Americans eat more ice cream than anyone else. About 800 million gallons of ice cream are made in just one year in the U. S. That's enough ice cream to make ten ice-cream cones (蛋卷冰淇淋) for every person on earth.

　　Ice cream was not invented in America, though. Rich people in Rome ate ice with honey on top about 2000 years ago. That was the first ice cream. Milk was added to ice cream hundreds of years later.

　　In the 1700's, ice cream came to America. George Washington loved ice cream. One summer, the first president spent $ 200 on his favorite dessert. In those days, ice cream cost a lot of money. By the 1800's, the price went down. Everyone was eating ice cream. Some people tried new ways of making it. A man from Philadelphia made the first ice-cream soda in 1874. After that came the first ice-cream cone and the first chocolate-covered ice cream on a stick (棒).

　　More vanilla (香草) ice cream is sold than any other kind. Chocolate comes in second.

1．Rich people ate the first ice cream in ________ .

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2．More people ate ice cream in the 1800's because ________ .

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3．Who made the first ice-cream soda?

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4．Which of these came last?

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5．Which of the following is TRUE?

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A．The English eat more ice cream than Americans.

B．George Washington never ate ice cream.

C．Ice cream came to America in 1874.

　　There were no speed limits (车速限制) when the first roads were built in the U. S. Then the number of cars grew. It was safer to have all the cars riding at about the same speed. That is why speed limits were made.

　　Before 1973, the speed limit on most big roads was 65 miles an hour. Suddenly, the gas supply began to drop. Saving gas became important. One answer was to make a new speed limit of 55 miles an hour.

　　Fast speeds use up a lot of gas. The new speed limit has saved about three million gallons (加仑，一种容量单位) of gas a day. It has also saved a lot of lives. About 9000 lives are saved each year. The lower speed gives cars more time to stop.

　　Some drivers don't pay attention to the speed limit. Drivers in western states think they should be allowed to drive faster. Their roads are flat (平坦的) and straight. Many truck drivers don't like the new speed limit either. They say their trucks run better at 65 miles an hour.

1．The first roads had no ________ .

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2．Before 1973, the speed limit was ________ .

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3．A new speed limit of 55 miles an hour was supposed to ________ .

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4．How many lives have been saved each year since 1973?

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5．Roads in western states are ________ .

[　　]

　　How can you fill a balloon with air without blowing it up? Read these steps.

　　1．Get a balloon, an empty soda-pop bottle, some baking soda, and some vinegar (醋).

　　2．Put two teaspoons of baking soda into a balloon.

　　3．Pour one inch of vinegar into the empty bottle.

　　4．Put the neck of the balloon tightly over the neck of the bottle.

　　5．Shake the bottle so that the baking soda will fall in.

　　6．In a few minutes, the balloon will begin to fill with air.

　　7．The baking soda and the vinegar mix together to form a gas. This gas fills the balloon.

1．Which step has a list of four things to use?

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2．Where do you put the baking soda?

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3．How much vinegar should you use?

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4．When do you shake the bottle?

[　　]

5．The baking soda and vinegar mix together to make ________ .

[　　]

Golf Without Golf Clubs

　　People who play golf use golf clubs (高尔夫球杆) . Could you play golf without golf clubs? One of the best golfers in the world did. He used a soda-pop (瓶装碳酸饮料) bottle instead of golf clubs. He did this trick (技巧) to make money.

The golfer was Lee Trevino. Lee Trevino is one of the most famous Mexican-American sports stars of all time. He has won more than one million dollars playing golf.

　　Lee Trevino was not always rich. When he was a young man, he lived in Dallas, Texas. He was very poor. He began working at a small golf course (球场) in Dallas. Lee learned a trick to make money. He learned how to hit a golf ball a long way by using a soda-pop bottle. He would hit the ball with the side of the bottle. He knew how to make the ball go just where he wanted it to go. Then he would use the bottom of the bottle to push the ball into the golf hole.

　　Many people did not believe Lee could do this trick. They wanted to play against him. They would use golf clubs. Lee would use the bottle.

　　“Many people thought I was a nut (傻瓜) , ” Lee said. “They did not think I could beat them. We would finally agree to play for money. ”Lee usually won. He didn't make a lot of money. He did earn a little spending money. Even a little money was important to him.

　　Today, Lee Trevino earns a lot of money playing golf. He knows how to use golf clubs better than almost any other player. He is also the best soda-pop-bottle golfer of all time.

1．People who play golf use ________ .

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2．Where did Lee Trevino live when he was a young man?

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3．Lee Trevino hit a golf ball with ________ .

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4．Lee learned his trick ________ .

[　　]

5．Today, Lee Trevino earns ________ .

[　　]

　　People use money to buy food, books, bicycles and hundreds of other things which they need. When they work, they usually get paid in money.

　　Most of the money used today is made of metal (金属) or paper. But in ancient times (古代) people used to use all kinds of things as money. One of the first kinds of money was shells (贝壳) .

　　In China cloth and knives were used as money. Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used in some parts of Africa. Rice was also a kind of money used by the ancient people in some islands. Cows and other animals were used as money, too.

　　The first copper coins (硬币) were made in China. They were round and had a square (方形的) hole in the centre. Different countries have used different metals for their money. Later, some countries began to make coins of gold and silver (银).

But both gold and silver were heavy to carry when people needed a lot of coins to buy something expensive. The Chinese were the first to use paper money. The first paper money looked more like a note from one person to another than the paper money used today.

　　Money has had an interesting history from the days of shell money till today.

1．What is the money we use today made of?

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2．Africa used ________ as money.

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3．China was the first country to use ________ coins.

[　　]

4．Why does paper money become popular today?

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A．It is beautiful.

B．It is easy to carry.

C．It looks like a picture.

D．People like it better than gold or silver.

5．The passage tells us ________ .

[　　]

A．money can be made of many things

B．the history of money

C．what kind of metal can be used as money

　　Everything was ready for the first Thanksgiving Day feast (感恩节宴会) . It was 1621. The men had been out hunting and there was much deer meat and turkey (火鸡) . The fields had yielded (生长出) their rich harvest of corn and pumpkin (南瓜). The women had been busy cooking and baking (烘烤) and the invited Indian(印第安的) guest seemed to be eating white flowers at which the pilgrims (移民) marveled (惊奇) . When the Indian saw the puzzled expressions (表情) on the white men's faces, he smiled and drew some seeds from one of the two deerskin bags which he carried. He placed them on the hot stones near the fire. Then he waited and suddenly the seeds began to hop (跳) about and to burst with a popping noise.

　　Pop! Pop! Pop!

　　The Indian laughed as the pilgrims expressed their surprise. The seeds jumped off the hot rock as they popped, and turned into the white fluffy (蓬松的) things that the Indian had taken from the first bag.

　　“Look! ” a pilgrim boy shouted. “It's magic! ”

　　The pilgrims tasted the new food and found it delicious. And that's how the pilgrims first learned about popcorn(爆玉米花).

1．Where did the deer meat and turkey for the feast come from?

[　　]

A．The author didn't tell us that.

B．They were bought in the market (市场).

C．They came from hunting.

D．They were given by friends.

2．They held (举办) the feast to ________ .

[　　]

3．Which of the following is TRUE?

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A．The Indian was eating a kind of white flowers which made the pilgrims puzzled.

B．The Indian was surprised that the pilgrims were eating white flowers.

C．The pilgrims knew very well what the Indian was eating.

D．The pilgrims had no interest in the white flowers.

4．Which of the following is NOT true?

[　　]

A．The white flowers were actually a kind of food made of corn.

B．The hot stones made the corn seeds turn into the white fluffy things－the white flowers.

C．The pilgrims learned that the white flowers the Indian was eating were called popcorn.

D．The Indian had the magic power to make the seeds hopping.

5．The passage tells us ________ .

[　　]

A．how the pilgrims celebrated the Thanksgiving Day.

B．how to make the popcorn.

C．about the magic power of the Indian.

How To Wash a Car

　　What is the best way to wash a car? Read these directions (说明) to find out.

　　Use two pails (桶) of water and three old towels. Put soap and water in one pail and clean water in the other. Start with the roof of the car and work down. Work on only one part of the car at a time.

　　Use the soapy water and the first towel to wash the car. Use the clean water and the second towel to rinse (用清水冲洗) . Use the third towel to dry. You will end up with a clean, dry car.

　　Always wash a car in the shade or early in the evening. Sun causes streaks. You can wax (上蜡) the car after you wash it. Then spray (喷射) it with cold water and dry it.

　　Try this tip (劝告) . Clean white sidewall tires (轮胎) with steel wool soap pads (布). Rub the tires hard.

1．The directions say to use ________ towels to wash a car.

[　　]

2．The third towel is for ________ the car.

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3．What do you do after you wash the car?

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4．What is the best place to wash a car?

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5．Steel wool soap pads are good for cleaning ________ .

[　　]

Breaking Mirrors

　　Will you have bad luck if you break a mirror? Many people believe this. There is an old story about breaking mirrors.

　　Long ago, people happened to see their faces in ponds and lakes. Some people were frightened. “That must be my soul,” a person would say.

　　The first mirrors were made of shiny metal. Later, people used glass mirrors. They were careful not to break them. Breaking a mirror could harm the soul. That is how a broken mirror came to mean bad luck. The bad luck is supposed to last for seven years.

　　You may not believe this story. You may have no bad luck with mirrors. But you should handle mirrors carefully. A broken mirror could cut you.

1．Long ago, people saw their faces in ________ .

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2．The first mirrors were made of ________ .

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3．A face in the mirror was supposed to be the _________ .

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4．Breaking a mirror is supposed to bring ________ years of bad luck.20

[　　]

5．You should handle mirrors ________ .

[　　]

　　The customs in different countries are rather different. If I have dinner with a Chinese host, he always puts more food onto my plates as soon as I have emptied it. That often discomforts me greatly. I have to eat the food even if I don't want to, because it is considered bad manners in the West to leave one's food on the plate. I have already noticed that when a Chinese sits at an American's dinner party, he very often refuses the offer of food or drink though he is in fact still hungry or thirsty. This might be good manners in China, but it is not in the West at all. In the United States, it is impolite to keep asking someone again and again or insist on his accepting something. Americans have a direct way of speaking. If they want something, they will ask for it. If not, they will say, “No, thanks. ” When an American is fed with beer by the host, for example, he might say, “No, thanks. I'll take some diet, Pepsy-Cola (百事可乐) if you have it. ” That is what an American will do. So when you go to the United States, you had better remember the famous saying: When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

1．From the passage, we can know that the Chinese are usually ________ to the guests.

[　　]

2．When a foreigner has dinner with a Chinese host, he often feels ________ .

[　　]

3．Why does a Chinese often refuse the offer of food or drink at a dinner party?

[　　]

A．He has had enough.

B．He is shy.

C．He is afraid that others will laugh at him.

D．He thinks it's polite to do that.

4．When an American wants something to eat or drink at a dinner, he will ________ .

[　　]

5．“When in Rome, do as the Romans do” means “ ________ ”.

[　　]

A．When you got to Rome, you should act as the Romans do

B．When you stay in Rome, you should do as the Romans do

C．When you are in a new country, you should do as the locals do

A Strange Sight

　　It was a cold morning on a beach in Florida. Only a few people were out. They came upon a strange sight. Huge black whales were lying on the sand. The whales were 20 feet long. They almost covered the beach.

　　Many of the whales were still living. A rescue team came with boats and long ropes. They tied the ropes around the tails of some whales. They used the boats to pull the whales into deep water. Some of the whales turned around as soon as they were free. They began to swim back to the beach. About 50 whales were saved, but the others died on the beach.

　　Why did the whales swim onto the beach in the first place? They may have been following a leader. Whales swim in a group behind one old whale. The old whale in this group could have been sick. Sometimes a sick whale swims onto a beach.

1．The whales on the beach were in ________ .

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2．The rescue team tied ropes around the ________ of some whales.

[　　]

3．What did some whales do after they were free?

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4．How many whales were saved?

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5．The story says that whales swim behind ________ .

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