A young boy was sitting in the back seat of the car eating an apple. He asked his father, “Why does my apple turn brown?” his father answered, “When the skin is removed, air reaches the flesh of the apple and causes oxidation. This changes the apple’s molecular structure and results in a brownish color.” The boy asked, “ Daddy, what are you talking about?”

I know how that boy feels. Sometimes I want answers to some of those confusing questions that we all meet with, such as how to get through difficult times or what to do in a tough situation. I just want to get it right.

The problem is that I don’t always have the answer I need. Nobody else seems to have them, either. So I go on making mistakes and think that I’ll never get it right.

Often I didn’t know what to do. I often made poor choices, but I gradually improved. Then I realized that I don’t HAVE TO always get it right. I don’t have to always know what to do all the time. All I really need to do is try my best, learn from my mistakes and go on.

Dr. Leo Buscaglia once said, “ No one gets out of this world alive, so the time to live, learn, care, share, celebrate and love is now. That would be pretty hard to do when you’re waiting for all the answers first.”

So you got it wrong. You made a mistake. So what should you do next? Forgive yourself and try again. You may not get out of this world alive, but you can get plenty of life out of this world if you are not too worried about always getting it right.

66. In the beginning, the author tells the story of a boy and his father to ____.

A. show that the father is very knowledgeable

B. say something interesting about apples

C. introduce the subject of the passage

D. show that children nowadays ask more questions

67. How did the boy feel when he heard his father’s explanation?

A. He admired his father very much.

B. He knew what his father meant.

C. He thought that he had learned a lot from his father.

D. He felt it was difficult to understand.

68. What do Dr. Leo Buscaglia’s words mean?

A. We must make right choices as often as possible.

B. We can search the answers when enjoying life itself.

C. People have many desires when they enter the world.

D. It is hard to lead a happy and satisfying life.

69. What can be concluded from the passage?

A. We should learn from our mistakes and try again.

B. We should try to learn and understand the answers to questions.

C. It is very important to try to avoid mistakes.

D. It is our duty to make the world a better place.

70. What is the style of the passage?

A. novel　　　 B. news　　 C. essay　　 D poem

A young boy was sitting in the back seat of the car eating an apple. He asked his father, “Why does my apple turn brown?” his father answered, “When the skin is removed, air reaches the flesh of the apple and causes oxidation. This changes the apple’s molecular structure and results in a brownish color.” The boy asked, “ Daddy, what are you talking about?”

I know how that boy feels. Sometimes I want answers to some of those confusing questions that we all meet with, such as how to get through difficult times or what to do in a tough situation. I just want to get it right.

The problem is that I don’t always have the answer I need. Nobody else seems to have them, either. So I go on making mistakes and think that I’ll never get it right.

Often I didn’t know what to do. I often made poor choices, but I gradually improved. Then I realized that I don’t HAVE TO always get it right. I don’t have to always know what to do all the time. All I really need to do is try my best, learn from my mistakes and go on.

Dr. Leo Buscaglia once said, “ No one gets out of this world alive, so the time to live, learn, care, share, celebrate and love is now. That would be pretty hard to do when you’re waiting for all the answers first.”

So you got it wrong. You made a mistake. So what should you do next? Forgive yourself and try again. You may not get out of this world alive, but you can get plenty of life out of this world if you are not too worried about always getting it right.

66. In the beginning, the author tells the story of a boy and his father to ____.

　 A. show that the father is very knowledgeable

　 B. say something interesting about apples

　 C. introduce the subject of the passage

　 D. show that children nowadays ask more questions

67. How did the boy feel when he heard his father’s explanation?

A. He admired his father very much.

B. He knew what his father meant.

C. He thought that he had learned a lot from his father.

D. He felt it was difficult to understand.

68. What do Dr. Leo Buscaglia’s words mean?

A. We must make right choices as often as possible.

B. We can search the answers when enjoying life itself.

　 C. People have many desires when they enter the world.

　 D. It is hard to lead a happy and satisfying life.

69. What can be concluded from the passage?

　 A. We should learn from our mistakes and try again.

　 B. We should try to learn and understand the answers to questions.

　 C. It is very important to try to avoid mistakes.

　 D. It is our duty to make the world a better place.

70. What is the style of the passage?

A. novel　　　 B. news　　 C. essay　　 D poem

On August 5 at 10:31 p.m. PST, a rover（探测器）named Curiosity touched down safely on the surface of Mars, and I was lucky enough to have a front-row seat.
My name is Clara, and when I was in Grade 6, I won the essay contest NASA held to name its next Mars rover. The essay I wrote was not even 250 words long, but somehow it was enough to change my life.
I still remember that cold December day, sitting in a science class. I’d finished a worksheet early and decided to get a Time for Kids magazine off Mrs. Estevez’s bookshelf. It was the 2008 Invention Issue, but that wasn’t the only thing that caught my eye. In the magazine, there was an article about a girl who named the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The article also talked about the essay contest NASA was holding to name its next Mars rover. Before I even knew anything else about it, a single word flooded my 11-year-old mind: Curiosity.
I couldn’t wait for the bell to ring so I could get started on my essay. That afternoon, I raced home from the bus stop, sat down at the computer and typed until my fingers ached. It turned out that I was just in time. A few days later, and the contest would have closed.
Five months later, shortly after I had turned 12, I was watching a National Geographic special on mammoths when the phone rang. My mom answered, and immediately, a wide smile spread across her face. When she told me that I had won, I was happier than I could ever remember being, I screamed and ran up and down the stairs and all around the house. I completely forgot about the mammoths and did not even remember to turn off the TV until it was really late.
Curiosity is such an important part of who I am. I have always been fascinated by the stars, the planets, the sky and the universe. I remember as a little girl, my grandfather and I would sit together in the backyard for hours. He’d tell me stories and point out the stars.
My grandfather lived in China, thousands of miles away from my home in Kansas. I loved the stars because they kept us together even when we were apart. They were always there, yet there was so much I didn’t know about them. That’s what I love so much about space. No matter how much we learn, it will always possess some mystery.
In the past, space exploration may have been a competition to see who got somewhere first or the fastest. But now, it is one of the few things that bring people together. Science is a language that needs no translation. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you look like – you just have to have a thirst for knowledge and a passion for learning in order to succeed.
People often ask me why we go to faraway places like Mars. Why do we explore? My answer to that is simple: because we can; because we’re curious; because we as human beings do not just stay holed up in one place. We are constantly wondering and trying to find out what’s over the hill and beyond the horizon.
The curiosity rover is more than just a robot. It is more than just a titanium body and aluminum wheels. Curiosity represents the hard work, passion, love and commitment of thousands of people from all over the world who were brought together by science. Science is so awesome. It is breathtaking and mind-blowing; and sometimes, it’s just a little bit crazy. The discoveries we make about our world are incredibly humbling. They move us forward and have the potential to benefit all of mankind.
This December it will be four years of my life that have been tied to Curiosity in some way. I’ve met so many amazing people through this experience, from scientists to engineers to administrators to volunteers. Their devotion and enthusiasm inspire me greatly. My journey with Curiosity and the MSL mission team has shaped the person that I am today, as well as the person I would one day like to become.
I am deeply grateful to everyone who made it possible for me to have this amazing adventure.
And to you, I hope your curiosity takes you far.
【小题1】 The method the writer uses to begin the passage is _____.

　　 One summer evening I was sitting by the open window, reading a good science storybook. I was so 　11 the story I was reading that I didn’t 　12 that it was getting dark. When I realized that it was too dark for me to read 13　 . I put the book down and got up to turn on the light. Just then I heard someone 　14 , “Help! Help!” It seemed to come from the trees at the end of the yard. I looked out but it was too dark to　 15 anything clearly. Almost immediately I heard the cry again. It 　16 like a child, but I could not 　17 what someone would be doing in our backyard, unless one of my neighbour’s children had climbed a tree and had not been able to　 18 .

　 I decided that I ought to go out and have 　19 in the yard, just in case someone was 20 . I got a flashlight and a stick, which I thought might be useful. With these in my hands, I went out 　 21　 the yard. Once again I heard the cry and this time there was no doubt that it came from the trees at the far end of the yard. “Who is there?” I 　22 as I walked across the yard towards the trees. But there was no 　23 . With the help of my flashlight, I 　24 all over that end of the yard, including the branches of the trees. There was no 　25 of anybody or anything. I came to the conclusion that my 　26 made fun of me, probably because of the strange creatures (生物) on another 　27 which I read about in the story.

I had to go back into the house and put the stick and flashlight away. I had just sat down to read my book again when I was 　28　 by the cry of “Help! Help!” This time it was from right behind me! I dropped my book and 　29 . There, sitting on the table was my neighbour’s large green and red 　30 .

11. A. worried about　 B. interested in　 　　 C. surprised at　　　 　　　 D. tired of　　　

12. A. mind　 　　　　　　 B. hope 　　　 　　　　　　 C. notice 　　 　　　 　　 D. expect

13. A. quietly 　　　　　　 B. quickly　　 　　　 C. noisily　　　 　　　　　　　　　　 D. easily

14. A. shouting　 　　　 B. laughing 　　　 C. speaking 　　　　　　 D. talking

15. A. listen 　　　　　　 B. feel 　　　　　　 C. see 　　　　　　　　　　 D. find

16. A. sounded　 　　　 B. looked　　 　　　　　　 C. smelt 　　　　　　　　　　 D. tasted

17. A. question　 　　　 B. imagine　　 　　　 C. choose　　 　　　　　　　　　　 D. understand

18. A. hurry off 　 　　　 B. send away　　　 　　　 C. come off　 　　　　　 D. get down

19. A. a look 　　　　　　 B. a rest 　　　　　　 C. a sleep　　 　　　　　　　　　　 D. a walk

20. A. at work　　　　　　 　　　 B. in shock　　　　　 C. on holiday 　　　　　 D. in trouble

21. A. forward　　　　　　 　　　 B. onto 　　　　　　 C. into 　　　　　　　　　　 D. backward

22. A. sang　　　　 　　　 B. called out 　　　 C. whispered　 　　　　 D. read

23. A. noise 　　　　　　 B. sound　　　 　　　　　　 C. voice 　　　　　　　　　　 D. answer

24. A. searched　 　　　 B. touched　 　　　 C. cut 　 　　　　　　　　　　 D. beat

25. A. seat　　　　　 　　　 B. sign　 　　　　　　 C. place 　　　　　　　　　　 D. sort

26. A. neighbour　 　 B. imagination 　 C. brother　 　　　　　　　　　　 D. dog

27. A. world　 　　　　　　 B. country　　 　　　 C. planet　　　 　　　　　　　　　　 D. satellite

28. A. called　　　　 　　　 B. told　 　　　　　　 C. encouraged　　　　　 　　　 D. frightened

29. A. jumped up　 　 B. sat up　 　　　　 C. rang up　 　　　　　 D. knocked down

30. A. cock　　　　　 　　　 B. hen　 　　　　　　 C. parrot　　　 　　　　　　　　　　 D. chicken