Welcome to the SPORTS POD

Are you looking for the lastest scores?

Do you want more information about your favorite players?

Would you like to connect with crazy fans just like you?

Do you want to play the games as well as your favorite players?

You’ve come to the right place! The SPORTS POD is the only sports website you’ll ever need.

The SPORTS POD has more special parts than any other website out there, including:

I        Live scores from baseball, football, basketball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, table tennis, and other sports around the world

I        scoring advice that can help you improve your game

I        message boards where you can share opinions with other fans

I        personal home pages that allow you to follow the information of your favorite teams and players

You are just ONE CLICK(点击) away!

YES, join in right away!

No thanks, not right now.

«        New users can use the SPORTS POD completely FREE for the first 90 days of their membership(会员资格).

21. What can we learn about the SPORTS POD?

   A. It’s the first sports website.

   B. It’s free for all its members.

   C. It was set up by some sports fans.

   D. It has information about lots of sports.

22. What can sports fans do on the SPORTS POD?

A. Get a ticket to watch their favorite game.

   B. Connect with their favorite players.

   C. Join in their favorite teams.

   D. Learn how to play sports better.

23. What’s the main purpose of the text?

A. To introduce different sports to people.

   B. To tell people to join in the SPORTS POD.

   C. To tell people how to be better players.

   D. To encourage people to do more exercise.

  Sammy and his elder sister Marie visited their grandparents at their farm. Sammy picked up a slingshot(弹弓) to play with. He practiced in the woods but he could never hit the goal. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for lunch. As he was walking back, he saw Grandma’s pet duck.

All of a sudden, Sammy let the slingshot fly and the duck was hit on the head and died. Felling shocked and nervous, he hid the dead duck in the woods. Marie had seen it all from the window, but she said nothing. After the lunch, Grandma said, “Marie, let’s wash the dishes.” Maries said, “But Grandma, Sammy told me that he wanted to help in the kitchen.”

Then she whispered (小声说) to Sammy, “Remember the duck?” Sammy got nervous knowing his sister knew about the duck. He was clear that if he didn’t listen to her, she would tell their grandparents about it. So without saying anything, Sammy did the dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing, but Grandma said, “I’m sorry but I need Marie to help make dinner.” Marie just smiled and said, “Well, that’s all right because Sammy told me he wanted to help.”

She whispered again to Sammy, “Remember the duck?” Therefore, Marie went fishing and Sammy stayed to help. After several days of Marie taking advantage of (利用) Sammy, he finally couldn’t stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and said that he had killed the duck.

Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, “Sweetheart, I know. I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Marie take advantage of you.”

24. What did Sammy do after he killed the duck?

A. He told his sister the truth.        B. He tried to keep it a secret.

C. He asked his Grandpa for help.        D. He apologized to his Grandma at once.

25. Why did Marie say nothing when she saw Sammy kill the duck?

A. She wanted to take advantage of him.

B. She wanted to teach Sammy a lesson.

C. She was afraid Grandma would be sad.

D. She was afraid Sammy would be punished.

26. Why did Sammy tell his Grandma the truth at last?

A. Because he dislike doing housework.

B. Because his Grandma would forgive him.

C. Because he was sorry for what he had done.

D. Because he couldn’t stand Maries’ ill purpose any more.

27. What does the story mainly tell us to do?

A. Take action to protect animals.      

B. Always trust our family members.

C. Forgive others when they do something wrong.

D. Admit our mistake to avoid being taken advantage of.

Rice farmers in Thailand are facing a large drop in income because of the drop in the price of rice throughout Asia. At the same time, costs to grow the crop（庄稼）are increasing. Farmers are not sure who to ask for help. Many of them are having a difficult time this year. Some of them may not even make enough money to pay their costs to grow the crop.

Lung Chai is a rice farmer in Chiang Mai. He says the situation has affected all farmers. He says he is losing money, but does not know who to talk to about it. “No one would hear our voice.” He says.

Thailand faces strong competition for rice exports（出口）from India and Vietnam. This is partly because of lower pay in neighboring countries and large expected harvests this year.

A recent study paid for by the Bank of Thailand said Thai farmers should be trained to portend market changes, so they would know what to do next. Singhachi Boonyayotin is a senior director of the Bank of Thailand. He said Thailand should produce other products besides white rice to compete with Vietnam and Cambodia.

Wachirajak Nin-khuntod wanted to help his father who is a rice farmer. He began selling crops on the Internet as a way to increase income. He said, “My parents didn’t believe that I would be able to sell rice on social media, as most farmers believe we can sell rice to middlemen or rice factories only.” Now, he says, his parents know that they can sell their own rice without a middleman.

Perhaps other farmers in Thailand can also do that. It might be a good way to help them out.

28. What is troubling rice farmers now?

   A. Their harvests greatly dropped this year.

   B. They can’t find rice factories to sell the crop.

   C. They are having a difficult time in growing crops.

   D. They make too little or no money out of their harvests.

29. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “portend” in paragraph 4?

   A. predict            B. cause        C. prevent       D. affect

30. How did Wachirajak Nin-khuntod’s parents respond to his idea at first?

   A. They quite doubted it.               B. They stopped worrying.

   C. They greatly supported it.            D. They were strongly against it.

31. What may be the suggestions to help Thai farmers according to the text?

   ①Selling crops online.                 

②Growing different kinds of crops.

   ③Reducing crop prices to sell them.  

④Gaining information on market changes.

 ⑤Reducing rice exports to other countries.

A.     ①②③        B. ①③⑤      C. ①②④       D. ②③④

Most middle school students in the U.S. go to school for at least 990 hours a year. Beginning this fall, some schools in Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Tennessee will add 300 hours to the school year.

Supporters of a longer school year say that kids who spend more time in class get better grades. They worry that kids in countries who spend more time at school or studying are better prepared to start college or find jobs after graduation.

“Schools need more teaching time if they are going to prepare students to be more successful in the 21st century.” says Luis Ubinas of the Ford foundation, which supports a longer year.

Jennifer Davis, president of the National Center on Time & Learning, says that many schools use the added time to provide extra help, like computer science and music.

However, some people don’t think adding time to the school year means that students will learn more or get better grades. A recent study by the Center for Public Education found that kids in some countries, including Finland and Japan, do better than U.S. students on standardized tests even though they spend less time in the classroom.

Other people argue that adding time to the school year is too expensive. With towns across the country facing budget cuts(预算削减), many schools simply can’t afford to pay teachers to work the extra hours.

Tina Bruno, the director of the Coalition for a Traditional School Calendar, says that kids need time to play sports, take part in after-school activities, and learn new things on their own.

“Before lengthening(延长) class time and taking away outside learning chances,” Bruno says , “let’s make the most of every minute in their present school day.”

32. This fall, students in Colorada, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Tennessee will _______.

A. get better grades

B. have more class time

C. have a chance to find jobs

D. meet friends from Finland and Japan

33. What is Lui Ubinas’ attitude towards adding time to the school year?

A. He doubts it.

B. He agree with it.

C. He is worried about it.

D. He doesn’t care about it.

34. According to the text, Tina Bruno thinks it is most important to _______.

A. pay the teachers much money to work the extra hours

B. add class time to help students to get better grades

C. allow students to go outside to learn new things

D. make full use of students’ current school time

35. What does this text mainly discuss?

  A. More time in school?            B. Better grades in school?

C. Start school or find jobs?         D. Learn more outside class?

    How to pick a great book to read

 The world is full of great books, just waiting to be read. How can you pick one you’ll really like? Here are some tips:

What makes you happy?

 _36__ Are you really fond of dinosaurs or dogs or a specific person? Are there a few careers you’re interested in? You can find books about almost anything you like, and you’re more likely to enjoy reading a book if you’re already interested in its subject.

Fact or fiction?

 Some books are entirely made up and imagined. Those are called fiction books. Novels and short stories are all examples of fiction. These books can transport you to another world or help you image something beyond your own experience.

Non-fiction books give you the who, what, when and why. __37__ Non-fiction books can bring everything to life from the first trip to the moon to the exploration of the deepest oceans. Try both fiction and non-fiction books to see which you like better.

Find a family favorite.

 What was your mother’s favorite book when she was your age/ or your dad’s? __38__ Then you can talk about what they liked about it and share your thoughts, it’s a fun way to get to know your family a little better, and to find a book you’ll enjoy!

Ask an expert.

___39__ Tell a librarian about your interests – rock stars, sports teams, historical events, whatever you like and the names of some books you already enjoy. Your librarian can help you find other books that you’re sure to love.

Launch a book swap(交换).

  __40__ It’s always fun to see what your friends are reading. Even if they’re not exactly bookworms, you can all encourage each other to read and share books and authors you like. You also can look for books swaps in your area. It’s a great way to build your personal library for free!

A. Ask them and give it a read.

B. Many of them read novels from start to finish.

C. Why not get some friends together and trade favorite books?

D. If you have a favorite hobby, look for books about that activity.

E. They tell stories using facts but that doesn’t mean they’re boring.

F. Read the passage and decide for yourself whether it seems knowledgeable.

G. Your local library is a great place to find books that you’ll love, and you don’t have

to search all by yourself.