Millions of children in the United States go to summer camps. Some go to play outdoors at traditional
camps in the woods, in the mountains or on lakes. But families now have many choices of special camps.
These can be in the middle of nature or a big city. Special camps offer young people the chance to learn
about different subjects: anything from space exploration to business to medicine.
     In technology camps, one subject that children can learn about is video game design. They learn how
to use computer programs to create games of their own. One program that teaches video game design is
called Cybercamps. Children can learn how to design their own virtual (实际上的) worlds to set their
video game in. Then, they program their own rules and objects into the game.
     Cybercamps also offers courses in robot building and Web design. A recent story in the Washington
Post described how one child made a robot that could sing a song. Another made a robot that could
follow a black line drawn on a piece of cardboard. Also, children can learn how to make Web sites.
One child made a site for Pokemon, one of his favourite cartoon shows.
1. Traditional camps are _________.
A. in the woods    
B. in the mountains      
C. on lakes      
D. all above
2. Special camps offer young people the chance to learn _________.
A. only space          
B. only science
C. only medicine       
D. different subjects
3. In Cybercamps a child made a robot that could _________.
A. sing  
B. dance      
C. speak        
D. draw
4. Which one is NOT true according to the passage?
A. There are many special camps in the USA now.
B. Families prefer traditional camps to special camps.
C. Special camps can be in the middle of nature or a big city.
D. In technology camps, children can create games of their own.
5. The best title for the passage is _________.
A. Traditional camps      
B. Special camps
C. Summer camps            
D. Summer holiday  

    One of my favourite things to do is hiking in mountains. Because nobody likes the idea of getting lost, I
always prepare before every trip. But what's the best navigation tool, a Global Positioning System (GPS) or
a good old map and compass? Five of my friends and I hiked through the mountains on a trail I marked. One
team of three carried a GPS, and the other team used a map and compass.
    It took the GPS team 3 hours and 11 minutes to get through the whole hike, however, it took the map and
compass team only 2 hours and 49 minutes. The biggest problem the GPS team met was that they lost the
satellite signal (卫星信号) in some places. With no map or compass, they had to walk around until they were
in a place where the signal was good. The map and compass team was able to spot (认出) different landmarks,
compare them to their maps and then use the compass to point them in the right direction.
     When I head out on my future hikes, I'm bringing a map, a compass and a GPS to show me the way.

1. The writer prepares before every trip because he doesn't ______.

A. like the old map or compass
B. know how to use the GPS
C. want to get lost in mountains
D. want to get into the mountains alone

2. The two teams ______.

A. had the same navigation tool
B. went along the same trail
C. had the same problem
D. finished the whole hike at the same time

3. In the end, the writer found out ______.

A. the map and the compass were too old navigation tools to use any more
B. it wasn't necessary to bring a map and a compass together with a GPS
C. the GPS had some disadvantages in hiking in mountains

     Are you itching (痒痒)? Do you have mosquito bites (蚊虫叮咬)? Well, if you lived in Texas, US, you
wouldn't have a problem. People found a very big spider's web (蜘蛛网) in the state park there. The web is
as long as two football fields. It covers trees, shrubs (灌木丛) and has caught millions of mosquitoes.
      "At first it was so white it looked like fairyland (童话世界)," said Donna Garde, who works in the
park.
      "Now it's filled with so many mosquitoes that it's turned a little brown. Sometimes you can hear
the screech (尖叫声) of millions of mosquitoes caught in the web."
      Scientists are trying to find out what kind of spider has spun the web and why it's so big. Some
think a group of spiders work together on the web.
     Whatever it is, the web is surely better than bug spray (杀虫剂).
1. If you have mosquito bites, you'll feel __________.
2. If you lived in Texas, US, you wouldn't be bit (咬) __________ mosquitoes.
3. The big spider's web in the state park is as __________ as two football fields.
4. You can hear the screech of millions of mosquitoes which were __________ in the web.
5. At first the web was white, but there were so many mosquitoes
    in the web that it turned a little __________.

     Mr. Louis B. Russell (1)l______ in Indianapolis, a city in the state of Indiana. He seems (2)h______ and
strong. But he is a very (3)s______ person. Thanks to the wonderful discovery (发现) of (4)m______ science,
Mr. Russell was given a second (5)h______ a few years ago. Doctors are (6)a______ to give a new heart to
persons who (7)s______ from heart disease. The new heart is (8)t______ from a person who has just died.
The operation is not always (9)s______. Several people have (10)d______ after heart transplants (移植)
(11)b______ their bodies rejected (排斥) the new hearts. However, Mr Russell is one of those lucky
(12)o______.

    In the West, some people believe that personality can be predicted according to the
time of the year the person was born. From China comes the belief that the year of birth
influences one's personality. In the past century, a new belief has arisen: the idea that
personality is related to one's ABO blood type. People with blood type A, for example, are
considered more likely to be serious, hard-working, and quiet, while people with blood
type O are likely to be popular and outgoing, yet often unable to finish what they start.
Though this belief continues to be strong, some people question whether it is true.
    The blood-type personality theory (理论) started in Japan in 1927 when Furukawa
Takehji noticed personality similarities and differences among his workers. The idea soon
went out of fashion, but was brought back by a Japanese television host named Toshitaka
Nomi in the 1970s. The belief is still strong in Japan and is increasingly popular in
neighboring countries. Some young Koreans have taken to the theory. A recent study
showed 76 percent of Koreans aged between13 and 64 believing in the blood-type personality
connection. Though most Asians might believe in the blood-type theory, for many it seems
harmless and not something to be taken too seriously.
    Is the belief true? The scientists in Asia largely dismiss the belief as a modern-day
superstition (迷信). Most studies have failed to find any strong connection between blood
and personality. Generally, scientists warn against making predictions or important
decisions based on this questionable theory.

1. The writer uses blood type A and O as an example to explain ______.

A. the difference between two blood types
B. the relationship between the two blood types
C. the influence of blood type on one's behavior
D. the connection between personality and blood type

2. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?

A. It was lightly believed.
B. It was brought to them.
C. They liked and accepted it.
D. They stole the idea from others.

3. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. Most scientists in Asia don't believe in the theory.
B. The blood-type theory began in Japan in the 1970s.
C. The blood-type personality theory is about blood type.
D. People don't change their personality to match the theory.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A. Is the blood-type theory poplar?
B. Is the personality changeable?
C. Is it in your blood?
D. Is it in you mind?

    American schools begin in September after a long summer holiday. There are two terms in a school year;
the first term is from September to January, and the second is from February to June. Most American children
begin to go to school when they are five years old. Most children are seventeen or eighteen years old when
they finish high school.
    High school students take only five or six subjects each term. They usually go to the same class every day,
and they have homework for every class. After class, they do a lot of interesting things.
    After high school, many students go to colleges. They usually have to pay a lot of money. So many college
students work after class to get money for their studies.

1. In America, summer holidays begin in           .

A. September
B. July
C. May
D. February

2. When a boy is six years old, he           .

A. has to stay at home
B. can go to high school
C. is old enough to go to school
D. always plays at home

3. In American high school students            after class.

A. do the homework
B. go to work
C. play basketball
D. do many interesting things

4. In order to (为了)           , many American college students work after class.

A. help their parents
B. get money for their studies
C. help others
D. learn some useful things

5. Which is right?

A. American students usually have a two-month holiday.
B. American students have three terms in a year.
C. A ten-year-old child usually has six subjects at school.
D. American students don't like to go to school.

     For hundreds Of years, scientists have been trying to answer what things have an effect on people's
emotions (情感). How you feel is controlled by many things. Your emotions can be affected by your
personality, by the actions of others and by events around you. Perhaps you don't know your emotions
can be influenced by the weather as well.
     People often say they feel good when the sun is shining and sad when it is cloudy. In fact, sunlight
makes us feel good. When sunlight hits our skins, our bodies produce a vitamin. Vitamins are natural
chemicals (化学物质) which we all need to stay healthy. Sunlight helps our bodies produce vitamin
D. Vitamin D helps our bodies make a special chemical. This special chemical affects our brains (大脑)
and makes us feel happy. For example, there are long, dark winters of little sunlight in Sweden and
Norway, so many people in these countries often feel sad. Without much sunlight, their bodies produce
less vitamin D. Without enough vitamin D, their bodies make less of this special chemical which makes
them feel good. To help the people in these countries feel better, special "sunrooms" with artificial (人
造的) lights have been built. People can go there and get "sunlight" for an hour or two!
     The weather can also affect people's emotions in other ways. Hot weather can make people angry
because people feel uncomfortable when they are hot. In the same way, rain can make people angry
because being wet can be unpleasant. As you can see, the weather can have an effect on the chemicals
which control our brains. Through these ways, the weather can influence our emotions. Sadly, while
the weather can change us, we can hardly change the weather.

1. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a factor (因素) that can affect one's emotions?

A. Weather.
B. Actions of others.
C. Personality.
D. Age. 

2. Which of the following is true about vitamin D according to the passage?

A. It is a kind of artificial chemical.
B. It makes us worried by affecting our brains.
C. It is needed by us all to keep fit.
D. It is in the sunlight.

3. What can we infer (推断) from the passage?

A. We feel good when we are in the bright cool weather.
B. We will be happy when we are caught in the rain.
C. All people in Norway and Sweden feel sad in winter.
D. The more vitamin D you have, the happier you'll be.

4. What may be the best title for this passage?

A. Why Do We Feel Sad?
B. The Weather Influences People's Emotions
C. People Need More Vitamin D
D. We Can Hardly Change the Weather

     Robots are smart. With their computer brains, they help people work in d__1  _ places or do difficult
jobs. Some robots do regular jobs. Bobby, the mail carrier, brings mail to a large o__2  _ building in
Washington D.C. He is one of 250 mail carries in the United States.
Mr Leachim, who weighs two hundred pounds and is six feet t__3 _, has some advantages as a teacher.
One is that he does not f__4  _ details. He knows each child’s name, the p__5  _ names and what each
child knows and needs to know. In addition, he knows each child’s pets and hobbies. Mr Leachim does
not m___6  _ mistakes. Each child goes and tells him or her name, then dials an identification number. His computer brain puts the child’s voice and number t__7  _. He identifies the child with n__8  _ mistakes.
Then he starts the lesson.Another advantage is that Mr Leachim is flexible. If the child needs m__9 _ time
to do their lessons they can move switches. In this way they can repeat Mr Leachim’s lesson over and
over again. When the children do a good job, he tells them something i__10    about their hobbies. At the end of the lesson the children switch Mr Leachim off.