A poem

A Christina from Spain
On the last day of the year, the 31^st of December, people wait till 12 pm. Everybody must have 12 grapes(葡萄) to eat at midnight. At each sound of the clock, we must eat a group. But we can’t ever finish eating the grapes on time! Usually when people still have some grapes in their mouths, they look at each other and start to laugh. This tradition started in Spain long ago. One year, when there were a lot of grapes, the king of Spain decided to give grapes to everybody to eat on New Year’s Eve.
B Cordon from Britain
On New Year’s Day in Britain, people have parties. At 12 o’clock, the music stops, and we listen to the radio. On the radio we hear Big Ben, the famous clock in London. Then everybody sings a song about friendship and kisses their friends. We say “Happy New Year” to each other. It’s lucky if a tall man with dark hair is the first person to come to the house in the new year. So I go and visit as many friends as I can. They all give me a drink.
C Angela from Brazil
In all cities in Brazil, we have a big party on New Year’s Eve, especially in Rio de Janeiro. People in this city go to the beaches to watch fireworks(焰火)。We put flowers in the sea and think about things we want for ourselves or others. We usually wear white clothes for good luck during the New Year.
【小題1】Picture___________ is about paragraph 1.

【小題2】Who have parties on New Year’s Day?
A. People in Spain.  B. People in Britain.
C. People in Brazil.  D. Both B and C.
【小題3】From the 2nd paragraph, we can infer (推斷)that___________.

Did you notice the number on the book in a library? That number is part of the system used by libraries to organize their collections of books. And it’s used in many countries. The number on each book tells you exactly what kind of book it is. This system is also useful for knowing where to go in the library to find a book.
In this system, there are ten large groups of books. Each of these groups has its own number, such as 100, 200, etc. So, for example, any books about language will have a number 400. On the other hand, any books about history will have a number 900. So, a number in the hundreds place tells you what general group a book is in. If you find a book that has a number in the 500s, you know it is a book about science.
However, science is a big group, so the tens place is used to make a more detailed set of science books. For example, math books are included in the group of science books. Math books all have numbers between 510 and 519. Books about the history of Africa have numbers between 960 and 969.
The system uses the ones place to give a more exact limit for the subject of a book. A book on the history of South Africa will have the number 968.
As you can see, it is a simple system to use as long as you understand what the numbers mean. With this system, the library can keep its books well organized, and people can easily find the book that they want.
【小題1】The reading is about       .

Do you enjoy reading? Here readers of your age from all over the United States recommend great books for you to read:
My favorite book is Don’t Die, My Love by Lurlene McDaniel. I love all her books, but this was the first one I read and I have to say, it is by far my favorite. It doesn’t end like other books, and I cried while reading.
I think Nancy Drew is great! Nancy is a detective who has many fantastic ideas! I love it because it’s a book from when my grandma was my age, and I can share the fun with her!
I highly recommend Skinny Bones by Barbara Park. It is funny, so please add it on your book list. You don’t want to miss out funny stories!
I would suggest      by Judy Blume. It is based on(基于)real things that happened to Judy Blume. It is about a girl, Alice, who meets some girls at a new state. They become friends, make a club and meet once a week. They stop after two weeks because they all like a boy in their class and put him as number one. I think every girl should read this because it is about our growing up.
I read a book called Neela: Victory Song and it was so good I read it twice! It takes place in India(印度)in 1936 and this 12-year-old girl named Neela tries to save her father! It has lots of history in it! I also learned a lot about different cultures(文化)! The author(作者)’s name is Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.
【小題1】According to the reader, Skinny Bones can be described as a          story.

Paragraph 1
Scientists have learned a lot about the kinds of people need. They say that there are several kinds of food that people should eat every day, they are: (1) green and yellow vegetables of all kinds; (2) citrus (柑桔) fruits and tomatoes; (3) potatoes and other fruits and vegetables; 94) meat of all kinds, fish and eggs; (5) milk and foods made from milk; (6) bread or cereal (谷類), rice is also in this kind of food; (7) butter, or something like butter.
Paragraph 2
People in different countries and different places of the world eat different kinds of things. Foods are cooked and eaten in many different kinds of ways. People in different countries eat at different times of the day. In some places people eat once or twice a day; in other countries people eat three or four times a day. Scientists say that none of the differences is really important. It doesn’t matter whether foods are eaten raw or cooked, canned (罐裝的) or frozen (冷凍的). It doesn’t matter if a person eats dinner at 4 o’clock in the afternoon or at eleven o’clock at night. The important thing is what you eat every day.
Paragraph 3
There are two problems, then, in feeding the large number of people on the earth. The first is to find some way to feed the world’s population so that no one is hungry. The second is to make sure that people everywhere have the right kinds of food to make them grow to be strong and healthy.
【小題1】According to(依據(jù))the scientists，which of the following groups of food is the healthiest for your lunch？

Flags have existed for over 3,000 years. The earliest flags were wooden or metal poles with a carving. About 2,000 years ago pieces of fabric were added to some poles for decoration. Over the next 500 years the free-flying part of the flag became more important.





【小題1】The earliest flags have a long history for more than _______ years.

Fengcheng River is a 6650-meter-long moat(護(hù)城河)that protected Taizhou from enemy. Currently, the Fengcheng River Scenic Area has become a natural area of the modern city.
The four cultural treasures of Taizhou——history, local opera, customs and business—— can all be seen along the river. Taizhou Old Street lies on the east of the Fengcheng River Scenic Area, offering choices of restaurants and local specialties（特產(chǎn)）. The Peach Garden is also along the river, with blooming peach trees. The Sea-watching scenic area is also on the river front, among many other attractions. To have a holistic view, you may be interested in taking a night boat around the ancient moat and the ride shows Taizhou’s culture.
Fengcheng River Night Cruise（巡游）

This night cruise takes you an hour long ride on the city moat. The boats are classic ones that seem to be floating houses. While on the boat you'll be able to enjoy local snacks like sesame seed biscuits and tea. Along the river side, local dance and song groups perform, creating the perfect mood for the boat ride. Also, the scenery formed is wonderful. The Sea-Watching Pavilion with shining lights is beautiful in the evening.
【小題1】At first, Fengcheng River was built to ________.

Long ago, people lived on wild animals, fruits and other plants and they didn’t need to use money.
As time passed, families had more products(產(chǎn)品) than they needed, such as animals and crops. So they needed to trade(交易) with others. They began to use money to make it easier. However, it was not like the money we use today. They used shells, rice, salt or large stones.
During the 600s BC, people began using coins as money. Because they were easier to carry than goods(貨物), countries began to make coins as their money.

The Chinese were the first to use paper money, probably in the 11th century. An Italian traveler, Marco Polo, saw the Chinese use paper money when he visited China in the 1200s. After his travel, he told the western people what he saw. But European countries didn’t start using paper money till the1600s.
Today we have many ways to pay for things, such as coins, paper money and cards. Some prefer to pay by card. That’s because paying with a card is easier and safer than carrying around a lot of “real” money.
【小題1】People began to use money because they ______.
A. lived on plants           B. raised animals        C. needed to trade
【小題2】People used ______ as money during the 600s BC.
A. shells                    B. coins                 C. cards
【小題3】Which country used paper money first?
A. Japan.                    B. USA.                  C. China.
【小題4】The passage tells us the ______ of money
A. history                   B. use                   C. collection

For many in the United States, Arab-Americans are an invisible part of the population. Though Arab-Americans as a community have made great contributions to American society in fields from literature to politics to medicine, many Americans know very little about Americans of Arab backgrounds.
Arab history in the United States goes back to the late 1800’s when large numbers of Arab immigrants first began making their journey to a land known simply as “Amreeka”.
Historians generally describe Arab immigration to America in two waves. The first wave took place between 1860 and 1924.The first wave consisted of Lebanese and Syrian, and some Egyptian immigrants. These new immigrants, who were mostly Christian, came to America in search of better opportunities. Even the doomed Titanic, which set sail for America in 1912,had close to a hundred Arab passengers aboard. The majority of Arab-Americans today are descendents of the first wave of immigrants; they are the third or more generation Americans.
The second wave of immigrants followed after World War Ⅱ,caused by political unrest in the Middle East. This second wave of immigrants consists of mainly Arab Muslims（穆斯林）and continues to this day.
Arab-Americans make up 3 million of the population in the United States, according to demographers. And quite different from popular belief, 64 percent of them are American-born. Eighty-two percent of Arab-Americans are US citizens.
Arab-Americans are beyond the national average in both education and income. Education is important among Arab-Americans; 82 percent have high school diplomas, 36 percent have bachelor’s degrees or higher, and 15 percent have graduate degrees. The-median（中位數(shù)的）average income among Arab-Americans is $39,580, which is higher than the US average.
【小題1】The first wave of immigrants took place because__________.

Street Markets Around the World
There are many ways of shopping. You can shop by telephone, by post or through your home computer, but for many people, the most exciting way to shop is also the most traditional—at a street market. You can find markets anywhere in the world. Here are four of them:
There are many “floating markets” in Asia; perhaps the most unusual is in Thailand(泰國(guó)), at a place called Damned Saduak. It’s open from six in the morning to the noon every day. People sell fresh fruit from their boats.
Many Belgians(比利時(shí)人) say that the Grand Place is the most beautiful square in the world. It’s the home of a colourful flower market. It’s open every day except Monday. On Monday, instead of flowers, there’s a wonderful bird market.
One of the world’s famous markets is in Mexico City(墨西哥城)—the Sonora Market. You can buy toys, birds, herbs and medicine. There’re all kinds of things. It’s open every day from early in the morning till late at night.
In England, every weekend, thousands of young people from all over London travel to the Camden Market—it’s the place to go for street fashion, CDs and tapes. Many people also go there for fun.
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