The nervous-looking young man had waited for a few moments—outside the jeweler’s before he got enough courage to enter. He was warmly greeted by a young assistant. James felt a rush of blood to his face as he explained he would be bringing in his future wife to choose a birthday present. The assistant listened carefully and told him he’d better buy a necklace. He wasn’t used to buying jewellery and was a little worried about over-spending. After some discussion as to a reasonable price and the type, the assistant showed him dozens of necklaces and helped him to choose. At last James chose one and left the shop promising to return at five o’clock. When, half an hour later than planned, James did return to the shop with his future wife, Laura, the assistant acted as if she had never seen him before. When she was asked to show them some necklaces, she first brought out some inexpensive ones for them to choose, and then gave them the one she had prepared. A choice was soon made and they went away satisfied. James would certainly come back to buy what he wanted.
1. A good title for this passage is________.
      A. A Clever Assistant                       B. Buying a Birthday Present
      C. How to Choose a Necklace               D. A Brave Young Man
2. When James told the assistant why he wanted to buy a present, his face________.
      A. turned pale                                  B. turned red       

      C. turned yellow                               D. turned black
3. James and Laura reached the shop at ________. 

      A. 4:30                      B.5:00                  C.5:30                 D.6:00
4. James would come back to buy what he wanted because_______.
      A. the assistant knew how to satisfy the people who came to buy things
      B. the necklace was good
      C. Laura liked the necklace
      D. the assistant who served James was very beautiful

      Once upon a time, there was a beautiful bird, which was very curious about hell. When she was little, her mother always told her that if she didn’t master the flying skills, she would go to hell. She was so curious about hell that she always asked others what hell looked like, but no one was sure, because none of them had ever been there. Some said hell was a place full of water, and others told her that hell was full of burning fire. However, the bird knew they were lying. She wanted to find out what hell was.

      When other birds were learning flying skills, she always hid herself and watched them. She thought in this way she could go to hell and see what hell looked like. However, she spent so little time learning flying skills that one day she was caught by a little boy. The little boy gave her to his grandpa in the countryside as a gift. The old man liked her very much. He made a delicate cage and put her in it. The bird was very worried because she thought she couldn’t find out what hell was like staying in this small cage. However, she couldn’t escape. Day after day, she just stayed in the cage, watching other birds flying. She lost her freedom and she became sadder and sadder.     At last, she became ill. The old man finally opened the cage, but she was too weak to fly. Lying on the ground, she thought of the question that she ever asked all the time.

      “What does hell look like?”

      “Hell is a small well-decorated cage.” Before she closed her eyes forever, she finally answered that question herself.

5. What does the underlined word “master” in the first paragraph mean?

      A. Miss.         B. Finish.       C. Follow.            D. Learn well.

6. Why did the bird hide herself when other birds were learning flying skills?

      A. Because she was lazy.

      B. Because she didn’t like learning flying skills.

      C. Because she thought she could go to hell by doing this.

      D. Because she thought she didn’t have to learn flying skills.

7. According to the passage, the bird at last found that ___________.

      A. hell was a place full of water.       

B. hell was a place full of burning fire

      C. there was no hell        

D. hell was a small well-decorated cage

      A drunken burglar（盗贼）in the Orrell Park area of Liverpool, ended up leaping out of a window after a 10-year-old girl asked him to prove he was a superhero.

      The drunken thief who pretended he was Superman to stop a child raising the alarm has been caught after he leapt from the apartment building in his pants to make the girl convinced.

      Thief Ethan Adamson, 25, told police that he had broken into a fifth-floor flat after a drinking session, believing it was empty.

      But he was horrified when the owner’s 10-year-old daughter woke up while he was there.

      From his hospital bed, the thief told reporters, “To keep her quiet, I told her I was really Superman and I’d soon be flying off back to my secret headquarters.”

      “She called my bluff (吓唬) and told me, ‘If you’re Superman, show me you can fly or I’ll scream’.

      “I had no choice so I stripped to my pants to look more like a superhero and went to the window. I saw another roof below and I thought I could make it but it turned out to be a lot further down than thought. I know it doesn’t make sense but it did to me when I was drunk.”

      Police later found him on the roof in just his yellow pants, covered in cuts and bruises after a baffled neighbor heard his cries of pain.

      He now faces seven years behind bars for burglary.

      Police spokesman Frank Amado said, “ He was in quite a serious state and couldn’t move until we got up there using ladders. He was treated for his injuries and we got him some fresh clothes, before taking him to hospital where he is being kept under guard until he is well enough to be arrested.”

8. What does the underlined part in the passage mean?

   A. I could land safely on the roof.             

B. I could make the girl trust me.

  C. I could prove I was a superhero.             

D. I could make a successful escape.

9. What’s the right order of the event?

   a. Ethan Adamson told reporters of the burglary.

   b. The 10-year-old girl called Ethan Adamson’s bluff.

   c. Ethan Adamson attended a drinking session.

   d. Ethan Adamson leapt out of a window.

   A. cabd            B. dbca        C. cbda       D. dcab

10. Which of the following is TRUE?

      A. Adamson was set free a few days after staying in hospital.

      B. Adamson was badly treated before he was rushed to hospital.

      C. Adamson was being watched while he was in hospital.

      D. Adamson was sent to the police station before he’s taken to hospital.

11. What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage?

   A. To report on a joking burglary   

   B. To call our attention to the burglary.

   C. To explain how the burglar was caught. 

   D. To look back on an adventure story.

      It’s a popular belief that a fish’s memory lasts for only seven seconds. It may seem sad to think that they don’t remember what they’ve eaten or where they’ve been, and they don’t recognize you or any of their friends --- every moment in their life would be like seeing the world for the first time.

      But don’t be so quick to feel sorry for them. A new study has found that fish have a much better memory than we used to think. In fact, certain species of fish can even remember events from as long as 12 days ago.

      In the study, researchers from MacEwan University in Canada trained a kind of fish called African cichlids to go to a certain area of their tank to get food. They then waited for 12 days before putting them back in the tank again.

      Researchers used computer software to monitor the fish’s movements. They found that after such a long break the fish still went to the same place where they first got food. This suggested that they could remember their past experiences.

     In fact, scientists had been thinking for a long time that African cichlids might have a good memory. An earlier study showed that they behaved aggressively（挑衅地）in front of certain fish, perhaps because they remembered their past “fights”. But until the latest findings, there was no clear evidence.

      Just as a good memory can make our lives easier, it also plays an important part when a fish is trying to survive in the wild.

      “If fish are able to remember that a certain area contains safe food, they will be able to go back to that area without putting their lives at risks,” lead researcher Trevor Hamilton told Live Science.

      For a long time, fish were placed far below chimpanzees, dolphins and mice on the list of smart animals. But this study has given scientists a new understanding of their intelligence.

12. What is the article mainly about?

   A. Fish having very bad memories.

   B. Fish being smarter than we thought.

   C. How fish improve their memory.

   D. What we can learn from fish.

13. According to the article, people used to believe that _______.

   A. fish could only remember part of their past experiences

   B. fish could remember things that happened 12 days ago

   C. a fish’s memory lasted for only seven minutes

   D. fish didn’t recognize any of their friends

14. How can fish benefit most from a good memory? They can remember _______.

   A. where to get food and survive

   B. their enemies and fight

   C. where to escape to when in danger

   D. their friends and help each other

15. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

   A. Fish behave aggressively in a fight.

   B. Fish can remember more.

   C. Fish don’t belong to the list of smart animals.

   D. Only African cichlids have a good memory.

      The eyes are the windows of the soul. Having a pair of bright, clear eyes is very important, so we should protect our eyes throughout our lives.

           16     Don’t read while lying down or walking. Relax after every hour of reading.

      Keep a distance from the TV set when you watch TV and give your eyes a rest every 30 minutes.

      Don’t stare at the sun or try to read in the darkness.      17    This can damage your eyes easily.

      Get your eyes checked often. Not many people have this habit, but it is necessary. If you feel that there is something wrong with your eyes, get them checked quickly.     18         

           19    You can close your eyes for a few seconds or look into the distance for one or two minutes. A small break will relax your eyes and help to stop you from getting eye problems.

      Be careful when you choose your glasses.     20    . Make sure your glasses are right for you . If they don’t feel right, get your glasses changed.

A. Develop good reading habits.

B. Rest your eyes whenever you can.

C. Make sure you get enough sleep every night.

D. Glasses that aren’t suitable for you could bring you trouble.

E. Even if you’re wearing sunglasses, never look directly at the sun.

F. Eye problem can be found and treated early with regular checks.

G. Drink green tea every day as a way to protect your eyes against eye problems.