Honey(蜂蜜)from the African forest is not only a kind of natural sugar, it is also delicious. Most people, and many animals, like eating it. However, the only way for them to get that honey is to find a wild bees' nest(巢)and take the honey from it. Often, these nests are high up in trees, and it is difficult to find them. In parts of Africa, though, people and animals looking for honey have a strange and unexpected helper一a little bird called a honey guide.
The honey guide does not actually like honey, but it does like the wax (蜂蜡) in the beehives (蜂房). The little bird cannot reach this wax, which is deep inside the bees’ nest. So, when it finds a suitable nest, it looks for someone to help it. The honey guide gives a loud cry that attracts the attention of both passing animals and people. Once it has their attention, it flies through the forest, waiting from time to time for the curious animal or people as it leads them to the nest. When they
finally arrive at the nest, the follower reaches in to get at the delicious honey as the bird patiently waits and watches. Some of the honey, and the wax, always falls to the ground, and this is when the honey guide takes its share.
Scientists do not know why the honey guide likes eating the wax, but it is very determined in its efforts to get it. The birds seem to be able to smell wax from a long distance away. They will quickly arrive whenever a beekeeper is taking honey from his beehives, and will even enter churches when beeswax candles are being lit.
【小题1】Why is it difficult to find a wild bees' nest?

Justin’s bedroom was so full of flat bicycle tires, bent tennis rackets, deflated（瘪掉的）basketballs, and games with missing pieces that you could barely get in the door. His parents pleaded with him to clean out his room.

“What use is a fish tank with a hole in the bottom?” his father asked. But Justin simply smiled and repeated his motto, “Never throw anything out, you never know when it might come in handy.”

When Justin was away from home, he always carried his blue backpack--a smaller version of his bedroom--a place to store the many objects that he collected. It was so worn and stretched that it hardly resembled a backpack anymore.

Justin had earned a reputation for figuring things out and getting people out of otherwise hopeless situations. Many of his classmates and neighbors sought him out when they needed help with a problem. On the first day of school, his friend Kenny, came looking for Justin.

“Do you think you have something in your bag that could help me remember my locker combination?” he asked. “I lost the piece of paper it was written on. I have a science class in two minutes and if I’m late on the first day it’ll make me look bad for the rest of the year.” Kenny looked really worried.

“Relax,” Justin said, taking his backpack off and unzipping the top. “Remember how you borrowed my notebook in homeroom to write the combination down? Well, I know how we can recover what you wrote.”

He took the notebook and a soft lead pencil out of his bag. The page that Kenny had written on had left faint marks on another page in the notebook. Justin held the pencil on its side and rubbed it lightly over the marks. Slowly but surely the numbers of the locker combination appeared in white, set off by the gray pencil rubbings.

“That’s amazing!” Kenny said. “I owe you one.” And he dashed off to open his locker.

It was just another day in the life of the boy whose motto was “Never throw anything out, you never know when it might come in handy.”

1.Why is Justin’s room such a mess? WWW.K**S*858$$U.COM

2.In what way is Justin’s backpack a smaller version of his bedroom?

3.The underlined phrase "pleaded with" means

4.How does Kenny feel toward Justin?

My husband and children think they are very lucky that they are living and that it’s Christmas again. They can’t see that we live on a dirty street in a dirty house among people who aren’t much good. But Johnny and children can’t see this. What a pity it is that our neighbours have to make happiness out of all this dirt. I decided that my children must get out of this. The money that we’ve saved isn’t nearly enough.

The McGaritys have money but they are so proud. They look down upon the poor. The McGarity girl just yesterday stood out there in the street eating from a bag of candy(糖果)while a ring of hungry children watched her. I saw those children looking at her and crying in their hearts; and when she couldn’t eat any more she threw the rest down the sewer(下水道). Why, is it only because they have money ? There is more to happiness than money in the world, isn’t there?

Miss Jackson who teaches at the Settlement House isn’t rich, but she knows things. She understands people. Her eyes look straight into yours when she talks with you. She can read your mind. I’d like to see the children be like Miss Jackson when they grow up.

This passage mainly suggests that the writer _______.

A. is easy to get along with　　　　　　

B. is unhappy with the life they are living

C. is good at observing and understanding　　

D. is never pleased with her neigbours

What do you think of McGarity girl?

A. She is proud and hungry.         B. She is selfish and cruel.

C. She is lonely and friendless.     D. She is unhappy and misunderstood.

In this text, the writer tries to tell us that _______.

A. money is the key to everything　　

B. the more money you have, the less happy you’ll be

C. there is something more important than money

D. when talking to people we should look into their eyes

Pick out the one that does NOT describe the writer’s view on money.

A. Why, is it only because they have money?

B. There is more to happiness than money.

C. Miss Jackson isn’t rich, but she knows things.

D. The money we saved isn’t nearly enough.

阅读理解

　　Halloween is a festival celebrated on October 31st. The name of the holiday means “hallowed” or “holy evening” because it happens the day before All Saints Day(万圣节) .

　　It is said that Halloween is the children's New Year's Eve. they dress up with special costumes(服装) , they eat too much, and stay up too late celebrating.

　　Children go around the neighbourhood wearing make-up, and dressed masks and colorful costumes. The most common costumes are witches, ghosts, skeletons, and popular TV, movie and storybook characters. Sane costumes are homemade, others are bought in stores. The children go door to door saying “trick or treat” . People give them candy, cookies, fruit or money. Sometimes money is to help UNICEF ( United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) .

　　Homes, stores and classrooms are decorated in the traditional Halloween colors, orange and black. Usual decorations are witches, black cats, ghosts, skeletons, and jack-o-lanterns (灯笼) . Jack-o-lanterns are pumpkins that are carved to look like faces. They ace placed on doorway entrances and in windows. Horror movies and ghost stories are shown on TV on this day.

　　Adults and older children also celebrate Halloween with parades, festivals and costume parties. Some people create their costumes, other people rent them. Contests are held where the beat costume receives a prize. One of the party events popular with children is dunking(浸泡) for apples. Apples are put in tubs filled with water. People try to get the apples using only their , hands cannot be used.

1．Why is it said that Halloween is the children's New Year's Eve?

[　　]

A．Because Halloween comes the day before All Saints Day.

B．Because only on that day can children go around the neighbourhood.

C．Because children can get money from their parents on Halloween.

D．Because children dress up with special costumes, eat a lot, and stay up late celebrating.

2．Which of the following is NOT true about the common costumes according to the passage?

[　　]

A．They are colorful.

B．Some of the costumes are homemade.

C．They are witches, skeletons, ghosts and popular TV characters, and so on.

D．All of the costumes are homemade.

3．What are the traditional Halloween colors?

[　　]

A．Red and green.

B．Orange and black.

C．Black and white.

D．Orange and brown.

4．Which of the following about Halloween is WRONG?

[　　]

A．Jack-o-lanterns are pumpkins that are carved to look like faces.

B．Adults also celebrate Halloween together with children.

C．Horror movies are shown on 1'V on 31st October.

D．Apples are the favourite fruit people eat on Halloween.

It’s such a shame to lose a free throw. Playing in the court has pressure from the opponent, time, your teammates, the audience, and yourself. You have to shoot the ball despite all the pressures around. But with a free throw, you have the ball, no one will try to get it from you, and you have all the time to shoot the ball. But why is it that many players, even good shooters, miss most of their free throws? Maybe they need more practice or maybe they need to apply more ways to improve their free throw.

    Improve your player or your free throwing skills by following the tips below:

Make it personal. The truth is, there is no rule on how one should handle and throw the ball in a free throw. What matters is that the player should shoot the ball from the free throw line no matter how he does it. So when trying to improve your free throw shooting, better stick to what works the best for you. Do not copy other people’s techniques. Make it your own and leave those techniques as theirs.

Formulate (公式化) a repetitive way of shooting the ball. A free throw should be personalized. But it should also be repetitive. You should be able to repeat your free throw techniques whether you are in your court or in another court, whether you are energized or tired. You can’t say you have a personal free throw technique if you can’t repeat it over and over again.

Shoot at the same position and distance for every free throw. Basketball courts may be located in different places or maybe marked with different paint colors. But all of these courts maintain the same distance from the ring to the free throw line. Familiarize your perfect position when making your free throws. That should help you do your perfect throw.

1.Why do so many players fail to make a successful free throw?

A. Because they don’t have any special skills

B. Because they are lacking in practice and tips.

C. Because they are not so familiar with rules

D. Because many of them are green hands.

2.What can you do if you want to be a wonderful free thrower?

A. Learn from others.

B. Form your own throwing skills.

C. Keep active in the court.

D. Learn to throw in different locations.

3.The underlined word “ring” in the last paragraph may most probably mean “________”.

A. sound                               B. basket                               C. ball                           D. group

4.Which of the following might serve as the best title of the above passage?

A. How to play basketball successfully in the court.

B. How to improve your basketball throw skills.

C. How to gain more points in throwing.

D. How to improve your basketball free throwing.