Taking pictures is fun． And taking good ones is easy if you follow a few simple rules． Before you snap a picture, think about it． Be sure you are close enough to your subject． A pretty face against a plain background, for instance, makes a good picture． But a distant figure lost among trees and clouds lacks interest． In a landscape scene, try to keep at least two-thirds of the picture below the line where the ground meets the sky． For a sky scene, keep at least two-thirds of the picture above that line．

　　Study pictures in newspapers and books． Try to see why some are better than others． Use what you learn to improve your own pictures．

1．This article gives some_______．

A．reasons for taking pictures　　B． differences between still and moving pictures

C．ideas for interesting hobbies D． hints for taking good pictures

2．The writer talks mostly about pictures taken_______．

A． outdoors B． by moonlight C． in color D． for newspapers

3． In the first example, the subject was probably a________．

A． car B． girl C． tree D． cloud

4．The subject of a picture should usually look_______．

A． close B． small C． shadowy D． shiny

5．In a landscape scene two-thirds of the picture should be_______．

A． sky B． clouds C． land D． horizon

6．You can improve your pictures by_______．

A．thinking about them before you take them

B．studying pictures in newspapers and books

C．snapping them as quickly as you can

D．Both A and B

7．The writer doesn't say anything about_______．

A．following rulesB． getting close to your subject

C．caring for your camera D． taking pictures of sky scenes

　　The tune for "London Bridge is falling down" has some new words． American children have sung "London Bridge is going up．" Stone by stone -- 10,246 in all -- the bridge across the Thames was taken down． At Lake Havasu City in Arizona it was rebuilt． Water from the Colorado River flows under its arches．

　　The old words were never true of the bridge that has crossed the ocean． They described the bridge that it replaced in 1831． Old London Bridge, opened in 1209, often needed repairs． Ice caused much damage． Fire razed buildings on the bridge． But it was used for more than six hundred years． Then, like the bridge that replaced it, it became unable to handle the growing traffic of London．

1．The new words for the old song are_________．

A．"falling down"　　B．"mounting up"　　C．"going up" D．"rising up"

2．The bridge was taken apart________．

A．arch by arch B． stone by stone C．yard by yard D． None of the above

3． The bridge may now be seen in_______．

A． Alabama B． Arkansas C． Arizona D． Colorado

4． The bridge the old song described was opened in_________．

A． 1209 B． 1290 C． 1809 D． 1831

5．The article suggests that one danger to the bridge was________．

A．the weight of the buildings on it　　B．tugs hitting the stonework

C．trains crossing it　　 D． ice

6．Old London Bridge was used for a little more than______．

A． 150 years　　B． 300 years C． 600 years　　 D．None of the above

7．The two bridges were alike in__________．

A．falling down B． becoming unable to handle growing traffic

C．being in use for more than 400 years D． being sold to an American buyer

　　Small children often laugh at a lame or blind person, or at someone who isn't dressed as well as they are． But as they grow up, they learn not to hurt people's feelings by laughing at their problems． They learn to laugh at other things． Most important, they learn to laugh at themselves．

　　Suppose you're playing a game． You make a silly mistake and lose． Do you become angry? Or can you laugh at yourself and hope to do better next time? Suppose you're at a special dinner． You accidentally spill some food． Why keep worrying about how clumsy you looked? Why not laugh it off and enjoy yourself anyway? If you can, it's a good sign you've really grown up．

1．This article is mostly about_______．

A．why laughter is good for your body B． what you should laugh at

C．when babies learn to laughD． where you may laugh

2．The writer says small children laugh at people who_______．

A．have problems　　B．spill food　　C．dress well　　D．play games

3．The writer suggests that children's laughter is often_______．

A． unkind　　 B． shrill C．Both A and B　　　　D．Neither A nor B

4．The most important thing is to learn how to laugh at________．

A． jokes　　 B． pictures　　　　C． children　　 D． yourself

5．The writer shows how laughter could help you not to_______．

A．make a mistake　　 B．lose a game

C．become angry　　 D． try again

6．Next the writer shows how laughter could keep you from_____．

A．spilling foodB． worrying

C．enjoying yourself　　 D．growing up

7．If you find a new skill hard to learn, you should probably_______．

A．laugh at your own slowness　　B．keep trying till you learn it

C．give up and never try again　　D．Both A and B

　　Most typewriters have "qwerty" keyboards． The name comes from the first six letters on the board's second line． The “qwerty" board was set up by C． L． Sholes． Sholes was the first man to make a really good typewriter．

　　 Some letters, such as S and T, are used together a great deal in English． Sholes placed such pairs of letters far apart on his keyboard． This made it harder for typists to learn the keyboard． But it helped keep typewriters from jamming． On early machines the bars holding the letters often caught on each other when moving quickly．

　　Sholes made the name of his machine easy to type． He placed on the same line all the letters of the words type and writer．

1．This article is mostly about a __________．

A．pair of letters B． keyboard C． language D．man's life

2．The "qwerty" board is named for the_________．

A．man who set it up　　 B．company that sold it

C．order of six of its letters D．letters used the most in English

3．The "qwerty" board was first set up________．

A．with thirty-six letters　　 B．in six lines

C．by C． L． SholesD．All of the above

4．Sholes put S and T far apart because_________．

A．he hoped to prevent jamming B． they are seldom used together

C．neither is a vowel D． there wasn't room for them together

5．The keyboard might be easier to learn if the letters were_________．

A．placed in a different order　　 B．made to catch on each other

C．reduced in size　　D．written upside down

6．The writer suggests that jamming is__________．

A．common in electric typewriters B． no longer a problem

C．solved by oiling the machine　　D． the result of typing slowly

7．The letters spelling typewriter are all in the_________．

A． same lineB． line beginning with "qwerty"

C．line with the numbers in it　　 D． Both A and B

　　Doughnuts were once just fried, round cakes． The first doughnuts with holes were probably made in the United States．

　　People in Rockport, Maine, give the credit to a sea captain from their area． The captain was eating a fried cake at sea one stormy night． When he needed both hands to steer, he rammed the cake over a spoke of the ship's helm． He liked the result． He asked the cook to start making cakes with holes already in them．

　　In Plymouth, Massachusetts, people tell a different story． One day a local pioneer woman was frying cakes． As she dropped one into the hot fat, a stray arrow shot by a hunter pierced its center． This, they say, was the first holed doughnut．

1．This article was written to tell______．

A．who made the first doughnuts　　 B． how to make good doughnuts

C．why doughnuts are roundD． how doughnuts came to have holes

2．Which did the sea captain do first?

1. He told the cook to make cakes with holes．

B． He rammed the cake over a spoke．

C． He started eating the cake．　　　　　　　　

D． He found he needed both hands．

3．The captain needed both hands because_______．

A．the cake was so big B．there was a storm

C．the ship was sinking D．he was frying cakes

4．Which happened last?

A．The arrow pierced the cake． B．The hunter shot the arrow．

C．The woman made the dough． D．The woman heated the fat．

5．In both the Rockport and Plymouth stories, holed doughnuts were_____．

A．eaten by sailors　　 B．made by accident

C．pierced with spokes D．boiled in water

6．Unlike the Plymouth story, the Rockport story happened______．

A． at sea B． at night C． years ago D．Both A and B

7． The Rockport people probably wouldn't agree that the first holed doughnuts were_____．

A．made in Plymouth B．fried in hot fat

C．invented by a man D．served on a ship

　　The people of Saskatoon wanted the 1971 Canada Winter Games to be held in their city． But they had a problem． Saskatoon has never been considered a good place to ski． For skiing, you need slopes． And Saskatoon sits in the middle of a prairie．

　　How do you think the people solved their problem? They built a mountain --- from the ground up! When finished, it stood 300 feet high． A T-bar was set up to take skiers to the top． From there they could ski down the quarter-mile main run or the 50-metre ski jump．

　　And so athletes from all over Canada went to Saskatoon to take part in the games． They swam． They played badminton and other indoor games． They boxed and wrestled． And they skied!

1Saskatoon is a Canadian_________．

A． province B． city C． town D． county

2．Saskatoon wasn't a good place to go skiing because the countryside was too________．

A． flat B rocky C． dry D． cold

3．The people built a mountain mainly because they_________．

A．thought it would make the area more beautiful

B．wanted to go mountain-climbing

C．hoped to teach their children to ski

D．needed slopes for the Winter Games

4．The writer probably thinks the idea of building a mountain was_______．

A． silly B． clever C． puzzling　　D． dull

5．The height of the finished mountain was________．

A． 50 metres B． a quarter of a mile C． 300 feet　　D． 30 rods

6．Skiers could use the mountain for________．

A．downhill skiing　　 B．ski jumping

C．cross-country skiing D．Either A or B

7．Besides skiing, sports events at the Winter Games included________．

A．boxing and wrestling B．swimming and polo

C．boating and fishing D．baseball and soccer

　　The llama is a member of the camel family． Like the camel, the llama can live for weeks without a drink of water． Both get enough moisture from the grass, shrubs, and other plants they eat． But unlike the camel, the llama has no hump on its back．

　　The llama is large and has long, soft hair． It is used as a pack animal in South America because it can carry heavy loads safely over narrow mountain tracks． It is tame, but it can be stubborn and bad-tempered． When angry, it spits． If you see a llama curling its big lips, move away as quickly as you can!

　　And don't ever overload a llama． If you do, it won't move an inch．

1．Like the camel, the llama_________．

A． has a hump on its back　　 B．can live for weeks without water

C． Neither A nor B D． Both A and B

2．Unlike the llama, the camel______．

A． is stubborn and bad-temperedB． can live for weeks without water

C． eats grass and shrubs　　 D． has a hump on its back

3．Llamas are used as pack animals in ________．

A． North America B． South America C． Africa D． Asia

4． The llama is most useful to man________．

A．in the mountains B． on the plains C． by the seashore D． in the forest

5．Llamas are used as pack animals because they_______．

A．can carry heavy loads B． are surefooted C． are tame D．All of the above

6．Llamas show they are angry by________．

A． spitting　　　　B．stamping their feet

C．crying loudly　　D．running away

7．From this story, it is clear that llamas are_______．

A． useful B． useless C． good pets D．found in zoos

　　In 1889 all Paris admired the Eiffel Tower． It was the engineering wonder of the world． Alexandre Gustave Eiffel had completed his masterpiece in steel．

　　Steel as a building material was then still new． The 984-foot tower was a lacy network of girders． There were thousands of steel pieces． Two and a half million rivets joined them．

　　From four corners, the legs of the tower slope inward． They rise to form the spire． Lifts, carry visitors to three platforms at different heights． On a clear day, countryside sixty miles off is viewed from the top platform．

　　As Eiffel planned, his structure is a landmark of Paris． It is even higher today． A relay station for radio and television has added almost fifty feet to the tower．

1．The Eiffel Tower was completed in _________．

A． 1849 B． 1869 C． 1889 D． 1899

2．The tower bears the name of________．

A．the main river of Paris B．a president of France

C．its builder D．none of the above

3．The tower was an engineering wonder because of_______．

A．its sideways slant B． the use of steel C． the use of glass D． its location

4．The article describes the tower as being________．

A． lacy B． solid C． needlelike D． spidery

5．At the bottom, the tower has________．

A．two main sections　　B．three legs C． four legs D． six legs

6．To reach the top platform, sightseers use______．

A． lifts B． escalators　　C． steel ladders D． spiral stairways

7．The article does not say that_______．

A．many people at first thought the tower was ugly

B．steel arches link the legs of the tower

C．the total height is now given as 1033 feet

D．Any of the above

　　A flag is more than a piece of cloth． It stands for a nation's people --- their land, history, and ideals． Iceland's flag, for instance, stands for features of the land． Red is for the fire of Iceland's volcanoes． White is for ice． Blue is for the mountains． On India's flag, the blue wheel stands for peace and progress． The white stripe behind it is for truth． The black stripe on the flag of Malawi stands for the Negro people of that African land． The red stripe represents the blood they shed to free themselves from foreign rule．

　　When the people of any nation see their flag flying, they feel proud． They love and honor the flag as the symbol of their country．

1．The flag of Iceland is_______．

A．red and white B．blue and green

C．black, white, and red　　 D．red, white, and blue

2．The white stripe on India's flag stands for_______．

A．ice and mountains B． peace and progress C．waterfalls　　D． truth

3．India's flag stands mostly for the________．

A．features of the land B．riches of the soil

C．ideals of the people D．history of the country

4． Of the flags the writer mentions, Malawi's flag is the only one that has a______．

A． green bar B． black stripe C． blue wheel D． red cross

5． The red on Malawi's flag reminds the people of_______．

A．the many volcanoes in their land B．the beauty of their countryside

C．their fight for freedom D．their need to make progress

6． The writer says that when people see their flag they feel________．

A．peace B．pride C．love　　D．Both B and C

7． The most important thing about a flag is_________．

A．what it stands for　　 B． when it is used

C． what it is made of　　D． how big it is

　　One town of eleven hundred people took part in an experiment run by a watch company． The firm wanted to learn how much people needed clocks and watches． For two days and nights no one used a timepiece． The people "parked" their watches． All public clocks were covered with plastic or cardboard． No church bells chimed． And the fire whistle that usually blew at noon was silent．

　　A blast on the fire whistle marked the end of the experiment． The experts talked to 167 townsfolk． The people said they had become fretful and nervous when they didn't know the real (clock) time． Many weren't sure whether they were hungry or not．

1． The experiment was run by_______．

A． the town B． the fire brigade C． a watch company D． the local church

2． The experiment lasted__________．

A． a day　　B． a day and a night　　C． two days D． two days and nights

3． Church bells were not allowed to ring because_________．

A． they could chime the hoursB． they might awaken people

C．the project had to be silent　　D．the people were nervous

4． The signal that ended the experiment was ________．

A． a church bell ringing　　B． a whistle blast

C． the town clock chiming D． the removal of the covers

5．After the experiment the experts questioned________．

A． everyone taking part　　 B． a certain number of people

C． those who had had to work D． workers on an eight-hour shift

6．Living without clocks had made the people_______．

A．fretful and nervous　　B． hungry and thirsty

C．eager to buy watches D． early for work