Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star is a lovely song for children, but it has two misunderstandings (误解). First, stars aren’t little. Some may be Earth-sized, but most are bigger than Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system (太阳系). Second, they don’t twinkle; they shine. And the brightness and color of the light from each star provide information about its temperature, size and even its age. viewing the stars from Earth is a bit like looking at them through a water filter (过滤器) because the air is thick compared to the emptiness of space. What is more, air is always moving, so starlight appears to be moving, too. The air also makes stars appear dimmer (暗淡的) than they would be if we could see them from space.

If you stop and look at the sky carefully on a dark and moonless night, it’s easy to find color differences among stars. The color of a star is a signal of its surface temperature. The hottest stars are blue, and the next hottest are white. Yellow stars like the sun are next, while red stars are the coolest of the visible (可见的) stars. Many red stars are so dim that people can’t see them at all, and some stars hardly send out any light at all. One reason that stars different in brightness is that hotter stars produce more energy than cooler ones, but another important reason is that some are much bigger than others.

Some stars appear brighter to humans simply because they’re closer. Astronomers rank (排列) the brightness of stars which are seen from Earth by giving them a name known as magnitude (光度) ---the smaller the magnitude, the brighter the object. They have also designed a number that ranks stars according to how bright they are when compared to each other. With a magnitude of minus 26.7, the sun is the brightest object in the sky.

1.From the song quite familiar to children, the writer wants to prove that .

A. most stars are smaller than Jupiter

B. Jupiter is bigger and brighter than Earth

C. stars are very large and always shine brightly

D. starlight’s brightness and color are the signs of its temperature

2.Magnitude is designed to see .

A. how far a star is from Earth

B. how bright a star is compared to other stars

C. how far a star is from other stars

D. how bright a star is seen from Earth

3.Which is the best title of this passage?

A. What do stars look like?

B. Which song do children like best?

C. How to view the stars from Earth?

D. Why are many stars so dim at night?

Are you looking for a different kind of camp this summer? If you are between 13 and 16 and love exciting roller coasters(过山车), Thrill Coaster Tour Center in New Jersey will be the perfect choice for you. It will offer the following three exciting tours.

Tour 1: Tour to the west

You will spend ten days( from July 10 to July 19) visiting roller coasters in eight different parks in America, including Six Flags Great America. The tour starts at Knoebels Amusement(娱乐) Park, which has one of the best wooden roller coasters in America. After that, we will take you to the roller coaster capital of the world-Cedar Point. I'm sure you will have two exciting days there. Then comes the next park-Six Flags Great America. The tour ends at Kennywood.

Tour 2. Beach Tour

You will spend six days (from July 17 to July 22)in four different parks on the beach. Virginia Beach is the number one beach in America. Kin Dominion, a park on Virginia Beach, has a new kind of roller caster. It is more than 300 feet high.

Tour 3: North Border Tour

You will spend eight days from July 22 to July 29 visiting the amusement park and roller coasters in Canada. You can try many other activities like parachuting and indoor rock climbing.

1.Thrill Coaster Tour Center offers the above three exciting tours to _______.

A. kids from 8 to 12 B. teens between 13 and 18

C. teens between 13 and 16 D. people of all ages

2.Which tour will Mary probably choose if she is free from July 20 to July 30?

A. Tour 1 B. Tour 2 C. Tour 3 D. Both Tour 1 and Tour 3

3.What's the correct order of Tour 1 according to the passage?

a. Kennywood b. Six Flags Great America

c. Knoebels Amusement Park d. Cedar Point

A. c→d→b→a B. d→a→c→b C. c→b→d→a D. b→d→c→a

4.Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The best roller coaster in America is in Knoebels Amusement Park.

B. Tour 1 lasts longer than the other two.

C. You can try parachuting if you choose Tour 2.

D. Kings Dominion is a famous beach in America.

5.The passage mainly tells us ______.

A. Three places of interest in America B. Some famous roller coasters in Canada.

C. Three famous amusement parks D. Three exciting tours in summer

I had learned English for 11 years, but I knew few English idioms (习惯用语). When I went to study in America last year, I had trouble communicating with Americans at times.

One day, I asked my roommate Kevin, “Shall we play soccer tomorrow?” He answered, “Let’s play it by ear.” I was so puzzled. “Ear can play soccer?” He smiled and explained, “It means let’s see. The weather report says tomorrow is rainy.”

Last October, I was waiting for bus in a station. Beside me sat a young man. When he knew I was a Chinese, he asked me about the Great Wall. I told him, “The Great Wall is more than 20,000 kilometers long.” The man said, “You don’t say.” I was surprised, “There must be something wrong with him.” I thought. Later, I knew he meant “Really?”

I was once invited to my classmate’s home. His mother said to me, “Break your ice, please.” I wondered, “Where is the ice?” Later my classmate told me she meant I could make myself relaxed in their home.

From, then on, I realized English idioms had special meanings. It was wrong to them word by word.

1.What did the writer go to America for?

A. He studied in a college B. He spent holidays.

C. He did business in America D. He visited his relatives.

2.“Let’s play it by ear.” means ______ in the passage.

A. “Kevin was good at listening.”

B. “Kevin could play soccer with his ear.”

C. “Kevin refused the writer’s suggestion.”

D. “Whether to play soccer depends on the weather.”

3.From the 3rd paragraph (段落), we can know________.

A. the writer wanted to take a train

B. the young man knew the Great Wall well

C. the young man was the writer’s good friend

D. the young man was surprised to know how long the Great Wall was

4.“Break your ice.” means ______ in the passage.

A. “help yourself ” B. “the ice is too large”

C. “ice can make you cool here” D. “it’s polite to break the ice”

5.What’s the best title (题目) for the passage?

A. The Most Useful Language—English

B. Importance of Knowing English Idioms

C. Differences between Universities in America

D. How to Communicate with Americans

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