Though water does not seem all that exciting, it is very valuable. The Ancient Greek people believed all the fresh water on the Earth came from a river called Okeanos. They imagined that clouds collected rain from its magical waters (海域). The reason they believed in this is because water is important for humans, Doctors say that without water we would die in about one week.

There are two places that our fresh water comes from. The first is surface water, which includes all the water in lakes or rivers. The second is groundwater, which refers to all the water that comes from under the ground.

Water must be treated before it can come out of the tap (水龙头). First, anything harmful in the water must be removed. Then a cleaning agent (净化剂) is added. This will destroy any remaining germs (细菌).

There have been reports of factories in China letting waste water leak into the ground. Industrial waste water is a big problem as it can pollute our drinking water. Even if the water is treated, it is unfit for drinking. The Ministry of Environmental Protection has improved the water in China since 2004. In 2011, 76 percent of water was safe for dinking. But treated water should always be boiled before drinking.

Some countries have more fresh water resources (资源) and this means that it is easier for them to treat their water.

A report from a British Consulting Firm called Maplecroft found that Iceland has the best fresh water supply in the world. That is because most of the tap water in Iceland comes from pure mountain springs. No treatment of any kind is required before Icelandic people drink their delicious water.

1.What is the main topic of the first paragraph?

A.An Ancient Greek story. B.The importance of water.

C.Okeanos the river. D.Clouds and water.

2.Where does our fresh water come from?

A.From surface, water and lakes or rivers. B.From surface water and groundwater.

C.From a river called Okeanos. D.From the groundwater and Iceland.

3.What do we know about tap water?

A.It comes directly from groundwater.

B.It comes directly from lakes or rivers.

C.The cleaning agent in it is bad for our health.

D.It must be treated before it comes out of the tap.

4.What do the underlined words "leak into" in the fourth paragraph mean in Chinese?

A.填满 B.覆盖 C.渗漏 D.倒入

5.Iceland has the best fresh water supply in the world because ________.

A.they always boil the water before drinking

B.there is no water pollution in Iceland

C.they have the best water treatment technology

D.most of the water comes from pure mountain springs.

Mark,a young person,tells me he wants to be a writer.I always encourage such people,but I also explain that there’s a big difference between “being a writer” and writing.In most cases these people are dreaming of wealth and fame,not the long hours alone at a typewriter (打字机).“You’ve got to want to write,” I say to them,“not want to be a writer.”

The reality is that writing is a lonely,private and poor-paying affair.For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded (报答).When I left a 20-year job in the U.S.Coast Guard to become a writer,I had no hopes at all.

What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building.It didn’t even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom.I immediately bought a used typewriter and felt like a real writer.

After a year or so,however,I still hadn’t got a break and began to doubt (怀疑)myself.It was so hard to sell a story that barely made enough to eat.But I knew I wanted to write.I had dreamed about it for years.I wasn’t going to be one of those people who die wondering “what if”.

I would keep putting my dream to the test—even though it meant living with uncertainty (不确定)and fear of failure.This is the shadowland of hope,and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.

1.According to the author’s idea,writing is .

A. enjoyable B. interesting C. lonely D. boring

2.When the author left his 20-year job,he .

A. felt sad B. lost his heart C. felt unforgettable D. found himself

3.When the author went to the New York apartment building,.

A. there was almost nothing there B. there was everything there

C. the author was pleased with it D. the author was so happy

4.What does the underlined word “shadowland” probably mean in Chinese?

A. 点点希望 B. 夺目强光 C. 人生低谷 D. 虚幻境界

5.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. Tell us to study hard. B. Let us dream of succeeding.

C. Let us do something that we can’t accept. D. Hold on to your dream even if you meet difficulties.

When a leafy plant is under attack, it doesn’t sit quietly. Back in 1983, two scientists, Jack Schultz and Ian Baldwin, reported that young maple trees getting bitten by insects send out a special smell that neighboring plants can get. These chemicals come from the injured parts of the plant and seem to be a warning. What the plants pump through the air is a mixture of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds(VOCs).

Scientists have found that all kinds of plants give out VOCs when being attacked. It’s a plant’s way of crying out. But is anyone listening? Obviously. Because we can watch the neighbors’ react.

Some plants pump out smelly chemicals to keep insects away. But others do double duty. They pump out perfumes to attract different insects who are their natural enemies. Once the insects arrive, the tables are turned. The attacker who was lunching now becomes lunch.

In study after study, it appears that these chemical conversations help the neighbors. The damage is usually more serious on the first plant, but the neighbors stay safer because they heard the warning and knew what to do.

Does this mean that plants talk to each other? Scientists don’t know. Maybe the first plant just made a cry of pain or was sending a message to its own branches, and so, in fact, was talking to itself. Perhaps the neighbors just happened to hear the cry by accident and so wrong information was exchanged.

Charles Darwin, over 150 years ago, imagined a world far busier, noisier and more intimate than the world we can see and hear, our senses are weak. There’s a whole lot going on.

1.What does a plant do when it is under attack?

A.It makes noises. B.It gets help from other plants.

C.It stands quietly. D.It sends out certain chemicals.

2.What does “the tables are turned” mean in Paragraph 3?

A.The attackers are attacked. B.The insects gather under the table.

C.The plants get ready to fight back. D.The perfumes attract natural enemies.

3.Scientists find from their studies that plants can__________.

A.talk to one another B.predict natural disasters

C.protect themselves against insects D.help their neighbors when necessary

4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A.The world is changing faster than ever. B.People have stronger senses than before.

C.The world is more colorful than it seems. D.People in Darwin’s time were full of imagination.

Thanks to an online activity and a stranger with a strong sense of romance and a strong will, an old box full of 70-year-old love letters was returned to its very first owner.

Twenty years ago, a woman named Cherry Vallance got the letters from her neighbor who found them in the top floor of his house and wanted to throw them away. Luckily, they ended up in Cherry’s house where they were once again forgotten until her daughter, Kim Rowe, discovered them again.

The letters were from 1948 and 1949 and were about the first romance between Norma Hall in Kent, England and Bob Beasley, a soldier fighting overseas. That was the only information she had, but Kim heard a lot of moving stories about people and things being found through Facebook years later. She posted the story online.

The Internet found Norma Beasley living in Lincoln, England. She was so surprised to find that her loved love letters still lived in the world, and that they were in the same old box.

The moment makes people smile and also full of tears, though. Norma says she hasn’t looked at the letters yet. Bob passed away late last year, and she is still not ready to face the letters alone.

1.The love letters have a history of ________.

A.70 years B.20 years C.50 years D.only one year

2.________decided to find the owner of the love letters.

A.Cherry Vallance B.Kim Rowe C.Norma Hall D.Bob Beasley

3.From the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4, we know that ________.

A.the letters were dirty B.the old box was very strong

C.the letters were kept well D.the old box wasn’t very pretty

4.What happened to Bob Beasley?

A.He moved to a new house. B.He had left the world.

C.He lost his way home. D.He went to another country.

5.According to the passage, which of the following sentences is NOT TRUE?

A.Norma Hall isn’t Kim Rowe’s grandmother.

B.Norma Beasley is the owner of the love letters.

C.Norma Hall got married to Bob Beasley.

D.Norma Hall has lived in Lincoln since 1948.

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