Can we live without salt? No, salt is very important to us, we need salt in our food. Animals need it, too.
Most of the salt in our country comes from the sea. People dig very big pools and let sea water in. When
the sun dries up the water, people can get salt from the ground. The salt is white, clean and beautiful.
    There are a lot of salt wells (井) in Sichuan. A salt well in much like a water well. People bring the well
water up to the ground and then dry it in big jars over fire. In this way, they get salt.
    We can also get salt from salt mines (礦). A salt mine may be found under the ground. Some years ago,
people in Jiangxi found a big salt mine and soon opened it. People there don't need salt from other places
any more.
    In the northwest of our country, there are many salt lakes. Some of these lakes are very big. The salt
even in one big lake will be enough for our people for centuries.

1. We can't live without salt, so           .

A. we need it, too
B. it is very important to us
C. animals need it, too
D. there is salt in all our food

2. We get most of the salt from           .

A. salt lakes
B. sea water
C. salt wells
D. salt mines

3. Not long ago, a big salt mine was found and opened           .

A. in Sichuan
B. in Jiangxi
C. in the northwest
D. beside these

4. The best title for this article is           .

A. Salt
B. Why We Need Salt
C. Salt Is Important
D. We Need Salt

    Computer technology has become an important part of people's life. This technology has its own special
words. One well-known computer word is Google. It's the name of a popular "search engine (引擎)" for
the Internet. People use the search engine to find information about almost any subject on the Internet.
The people who started the company named it Google because in math Google is a very large number-One
hundred zeros follow the number one. When you "Google" a subject, you can get a lot of information about
it.
    If you Google someone, you might find that person's name on a blog (博客). A blog is short for a Web
log. It's a personal Web page. Some people write blogs to express their opinions and ideas over the Internet.
Some use them to share their lives with faraway friends or family. Others write blogs to help them deal with
sickness, money problems or to choose movies to see or books to read. Some people add information to their
blogs every day. People who have blogs are called bloggers.

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，判斷下列句子是否正確，對的涂（A），錯的涂（B）。
(     )1. Google and Blog are two kinds of popular search engine.
(     )2. One can use Google to search the Internet for all information he wants.
(     )3. People may use Google to share their opinions or ask others for help.
(     )4. Bloggers must add information to their blogs every day.
(     )5. From the passage we can infer (推斷) that computer technology is changing people's life.

     Earth Hour started in Sydney on March 31, 2007. (1)M            than two million homes and Businesses
turned off their lights for an hour. A year (2)1           , in 2008, Earth Hour became the world's activity and
was supported by millions of people from thirty-five countries. In 2009, over two thousand cities in the
world (3)t            part in it, and Earth Hour came to China. The purpose of the activity is to save energy and
(4)i             climate. Earth Hour has brought about some new (5)c            to our lives.
    We may have different ways to spend the hour. For example, we can go to school on foot or (6)b            
bike, plant more trees, use water more than once, never leave the lights (7)o            when we are not at home.
Try to make full use of paper by using (8)b            sides. Earth Hour is a call for us to work together for a
bright (9)f           . It is also a message of hope and action. Everyone can make a difference. The improvement
of our environment (10)n            everyone's efforts. Come on! Join us in Earth Hour 2010!

    Sleep is very important. A person who does not sleep dies faster than a person who does not eat. We
spend about a third (1/3) of our lives in sleep. That's about 121 days a year!
    How much sleep do we need? We are all different. A baby needs 16 hours of sleep every day. Children
6 to 12 years old need an average (平均) of 10 to 12 hours of sleep. Teenagers need 9 to 10 hours of sleep.
An adult needs an average of 7 to 8 hours a night. There are some people who need only 3 hours of sleep.
Others need 10 hours of sleep. After the age of 50, the average sleep time goes down to 6.5 hours a night.
We need less sleep as we get older. 
    About one in three Americans has a problem with sleep. Many of these people cannot fall asleep. The
name of this problem is insomnia. Some people say, "I didn't sleep all night." But that's not really true.
They may sleep lightly and wake up several times. In the morning, they only remember the times they were
awake (醒著), so they think they were awake all night.
    This is not a new problem. Many famous people in history had insomnia. Some of these people had
special ideas to make them sleep. Benjamin Franklin had four beds. He moved from one to the other to fall
asleep. Mark Twain had a different way. He lay on his side across the end of the bed!

1. If you are thirteen years old, you need at least ______ hours of sleep.

A. 16
B. 12
C. 9
D. 7

2. What does "insomnia" mean in this passage?

A. No sleep.
B. Bad sleep.
C. Slow sleep.
D. Sleep with many dreams.

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

A. We will die soon if we don't sleep well.
B. The older we get, the less sleep we need.
C. We can tell a person's age from his sleep time.
D. Famous people move from one bed to the other to fall asleep.

4. Which would be the best title for this passage?

A. Sleep More!
B. Go to Sleep!
C. Age and Sleep Time.
D. Famous People and Sleep.

       Why do you think people who live in some hot countries eat very spicy (辛辣的) food? Is it because the
spices make the food taste better? Is it just because their parents and grandparents and great-grandparents liked
hot food, or is there some connection between spices and healthy food?
       Researchers from Cornell University think that it is because spice plants have some important chemicals
(化學(xué)物質(zhì)). These chemicals can kill bacteria (細菌) which spoil food. "Most common spices can kill 75 to 100
percent of the bacteria in food," explains one of the scientists. The bacteria grow more easily and spoil food
more quickly at higher temperatures. For this reason, it is more difficult to keep food from spoiling in hot
climates.
       Do you like your food spicy? Your answer probably tells something about the country you come from. If
you like spicy food, it is possible that hundreds of years ago, when there were no fridges, people in your
country started using spices to keep the food from spoiling. The traditional spicy dishes helped those people to
live longer, healthier lives. Today, in a time of fridges, the spices just make the food taste good.

1. The chemicals in spices keep food from spoiling by_______.

[     ]

A. making food taste better
B. making food hotter
C. killing bacteria in food
D. preventing bacteria getting into food

2. Food goes bad more quickly in hot climates because _______.

[     ]

A. high temperature makes more bacteria
B. high temperature helps bacteria grow faster
C. bacteria get used to hot food
D. bacteria spoil food only at high temperature

3. According to the passage, spices are useful in an the following things except _______.

[     ]

A. replacing fridges
B. helping you to live longer
C. helping to keep you healthier
D. making your food taste better

       A new TV series in England, Away from it all, has surprised everyone by becoming a huge success with
young people across the country. Its success is surprising because the series is about the relaxing lifestyles of
people who live in the country. There is none of the action that we usually see on TV today. There are also no
stressful moments, busy offices or crowded cities. Away from it all is set in the peaceful English countryside
and tells simple stories about people's kindness. 
       The director of the TV series says that its success is a sign of teenagers suffering from stress. They say
that watching Away from it all helps teenagers forget about the pressures (壓力) of exams and homework, and
the troubles that fill the world today. They also say that it's a good sign of today's young people switching to
(轉(zhuǎn)到) happier TV series as it shows they would like a happier and healthier world. 
       Although the series' success might have a good side, many teachers and parents are worried, however.They
say that some of their students and children are becoming couch potatoes (終日泡在電視機前的人) and are
using Away from it all as an excuse for not completing homework. Some children have even refused to learn for
exams because they say that they can only achieve personal happiness by avoiding (避免) stressful situations
completely. 
       And what do the experts (專家) say? Paula Ray, a doctor of education, says that TV can influence
children's lifestyles. But she says that if a child reacts strongly, it's likely that there are other reasons for his
change in behaviour. She says that there is nothing wrong with watching Away from it all but suggests that
parents should make sure their children know TV is not the same as real life.

1. The success of the new TV series is surprising because _______.

A. it is different from other successful TV series
B. it is the same as other successful TV series
C. it is about the English countryside
D. it is about life in busy offices

2. The director of Away from it all believes that the series helps young people deal with ______.

A. simple stories
B. stress
C. couch potatoes
D. exams

3. The success of the series shows that young people would like _______.

A. a world with no homework
B. English TV series
C. relaxing jobs
D. a happier and healthier world

4. Who are worried about the effects of the series?

A. Experts and teenagers.
B. Teachers and experts.
C. Teachers and parents.
D. Young people and parents.