（十一）
To find out whether bees（蜜蜂）can see colours, the following experiment is made. A round table is put in a garden, and on the table is a piece of blue cardboard¹（硬纸版）with a drop of syrup²（糖浆）on it. After a short time, bees come to the syrup. The bees then fly to their hive³（蜂房）and give the syrup to other bees in the hive. Then they return to the feeding-place which they have found. After a while, the blue cardboard with the syrup on it is taken away. Instead of this card, a blue card is now put on the left side of the first feeding-place and a red card to its right. These new cards have no syrup on them. Very soon bees arrive again, and fly straight to the blue card. None go to the red card.
Picture 1
1. How many cards do you need to prepare for the experiment?
 A. Two: one blue and one red            B. Three: two blue and one red
 C. Three: one blue and two red           D. Four: two blue and two red
2. If Picture 1 below shows the table top during Step 1 of the experiment, which of A, B, C, D in Picture 2 shows the table top during Step 2?
Picture 2
3. During Step 2 of the experiment, the bees go to ________.
 A. the blue card with syrup on it            B. the new blue card with no syrup on it
 C. the empty space where the original（原先的）blue card was
 D. the new blue card with syrup on it on the left of the red card
4. The experiment has proved（证明）that bees ________.
 A. cannot see colors            B. can see colors
 C. can not see blue              D. cannot see red
5. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
 A. Bees Love Blue                            B. Bees Love Syrup
 C. Bees, Color and Syrup                   D. Can Bees See Color?
Keys: 1－5 BCBBD
（十二）

 Now satellites⁵ are helping⁶ to forecast（预报）the weather. They are in space, and they can reach any part of the world. The satellites take pictures of the atmosphere（大气）, because this is where the weather forms（形成）. They send these pictures to the weather stations. So meteorologists（气象学家）can see the weather of any part of the world. From the pictures, the scientists can often say how the weather will change.
Today, nearly five hundred weather stations in sixty countries receive satellite⁴ pictures. When they receive new pictures, the meteorologists compare（比较）them with earlier ones. Perhaps they may find that the clouds have changed during the last few hours. This may mean that the weather on the ground may soon change, too. In their next weather forecast, the meteorologists can say this.
So the weather satellites are a great help to the meteorologists. Before satellites were invented, the scientists could forecast the weather for about 24 or 48 hours. Now they can make good forecasts for three or five days. Soon, perhaps, they may be able to forecast the weather for a week or more ahead（提前）.
1. Satellites travel _____________.
 A. in space                               B. in the atmosphere
 C. above the ground                   D. above space
2. Why do we use the weather satellites to take pictures of the atmosphere? Because __________.
 A. the weather satellites can do it easily             B. clouds form there
 C. the weather forms there                        D. the pictures can forecast the weather
3. Meteorologists forecast the weather __________.
 A. when they have received satellite pictures
 B. after they have compared new satellite pictures with earlier ones
 C. before they received satellite pictures
 D. during they study satellite pictures
4. Maybe we’ll soon be able to forecast the weather for ________.
 A. one day                              B. two days
 C. five days                            D. seven days or even longer
5. The main（主要的）idea of this passage is that satellites are now used in _________.
 A. taking pictures of the atmosphere             B. receiving pictures of the atmosphere
 C. doing other work in many ways              D. weather forecasting
Keys: 1-5 ACBDD
（十三）
 In almost every big university（大学）in the United⁷ States, football is a favourite sport. American football is different. Players sometimes kick the ball, but they also throw the ball and run with it. They try to take it to the other end of the field. They have four chances（机会）to move the ball ten yards（码）. They can carry it or they can throw it. If they move the ball ten yards, they can try to move it another ten yards. If they move it to the end of the field, they receive six points（点.
 It is difficult to move the ball. Eleven men on the other team try to stop the man with the ball. If he does not move the ball ten yards, his team kicks the ball the other team.
Each university wants its own team to win. Many thousands of people come to watch. They all shout for their favourite team.
 Young men and women come on the field to help the people shout more. They dance and jump while they shout.
 Each team plays ten or eleven games each season.
 The season begins in September and ends in November. If a team is very good, it may play another game after the season ends. The best teams play again on January 1, the first day of the New Year. Many people go to see these games and many others watch them on TV.
1. The passage talks about ___________.
 A. football                              B. how to play football
 C. American sport s                   D. American football
2. We can _______ the football in both American football and Chinese football.
 A. kick       B. throw       C. run with       D. catch
3. Why is it difficult to move the ball? Because ___________.
 A. ten yards is a long way
 B. many men on the other team try not to let the ball come near
 C. the playing field is very large
 D. eleven men have to catch the ball one by one
4. If they _________, the teams will play on January 1.
 A. receive six points                 B. play eleven games in the season
 C. are the best teams                 D. move the ball to the end of the field
5. Many people come to watch football and they want their team to win. Which of the following is not their act?
 A. Jumping     B. Dancing     C. Crying     D. Shouting
Keys: 1-5 DABCC
（十四）

 “Who has more questions, a teacher or a student?” About this question a great learned⁸ man told his student that nobody does but a teacher.
 The student got puzzled⁹. With a smile, the teacher drew two circles（圆）. Within（在……里面）the larger one is my knowledge of things, and within the smaller one is yours. Out of the circles is still unknown to both of us. Since mine is larger, as you can see, the line that marks out the circle is longer. That makes it clear that who has more chances（机会）to face something still unknown.
1. The great learned man believed that ________.
 A. a teacher has more questions               B. a student has more questions
 C. both a teacher and a student have questions
 D. everyone, except a teacher, has more questions
2. The student thought that ________.
 A. a student’s knowledge is less than his teacher’s because it comes from the teacher
 B. a teacher can not necessarily¹⁰ answer all the questions his students ask
 C. those who have less knowledge have more questions
 D. anyone who learns more has more questions
3. At the end of the story, the great learned man concluded（推断）that ________.
 A. a student should learn from his teacher
 B. a teacher does not have so many questions as his student
 C. a student knows more than his teacher
 D. a teacher has more chances to face what he doesn’t know
4. Which of the following topics can NOT express the idea of the story?
 A. You Will Never Learn Enough               B. A Teacher and His Student
 C. There Is No Limit to Knowledge              D. One Is Never Too Old to Learn
5. We can often find such an article in ________.
 A. the Palace Museum                          B. any book
 C. a newspaper of magazine                  D. An encyclopedia（百科全书）
Keys: 1－5 ACDBA
（十五）
Snow fell on the mountain. It snowed and snowed. The snow did not melt¹¹（融化）. It became deep and heavy. The snow on the bottom pressed （挤压）together., it became ice.
The ice was very wide and thick. It began to move down the mountain. It was like a river of ice. It was a glacier¹²（冰河）.
Sometimes the glacier moved only a few inches（英寸） each day. As it moved, it took rocks and dirt with it. It changed the land. In some places, it left hills. In some places, when the glacier melted¹³, it made rivers and lakes.
A million years ago, there were many big glaciers¹⁴. Glaciers covered many parts of the world. The glaciers changed the land.
Glaciers are still at work today. A glacier in the north of Canada is cutting a new path（路） down the side of a mountain. This glacier will change the land, too.
1. The snow that fell on the mountain
 A. became snowman      B. melted      C. became ice      D. turned to rain
2. The word in the story that means¹⁵ a river of ice is __________.
3. The story says, “The snow did not melt. It became deep and heavy”. The word it means ____.
4. Which of the following does this story lead you to believe?
 A. There are not as many glaciers as there used to be
 B. Glaciers do not change the land as they move over it.
 C. Glaciers are found only in warm places.
5. How fast did the glacier move? (Which sentence is exactly like the one in your book?)
 A. Sometimes the glacier moved only once a year.
 B. Sometimes the glacier moved over ten miles each day.
 C. Sometimes the glacier moved only a few inches each day.
6. The main idea of the whole story is that _______.
 A. snow is heavy         B. the high land never changes      C. glaciers changed the land
Key: 1.C  2. glacier  3.snow  3.A  4.C  5.C

（十六）
Long ago, people in Rome（罗马） talked to one another in Latin¹⁶（拉丁文）. Pupils in school learned to read and write in Latin. Books are in Latin.
Some Romans（罗马人） went to other parts of the world. They took their language with them. Soon Latin was used in many countries. It became a world language.
People in other countries did not talk in Latin the same way. In each land, they changed the language a little. As time went by, they made more changes. At last they did not talk in Latin any more. New languages had come from the old one.
People do not talk to one another in Latin today. But they still use many Latin words. You do, too. Street, wall, city, and salt are some of the Latin words we use. You are a pupil in school. Pupil is a Latin word. It means “little doll”.
1. Latin was used by people in _____.
 A. Rome     B. the United States     C. Greece(希腊)      D. Texas
2. The word in the story that means what people speak and write is ______
3. The story says, “People do not talk to each other in Latin today. But they still use many Latin words,” The word they means ________.
4. Which of the following does this story lead you to believe?
 A. It is not good to change a language.    B. Pupils in schools today play with dolls.
 C. Not many people can read Latin today.
5. What happened to Latin when it was taken to other countries?(which sentence is exactly like the one in your book?)
 A. In each land, people talked about each other.
 B. In each land, they changed the language a little
 C. In each land, the children had to speak some Latin.
6. The main idea of the whole story is that ________.
 A. Romans did not like to stay home
 B. people in old Rome talked a lot to each other.
 C. Latin changed as it moved from land to land.
Key: 1. A  2. language  3. people  4. C  5. B  6. C
（十七）

A Leg Walking Right
Here are some signs + - x…, the signs are very different. They mean very different things. When you see them, you know what to do. This sign + means that you will add some numerals. This sign—means that you will take one numeral away from another. You will subtract¹⁷（减去）. What will you do when you see x and… ?
Our signs are easy to read. They are easy signs to remember. Look at these two signs… .The ancient Egyptians used these signs. A picture of a leg walking to the left told them to add some numerals. A picture of a leg walking to the right told them to subtract.
In the 1500s people used this printed（印刷的） sign & to add numerals. After a while the sign began to look like this… .Later, the sign became +.
How much is 2…2?
1. What do you do when you see this sign +?
 A. Walk away      B. Write a numeral      C. Read a sign      D. Add
2. The word in the story that means to take one numeral away from another is _____.
3. The story says, “Our signs are easy to read. They are easy signs to remember”. The word they means ______.
4. Which of the following does this story lead to believe?
 A. Egyptians could not add numerals together            B. All Egyptians had two left legs.
 C. Our signs are not hard to understand
5. What did the sign to add numerals begin to look like(which sentence is exactly like the one in your book)?
 A. After a while, the sign began to look like this… .    
 B. After a while, the sign began to look like this +.
 C. After a while, the sign began to look like this &.
6. The main idea of the whole story is that ______.
 A. the signs for adding and subtracting¹⁸ have changed.
 B. People could not write in the 1500s
 C. the old signs were good for Egyptians but not for us
Key: 1.D 2.substract 3.signs 4.C 5.A 6.A
 (十八)
 Mexico's neighbours are the United States to the north and Guatemala and Belize to the south. Mexico is about one quarter of the size of the United States. Mexico has more than ninety million people. The language of Mexico is Spanish. This makes Mexico the world's largest Spanish-speaking country.
Mexico City is the capital and largest city of Mexico. The city is also very high. It is 7349 feet high (2240 metres). This makes it one of the highest capital cities in the world. The population, of Mexico City grows bigger every day. About thirty million people live there. It has more people than any other city in the world, even more than Tokyo.
Mexico also has its specialities¹⁹. Many of the foods we eat started in Mexico. Foods like beans, maize²⁰, avocados, tomatoes, peanuts²¹, chili²² peppers²³, vanilla²⁴, and chocolate come from Mexico. Mexico is also famous for its cactus²⁵ (仙人掌) plants. Mexico has more kinds of cactus than any other country.
(Words: 161 Minutes: 3 )

1. Mexico is ____the USA.
 A. on the south of         B. on the north of        C. a part of               D. as large as
2. Mexicans speak______.
 A. English                 C. French              B. Spanish                 D. Latin(拉丁语)
3. Which of the following is NOT true?
 A. Mexico City is the capital of Mexico.
 B. The population of Mexico City is 30,000,000.
 C. Tokyo is one of the cities with the largest population.
 D. Mexico City is the highest city in the world.
4. Tomatoes were originally²⁶ (最初) grown in ______.
 A. America       B. Spain      C. Tokyo       D. Mexico
5. The best title (题目) of the passage is ___.
 A. Mexico City         B. Mexico's plants     C. Mexico              D. Mexico's population
[Key] 1. A  2. B  3. D  4. D  5. C
（十九）
A Trip to the Forest
One day Bob took two of his friends in-to the mountains. They put up their tents (帐篷) and then rode off to a forest to see how the trees were growing.
In the afternoon when they were about ten kilometres from their camp(营地), it start-ed to snow. More and more snow fell. Soon Bob could hardly see his hands before his face. He could not find the road. Bob knew there were two roads. One road went to the camp, and the other went to his house. But all was white snow. Everything was the same. How could he take his friends back to the camp?
Bob had an idea. The horses! Let the horses take them back! But what would hap-pen if the horses took the road to his house? That would be a trip of thirty-five kilometres in such cold weather!
It was getting late. They rode on and on. At last the horses stopped. Where were they? None of them could tell. John looked around. What was that under the tree? It was one of their tents!
1. John and his two friends went to the forest to ____.
 A. build their camp                   B. find their way home
 C. enjoy the mountains in the snow      D. watch the trees in the forest
2. They could not find their way back be-cause ____.
 A. there was only one road to their camp
 B. they couldn't decide which of the two roads led to their tents
 C. there were no roads in the mountains at all
 D. everything was covered by the white snow
3. It is clear that they wanted the horses to take them to ____.
 A. John's house        B. the camp              C. the forest          D. the mountains
4. The horses stopped because____.
 A. it was getting late                       B. they were tired after running for a long way
 C. they knew that they had got to the camp     D. they had seen John's house
5. The story happened ____.
 A. on a cold winter day                 B. on a dark snowy evening
 C. in a cold camp far from villages        D. at night when nothing could be seen
[Key] 1. D  2. D  3. B  4. C  5. A
（二十）
Two farmers were on their way home one evening after a hard day's work. Both were tired. They happened to look up at the sky and saw a black cloud overhead²⁷.
"Ah!" said one farmer, "tomorrow we shall have rain and the rice will grow well." The second answered, "Nonsense²⁸ (胡说), the rain will only kill the crops (庄稼)."
So they began to quarrel (争吵). Just then a third farmer came along and asked them why they were quarreling. Both farmers explained about the black cloud.
"What cloud?" asked the third farmer. They all looked at the sky. The cloud was no longer there.
Choose the right answer
1. The two farmers were _____. 
 A. going home     B. going to the field     C. going to work   D. going to see their friend
2. The two farmers _____ on that day.
 A. had a holiday               B. didn't work
 C. worked hard                D. wanted to quarrel with each other
3. When there are black block clouds in the sky, _____.
 A. it will rain soon               B. it will be fine
 C. it will get hot                 D. the sun is shining brightly
4. The two farmers fought in words because _____.
 A. they were hungry                      B. it rained
 C. one said the rain would do good to the crops and the other didn't think so
 D. they both hoped for rain
5. The third farmer came with and said to the other two. He _____.
 A. wanted to make friends with them              B. joined them in the quarrel
 C. wanted to know why they were quarreling       D. had nothings to do
6. How many farmers said that the rain would be helpful? _____.
 A. None     B. One     C. Two     D. Three
Keys: ACACCB