Do you know why different animals or pests (昆虫) have their special colors? Colors in them seem to be used mainly to protect themselves.
　　Some birds like eating locusts (蝗虫), but birds cannot easily catch them. Why? It is because locusts change their colors together with the change of the colors of crops(庄稼). When crops are green, locusts look green. But as the harvest time comes, locusts change to the same brown color as crops have. Some other pests with different colors from plants are easily found and eaten by others. So they have to hide themselves for lives and appear only at night.
If you study the animal life, you’ll find the main use of coloring is to protect themselves. Bears, lions and other animals move quietly through forests. They cannot be easily seen by hunters (猎人). This is because they have the colors much like the trees.
Have you ever noticed an even stranger act? A kind of fish in the sea can send out a kind of very black liquid (液体)when it faces danger. While the liquid spreads over (散开), its enemies (敌人)cannot find it. And it immediately swims away. So it has lived up to now though it is not strong at all.
【小题1】From the passage we learn that locusts________.

Whenever the sun dropped and the blue sky came up, my father and I used to climb the mountain near my house. Walking together, my father and I used to have a lot of conversations through which I learned lessons from his experiences. He always told me, “You should have goals like climbing the mountain.” Without the mountain-climbing that we both enjoyed, we couldn’t have enough time to spend together because my father was very busy. I really got a lot from the mountain-climbing. It gave me time to talk with my father and to be in deep thought as well as develop my patience.
Once we climbed a very high mountain. It was so challenging for me because I was only ten years old. During the first few hours of climbing, I enjoyed the flowers and trees, and the birds’ singing. But as time passed, I got a pain in both of my legs. I wanted to quit climbing, but my father said to me, “You can always see a beautiful sky at the top of the mountain, but you can’t see it before you reach the top. Only there can you see all of the nice things, which is just like your life.”
At that time, I was too young to understand his words. But later after that, I got to know the meaning of hope in life. I found myself standing at the top of the mountain, and the sky was as clear as crystal.
【小题1】The passage tells us that mountain-climbing was ______ for the father and the son.

Plant scientists consider them as fruit. Most other people think of them as vegetables. Whatever you call tomatoes, there are many different kinds of this popular and healthy food.
There are two groups of the plants. Small tomato plants grow to about one meter. They can be planted rather close together. Some short kinds do not require special care and are often gotten crop by machines. Large tomato plants can grow over two meters tall. They also produce larger fruits.
People who grow only a few plants can place wire cages around each one. The cage can be made of wire fence material. The cage helps the plant grow taller and produce a better crop.
Tomatoes often need extra calcium (Ca), or the fruits may be ruined. Add lime to the soil can solve this problem. Dry lands may also ruin the fruits. Tomatoes need water regularly. The soil should never dry out completely. Dried grass or leaves placed around the plant can help hold water in the soil and stop the growth of unwanted plants.
Tomatoes are native to South America. The tomato is a member of the potato family. The leaves of the plant are poisonous, like the leaves of its relatives. Before the 18th century, people grew tomatoes only as pretty plants. They called the bright red fruit a “love apple”, but would not eat it.
【小题1】Which of the following is right about the small tomato plants?
A. They can grow to about 2 meters.    
B. They can’t be planted close together.
C. Some of them don’t require special care.
【小题2】People place wire cages around the plant in order to ___________.
A. protect the plant from being taken by others.
B. help the plant grow taller and produce a better crop
C. keep the plant from being eaten by animals
【小题3】The underlined word “ruin” probably means “___________”.
A. grow     B. destroy      C. stop    
【小题4】 People often give tomatoes extra calcium by ___________.
A. adding lime to the soil          B. watering the plant regularly
C. putting dried grass around the plant
【小题5】What can we learn from the passage?
A. Tomatoes are native to North America.
B. The leaves of the plant can also be eaten.
C. Americans began to eat tomatoes from the 18th century.

There are some easy things you can do to protect the environment and the earth. Choose ideas from the list or come up with a few of your own.
·Plant flowers, grass or trees.
·Whenever you visit a park or beach, take away what you bring there—keep rubbish in a bag until you can put it in a dustbin.
·Turn off the lights and TV sets when you leave the room. This can save a lot of electricity.
·Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth. You can save some water by not letting it run. Also, use a glass cup instead of a paper cup because this saves paper.
·Keep the doors and windows closed in winter to keep warm air in.
·Give your old books and magazines to a library instead of throwing them away.
·Give your old clothes to poor children you know instead of throwing them away.
·Use both sides of paper.
·Stop pouring dirty water into the rivers or lakes nearby.
·Encourage all your friends to do the same things you do to help protect the earth. You don’t have to wait until Earth Day to do these things. Make every day Earth Day. If everyone makes a contribution to protecting the environment, the world will become much more beautiful.
【小题1】From the above, we know that this is           .
A. a sign           B. a proposal (倡议书)     C. an ad(advertisement)
【小题2】The writer tells us           .
A. that we can’t do all these things until Earth Day
B. to pour dirty water into the rivers
C. to save water by not letting it run while brushing our teeth
【小题3】 We can            to save paper.
A. use a paper cup      B. use both sides of paper  C. give new books to a library
【小题4】Which of the following is wrong according to the writer?
A. Turn off the lights when you leave the room.
B. Close the doors and windows in winter.
C. Use a paper cup when you brush your teeth.
【小题5】 What’s the best title of the passage?
A. Protect the Earth        B. Save Money      C. Make Better Use of Old Things

The population of the Earth is growing faster. It is important that we look after the Earth. We need it! The Earth gives us a lot of things. We also give the Earth a lot, but some of the things are not good.

In nature, when something dies, other animals and plants get food from it. Every animal or plant gives food for other animals or plants. However, animals can’t get food from many of the things that we ‘give’ the Earth. Animals and plants can’t eat metal, plastic and glass. These things will stay in the ground for many, many years.

Some rubbish is very dangerous for plants and animals. In some places, many animals live together. One animal makes food for many more animals. If we put rubbish and chemicals in the water, the plankton(浮游生物) can die. If there isn’t any plankton, many animals have nothing to eat.
So what can we do? Don’t leave any rubbish in the countryside! Don’t make so much rubbish!
【小题1】The Earth gives us ___________.

Germs(细菌) are everywhere. You can’t see them, but they are on your desk, on your computer, and even in the air!
Like people, germs move around the world. They fly with us on planes. When food, clothes, and other things travel around the world, germs travel, too. Some germs are safe, but some are dangerous. Germs cause illnesses like colds and the flu.
Warmer Weather Brings Germs
The world’s weather is changing. Cooler countries are getting warmer, so insects from hot countries can move there. Some of these insects, like mosquitoes, carry dangerous germs. These germs cause headaches, fever, and can even kill people.
Under Your Skin
Your skin protects you from germs. It stops some germs, but not all. They can enter your body when you eat, or when you have a cut. Germs are on your hands, too. They enter your body when you touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.
Fighting Germs
Your immune system(免疫系统) protects you, too. When germs get inside your body, your immune system finds and kills them. Special cells(细胞) move around your body and fight germs. They help you stay healthy. Other cells make antibodies. Antibodies help your body find and stop germs.
What can you do to fight germs? You should wash your hands with soap and water. Soap kills many germs, and water washes them away.
【小题1】According to the text, insects ______.

Scientists are very interested in the Universe，and they always want to know more about it. Years ago they knew many things about the moon. They knew how big it is and how far away it is from the earth. But they wanted to know more about it. They thought the best way was to send men to the moon. The moon is about 384,000 kilometers away from the earth. A plane cannot fly to the moon because the air reaches only 240 kilometers away from the earth. But something can fly even when there is no air. That is a rocket(火箭)
How does a rocket fly? There is gas（气体） in the rocket. When the gas is made very hot inside the rocket, it will rush out of the end of the rocket, so it can make the rocket fly up into the sky. Rockets can fly out into space. Rockets with men in them have been to the moon. Several rockets without men in them have flown to another planet(行星) much farther away than the moon. One day, rockets may be able to go to any place in space.
【小题1】Scientists knew ____________ the moon is.
A: how far    B: how big    C: how old    D: both A and B
【小题2】The earth is about 384,000 kilometers away from the _____.
A: space    B: universe    C: sun   D: moon
【小题3】A plane cannot fly to the moon because ___________
A: there is no air above 240 kilometers away from the earth.
B: there is no gas in the plane
C: the plane is not strong enough
D: the plane can not fly a long way
【小题4】The hot gas in the rocket is used for___________
A: keeping the air in the rocket fresh(新鲜的)
B: Keeping the men in the rocket warm
C: making the rocket fly up.
D: cooking food for the men
【小题5】What is the writer’s attitude(态度) to the universe’s future.
A: Realistic(现实的)        B: Imaginative(幻想的)
C: Confident(有信心的)      D: Sad

Dear Earthmen(地球人)，
I enjoy my stay on your interesting planet(星球).
I think I know the life on Earth now and I would like to tell you my ideas.
First of all you live in boxes. Every morning you leave your boxes and get into smaller boxes on wheels(轮子). All these small boxes run around and around, and finally stop to rest. You leave these boxes on wheels and go to very large tall boxes.
After resting all day, you get back in your little boxes. There you sit and look at very small glowing boxes with moving pictures in them.
There is only one thing I don’t know. Some angry boys fought for a little round (圆的) ball. Everyone shouted(大声喊) but they kept fighting. They were angry, because they had to stay in boxes all day, I think.
Thank you for this chance(机会) to get to know you.
Yours,
The man from Mars(火星)
【小题1】How many kinds of “boxes” does the man from Mars tell us？

The giant panda is one of the most popular animals in the world. A giant panda can grow up to 1.5 meters long and weigh up to 160kg. People think the giant panda is very lovely. ①So it is not surprising that the World Wide Fund for Nature chose the giant panda as its symbol.The WWF tells people about animals that they are in danger and raises money to save them.
The giant panda only lives in the wild in China. In the early 1980s, were only 1,000 left in the wild. The main reason why pandas are endangered is that the area where pandas can live has become smaller.
The WWF works to help giant pandas in the wild in many ways. One of the ways that helps them is to increase the size of panda reserves(自然保护区). Some reserves need to be joined together by planting bamboo between them to make “corridors”. These are paths that lead from one reserve to another. No one may harm the pandas in these areas. The corridors let pandas move from one habitat (栖息地) to another to look for food. ②People are working very hard to make sure the giant panda does not die out.
【小题1】 How long and heavy can a giant panda grow to be?
_____________________________________________________________________________
【小题2】 将文中划线的句子①改为被动句。
So it is not surprising that _____________________by the World Wide Fund for Nature.
【小题3】Why are the giant pandas endangered?
_____________________________________________________________________________
【小题4】 Give a way to help the giant pandas in the wild, please.
_____________________________________________________________________________
【小题5】 将文中划线的句子②翻译成中文。
____________________________________________________________________________

We know that many animals do not stay in one place. Birds,fish and other animals move from one place  to another at a certain time. They move for different reasons: most of them move to find food more easily,but others move to get away from places that are too crowded.
When cold weather comes,many birds move to warmer places to find food. Some fishes give birth in warm water and move to cold water to feed. The most famous migration（迁移）is probably the migration of the fish which is called “salmon”.This fish is born in fresh water but it travels many miles to salt water.There it spends its life. When it is old,it returns to its birthplace in fresh water. Then it gives birth and dies. In northern Europe, there is a kind of mouse. They leave their mountain homes when they bccome too crowded. They move down to the low land. Sometimes they move all the way the seadide,and many of them are killed when they fall into the sea.
Recently, scientists have studied the migration of kind of lobster（龙虾）.Every year, when the season of the bad weather arrives, the lobsters get into a long line and start to walk across the floor of the ocean. Nobody knows why they do this, and nobody know where they go.
So,sometimes we know why humans and animals move from one place to another,but at other times we don’t. Maybe living things just like to travel.
【小题1】.Most animals move from one place to another at a certain time to _____
A.give birth        B.enjoy warmer weather   C.find food more easily
【小题2】The fish called “salmon”spends a long time in____
A.salt water        B.rivers                 C.fresh water
【小题3】The mice in northern Europe move when_____
A.they give birth   B.the place gets too crowded
C.they haven’t enough food
【小题4】 The lobsters move_______.
A.to the fresh water   B.at a certain time  C.to find more food
【小题5】What is the main idea of the passage?
A.Animals move to find food more easily.
B.The migration of the fish called“salmon”is the most famous migration.
C.Sometimes we know why and how living things move from one place to another,but sometimes we don’t.