23、One morning, Wu Liang discovered that her classroom had changed. She found that the desks were no longer in rows, but pushed together to make eight bigger desks. She was too excited about it for the first two days and she couldn’t listen to the teachers carefully. But soon she and her classmates got used to this new classroom arrangement （安排）. “Now our class is quieter,” said Wu. “What’s more, we can come up with our own ideas and learn more through discussion. It’s a better way to study.”

Li Yu liked it, too. He said, “Group members first discuss, and then show ourselves in front of the whole class. It makes us believe in ourselves.” It was part of a reform （改革） at Li’s school. The school made this reform because they wanted to provide students with easier ways to study and more chances to discuss. “Our school hopes it can improve students’ abilities （能力） to study by themselves and work in groups,” said Zhang Ming, an English teacher.

However, the reform has demanded （要求） more from teachers. Now they have only 15 minutes to give the lesson which should be taught in 45 minutes before. It is difficult to teach in such a short time. The teachers have to find better ways to teach more effectively.

The reform demands more, but I’m sure it is helpful,” added Zhang Ming.

1. After the new classroom arrangement it was easier for Wu Liang and her classmates to ______ in class.

A．discuss with each other                     B．sit in the classroom

C．push desks together                        D．teach a lesson

2. The school made the reform in order to provide students with _______ to study.

A．noisier classes      B．easier ways         C．more seats          D．fewer chances

3. The Chinese meaning of the word “effectively” in this passage is _________.

A.简单地                      B．明确地             C．有效地             D．认真地

4. The best title of this passage may be “________”.

A．Students’ Friendship                                  B．Teachers’ Hope

C．Discussion in Class                                   D．New Look in Class

18、请你选择最喜欢的一门学科，以My favourite Subject 为题，写一篇短文，说说喜欢这门学科的理由，以及平时是怎样学习的。

要求：1．词数80左右

      2．叙事清楚，语句通顺，语意连贯。

3．文中不得出现真实的人名与校名。

17、

1．How old is “lady”？

    A．6 months old          B．3 years old          C．6 years old          D．8 years old

2．if you find a black and white dog with long ears, please call           ．

    A．630-4789           B．598-3985             C．303-2720           D．725-6982

3．The above are probably used for        ．

    A．showing the pets                                    B．teaching the pets

    C．looking for lost pets                                 D．asking for the way

16、

Recently，a solar powered（太阳能动力的）plane took to the sky for the first time．It had passed an important test on the way to travel around the world．

The plane took off from an airport in Switzerland（瑞士）at 45km an hour．It slowly rose above the fields and into the sky．

“There has never been an airplane of that kind that could fly — never an airplane so big, so light, using so little energy,” said Bertrand Piccard, a leader of the project．

During the 90-minute flight, the plane did several turns．It climbed nearly 1．6km above the countryside．

    Engineers plan to test a night flight before July．Then they will use the results of the tests to build a second plane．They plan to travel around the world in that plane in 2012．

The plane flies at 70 km an hour．That is faster than a bike and slower than a car．Piccard and pilot Andre Borschberg will take the plane around the world．The pilots will keep the plane in the air for up to five days at a time．

“We want to fly it day and night with no fuel (燃料),” Piccard said

1．How long did the first flight of the solar powered plane last？

A．45 minutes       B．60 minutes        C．70 minutes        D．90 minutes

2．What’s the most special about the plane？

A．It uses no fuel                              B．It’s the fastest plane

C．It can fly highest                            D．It’s the heaviest plane

3．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．The plane goes much faster than a car

B．The plane took off at a speed of 45km an hour

C．Engineers plan to test a night flight before July

D．The plane will fly in the air or up to five days at a time

4．Which column（栏目）of a newspaper may the passage come from？

A．Food and Health                       B．Scientist and Technology

C．Culture and Communication              D．Sports and Entertainment

15、My name is woof．You think that we have a great life，right？Wrong！I am going to tell you why．First of all，we are bored．Bored．bored．And bored do you ever think about what a dog does all day？ Nothing．Nothing at all．Our owners are busy，you know，working，going to school，away from home all day．So what are we supposed to do？Watch the house or apartment？Sure．That is like watching paint dry or grass grow．Boring．That’s why we get so excited when our owners come home．We bark and run around and act as if we are very happy．But we only do this because we are bored all day．If we are lucky，our owner take us for a walk．

    Then there is the food．We eat the same food，meal after meal，day after day，week after week，month after month．Help！Would you like  to eat the same thing all the time？No，you would not．So what makes you think we dogs like it？We don’t．We hate it．

Another thing-television．Another thing-television dogs hate television．Our owners watch these stupid programs，hour after hour，night after night．Are there any programs for dogs on television？No．Not a single one．

So what can we do？What else can we do but sleep？And so we sleep．We dogs are not lazy，we are bored．

1．Woof may be a              ．

    A．boy                 B．girl                  C．dog                 D．cat

2．From the passage，we know that Woof         ．

    A．lives a great life             B．is busy every day

    C．likes the food very much      D．hates watching television

3．How many points does Woof complain about？

    A．1                   B．2                    C．3                   D．4

14、Different countries have different customs．When you travel to another countries，please follow their customs，just as the saying goes，“             ．”

    Very often people who travel to the United States forget to tip（付小费）．It is usual to tip porters who help carry your bags，taxi drivers and waiters．Waiters expect to get a 15% tip on the cost of your meal．Taxi drivers expect about the same amount．

    In England，make sure to stand in line even if there are only two of you．It’s important to respect lines there．It’s a good idea to talk about the weather．It’s a favourite subject of conversation with the British．

    In Spain，it’s a good idea to have a light meal in the afternoon if someone invites you for dinner．People have dinner very late，and restaurants do not generally open until after 9 pm．

    In Arab countries，men kiss one another on the cheek（脸颊）．Your host may welcome you with a kiss on both cheeks．It is polite for you to do the same．

    In Japan，people usually give personal or business cards to each other when they meet for the first time．When a person gives you a card，don’t put it into your pocket right away．The person expects you to read it．

    Don’t forget to be careful of your body language to express something In conversation．A kind of body language that is acceptable in one culture may be impolite in another．

1．When you travel to the USA，you don’t need to tip           ．

    A．porters             B．waiters             C．70 minutes         D．90 minutes

2．The missing sentence in the first paragragh should be“         ．”

    A．Love me，love my dog

    B．He who laughs last laughs best

    C．When in Rome，do as the Romans do

D．Where there is a will，there is a way

3．The underline word “porters” in the passage means                 ．

    A．搬运工                B．清洁工              C．接线员              D．售票员

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

    A．In Spain，People usually have dinner very early

    B．In England，It’s a not polite to talk about the weather

    C．In Arab countries，men kiss one another on the cheek

D．In Japan you should not read the business card as soon as you get it．

5．What’s the best title of the passage？

A．How to Tip                          B．Body Language

C．When to Have dinner                  D．Advice to International Travellers