In the mid 1990’s, people started doing business on the Internet. There were two kinds of companies then. First, there were traditional companies. They sold things in stores. Then, there were Internet companies. They didn’t have a store, and they only sold things on the Net.

Traditional companies didn’t want to lose any business. Quickly, they made their own websites and began selling things on the Net. These are the so-called“brick and click”companies (砖块点击公司). Many stores are made of brick. And you click on your mouse to buy things with your computer. That’s where the name“brick and click”comes from.

By the late 1990’s, competition among Internet companies was great. So e-business like amazon.com, buy.com, and etoys.com were in trouble. Their profits (利润) were not very high. Many of these businesses were losing much money. In 2000, many e-businesses went out of business.

Why are brick and click companies, like Barnes and Walmart so successful? First, many customers know and trust (相信) their names. Their websites are easy to remember. These companies also have a lot of experience. In a word, they know how to run a successful business.

In the world of e-commerce (商业), companies are fighting for every dollar and every customer. Will brick and click companies win the war? Only time will tell.

回答问题

1. How many kinds of companies were there in the mid 1990’s?

2. Did Internet companies sell things in stores or on the Net?

3. What did the traditional companies do to keep their business?

4. What gave Internet companies a lot of trouble by the late 1990’s?

5. What can you learn from Barnes and Walmart if you have an Internet company?

Potatoes are very popular today. But in the past this was not true. Potatoes grew in South America 5,000 years ago. But they only became popular in other places 200 years ago.

In the 16^th century, the Spanish took the potato from South America to Europe. But the people didn’t like this strange vegetable. Some people thought that their skins would look like the skin of the plant if they ate the potato. So they only ate the leaves. This made them sick because there is poison (毒药) in the leaves.

In the 1800s, people started to eat potatoes. Potatoes became the main food in Ireland. Then something unlucky happened. In 1845, a disease killed all the potatoes in Ireland. Two million people died of hunger.

Today each country has its potato dish. Germans eat potato salad, and the USA has the baked potato. Of course, the French invented French fries.

根据短文内容完成空白，每空一词

Potatoes were(1)______in South America 5,000 years ago. But they weren’t popular in other places(2)______200 years ago. In the 16^th century, the Spanish took them to Europe. They ate leaves (3)      of having potatoes. As a result, people were badly ill because of the poison in the leaves. In the 1800s, people started to eat potatoes. (4)______, there was something wrong with the potatoes. Two million people died because of the shortage (缺少) of potatoes in 1845. But now there are many (5)______of potato dishes in the world.

10% Off

Show this voucher（优惠券）at the Book Store to get a 10% discount(减价) on any books you buy. We have lots of books to choose from, including children’s books, novels, travel guides and hobbies. You’re sure to find something that you will enjoy.

选择最佳答案

(    ) 1. If Mary wants to be an assistant, she can phone the number______.

         A. 2853527               B. 4323577                           C. 4332577

(    ) 2. You can get a 10% discount on any books if you______at the Book Store.

A. show this voucher        B. buy some tickets              C. buy some gifts

(    ) 3. There are several kinds of books on sale except______.

         A. children’s books           B. travel guides                     C. magazines

(    ) 4. ______lost the white cat.

         A. Cathy                            B. The assistant                      C. Carrie

(    ) 5. The assistant has lunch at the restaurant, she should______.

         A. pay nothing            B. call 4323577                  C. work on Monday       

 People enjoy traveling around the world during their holidays. Before traveling to New York, you’d better know the following tips.

★ Arriving in New York  There are three airports in New York. When you arrive at one of them, you can take a bus or taxi to any place in New York.

★ Public transport  In New York there’s a good bus and subway service. If you are planning to use the subway a lot, you should buy a subway ticket for ten journeys because it’s cheaper. But you don’t have to use public transport—there are lots of places you can go to on foot, such as the Empire State Building, 5^th Avenue and Central Park.

★ Hotels  There are lots of good hotels in New York. The best is the Plaza on 5^th Avenue, but you don’t have to pay a lot to stay in the city; there are lots of smaller hotels and the YMCA（基督教青年会）near Central Park is great for young people.

★ Eating out  There are many kinds of food in New York and you shouldn’t eat at McDonalds every day. There are good restaurants in Little Italy and Chinatown, for example.

★ Shopping  Shopping in New York is fun. There are big shops on 5^th Avenue. They are open seven days a week. But be careful when you look at the prices; you have to pay a special 8% tax（税）on everything you buy in New York.

★ Places to see  Finally, there are a lot of places to see in New York—Times Square, the Statue of Liberty. And you shouldn’t go home without climbing the Empire State Building to enjoy the scenery of the city.

判断正误，正确写 ( T ) or 错误写 ( F )

(    )1. You should buy ten subway tickets once when you take a subway in New York.

(    )2. People must travel by subway or taxi in New York.

(    )3. The Plaza is the best hotel on 5^th Avenue .

(    )4. If a camera is worth $300 in New York, you should pay $276.

(    )5. The Empire State Building is a good place for enjoying the scenery of the city.

阅读理解 根据每段的意思选择最佳答案

No one knows when the first house was built and who was the first one to built the house. But the houses are changing all the time. 

(    ) 1. What will the house of the future look like? Could it have gardens on its walls, or a pool with fish for dinner? Architects (建筑学家) believe that they may come true one day. The only thing for sure is the houses will be as green as possible in the future.

(    ) 2. Many architects in the world would like to build a house like a leaf, the surface of the house collects sunlight during the day. The energy can be used to heat water, produce electricity, and even make fresh air for the room. The“root”(根) of the house is deep under the ground. It uses the soil to control the room’s temperature.

(    ) 3. Like a lizard (蜥蜴), changing color with the weather is the most important design of a lizard house. When it’s in the bright sun, the cover of the house will turn white to protect it from strong heat. During dark days, it turns dark and takes in as much light and heat as possible to produce energy.

(    ) 4. This design is perhaps for the future of food. It has a garden on the outside wall of the house. People can plant tomatoes, carrots and green tea on them. So every morning, you just need to walk outside and collect your meals.

( B )

用合适的词或句子完成对话

A: Excuse me. (1) ________________________________?

B: The nearest restaurant is about 8 kilometers from here. You’d better take a bus.

A: Can you tell me the way to the bus stop?

B: Turn right at the second crossing. Keep walking and you’ll see it on your left.

A: (2) ________________________________?

B: About ten minutes’ walk.

A: Thank you very much.

C（waiter）: (3) ________________________________?

A: I’d like Beijing Roast Duck and a bottle of beer.

C: OK. Wait a moment.

(After twenty minutes)

C: (4) ________________________________?

A: It is delicious.

C: I’m glad that you like it. Would you like something else?

A: (5) ________________________________. I’m full. May I have the bill?

C: OK.

选择最佳答案

(    ) 1. I’m sorry I can’t follow you.

(    ) 2. Would you mind my smoking here?

(    ) 3. Hello. Could I speak to Mr. Smith?

(    ) 4. Let’s go to the park.

(    ) 5. Thank you for carrying the heavy box for me.

完形填空

I used to watch a little girl 1 basketball every day from my kitchen window. One day I asked her why she practised so 2 . She said: “I would like to go to college. The only way is

3 a scholarship（奖学金）. I like basketball and I want to be the 4 player in college. My dad told me: ‘If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.’ ” She 5 changed her mind. I watched her through those junior high years and into senior high school. One day before she graduated 6 high school, I saw her sitting on the grass 7 . I asked her what was wrong. She told me her coach said she was 8 a short girl that she couldn’t be a good basketball player, so she should 9 dreaming about going to college. She was heartbroken and it 10

made me feel sad. Then she smiled and told me her father said that coach was wrong. He did not understand the power of dream. Her father said to her: “If you really want to 11 the scholarship of a good college, nothing but you 12 can stop your dream.” The next year, she and her team went to a big game. She 13 by a coach of a famous college team and was offered a scholarship to the 14 basketball team of their college. She was about to get the college education 15 she had dreamed of and worked towards for all those years. “If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.” It is true.

( )1. A. to play B. plays C. play

( )2. A. many B. much C. little

( )3. A. to get B. get C. got

( )4. A. most B. good C. best

( )5. A. never B. ever C. always

( )6. A. in B. to C. from

( )7. A. sad B. sadly C. happily

( )8. A. too B. such C. so

( )9. A. stop B. forget C. go on

( )10. A. as well B. also C. too

( )11. A. play for B. play with C. play against

( )12. A. your B. yourself C. own

( )13. A. saw B. was seeing C. was seen

( )14. A. women’s B. woman’s C. womans’

( )15. A. whom B. who C. that

Our class are going to have a picnic tomorrow. If you don’t go, ______.

A. so do I                          B. neither do I                C. neither will I

_____exercise you take, _____you’ll be.

A. The fewer, the fatter   B. The less, the fatter     C. The less, the more fatter