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. 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．how roller skating began

C．an unusual party                        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．was full of imagination　　 　　           D．invented the roller skates

3.Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to_______.

A．test his invention　　　　　　            B．arrive at the party sooner

C．impress the party guests                  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．Merlin succeeded beyond expectation.

B．The party guests took Merlin for a fool.

C．The roller skates needed further improvement.

D．Merlin regretted what he had done

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. 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!

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

　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

　 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

　 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.

You’re rushing to work and a man ahead of you collapses on the sidewalk. Do you stop to help? In a study of by-standers, it was found that some people avert their gaze and keep on  walking rather than stop and get involved.
“There is a tendency to decide that no action is needed.” says a psychologist. “The first thoughts that pop into your mind often keep you from offering help. In order to take action, you have to work against them.” Here are some common thoughts that might prevent you from helping.
● Why should I be the one? I’m probably not the most competent（有能力的） person in this crowd. You might think someone older or with more medical knowledge should offer assistance.
● What if he doesn’t really need my help? The fear of embarrassment is powerful; no one wants to risk looking foolish in front of others.
● No one else looks concerned- this must not be a problem. We can follow the people around us, but most people tend to hold back their emotions in public.
“If you spot trouble and find yourself explaining inaction, force yourself to stop and evaluate the situation instead of walking on,” says the psychologist. “Then retry to involve other people; you don’t have to take on the entire responsibility of being helpful. Sometimes it’s just a matter of turning to the person next to you and saying, ‘It looks like we should do something.’ Or asking someone if an ambulance has been called and, if not, to call for one. Once you take action, most people will follow you.”
【小题1】Which is NOT the common thought that stops you from helping others?

When Emily Beardmore first heard that a trip was being planned by the biology class at Windsor High School, she thought about how much fun it would be.
“I thought it would be a really good experience to go with other friends and teachers to another country in an environment other than a vacation environment,” the 17-year-old girl said.
A few months later, Emily got her chance when she and 14 of her classmates, along with biology teacher Tamara Pennington went to Costa Rica for eight days in late May.
“It was not just a tour,” said Pennington, who organized the trip. “You can go any place in the world on just a tour. This one was really working with the sea turtles (海龟) and practicing conservation(保护). It just seemed like the perfect science field trip for kids who think they want to get into science to see what it's really like to be out in the field and enjoy themselves.”
Emily said her time on the turtle program, which was the focus of the trip, was “crazy.”“We were walking on the beach at night and you can’t see anything—just see a big black dot.” She said with a laugh. “I was not expecting the turtles to be that big.” The turtles are leatherback turtles, which are becoming extinct (灭绝) because their eggs are used as food.
“When they would move their legs while laying their eggs they were really hard to control because they were a lot more powerful than you would imagine,” Emily said.
Once the eggs were collected, the students took them back to a hatchery(孵化场) and dug holes to copy the hole the mother turtle had made and then buried the eggs for the 60 days needed to hatch.
“The experience was so cool,” Emily said. “You go to another country to see what their culture is like and learn what their everyday lives are like. It made me really want to help out my mom a lot more than I do, and value what I have.”
【小题1】What did Pennington consider the trip to be?

When high school started, Becky and I became best friends. We   36  many interests and quickly became inseparable. When high school ended, we both cried   37  we would attend different colleges.
Our first term of university life was   38 . Our telephone bill and e-mails were incredibly long. In the second term I found some new friends with whom I felt very   39 and I could   40  out my feelings. I was eager to share my new friends with Becky.
When Becky finally visited me at my school, we were excited. __41__, something unexpected happened when I   42  her to my new friends. Her eyes grew dark and I could see the   43  within them. My new friends tried to share their friendship, but Becky seemed   44  to accept it. I didn’t understand   45  the people I love most couldn’t love each other.
Becky   46 . I knew she was not happy. I thought long about __47__ happened. At last, I found the answer. Becky saw me with my new friends and   48  that we no longer shared the same experiences. She saw all the fun I was having   49  her and wished she could a part of it.
I wrote a letter to Becky   50  she’s always my best friend. I told her everyone had many friends, who were indeed life’s greatest   51 . Becky wrote me back soon. She was in   52  and felt sorry about what she had done.
I think Becky and I both learn an important lesson from it.   53  can influence our friendship and change the experiences we’ve shared. We are now walking on two different paths of   54 . While new friends are special and exciting, old friends are always there,   55  to share their heart and soul, no matter how far apart.