What is the hottest English word now? It’s “selfie”. Selfie is a photo that one takes of oneself. People usually take selfies with a smartphone(智能手机)and send them to a social media website.

The word was first used in 2004. In the past 12 months, its frequency(出现频率)in the English language has increased by 17, 000 percent. Now, almost everybody knows it.

“Almost every day, I take a photo of myself at school, and save it in my Qzone(QQ空间), ”said Huang Xu, 13, from Hunan. These photos record her happy and sad moments.

Pop stars also take a lot of selfies. Li Chunping, 14, from Harbin, is a big fan of Yang Mi. “She has used many selfies to tell us what’s going on in her personal life, ”said Li.

What makes people love selfies? Some people say it’s narcissism(自恋). “The rise of the selfie is a perfect symbol for our narcissistic culture. We’re crying out: Look at me! ”said US psychiatrist(精神科医生)Carole Lieberman.

But some people don’t see it that way. Young people are using selfies to make friends online, Jonathan Freedland wrote in The Guardian《卫报》. “The usual purpose of taking a selfie is to share online. They express a human need to connect with others, ”wrote Freedland.

Huang Xu agrees with that. “During summer vacation, my classmates and I shared many selfies online. Hair or clothes were not our interests. Through these photos, we got to know each other’s holidays and feelings, ”said Huang Xu.

1.According to the story, a “selfie” is .

A. a person with a smartphone

B. a smartphone which can take photos

C. a photo taken by oneself

D. an English dictionary

2.When was the word “selfie” first used?

A. More than ten years ago. B. In 2014.

C. When smartphones appeared. D. Nobody knows.

3.We can tell from the story that .

A. only famous people enjoy taking selfies

B. all people love selfies because of narcissism

C. people love to share selfies online

D. US psychiatrist Carole Lieberman hates selfies

4.What is the best title for this passage?

A. Selfies and narcissism

B. Selfies and sharing

C. Selfies and smartphones

D. Selfies, the hottest word in 2004

Every year thousands of young people in England finish school and then take a year off before they start work or go to university. Some young people go to other countries and work as volunteers. Volunteers give their time to help people. For example, they work in schools or hospitals, or they do something helpful for the environment.

Pauline Jones, 18, lives in Cardiff, Wales. Next year she wants to go to university to study Chinese, but now she’s living in Belize. Pauline says, “I’m working with other people here to save the coral reefs (珊瑚礁) in the sea near Belize. The reefs here are beautiful, but if the sea water is very polluted, the coral dies. I’m helping to do research on the coral and the fish that live around the reefs. All over the world, coral reefs are dying. We need to do something about the problem before it’s too late.”

“I’m staying with a family here and I help do some housework. I don’t get any money, but that’s OK. I love my work here, and I’m learning a lot about the people of Belize—and myself! When I finish my work, I want to stay here for another three months. I want to travel around Belize and Central America.”

1.Some young people from England _______ after they finish school.

A. go to university abroad

B. spend one year abroad as volunteers

C. go to work for money

D. start work in schools or hospitals

2.Pauline Jones is _______ with other people.

A. studying Chinese in a university

B. working to save the coral reefs

C. helping do some housework

D. doing some research in Wales

3.From the passage, we know that the coral reefs ______.

A. will die because of the pollution

B. are not as beautiful as before

C. cannot live without fish in the sea

D. will probably be sold for money

阅读下面短文,根据短文内容选择正确的答案

The earth is about 4,600 million years old. Modern man has lived on the earth for only 35,000 years, but during that time, we have changed our planet in many ways. Many of the things that we have done are good, but more are not good for the earth.

Water Pollution

A lot of people, birds and fish die each day because of water pollution. Factories have polluted the land and the water. As a result, many rivers and lakes are now dead.

Air Pollution

In big cities, factories, as well as cars, trucks and buses are the main causes of air pollution. Many people in cities now have serious health problems. For example, Mexico city used to be a beautiful sunny capital, but today it is always covered by thick brown clouds.

Soil Pollution

In order to have a good harvest, most of the farmers use chemicals too much in their fields. That’s bad for the soil. But this kind of pollution is difficult to stop.

Hope For The Future

These problems are very serious for our future, so all of us should do something to improve our environment. If we can stop pollution, our planet will become more and more beautiful and our health will be better. Let’s be greener people!

根据短文内容,选择正确答案。

1._____ have made the earth change a lot.

A.Human beings B.Animals

C.Plants D.People in other planets

2.There are _____ kinds of pollution in this passage.

A.two B.three C.four D.five

3._____ is a big problem now.

A.Pollution. B.Population.

C.Education D.Medical treatment

4.Which sentence is NOT true according to the passage?

A.Most of the things that we have done are good for our planet.

B.We must stop the factories from pouring waste water into the rivers and lakes.

C.Because of water pollution, many rivers and lakes are now dead.

D.Water pollution is very serious nowadays.

5.Which sentence is TRUE?

A.Though Mexico city is always covered by thick brown clouds, it’s still a beautiful sunny capital.

B.Air pollution can make people sick.

C.Now fewer farmers use chemicals in the fields.

D.Factories, cars, trucks and buses are the main causes of soil pollution.

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