You may have learned English for some years. It’s only natural that all of you want to be able to read some English books or magazines without the teacher’s help. Just think of what fun it will give you to finish reading an English story or a whole book by yourself, and how great you will feel if you read even more.

    But it is common that many people begin hopefully to read in a foreign language, but stop half way in disappointment because of some difficulties.

    It is important to choose books that are suitable（适合）for the reader. Then what books are suitable for you to choose?

    Well, I think you should first choose books neither too difficult nor too easy but suitable for you. Then when you are reading, you should never let new words take too much of your attention from the main idea of the story. Just do the job as you often do in your own language. While you are reading, try to guess the meaning of the new words, and to decide which of the key words you could guess and which you have to look up in your dictionary.

    If you follow the suggestion above, you will be successful in reading any foreign languages.

    What fun it will give you to finish reading an English   1   or a book by yourself.

    You should first choose books neither too difficult nor too   2  but suitable for you.

    In the passage, the writer teaches us   4   by ourselves.

TV Programs

  1. What kind of program is 24 HOURS?

A. Talk show.               B. Film.                 C. Game show.             D. Cooking.

  2. What’s on Channel 19 at 6:30?

A. CHINESE COOK                    B. SPORTS WORLD

C. MEND IT YOURSELF            D. MONEY TALK

  3. Who does Ken Cleveland interview?

A. A student.         B. A cook.             C. A rich singer.            D. A tennis player.

Matt Mason has seen the future—and it’s fun. Mason likes thinking about how machines can make our lives easier by doing the work we hate, such as cleaning. He shows a hard floor cleaning system（系统）that’s built into the wall: it will blow dirt to a part of the room where it will be collected by a vacuum（吸尘器）. Then the system will drop some cleaner on the floor and an arm will mop（用拖把擦）it up. “This may trouble you,” says Kara, an expert in Mason’s company. “But you can program it to come on at 3 a. m., and it will just wet-mop the floor for you.”

When it comes to the kitchen, Bruce Beihoff, another expert at Whirlpool, is sure that in a few years, robots will be doing most of the boring work, freeing us to relax. “More than just fun, future kitchens will be environmentally friendly,” he says. “A new system will be built in the house which can recycle energy（能量）lost from your kitchen to make the whole home warm.”

“The fridge will be the center of the home,” says Daniel Lee, a market expert. The fridge will have a touch screen （触摸屏幕）where you can watch TV, surf the Internet, check your e-mail, keep a shopping list and order vegetables. “Your fridge is the first place you go in the morning and the last place at night,” says Lee.

Ever wonder why a 1.9-meter man and a 1.6-meter woman have to cook meals on counters（工作台）of the same height. “The height was decided over 50 years ago, according to the height of ordinary women,” says Jane Langmuir, an expert of cooking machines. “But times have changed. We have made a new counter where you press a button and it moves to whatever height you want.” At the same time, Ted Selker at MIT’s Counter lab has made the Dishmaker which lets you make dishes and bowls out of plastics at home. After each meal, the dishes are changed straight back into plastics.

1. How many inventions are mentioned in the passage?

    A. Three.               B. Four.                C. Five.          D. Six.

 2. In future, if you want to clean your house, you will _________.

A. have a recycling system built in the wall

B. get up early to start your cleaning system

C. use your fridge to give orders to a cleaner

D. leave the work to a kind of cleaning machine

  3. What is future kitchen work like?

A. Terrific and relaxing.               B. Easy and interesting.

C. Enjoyable and exciting.            D. Funny and amazing.

  4. From the passage, we know _________.

A. people will have more and more time enjoying themselves

B. future kitchens can provide all the energy for our life every day

C. the fridge can be found in the center of a future house

D. people must be expert at computers to use these inventions

请用一段连贯的文字，描述下面三幅图中所展示的内容，并根据生活常识，发挥想象力，续写第四幅图可能发生的事情。词数：80—100词。

Which sign shows “For the disabled (残疾人) to go through” ?

Singapore’s public transport system (公共交通系统) is one of the best in the world, so you should have no problem finding your way around like a local (当地人). There are three main forms of public transport that you would find in any other major city—trains, buses and taxis.

TRAINS

Trains run from 6 a.m. to midnight. Single trip tickets start at 80 cents. If you buy an EZ-Link card for $15, you can ride the trains and buses all you like.

If you need more information, just call TransitLink on 1800 767 4333.

BUSES

There are several bus services in Singapore and fares (车费) start at 80 cents. Be sure to always ask the driver the cost of your ticket as he can not give change.

If you need help, just call TransitLink on 1800 767 4333.

TAXIS

There are three main taxi companies—CityCab (6552 2222), Comfort (6552 1111) and Tibs (6552 8888). Booking (预订) can also be made easily by calling the numbers listed above.

RENTAL (租) CARS

     Driving in Singapore is a pleasure and if you like to travel at your own pace(步子,节奏), renting a car is a good choice. Renting takes away the hassle of getting to places around Singapore. Just sit back and enjoy the city. It also means you’ll get to see a lot more that a train or a bus won’t let you see.

     For car rental, call Avis on +65 6737 1668.

1. If you need to find the bus number, you may call________.

A. +65 6737 1668                                     B. 6552 8888

C. 1800 767 4333                                                                         D. 6552 2222

2. By an EZ-Link card, you can take________.

  A. both buses and trains                     B. only trains

C. both buses and taxis                     D. only rental cars

3. When you take a bus there, always remember to ________.

  A. take your own license with you                 B. ask the driver how much your ticket is

  C. buy the bus map of Singapore                   D. book your ticket ahead of time

4. What does the word “hassle” mean in Chinese?

  A. 麻烦              B. 乐趣                  C. 景点                 D. 费用

5. What do you know about travelling in Singapore from the passage?

A. A local has no trouble finding his way around.

B. It’s much cheaper to go around by bus than by train.

C. You can see a lot more in Singapore only by renting a car.

  D. It’s very convenient for visitors to travel in Singapore.

请用一段连贯的文字，描述下面三幅图中所展示的内容，并根据生活常识，发挥想象力，续写第四幅图可能发生的事情。词数：80—100词。