China's first moon rover (月球车), Yutu, set off from the lander（登陆车） early on December 15, several hours after the Chang'e-3 probe (探测器) soft-landed on the moon surface.

The 140 kg six-wheeled rover touched the moon surface at 4:35 a.m., leaving deep lines on the loose moon land. This was recorded by the camera on the lander and the images were sent to the earth, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center. After that, the rover and lander will take photos of each other and start their own science explorations.

Earlier this morning, engineers made final checks of the environment of the landing area and the situation of the probe（探测仪）. Yutu, reached its solar panel (光板) and started to drive slowly to the moon at 3:10 a.m.. It took Yutu nearly a whole hour to complete the simple task.

Chang'e-3 landed at the Bay of Rainbows on the moon, at 9:11 p.m. on December 14, making China the third country in the world to carry out such a mission (执行此类任务) after the United States and Russia.

In old Chinese tales, Yutu was the white pet rabbit of Chang'e’s. The name for the rover was selected following an online survey that collected several million votes from people around the world.

The rover, 1.5 meters long with its two wings folded (折叠), 1 m in width and 1.1 m in height, is a perfect robot controlled by the command center from the earth. It will face challenges including temperature differences of more than 300℃ on the moon.

Yutu will do some research and look for natural resources (资源) for three months, while the lander will conduct an exploration at the landing place for one year. Then they will have a good rest on the moon and will not be used for a long time until China’s next probe visits the moon again.

1.Which is the best title for the passage above?

A. The American’sfirst rover on the moon    B. The tale of Chang’e

C. The journey to the moon                     D. Yutu explores the moon

2.Which is the correct order of the following events?

a. The 140 kg six-wheeled rover touched the moon surface.

b. The rover and lander will take photos of each other.

c. Yutu started to drive slowly to the moon.

d. Chang'e-3 landed at the Bay of Rainbows on the moon.

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

3.What does the underlined word “width” mean in Chinese?

A. 智力                        B. 宽度                 C. 重量                        D. 长度

4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. The moon had been visited by only two countries before 2013.

B. Yutu is a perfect robot under the control of its own computer.

C. Yutu and Chang’e will return to the earth after the one-year mission.

D. Chang’e-3 is 140 kg in weight.

5.There will soon be a second moon rover to explore the moon. Which is its proper name?

A. Chang’e-5               B. Yutu-2                     C. Shenzhou-11       D.Tiangong-2

“You speak very good English”

The other day I heard an American say to a Chinese student of English. “You  41  very good English.” But the student answered, “ No, my English is very poor.” The foreigner was quite

  42  at the answer. Thinking he had not made himself  43  or the student had not heard him clearly, he said, “Yes, indeed, you speak it very well.” But the Chinese student still  44  saying  “No”.  45  the foreigner gave up and didn’t know what to say.

What’s wrong with the student’s answer? It is because he didn’t accept a compliment as the American people  46  . He should have said “Thank you” instead of “No”. He actually understood what the American had said. But he thought he should be modest. If someone says to a woman, “ You look  47  beautiful with the new clothes  48  .” she should be very happy and answer, “Thank you.” In our country we think  49  modest is a virtue and showing off is a bad behavior. But in the West, if you are modest and say, “ No,   50  I can’t do it well,” then the others will take it for granted (理所当然)that you  51  can not do it. If you often say,“No”, you will certainly be looked down upon by  52  . When  53  for a job, if one says something like “Yes, I can certainly do it” instead of “ Let me have a try on the job”, he or she can expect to get it. So in the West, one should always be confident.  54  self-confidence, he can’t go anywhere. Confidence is of great  55  to one in a country where competition is quite keen.(激烈)

1.A. say     B. talk        C. speak    D. tell

2.A. surprising  B. surprised       C. laughed         D. laughing

3.A. understood        B. understand   C. to understand        D. understanding

4.A. keep  B. keeping         C. keeps    D. kept

5.A. At first        B. By the way    C. In the end     D. First of all

6.A. did     B. done     C. to do     D. do

7.A. such  B. such a   C. so D. so a

8.A. for     B. on          C. in  D. into

9.A. being B. be          C. having   D. have

10.A. I’m afraid B. I’m not sure  C. I don’t mind  D. I don’t know

11.A. hardly      B. really    C. badly     D. luckily

12.A. another   B. other    C. the other       D. others

13.A. asking       B. ask         C. provide          D. providing

14.A. With         B. Without         C. by D. under

15.A. importantly      B. unimportant C. important      D. importance

Father’s Day has a very short history. It was started because there was a Mother’s Day, and just because some Americans thought that if we had a Mother’s Day, we should also have a Father’s Day. Father’s Day has become important in North America. And businesses found it was a good way to get people to buy a present for their father from their shops.
By the way, very few countries have a Father’s Day, though some have a Children’s Day, or a special day for boys and another for girls. More and more countries are having Mother’s Day, so maybe Father’s Day will also become popular before too long. Now, what do people in North America do on Father’s Day? The newspapers, radios, and TV tell children what they should do — buy, buy, buy, buy, buy a Father’s Day present for your father. They even tell a wife to buy, buy, buy, and buy a Father’s Day present — not for her father but for her husband, even if he is not yet a father. And they tell grandchildren to buy, buy, buy, and buy a Father’s Day present for their grandfathers.
The important thing to remember about Father’s Day is that American children can show their love to their fathers in a more open way.
【小题1】Father’s Day was started just because _______________.

The Internet, mobile phones and iPads are parts of our lives now. Technology is greatly affecting all ways of our lives, from the ways we work to the ways we play. And it even causes a number of social problems such as cloning (克隆) humans.

    We have had lots of technology and it has changed our lives a lot. We are sure that humans will continue to use more and more technology. Here are some examples of modern technology that will change our ideas and will affect our lives greatly.

    Global Positioning System (GPS) (全球定位系统)

    It's a system that uses radio signals from satellites to show exact (精确的) information.   It tells you where the user is on the earth in all weather conditions.  It's made up of three parts: satellites, control equipments (设备) on land and receivers.

    Space Technology

    Russian and American scientists have worked together for the International Space Station, (ISS) for a long time. They hope the ISS will provide a long-lasting lab. Such a lab will bring humans limitless (无限的) advantages. It's even hoped that one day space technology will take humans to their new houses in space.

    Underwater Robot

    Hercules is a kind of underwater robot with some high technology equipments. It will be used to search for ancient ships which were destroyed into the deep sea during their journey long ago.

    The world is changing so quickly that it's hard for us to catch up with all the new inventions because they seem to come out every month. It's important for us to learn about new technology and the role that it plays in our lives. So we should be willing to accept modem technology, or we will fall behind the times.

1. _______ can tell you where the user is on the earth exactly.

A. Satellites                                                  B. Receivers

C. Global Positioning System                     D. Underwater Robot

2. According to the passage, which is NOT true about the ISS?

A. It has carried people to other planets.

B. It will provide a long-lasting lab for us.

C. Russia and America are working for it.

D. Humans will get a lot of advantages from it.

3. Hercules is used to_______.

A. save lives in the sea                              

B. take pictures in the sea

C. repair the broken ships              

D. look for the ancient ships in the sea

4. What is the purpose of the passage?

A. To help us study some new technology.

B. To tell us technology is changing the world.

C. To help solve the problems that technology causes.

D. To remind us the advantages of technology are limitless.

The United States is suffering its worst drought (干旱) in almost sixty years. The National Climatic Data Center also says high temperatures in June added to the warmest twelve-month period on record. Record-keeping began in 1895. The drought map showed that conditions improved in the Southeast in June compared to May. But the drought is expected to continue in large parts of the country. Last week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack met with President Obama. Mr Vilsack says the drought has seriously influenced some crops, such as corn and soybeans (大豆). And the United States is the world's leading producer. 

    The drought has made prices of com and soybeans increase. Both of them are used in food production and for animal feed. Last week the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported that corn and wheat prices increased by 20% over the past three weeks.

In the United States, farmers may quickly reduce the size of their animals rather than pay higher feed prices to keep them. That increased supply of meat would reduce meat prices in the short term. But those prices could increase in several months.

Mr Vilsack says the effect of the drought is hard to predict(预测). Some areas are getting rain, and drought-resistant (抗旱的) seeds have helped crops grow well in some areas.

1.We can know the drought record of the USA has been kept for ________years of the USA up to now.

A. 97                                                        B. 207

C. 221                                          D. 117

2.Which of the following American presidents met with Tom Vilsack?

A. George Washington.                 B. Abraham lincon.

C. George Bush.                                  D. Barack Obama.        

3. If the price of a kilo of corn was 3 dollars last December, how much is a kilo of corn now?

A. 2.4 dollars.                                        B. 3 dollars.

C. 3.6 dollars.                                         D. 3.9 dollars.

4.Why is the meat price lower than before?

A. Because there are more and more animals.

B. Because farmers kill them to save their food.

C. Because people don't like eating meat now.

D. Because the government (政府) asks the meat price lower.

5.What is the best title for the passage?

A. US faces the worst drought in almost sixty years.

B. Take action to help the USA.

C. What does the country do in the drought areas?

D. President Obama meets with Agriculture Secretary.