Algae(水藻) are very simple plants. They grow in fresh water or salty water. Seaweed is algae that grow in salty water. Seaweed is red or brown in color. The Japanese people use these plants from the sea in many ways. From it, they make a food called Kombu. Kombu is seaweed that has been dried, cooked and pressed together. Then it is dried again and cut into long pieces. The Japanese eat a lot of Kombu and like it very much.

   Japanese farmers often use seaweed as fertilizer. It makes their plants grow better. Many farmers also find seaweed makes a fine food for their animals.

   From seaweed the Japanese also get iodine(碘), which they sell to other countries. Iodine is used in many ways all over the world. It is used in making medicine. It is added to the salt we use at the table. Scientists even use one form of iodine to “ seed clouds” when they want rain to fall.

Kombu is a kind of ____ according to the text.

   A. plant         B. medicine          C. food        D. fertilizer

In the last sentence of the text, “seed clouds” means ____.

clouds spreading like seeds

the seeds like clouds

to make rain fall with human power

dropping seeds by clouds

The main idea of the story is that ____.

The Japanese eat seaweed when they want rain to fall.

Kombu is made into medicine for farmers.

The Japanese use seaweed in many ways.

The Japanese eat a lot of Kombu.

He met her at a party. She was so outstanding that many guys were chasing after her, while he was so ordinary. At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him. She was surprised but due to being being polite, she promised.

  They sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything, and she felt uncomfortable, too. Suddenly he asked the waiter, “Would you please give me some salt? I’d like to put it in my coffee.” Everybody stared at him. It was so strange! His face turned red but still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it. She asked him curiously, “Why do you have this hobby?” He replied, “When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea, I liked playing in the sea, I could feel the taste of the sea, just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I always think of my childhood, my hometown, and my parents who are still living there.” While saying that tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched. Then she also started to speak, speaking about her faraway hometown, her childhood, and her family.

  That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their love. They continued to date. She found that actually he was a man who met all her demands. He had tolerance, kind-hearted, warm and careful. Thanks to his salty coffee! They married. And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that was the way he liked it. After 40 years, he passed away and left her a letter which said, “My dearest, please forgive my whole life’s lie. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time, actually I wanted some sugar, but said salt. It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead. I didn’t like the salty coffee then, what a strange bad taste! But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life, for it was prepared by you.”

The man was nervous at the coffee shop, because _______.

 A. everybody stared at him at that time

 B. many guys chased after the woman

 C. he didn’t feel himself a match for the woman

 D. he had the strange habit of drinking salty coffee

From this passage, we can infer that ________.

 A. the man’s lie won the woman’s love

 B. the man’s parents onced lived near the sea

 C. the woman talked with the man, for they had the same experience

 D. the woman realised what salty coffee had to do with a good man

What can be concluded about the man?

 A. He had intended to give his wife a surprise at his death

 B. He unwillingly developed a taste for salty coffee after marriage

 C. He was so stubborn as to drink for a life what he didn’t like

 D. He enjoyed his lifelong bitter salty coffee out of love

Which of the following could be the best title for this passage?

 A. A Foolish Lie               B. Salty Coffee

C. A Sad Love Story         D. Love in a Coffee Shop

Ad. 1

April fool’s party

On Friday, April 1, Inner Affair goes back to the days of funk! Classic Tunes from the 70’s and 80’s by DJs Den & Sion. 9pm till late.

Tickets: Free entrance for those in costume, otherwise 50 yuan (US$6)

Time/date: 9 pm, April 1

Place: Inner Affair, 1/F Qiankun Dasha, 6 Sanlitun Xiliujie, Chaoyang District

Tel: 8454? 0321

Ad. 2

Language in use

Enjoy free in?house coffee, tea and beer as well as music and dancing. Practice your Chinese, make friends and have fun.

Time/date: 7 to 9 pm, March 25

Place: Language In Use Club, 2/F, Science Fortune Center, 8 Xueqing Lu, north of Xueyuan Lu, Haidian District

Ad. 3

The "worst" party

Organized by o?zone productions, the party is set to be "the worst ever", with the lamest music from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Special prizes will be awarded to the worst dressed or for bad fashion sense.

Tickets: Free entrance

Time/date: 9 pm, April 1

Place: Pula Pula, Tianze Lu, Oriental Seven Colours Plaza, Chaoyang District

Tel: 6466?8575

Ad. 4

La Nuit Francaise

Again on the 2nd Thursday of the month La Nuit Francaise will be held at Le Rendez?vous. The monthly event is an opportunity for all French people and everyone interested in France or speaking French to gather together.

The evening features three glasses of wine and canapes for participants and a special exhibition.

Time/date: 7 to 10 pm, April 14

Place: Le Rendez?vous, 3 Gongti Beilu, accross from the Pacific Century Plaza, Chaoyang District Tel: 6462?9110

Ad. 5

Marco V

Dutch DJ Marco V drops by Banana for a gig which is supported by Hong Kong’s DJ Spark.

Marco V has been around for many years, as an inventive, style?blending deejay and a successful and devoted producer. His spinning is energetic, crowd?pleasing and never sees an empty dance floor. He was ranked No. 15 in this year’s international DJ MAG DJ Top100.

Tickets: 40 yuan (US$4.80) in advance, 50 yuan (US$6) at the door, both include a free drink

Time/date: 10 pm to 4 am, March 31, April 1

Place: Banana, in the lobby of the Scitech Hotel, 22 Jianwai Dajie, Chaoyang District

Tel: 6528?3636

Which of the following is NOT true of Ad. 1 and Ad. 3?

A. The two parties will be held on the same day.

B. The two parties will be held at the same time.

C. The entrance fees of the two parties will not be charged.

D. Some old music will be played at the parties.

Which of the following is intended for the Chinese learners?

A. Marco V.          B. La Nuit Francaise.

C. Language in use.    D. The "worst" party.

We can infer that______.

A. Marco V is a newly?established band

B. La Nuit Francaise may be French words

C. the "worst" party will attract a lot of college students

D. you will enjoy free drink at April fool’s party

  It is natural that children are curious about the world around them. For example, they want to know how their hearts beat. They want to know why the ocean water tastes salty.

　As children grow up, they become curious about different kinds of things. When they are babies, they are interested in the parts of their bodies and in the smiles of their mothers. They become interested in the physical world around them: the plants, the animals, the sky. Later, they become interested in the things that people have made: wheels, bicycles, cars. And when they are adults, their curiosity continues. Sometimes this curiosity leads to a career in science.

　Scientists spend their lives trying to find out about the world. Those who work with the earth sciences study the earth, the oceans, and the sky. Other scientists who study living things work with the biological sciences. A third group of scientists study the physical sciences, e. g. physics, chemistry .

　These scientists have already discovered a lot about our world. For example, they tell us why your heart beats fast when you run. They say that when you are quiet, your heart normally beats 65 or 75 times a minute. Your heart is a pump that pumps blood to all parts of the body. The blood carries oxygen and nutrition. When you run, your muscles work very hard and use the nutrition that the blood carries to them. The muscles need oxygen, too. So your brain sends a signal to the heart. The signal means that the muscles need more nutrition and oxygen. Then the heart beats fast and sends blood quickly to the muscles. It may beat 90 to 140 times a minute.

　Of course, scientists cannot answer all of our questions. If we ask, “Why does the ocean water taste salty” scientists will say that the salt comes from rocks. When a rock gets very hot or very cold, it cracks. Rain falls into cracks. The rain then carries the salt into the earth and into the rivers. The rivers carry the salt into the ocean. But then we ask , “What happens to the salt in the ocean? The ocean does not get saltier every year.” Scientists are not sure about the answer to this question.

　We know a lot about our world, but there are still many answers that we do not have, and we are curious.

According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

　 A. People are curious in the same way.

　 B. People in different countries are interested in different things.

　 C. People of different ages are interested in different things.　 

   D. Men and women are curious about different things.

Scientists who work with the biological sciences study____.

   A. the earth , the oceans and the sky    B. plants and animals

   C. man-made things                 D. ocean water

A rock cracks _____.

   A. in wet regions                   B. in dry regions

   C. when salty water falls in           D. at very high or very low temperatures

People are always curious because _____ .

A. they know little about the world     B. they know nothing about the world

C. they can not explain many things     D. they want to be scientists

阅读下面短文和问题，根据短文内容，在相应题号后的横线上写下相关信息(不多于
五个单词)，完成对该问题的回答。答语要结构正确，书写工整，字迹清楚。

1. Cousins You could say that the alligator and the crocodile are cousins because they belong to the same animal group. The group is called Archosauria (ark-o-SOR-ee-ah). The name means "ruling lizards." The alligator and the crocodile are alike in many ways. Both have hard, bumpy skin. Both lay eggs in nests that they build near water. Both are reptiles (爬行动物), too. 2. Look Again Even though alligators and crocodiles are similar, there are ways to tell them apart. Adult alligators are usually gray or black, and they are darker than crocodiles. Adult crocodiles may be tan, green, or brown. Most types of alligators have broad snouts. Crocodiles' snouts are different. Their snouts are long and narrow. Look at the picture of the alligator. Whenever an alligator closes its mouth, only the top teeth show. Now look at the picture of the crocodile. Do you see a difference? Whenever a crocodile closes its mouth, some of the lower teeth also show. 3      Alligators and crocodile also have different ways of doing things. Alligators like freshwater. They sometimes wander into salty seawater, but they don't stay in the water very long. The salt can be bad for them. Alligators usually make their nests at the edge of freshwater lakes, rivers, or swamps. They use grass and leaves to make their nests. Crocodiles, on the other hand, usually build their nests in mud or sand. Sometimes they construct these nests near salty water. The salty water doesn't hurt them. Alligators and crocodiles do other things differently, too. A mother alligator stays near her nest. When the eggs hatch, she carries the babies to water. They may even ride around on her head as she swims. They depend on her to help them stay safe. Crocodile babies don't rely as much on their mothers. In fact, the babies leave the nest a few days after they are born.