April 1st is a day on which ,in some countries, people try to play tricks .If one succeeds in tricking someone , one laughs and says “April Fool!” and then the person who is tricked usually laughs, too.

       One April 1st, a country bus was going along a winding road when it slowed down and stopped. The driver anxiously turned switches and pressed buttons, but nothing happened. Then he turned to passengers with a worried look on his face and said, “This poor bus is getting old .It isn’t going as well as it used to. There’s one thing to do if we want to get home today. I’ll count three.  I want you all to lean forward suddenly as hard as you can. This should get the bus started again, but if it doesn’t, I am afraid there’s nothing else I can do. Now, all of you ,lean back as far as you can in your seats and get ready.”

       The passengers all pressed back against their seats and waited anxiously.

       Then the driver turned to his front and asked , “Are you ready?” The passengers barely had enough breath to answer “Yes”

       “One! Two! Three!” counted the driver. The passengers all lent forward suddenly—and the bus started up at a great speed.

       The passengers breathed more easily and began to smile with relief. But their smile turned to surprise and laughter when the driver merrily cried, “April Fool.”

1．Where did this interesting story happen?

       A．In a western country.                           B．In a happy family.

       C．In a country bus.                                 D．In a crowded society.

2．Why did the bus slow down and stopped?

       A．Because it suddenly broke down.

       B．Because it ran out of petrol.

       C．Because the driver was taken in.

       D．Because the driver was going to play a trick.

3．How did all the passengers feel at the end of the story?

       A．Happy                 B．Angry                 C．Sorry                  D．Bored

阅读理解

　　April 1st is a day on which, in some countries, people try to play tricks on others (戏弄别人) .If one succeeds in tricking somebody, one laughs and says, ‘April Fool’ , and then the person who has been tricked usually laughs too.

　　One April 1st , a country bus was going along a winding road when it slowed down and stopped. The driver anxiously turned switches and pressed buttons (扭开关，按按钮.) ,but nothing happened. Then he turned to the passengers with a worried look on his face and said. ‘This poor bus is getting old. It isn't going as well as it used to. There's only one thing to do if we want to get home today. I shall count three, and on the word ‘ three’ , I want you all to lean forward suddenly as you can. That should get the bus started again, but if it doesn't, I' m afraid there is nothing else I can do. Now, all of you lean back as far as you can in your seats and get ready. ’

　　The passengers get ready and waited anxiously.

　　Then the driver turned to his front and asked ‘Are you ready?’

　　The passengers hardly had enough breath to answer, ‘Yes’.

　　‘ One ! Two ! Three ! ’ counted the driver . The passengers all swung forward suddenly and the bus started up at a great speed .

　　The passengers breathed more easily and began to smile with relief(宽慰地笑了) . But their smile turned to surprise and then laughter when the driver happily cried, ‘April Fool ! ’

1．On April Fool' s Day ________.

[　　]

A．a country bus was going to the town

B．something was wrong with the country bus

C．people play tricks on others

D．the driver looked worried

2．The driver stopped the bus because ________.

[　　]

A．something was wrong with the bus

B．the road was too bad to run on

C．the driver wanted to talk with the passengers

D．the driver wanted to play a trick on the passengers

3．The passengers helped the driver ________.

[　　]

A．in the bus

B．on the ground

C．out of the bus

D．on the bus

4．When the driver happily cried, ‘April Fool! ’ , the passengers felt ________.

[　　]

5．Which of the following is the best topic of the passage?

[　　]

A．A Traffic Accident

B．The Driver and His Passengers

C．April Fools' Day

D．April 1st

阅读理解

　　April 1st is a day on which, in some countries, people try to play tricks on others (戏弄别人) .If one succeeds in tricking somebody, one laughs and says, ‘April Fool’ , and then the person who has been tricked usually laughs too.

　　One April 1st , a country bus was going along a winding road when it slowed down and stopped. The driver anxiously turned switches and pressed buttons (扭开关，按按钮.) ,but nothing happened. Then he turned to the passengers with a worried look on his face and said. ‘This poor bus is getting old. It isn't going as well as it used to. There's only one thing to do if we want to get home today. I shall count three, and on the word ‘ three’ , I want you all to lean forward suddenly as you can. That should get the bus started again, but if it doesn't, I' m afraid there is nothing else I can do. Now, all of you lean back as far as you can in your seats and get ready. ’

　　The passengers get ready and waited anxiously.

　　Then the driver turned to his front and asked ‘Are you ready?’

　　The passengers hardly had enough breath to answer, ‘Yes’.

　　‘ One ! Two ! Three ! ’ counted the driver . The passengers all swung forward suddenly and the bus started up at a great speed .

　　The passengers breathed more easily and began to smile with relief(宽慰地笑了) . But their smile turned to surprise and then laughter when the driver happily cried, ‘April Fool ! ’

1．On April Fool' s Day ________.

[　　]

A．a country bus was going to the town

B．something was wrong with the country bus

C．people play tricks on others

D．the driver looked worried

2．The driver stopped the bus because ________.

[　　]

A．something was wrong with the bus

B．the road was too bad to run on

C．the driver wanted to talk with the passengers

D．the driver wanted to play a trick on the passengers

3．The passengers helped the driver ________.

[　　]

A．in the bus

B．on the ground

C．out of the bus

D．on the bus

4．When the driver happily cried, ‘April Fool! ’ , the passengers felt ________.

[　　]

5．Which of the following is the best topic of the passage?

[　　]

A．A Traffic Accident

B．The Driver and His Passengers

C．April Fools' Day

D．April 1st

语篇理解：

　　April 1st is a day on which, in some countries, people try to play tricks (恶作剧) on others．If one succeeds in tricking somebody, one laughs and says, “April Fool．” And then the person who has been tricked usually laughs, too．

　　One April 1^st, a country bus was going along a winding road．When it slowed down and stopped, the driver anxiously turned the switches but nothing happened．Then he turned to the passengers with a worried look on his face and said, “This poor bus is getting old and it isn’t going as well as it used to．There’s one thing to do if we want to get home today．I shall count three, and on the word ‘three’ I want you all to lean forward suddenly as hard as you can．That should get the bus started again, but if it doesn’t I am afraid there is nothing I can do．Now, all of you lean back as far as you can in your seats and get ready．”

　　The passengers all obeyed and waited anxiously．Then the driver turned to his front and asked whether they were ready．The passengers hardly had enough breath to answer, “Yes．”

　　“One! Two! Three!” counted the driver．The passengers all swung forward suddenly and the bus started up at a great speed．

　　The passengers breathed more easily and began to smile with relief(宽慰)．But their smiles turned to surprise and then delighted laughter when the driver merrily cried, “April Fool．”

1．On April 1st ______ in some countries．

[　　]

A．one cannot fool anybody

B．people can fool each other

C．people say “April Fool” to each other wherever they meet

D．one who has been tricked says “April Fool”

2．The sentence “The passengers hardly had enough breath to answer ‘Yes’ means ______．

[　　]

A．they were quite out of breath

B．they would not answer ‘Yes’

C．they were a bit nervous

D．there was not enough air in the bus

3．The bus started up because ______．

[　　]

A．all the passengers had swung forward suddenly

B．the driver had counted “One! Two! Three!”

C．the driver had got rid of its trouble

D．nothing was wrong with it

4．When the driver cried “ April Fool” , the passengers ______．

[　　]

A．realized that they had been fooled and got angry

B．felt surprised and did not know what was the matter

C．felt surprised at first and then realized that they had been tricked

D．began to smile with relief

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 _____.