Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl. She had one big ambition—to play the drums in a band. But one big obstacle lay in her way. To be good enough to play in a band, Brenda had to practice a lot, but she lived next-door to a lot of old people. Many of them are sick. She knew that the sound of beating drums would really get on their nerves. So, she had tried playing in the strangest places: a basement, a kitchen, and even in a shower. But there was always someone it would annoy.

One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she heard that sound cannot travel in space, because there’s no air. At that moment, Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut.

With the help of a lot of time, books and work, Brenda built a space bubble. This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out all the air inside. All that would be left inside was a drum kit（成套设备） and a chair. Brenda got into the space suit she had made, entered the bubble, turned on the machine, and played those drums like a wild child.

It wasn’t long before Brenda Bongos came very famous. Many people came to see her play in her space bubble. Shortly afterwards she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts. Her fame spread so much that the government suggested that she be part of a unique space journey. Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut, and had gone far beyond her first ambition of playing drums in a band.

Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this, she thought for a moment, and said: “If those old people next – door hadn’t mattered so much to me, I wouldn’t have found a solution, and none of this would have ever happened.”

1.Why did Brenda try to play in the strangest places?

A．Because she didn’t want others to hear her play.

B．Because she didn’t want to disturb others.

C．Because she didn’t have a large house.

D．Because she liked to play in strange places.

2.Brenda started to give concerts _______ .

A．after she practiced in her space bubble

B．when she became part of the unique space journey

C．after she became a real musical astronaut

D．when people came to see her in the space bubble

3.Brenda became famous because _______ .

A．she made a space suit

B．she became a real musical astronaut

C．she played drums in her space bubble

D．she played drums in a band

4.Which of the following can be used to describe Brenda?

A．kind, hardworking and clever

B．brave, kind and hardworking

C．lovely, brave and kind

D．nervous, kind and clever

5.We can draw a conclusion from the passage that: “______”.

A．He laughs best who laughs last

B．It’s never too old to learn

C．Two heads are better than one

D．One good turn deserves another

Everyday rubbish could provide a valuable source of energy thanks to a clever new invention. Smelly methane（沼气）gas expelled from landfill sites containing tones of rotting household waste could be used to produce a valuable energy resource. In Europe alone land fill tips produce 94 billion cubic meters of methane per year but currently only one percent of what could be a valuable source of energy is used, the rest is burnt off to prevent an explosive build up of gas.

Methane gas forms when organic matter breaks down and is drawn off from large rubbish tips by pipes sunk into the middle of the waste. Until now this process wasn’t possible on small sites because the pipe allowed oxygen to seep in and that stop the breakdown process.

Viktor Popov of the Wessex Institute of Technology has now developed a system to modify existing landfill sites by making them airtight while the methane is extracted from sunken wells. The site is covered by a special three-layered skin whose two outer layers are made of clay with a pressurized（加压的）layer of carbon dioxide gas in the middle. As the methane is sucked out through a central well it is replaced by carbon dioxide from the middle layer rather than oxygen, allowing the breakdown process to continue.

Unfortunately there are no plans to use the power of methane even though Popov claims his invention could provide a valuable source of energy over the next 20 years.

The passage mainly introduces ______ to us.

A．how to make methane     B．a new way to make use of rubbish 

C．the valuable things in rubbish  D．the amount of rubbish beig reused

From the passage we can see that _____.

A．in Europe 94 billion cubic meters of methane is produced every year

B．some of the waste will explode if it is not burnt off

C．99% of the rubbish has been burnt off in Europe

D．only a very small part of this kind of energy is used in Europe

In the passage the underlined word “that” refers to ______.

A．methane gas     B．the long pipe    C．oxygen     D．the rubbish

Which of the following statement is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Oxygen can cause the breakdown process to stop.

B．When the methane is sucked out, oxygen will enter from the middle layer.

C．Carbon dioxide doesn’t affect the breakdown process.

D．The new invention has not been put into use.

Two men, Alan and Henry, both seriously ill, shared a hospital room. Alan was allowed to sit up in his bed and his bed was next to the room’s only window. Henry had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours, of their wives, families, their homes and their jobs. And every afternoon when Alan, in the bed next to the window, could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm among flowers. Trees and skyline could be seen in the distance. As he described all this, Henry, on the other side of the room, would close his eyes and imagine the scene.

One warm afternoon Alan described a parade (游行) passing by. Although Henry could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never got to see anything? It doesn’t seem fair. Henry felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sight, his envy grew and soon let him down. He began to find himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window—and that thought now controlled his life.

Late one night,　as he lay staring at the ceiling. Alan began to cough. He was choking. Henry watched in the dim room as the struggling man tried hard to reach for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence—deathly silence.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, Henry asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he struggled to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He looked out, but faced a black wall.

1.Judging from the passage, the meaning of the underlined word “alien” is ______.

A．disappointing       B．sudden           C．new              D．strange

2.What finally happened to Alan?

A．He was moved to another room.            B．He died.

C．He switched his bed with Henry.            D．He was very sick.

3.Henry, who had his bed switched, had expected _____.

A．to see the black wall                     B．to feel the joy of seeing the outside world

C．to feel the joy of breathing fresh air         D．to see more than Alan

4.Which of the following words could be used to describe Alan?

A．Kind-hearted and imaginative              B．Well-informed and humorous

C．Talkative and funny                      D．Cold-hearted and indifferent

Travelling around the world with children is difficult enough, but attempting it without using motorized transport is even more of challenge. But Dario Schworer, a 42-year-old climatologist and mountain guide, and his 33-year-old wife Sabine are on a journey to do just that.

The Swiss couple want to travel across the world’s oceans and climb the highest mountain on every continent to promote Earth-friendly ways of life.

“We are collecting good examples of dealing with climate change and living in harmony with nature and we want to spread such ideas,” Schworer said. “We want to help people affected by global warming and to inspire children for the future.”

Recently after having spent three months teaching children in the Everest region, the couple want to show it is possible to travel through as the world’s climate zones using just human-power and forces of nature.

In the 47 countries they have visited so far they have collected 22 tons of trash, taught people in Ecuador how the sun’s rays can be used to clean water and inspired a person in Chile to build a house on water with recycled plastic bottles as a foundation. They have also collected trash in the mountains of Nepal with school children.

So far they have communicated with 45,000 children from South America, Australia and Asia, giving presentations about the importance of recycling and using alternative energy like solar and wind power.

“We need to motivate children,” said Sabine.

When they began their adventure in 2003 they had no children of their own. But since then two has become five: daughter Sabine is now five years old, Andri was born in Chile and baby Noe was born in Australia.

Initially the couple thought they would complete their travels in four years, but now, seven years later, they believe it could take seven more.

“Since our belief is the need to respect nature, we travel only when conditions are good,” Schworer said.

1.Why do the Swiss couple travel around the world?

A．To inspire their children for the future.

B．To prove a travel without motorized transport.

C．To explore the secret of global warming.

D．To promote Earth-friendly ways of life.

2.They did a lot during the travel except ________.

A．build a house with recycled plastic bottles

B．collect rubbish and waste

C．communicate with local children

D．show people how to use energy

3.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “Initially”?

A．In the end         B．In a way           C．At the beginning    D．On the whole

4.The best title of the passage can be ________.

A．A Swiss family’ journey across the world

B．An eco-friendly adventure across the world

C．We have a long way to make a good travel

D．Nature needs respecting and protecting

Jurassic Park could become a reality with dinosaurs making a comeback after a discovery last week. Scientists found remains of a dinosaur’s blood vessels（血管）and cells .In theory, DNA from these cells could be used to clone the longdead dinosaur.

A team from North Carolina State University found the remains in a fossil(化石)of the leg bone of a Tyrannosaurus rex（暴龙）in Montana, US.

The last dinosaurs on Earth died some 65 million years ago, but they left bits of themselves behind wherever they lived. Around the world ,dug-up bones and fossils have given scientists many ideas about what the animals were like.

Preserved by minerals, the newly discovered leg bone was hard. So the scientists used a liquid to dissolve（溶解）the minerals. A week later, the remaining material was soft and stretchy（有弹性的）,which surprised the researchers.

Some of the materials appeared to be a network of blood vessels. Out of these, the researchers were able to squeeze(挤出)tiny , round, dark-red and deep-brown structures that seemed to be ancient blood cells.

Scientists are overjoyed by this discovery because most fossils come from hard body parts, like bones and shells, which last a long time. Soft tissues, like skin, muscle, and organs are very hard to find because they tend to break down more quickly.

Scientists think that the new discovery will help them to better understand how fossils form. Future finds should also help flesh out how the dinosaurs lived.

They were also very excited by the possibility of having some dinosaur DNA.From that scientists could create a real life “Jurassic Park”.

In the Hollywood movie, scientists reproduced dinosaurs from the DNA they found in a mosquito fossil and disaster soon followed.

Scientists are excited _________________________ .

A. because they have got dinosaur DNA

B. about making a movie called “Jurassic Park”

C. because they found the liquid to dissolve fossils

D. because it,s very hard to find soft tissues in fossils

The latest discovery can tell us       .

A. what the animals were like         B. how fossils form

C. how the dinosaur lived            D. how to get dinosaur DNA

What does the underlined phrase“flesh out”mean in the article?

A. add more details or information to     B. take more photos of

C. make the public know more about     D. find the answer to

Why is the latest discovery very important?

A. It could make it possible to make dinosaurs return to the former position.

B. It could throw light on how dinosaurs lived many years ago.

C. It could prove what dinosaurs were like.

D. It could explain why dinosaurs died some 65 million years ago.