Davey wanted to play baseball. But fifty years ago, in his small town, he couldn’t find enough players for two full teams or an empty lot big enough for a field. And when he played ball in his back yard, he just broke windows and got into trouble. So Davey began playing with a plastic golf ball and a broom handle for a bat.
When his dad, David Mullaney, a former semi-pro baseball pitcher(投手), realized his son was hurting his arm trying to throw curves with the little plastic ball, he decided to find a better solution. Mullaney got a bunch of hollow plastic spheres from a local factory, sat down at his kitchen table and began cutting different size holes in the balls with a razor knife. He thought maybe the holes would alter the ball’s flight and help his son throw curves and sliders without hurting his arm.
All the balls failed—except the one with the eight oblong(长椭圆形的) holes cut into one of the hemispheres. This ball curved naturally and sharply without a violent snap of the wrist. In fact, Davey was now striking out so many batters; he called his new ball a “wiffle ball”. A year later, Mullaney borrowed $20,000 from family and friends and started producing Wiffle Balls in his little suburban town of Shelton, Connecticut.
“I didn’t want investors.” He said, “I wanted to control my own company.” This was the beginning of one of the hottest fads(时尚) of the fifties and a perennial(长久的) best seller well known all around the world. Since then millions of boys and girls have enjoyed countless hours of safe, wholesome fun playing with a Wiffle ball and bat. Esquire Magazine has even called the Wiffle Ball “a national treasure”. By producing a high quality product at an affordable price, three generations of Mullany’s have enjoyed the satisfaction and benefits of running a successful and profitable family business.
Over the years, they’ve had plenty of offers to buy them out, but they’re still working out of a small factory in Shelton, making a new Wiffle Ball every couple of seconds. Creativity and persistence are two of the important sources for wealth. If he gave up his attempts at trying new things, Mullany would not have invented the wiffle ball, nor would he have made such a big fortune.
1.From the passage we can know that           .          

A．Mullaney made the invention of Wiffle ball with the help of his son

B．fifty years ago people didn’t like playing baseball very much

C．Mullaney’s attempts to help Davey better enjoy ball-playing led to the invention of Wiffle ball

D．playing balls would hurt one’s arm before the Wiffle ball’s appearance

2.All the following are true EXCEPT         .

A．Davey was a good ballplayer after the Wiffle ball came into existence

B．David Mullaney wanted to run the family business on his own

C．Mullaney’s family made a big fortune through the production of Wiffle balls

D．Mullaney’s business was nearly bought out but they worked hard to keep it

3.The underlined word “spheres” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to         .

A．balls? B．bottles? C．bags? D．boxes

4.The two important factors for Mullaney’s successful family business are         .

A．time and fortune　? B．persistence and creativity

C．quality and fame 　 D．cooperation and efforts

5.The passage mainly tells us something about         .

A．Davey, a famous baseball player????????????? B．a popular ball game in the 1950’s

C．the birth of Wiffle ball 　　　　　????????????? D．the success of a family business

I was 15. She looked like she was over 70. But on that day. I think she understood me more than anyone else.
Walking into the church that Sunday was hard. I had never let anyone see me cry. But I knew I would cry that day .My grandfather was suddenly ill .The doctors said he might not live much longer. Everyone in my family was crying .Grandpa was the sweetest man in the world .Why was he leaving us?
There weren't many people at church that day. One of them was an old lady sitting at the end of my row. She was smiling. I closed my eyes and prayed （祷告）for my grandfather to get better. Soon, my eyes were full of tears. I opened my eyes and saw a hand in front of me. It was giving me a tissue(纸巾)。
The old lady was sitting next to me, smiling. She didn't say a word. She just gave me a tissue and a smile. I tried to thank her, but only tears came out. Then she took my hand. I looked into her eyes. They were clear and blue, and they make me feel peaceful. Her smile said to me :I am with you. Everything will be OK. I closed my eyes again. When I opened them, she wasn't there. I left the church but still couldn't find her. I never saw her again.
My grandfather died the next week. We all cried a lot. But when I thought of that old lady's warm smile, I felt a little better.
How did she know how I was feeling ? I wish I could see her again, to say thank you

1. 1.

   The author went to church to _____

   1. A.
      pray for grandfather
   2. B.
      ask the old lady for help
   3. C.
      avoid being seen crying
   4. D.
      thank the old lady
2. 2.

   Whose hand does the underlined word "It" in Paragraph 3 refer to                    

   1. A.
      Grandfather's
   2. B.
      The old lady's
   3. C.
      The author's
   4. D.
      Father's
3. 3.

   What do we know about the old lady ?

   1. A.
      She knows the author
   2. B.
      She can't speak
   3. C.
      She needs understanding
   4. D.
      She is very kind
4. 4.

   What made the author feel better after Grandfather died ?

   1. A.
      The old lady's words
   2. B.
      The old lady's smile
   3. C.
      The old lady's eyes
   4. D.
      The old lady's hand

Surprises often come in boxes. Birthday presents wrapped in colorful paper, brown paper packages mailed from a friend. No matter what kind of box it is, people like to open it up and see what's inside. In America, and in many other countries, one special kind of box contains the future. It's called a ballot box. What people put into the box on election day can change the course of history.
Elections are the lifeblood of a democracy. The word democracy literally means "the people rule," an important concept in American history. In the mid-1700s, England began passing laws that made the American colonies angry. The colonists had to pay more and more taxes and enjoyed less and less freedom. They felt the government of England didn't represent their interests. On July 4, 1776, the colonies declared their independence from England. They wanted to establish a democracy where people could have a voice in government.
An effective democracy holds regular elections. In America, elections are held every two years for members of Congress. In these elections, all seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate seats are up for grabs. In addition, every four years, voters go to the polls to elect the nation's president and vice-president. Voters also regularly cast their ballots for state and city government leaders and local school board members. Sometimes they also have to vote on a proposed law.
In the American electoral system, people don't really vote for presidential candidates. Instead, voters cast their ballots for "electors" who support each candidate. Each state has as many electors as the total number of its representatives in Congress. This equals two senators per state plus the number of its representatives in the House (which is based on the state's population). The candidate who has the most votes in a state wins all of the state's electors. To win the presidential election, a candidate must gain at least 270 of the 538 total electoral votes.
Over the years, the U.S. has made a number of election reforms. Some early reforms outlawed cheating, giving bribes and threatening voters. They also limited the amount of money candidates could receive from donors and spend on their campaigns. In 1870, black people gained the right to vote, and in 1920, that right was extended to women. In recent decades, laws against unfair rules for voting have been passed. No longer do people have to pay a special tax or pass a test in order to vote. In 1971, the voting age was lowered to 18. Other reforms made voting easier for the blind, the disabled and people who couldn't read. In some areas, ballots had to be printed in languages besides English.
In November, Americans will again elect those who will represent them in government. Although some citizens aren't even registered to vote--and some registered voters don't bother to go to the polls--most Americans exercise their right to vote. They realize that their future is wrapped up in a special package--the ballot box. It's a package that must definitely be "handled with care."

1. 1.

   According to the context, what does a “ballot box” mean in Chinese?

   1. A.
      彩票箱
   2. B.
      投票箱
   3. C.
      礼品箱
   4. D.
      保险箱
2. 2.

   Democracy means that ____

   1. A.
      People couldn’t have a voice in a government
   2. B.
      In America, elections are held every four years for members of Congress
   3. C.
      Democracy is the lifeblood of elections
   4. D.
      Basically “ the people rule”, and it’s very important in American history
3. 3.

   How will the votes distributed if Romney got 20 votes while Obama received 17 votes in California in the election?

   1. A.
      Romney will win 20 votes in California
   2. B.
      Obama will win 20 votes in California
   3. C.
      Romney will win 37 votes in California
   4. D.
      Obama will win 37 votes in California
4. 4.

   Which one is RIGHT about election reforms?

   1. A.
      People have to pay a special tax to vote
   2. B.
      There are bribes and threatening in elections now
   3. C.
      People above eighteen years old can vote now
   4. D.
      The disabled or the blind have tough access to voting
5. 5.

   What’s the main idea of this passage?

   1. A.
      Birthday boxes in the U.S
   2. B.
      Election systems in the U.S
   3. C.
      Election reforms in the U.S
   4. D.
      Democracy in the U.S

Talking to plants makes them grow, especially if you ‘re a woman ,according to an experiment by the Ryal  Horticultural Society(RHS皇家园艺学会).
Women gardeners’ voices speed up growth of tomato plants much more than men’s, it found.
In an experiment that ran over a month, they found that tomato plants grew up  two inches taller if they were serenaded by the sweet tones of a female rather tha a male.
Appropriately the most effective talk came from Sarah Darwin ,whose great-great grandfather was legendary botanist(植物学家)Charles Darwin, one of the founding fathers of the RHS’ Scientific Committee. She read a passage from On the Orgin of Species and beat nine other”voices”.
Her plant grew nearly two inches taller than the best performing male and half an inch higher than her nearest competitor.
The experment began in Apirl,2009 at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey. A variety of recorded voices were picked to play to 10 taomato plants over a month. Every plant was played a voice through headphones connected to the plant pot, and the conditions for all the plants remained the same throughout the experiment. To ensure the experiment was fair, two control plants were also left to grow in silence.
The results showed that women on average saw their plants rise by an inch on their male competitors. Some men were so bad that their plants actually grew less than a plant that was left completely alone.
Colin Crosbie, the leader at RHS, said:”We’re not sure why the female voice is more effecitive, It could be that they have a greater range of pitch and tone that affects the sound waves that hit the plant. Sound waves are an emvironmental effect just like rain or light.”

1. 1.

   What is the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      Plants can’t grow faster without female voices
   2. B.
      Women’s voices are more useful than men’s
   3. C.
      Women’s voices make plants grow faster
   4. D.
      Voices have positive effects on the growth of plants
2. 2.

   The underlined word”serenaded” in Paragraph 3 most probably means”________”.

   1. A.
      sung songs to
   2. B.
      spoken to
   3. C.
      talked about
   4. D.
      played music to
3. 3.

   According to the passage, ten_________were used in the experiment.

   1. A.
      tomato plants
   2. B.
      headphones
   3. C.
      tape recorders
   4. D.
      plant pots
4. 4.

   What can we know about the findings of the experiment from the passage?

   1. A.
      The women’s voices made the palnts grow faster by half an inch than the men’s.
   2. B.
      Sarah Darwin’s plant grew 2 inches taller than her neraest competitor’s.
   3. C.
      The plants which grew in silence did not necessarily grow the slowest
   4. D.
      The women’s plants grew 2 inches taller than the men’s on average.

Microsoft founder  Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his fortune(财富)，largely to the cause of global health，during the course of his lifetime.With an estimated(估计)worth of more than $40 billion，according to Forbes，the project will be no small fate(功绩) for Gates.Having already provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $24 billion to address global health issues，Gates said that finally his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except “a few percent left for the kids”.
So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest？Gates believes that “the equality of opportunity（机会）”in which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations around the world. Improving the health of the populations，he says，has proven to be an essential method in helping poor countries to be financially successful.“National borders allow inequalities，”said Gates.“We all need  to take a more global view，rather than just saying my country is doing well.We have to step up these health issues，knowing how few resources are going into them.”
Gates said that both his parents set up an example for him as a child.His father，William H．Gates，was the head of the local Planned Parenthood，and his mother，Mary，volunteered for the United Way.As he gathered his fortune，Gates knew he would finally want to give back as well，but he didn’t expect to devote himself whole?heartedly to one project until he was about 60.
However，Gates,47，began to question his ability to wait that long.“It seemed there was a real time urgency，”Gates said.“I started to think how many lives I could save before then.”
【小题1】Bill Gates will give away his vast fortune to　　　　.