Lego, the inventor of those colorful bricks that have inspired kids' imagination worldwide, has celebrated its 50th anniversary．
On January 28, 1958, a man named Godtfred Kirk Christiansen created the plastic building bricks that can now be found in almost every child's toy box．The simple building block has become one of the most well-known and popular toys around the world．
"The Lego brick continues to be very attractive, because it allows children and others to develop their creativity and imagination," said Charlotte Simonsen, a spokeswoman of the Danish Lego company．
The company's building brick allows an infinite number of links．With just two bricks there are 24 different links, and with six, there are 915 million possibilities, according to Lego．A half-century after its creation, more than 400 million children and adults spend five billion hours a year putting the bricks together and taking them apart．Also, the bricks made today can still interlock with those made in 1958．
Lego bricks are not just a child's play：they also attract the interest of adults．South Korean adventurer, Heo Young-Ho, who climbed Mount Everest in 1987, left a Lego toy behind in the snow during his climb．
After its great success, Lego experienced a severe crisis at the end of the 1990s, hit hard by fierce competition from electronic games．This so-called "Toy of the Century" then suffered a dark period that lasted several years．
With great efforts, the company began to prosper again, and in 2006 it earned about 1．5 billion dollars in 130 countries．Seven boxes of Lego are now sold every second around the world, and 19 billion bricks are produced each year：enough to circle the Earth five times！
(1)
The Lego bricks have remained popular in the past 50 years as a result of ________．
[ ]
A．
attracting many children worldwide
B．
bringing imagination to the children worldwide
C．
making the children and even adults worldwide creative and imaginative
D．
having infinite links that bring many imaginations
(2)
The author gave the example of South Korean adventurer Heo Young-Ho in order to prove that ________．
[ ]
A．
Heo Youn-Ho also loved playing Lego bricks
B．
the Lego bricks made him a mountain climber
C．
the Lego bricks not only interest children but also adults
D．
the Lego bricks are a must when one goes on an adventure
(3)
The underlined word “hit” in the seventh paragraph means ________．
[ ]
A．
get defeated in a fight or a competition
B．
have a crash in an accident or a fight
C．
get known through a song
D．
attack sb in a fight
(4)
The main idea of the story is that ________．
[ ]
A．
Lego bricks：brilliant past and struggling future
B．
Lego bricks：an attraction of both children and adults
So far, scientists have named about 1.8 million living species(物种), and that’s just a small part of what probably exists on Earth．With so many plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms covering the planet, it can be tough to figure out what type of spider is crawling up your leg or what kind of bird just flew by．
A soon-to-be-launched Website might help．An international team of researchers has announced the creation of a Web－based Encyclopedia of Life(EOL)．The project aims to catalogue every species on Earth in a single, easy-to-use reference guide．
To get the encyclopedia started, the creators will use information from scientific databases that already exist．And eventually, in special sections of the site, nonscientists with specialized knowledge will join．Gardeners, for example, will be able to record the dates that their flowers first bloom each year．Bird-watchers will be able to input which birds they’ve seen and where．The technology for this kind of tool has only recently become available．
As the EOL develops, you might find it useful for school projects．The site will have special pages for kids who are studying ecosystems in their neighborhoods．To make sure the encyclopedia is accurate, scientists will review much of the information added to it．People who visit the site will be able to choose to skip pages that haven’t been reviewed．
Another convenient characteristic of the EOL is that you’ll be able to pick the level of detail you see to match your interests, age, and current knowledge．If you wanted to learn about polar bears for a science class report, for example, you could use the“novice”setting to get basic information about the animals．On the“expert”setting, on the other hand．you could get much more detailed information about the history, literature, and exploration of polar bears．
It now takes years for scientists to collect all the data they need to describe and analyze species．The creators of the Encyclopedia of Life hope that their new tool will speed that process．
Keep an eye on www.eol.org．Pages will begin to go up sometime next year, and you might find them useful for your school reports．The EOL team might have the basics for all 1.8 million entries online as early as 2017．Someday, you might add your own notes．
(1)
What is implied in the last sentence of Paragraph 1?
[ ]
A．
No one can become an expert on spiders and birds．
B．
So many spiders have crawled up your leg
C．
There are far more than 1.8 million living species．
D．
Scientists have named a lot of living species
(2)
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
[ ]
A．
You can find information of all living species online in 2017．
B．
Nonscientists will be able to add their own notes to the website．
C．
The kids preparing school reports can not have access to the informat’0 n’
D．
You are not free to choose the amount of detailed information．
(3)
What does the underlined word“novice”probably mean in Paragraph 5?
[ ]
A．
Beginner．
B．
Specialist．
C．
Scientist．
D．
Pupil．
(4)
Who are the intended readers of this passage?
[ ]
A．
Students．
B．
Researchers．
C．
Bird watchers or Gardeners．
D．
People in general
(5)
What is the best title for the passage?
[ ]
A．
Exploring Polar Bears
B．
Visit Our Website Now
C．
How to Do School Projects
D．
E-book of Life．
阅读理解
Sydney－A shark savaged a schoolboy's leg while he was surfing with his father at a beach in Sydney on February 23．It was the third shark attack along the coast of Australia's largest city in a month．
The 15-year-old boy and his father were in the water off Avalon, on Sydney's northern beaches, around dawn when he was attacked．The city's beaches are packed with locals and tourists during the summer months．
“The father heard a scream and turned to see his son trashing(扭动)about in the water,”police said．“Fortunately, the shark swam away and the boy was helped to shore by his father．”
Lifesaving Club spokesman Nick Miller said,“It got him around the top of his left leg and the father came and dragged his out of water．”He said the boy was bleeding heavily when he was brought to the shore．“There was a lot of pain, as you can imagine．”The teenager was airlifted to hospital for treatment for leg injuries．
Police said the bites“cut through to the bone”, but the boy did not appear to have sustained any fractures(骨折)．He was in a stable condition now．
Several beaches were closed after the attack．Water police and lifeguards were searching for the shark, while police hoped to identify its species by the shape of the bite marks．But they said it was too early to say what type of shark attacked the boy．“I don't even know if he saw it,”Miller said．
Many shark species live in the waters off Sydney's beaches, but attacks on humans are still relatively rare．However, there were two attacks on successive days earlier this month, one on a navy diver in Sydney harbor, not far from the famous Opera House, and the other on a surfer at the city's world-famous Bondi beach．
Fishermen say shark numbers are on the rise．There is a ban on commercial fishing in the harbor, which has increased fish stocks．Marine experts also claim environmental protection has created a cleaner environment, attracting sharks closer to the shore as they chase fish．Many shark species, including the Great White－the man-eaters made famous in Steven Spielberg's Jaws－are protected in Australian waters．
(1)
What do we know about the city of Sydney from the passage?
[ ]
A．
It is one of the largest cities in Australia．
B．
Sydney harbor is not far from the famous Opera House．
C．
There are many locals and tourists on its coast all the year round．
D．
There are few shark species in the waters off Sydney's beaches．
(2)
The underlined word“savaged”in the first paragraph probably means“________”．
[ ]
A．
attracted
B．
dragged
C．
bit
D．
packed
(3)
About the injury of the boy we know that ________．
[ ]
A．
he was losing much blood when he was dragged out
B．
he was very nervous when he was sent to hospital
C．
he may be in danger of losing his leg
D．
he was injured in the right leg
(4)
All the following are the causes of Australia's sharks increasing EXCEPT that ________．
[ ]
A．
environmental protection has created a cleaner environment
B．
a ban on commercial fishing has increased fish numbers
C．
many shark species are protected in Australian waters
D．
the film Jaws has made the Great White famous
阅读理解
“Hurry, Mommy! Let’s go trick-or-treating!” My daughter waited by the door in her pink princess skirt while I prayed in the living room．Usually I liked taking her out on Halloween, but this year I was sad．I was worried about my mother, who was in China on vacation．I got a call that afternoon that she had slipped and fallen on the hard floor of her hotel and broken her leg．She was taken to a hospital in Beijing．Mom was nervous because she couldn’t understand any of the doctors．If only I could do something to help her!
I knew I couldn’t let my worries spoil my daughter’s fun．There was nothing I could do for Mom except pray, I thought．We left the house and went down the block．I was so upset that I hardly took notice of the kids around me．There came the man to whose son I’d once given piano lessons．“Hello there, ” I said, greeting him and the boy at his side．
“Hello, ” the father answered．“Having fun?” “I’m trying,” I said．“Why, what’s wrong?” he asked．I told him the whole story．“My mother, in China, broke her leg and didn’t understand any of the doctors．And I’m too far away to do anything!” I said．
He raised his eyebrows．“Beijing, you said?” he asked．I nodded．He smiled．“Believe it or not, my sister is a doctor at an English-speaking hospital there．If you want, I’ll make a call right away and we’ll try and get your mom transferred(转移)．”
A few days later I sat in the living room with my daughter as she finished the last of the candy．“Mommy, how far away is China?” she asked．“Not as far as I thought, ” I said．
(1)
What did the author’s daughter want to do?
[ ]
A．
Pray with the author．
B．
Enjoy herself outside．
C．
Play a trick on her mom．
D．
Go to the theatre to see a play．
(2)
What was the author’s mother worried about most?
[ ]
A．
She couldn’t get used to the life in Beijing．
B．
She was hurt in the leg badly while travelling．
C．
She was too old and weak to pray for her daughter．
D．
She couldn’t make herself understood by the doctor．
(3)
The author hardly took notice of the kids around because ________．
[ ]
A．
she was calling her mother
B．
she felt very sad at that time
C．
she was about to give a lesson
D．
she couldn’t find her daughter
(4)
We can infer from the text that ________．
[ ]
A．
the man’s sister would help the author’s mother
B．
the author would come to China to see her mother
C．
the author was a famous music teacher in the town
D．
the author’s daughter wanted to travel in China
阅读理解
Sydney－A shark savaged a schoolboy’s leg while he was surfing with his father at a beach in Sydney on February 23．It was the third shark attack along the coast of Australia’s largest city in a month．
The 15-year-old boy and his father were in the water off Avalon, on Sydney’s northern beaches, around dawn when he was attacked．The city’s beaches are packed with locals and tourists during the summer months．
“The father heard a scream and turned to see his son trashing(扭动)about in the water,” police said．“Fortunately, the shark swam away and the boy was helped to shore by his father．”
Lifesaving Club spokesman Nick Miller said, “It got him around the top of his left leg and the father came and dragged his out of water．” He said the boy was bleeding heavily when he was brought to the shore．“There was a lot of pain, as you can imagine．” The teenager was airlifted to hospital for treatment for leg injuries．
Police said the bites “cut through to the bone”, but the boy did not appear to have sustained any fractures(骨折)．He was in a stable condition now．
Several beaches were closed after the attack．Water police and lifeguards were searching for the shark, while police hoped to identify its species by the shape of the bite marks．But they said it was too early to say what type of shark attacked the boy．“I don’t even know if he saw it,” Miller said．
Many shark species live in the waters off Sydney’s beaches, but attacks on humans are still relatively rare．However, there were two attacks on successive days earlier this month, one on a navy diver in Sydney harbor, not far from the famous Opera House, and the other on a surfer at the city’s world-famous Bondi beach．
Fishermen say shark numbers are on the rise．There is a ban on commercial fishing in the harbor, which has increased fish stocks．Marine experts also claim environmental protection has created a cleaner environment, attracting sharks closer to the shore as they chase fish．Many shark species, including the Great White－the man-eaters made famous in Steven Spielberg’s Jaws－are protected in Australian waters．
(1)
What do we know about the city of Sydney from the passage?
[ ]
A．
It is one of the largest cities in Australia．
B．
Sydney harbor is not far from the famous Opera House．
C．
There are many locals and tourists on its coast all the year round．
D．
There are few shark species in the waters off Sydney’s beaches．
(2)
The underlined word “savaged” in the first paragraph probably means “_________”．
[ ]
A．
attracted
B．
dragged
C．
bit
D．
packed
(3)
About the injury of the boy we know that _________．
[ ]
A．
he was losing much blood when he was dragged out
B．
he was very nervous when he was sent to hospital
C．
he may be in danger of losing his leg
D．
he was injured in the right leg
(4)
All the following are the causes of Australia’s sharks increasing EXCEPT that _________．
[ ]
A．
environmental protection has created a cleaner environment
B．
a ban on commercial fishing has increased fish numbers
C．
many shark species are protected in Australian waters
D．
the film Jaws has made the Great White famous
阅读理解
The NBA’s version of the Ming Dynasty is done．After helping basketball gain a foothold in the world’s most populous market, Chinese star Yao Ming has retired．
Yao made it official Wednesday, telling a news conference that a series of foot and leg injuries forced him to end his playing career at the age of 30．
“I will formally end my career,” said Yao, who became a household name in China before starting his NBA career with the Houston Rockets in 2002．Yao played eight seasons in the NBA．
“Today is an important day for me and holds a special meaning for both my basketball career and my future,” Yao said．“I had to leave the court since I suffered a stress fracture(断裂) in my left foot for the third time at the end of last year．My past six months were a painful wait．I have been thinking about my future over and over．Today I am announcing a personal decision, ending my career as a basketball player and officially retire．But one door is closing and another one is opening．”
Yao said he would return to work with his former Chinese team, the Shanghai Sharks, with the possibility of becoming general manager．He already owns the club and wants to contribute more．
“My playing career started with the club．I hope I can do something for it,” Yao said．
He later appeared with his family on the stage to the applause and cheers of the crowd．He thanked a lot of people－his family, former coaches, even players like Shaquille O’Neal－“for making me a better player．I will be always with you．Thank you．”
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey was among those attending the farewell(告别) conference Wednesday．Morey made the long trip from Houston．Morey said 20 hours on planes was tiring but he would be sorry if he wasn’t here．“It’s a big moment,” Morey added．“Yao had a sense of humor, a great attitude and sense of responsibility．I hope we can continue his culture in the NBA．”
Yao had played six years with the Chinese national team before joining the Rockets, and was already a star in his home country．He carried the Olympic torch through Tiananmen Square and his country’s flag during the opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics in 2008．He also donated ＄ 2 million and set up a foundation to rebuild schools in the wake of the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan．
(1)
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
[ ]
A．
Yao Ming：a household name
B．
Yao Ming retires from the basketball
C．
A farewell conference
D．
Yao Ming’s personal decision
(2)
According to the passage, which of the following words can’t be used to describe Yao Ming?
[ ]
A．
Talented．
B．
Responsible．
C．
Generous．
D．
Careful．
(3)
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
[ ]
A．
The reason why Yao Ming retired is that he is too old．
B．
Yao Ming played six years in America．
C．
Yao Ming started his playing career in Houston．
D．
Yao Ming was once an Olympic torchbearer(火炬手)．
(4)
What does the author want to tell us in the last paragraph but one?
