Climbing the highest mountains in the world is not an     1     (easily) job. You have to fight bad weather,
illness and fear. But Jordan Romero, a thirteen-year-old boy from America, will climb     2     (Asia) highest
mountain, Mount Qomolangma. He will set out this month.     3     (He) parents and helpers will climb with
him. He plans to take     4     (second) months for his climb. "I'm ready. But if I don't reach the top     5    
(successful), I'll try next time," he said. Jordan has already climbed the highest mountains of six other continents
(洲). If he     6     (get) to the top this time, he will become the youngest person to climb the world's highest
mountain.
1.                 2.                 3.                 4.                 5.                 6.             

    Science fiction is a popular kind of writing, and many people think of Jules Verne as the father of science
fiction. He was born in France in 1828. His father wanted him to become a lawyer(律师), but when he was
about twenty years old, Verne decided to become a writer. At first he wrote plays for the theater. Then, in 1863,
he wrote a story called Five Weeks in a Balloon. The success of this book encouraged him to write more stories
such as A Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) and From the Earth to the Moon (1865).
    In the 19th century, many people were interested in science and inventions. Jules Verne wrote about scientific
subjects in his stories and, as a result, they were very popular. Verne's writing included many predictions (预言)
for the 20th century and many of them came true. He described space flight, movies, and air conditioning, a long
time before they appeared. These books were very successful and they made Verne rich.
    Jules Verne's books have been the subjects for many movies. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was a successful
movie for Walt Disney. It was the first Disney movie to use real actors instead of cartoon drawings. Around the
World in Eighty Days is another famous movie based on one of Verne's books. The main character is an
Englishman called Phileas Fogg. For him, the most important thing is to be always on time!

1. What does the phrase "the father of science fiction" mean?

A. The man who loves science and inventions.
B. The writer whose father wrote science fiction.
C. The man who first started writing science fiction successfully.

2. What encouraged Jules Verne to write more stories?

A. The success of Five Weeks in a Balloon.
B. The encouragement from his father.
C. The plays he wrote for the theater.

3. Why were Jules Verne's books very popular in the19th century?

A. Because his books made him rich and famous.
B. Because his books have been the subjects for many movies.
C. Because many people were interested in science and inventions.

4. Which of the following has the main character called Phileas Fogg?

A. From the Earth to the Moon
B. Around the World in Eighty Days.
C. A Journey to the Center of the Earth.

5. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a ______.

A. cartoon movie
B. movie to use real actors
C. book written by Walt Disney

                                                          
    The young violin player Vanessa-Mae was the first musician to use dance and rock music in classical (古
典的) music. Vanessa-Mae love pop music, and she was also a very good classical violinist, and she brought
these kinds of music together. Vanessa-Mae was born in Singapore on October 27, 1978. She moved to
London with her family when she was four. A year later, she started to learn the violin. When she was eight,
she went to Beijing to study the violin. When she was ten, she played with a very famous group of classical
musicians. But Vanessa-Mae doesn't only play the violin. She learnt the piano before she started to play the
violin.
    She likes lots of different kinds of music, from Beethoven to the Beatles, and she wants to play the music
she likes. Not only has she played in classical concerts all over the world, but she has also played in pop
concerts with pop stars.
    A lot of people don't like the way she uses modern rhythms (节奏), noisy drums and guitars in traditional
(传统的) music. But Vanessa-Mae has done one important thing: she has brought many new fans to classical
music. For the first time, many young people began to listen to classical music.

1. Vanessa-Mae was a young            woman.

A. Chinese
B. English
C. Singaporean
D. French

2. The type of music Vanessa-Mae likes is           .

A. traditional music
B. different kinds of music
C. classical music
D. rock and roll

3.            listen to classical music because they like Vanessa-Mae.

A. Pop stars
B. Young people
C. Classical musicians
D. Old people

4.            was the first instrument (乐器) she learnt to play.

A. The violin
B. The piano
C. The drums
D. The guitar

5. Vanessa-Mae has played music with            in all kinds of concerts.

A. Beethoven and the Beatles
B. young children
C. pop stars and classical musicians
D. new fans

    Steven Jobs, the designer (设计者) of Apple Computer, was not clever when he was in school. At that
time, he was not a good student and he always made troubles with his schoolmates. When he went into
college, he didn't change a lot. Then he dropped out (退学). But he was full of new ideas. 　　
    After he left college, Steven Jobs worked as a video game designer. He worked there for only several
months and then he went to India. He hoped that the trip would give him some new ideas and give him a
change in life. 　　
    Steven Jobs lived on a farm in California for a year after he returned from India. 　　
    In 1975, he began to make a new type of computer. He designed the Apple Computer with his friend in
his garage (汽车库). He chose the name "Apple" just because it could help him to remember a happy summer
he once spent in an apple tree garden. 　　
    His Apple Computer was such a great success that Steven Jobs soon became famous all over the world.

1. Steven Jobs was not a good student in school because he ______.

A. never did his lessons 　　
B. was full of new ideas 　　
C. always made troubles with his schoolmates 　　
D. dropped out

2. Steven Jobs didn't finish college, did he?

A. Yes, he did.　　
B. No, he didn't.　
C. Yes, he didn't.　
D. No, he did.

3. Steven Jobs designed his new computer ______.

A. in India　　　　　　　　　　　
B. with his friend 　　
C. in an apple tree garden　　　　　
D. by himself

4. Steven Jobs was famous for his ______ all over the world.

A. new ideas　　　　　　　　　　
B. apple　　　　
C. Apple Computer　　　　　　　　
D. video games

5. From this passage we know ______.

A. Steven Jobs didn't finish his studies in the college because he hated his schoolmates 　　
B. Steven Jobs liked travelling in India and California 　　
C. Steven Jobs liked trying new things and making his new ideas become true 　　
D. Steven Jobs could only design video games

    John Carlin was a "jack of all trades." He was an artist and writer. He taught himself five foreign languages.
He was a leader among the deaf.
    John Carlin was born in Philadelphia in 1813. His father was a poor shoemaker. His younger brother, Andrew,
was also deaf. John and Andrew did not need to do things that other children of their ages had to do, so they had
much free time to walk around the city.
    John got rich experiences when he was young. He showed his talent for drawing early in life. He often drew
pictures on the floor with chalk and when his mother saw what he had done, she would quickly clean them with
a mop (拖把).
    John went to work as a house painter when he was 12. His days were busy with work. However, he taught
himself foreign languages at night. When he was at 20, he went to New York to learn drawing. When he ran out
of his money, he went to work again. But he would return to drawing whenever he could afford to.
    John was the first person to receive an honorary degree (荣誉学位) from Gallaudet. He was one who didn't
let deafness stop him from doing what he wanted to do. He beat all difficulties and became a successful
American.

1. The underlined phrase "jack of all trades" may mean "            " in Chinese.

A. 多面手
B. 生意经
C. 工作狂
D. 守财奴

2. John Carlin              when he was young.

A. worked hard at school
B. learned five foreign languages at school
C. didn't go to school
D. often walked around Philadelphia after school

3. John showed his talent for drawing             .

A. before 12 years old
B. at the age of 12
C. when he was 20
D. in his early thirties

4. John went to New York to learn drawing with money            .

A. donated by an organization
B. by selling his paintings
C. that his parents gave him
D. that he earned by himself

5. "Gallaudet" in the last paragraph is probably the name of             .

A. a college for the deaf
B. a college for normal people
C. a man who built a collage for the deaf
D. a middle school built by a person named "Gallaudet"