Microblog(微博) is used by more and more people in China. Do you know what it is?
　　Micorblog makes the people around the world to know each other better. It helps people to find the information that they need more easily, also to get some information about the world they did not know before.
　　Many famous people are using microblog now, including singers, TV hosts and artists. The first day of Chinese New Year in 2010，people on Sina Microblog sent 9873 microblogs to wish somebody a Happy New Year. Yao Chen became the queen(王后) of microblog because her microblog has over 1.3 million followers; Li Yuchun sent a microblog and got 11760 comments(评论) within 24 hours; Cai Kangyong, who is a famous TV host and famous writer in Taiwan, has 15143 more followers within 24 hours.
　　Why is microblog so popular? The most important reason is that it is convenient(方便的). People need not use too much time to write the articles to express(表达) their feeling. They can write at most 140 words, and then send it through computers or mobile phones onto the microblog. As soon as they send it, their followers will know. They can use it anytime, anywhere.
　　Many of my friends use microblog to share things with others. They can talk about what they see, hear and think in a sentence or a photo. Also, they can follow their friends’ or their favorite stars’ microblogs. They can even join in any discussion of anything. Microblog is very hit now!
　　Have you microblog today?
【小题1】According to the passage, ________________.

Microblog is used by more and more people in China. Do you know what it is?

Micorblog makes the people around the world know each other better. It helps people to find the information that they need more easily, also to get some information about the world they did not know before.

Many famous people are using microblog now, including singers, TV hosts and artists. The first day of Chinese New Year in 2013, people on Sina Microblog sent 9,873 microblogs to wish somebody a Happy New Year. Yao Chen, a movie star, became the queen of microblog because her microblog had over 1.3 million followers; Li Yuchun sent a microblog and got 11,760 comments (评论) within 24 hours; Cai Kangyong, who is a famous TV host and famous writer in Taiwan, had 15,143 followers within 24 hours.

Why is microblog so popular? The most important reason is that it is easy. People need not use too much time to write the articles to express their feelings. They can write at most 140 words, and then send them through computers or mobile phones onto the microblog. As soon as they send it out, their fans will know. They can send it out anytime, anywhere.

Many of my friends use microblogs to share things with others. They can talk about what they see, hear and think in a sentence or a photo. Also, they can follow their friends’ or their favorite stars’. They can even join in any discussion of anything. Microblog is a hit now! Have you microblogged today?  264

1.According to the passage, ______.

A. microblog can make people know each other better

B. you can write as many words as you like in microblog

C. microblog is not very popular in China

D. microblog is only used by people under 18

2.Microblog is very popular. The most important reason is that _____.

A. many famous people are using it now

B. it is easy, quick and very useful

C. people can share their photos with others   

D. people can join in any discussion

3.The word “hit” in the 5^th paragraph means _____.

A. important information and comments

B. somebody interesting and helpful

C. something popular and successful

D. famous people and movie stars

Like most English children, I learned foreign languages at school. When I made my first visit to the United States, I was sure I could have a nice and easy holiday without any language problem. But how wrong I was!

    At the American airport, I was looking for a public telephone to tell my friend Danny that I had arrived. An American asked if he could help me. "Yes," I said, '1 want to give my friend a ring."

"Well, that's nice. Are you getting married?" he asked. "No," I replied, "I just want to tell him I have arrived." "Oh," he said, "there is a phone downstairs on the first floor." "But we're on the first floor now," I said.

    "Well, I don't know what you are talking about Maybe you aren't feeling too well after your journey," he said. "Just go and wash up, and you will feel a lot better." And he went off, leaving me wondering where on earth I was: At home we wash up after a meal to get the cups and plates clean. How can I wash up at an airport?

    At last we did meet. Danny explained the misunderstanding: Americans say "to give someone a call", but we English say "to give somebody a ring". When we say "to wash your hands", they say "to wash up". And Englishmen start numbering from the ground floor so the first floor is the second for Americans.

1.The writer went to America by ______.

A. plane             B. ship               C. bus                 D. train

2.The writer went to America for______  .

A. education       B. business         C. holiday           D. friendship

3.The American thought "a ring" should be a________ .

A. phone call       B. present         C. person                 D. letter

4.Englishmen usually wash up________    .

    A. after dinner         B. after a journey

    C. when they are tired  D. before they telephone someone

5.The third floor in England is the ______floor in America.

    A. first              B. second        C. third                 D. Fourth

Thomas Edison lit up the world with his invention of the electric light. Without him, the world might still be in the dark. However, the electric light was not his only invention. He also invented the motion picture camera and 1200 other things. About every two weeks he created something new.
Thomas Edison was born in 1847. He attended school for only three months. His mother taught him at home, but Thomas was mostly self-educated. He started experimenting at a young age.
When he was 12 years old, he got his first job. He became a newsboy on a train. He did experiments on the train in his spare time. Unluckily, his first work experience did not end well. They fired him when he accidentally set fire to the floor of the train. Then Edison worked for five years as a telegraph operator, but he continued to spend much of his time in experimenting his first patent(专利权) in 1868 for a vote recorder run by electricity.
Thomas Edison was totally deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other, but he thought of his deafness as a blessing in many ways. It kept conversations short, so that he could have more time for work. He always worked 16 out of every 24hours. Sometimes his wife had to remind him to sleep and eat.
Thomas Edison died at the age of 84. He left a great many inventions that greatly improved the quality of life all over the world.
【小题1】How often did Edison make a new invention?