. /. 3.Behind the paper./ At the back of the paper. 4.Diana Gopear./ Emily’s (Her) step-mother. 5.A surprising birthday gift. 【解析】試題分析：本文是一篇記敘文。講述...

A brown owl（貓頭鷹）sat on a branch and watched. He was good at watching. His big eyes blinked (眨眼睛). Down below, a white rabbit played in the grass. The rabbit was very fast，and it was too fast to catch. Every time the owl tried to catch the rabbit, the rabbit ran away.

The owl was hungry, but he had to find a way to catch the rabbit. How could he catch the fast rabbit? If he flew down on top of him, the rabbit would see his shadow(影子) and run into his hole. What could he do? Suddenly, the owl had an idea. His eyes got really big, because he was excited. A moment later, he took off. When the owl was flying, he made sure to stay away from the rabbit. The owl didn’t want the rabbit to know he was coming. Then, when he came close to the rabbit, he spread his body to change the shape of his shadow!

The white rabbit stopped eating grass and looked. Suddenly, there was an black rabbit next to him. The white rabbit looked at it. He didn’t know there was an owl near his home. It looked like he could make a new friend! Suddenly, the black rabbit disappeared, and in its place was the owl.

The rabbit cried out and tried to run for his hole, but the owl was waiting for him. The rabbit ran right into the owl’s claws and became his dinner. Sometimes, when you try something new, you can surprise yourself and others.

1.Why couldn’t the owl catch the rabbit at first?

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2.What did the owl do when he came close to the rabbit?

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3.Did the rabbit know there was an owl near his home?

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4.What was the black rabbit actually be?

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5.Where did the rabbit try to run?

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1.Because it was very fast./Because the rabbit was too fast to catch. 2.He spread his body to change the shape of his shadow. 3.No, he didn’t. 4.The owl. 5.To his hole. 【解析】試題分析：本文是一篇記敘...

Google and Toyota（豐田）have worked together to create a new smart car. It can run on the road without a driver. It drives itself.

The self-driving（自駕的）car hasn’t been on sale to the public, so we don’t know how much it costs. Another thing that most people want to know is whether it will be safe enough to run on the road.

The self-driving car uses electricity as its power, and it can’t drive very quickly—the top speed would be 25 miles per hour. It is actually controlled by a computer system in the car. The system keeps on collecting information by some video cameras inside the car. A computer receives the information and decides what to do.

“The self-driving car has only buttons (按鈕) for go and stop, so it’s very easy to use.” an engineer of Google says, “It will make car accidents less and the world safer.” The self-driving car has traveled hundreds of thousands of miles in California, and it has only gotten into two accidents by human mistake.

1.How much does this new kind of smart car cost?

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2.What does self-driving car use as its power?

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3.What is the self-driving car controlled by?

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4.Who says “It will make car accidents less and the world safer.”?

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5.Why did the self-driving car get into two accidents?

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1.We don’t know. 2.Electricity./It uses electricity as its power. 3.A computer system in the car. 4.An engineer of Google does. 5.Because of human mistake. 【解析】試題分析：本文是一篇說明文。文章介紹了谷歌和豐田開...

When you borrow books from a library, you are usually required to return them so that others can read them later. However, there are some libraries where you are allowed to return nothing at all.

Unlike most other libraries, these libraries don’t lend books; they lend seeds!

A seed library is a place where people can borrow and donate seeds. It is different from a seed bank which only stores seeds. It encourages people to plant and share seeds. Seeds in a seed library are often kept dry and cool in small packets. People can read the name of the plant varieties(種類) on the packet.

If you want to grow your own plants, such as potatoes or tomatoes, you can borrow seeds from a seed library. You can first choose the seeds you’d like to plant. Then, you take the seeds to the circulation desk(圖書借還處) to “borrow” them. You don’t need to return the seeds unless you succeed in growing strong and healthy plants. Some seed libraries also provide gardening books to teach you how to plant the seeds.

At present, there’s only a small group of seed libraries in the world, but the number is growing. People who have created these seed libraries want to protect plant diversity(多樣性) by offering people a place where they can obtain knowledge about plants and planting. They believe that protecting plant diversity is not only the job of botanists, but all of us.

1.What can people do in a seed library?

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2.How are seeds kept in a seed library?

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3.Do you need to return seeds to a seed library?

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4.Why do people create these seed libraries?

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5.Whose job is it to protect plant diversity?

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1.They can borrow and donate seeds. 2.They are kept in small packets. 3.No, you don’t. 4.To protect plant diversity. 5.All of us. 【解析】試題分析：本文是一篇說明文，介紹了一個神奇的圖書館——種子圖書館。這個圖書館不借書，可以借種子，而且借...

The clockwork(機械) radio is the only radio that doesn’t need batteries(電池) or electricity. It is powered(提供動力) by turning the handle(手柄) for a minute.

The clockwork radio was invented in 1991 by Trevor Bayliss, a British inventor. Trevor had the idea while he was listening to some news about Africa on the radio. It was reported that Africans were dying of Aids(艾滋病) and there was no easy way to send them some information about the disease.

But no one would help Trevor develop his idea for a new kind of radio. Finally, in 1993, a TV program showed his invention, and afterwards, a South African businessman heard of Trevor’s clever idea and contacted(聯(lián)系) him.The first clockwork radios were made in South Africa in 1995.

Since then, the radios have been a great success. Trevor has been given many prizes.

Trevor has hung a letter written by another engineer on the wall in his house. The engineer explained in the letter why he thought Trevor’s idea for a clockwork radio couldn’t possibly work!

1.How do people power the clockwork radio?

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2.When was the clockwork radio invented?

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3.Would many people help Trevor develop his idea for a new kind of radio?

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4.Where were the first clockwork radios made?

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5.What has been hung on the wall in Trevor’s house?

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1.They/People power it by turning the handle for a minute. 2.In 1991 3.No, they wouldn’t. 4.In South Africa. 5.A letter (written by another engineer). 【解析】試題分析：本文是一篇說明文。一個英國的發(fā)明者在1991年發(fā)明...

More Americans prefer to get food at their local food markets. According to a new study of the University of Iowa (UI), it’s not just because these people believe the food is fresher and tastes better, but because they think they are following a kind of social duty — sharing a healthy lifestyle, helping save environment and so on.

These so-called “l(fā)ocavores (土食者)” are shopping at farmers markets and joining food coops (食品合作社), because they enjoy knowing who grows the food. They are also driven to eat locally grown produce and meat because their promise to do so makes them feel a part of something greater than themselves.

Vasi, an associate professor at the UI, said the local food market is a “moralized (道德化的) market”, and that is a market in which people combine economic activities with their values. Among the findings, the UI researchers discovered local food markets were more likely to develop in areas where local people had a strong promise to social duty, health and the environment. “It’s about valuing the relationship with the farmers and people who produce the food and believing that how they produce the food agrees with your personal values.” Vasi said.

Vasi shared the results of the study at the American Sociology Association annual meeting in Chicago on Aug. 22, 2015. Researchers also did 40 interviews with consumers and producers in different local food markets in Iowa and New York.

1.Where do people like to get food better in America?

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2.Why do the locavores join food coops?

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3.How do people feel when eating locally grown produce and meat?

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4.Who found that local food markets were possible to develop in areas?

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5.When did Vasi share the results of the study at the American Sociology Association annual meeting?

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1.At their local food markets. / They like to get food at their local food markets. 2.Because they enjoy knowing who grows the food. 3.They feel a part of something greater than themselves 4....

Zongzi is a traditional Chinese food. In the Western world, it is also known as rice dumplings. It is traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar.

A popular belief about the festival is the death of Qu Yuan. He is a famous Chinese poet from the kingdom of Chu. When his country was defeated by the kingdom of Qin, Qu Yuan was so hopeless that he drowned himself in the Miluo River. According to the legend, people threw rice into the river to stop the fish from eating the poet’s body.

There are many kinds of shapes about zongzi. Making zongzi is a skill that is passed down through families. It is also a traditional family event that everyone will be interested in.

The fillings used for zongzi are different from region to region, but the rice used is almost always the sticky rice. Depending on the region, the rice may be lightly cooked or soaked(浸泡) in water before being used. In the north, fillings are mostly red beans and red dates(紅棗).

In the past, zongzi was made only once a year on the Dragon Boat Festival, but now it is quite different. People can eat zongzi at any time of a year. And we can find all kinds of zongzi at traditional markets.

1.When do people eat zongzi traditionally?

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2.Where did Qu Yuan drown himself into?

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3.Why did people throw rice into the river?

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4.What are the main fillings used for zongzi in north China?

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5.What can we know from the last paragraph?

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1.During the Dragon Boat Festival. 2.Miluo River 3.Because they wanted to stop/prevent the fish from eating the poet’s body. 4.Sticky rice, red beans and red dates. 5.People/We can eat zon...

China is a country with many colorful days and festivals. The Dragon Head Raising Day (“Longtaitou” in Chinese) is one of them.

This special day is on the second day of the second month in the Chinese lunar calendar(陰歷). It stands for the start of spring and farming. This year, the day falls on Feb 27th.

The dragon is important in Chinese culture. We Chinese people call ourselves the “descendants(傳人) of the dragon”. Therefore, people celebrate the Dragon Head Raising Day with many customs about dragons.

On the day in ancient times, people put ashes(灰)in the kitchen. This was to “l(fā)ead the dragon into the house”. People believed that with the help of the dragon, they could have a good harvest (收成) in autumn.

Also people eat special foods on that day. The foods are usually named after dragons. For example, people eat “dragon whisker(細須)” noodles and dumplings called“dragon teeth”.

Today many customs have faded away(消退). But one that has remained is the cutting of hair. It was said that a haircut during the first lunar month may bring bad luck to the mother’s brothers. So many people have their hair cut on the Dragon Head Raising Day.

1.Is the Dragon Head Raising Day one of the Chinese traditional festivals?

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2.What does the Dragon Head Raising Day stand for?

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3.How do people celebrate the festival?

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4.What special food do people eat on that day?

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5.According to the passage, which custom still has remained on the Dragon Head Raising Day?

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1.Yes, it is. 2.It stands for the start of spring and farming. 3.With many customs about dragons. 4.“Dragon whisker” noodles and dumplings called “dragon teeth.” 5.The cutting of hair. ...