We have studied in Songpu High School for several months.When I first went into the
school gate and saw my new classroom and teachers,I thought I would have a new start.
The school life is very busy and exciting.There are many activities in our school,such as
Sports Meeting,Science Week,Art Week and so on.We all take an active part in them.I
have made many new friends and we often help and learn from each other in study.Our
teachers have taught us a lot.They not only teach us how to study but also teach us how to
be a useful person in society.They tell us which thing is worth doing.Habit is a second
nature.Our teachers often tell us to form a good habit.
     People often say:There is no rule of learning.Now I feel it is true.The study now is far
more different than before.I often find there is something difficult to understand at once.
At this time,you must spend a lot of time studying by yourself or you won't make progress.
Of course study is hard but when you make progress you'll find it is interesting.
     Our school is clean and beautiful.There are many trees and flowers around it.In order
to make our school more and more beautiful,we should try our best to keep it clean.
     Today we are proud of Songpu.Tomorrow Songpu will be proud of us.

1.Tostudywell,________isalsoimportantbesidesstudyinghardaccordingtothispassage.

A．beingausefulperson
B．a(chǎn)goodstudyinghabit
C．takingpartinactivities
D．makingprogress

2.Theattitudeoftheauthortohis/herschoolis________.

A．thankful
B．enthusiastic
C．loving
D．exciting

3.Thelifeofthestudentsinthisschoolis________.

A．boring
B．harmonious(和諧的)
C．terrible
D．quiet

4．Thebesttitleforthispassageis________.

A．AnAttractiveSchool
B．MySchoolLife
C．ILikeMySchool
D．MyTeacher

     Do you remember the name of your kindergarten teacher?I do.Her name was Mrs White.
     I don't remember much about what we learned in her class,but my mother once told me
that we
used to write a lot.And I would bring back what I wrote and she would look at it and find
there were so many mistakes,but no red corrections,and always a star.Sometimes even a
Good!This worried my mother,so one day when she went to meet Mrs White for one of
those ParentTeacher meetings,she asked her why she never redpenciled my mistakes in the
right spellings of words or pointed out grammatical errors.
     "The children are just beginning to get excited about using words,or forming sentences.
I don't want to damage that enthusiasm with red ink.Spelling and grammar can wait.The
wonder of words won't." Mrs White said.
     Later I knew that if Mrs White had used her red pen often I probably wouldn't be telling
you about this now.I look back now and think she must have been a rather extraordinary
teacher to exercise such redpenrestraint (限制)．I used to misspell "beautiful" a lot,and never
could quite remember that the "e" went before the "a"．It annoyed my teacher in high school.
If I was going to employ the word with such lavishness (華麗豐富的語言) she figured the
least I could do was spell it right.Eventually the e's and a's settled into their right hold as much
as you mean sometimes.
     And thanks to Mrs White,I had no worry about writing what I meant even if I couldn't quite
spell it out.Because life isn't "Pretty"．It's "Baeutiful"．

1．The underlined word "This" in the second paragraph refers to the fact that________.

A．I always made mistakes in my spelling
B．Mrs White often made wrong corrections
C．Mrs White's attitude towards my mistakes was special
D．mother wanted to know how to improve my spellings

2．From what Mrs White said we can infer that________.

A．grammar and spelling should be paid more attention to
B．children don't have the patience in spelling words
C．children's interest of learning words is very important
D．red corrections are used to draw children's attention

3．From the passage we can know that the writer believes________.

A．one should help children spell correct words
B．a(chǎn)ctive learning is better than just to listen to a teacher's instructions
C．children should know how to use simple words to express themselves
D．using words to express is more important than just correcting spelling

4．The writer may probably think his/her high school teacher________.

A．taught in the same way as Mrs White had done
B．was not satisfied with his/her mistakes made in spelling
C．should tell him/her how to improve words spelling
D．paid much attention to teach students to use proper words

     A German dog in Alaska has been given a hero's award for saving his owner's house from a fire.Buddy guided a team of firefighters through winding roads to the house in an isolated (偏遠(yuǎn)的) area.
     That day,his owner Ben Heinrichs was working on his truck inside his garage when a spark ignited
some fuel and caught fire.
     Ben managed to run outside,closed the door to stop the fire from spreading and rolled in the snow to
put out the flames on his clothes.But he suddenly remembered the dog was still in the workshop and ran
back to fetch him.While Buddy escaped uninjured,his owner suffered burns to his face and seconddegree burns to his left hand.
     The dog ran off after his master said he needed help.On the road he came across the Alaskan firemen who had been called about the fire.But they had got lost and were about to turn down the wrong road.
When they caught sight of Buddy who made eye contact with them and raced ahead down the right road,
the firemen immediately followed him and he often turned round to make sure they were behind him.The
dog's quick reaction saved the family.
     "Buddy recognized how serious the situation was and acted bravely in getting help for his family," said Officer Holloway at a ceremony to honor the dog.Buddy,whose good deed was shown on a police car's
video,was given a smart dog bowl as a reward,and a big bone.
     Ben said that he knew Buddy was clever and added that Buddy was brave too,having twice driven
bears away when he was fishing.

1. From the passage we learn that________.

A. Ben was a German
B. Buddy called the police
C. Ben's house is hard to find
D. Buddy is cleverer than Ben thought

2. What does the underlined word "ignited" in Paragraph 2 mean?

A. To make a mistake.
B. To make something more serious.
C. To stop something from happening.
D. To cause something to burn.

3. Ben ran back into the garage because________.

A. he wanted to save his whole family
B. he wanted to put out the fire himself
C. he wanted to save his dog Buddy
D. he heard someone calling "help"

4. What can we infer from the passage?

A. The dog has never been so brave before.
B. The dog has saved his owner's life before.
C. The firemen didn't believe a dog would know the way.
D. The firemen didn't know what the dog was trying to tell them at first.

5. What's the purpose of the ceremony?

A. To honor the dog Buddy.
B. To honor the firemen.
C. To honor Ben.
D. To encourage people to keep dogs.

     I'm lying on my back in my grandfather's orchard (果園), looking up at the branches above me.It is
one of the last days of summer.Already the days are shorter and the nights are cooler.Some kinds of
apples are already ripe (成熟的). Others will be ready to pick soon.I think of my grandmother's apple
pie, and how I used to make it with her.She died last year, before the apple harvest, and I have not had
her pie since.I really miss her.I hear bees busily humming about, visiting the late summer flowers.The
gentle hum of their wings nearly sends me to sleep.
     The sky is as blue as my grandfather's eyes.Above me, big white clouds race across the sky like
pieces of cotton blowing in the wind.School starts in another week, and time seems to have slowed
down.
     "Sophie!" calls my grandfather."Is that you?" I stand up, take his hand, and tell him all about my day
as we walk through the orchard.We talk about apples, and bees, and Grandma.He tells me that he misses her too.
     He puts his rough, brown farmer's hand around my shoulder and pulls me close."You know, Sophie, "
he says, "I spent the morning in the attic (閣樓), and you'll never guess what I found.It's the recipe (烹飪法) for Grandma's apple pie.I used to help her make it sometimes.I can't do it all alone, but you used to
help her too.Maybe between the two of us, we can work it out.Want to try?"
     "But it won't be the same without Grandma, "  I tell him.
     "That's true, "  he says, "but nothing_is_the_same_without_Grandma.Still, I don't think that she would want us never to have another apple pie.What do you say?" I nod yes, and we walk towards home...
towards an afternoon in the farmhouse kitchen, making Grandma's famous apple pie.

1. We learn from the passage that Sophie________.

A. likes to watch clouds in the attic
B. comes to the orchard after school
C. enjoys Grandma's apple pie very much
D. picks many apples in the orchard

2. Sophie's grandfather spent the morning in the attic________.

A. looking for Grandma's recipe for apple pie
B. helping Sophie's grandmother make apple pie
C. trying to make apple pie all alone for Sophie
D. talking about apples, and bees, and Grandma with Sophie

3. Both Sophie and her grandfather used to________.

A. help Grandma make apple pies
B. spend summer afternoons in the orchard
C. enjoy fresh fruit in the farmhouse kitchen
D. walk alone among the apple trees

4. The underlined part in the last paragraph shows________.

A. how much Sophie's grandmother loved Sophie
B. how much Sophie's grandfather likes apple pies
C. how much Sophie loves her grandfather's orchard
D. how much Sophie's grandfather misses Grandma

5. Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A. My grandfather's orchard  
B. My grandmother's apple pie
C. A morning in the attic  
D. The last days of summer

     Having lived in California until 1970,my family has felt a number of earthquakes.We have been
fortunate,however,to have suffered no bodily harm or property damage.
     There is a website that lists all California earthquakes recorded from 1769 to the present.The site lists
the dates and times as well as the magnitude (震級) and the exact location of any quake that measured
more than 6.0.There are only a few quakes that stand out in my memory and,luckily,none is shown in the
website.So,my personal experience with earthquakes might be considered insignificant.
     There are three earthquakes that are difficult to forget.The first one was in 1955 and our oldest
daughter was walking with me in our backyard in Redwood City in California.As the shaking became
stronger I held her to me with one arm as I held on to one of our fruit trees with the other.All three of us
(my daughter,I and the tree) shook for two or three minutes that to us felt like hours.
     The second one was in 1963.Our entire family was visiting Disneyland in Southern California.The earth started to shake just as we were beginning to walk from our hotel toward the_famous_landmark.
My third experience with an earthquake was a lonely one in California.It was in my sixties and I was alone in an old church.As the building started to shake,I quickly headed for the door to go outside.I remember I said a little prayer-something like,"Help me get out of here in time,Dear Heavenly Father"．Minutes later,I was safe outside.

1. The author writes the passage mainly to tell us about________.

A. a new film about an earthquake
B. how to survive an earthquake
C. his three earthquake experiences
D. how to save children in an earthquake

2. The earthquakes the author has experienced________.

A. all caused bodily harm  
B. are all recorded in a website
C. all measured more than 6.0    
D. all happened in California

3. When the first earthquake happened,the author________.

A. was staying with his daughter  
B. was planting fruit trees
C. held on to a tree for hours  
D. was in a hotel

4. What does the underlined part "the famous landmark" refer to?

A. A church.
B. Disneyland.
C. A building destroyed by an earthquake.
D. The place where the author was born.

5. Which of the following statements is NOT true about the third earthquake?

A. It happened in the author's sixties.
B. the author succeeded in getting outside.
C. When it happened,the author was in a church.
D. The author was too afraid to walk when it happened.

     Have you ever thought of taking a train and having an adventure (奇遇)?Riding the train can
be a real adventure.That is how I feel every time I take Amtrak.I often take a fourhour trip to
visit my children.Every time I take this trip I never know what  will happen.
     Last week when I was on the train and over an hour into the train ride,there was a man sitting
by himself in the back of the train carrying on a mobile phone conversation- in another language.It
was loud and disturbed most of the people on the train.I think it was annoying.
     Fortunately I sat next to a wonderful old lady who was taking a twoday trip by train.She said
her two daughters were distraught at the thought of her driving for three days to reach her home,
although she had no trouble driving.The train ride was the only choice for her.She loved to look
out of the window and watch the world go by on the train.
     She was fun to talk to and asked me when my children started being parents.That is a very
good question.Both of us are old and have children.She asked that same question from time to
time.
     There are always many people on the train from all  walks  of life,different  countries,and 
 many languages.Riding the train is a great way to increase your knowledge and take in all kinds
of cultures.If you get hungry,you can buy food in the food car at any time.If you need to use the
restroom there is always one available.
     It sure beats driving the car,which has to stop for food and restrooms.And it is better than
taking the bus.

1．According to the passage,the purpose of the author's train ride was________.

A．to do business        
B．to see her children
C．to visit places of interest  
D．to see her old friends

2．Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word "distraught" in Paragraph 3?

A．Disappointed.  
B．Satisfied.
C．Worried.  
D．Pleased.

3．Which of the following is TRUE about the old lady sitting next to the author?

A．She is too old to drive now.
B．She does not like to take trains.
C．Although she is old,she has a good memory.
D．Her daughters live far away from her home.

4．In the author's opinion,on the train Amtrak________.

A．the services are quite good
B．the food is terribly expensive
C．a(chǎn)ll the passengers are polite
D．a(chǎn)ll the passengers are American

5．What is the best title for this passage?

A．Train ride-a cultural experience
B．A painful experience on the train
C．The history of Amtrak
D．A wonderful lady