Outside her shabby cottage, old Mrs. Tailor was hanging out laundry on a wire line, unaware that some children lay hidden in the leaves of a nearby tree watching her every move. They were determined to find out if she really was a witch.
They watched as she took a broomstick to clean the dirt from her stone steps. But, much to their disappointment, she did not mount the broomstick and take flight. Suddenly, the old lady’s work was interrupted by the cackling of her hen—a signal that an egg had been laid in the warm nest on top of the haystack.
The old broomstick was put aside as she hobbled off towards the haystack followed by Sooty, a black cat she had rescued from a fox trap some time back. With only three legs, it was hard for Sooty to keep up with the old lady. The cat provided proof—the children were sure that only a witch could own a black cat with three legs.
There, standing on a wooden box, was Mrs. Tailor, stretching out to gather her precious egg. Taking the egg in one of her hands, she began to climb down when, without warning, the box broke and the old lady fell.
“We have to got and help her,” whispered Amy.
“What if it is a trick?” replied Ben.
“Don’t be silly, Ben. If she were a witch, she would have turned us into frogs already,” reasoned Meg. “Come on Amy, let’s go.” The girls climbed down the tree and ran all the way to the haystack.
Approaching carefully, they could see a wound on the old lady’s face. She had knocked her head on a stone and her ankle was definitely broken. “Go and get Dad,” Amy yelled to her brother. “Tell him about the accident.”
The boys did not need another excuse to leave. They ran as fast as they could for help, hoping that Mrs. Tailor would not wake and turn the girls into frogs.

1.
. Why were the children hiding in the tree?
1. A.
  They wanted to watch Mrs. Tailor do her housework closely.
2. B.
  They were playing a hide-and-seek game
3. C.
  They wanted to find out if the rumors about Mrs. Tailor were true
4. D.
  They were pretending to be spies
2.
. Mrs. Tailor stopped sweeping when____
1. A.
  her front steps were clean
2. B.
  she noticed the children in the tree
3. C.
  she was ready to take a flight
4. D.
  she heard the hen cackling
3.
. Ben did not rush in help Mrs. Tailor because_____
1. A.
  he thought that she could be tricking them
2. B.
  he knew that they could not have been in the tree
3. C.
  he did not see the old lady fall down
4. D.
  he was afraid of the three-legged cat
4.
. Which of these old sayings best suits the story’s lesson for us?
1. A.
  Make hay while the sun shines.
2. B.
  Never judge a book by its cover.
3. C.
  People in glasshouses should not throw stones.
4. D.
  A bird in the hands worth two in the bush.

The surprising experiment I am about to describe proves that air is all around you and that it presses down upon you. Air pressure is a powerful force. When you swim underwater, you can feel water pushing down on your body. The air all around you does the same. However, your body is so used to it that you do not notice this. The pressure is caused by a layer of air called the atmosphere. This layer surrounds the Earth, extending to about five kilometers above the Earth’s surface.
The following experiment is an easy one that you can do at home. But make sure that you are supervised, because you will need to use matches. Now for the experiment！
What you need
?A hard-boiled egg without the shell
?A bottle with a neck slightly smaller than the egg
?A piece of paper
?A match
Method
1） Check that the egg will sit firmly on the neck of the bottle.
2） Tear the paper into strips and put the strips into the bottle.
3） Light the paper by dropping a burning match into the bottle.
4） Quickly sit the egg on the neck of the bottle.
Result
Astonishingly, the egg will be sucked into the bottle. Your friends will be amazed when you show them the experiment. But be careful when you handle matches.
Why it happened
As the paper burns, it needs oxygen and uses up the oxygen （air） in the bottle. The egg acts as a seal in the neck of the bottle, so no more air can get inside. This reduces the air pressure inside the bottle. The air pressure must equalize, so more air from outside must enter the bottle. The outside air pressure against the egg and then the egg is pushed into the bottle! This proves that air is all around and that it is pressing down on it.

1.
Why is there the need to take care when you are doing the experiment?
1. A.
  The bottle could break.
2. B.
  You need to light the paper with a match.
3. C.
  The egg needs to be shelled.
4. D.
  The egg has to be perfectly placed on the neck of the bottle.
2.
In the experiment, the burning inside the bottle can___.
1. A.
  equalize the air pressure inside and outside
2. B.
  make a seal in the neck of the bottle
3. C.
  finish up the oxygen inside the bottle
4. D.
  produce more oxygen inside the bottle
3.
How did the egg put into the bottle？
1. A.
  The oxygen inside the bottle sucked the egg in.
2. B.
  It became saft without the shell.
3. C.
  The neck of the bottle was wide enough.
4. D.
  The outside air pressure forced it into the bottle.
4.
The experiment is carried cut to prove ______.
1. A.
  water pushes on your body when you swim underwater.
2. B.
  the earth is surrounded by a layer of air called the atmosphere.
3. C.
  the pressure of air around us has a powerful force.
4. D.
  the air pressure is not equalized around us.

Many people write to newspaper and magazines to express their opinions. Letters to the editor must carry the writer’s full name, address and telephone number, although the information is not necessary for publication. This requirement to provide personal particulars is a clear indication that writers are held responsible for what they say. When a writer wants his voice heard, he needs to claim ownership of his voice. Responsibility is the name of the game.
“People today prefer living together to putting their signatures on a marriage certificate because they refuse to accept responsibility for the relationship,” said social worker Ken Yip, “and this is what is causing a lot of family problems.” When we sign a paper, for example, a business contract or a bank document, the signature is a seal of consent, an agreement to take the matter seriously. Most governments and many organizations will not process written complaints if they do not bear the writer’s signature. The absence of a signature, they explain, tells us that the writer cannot be too serious and therefore does not deserve a reply.
There are people who wish to remain anonymous（匿名的）for various reasons. Multi-billionaire Mr. King donates generously to charity several times a year. He gives simply because he wants to help but not for the publicity his donations may bring, and he does not want his good deeds to make news. In other cases, people insist on anonymity because they are afraid of the consequences of revealing their identity. Crime witnesses may be willing to assist the police, but most are unwilling to give their names when reporting a crime.
Name or no name? The answer is very personal and lies in how much we want to get involved. We all have a name. It is a matter if responsibility to use it when we make a statement, a claim or an accusation. We all want to honour our own name, and it is only by stamping our expression of an opinion with our own name that we honour what we say.

1.
What does the writer mean by saying “Responsibility is the name of the game”?
1. A.
  Writers need to provide their personal information in the game.
2. B.
  Publication must bear the writer’s full name, address and phone number.
3. C.
  Writers should be responsible for their names.
4. D.
  Names are required to indicate writers’ responsibility for what they say.
2.
The second paragraph suggests that a paper without a signature may _______.
1. A.
  help to end a relationship
2. B.
  not get a reply
3. C.
  be accepted all the same
4. D.
  become a family problem
3.
Some people don’t want their names known because they are ________.
1. A.
  hesitant to make a donation
2. B.
  unwilling to draw public attention
3. C.
  afraid of an accusation
4. D.
  ready for involvement
4.
The passage is mainly about _______.
1. A.
  honour and writers
2. B.
  identity and signature
3. C.
  signature and responsibility
4. D.
  anonymity and signature

A sunflower is a sunflower. A mobile phone is a mobile phone. But can you combine the two to do something for your local environment? As early as next year it may well be possible. When you have finished with your mobile phone you will be able to bury it in the garden or a plant pot and wait for it to flower.
A biodegradable (生物可降解的) mobile phone was, this month, introduced by scientists. It is hoped that the new type of phone will encourage consumers to recycle（回收利用）. Scientists have come up with a new material over the last five years. It looks like any other plastic, but over time it can break down（分解） into the soil without giving out any poisonous chemicals. British researchers used the new material to develop a phone cover that contains a sunflower seed. When this cover turns into waste, it forms nitrates (硝酸盐). These feed the seed and help the flower grow. “We’ve only put sunflower seeds into the cover so far. But we are working with plant experts to find out which flowers would perform best. Maybe we could put roses in next time.” said one scientist.
As phone technology is developing so quickly people are constantly throwing their mobiles away. This means producers are under pressure(压力) to find ways of recycling them. Some 650 million mobile phones have been sold this year. Most of them will be thrown away within two years, adding plastic, heavy metal and chemical waste to the environment. A biodegradable cover can offer some relief for nature, according to the scientists. “The seed is released and the flower grows in the pot so you don’t have to concern yourself with the phone when you have finished using it,” said Kerry Kirwan, the leader of the research team.

1.
After you have finished using the new type of mobile phone, _______.
1. A.
  the sunflower seed will come out and flower in the pot
2. B.
  the phone cover will break down very soon in the soil
3. C.
  it will be recycled by the producers
4. D.
  it can charge itself with electricity in a green way
2.
This type of research is done because ________.
1. A.
  the technology of making phones is changing rapidly
2. B.
  too many waste mobile phones may lead to environmental problems
3. C.
  nobody has ever thought of recycling mobile phones
4. D.
  producing mobile phones uses a lot of energy
3.
We can infer from the story ________.
1. A.
  the new type of mobile phones are already on the market
2. B.
  the new type of mobile phones will sell extremely well
3. C.
  the material of the new type of phones is harmful
4. D.
  other flowers may be used in the new type of mobile phones
4.
The best title of this passage is .
1. A.
  Recycling our phones
2. B.
  The phones that flower
3. C.
  A new material for making phones
4. D.
  The harm of thrown-away phones