Right in the middle of the town are some long ponds(水池). They are only about half a foot deep. The men of Symi dug out the earth to make the ponds.
Over each pond is a low cover. It is made of glass that you can see through.
At night, sea water is taken into the ponds. The next day, the hot sun shines through the covers. The sun light turns the water into vapor(水蒸气) and the vapor goes up from the ponds. The salt is left behind.
As it goes, the vapor became mist. On the inside of each cover, the little drops of mist run together to make big drops. These drops run down the sides of the cover, filling other ponds with fresh water.
The salt left in the ponds is washed out each night. Then more sea water is taken in. The factory is ready for the next day’s work. The covers and other parts of the factory cost very little. Sea water and sun cost nothing. Most people of Symi are poor. So to them this new way of getting fresh water seems wonderful.
【小题1】 Where are the little drops made into big drops?

If you watch the sky about an hour after the sun goes down, you may see some “moving stars” ．But they’re not real stars．They are man-made satellites．And the biggest of all is the International Space Station（ISS国际空间站）．

From now until July is the best season to watch the ISS flying over the earth, and people can see it just with their eyes．The ISS is the biggest man-made satellite because scientists want to live on it．They think that the best way to learn more about space is to live there．

When the space station is finished, it will be like a city in space．People will stay an study there with many of the things they have at home．Laboratories, living rooms and power stations are being built．The ISS is the most ambitious（雄心勃勃） and expensive space program ever．Billions of dollars are being spent on it every year．

Scientists hope that the ISS will be a stepping-stone（垫脚石） for future space explanation．“The ISS will help us better understand the human body, explore space and study the earth, It can help us make life on the earth better,” said Kathryn Clark , an ISS scientist．

China is not an ISS country, but it has helped with some of the experiments．China sent some rice up to the ISS to find out what space would do to it．

The ISS is not finished yet．More than 100 parts need to be put on．Scientists hope it will be finished as soon as possible．After it’s finished, more than 90%of the world’s population will be able to see the Space Station．So keep looking up, and maybe you’ll see it get bigger．

1．The ISS is ______．

       A．a world power station                                 B．a man-made satellite

       C．an outer space moving star                          D．a stepping-stone to the sun

2．You can watch the International Space Station with your eyes _________．

       A．an hour before sunset                                  B．while flying on the earth

C．in a special room                                        D．from now till July

3．The ISS is in fact regarded as _______ for space exploration．

       A．a laboratory            B．a city                      C．a living room           D．a museum

4．The passage tells us that ________．

       A．China belongs to the ISS

       B．to build the ISS will cost less in the future

       C．China did some research on wheat through the ISS

       D．the best way to learn more about space is to live on the ISS

找出与划线部分意思相同或相近的一项

She doesn't want to let her friends down.

[　　]

A．let her friends out

B．disappoint her friends

C．let her friends up

D．let her friends through

阅读理解

　　Robert had just moved into the street and he felt strange that he was not wanted．He knew that perhaps the other boys were trying to get an idea of what kind of a boy he was．This did not help to make him less lonely． He was new and he had to be tested(考验)．still，proving(证明)himself Would not be all that easy．He did not want to run with bad boys or get into something against the law(法律)to prove that he was strong．No! He must show what he was made of in a more helpful way. That's when he got the idea.

　　The next day was Saturday. He knew that most of the boys would be down on the playground and choose up sides for the Saturday game. Robert knew he could play well and that just might be enough to prove he was strong--and to make friends with them. He arrived early and did his step exercises. He shot (投掷) the ball several times and did some other exercises--the most difficult and most wonderful in basketball. Then the boys came. Robert went through what he had done before the game and showed what he could do. No one said a word. The boys just looked at each other and thought about it. In the end, when it was all over, the biggest of the group just smiled and shook (摇，shake的过去式) his head. Robert knew he had made it.

(1) What does “This did not help to make him less lonely” mean?

[　　]

A. Robert felt more lonely because the other boys wanted to test him.

B. Robert did not want himself to be less lonely.

C. Robert felt as lonely as before when the other boys tried to find out what kind of a boy he was.

D. The other boys did not want to make Robert feel less lonely.

(2) Why would it not be easy for Robert to prove himself?

[　　]

A. Because he was not sure if he was really strong.

B. Because he was new and was not wanted in the street.

C. Because the other boys had found out what kind of a boy he was.

D. Because he must choose the best one among different ways.

(3) When did Robert decide to prove himself by playing basketball?

[　　]

A. After he had thought about the two wrong ways.

B. Long before he moved into the street.

C. When the other boys came down to the playground.

D. As soon as he showed what he was made of in front of the other boys.

(4) What did the biggest of the group mean by shaking his head?

[　　]

A. He did not want to say anything about what Robert had done.

B. He had not thought Robert could play so wonderfully.

C. He did not want to make friends with Robert.

D. He did not think Robert played basketball well.

(5) The name of the story should be ________

[　　]

A. The Best Way to Prove Oneself

B. Robert Is Lonely

C. Just One of the Boys

D. A Saturday Basketball Game