Would you like to spend your vacation traveling by balloon（气球）？The first balloon trip took place in France in 1783. It lasted only eight minutes.

   About a year later .An American and a Frenchman decided to cross the channel.(海峡) They discovered a hole in the balloon .It grew bigger and bigger ，the gas keeping the balloon up was escaping (giving off ), so the men threw all their belongings (财物) into the water to make the balloon lighter . It started to rise higher again , but it was still too close to the water. Finally the men threw away most of their clothes to save themselves, the crowd waiting for them in England were very surprised when the balloon landed.

21. The men threw most of their clothes away _________.

    A. to get ready to jump into the sea       B . because it was too hot that day

    C .because the balloon was going down   D . to save their clothes

22.The crowd waiting for them were surprised because _______

A . the men threw all their belongs into the water

B. the gas keeping the balloon up was escaping

C . the hole in the balloon was gone

D . the two men had almost nothing on when they landed

23. Why was it too close to the water when they had thrown all their belongs?

A . because they wanted to land. 

B . because they were too fat

C . because they wanted to do so

D . because there was something wrong with the balloon

   We have talked about snails(蜗牛) and their slow move. But much of the time nails don’t move at all. They are in their shells--- sleeping.

   Hot sun will dry out a snail’s body. So at the least sign of hot sun, a snail draws its body into its shell. A snail will die in a heavy rain. So when it rains, a snail does the same thing, too. A snail can sleep for as long as it needs to. It spends all the winter months in its shell, asleep.

   In spring the snail wakes up. Its body, about three inches long, comes out of the shell. When hungry, the snail looks for food. Its eyes, at the end of the top feelers(触角), are very weak. But its sense(感觉) of smell is very strong. It helps the snail to find food and new greens.

    A snail’s mouth is no bigger than the point of a pin(大头针). Yet it has 256,000 teeth! The teeth are very small, and you can’t see them. If you put a snail in a hard paper box, it will eat its way out! And if a snail wears out its teeth, it will grow new ones.

24. A snail _________.

             A. moves more slowly at night .    B. has thousands of feet

             C. doesn’t move at all            D. sleeps much of the time

25. In the sentence “A snail draws its body into its shell”, the word “draw” means ____.

             A. to make with a pencil  B. to push                 C. to pull       D. to move away

26. From the story, we know _______.

             A. a snail’s shell is very thin       B. a snail can’t see well

             C. a snail’s nose is quite short     D. a snail’s body changes in different seasons

27.A snail goes to sleep when ____.

A. It feels hungry               B. It is put into a paper box

C. Spring is coming             D. It rains heavily

Dear Disney, Last weekend, the four members of my family spent an enjoyable holiday at the Magic Kingdom—Disneyland. And one event made our visit seem truly magical. We got to the front of the line at Space Mountain, only to find out that our little daughter Gloria couldn't take her ice-cream on the ride. We were so excited that we all forgot ice-cream was not allowed on the ride. Gloria broke into tears and we all had no idea what to do. Then Murphy, one of the staff (员工) members, came over. She bent down and told Gloria that she would hold the ice-cream for her and give it to her when she finished the ride. Gloria said, "Promise?" Then she gave Murphy her ice-cream, and she completely enjoyed the ride. Sure enough, as we walked out the exit, there was Gloria's new friend with "her" ice-cream. Now you and I both know what happened, because we know that an ice-cream won't last twenty minutes on a summer afternoon in Florida. Murphy knew what time we would get off the ride; she went to the nearest shop and bought a brand-new ice-cream thirty seconds before we walked out the exit. Gloria said, "Thank you," but I'm sure she thought it was the same ice-cream. We know that someone tried hard to make our visit special. Thanks so much for going above and beyond!

                                            Your fan,                                                                                                                                                                                

                                            Carmen Rivera

28. Before the ride, Gloria cried because ________.

A. she couldn't find her parents in the line 

B. she was too little to take the ride

C. she couldn't take her ice-cream on the ride

D. she had to wait for twenty minutes

29. Murphy was waiting for Gloria ________ after the ride.

A. in the ice-cream shop         B. at the exit

C. in the front of the line        D. at the entrance

30. In order to keep the promise, Murphy ________.

A. took Gloria to the nearest shop       

B. asked her new friend to help Gloria

C. helped Gloria get off the ride      

D. bought a new ice-cream for Gloria

31. Carmen Rivera wrote the letter to ________.

A. order ice-creams               B. promise to visit again

C.  express her thanks            D. give some suggestions

Mom and Dad are two of the most important people in your life. You probably see at least one of them every day. If your dad worships (崇拜) the Pittsburgh Steelers, you’re likely to grow up being a big fan of that football team. And if your mom loves to read, you just might grow up carrying a book wherever you go, just like she does.

Here are four ways you can stay close and build a strong relationship with your parents.

1. Spend time together. How much time do you spend just enjoying each other’s company? Instead of playing a computer game or watching TV, maybe you can ask your mom and dad to play with you. Go outside together, try a board game, or read a book out.

2. Share your feelings and ask for help. Your mom or dad might not know that you’re having a problem. Tell a parent if you’re sad or struggling with something.

3. Show your care. Some families are always kissing, hugging, and saying “I love you”. It’s important to show that you care for each other. In addition to kisses and hugs, kids and parents show their love by respecting each other, being caring, polite, and thoughtful.

4. Whatever you do, do your best! You don’t have to be perfect, but when you do your best, you make your parents proud. It makes them happy to see how you’re turning into such a great kid. Why? Because it lets them know they’re doing a good job.

32. The first paragraph mainly tells us ______.

A. the Pittsburgh Steelers is a famous football team

B. the kid will like reading if his or her mother likes

    C. parents influence their kids greatly

D. we should follow our parents’ hobbies

33. In the third paragraph, the author suggests that ______.

    A. you keep your parents company all the time

    B. you stay at home with your parents

    C. you enjoy games when your parents watch TV

D. you do something together with your parents

34. The underlined part “they’re doing a good job” means ______.

    A. they have very good jobs

    B. their jobs can bring the family much money

C. they make you become a great kid

    D. they make you find a good job 

35. The text intends to tell us ______.

    A. parents are important to everyone         B. how we get along with our parents

C. to respect our parents                 D. to share feelings with our parents

How to Make Friends

Friendship is a very important human relationship and everyone needs good friends.  Good friendship has many benefits. There are times in our lives such as when we have recently moved into a new town, or changed our jobs or schools. Such changes often leave us without a friend.  _36_.  But for many of us the process is difficult and requires courage. Below are some helpful suggestions on how to make and keep friends.

    1. Associate with others.

  The first step to making friends is associating with other people. You can go to public places to meet new people. Besides, you will need to make yourself known by becoming an active member of such places.

  2. Start a conversation

  Starting a conversation is the second most important step in making new friends.   _37_. You can always start the conversation.  Being able to make small talk is a very useful skill in relating with other people. 

3.    38  

  Choosing friends with common interests is important in building friendship as these interests would always bring you and your friend together, Hanging out will always be a pleasant experience.

4.      Let it grow.

  It is a good thing to stay in touch.  However, try not to press your new friend with calls, messages or visits as this would likely wear him or her out and finally you may lose your friend.    39   . The best friendships are the ones that grow naturally.

5.      Enjoy your friendship

  The best way to enjoy your friendship is to allow your friends to be themselves.    40_. Try not to change them from who they are to what you want them to be. Become the kind of friend you will want your friend to be to you.

A.  Be cheerful.         

B.  Do things together.        

C.  Do not wait to be spoken to.         

D.  Try not to find fault with your friends.

E.  Making new friends comes easy for some people.

F.  For a friendship to develop you need to stay in touch.

G.  So you will need to give your friend time to react to you.