Science fiction is a popular kind of writing, and many people think of Jules Verne as the father of science fiction. He was born in France in 1828. His father wanted him to become a lawyer, but from his early 20s, Verne decided to become a writer. At first he wrote plays for the theatre. Then, in 1863, he wrote a story called Five Weeks in a Balloon . The success of this book encouraged him to write more stories such as A Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1864) and From the Earth to the Moon (1865).

In the 19th century, many people were interested in science and inventions. Jules Verne wrote about scientific subjects in his stories and as a result, they were very popular. Verne’s writing included many predictions for the 20th century and many of them came true. He described space flight, movies, and air conditioning, a long time before they appeared. These books were very successful and they made Verne rich.

Jules Verne’s books have been the subjects for many movies. 20, 000 Leagues under the Sea was a successful movie for Walt Disney. It was the first Disney movie to use real actors instead of cartoon drawings. Around the World in Eighty Days is another famous movie based on one of Verne’s books. The main character is an Englishman called Phileas Fogg. For him, the most important thing is to be always on time!

1.What does the phrase “the father of science fiction” in the first paragraph mean?

A. The father who has several children.

B. The man who loves science and inventions.

C. The writer whose father wrote science fiction.

D. The man who first started writing science fiction successfully.

2.What encouraged Jules Verne to write more stories?

A. The plays he wrote for the theatre. B. The encouragement from his father.

C. The success of Five Weeks in a Balloon. D. The scientific subjects in his stories.

3.Why were Jules Verne’s books very popular in the l9th century?

A. Because his books made him rich and famous.

B. Because he wrote many plays for the theatre at that time.

C. Because his books had been the subjects for many movies.

D. Because many people were interested in science and inventions.

4.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A. Jules Verne only wrote plays in the 19th century.

B. Many of the predictions in Verne’s stories came true.

C. The main characters in Verne’s books are always on time.

D. The space flight Verne described was different from others.

My name is Sam. I’m 14 years old and I live in London, England. I’m very fit, I’m good at all kinds of sports, and I’m generally in good health. However, there is something really strange that happens to me. Every time something interesting is going to happen, I get sick.

Here’s an example. Two years ago, the school organized a trip to Versailles in France. Versailles is a lovely place near Paris, the capital of France. The plan was to take a train from London to Paris, and then travel to Versailles by bus. I was really excited about this trip, especially the ride on the train, because the train goes through a tunnel under the English Channel, the water between England and France.

What happened? I woke up the day before the trip with a terrible fever. I had flu. So I couldn’t go on the trip!

Last year, something similar happened. I play for the school soccer team—I’m one of the best players—and the school organized a visit to Scotland for the soccer team. The plan was to play three matches against schools in Edinburgh and Glasgow, the two biggest cities in Scotland. I was really looking forward to that trip!

And what happened? I injured my knee when I played football the day before we left. Again I couldn’t go there.

I’m also in the school choir. This year, the school is organizing a visit to Austria so that we can take part in a choir competition there. We will leave next Thursday. I hope this is third time lucky, and I can go. I expect that I won’t wake up with a sore throat the day before we leave.

根据短文内容,判断句子的正误,正确的写T,错误的写F。

1.Sam is generally in good health, but every time something interesting is going to happen, he’ll get sick

2.The trip to Versailles in France is far, so their school planed to go there by train.

3.Sam is the best player in their school soccer team.

4.He had a very good time in Austria.

5.Sam is a boy from England.

How much sleep do we need? We are all different. Some people need only three hours of sleep a night. Others need ten hours of sleep a night. Most Americans sleep an average ( 平均 ) of seven to eight hours a night. After the age of fifty, the average sleep time goes down to 6.5 hours a day.

Most people have a night when they cannot sleep. About one in three (1/3) Americans has a problem with sleep. Many of these people can not fall asleep. The name of this problem is insomnia. This is not a new problem. Many famous people in history had insomnia. Some of these people had special ideas to make them sleep. Benjamin Franklin, a famous statesman ( 政治家 ) and inventor, had four beds. He moved from one to another to fall asleep. King Louis XIV of France had 413 beds and hoped to fall asleep in one of them. Mark Twain, a famous American writer, had a different way. He lay on his side across the end of the bed!

1.People’s sleeping time at night is_____.

A. three hours B. ten hours C. not the same D. not different

2.In America, when people are more than fifty, they often sleep _____ hours a night.

A. a lot more B. seven to eight C. only three D. about six and a half

3.When Benjamin Franklin couldn’t fall asleep, he _____ .

A. went to sleep in another bed B. made another bed

C. moved the bed to another room D. slept on the floor

4.When he had sleeping problems, _____ slept at the other end of the bed.

A. Benjamin Franklin B. Louis XIV

C. Mark Twain D. Thomas Edison

5.The underlined word “ insomnia ” means _____ in Chinese.

A. 失明 B. 失眠 C. 失语 D. 失聪

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