It was a hot summer day. My dad and I were getting ready to go out for a ride on the boat. Just then the phone call came, the call changed that sunny and beautiful day into a cold and dark one.

When I saw my father answering the phone, he was crying. I’d never seen my dad cry before. My heart sank. What possibly could happen?

“Max, I’m so sorry,” I heard him say. That’s when it hit me. I knew that Suzie had died.

Max has been my dad’s best friend for years. Suzie, his daughter, had a serious illness. She knew she was different from other kids. Although she couldn’t live a normal life, she was still happy.

When Suzie and I were little girls, we spent quite a bit of time together. When Suzie was ten, she had to live in a hospital. About eight months before she died, we talked at least twice a week on the phone until the end. Suzie was always so excited to talk to me and wanted to know everything I did and every thing I ate.

When Suzie and I first started calling each other, I thought it would be more of a burden on me, but I was completely wrong. I learned so much from her. She gave me more than I could ever give her. I will never forget her or the talks we had. I now know that I must never take anything for granted, especially my health and the gift of life.

1.That phone call on a summer day made the author very _________.

A. sad              B. dark             C. cold              D. disappointed

2.Which of the following is Not true?

A. The author’s day had never cried before.

B. Max was the best friend of the author’s dad.

C. Suzie was in bad health, so she was always unhappy.

D. Suzie enjoyed talking to the author on the phone.

3.The underlined word “it” probably refers to _________.

A. all the talks between Suzie and the author on the phone

B. Suzie’s serious illness

C. Suzie’s death

D. the first talk between Suzie and the author on the phone

4.Which is the best title for the passage?

A. The Gift of Life                                                B. A Cold Dark Day

C. Suzie’s Death                                                  D. My Friend Suzie

It is not easy for people to sail (航海) around the world in quite small boats. Sometimes the weather gets bad. Accidents can happen easily and quickly.
One family once had an accident. A big fish swam under their boat and bit holes in it. Sea water came in and the boat soon went down. Luckily these people had another small boat——a lifeboat, so they all got into the lifeboat. They lived in the boat for many days. They ate and slept, and always hoped. At last people in a ship saved them.
How do people live in a very small lifeboat for a long time? They must be strong in every way, they must have a hope, and they must have a strong desire（愿望）to live. People cannot drink seawater. If they drink a lot of sea water, they will quickly die. They must catch rainwater and drink it. They must also catch fish and birds for food. Lifeboats do not often carry cookers. So people can not cook their food in the lifeboats. Raw (生的) fish and birds are not very nice but they are their only food. They must eat raw food, or they will die.
【小题1】When the boat sank (下沉), the lifeboat gave the people _______.

It is not easy for people to sail (航海) around the world in quite small boats. Sometimes the weather gets bad. Accidents(事故) can happen easily and quickly.

One family once had an accident. A big fish swam under their boat and bit holes(洞) in it. Sea water came in and the boat soon went down. Luckily these people had another small boat——a lifeboat, so they all got into the lifeboat. They lived in the boat for many days. They ate and slept, and always hoped. At last people in a ship saved them.

How do people live in a very small lifeboat for a long time? They must be strong in every way. They must have a hope, and they must have a strong desire（愿望）to live. People cannot drink seawater. If they drink a lot of sea water, they will quickly die. They must catch rainwater and drink it. They must also catch fish and birds for food. Lifeboats do not often carry cookers. So people cannot cook their food in the lifeboats. Raw (生的) fish and birds are not very nice but they are their only food. They must eat raw food, or they will die.

1.When the boat sank (下沉), the lifeboat gave the people _______.

A. food????????? ????????????? B. beds????????? ????????????? ????????????? C. rainwater???? ????????????? ????????????? D. hope

2.One family once had an accident at sea, because _______.

A. their boat met bad weather

B. their boat hit a big rock and it was broken

C. none of them knew how to sail

D. a fish bit holes in their boat

3.People can catch _______ for food and drink at sea in a lifeboat.

A. fish and birds??????????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B. rainwater

C. both sea water and rainwater??????? ????????????? ????????????? D. both A and B

4.Lifeboats do not often carry cookers. The word "cookers" here means ________.

A. 厨师?????????? B. 食物????????? ????????????? ????????????? C. 炊具????????? ????????????? D. 大盒子

5.From the article (文章) we can know that ______.

A. It’s not interesting to sail around the world

B. Fish in the sea are so dangerous

C. we must have a strong desire（愿望）to live when we are in danger

D. Nobody knows when we will die

It is not easy for people to sail (航海) around the world in quite small boats. Sometimes the weather gets bad. Accidents can happen easily and quickly.

One family once had an accident. A big fish swam under their boat and bit holes in it. Sea water came in and the boat soon went down. Luckily these people had another small boat——a lifeboat, so they all got into the lifeboat. They lived in the boat for many days. They ate and slept, and always hoped. At last people in a ship saved them.

How do people live in a very small lifeboat for a long time? They must be strong in every way, they must have a hope, and they must have a strong desire（愿望）to live. People cannot drink seawater. If they drink a lot of sea water, they will quickly die. They must catch rainwater and drink it. They must also catch fish and birds for food. Lifeboats do not often carry cookers. So people can not cook their food in the lifeboats. Raw (生的) fish and birds are not very nice but they are their only food. They must eat raw food, or they will die.

1.When the boat sank (下沉), the lifeboat gave the people _______.

A．food             B．beds             C．rainwater         D．hope

2.One family once had an accident at sea, because _______.

A．their boat met bad weather               B．their boat hit a big rock and it was broken

C．nobody knew how to sail                  D．a fish bit holes in their boat

3. People can catch _______ for food and drink at sea in a lifeboat.

A. fish and birds                    B rainwater

C. both sea water and rainwater        D. both A and B

4.From the article (文章) we can know that ______.

A．It’s not interesting to sail around the world.

B．Fish in the sea are so dangerous.

C．we must have a strong desire（愿望）to live when we are in danger.

D．Nobody knows when we will die.

    Europeans are being dug out from heavy snow after a week of very cold weather. The snowstorm is the harshest to hit Europe. Airports were shut down. And schools have been closed for a week.

    Until Wednesday, at least 400 people across Europe had died because of the cold temperature. Several countries have said a state of emergency. In Ukraine, temperatures dropped as low as -33℉.

    Although the situation is bad, at least one country is hoping the weather will last a little longer. In the Netherlands, the government is preparing for the country’s “11 Cities Tour”. The 125-mile ice-skating marathon will be held along a network which joins 11 towns and cities together in Friesland Province.

    The ice along the way must be inches thick for the event. Up to 2 million people are thought to cheer on the race’s 16,000 competitors.

    On Wednesday, Dutch soldiers joined in the preparations. They cleaned snow along the way. This will be the 16^th time that the event has taken place since the first race in 1909. Dutch General Hans said his soldiers were happy to lend a hand. “We want to do our bit for this national party.” he said.

1.What is “11 Cities Tour”?

A. It’s a 125-mile ice skating marathon.

B. It’s a 11-mile ice skating marathon.

C. It’s a 16000-mile ice skating marathon.

D. It’s a 33-mile ice skating marathon.

2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Thousands of people across Europe died because of the weather.

B. The ice should be less than 6 inches thick for the event.

C. No country is glad to see the cold weather.

D. The first “11 Cities Tour” began in 1909.

3.Who helped clean snow along the way?

A. French soldiers                      B. Dutch soldiers 

C. Ukrainian soldiers               D. American soldiers

4.The underlined word “harshest” means _______ in the passage.

A. safest       B. most enjoyable       C. most serious         D. happiest

5.The passage is mainly about______.

A. the hard situation Europe faces

B. the European cold weather

C. preparations for a national party

D. the coldest season in Europe