The pupils of Grangetown High have been busy getting to know their newest and tallest classmate — a 7-meter-tall giraffe outside their school.

The giraffe is a huge sculpture (雕像) made by a local artist. The school's headmaster noticed the sculpture in the artist's garden as he drove past one day, and thought it would be perfect for his school. “I knew everyone would love it,” he said, “because our basketball team is known as the Grangetown Giraffes, and they wear giraffes on their shirts. So I asked them to write a letter to the artist, asking how much it would cost to buy the giraffe. He was very kind and got it ready to deliver (递送) in six weeks — all for nothing! It was expected to arrive one Sunday morning, so that the pupils would see it when they got to school on Monday — at that time they had no idea that we were getting it.”

The artist, Tom Bennett, was a university professor (教授) of chemistry before he left that job in 2006 and only took up metalwork a couple of years ago. “I've always drawn pictures,” he said. “I can even remember doing it on my first day at school — I drew a horse. I wanted it to be the best horse picture ever, but I don't think I succeeded.” Tom's first metalwork was a bicycle for two that he and his wife could go cycling on together. “It was the most uncomfortable bike ever created,” he said, “so I gave up making bicycles and went into sculpture instead.”

Meanwhile the pupils at Grangetown High are very happy with their new classmate. “We're going to hold a competition to give it a proper name,” said one girl. “Everyone likes the expression on its face, so perhaps that will give us some ideas.”

1.According to the text, the giraffe _____.

A. was as tall as a basketball player

B. was given to Grangetown High for free

C. was sent to Grangetown High on Monday

D. was specially made for a basketball team

2.When the pupils got to school on Monday, they probably felt _____.

A. shy B. sad

C. excited D. confident

3.What can we learn about Tom Bennett?

A. He showed interest in art at an early age.

B. He was good at drawing, especially horses.

C. He visited Grangetown High as a professor.

D. He learned a lot about sculpture at university.

4.What's the main idea of the text?

A. It was a difficult job to name a giraffe.

B. Tom Bennett is well-known as a sculptor.

C. The Grangetown Giraffes is a strong team.

D. A metal giraffe arrived at Grangetown High.

At least once each winter I manage to get a good flight in the middle of a snowstorm. Last Sunday was that flight. My gliding(滑翔的) partners had looked at the weather reports of showers and decided to stay at home. People say that you shouldn’t fly by yourself, but on that day I felt the urge to go flying and so headed for my favorite gliding site.

I had the mountain ridge to myself. After a smooth lift-off, I floated stably in the breeze, feeling at peace with myself and the world. I looked across the valley to Bedford and a moment later saw the town disappear in a band of snow that was moving towards me.

The breeze remained strong enough for flying and I knew that as long as the visibility was good, it was OK for me to stay in the air. The snow moved in and swirled around me. It was a light dry snow. The day was already very quiet but, somehow, the light snow made it even more silent. I felt like a snowflake.

Two bald eagles joined me. They didn’t pay me any attention and spent a few minutes flying around the ridge before disappearing. I flew through another band of snow. I had been flying for about 45 minutes when I next looked across the valley. I could see there were more bands of snow to come and the breeze was dying too.

It was time to go home, get in a hot bath and warm up. I couldn’t wait to tell my gliding partners that they had missed out on a perfect flight.

1.Why did the author’s gliding partners refuse to fly on that day?

A. They preferred to fly alone

B. The weather did not permit

C. They did not like winter flights

D. The equipment was not adequate

2.Which is closest in meaning to the underlined word “” in Paragraph 3?

A. Weather

B. Skill

C. Possibility

D. View

3.What can be inferred from the passage?

A. The bald eagle can cause damage to the author’s flight

B. The author will land and go home after the snow stops

C. Brand of snow will be a great threat to the author’s flight

D. The author will hesitate to share his experience with his partners

4.What could be the best title for the article?

A. The First Flight Alone

B. A Narrow-Escape Flight

C. One Never-Again Flight

D. An Impressive Winter Flight

Eyesight plays a very important role in our daily life. Every waking moment, the eyes are working to see the world around us. Over forty percent of Americans worry about losing eyesight, but it's easy to include steps into our daily life to ensure healthy eyes. Here are five suggestions for a lifetime of healthy eyesight:

·Schedule yearly exams. 1. Experts advise parents to bring babies 6 to 12 months of age to the doctor for a careful check. The good news is that millions of children now can have yearly eye exams and following treatment, including eyeglasses.

·Protect against UV rays (紫外线). Long?term stay in the sun creates risk to your eyes. No matter what the season is, it's extremely important to wear sunglasses. 2.

·3. Two thirds of Americans spend up to seven hours a day using computers or other digital products. This frequent eye activity increases the risk for eye tiredness. Experts recommend that people practice the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20?second break and look at something 20 feet away.

·4. As part of a healthy diet, eat more fruits and vegetables each day. Vitamins (维生素) C and E help protect eyesight and promote eye health.

·Practice safe wear and care of contact lenses (隐形眼镜). Many Americans use contact lenses to improve their eyesight. While some follow the medical advice for wearing contact lenses, many are breaking the rules and putting their eyesight at risk. 5. Otherwise, you may have problems such as red eyes, pain in the eyes, or a more serious condition.

A.Give your eyes a break.

B.Parents usually don't care about their own eyesight.

C.They can properly protect your eyes.

D.Stay in good shape by taking more vitamins.

E.Have your eyes checked as early as possible.

F.Always follow the doctor's advice for appropriate wear.

G.Eat your greens.

Gold Coast family holidays are always great fun whether you are from Australia or from abroad. There are beautiful beaches, adventure parks, nature parks and so much more.

There are so many sights to see here. It is a pity to drive in a car and you’ll miss a great part of it. Australia is home to many animals and birds that can only be seen when moving slowly and going into the areas that they live. 

When you are on a bicycle, you have the advantage of being able to stop whenever you want to catch sight of (看见) an interesting animal or bird that you have never seen before. It is a quieter mode (方式) of transportation as well, so you might even be able to take a picture. When you are on the beach, you can breathe that clean air and view the beauty of the water and sand. It is a totally different experience from either simply sunbathing or passing it in a car.

There are many choices of hiring (租) a bicycle to experience the Gold Coast attractions. There are stores that will fit a bike perfectly to your size. These bikes for both adults and children are in many styles and colors to please any taste. If you have ever wanted to try a tandem bike (双人单车), now is your chance, because they have those too.

A bicycle hire on Gold Coast is something that everyone should try at least once. This is a wonderful chance for anyone who likes to cycle and it is also a cheap way to travel with your family.

1.You’d better not drive in a car on Gold Coast because.

A. you will break the traffic rules

B. you will cause much noise

C. you can’t enjoy the beautiful sights well

D. you can’t drive into some parks

2.What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A. How to hire bikes on Gold Coast.

B. What kinds of bikes there are in stores.

C. What bikes are the most popular.

D. Who can hire bikes on Gold Coast.

3.What’s the author’s attitude towards a bike hire on Gold Coast?

A. He supports it very much.

B. He thinks it’s a personal choice.

C. He doesn’t like this way of traveling.

D. He thinks it’s only good for adults.

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