Have you ever thought of taking a train and having an adventure (奇遇)？Riding the train can be a real adventure.That is how I feel every time I take Amtrak.I often take a four?hour trip to visit my children.Every time I take this trip I never know what will happen.

Last week when I was on the train and over an hour into the train ride，there was a man sitting by himself in the back of the train carrying on a mobile phone conversation— in another language.It was loud and disturbed most of the people on the train.I think it was annoying.

Fortunately I sat next to a wonderful old lady who was taking a two?day trip by train.She said her two daughters were distraught at the thought of her driving for three days to reach her home，although she had no trouble driving.The train ride was the only choice for her.She loved to look out of the window and watch the world go by on the train.

She was fun to talk to and asked me when my children started being parents.That is a very good question.Both of us are old and have children.She asked that same question from time to time.

There are always many people on the train from all walks of life，different countries，and many languages.Riding the train is a great way to increase your knowledge and take in all kinds of cultures.If you get hungry，you can buy food in the food car at any time.If you need to use the restroom there is always one available.

It sure beats driving the car，which has to stop for food and restrooms.And it is better than taking the bus.

1．According to the passage，the purpose of the author’s train ride was________.

A．to do business　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．to see her children

C．to visit places of interest 　　　　　　　　　 D．to see her old friends

2．Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “distraught” in Paragraph 3?

A．Disappointed. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．Satisfied.

C．Worried. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．Pleased.

3．Which of the following is TRUE about the old lady sitting next to the author?

A．She is too old to drive now.

B．She does not like to take trains.

C．Although she is old，she has a good memory.

D．Her daughters live far away from her home.

4．In the author’s opinion，on the train Amtrak________.

A．the services are quite good

B．the food is terribly expensive

C．all the passengers are polite

D．all the passengers are American

5．What is the best title for this passage?

A．Train ride—a cultural experience

B．A painful experience on the train

C．The history of Amtrak

D．A wonderful lady

A leading biologist has found the angels and fairies that sit at top of Christmas trees did not get there under their own power.
Prof Roger Wotton, from University College London, found that flight would be impossible for angels with arms and bird-like feathered wings. 
"Angels cannot take off and cannot use powered flight,” said Prof Wotton. “They would need to be exposed to very high wind velocities at take off - such high winds that they would be blown away."
Some the world’s most famous religious paintings and architecture make most Americans believe in angels.
The study found that 68 per cent of the 36,000 adults thought that angels and demons (魔鬼) were at work in the world.
According to the latest study, angels lack the powerful muscles which allow birds to beat their wings.
Prof Wotton’s paper explores why there are so many stories about angels. “Angels are very powerful religious icons for people with faith. Their similarity to humans adds to their power. At the same time, they have wings on them because they are more than human. They take messages to heaven and therefore have to fly.” said the academic.
【小题1】What did the leading biologist find?

Have you ever rubbed your hands together when they get cold? Why do we do that? We do that for friction. Friction happens when two things that aren’t very smooth rub together to make heat energy. The faster you rub two things together, the more friction ( and heat) you can make. Let’s discover friction!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

·Soap ·Water·Your hands!

WHAT TO DO

Make sure your hands are dirty.

Rub your hands together until you feel the heat of your hands.

Now, use soap and water to get your hands very slippery(滑的).

Try to make friction happen while your hands are slippery.

Please write down what has happened.

LET’S TALK!

Friction is an energy that happens when two things rub together. When friction happens, it makes heat! When your hands are slippery, they won’t make very much friction and your hands won’t get so hot.

DID YOU KNOW?

Friction happens when you stop your fast running bike.

Ancient people made fire by rubbing two pieces of wood together. Friction happened though they didn’t know it.

____?___

Friction is everywhere. Have you ever noticed situations where friction is happening? If not, ask your parents to take you out in a car. If it is not hot, touch the tires(轮胎) of the car before and after a short drive to see how much warmer they get from friction.

1. This text is most probably________________________.

A. a science report????????????? ????????????? ????????????? 　 B. a car advertisement

C. a rubbing introduction?????? D. a chemistry programme

2.What does the word “friction” in this text mean in Chinese????????

A.摩擦????????????? ????????????? B. 冷却??????? C. 膨胀????????????? ????????????? ????? D.震动

3.___________ is not an example of friction.

A. Bike riding????????????? B. Car driving??? C. Hands rubbing????????????? ? D.Friction discovering

4.What’s the last column(栏目)?

A. THINK IT OVER!????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ?? B. WHAT HAPPENED?

C.EVERYDAY ACTION:????????????? D. WORK WITH PARENTS