SPACE is a lonely place. Hundreds of thousands of kilometers from home, astronauts have a hard life. It stands to reason that, once in a while, they need to have a good cry. But this is a lot harder than it sounds.
We still know very little about space, and about living in zero gravity. In fact, we are discovering new things every time astronauts take to the skies (and beyond). As The Atlantic reported in January, crying is not all that simple in space. This is because when a person normally cries,  gravity makes their tears move downwards. But in a spacecraft, this is not the case. Here, there is no gravity, which is why we so often see pictures of astronauts floating around. This means that, strangely, when you cry your tears have nowhere to go. As a result, they just stick to your eyes.
In May 2011, astronaut Andrew Feustel experienced this. “Tears,” as he said, “don’t fall off your eye… they just kind of stay there. ” This can be quite painful. In space, your eyes get very dry, and the added moisture is irritating (氣人的). Sometimes, things get even weirder(更怪異的). The astronaut Ron Parise told The Atlantic that when tears get big enough, they “break free of the eye and float around”.
No one can be quite sure why we cry. Why should water in our eyes have anything to do with feeling sad? If you stop to think about it, crying is a very strange thing indeed. And now, thanks to the wonders of space, it just got even stranger.
【小題1】The first paragraph mainly wants to tell us that       .

A taboo(忌諱，禁忌) is a social action that is not allowed. Every culture in the world has its own taboos. The breaking of a taboo sometimes makes people feel uncomfortable. I learned this through my own experience.
Last weekend, Wang Lin and I showed two foreigners around our city. Mr Singh was from India and Mr. White from USA. When I held out my left hand to shake hands with him, Mr. Singh seemed to be unhappy. Mr. White, however, was quite casual. He said hello to me with a big smile and a wave of his hand.
In the evening, we stopped at a restaurant for dinner. I noticed that Mr. Singh didn’t touch the beef and Mr. White seemed not to like chickens’ claws. During the meal, Wang Lin said sorry to Mr. Singh and continued to explain that we didn’t know it was a taboo in India to shake one’s left hand. Mr. Singh explained that since oxen are sacred(神圣的) in India, people don’t eat beef there. Mr. White joined in and said that it was not usual in the states for people to eat chickens’ claws. He went on to say that Americans don’ t usually get into each other’ s personal space. Marriage, job and age are their taboos. Isn’ t it a good lesson to remember?

閱讀短文，根據(jù)意思，判斷所給句子的正誤。正確的寫T，錯(cuò)誤的寫F。并在答題卡上將T或F寫在對(duì)應(yīng)題號(hào)的方格內(nèi)。 
As I am now a middle school student, I have many friends, but there is one I like best. I first met him when I began to go to school.
Though he looks serious, he is interesting. Often he is clever, sometimes even much fun. He knows every language in the world, all the things in history, and the words of all the great articles. Everyone who knows him loves him. To me, he is a great teacher as well as a good friend.
My friend is always ready to help me. Though I may be not very smart, I can ask him for help again and again. When I am bored, he tells me something interesting. When I am lonely, he always stays with me. He is a friend not only to me but to all the people around the world.
Do you want to know his name? His name is “Reading.
【小題1】The writer thinks his best friend looks serious.
【小題2】The writer’s best friend only knows one language.
【小題3】The writer’s best friend doesn’t help people who are not smart.
【小題4】When the writer feels bored, his best friend tells him something interesting.
【小題5】The writer’s best friend is “Reading”.

New rules and behaviour standards (行為規(guī)范) for middle school students came out in March. Middle school is going to use a new way to decide who the top students are. The best students won't only have high marks. They will also be kids who don't dye (染) their hair, smoke or drink. Here are some of the new rules. 
Tell the truth. Have you ever copied someone else's work on an exam? Don't do it again! That's not honest. If you have played computer games for two hours in your room, don't tell your parents that you have done homework.
Do more at school. Good students love animals and care for other people. April is Bird-Loving Month in our country. Is your school doing anything to celebrate? You should join! That way, you can learn more about animals and how to protect them. Have you ever quarreled（吵架）with your teammates when your basketball team lost? Only working together can make your team stronger. Be friendly to the people you are with. Try to think of others, not only yourself.
Be open to new ideas. Have you ever thought that people could live on the moon? Perhaps you'll discover（發(fā)現(xiàn)） Earth II someday. Don't look down at anyone. Everyone's ideas are important. You should welcome them, because new ideas make life better for everyone.
Protect yourself. Has someone ever taken money from one of your classmates? Don't let it happen to you. If you have to go home late, you should let your parents know.
Use the Internet carefully. The Internet can be very useful for your studies. But some things on the Internet aren't for kids, so try to look at Web pages that are good for you. You can use the Web for fun or homework.
【小題1】According to the passage, which of the following is not true?

Pollution means adding dirty or harmful things to land, air, water and so on. As a result, they are no longer pleasant or safe to use. Pollution is bad for animals and plants, and it even makes people’s health in danger. In our daily life, we can see different kinds of pollution in many places. There are three main forms of pollution: land pollution, air pollution and water pollution. 
Land pollution is caused by solid waste, such as cans, bottles and some plastic things which aren’t broken down quickly. It makes the environment look very bad. However, air pollution is more serious than land pollution. It is much worse in cities and towns because of the fumes(廢氣) from traffic and the waste from human activities. When people drive their cars, fumes which are most made up of CO2, NO2 and SO2 are given off. After the gases get into the air, they may mix with clouds. Then they will become some harmful chemicals (化合物) falling on the ground with rain. It is one of the reasons for soil erosion (土壤侵蝕) which is one example of water pollution.
Various kinds of pollution will cause many health problems. People have realized they must change this serious situation. There are many ways to control pollution. To develop alternative energy is very popular in many countries. China, for example, has made up its mind to be a leader in this field. It is trying hard to make full use of energy from the sun and wind. It has paid plenty of money to make electric cars and trains instead of traditional traffic. We should also take action to make our environment cleaner every day. Take cloth bags while going shopping and drive cars less. We have only one earth. We must take steps now to help protect our environment for the future wherever we are.
【小題1】How many main forms of pollution are mentioned in the passage?

If you want to find out a piece of information about anything, the best place to search for it is Wikipedia. This online encyclopedia(百科全書) is written by thousands of people around the world. Anyone can add or change the information if he or she finds it not correct or not well written. In this way, people who know a lot about a certain subject can write about it even if they are not university professors.
What is more, Wikipedia includes articles written in about 235 languages. This fact makes it one of the few websites on the Internet that are truly international. It was started in 2001 by Larry Sanger and Jimmy Wales, as a free online English-language encyclopedia project. By April 2008 over 10 million articles had been put on Wikipedia. A quarter of the articles in English. Wikipedia is also a place where people can find the latest news.
However, Wikipedia has its own problems. There have been many complaints that some of the information on Wikipedia is not accurate and some important subjects are not included. This has led to arguments between the writers of articles. The people running Wikipedia say that the accuracy of the information is improving and that it is one of the top 20 visited websites on the Internet.
So, if you are looking for some information, why not try Wikipedia?
【小題1】Wikipedia is ___________.

For thousands of years, people have used plants to make medicines. They used different parts of the plants —the roots, the leaves, the flowers, and the bark (樹皮). Today, doctors have rediscovered more medicinal (藥用) values of some plants. Let’s look at some examples.
Foxglove is a common plant. People have used it to make the heart slow down. Recently scientists have developed another drug from it. This new drug helps prevent other heart problems.
In some areas, malaria has been a problem. Scientists have learned that the bark of a South American tree, the cinchona, can be made into a drug to prevent malaria. For a long time, the Chinese have known that a special plant, wormwood, can also fight malaria. Scientists have been working with it to develop new drugs against malaria.
In Germany, some scientists studied garlic (大蒜) for four years. They found that it helps prevent the build-up of plaque (血小板) because too much plaque is bad for health. This very common plant continues to be studied.
As we know, there are about 250,000 kinds of flowering plants in the world. Scientists have only studied little more than one percent of plants for their medicinal value. Maybe medicines for AIDS and cancer will be made from the other 99 percent.
【小題1】What can foxglove be used for?

Sleep is like food for the brain. Enough sleep helps the body and brain grow and develop. However, many Chinese do not sleep well, and many do not pay enough attention to sleep.
The Chinese Medical Doctor Association released the 2013 China Sleep Quality Index (指數(shù)) on March 19 to mark World Sleep Day – March 21.
According to the index, nearly a quarter of Chinese people don’t sleep well. Half said that they feel tired after getting up and 15 percent people have trouble falling asleep.
Ye Jingying, a sleep expert at Beijing Tongren Hospital, says: “If people often wake up during the night, or always feel weak and tired in the day, they should pay attention to their sleep pattern (模式).”
Many people play with their cell phones or iPads before sleeping. The report said that this is one of the main reasons for bad sleep. Other reasons include stress and bad moods.
How to sleep well? Above all, get enough sleep. Seven to nine hours of sleep every night is perfect for an adult, and eight to nine hours is best for a teenager.
Forming good sleep habits is important. The report suggested that people need to keep away from digital devices (數(shù)碼產(chǎn)品) for at least an hour before sleep. The lights keep their brains excited for a long while. Other suggestions include: try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends and during holidays, and do the same relaxing things before bed each night, like listening to soft music.
【小題1】From Paragraph 1, which of the following is NOT true?

Many children use the Internet to get useful knowledge and information, and to relax in their free time. But some of them are not using in a good way. Here are some rules to make sure you are safe and have fun on the Internet.
Make rules for Internet use with your parents. For example, when you can go online, for how long and what activities you can go online.
Don’t give your password (密碼) to anyone else, and never leak out the following information---your real name, home address, age, school, phone number or other personal information.
Check with your parents before giving out a credit (信用) card number.
Never send a photo of yourself to someone in e-mail unless your parents say it’s OK.
Check with your parents before going into a chat room. Different chat rooms have different rules and attract different kinds of people. You and your parents must make sure it’s a right place for you.
Never agree to meet someone you met on the Internet without your parent’s permission (允許). Never meet anyone you met on line alone. Always remember that people online may not be who they say they are. Treat everyone online as strangers.
If something you see or read online makes you uncomfortable, leave the site. Tell a parent or teacher right away.。Treat other people as you’d like to be treated. Never use bad language.
Remember—not everything you read on the Internet is true.
【小題1】 If you want a true friend on the Internet , you can ____________ .
A  tell the people what your name is .     B  meet the people on line alone.
C  write an e-mail about yourself .       D  get your parent’s permission.
【小題2】It’s good for children to ________ on the Internet.

Hi, my name is Wang Jun. Do you want to know about my staying in America? Well, to tell you the truth, it is really an eye-opening experience here.
In China, I had English classes five times a week since Grade Five. But I didn’t know textbook English could be so different from everyday English until I came to Hotchkiss School, Connecticut. When I first studied English, I was told to say “I’m fine.” when people say “How are you?” But in the USA, I found that people say “I’m good.” or “I’m tired.”
One day, someone greeted （問候） me with “What’s up?” It made me confused. I thought for a moment and then smiled because I didn’t know what to say.
Since then, I have learnt more and more differences between Chinese and American cultures. To my surprise, American girls spend a lot of time in the burning sun getting a tan (曬黑的膚色). In China, girls try every possible way to keep their skin white.
American students are hard-working like Chinese students. In China, schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard and that’s it. But here, a “good” student not only gets good grades, but also does a lot for the public. That is to say, they get lots of knowledge at school and learn many life skills from social （社會(huì)的） work.
【小題1】In China, Wang Jun had _______ English classes every week.