“Volunteering makes you look at the world differently. You see how little things can change a person’s life for the better, which makes everyone a better person.” Mason, a volunteer said.

National Volunteer Week started in 1974 and is held every April. It is a time to thank volunteers for their achievements. It is also a perfect opportunity (機(jī)會) to encourage others to take their first step toward becoming a volunteer. Making the decision to take the first step can be the biggest problem, because they often wonder if they will be able to meet the organization’s expectations (期望). Some people fear not knowing anyone else in the group. Not having enough time also prevents some from sharing their abilities.

The following tips can help if you have some of these worries.

★ Start out slowly, don’t add too much pressure. Even a few hours a month can make a big difference in someone’s life.

★ Choose an organization with the same interests and common values.

★ Take part in a training meeting for new volunteers, even if it is not asked.

★ Work with a veteran volunteer. He volunteered a lot, he can help you increase the confidence and completely understand the organization’s expectations.

★ Invite a friend or family member to serve. It is a good experience to volunteer with them.

★ Finally, it is most important to enjoy the volunteer experience and to remember that not all volunteer experiences are perfect. If one experience doesn’t work, don’t give up and you’ll surely find the right opportunity.

Spend some time on volunteer work and you will see great changes in people’s lives. As Mason discovered during his volunteer experience, “…little things can change a person’s life.”

1.Volunteering can help_________.

A. make a decision B. see the world clearly

C. thank other people D. make person’s life better

2.What could be the reason to stop people taking the first step?

A. They don’t have enough time. B. They are prevented by their families.

C. They fear that their abilities are shared. D. They don’t expect to become volunteers.

3.Which of the following can help people take the first step?

A. Start out quickly. B. Organize a training meeting.

C. Invite a friend to be with them. D. Join in a group with different values.

4.The underlined word “veteran” in the passage means “_________”.

A. polite B. humorous C. young D. experienced

5.What is the main idea of the passage?

A. To tell people to make changes in their lives.

B. To encourage people to start their volunteering.

C. How to make great achievements in volunteering.

D. How to keep on volunteering whatever happened.

What time is it？There are many ways you can find out the time.You may have a watch on your wrist(手腕)．You can look at a clock on the wall.You can listen to the radio，watch TV or ring a number on the telephone to get the time.But do you know the history of how people tell the time?

It has not always been easy to know the time.A long time ago people looked at the sun to tell the time.They could tell the time of the day by looking at the sun in the sky：morning，noon and afternoon.

Around the year 1400，people began to use the hourglass(沙漏)．It was made of glass with some sand in it.It was wide at both ends，but narrow in the middle.The sand ran from one end to the other in one hour.At the end of every hour，people turned the glass over and began again.Hundreds of years later，a machine called clock was invented.

After that people made small clocks，so that they could carry them in their pockets.Then during World War Ⅰ，men started wearing their watches on their wrists.It was easier to tell the time.Now almost everyone wears a wrist watch.

1.How could people know the time a long time ago？(不超過10個詞)

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2.What was the hourglass made of？(不超過15個詞)

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3.What does the writer mainly want to tell us？(不超過10個詞)

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Li Yaoyou never thought his writing would become popular online.The 14－year－old at Wuhan Wuluolu Middle School wrote biography(傳記) for each of his 57 classmates in classical(古典的) Chinese.And now people are admiring his great talent.

Li's biography has more than 8，000 words.He wrote about each of his classmates，including their birthdays and personalities(個性)．The ninth－grader sees it as a graduation gift to them.

In fact，writing a biography was part of his Chinese homework for winter vacation.Students were asked to read Historical Records(《史記》)．Then they had to write a biography for others.

At the beginning，Li just wrote about six classmates he knew well.His teacher then encouraged him to write more.It was a big project，but Li worked hard to complete it successfully.He didn't know everyone well.So he talked with his classmates' friends and observed(觀察) them carefully.“Once，to write about a girl who I didn't know well，I talked with her friends for a few days，” he said.“My hard work paid off.I got to know she likes Pikachu and food！”

Expressing his ideas in classical Chinese was not easy.Sometimes，he searched online to learn it.But gradually，his language skills improved.“When I wrote the last 10 pieces，the words came to my mind naturally，” he said.Also，he tried to say something more about each person's special side.“Even if it is not a good，shining point，I keep it.I want to be objective(客觀的)，” he said.

1.What did Li Yaoyou write about in his biography? (不超過15個詞)

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2.Why did Li write a biography? (不超過15個詞)

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3.What do you think of Li? (不超過10個詞)

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Cucumbers(黃瓜) may be just everyday vegetables to you，but in the Russian town of Suzdal they think cucumbers are so important that they have their own festival every year.

People in Suzdal think that the first cucumbers were grown in the Suzdal area，around 500 years ago.They think cucumbers are the best vegetables in the world，and they use them in thousands of different dishes.

The Suzdal Cucumber Festival takes place every year in the month of July.During this event，tourists will learn everything about cucumbers，from how to grow them to the different varieties(品種) of them.The famous people here will make different plays about cucumbers，and tourists can try the various cucumber dishes of Suzdal，as well as buying cucumber souvenirs(紀(jì)念品) made of wood and other materials.

One of the most important events of the Suzdal Cucumber Festival is the cucumber eating competition.The competitors try to win the competition by eating as many cucumbers as possible in the set time limit(設(shè)定時間)．All the people can join it.Through the whole festival，the winner probably receives some cucumbers as the prize.

1.When were cucumbers first grown in Suzdal？(不超過5個詞)

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2.What do people in Suzdal think of cucumbers？(不超過10個詞)

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3.What is the passage mainly about？(不超過5個詞)

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A young college student thought that he chose the wrong major(專業(yè)) at a common college，so he drank every day and didn't study at all.He became more and more frustrated(挫敗的)．

But he was never absent from Professor Yang's biology class.He liked the course.Besides，Yang's class was so interesting that he always listened carefully，never caring about whether the other students were paying attention or not in class.Once he put a note in the homework he handed in，saying：“Professor，it is said that today's college students are cheaper than potatoes.Do you agree？”

That day Professor Yang sent for him after class.When he came，he found the professor at a table with a plate of food.They drank happily with their meal.

When they became half drunk，the professor showed a small potato that was sprouting(發(fā)芽的)．“Do you know how much this costs？” he asked the young man.“It's soft but poisonous(有毒的)．Nobody will take it even if it's free.” He then threw the potato away.The professor then showed him another potato.It was half the size of a football and perfectly round.“This potato is organic(有機(jī)的)．It is not only large and fresh but also free of pollution.It is in high demand and quite expensive.”

The young man was impressed by what he'd heard.“Be such a potato，” said the professor.

1.Why did the young college student feel frustrated？(不超過10個詞)

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2.How did the professor tell the young man to try to better himself？(不超過10個詞)

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3.What does the writer want to tell us？(不超過15個詞)

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There was once an old and deep well.People got water by dropping a bucket(木桶) tied to a rope.The rope passed over a wheel just above the well.On the other side of the rope was another bucket.

A strong pull brought one bucket to the top while the other down to the water.They always passed each other on the way up and down，but never had time to speak.

At last，the rope became worn.So a new rope had to be put in its place.While this was being done，the two buckets were left standing together near the well.

“What a boring life we have！” said one bucket to the other.“I am quite tired of it.No matter how full we come up，we are always sent down empty.”

But the other bucket laughed and said，“What a funny way you have of looking at things！Don't you see that whenever we are sent down empty，we always come up full？”

Boys and girls sometimes talk like these two buckets.You may hear one of them say，“Just as we are having a good game，we are made to stop and go to work again.” “Yes，” the other will reply，“but as soon as work is over，we always get to go out and have fun again.”

There are two ways of looking at things.If you want to be happy，look at the bright side.

1.What were the buckets tied to？(不超過10個詞)

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2.Where did the two buckets talk with each other？(不超過10個詞)

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3.What does the story tell us？(不超過20個詞)

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Dear Kids Advice Magazine，

Hi，my name is Evan and being the eldest child in the family surely has its disadvantages.First of all，I have to share all my toys and games with my younger siblings，William and Julia.Of course，they don't need to return the favor because I'm totally uninterested in their things.Besides that，Julia and William are always hanging around me.It's especially annoying when I have a friend over.We look for a secluded place in the house where they can't disturb(打擾) us，but within minutes，they've found us and are asking to join in.I just can't seem to get a moment's peace.At meal time，I have to eat whatever is on my plate regardless of the portion size or taste.William and Julia only need to try one bite when it's not their favorite food.Not only this，but I'm expected to be cooperative(合作的) at all times because I'm the oldest and need to be a role model for them.

It doesn't seem fair either that I have more chores to do around the house than Julia and William put together.Plus，when it comes to practising our musical instruments，I have to practise more than double the time.Oh，and the worst part of it all is the huge quantities of homework I get compared to them.

I'm feeling rather annoyed with my sibling situation.Can you please write back with some advice?

Yours truly，

Evan Smith

1.How many children are there in Evan's family？(不超過10個詞)

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2.Why is Evan expected to be cooperative at all times？(不超過20個詞)

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3.How did Evan feel when he wrote this letter？(不超過5個詞)

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A strange thing happened in the science class today.Our teacher brought an apple and an onion to class.He cut the onion and the apple into small pieces.We tasted the apple and the onion.One was sweet and the other was terrible.

Next，he put a mask(面具) on John.John couldn't see anything.He told John to smell the apple.Then he told him to taste it.John said it tasted very good.

The teacher rubbed(摩擦) his hands with a piece of onion.Then he picked up a piece of apple.He held it under John's nose.John smelled it and made a face！It smelled like onion.The teacher put the piece of apple into John's mouth.“Yuck！” John said.“No onion for me！” Everyone laughed.It was still a piece of apple.

The teacher told us about our senses.He said we have five of them—hearing，sight，smell，taste，and touch.Our senses help us describe things.They help us know what might be dangerous.They can fool us，too，as they fooled John.

1.What did John eat after he made a face？(不超過5個詞)

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2.What are our senses？(不超過10個詞)

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3.What's the last paragraph mainly about？(不超過5個詞)

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One day，I saw some children trying to catch butterflies.This made me think of my own childhood.

When I was a boy of 12 in South Carolina，we lived near a forest，and every evening mockingbirds(知更鳥) would come to the trees and sing.I was so interested in watching birds.I planned to catch a bird and keep her in a cage so that I could hear her sing at any time.

I finally caught one.On the second day，the bird's mother flew to the cage with food in her mouth.The baby ate everything her mother brought her.I was glad to see this.The following morning when I went to see my mockingbird，I was surprised to find she was dead in the cage！How sad I was!

When Arthur Wayne，a famous ornithologist(鳥類學(xué)家)，visited my father，he heard my crying and told me，“If a mother mockingbird finds her young baby in a cage，she will bring poisonous(有毒的) food to the baby.She thinks that it is better for her child to die than to live in a cage.”

Since then，I never caught any animals and put them in a cage.All living animals have a right(權(quán)利) to live free.

1.What was the writer's hobby when he was young？(不超過5個詞)

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2.Why was the young mockingbird dead in the cage？(不超過10個詞)

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3.What does the writer want to tell us in the story？(不超過15個詞)

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When Dr.Karen McComb came to Amboseli Park, her first task was to learn the names of the one hundred or so elephants most often seen.

Scientists working in the park have learned to study elephants by watching them up close. They have a list of almost one thousand elephants. There are records for all of the elephants born since 1972. Amboseli was a good place for Dr.McComb to study animal communications. Elephants were a great subject because their lifestyle depends on communication.

Dr.McComb and her team had learned a lot about elephant communication, but they kept on thinking about one puzzling(困惑的) watch. Some families were better at distinguishing(區(qū)別) calls of friends from those of strangers.

What made some families smarter than others? The scientists searched their records for an explanation. To their surprise, there was only one factor(因素) of importance: The “smartest” families always had the oldest grandmothers. A family, as it did in all other activities, waited for some signal(信號) from the grandmother when they heard a strange contact call. And older, more experienced grandmothers were better at telling whether other elephants were strangers or friends just by their calls.

That was an important discovery. It showed how an elephant family depends on the experience of the grandmother.

回答下面5個問題，每題答案不超過5個詞。

1.How do scientists working in the park study elephants?

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2.What did Dr.McComb study?

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3.What did Dr.McComb and her team do for an explanation?

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4.Who does everyone in elephant families listen to?

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5.What does an elephant family depend on in all the activities?

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