Police in America were looking for a thirteen-year-old boy, Ben. He was a middle school student. He was lost last Friday night.
Ben’s mother went to bed early that evening because she had a bad cold. She thought Ben was spending the night with his friend. However, Ben did not appear at the family lunch the next day. She became worried and called the police.
That evening, Ben left home to play baseball with two friends. They both said Ben went home after the game. Some neighbors said to the police they saw a UFO flying over Ben’s house that night. So they thought Ben might be taken away by aliens.
The police said they would not give up until they found him.
【小题1】When was Ben lost?
______________________________________________________________
【小题2】What did Ben do with his friends that evening?
______________________________________________________________
【小题3】What might happen to Ben according to his neighbors?
_______________________________________________________________

What is the hottest topic at your school recently? In Hangzhou Yongjin Middle School, it’s money.
The school held an activity called “making money” last weekend. About 200 Junior 1 and Junior 2 students were divided into 30 teams. They went out to make money by selling things.
What did they choose to sell? Some sold newspapers; some chose bottled water; some sold environmentally friendly shopping bags and bamboo baskets.
Hu Qing’s team decided to sell some useful books in front of the Children Activity Center. They thought parents would like to buy the books for their children. But unfortunately, they met urban management officers (城管). The officers asked them to leave. “We played hide-and-seek (捉迷藏) with the officers for the whole morning,” said Hu. “Finally we had to give up.”
Wang Bing and her team sold ice cream in a square. They didn’t meet any officers. But few people were interested in what they were selling. The team then put up a board saying “For Country Kids”. It worked. More people came to their stall (小摊). A foreigner even gave them 100 yuan. “He didn’t want any change. He said he wanted to help the children,” said Wang. “We were touched.” Later that day they gave the money they made to the “Project Hope” office.
Meng Zhaoxiang and his team were luckier. They sold all their cakes in four hours, spending 39.5 yuan and getting back 80 yuan. They made 40.5 yuan. “It was not easy to make the money,” said Meng. “Some people just looked. Others just tasted but didn’t buy. Now I know how hard it is for our parents to make the money we need to lead happy lives.”
【小题1】 In Hangzhou Yongjin Middle School, what the students talk more about is ________.

Scientists are very interested in the Universe，and they always want to know more about it. Years ago they knew many things about the moon. They knew how big it is and how far away it is from the earth. But they wanted to know more about it. They thought the best way was to send men to the moon. The moon is about 384,000 kilometers away from the earth. A plane cannot fly to the moon because the air reaches only 240 kilometers away from the earth. But something can fly even when there is no air. That is a rocket(火箭)
How does a rocket fly? There is gas（气体） in the rocket. When the gas is made very hot inside the rocket, it will rush out of the end of the rocket, so it can make the rocket fly up into the sky. Rockets can fly out into space. Rockets with men in them have been to the moon. Several rockets without men in them have flown to another planet(行星) much farther away than the moon. One day, rockets may be able to go to any place in space.
【小题1】Scientists knew ____________ the moon is.
A: how far    B: how big    C: how old    D: both A and B
【小题2】The earth is about 384,000 kilometers away from the _____.
A: space    B: universe    C: sun   D: moon
【小题3】A plane cannot fly to the moon because ___________
A: there is no air above 240 kilometers away from the earth.
B: there is no gas in the plane
C: the plane is not strong enough
D: the plane can not fly a long way
【小题4】The hot gas in the rocket is used for___________
A: keeping the air in the rocket fresh(新鲜的)
B: Keeping the men in the rocket warm
C: making the rocket fly up.
D: cooking food for the men
【小题5】What is the writer’s attitude(态度) to the universe’s future.
A: Realistic(现实的)        B: Imaginative(幻想的)
C: Confident(有信心的)      D: Sad

Bai Yansong, a famous TV host, expressed his support for students wearing green scarves (绿领巾) at a primary school in Xi’an. He wore a green tie on a TV program on October 19, 2011. “I just want the students to know that I’m also wearing green. And we are all great people and are as good as those wearing red scarves.”
The First Experimental Primary School in Xi’an made children with poor schoolwork and behavior wear green scarves. Parents whose children wore green scarves were angry. “The children still need their self-esteem (自尊心) even though they are very young, and they know the green scarf means something is not quite right,” said one mother. Now, the school has stopped the practice.
Educational expert Li Zhenxi said that primary and junior high school students have strong self-esteem. They are eager to be respected and understood. Punishment will hurt them. “It’s better to encourage them rather than separating some ‘bad’ students,” he said.
A survey made by the Ministry of Education (教育部) shows that 75 percent of students feel nervous and scared when the teacher is about to announce their grades. Some schools have done better in protecting students’ privacy and encouraging them. In American schools, teachers post test results on the wall. Instead of using student names, they use secret numbers. This way, students know their secret numbers and can check their own grades only. Some teachers might call the students up to the desk and tell them their scores one at a time.
But test scores are not the only measures of a student’s ability. Everyone has his own strengths and everyone can make great progress by working hard.
【小题1】Bai Yansong wore a green tie in a TV program in order to _______.