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One cool April 22 morning, people started the day as usual．Yet it was not a normal day． What’s so special about April 22? The answer is simple．It is Earth Day． People all over the world celebrate this important day．The idea of having a special day to celebrate Earth began in the 1960s．Life was very different then． Few people talked or even thought about the environment．Most people had no idea how dirty our air and water were．

On April 22, 1970, twenty million （百萬） Americans joined the first Earth Day activities. They showed that people really did want to do something about the environment． Since then laws have been passed to protect the air, water, land, and animals．

The vehicles such as cars and buses you ride in must pass tests to make sure they don’t cause too much pollution．Thanks to this law, cars today release （排放） about half as many bad chemicals as cars did back in 1970．As a result, the air we breathe is cleaner than it once was．

Rivers and lakes are also cleaner today than they were in the 1970s．It’s a good thing because they needed a lot of help．The Cuyahoga River in Ohio was so polluted that rubbish and oil on the river even caught fire! Today, the river is cleaner．It no longer burns． It’s healthy enough for birds, fish, and other animals．

Now the celebration has spread to other countries．More than 175 countries take part each year．

In 2007, people in China paid much attention to a big problem．People were throwing away 27 million plastic bags a day! People had “Bye-Bye Throwaway Culture Week．” They wanted everyone to see how polluted it was to throw away so many plastic bags．In 2008, China passed new laws against them．

Every April 22, millions get together to clean and protect Earth．They also celebrate how far we have come．Our job is to put this knowledge to work． You can help keep our planet healthy too!

1． Is Earth Day on April 22？

2． What caught fire on the Cuyahoga River？

3． How many countries take part in the celebration each year now？

4． Why did Chinese people have “Bye-Bye Throwaway Culture Week”？

5． What the purpose of celebrating the Earth Day？

    Apple’s logo is one of the most familiar icons(圖標(biāo)) around the world. But what’s the story about the Apple logo? The image of the apple is obvious, because that’s the name of the company. What about the bite? The famous story is that the logo shows respect and honour for Alan Turing. He was the father of computer science. He researched artificial intelligence(人工智能) and unlocked German wartime codes(密碼). However，after the war, he was put into prison，because of his beliefs. He could not stand the looking down and chose to bite a poisoned apple to end his life in the prison.
However, Rob Janoff, who designed the famous Apple logo, said, “It’s not the truth, but only a legend(傳說, 傳奇). The real reason why I designed it with a bite is very simple. I wanted people to get that it was an apple not a cherry (櫻桃). When I go to markets to buy apples, I always mistake apples for cherries. It really has nothing to do with the scientist.”
Are you kidding? An apple is much bigger than a cherry. It’s very easy to tell. But if you use an apple to design a logo, some people may mistake it for a cherry.
【小題1】Both the apple and the cherry are almost the same actually in ________.

A．shape

B．size

C．colour

D．weight

【小題2】According to the passage, Alan Turing________.

A．died in the prison

B．used an apple to design a logo

C．was put into prison during the war

D．was the father of a computer company

【小題3】What’s the purpose of writing the passage about the apple logo?

A．To introduce its designer.

B．To tell us a legend about it.

C．To try to find the truth of it.

D．To explain its market research.

Zhalong is a nature reserve in Heilongjiang in north-east China. It is one of the world’s most important wetlands. The reserve covers an area of 210,000 hectares. The area provides food and shelter for wildlife. It is an ideal home for different kinds of plants, fish and birds.

Many birds live comfortably in Zhalong Nature Reserve all year round, while some only stay there for a short time. There are many fish in the wetlands, and the birds can easily catch them for food. Zhalong has long been called “the home of the crane”. There are 15 crane species (物種) in the world. 8 of them are in China and there are 6 species in Zhalong area. It is an important living area for the rare red-crowned cranes. There are not many red-crowned cranes in the world. Every spring and summer, red-crowned cranes lay and hatch (孵化) their eggs in Zhalong.

Some people want to change the wetlands to make more space for farms and buildings. This means there will be less and less space for wildlife. More and more birds are in danger because they do not have enough living space. Many of them died. The Chinese government wants to protect these endangered birds, and they can be safe in Zhalong.

Every year, a lot of tourists go to Zhalong to watch birds. This year, members of our Bird-watching Club are going to study the different kinds of birds in Zhalong and the changes in their numbers. The study begins next month.

We _______ once a year. We are now inviting secondary school students to help. We need more people to help us count and do something to help the birds.

Many people do not understand the importance of the wetlands. We hope this information will help them understand and make them actively take action to protect wildlife.

1. What does the underlined word “ideal” mean?

   A. Perfect.          B. Dangerous.       C. Crowded.     D. Expensive.

2. What can we learn from the second paragraph?

   A. All birds stay in Zhalong Nature Reserve all year round.

   B. There are eight species of red-crowned cranes in Zhalong.

   C. The number of the world’s red-crowned cranes is small.

   D. Every winter red-crowned cranes hatch eggs in Zhalong.

3.Which of the following can we choose for the blank (空白) in the fifth paragraph?

   A. go birdwatching   B. do a bird count  C. go bird-hunting  D. hold a bird show

4.The purpose of the article is to _______.

   A. attract more visitors to pay a visit to Zhalong Nature Reserve

   B. ask people to take action to protect wetlands and wildlife

   C. prevent people from watching birds in Zhalong Nature Reserve

   D. make people around the world know the Birdwatchting Club

 

Scientists are placing robotic dogs in the homes of lonely old people to test whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert(專家) in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study on the effect of robotic dogs on old people’s depression (沮喪) , physical activity, and life satisfaction.

         In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, scientists will collect baseline data(數(shù)據(jù)) for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO. Then, the scientists will review the data to test if it has produced any changes in the life of its owner.

         “I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady. “When I’m watching TV, he’ll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has his own mind.”

The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The scientists say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns.

       “At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate(與……相關(guān)) to the robotic dog, because it was metal and not furry.” Beck says. “Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more-valuable health helper. They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels or heart rhythms(心律). AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate(刺激) older people’s minds.”

1.The purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study is to _____________.

A. understand human-animal relationship

B. make lonely old people’s life better

C. find the causes of old people’s loneliness

D. improve the animal-assisted research

2. In the research, the old people are asked to _____________.

A. note the activities of AIBOs

B. keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks

C. record their feelings and activity

D. study the collected information

3.What does the underlined word “removes” mean?

A. moves again                   B. is movable         C. doesn’t need                      D. need

4.What is the better point of AIBO than live dogs?

A. It is easier to keep at home.

B. It can help the disabled people.

C. It responds to all the human orders.

D. It can watch TV with its owner.

5.The writer seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may__________.

A. cure certain diseases                                                B. keep old people active

C. change people’s ideas                                                        D. look more like real dogs

 

What would happen if you tried to blow a soap bubble in freezing weather? Would it freeze solid(固體) and fall to the ground? Would you have to hit it to break it? These questions happened to me on a cold winter day. It was too cold to play in the snow, but it was a perfect time to experiment with blowing frozen bubbles.

To blow frozen bubbles, I used dishwashing soap and a drop of glycerin（甘油） to make it even better. I chose a place out of the wind, and blew bubbles the same way I always do. I watched to see what would happen. Here’s what I learned.

If the temperature is low enough, the skin of the bubbles frosts over (結(jié)霜), becoming cloudy instead of clear. And what about those rainbow swirls（旋轉(zhuǎn)） you see in soap bubbles? The rainbow colors stay even when the bubbles frost, but they don’t swirl anymore. The bubbles still stay in the air. They don’t fall to the ground any faster than they would on a warm summer day.

When these frozen bubbles break, they don’t turn into small water drops as summer bubbles do. They turn into flashing rainbow confetti（碎屑） and move slowly to the ground. Sometimes a frozen bubble will roll across the snow without breaking. If nothing disturbs the bubble, it may stay there for a long time. Sometimes I could catch a bubble and hold it until the heat of my hand made it pop.

I learned another thing about blowing frozen bubbles. It’s so interesting that I want to try it again next year.

1.It is the perfect time to blow frozen bubbles on a ___________day.

A．cold winter        B．warm spring        C．hot summer        D．sunny autumn

2.When the frozen bubbles break, _________.

A．they make a big sound                   B．they turn into small drops

C．they fall to the ground like rain             D．they become rainbow confetti

3.The purpose of the passage is _______.

A．to learn how to do a science experiment

B．to show the experiment of blowing frozen bubbles

C．to discover games that are fun to play in the snow

D．to invent a new kind of soap that makes stronger bubbles