The sea horse is a magical animal, which has puzzled （使困惑） people for thousands of years. In ancient Rome sea horses were believed to be the babies of Neptune’s horses. And Neptune was the god of the ocean. Now we know they are not horses at all — they are a kind of fish. They still seem as magical as ever, especially to divers who have watched them horsing around(瞎闯) in the sea. But today, sea horse populations face an uncertain future. Fishermen are catching too many of them, and their undersea habitats （栖息地） are being destroyed.
At least 20 million sea horses are taken from the ocean each year. More than 95% are used for traditional medicines in Asian countries. The sea horses are usually dried and then made into powder which is used to treat such problems as asthma（哮喘）, throat infections, skin diseases and cuts. How well the medicines work is unclear.
Sea horses are also bought and sold in large numbers as pets. Sea horse expert Amanda Vincent warns against buying pet sea horses. “A lot of people treat them as if they’re goldfish,” she says. But sea horses require very special care and live food. Most captive (被猎取的) sea horses pick up diseases and die.
Sea horse experts are trying to teach fishermen to become sea horse farmers. Instead of pulling nets of sea horses from the ocean, fishermen could learn to raise them in specially designed saltwater “farms”. That way, fishermen would have sea horses to sell, but ocean populations would not be hurt.
Vincent and her team have only discovered the 35 different species of sea horses, and they still have plenty of sea horse secrets left to unlock. That is why, Vincent told TFK, protecting future sea horse populations is especially important: “I promise your readers that by the time they grow up to be marine biologists, we’ll still have a lot to learn.”
【小题1】In the past, Romans thought the sea horse to be ______.

Dear Michelle,

My mother is not a good example for me and my sister. She smokes, stays out late, and she curses. I love her but I am ashamed of her. I do not want to bring home my friends because she does not act like any of the other mothers. She says I am a loser because I sit at home and I study. I wish I could live in another family that is normal, but that will not be for another 5 years when I am 18 and legal. What am I supposed to do until then?

Prisoner of a Crazy House

Dear 7^th Grade,

I am glad that you love your mother because the rest of your feelings about her may change as you mature and get older.

While it is true that your mother’s smoking, partying and cursing bring you shame, the fact that you want to stay separate from her doing is notable and very smart. It shows that you are a winner, not a loser.

I am guessing, therefore, that you do not bring shame to yourself, and that is a good thing. So, keep it that way and keep away from your mother’s habits.

In the meantime, get the best grades as possible and join clubs and after-school activities. Offer social service on weekends and visit with your friends at their homes.

Unfortunately, you are not alone. Many teens live in homes with immature, misguided, selfish parents. Those kids often feel lonely and separate from the rest of their friends because of their parents’ terrible deeds.

Yet, despite this, some of these very teens grow up to be just fine. They develop good friendships with nice kids, do well in school, and often find a teacher of guidance advisor who makes all the difference!

Do it, Miss Winning 13-year-old, and keep looking forward to your own fine future. Maybe by then your mother may even see the light and realize how surprising you really are.

Best luck!

Michelle

1.The kids asks for advice on how to _________.

2. Michelle doesn’t call her letter receiver a “Prisoner of a Crazy House” possibly because she ________.

3. Michelle advises the girl to ___________.

4.What does Michelle express by the paragraphs beginning with “Unfortunately” and “Yet”?

Daniel Brown was just five years old when he climbed into the family car and let it roll away down the road. He was only three when he flooded the kitchen.
His mother, Angela Brown, is in despair. She is very busy looking after her new baby, a little girl called Laura, as well as Daniel. She told us, “Daniel is so full of curiosity.”At that moment, we hear a huge crash and then silence. We go upstairs and find Daniel crawling out of a wardrobe(衣橱)he has pulled over onto the floors, with a book in his hand.“It’s for you, Mum,” he says and looks up at his mum and smiles. Seven-year-old Daniel has a lovely face. He has golden hair, big brown eyes, and a friendly smile. I have to admit that Daniel doesn’t look like a naughty boy.
Angela told me all about it, “Once I found him as he was about to put Jasper in the washing machine.”Jasper, she explained, is the Browns’dog. “When I asked him why, he said that he thought Jasper was dirty! It’s amazing how one little boy can cause so much trouble. Another time he cut off all the hair of the little girl next door. She was going to attend her sister’s wedding and the neighbors haven’t spoken to us since.
Angela told me about Daniel’s most expensive crime “I was about to do the washing up when the baby started crying. Daniel decided to help and filled the kitchen sink with water. When I came in, the water was already flooding the kitchen and was about to flood the hall. The carpet was ruined and had to be replaced. I hope things will get better as he gets older.”
Amazingly, Daniel is quite well behaved in school. This may be because he is rarely bored. Meanwhile he continues to be the naughtiest little boy in England. Will his baby sister Laura grow up to be the naughtiest little girl?
69. What did Daniel do while his mother was talking to the author?
A. He drove away the family car.       B. He cut off the hair of the girl next door.
C. He flooded the kitchen.            D. He fell to the floor with the wardrobe.
70. Why was Daniel going to put the dog in the washing machine?
A. He meant to clean the dog.         B. He wanted to punished the dog.
C. He intended to make trouble.       D. He wished to draw his mother‘s attention.
71. It can be inferred from the passage that __________________.
A. the mother spoiled the boy.          B. the boy found school life interesting.
C. the mother lost hope in the boy.       D. the boy had no freedom at home.

I have found that the way I treat insects acts as a reflection of my approach to kindness.  Like most kids, I suppose, I mistreated bugs terribly. But many adults continue the rampage against insects, and I have often found that they do this mindlessly.
With the weather getting warmer, more bugs are getting into our houses.  We also spend more time in "their house," as we enjoy the great outdoors.  We find ourselves reaching for the fly swatter and insecticides（杀虫剂）to get rid of them.  But why do we do this?  Most insects pose no threat to us, but we kill them anyway.
As a young adult, I found myself questioning my treatment of bugs.  It became a moral issue.  I remember reading a Native American story about a mother who saw her daughter stomp on a spider.  The mom simply asks the child: "Now who'll take care of that spider's children?  Who would take care of you if someone killed me?" It became a powerful lesson to the child.
All creatures have a purpose, and our world would be terribly out of balance without insects.  If we can treat them with kindness and respect, we can treat any creature that way.  The more I learned about the unique behaviors and purposes of insects, the more I appreciated their place in the world.  I have literally become someone who "wouldn't hurt a fly."
The more I have practiced, the better I've become at catching flies with my hand and escorting them back outside. I use a small glass with a thin piece of cardboard to catch spiders, ants, and bees, and release them where they'll be happier--outdoors. Sure it takes more work than just squishing them, but I feel more in harmony with nature by being kind to bugs. If we could model that for our kids, perhaps they'd grow up to be kinder adults and help make this a kinder world to live in.
49．According to the author, many adults kill bugs ___________.
A．because they hate bugs    B．to stop bugs spread diseases
C．just out of their cruelty    D．just for no special reason
50．The author mentions a Native American story in the third paragraph in order to___________.
A．tell readers the importance of protecting insects
B．show its deep influence on the author
C．appeal to readers to look after spiders’ children
D．describe American mother’s kindness to insects
51．Suppose a bug appears in the author’s room, he will probably___________.
A．kill it without hesitation    B．catch it and free it outside
C．drive it outside tenderly     D．let it be and not disturb it
52．Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
A．Showing kindness to insects    B．My childhood and insects
C．The significance of insets      D．Some tips of treating insects

Children, especially boys, tend to idealise their fathers when they are young.Every little boy wants to grow up to be just like his father, and every little girl thinks her father is the smartest man on the earth. It’s not very easy to be a good father, but it’s not that difficult either. Children will truly enjoy spending time with their fathers, not just when they are kids, but even when they are adults.

Not all children communicate well with their fathers. Communication is often left to mothers, while fathers dispense advice as and when necessary. Don’t expect all conversations to centre around the dinner table. Go to your children’s bedrooms and talk to them about school, their teachers or their friends. Remember that the conversation cannot be one-sided. When your children open up to you, you also need to open up to them.

If your children come home from school feeling upset, go up to them and ask them what is the matter. And if it is something which seems to you to be a silly reason to be upset, don’t voice your opinion. It may be silly to you, but to your children it is important enough. So don’t wave the topic away by telling them not to bother about such stupid things. Simply discussing their problems with them will help them feel better.

Don’t shy away from having discussions about your teenage children’s love lives. Generally speaking, your children are definitely not going to discuss intimate details with you. Try to let them know that you are relaxed about topics on love. Tell your children how you met your wife. It is perfectly normal for children to go through feelings for the opposite sex as they grow up, and by keeping the topic closed for discussion, you are only shutting them off from discussing their feelings with you. All they will do is turn to their friends.

1.To children their fathers are usually very ______.

A. important     B.great           C. serious      D. strong

2.From the second paragraph we can know that ______.

A. some children don’t like their fathers at all

B. talking with children around the dinner table is bad

C. it is better for mothers to communicate with their children

D. mothers usually communicate better with their children.

3. Suppose your children are worried about something you should _____.

A. have a talk with them            B.express your option

C. keep silent                     D. let them alone

4.Your children would not like to discuss their love lives with you probably

   because they think__________.

A. you are relaxed about topics on love

B. they should ask for help from their friends

C. they have already grown up                        

D. it is not normal to experience feelings of love