Different from popular thoughts, colds are not caused by bad weather. Colds are caused by viruses
(病毒) in the body, and you are better out on the snowy day than you are in a warm room, with your
friends, who just may be passing the virus around. If you feel a chill (寒冷) when you are coming down
with a cold, you are already sick. A chill is an early sign of the cold.
      The virus can spread through air when a cold-sufferer (感冒患者) coughs or sneezes. Surprisingly,
this is not the most usual way of spreading, Many studies have now shown that most colds are "caught"
by hands. A cold-sufferer rubs her nose, so spreading the virus to her hand. Then a friend comes to visit
her. They shake their hands. The friend then gets something to eat by hand, and several days later she
catches a cold. Although some parents pick up their children's tissues (纸巾) and carefully throw them
away, they fail to wash their hands. They'll catch the colds, too.
      Cold viruses can also be spread by objects, for example, telephones, plates. The cold-sufferer as well
as other members of the house, by washing their hands often, will stop the viruses from spreading in a way.

1. Colds are caused by ______.

A. bad weather
B. viruses
C. chill
D. your friends

2. The word "spread" means ______.

3. Which of the following sentences is true in the passage?

A. An early sign of the cold is viruses in the body.
B. The virus can't spread through air.
C. Objects can spread cold viruses, too.
D. Few colds are "caught" by hands.

4. People catch colds easily because they ______.

A. rub their noses
B. shake their hands
C. pick up their children's tissues
D. can't often wash their hands

A. washing hands is a way to keep us from catching colds
B. colds are caused by bad weather
C. the cold-sufferer shakes hands with her friends
D. we should stay in a warm room on the snowy day

     Since the earliest times, trees have always been very useful and important to man who made use of
them in many ways. Even today trees continue to serve man in many ways. Trees provide man with
fruits and building materials in the form of wood. Without trees it would be impossible to build houses,
boats and even bridges. Furniture such as tables, chairs and beds is made of wood.
     In the tropics (热带地区) where it is very hot all through the year, trees protect man from the terrible
heat. They are also useful.in preventing good and rich top soil from being washed away during heavy
rains which are so common in the tropics. If there were no trees or vegetation (植被) of some kinds to
hold back the soil with their roots, heavy rains would wash away the rich surface soil that is so important
and necessary to agriculture. The result is that the land becomes a desert. 
     There are so many desert areas in the world. A long time ago these desert areas must have been very
rich fertile (肥沃的) areas, but since our ancestors (祖先) in the distant past had no enough knowledge
about science of nature, they cut down all the trees in the areas where they lived and never planted new
ones. By and by, the rich surface soil was blown away and washed away by strong wind and heavy rain.
In the end the land was turned into useless deserts where nothing could grow.

1. Trees provide ______ in the form of wood

A. man with houses
B. man with fruits and building materials
C. people with bridges
D. people with boats

2. ______ are made of wood.

3. Trees protect man from ______ in the tropics.

A. heavy rain
B. good and rich top soil
C. being washed away
D. the terrible heat

4. If there were no trees or vegetation to hold back the soil with their roots, ______.

A. the land would be richer
B. many plants could grow
C. heavy rains would wash away the rich surface soil
D. the land would not be turned into useless deserts

A. the soil became richer
B. the land was turned into useless deserts
C. new trees were planted on the land
D. the land was washed away by strong winds

     Have you heard such an old English saying? It (1)s             that we must go to bed early and get up
early. Then we should be (2)h             and clever.
     This is (3)t            . The body must have enough sleep to be healthy. Children of teenagers (青少年)
should have ten (4)h             sleep every night. If they don't have (5)e            sleep, they can't do their
work very (6)w           .
     The body also needs (7)e            . Walking, running, jumping, swimming and playing games are all
exercise. Exercise keeps the body (8)s            . Exercise also keeps the blood (血) moving around inside
the body. It is very (9)i            because our blood takes food to all parts of our body. The (10)h           
 also needs blood, exercise helps us to think better!

     It was reported that over 300 million people in China were suffering from short-sightedness
(近视眼).
     As more children suffer from eye trouble, their parents hope to cure the disease with medicine 
equipment by correcting the way children eat and sit. But in fact the cure given to one's eyes should
start with the exercise on one's feet. Three methods to protect eyes are as follows.
     Firstly, don't fasten your shoes too tightly. Try wearing loose socks or walking bare-footed (赤脚)
at home. When traveling, try wearing cloth shoes.
     Secondly, walking on tiptoes (踮着脚) can help improve one's eyesight and prevent short-sightedness.
It's said that few ballet performers are short-sighted. 
     Thirdly, rope skipping is good for one's eyesight. When skipping, one has to react quickly, which
excites the brain as well as the eyes. It may also help make one grow taller.
      Besides foot exercise, it is good to pull one's ears. Pulling the ear 20 times is a good way to reduce
the pressure on one's eyes.

1. What's the best way to protect one's eyes?

A. Curing the disease with medicine.
B. Using the equipment to correct the way children read and sit.
C. Starting with the exercise on one's feet.
D. Taking showers very often.

2. The undeline word "tightly" means ______ in Chinese.

3. Fom the passage we know ______ aren't often suffeing from short-sightedness.

A. people taking the medicine
B. people using the equipment
C. people wearing tight socks
D. people performing ballet

4. Rope skipping can help one ______.

A. grow taller
B. react slowly
C. sleep well
D. walk fast

A. How to cue shot-sightedness
B. Ways to protect eyes
C. Foot exercise
D. Pulling one's ears

     Thirty years ago, Lake Ponkapog in Hartwell, New Jersey, was full of life. Many birds and animals
lived beside the water, which was full of fish. Now there are few birds, animals, and fish. The lake water
is polluted. It is in a colour of dirty brown, and it is filled with strange plants.
     How did this happen? First, we must think about how water gets into Lake Ponkapog. When it rains,
water comes into the lake from all around. In the past, there were forests all round Lake Ponkapog, so the
rainwater was clean.
     Now there are many homes around the lake. People often use the chemicals (化学制品) in their gardens.
They use other chemicals inside their houses for cleaning and killing insects. There are also many businesses.
Businesses use chemicals in their machines of shops. Other chemicals fall onto the ground from cars or
trucks. When it rains, the rainwater picks up all the chemicals from home and businesses and then carries
them into the lake. They pollute the water and kill the animals.
     Boats on the lake are also a problem. Lake Ponkapog is a popular place for motorboats (汽船). But oil and
gas (汽油) from boats often get into the lake. So more bad chemicals go into the water this way.
     People in Hartwell are worried. They love their lake and want to save it. Will it be possible? A clean lake
must have clean rainwater going into it. Clean rainwater is possible only if people are more careful about
chemicals at home and at work. They must also be more careful about gas and oil and other chemicals on
the ground. And they mustn't use motorboats any more on the lake. All these may change people's lives. Only
then can Lake Ponkapog be a beautiful, clean lake again.

1. In the past, the water in Lake Ponkapog was made clean by ______.

A. forests
B. rain
C. birds
D. fish

2. Chemicals from homes and businesses ______.

A. are always clean
B. can help the animals
C. are good for the lake
D. get into the rainwater

3. Cleaner rainwater will mean ______.

A. more boats on the lake
B. more dirty things in the lake
C. a cleaner lake
D. a dirty lake

4. To save Lake Ponkapog, people need to ______.

A. be more careful about chemicals
B. use the water
C. grow fewer plants in the gardens
D. use more motorboats on the lake

5. The passage is about ______.

A. boats on the Lake Pankapog
B. why the water is dirty in Lake Ponkapog
C. clean rainwater
D. dirty lakes

     If you don't keep yourself warm enough, winter can be a time of illness.
     During the winter months, people easily get colds and flu (流感). Many think they are the same, but
these two illnesses are different.
     Colds can stay with you for up to a week. You will have a running nose, sore throat, headache, cough
and a fever.
     Flu is more serious. You will feel sick very quickly. You will have a fever and a headache. Your body
will hurt and become weak. This could last for up to four weeks. 
     Is there any way to keep yourself away from colds and flu? Staying clear of people with colds or flu
may work.
     Try not to touch (触摸) your nose or eyes if you have been close to someone who has a cold. Wash
your hands, especially after cleaning your nose.
     Going out with wet hair can also give you a cold!
     If you catch a cold or flu, go to bed and rest. Doing this will help you get better. Drink lots of water.
Stay in a warm, well-aired room. If you have a headache, or your muscles hurt, take some medicine.

1. 阅读上面的短文，根据短文内容帮助Mary完成下面的一封信。
Dear Mom and Dad, 
     How's everything going?
     I'm having great fun at winter camp. But for the past two days, I'm not feeling very well. I don't know
what's wrong. Maybe I have ____ a cold. I have a ____ nose and ____ throat. Last night I couldn't sleep
because I had a _____, ____ and a slight ____. But don't worry. I've been to the doctor's. The doctor told
me that it was not ____, which would otherwise be more ____. He advised me to ____ lots of water, lie
down and ____ for a few days. He said I would get well in a week. Okay, so much for now.  
     Take good care of yourselves, too.
                                                                                                                                             Love,
                                                                                                                                             Mary
2. 假设你是Mary的朋友Tina. 得知她生病的消息后，你很着急，立刻发一封e-mail，给她提一些建议
（三至五条，可参考短文，字数100字左右）。
                                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                         

    If you spend two or three hours playing outdoors each day, it's less likely (可能的) to get short-sighted,
a research shows. It challenges the old belief that short-sightedness is caused by computer use, watching
TV or reading in weak light. 
    The Australian scientists believe that sunlight is good for people's eyes. They did a research among 100
seven-year-old children in Singapore and Australia. According to the result, about 30% of the Singaporean
children were short-sighted while there were only 3% Australian children get short-sighted. 
    Both groups spent almost the same time reading, watching television and playing computer games.
However, the Australian children spent an average (平均) of two hours a day outdoors-90 minutes more
than the Singaporean children.
    Professor (教授) Ian Morgan said. "'Humans are naturally long-sighted, but when people begin to go to
school and spend little or no time outdoors, the number of short-sighted people gets larger. There're also
more and more short-sighted children in cities all around the world-and the main reason may be that city
children spend less time outdoors." 
    Daylight can be much brighter than indoor light. But why does playing outside stop us from becoming
short-sighted? Scientists believe that natural light has a special chemical (化学物质) which is good for our
eyeballs and stops people becoming short-sighted.
    So go outdoors, It doesn't matter if that time is spent having a picnic or playing sports.

1. Who did the research?

A. Singaporean scientists.
B. Singaporean children.
C. Australian scientists.
D. Australian children.

2. Many people believe            caused short-sightedness in the past.

A. computer use
B. watching TV
C. reading in weak light
D. All above

3. How much time did the Singaporean children spend outdoors on average every day in the research?

A. 2 hours.
B. 90 minutes.
C. 1 hour.
D. 30 minutes.

4. What is the main idea of the fifth paragraph (段)?

A. Why people become short-sighted.
B. Why natural light has a special chemical.
C. Why playing outside can stop people from becoming short-sighted.
D. Why daylight is much brighter than indoor light.

5. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. People will all become short-sighted after they begin to go to school.
B. Playing outdoors for 2 or 3 hours every day help protect (保护) your eyesight.
C. Children in Australia are more likely to get short-sighted than those in Singapore.
D. If you spend 2 or 3 hours playing outside every day, you will never get short-sighted.

    Everyone knows that exercise is important. We all need to exercise. Doctors say i_____ (1) is good for
us. It makes your heart and body s          (2). Children who often exercise are more alert (灵活的).
This means they do better in tests and schoolwork than those who don't exercise.
    There are many w           (3) to exercise. You can walk, run, swim, skate, or play ball games. Make sure
you e           (4) in the following ways: you have to like what you're doing. Exercise enough - but not
too m          (5). It's best to exercise t           (6) each week. Thirty minutes each time is enough.
Try all kinds of things until you find one, two or even three sports that feel r           (7) for you.
    You can exercise at fitness centers (健身中心). They have l            (8) of equipment (设备) there.
The equipment will help exercise your arms, legs and other parts of your body to make you f           (9).
Some people buy equipment for their homes. But it is very expensive.
    Exercising can be fun. Friends can exercise t           (10) at a fitness center, or they can play
sports together. How do you exercise?

     What do you think is the most common illness? Do you get ill sometimes? We are lucky to live now,
because there are lots of medicines to make people better. 
     The most common illness in the world is the cold. It often begins with a sore throat. Then you sneeze
and your nose runs. You usually have a headache too. Often you cough later. It's not a very bad illness,
but you can feel quite ill.
     There isn't a cure (治愈) for a cold, but you can take medicines to make you feel better. For instance,
aspirin (阿司匹林) can stop your headache. It is good to rest, and to drink a lot of water too. A doctor
once said to me, "With the proper (适当的) medicine, a cold will continue for seven days. With no
medicine, it will continue for a whole week!"
     Where does our medicine come from? A long time ago, people knew that some plants made them feel
better. They ate the leaves, the roots, the fruit, or the seeds of plants. For instance, the juice of lemons
makes a sore throat feel better.
     In modern times, scientists have looked at these plants, and found out which chemicals (化学物质)
are in them. Many of our medicines today are made from those chemicals.
     There are some illnesses which we can't cure yet. And nobody has found a cure for old age. But
because of modern medicines, many people now live longer than their grandparents.

1. How does a cold often begin?
    ___________________________________________________
2. Can aspirin stop a headache?
    ___________________________________________________
3. How long does a cold usually continue?
    ___________________________________________________
4. What kind of juice makes a sore throat feel better?
    ___________________________________________________
5. What are many of our medicines today made from?
    ___________________________________________________