I don't want to upset you, but nobody can ever find out what day is going to be the last. And so it’s better to live each day of your life as if it is the last. I'm not telling you to quit your job and spend all your money on traveling. But you can live your life to its fullest by adding some simple things to each day. It doesn't matter what is going on, but it does matter how you feel about it. Here is my recipe for the best day on Earth!

A Handful of Happiness

Where can you find it? Take a look inside of yourself! Happiness doesn't come from the outside, it is within you. Each moment your life gives you a lot of opportunities to be happy. If you want to see them, you will. If you don’t, it's up to you.

A Handful of Love

Love is the harmony of your soul. A little love can make a big difference to the whole world. We are one. Everyone and everything deserve your love as well as you do.

A Handful of Dreams

Feel free to dream big dreams and make small steps towards them. You are the creator of your life. Every time you are doing something to achieve your goals you are growing.

A Handful of Creativity

Try to be creative in everything you do. Try to do your best every time you are doing something. Do not be afraid to use your imagination. It's such a pleasure to do something new. Feel the joy of creation!

A Handful of Magic

Do you believe in magic? Well, you should. Life is full of miracles. In fact, life itself is a big miracle. There are so many things that are beyond our understanding. "There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle." — Albert Einstein

Celebrate every day of your life! Let the spirit of holiday fill each corner of your heart. Why not? You live your life to its fullest and move towards your dreams!

1. What does the author advise people to do?

2. It can be concluded that to realize your big dreams, you need ____________.

3.What can we learn from the underlined sentence?

4. Which can be the best title of the passage?

In the future your automobile will run on water instead of gas! You will be able to buy a supercomputer that fits in your pocket! You might even drive a flying car!

   For each prediction that has come true today, several others have missed by a mile. Many of these predictions didn’t consider how people would want to use the technology, or if people really needed it in their lives or not. Let’s look at some predictions from the not-too-distant past.

    Robot Helpers

   Where’s the robot in my kitchen? Nowhere, of course. And he’s probably not coming anytime soon. Robots do exist today, but mostly in factories and other manufacturing environments.

   Back in the 1950s, however, people said that by now personal robots would be in most people’s homes.

   So why hasn’t it happened?  Probably because robots are still too expensive and clumsy. And maybe the idea of robots cooking our dinners and washing our clothes is just too weird. At home we seem to be doing fine without them.

    Telephones of Tomorrow

   In 1964 an American company introduced the video telephone. They said by the year 2000 most people would have a video phone in their homes. But of course the idea hasn’t caught on yet.

   Why? The technology worked fine, but it over—looked something obvious: people’s desire for privacy. Would you want to have a video phone conversation with someone after you just step out of the shower?  Probably not---it could be embarrassing! Just because a technology available doesn’t always mean people will want to use it.

   And finally, how about that crazy prediction of the flying car? It’s not so crazy anymore! But a flying car remains one of the most fascinating technology ideas to capture our imagination. Keep watching the news, or perhaps the sky outside your window, to see what the future will bring.

1. The whole passage is mainly about ________________.

   A. predictions that have come true.      B. predictions that haven’t come true.

   C. why predictions don’t come true easily. D. what technology will bring about.

2.The author of this passage won’t believe that _________________.

   A. predictions needn’t consider people’s practical use of technology.

   B. the future isn’t always easy to guess.  

   C. not all past predictions have come true.

   D. many of the high—tech things our parents thought we’d be using by now

   simply never appeared.

3.The underlined word “weird” probably means __________.

   A. wonderful   B. stupid    C. practical    D. strange

4. What does the author think of the flying car?

   A. It is too difficult to imagine.   B. It is too crazy an idea.

   C. It is likely to be made.        D. It is often reported in the news.

The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet (彗星) is heading towards the Earth. Most of it will miss our plant, but two pieces will probably hit the southern half of the Earth.

On 17 July, a piece four kilometers wide enters the Earth’s atmosphere with a massive explosion. About half of the piece is destroyed, but the remaining part hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and a huge hole is made in the sea bed. Huge waves are created and spread outwards from the hole. The wall of water, a kilometer high, rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned.

Before the waves reach South America, the second piece of the comet lands in Argentina. Earthquakes and volcanoes are set off in the Andes Mountains. The shock waves move north into California and all around the Pacific Ocean. The cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tokyo are completely destroyed by earthquakes. Millions of people in the southern half of the earth are already dead, but the north won’t escape for long. Because of the explosions, the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, and temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. The sun won’t be seen again for many years. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later, no more than 10 million remain alive.

Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a piece of object in space. The dinosaurs couldn’t live through the cold climate that followed and they died out. Will we meet the same end?

1.What is mainly described in the passage?

A. A historic discovery.               B. An event of imagination.

C. A research on space.               D. A scientific adventure.

2.A. an earthquake                     B. damages to cities  

C. an Earth explosion                 D. huge waves

3.Why can’t the northern half of the earth escape for long?

A. Because the land is covered with water

B. Because the light and heat from the sun can not reach the earth.

C. Because people there can not live at the temperature of zero.

D. Because wars break out among countries.

4. By giving the example of dinosaurs, the author tries to prove_____________.

A. animals could not live in the cold climate

B. what happened 65 million years ago was an invented story

C. the human beings will die out in 2094  

D. the Earth could be hit by other objects in space

5.We may guess that the writer is ______________.

A. worried        B. practical        C. a scientist       D. full of imagination

回答问题（共3小题；每小题2分，满分6分）

阅读下面短文，根据第58至第60小题的具体要求，尽可能简要回答问题，并将答案转写到答题卡上。

Playing is serous business for children. In fact, it’s what they do best! Ask them why they do it, and kids will probably say, “Because it’s fun!” But it’s much more than that. It’s also good for them.

Studies show that from birth babies begin learning through play. They use their five senses to get know their new world. Touching allows them to discover how different things feel. Brightly colored toys and clothing help develop a baby’s sense of sight. 

When small children choose which toy to play with, they begin developing their abilities in making decisions. 

Children love toys that allow them to use their imagination. Sometimes an empty box is more fun than a high-tech toy. That’s because a box can become anything a child imagines it to be. 

Crayons, paints and Play-Doh(彩色塑泥) are also good because they allow children to create. Traditional building blocks teach important pre-math skills like problem-solving. 

Playing doesn’t become any less important once children start school. Many valuable lessons about life are learned on the school playground. Kids learn how to share, take turns and play by the rules.

58  What can children do best in their childhood?  (回答词数不超过1个)

_____________________________________________________________________________

59  What do colored toys and clothing help develop?  (回答词数不超过5个)

_____________________________________________________________________________

60  Children like toys to develop their imagination. Do you think so?  (回答词数不超过5个)

_____________________________________________________________________________

Today, roller skating is easy and fun．But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.

One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball（化装舞会）. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.

　　Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.

　　On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin’s grand entrance for a long time!

1.The text is mainly about ________.

    A．a strange man              B．an unusual party

    C．how roller skating began   D．how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century

2.People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he _________.

　　A．often gave others surprises　　　　　 B．was a gifted musician

    C．invented the roller skates　　　　　　D．was full of imagination

3.Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to ________ .

A．impress the party guests　　　　　　B．arrive at the party sooner

C．test his invention　　　　　　　　　D．show his skill in walking on wheels

4.What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?

A．The roller skates needed further improvement.

B．The party guests took Merlin for a fool.

C．Merlin succeeded beyond expectation.   

D．Merlin got himself into trouble.