Last week,Chicago became the first city in the US to join the “Lights Out Plan”.People turned off the lights in the city’s tallest buildings,so that thousands of birds could get to their winter homes.Every year in autumn,some birds fly over Chicago on their way to the south,and come back the next spring.

Lights mean danger to birds.Birds find their way by looking at the stars in the sky.Lights in tall buildings are so bright that birds may mistake them as stars.This means they can not find the right way to go home.

This month,about 300 types of birds are flying over Chicago to go back to the south to live through the cold winter.Birds fly to warmer places for a few reasons.Many birds cannot live in the cold,so they fly to warmer places.But there are other reasons,too.Birds need to look for food in the south.Another reason is that they want to have baby birds.Many birds like to have their baby birds in the same “house” they lived in last year,so they fly back there.

There are about 9,000 kinds of birds in the world,and about 600 kinds of birds migrate.Some birds can fly a very long way.Sometimes they fly to other countries.We have fewer birds today because there are fewer places for birds.

1.Why did people in Chicago turn off their lights last week?

A.Because people wanted to save money.

B.Because people liked the dark night.

C.Because people were a afraid that birds would make much noise.

D.Because people were a afraid that birds would lose their way.

2.What does the underlined word “migrate” mean in Chinese?

A.迁徙B.定居C.冬眠D.重生

3.Today we have fewer birds because __________.

A.lots of birds are often ill

B.people kill lots of birds

C.there are fewer places for birds

D.other animals eat them

4.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A.All birds fly to warmer places every year.

B.Some birds have to fly to warmer places in autumn.

C.Some birds can fly a long way to other countries.

D.About 600 kinds of birds migrate in the world.

Joe was an old man. The 75-year-old lived very happily in a village and had a beautiful family. Joe had four grandchildren, and they visited him during their holidays.

During one vacation, Joe was preparing his home for the kids: cleaning and buying their favorite foods. After he finished working, he realized he lost his favorite watch. The watch was a gift from his wife when their first child was born. Joe loved the watch very much, especially after his wife’s death. He was very upset about losing it.

Once his grandchildren came, they promised him they would find the watch.

One granddaughter asked: “Grandpa, do you remember when you saw the watch last before it went missing?”

“I guess when I was cleaning the barn(谷仓)!” Joe replied.

The children looked for more than two hours with Joe, but they could not find it. The kids were now also sad, but they tried to comfort(安慰) their grandfather.

One grandson went back to the barn to search again. Joe asked why he was going there a second time. But the little boy just asked the others not to follow him and to remain silent.

He was there for about fifteen minutes and then rushed to his grandfather. He found the watch and happily gave it to Joe.

Joe was surprised and asked how he was able to find it. The little boy replied: “I sat there without making a noise, and the barn was so silent. After a few minutes, I heard the ‘tick, tick’ sound and found the watch.”

Joe hugged and thanked the little boy.

1. From Paragraph 2, we learn that Joe .

A. knew his grandchildren very well

B. liked doing housework very much

C. got tired of his grandchildren’s visits

D. looked forward to his grandchildren’s visits

2. Why did Joe feel upset when he found the watch was lost?

A. Because it was very expensive.

B. Because it was full of memories with his wife.

C. Because it was a gift from his first child.

D. Because it had been with him since he was born.

3. How did one of the grandchildren find the watch?

A. He cleaned the barn carefully again.

B. He searched the barn carefully for two hours.

C. He made no noise and followed the ticking sound.

D. He asked other children for help.

4.What does the story mainly tell us ?

A. Helping those in need can make you feel good.

B. We must learn to be silent and wait in order to help others.

C. Believe in yourself and you can surely succeed in the end.

D. Silence sometimes is more powerful than using your voice.

This year the US will honour(纪念) one of the country’s most famous writers—Mark Twain (1835-1910). Most readers know that his real name was Samuel Longhome Clemens, but how many know where the pen name “Mark Twain” came from?

The answer shows Clemens’ colorful early life before he became a writer. “Mark Twain” was the cry shouted on a ship when the ship entered a part of a river that was two fathoms (6 feet) deep. “Twain” is an old-fashioned way of saying “two”. Twain trained as a ship pilot on the Mississippi river for two years, a time that he wrote about in the humourousLife on the Mississippi (1883).

The famous river would become an important theme in many of his works—who could forget the journey of the Huck and Jim along it in his most famous book. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)?

With little education, he had to teach himself how to write stories. Whenever possible, he would go to public libraries. There he spent much time reading and thinking, which greatly helped him with his writing.

On the other hand, his life experiences gave him wonderful material to write about and attract readers. Twain wrote in a style that has been called “local colour” because it shows great knowledge of local people and their customs.

This gift is very clear in the two books for which Twain is still celebrated today. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its follow-up The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which many people call “The Great American Novel”.

The most amazing invention in the book is the voice of Huck himself. Huck did not enjoy schooling. It shows in the way he uses language, in a spoken style. Only a master like Twain could copy the way a young southern boy talked so well.

1. What does the underlined word “gift” mean in the passage?

A. Twain’s talent for self-teaching.

B. Twain’s “local colour” writing style.

C. Twain’s good sense of humour.

D. Twain’s experiences as a ship pilot

2.According to the passage, what is the best part of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

A. The deep social meaning.

B. The exciting life experiences.

C. The special way that Huck talks.

D. The nice view of the Mississippi.

3. Which is the most suitable place in the passage for the sentence. “Twain did not come from the writer’s background you might expect”?

A. At the beginning of Paragraph 2.

B. At the beginning of Paragraph 3.

C. At the beginning of Paragraph 4.

D. At the beginning of Paragraph 5.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A. Mark Twain’s career as a great writer.

B. Mark Twain’s interest in describing local life.

C. Mark Twain’s achievements in American literature field.

D. Mark Twain’s life experiences which influenced his writing.

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