Most people may not think that there are any problems with watermelons（西瓜）, but some Japanese sellers do. There is often wasted space when they store(贮存) watermelons, because round watermelons do not sit nicely on shelves. So some clever farmers have solved the watermelon problem. They make their watermelons grow in square glass boxes so the watermelons become square. The only problem now is the price. The square watermelons cost about 80 dollars each.

　　　 Many people know the saying “Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet and so are

you”. Well, today the poem needs to change to “Roses are red, roses are blue”! Australian scientists have just recently discovered that when they put a chemical(化学品) from a blue flower into a rose, they can create a nearly 100% blue rose. Some of science’s inventions are beautiful, not just useful!

　　　 Since the mid-1990s, many Chinese farmers have had amazing rice harvests. For many years Chinese scientists have been working on developing new kinds of stronger rice and now they have produced a new kind, called super rice. Super rice not only can protect itself against insects and diseases, but it also produces more than any other kind of rice. Today farmers can grow almost one and a half times more rice than they could grow in the past.

　　　 Doctors might be able to use vegetables to fight cancer now. US scientists have discovered a way to put a chemical into tomato plants while they are growing. When cancer patients eat the tomatoes, the tomatoes will fight the cancer in their bodies. These cancer-fighting vegetables are not yet for sale, because scientists have not finished testing them. If study finds no problems with the tomatoes, then patients can begin to use this easy and delicious new treatment.

(　 )76. Who thinks that there are some problems with watermelons?

A. Some Japanese sellers 　　　　　　 B. Some Australian scientists

C. Some Japanese farmers　　　 D. Some Chinese scientists

(　 )77.The square watermelons look like ____________.

A.　　　　　　　　　 B.　　　　　　　　　　　　 C.　　　　　　　　 D.　　　　　　　　

(　 )78. _____________ find a way to make blue roses.

A. Chinese scientists　　 　 　　 B. Australian scientists　

C. American scientists D. Japanese farmers 　

(　 )79.Which of the following is true?　 _____________

A. Super rice can keep itself from insects.

B. Blue roses are more beautiful than red ones.

C. The tomatoes can fight many kinds of diseases.

D. The square watermelons cost less than ordinary(普通的) ones.

(　 )80 . The main idea of this passage is ____________.

A. how scientists discover new plants　

B. how science makes plants produce more

C. how science has changed plants and people’s lives

D. how technology makes our world more beautiful

Computers become very important because they can work ____76____ than men and make fewer mistakes. Computers can ___77_____ people do a lot of work. Writers now use computers to write. Teachers use them to help teaching. Students use them to study and children use them to play games. Computers can also remember what you put ____78____ them. Computers are very ____79____ and helpful. They are our good friends.

Do you want to ___80_____ a computer?

（　）71. A. many of   B. all kinds of　　　　　　   C. a lot　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. very much

（　）72. A. scientists  B. teachers　　　　　　　　   C. students　　　　　　　　   D. computers

（　）73. A. few　　　　 B. little　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. a few　　　　　　　　　　   D. a little

（　）74. A. cheap　　   B. cheaper　　　　　　　　    C. expensive　　　　　　　　 D. more expensive

（　）75. A. But　　　　  B. And　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. Since　　　　　　　　　　   D. If

（　）76. A. slow　　    B. slower　　　　　　　　　　 C. fast　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. faster

（　）77. A. help　　　　 B. make　　　　　　　　　　   C. use　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. stop

（　）78. A. in　　　　    B. into　　　　　　　　　　　　  C. on　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. up

（　）79. A. beautiful   B. careful　　　　　　　　　　 C. useful　　　　　　　　　　  D. heavy

（　）80. A. pay　　　　  B. lend　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. have　　　　　　　　　　    D. sell

Basketball is still a young game. It’s over a hundred years old. In the winter of 1891, a certain college was having some trouble with its boy students. The weather was bad and the students had to stay indoors. As they couldn’t play outdoors, they were unhappy, and some even got into fights from time to time.

　 Some of the teachers at the college asked Dr. Naismith to invent（发明）a game so that the students might have something to play with. It was not easy to invent such a game because it had to be played indoors , and the court（球场）was not very large.

　 Dr. Naismith thought for a few days and invented a kind of ball game. It was a fast, wonderful game with much moving and passing of the ball. It was played between two teams. To make a score , the ball had to be thrown into the basket ten feet（英尺）above

the floor on the wall. At each end of the court there was such a basket. At first, Dr.

Naismith wanted to throw the ball into a box. As he could not find boxes of the right size, he had to use fruit baskets instead. That is how the game got its name.

(　 ) 76. How long is it since basketball was invented?

　 　 A. 100 years　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Less than 100 years

　　 C. 110 years　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. More than 100 years

(　 ) 77. The students felt unhappy because _______.

　 　A. they had little time to study　　　　 B. they often got into fights

　 　 C. they had much homework to do 　D. they couldn’t play outdoors

(　 ) 78. Who asked Dr. Naismith to invent a game?

　 　A. Some students　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Some teachers

　 　 C. Some students’ parents　　　　　　　 D. Some of his friends

(　 ) 79. When a student ________, he makes a score.

　 　 A. receives the ball. 　B. throws the ball to another student

　 　 C. runs quickly with the ball in his hand　 D. throws the ball into the basket

(　 ) 80. Which sentence is right?

　　 A. The students could go outdoors when the weather was bad.

　 　 B. It was easy to invent the game.

　 　C. Dr. Naismith had to use fruit baskets to throw the ball.

　 D. The ball had to be thrown into the basket five feet above the floor.

Mary’s dime（一毛钱）
It was Sunday afternoon. I decided to clean up the room nicely so that my parents would feel   1  when they returned from a long ride! Then, I sat in the room, having nothing to do.
　　 What else could I do? Then, with no reason, I suddenly  2  the pale face of that little beggar(乞丐) girl. I could see the glad light   3  her eyes when I put the dime in her little dirty hand.
　　  How much I  4  that dime, too! Grandpa gave it to me a whole month ago, and I had kept it ever since in my red box upstairs, but those sugar apples looked so attractive, and were so   5  — only a dime a piece — that I wanted to have one.
　　  I could imagine the little girl stood there in front of the  6  in her old dirty dress, looking at the   7  that were put all in a row in the window. I wonder what I should say, “Little girl, what do you want?” I gently asked. She felt   8  and looked straight at me, just as if（似乎）nobody had spoken so   9  to her before. She realized what I had meant, so she said seriously and sadly. “I was thinking how good one of those delicious hamburgers would  10 . I haven’t had anything to eat today.”
　　 Now I thought to myself, “Mary Williams, you have had a good breakfast and a good lunch today,   11  this poor girl has not had a mouthful yet. You can give her your  12 . She needs it a great deal more than you do.”
　　 I could not run away from that little girl’s sad,  13  look — so I dropped the dime right into her hand. How  14  the girl was! I am so glad I gave her the dime,  15  I had to go without the apple lying there in the window.