Dear Mike,

We got your letter yesterday. Yes, we can visit you at Christmas. We thought to spend(度) Christmas at home, but now we are going to be with you. Jack will not be in school then.

The weather in Chicago is cold, but is doesn’t matter. Sometimes we like the snow.

We got our plane tickets. We will get to your city on the 18^th. We will stay with you for two weeks. Is that all right with you?

We’ll take our favourite recipes(食谱), so we can have a nice Christmas dinner.

See you soon.

Love

Mom and Dad

根据短文内容用适当的单词完成下面句子：(每空一词)

1.This letter is from Mike’s              .

2.In Chicago, it is             now.

3.Mike has a brother called             . He is in school now.

4.Mike’s parents will go to his city by           .

5.Mike and his parents will          a nice dinner on Christmas Day.

What would you do if you found a snake in your house? Many people might be afraid or try to kill it. However, if you live in North Carolina in the USA,one thing you can do is to call the Snake Catchers.

The Snake Catchers are four men who love snakes, even poisonous ones. Theirnewspaper advertisement says, “Snake Catchers:free snakeremoval(除去）一Please do not kill them — Call us. ”

The Snake Catchers, who started their service in 1998, don’t charge anything for helping people. “We do this as a  hobby,”explained Fred Johnson, one of the Snake Catchers. Because of their love of snakes, the Snake Catchers try to keep them alive.“One man asked us to kill a python(蟒蛇), so he could make a pair of boots from the skin. We refused, because we like snakes, and we don’t want to see them killed, ” said Fred. Some of the snakes that they catch are kept as pets;some are given to the North Carolina State University. Most, including the poisonous snakes, are set free in the wild, usually in a national park.

Fred suggests that people should treat snakes with care. “Actually snakes are very shy and gentle creatures. They only attack if they are frightened. However, you have to know how to treat a snake properly!”

According to one happy family, the Snake Catchers are good. One day, the Greenwood family found a snake skin in the kitchen. They looked very carefully and saw a snake sleeping behind a cupboard. They thought about what to do. Then Steve Greenwood remembered the advertisement for the Snake Catchers. He called them.

“The Snake Catchers arrived within an hour and they finished the job quickly too,” said Steve Greenwood. “One of them went into the kitchen, found the snake and took it out alive. The Snake Catchers did a very good job.”

Last year, the Snake Catchers removed more than seventy snakes from houses in North Carolina.

1.The Snake Catchers catch snakes because          .

A. they want to kill the snakes.

B. they like trying to catch snakes.

C. they don’t want people to hurt snakes.

D. they like eating snakes.

2.When a man asked them to kill a python,the Snake Catchers          .

A. agreed to do it                                            B. were very happy

C. give him some old boots                  D. didn’t agree

3.The Snake Catchers set most of the snakes free          .

A. in a national park                              B. in a univercity

C. in a garden                                                  D.in their own houses

4.According to Fred,          .

A. snakes are very dangerous

B. people should attack snakes

C. snakes are not usually dangerous

D. people should run away if they see a snake 

    Plants are very important. This is because plants can make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals and man cannot make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals can get their food by eating plants and other animals. Man gets his food by eating plants and animals, too. So animals and man need plants to live. This is why there are so many plants around us.
There are two kinds of plants: flowering plants and non-flowering(无花) plants. Almost all the trees around us are flowers and fruit. Non-flowering plants don’t grow flowers. You can’t see many non-flowering plants around you.
If you look carefully at the plants around you, you’ll find that there are many kinds of plants. Some plants are very big and some very small. Most of them are green. We can live on the earth because of the plants around us.
【小题1】Which of the following is the most important according to the passage?

Can you swim? Do you like swimming? Yes? Well, how can you learn to swim? I think the best way is to go into the water and learn. I’m afraid you’ll never learn to swim just by reading books about swimming or looking at others’ swimming. It’s the same with the English study. We must practice, practice and practice.
Listening and speaking are very important for beginners. The children in English-speaking countries first listen to others. Then they try to imitate and speak. We can listen to English programs on the radio or watch them on TV. You may just understand a few words. It doesn’t matter. Just be relaxed, try to catch every word.
Somebody may be a good listener. But he doesn’t speak. He’s afraid of making mistakes. You know we sometimes make mistakes when we speak Chinese. Don’t be afraid. We must be brave. If you really want to learn English well, you must try to speak with everyone so long as he knows English. Whether you know him or not is not important. When there’s nobody to talk with, you can talk to yourself in English. It’s interesting and also a good way to practice your spoken English. Remember, the more you speak, the fewer mistakes you’ll make.
Reading and writing are more important for senior school students. First we must choose the books we’re interested in. A lot of reading will improve your language sense. This is the most important.
Keep writing English diaries. We can also write English articles. You may even post them to English magazines. Don’t be afraid of failure. Failure is the mother of success.
Easier said than done. Well, let’s do more practice from now on. I’m sure you’ll learn English well in this way.
【小题1】You can learn to swim by_________.

Summer holiday is coming , what do you like to do ?here are four students telling us what they will do in the coming summer holiday.
Mai hajui  Baihetiya, 14 .
I am from Xinjiang . I am studying at Tianjin No.2 Middle School now. I will go on a trip to Beijing . I am going to the Great Wall , the Summer Palace and the Palace Museum . I will go to Wangfujing Street to buy a sweater for my mother, a scarf for my father and a T- shirt for my brother.
Wu Jun, 13.
I come from Shanghai . My favourite season is summer . I like going swimming with my friends in the swimming pool. It is very exciting .
Mike ,13 . 
I am studying at Nanjing No. 5 Middle School . I miss my parents very much . I will go back to America to see my family . Summer is a good season to go out . I will have a picnic with my friends in the countryside . I can also play football and baseball with my friends . How happy we will be . 
Liu Shuyi, 14,
I am from Shanghai . I like summer best because I can eat ice cream and wear a dress. I am not good at English . I will join an English club to learn English .
【小题1】How many family members will Mai hajui Baihetiya buy presents for? _________