In most situations, light helps us see. But nowadays humans are using too much of it so that it is in fact
a kind of pollution.
     When it comes to looking at the night sky, too much light makes it difficult for us to watch some of life's
most wonderful sights: stars, planets and even galaxies (星系).
     According to scientific research, about 2, 500 stars can be seen by the human eye without using any
special equipment (設(shè)備). But because of light pollution, you can only see 200 to 300 stars from today's
countryside, and no more than ten stars from a city. In most big cities, people cannot see the sky filled with
stars like they did in their childhood.
     Light pollution affects more than just our view of sky. Research shows that lots of nighttime light can
harm wildlife, too.
     When birds fly to another place over cities, they sometimes get lost by the brightness and fly in circles
(圈) until they drop from tiredness. Sea turtles (海龜) need dark beaches for laying eggs, but they can't find
their ideal places because of those bright lights.
     Too much light at night may even affect human health, but scientists are not sure of that. They are still
learning more.
     In order to prevent things from going worse, governments and some organizations are working to reduce
light pollution. Many cities and towns have taken action to reduce the use of lights at night. Lights are used
only when and where they are truly needed. They also shine lights down at the ground instead of up into the
sky and use lower brightness levels.
     Hopefully, in the near future, humans can enjoy the clear and beautiful sky again and all the wildlife will
live a peaceful and undisturbed life, too.

1. Why does the writer think that too much light is a kind of pollution?

A. Because there are fewer and fewer stars.
B. Because human health has been affected.
C. Because too much light is a waste of energy.
D. Because some of the wildlife can be harmed.

2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned (提到) in this passage?

A. The problems that light pollution has caused.
B. The reason why humans use too much light.
C. The ways that light pollution can be reduced.
D. The reason why fewer stars can be seen than before.

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

A. There are about 2,500 stars in the sky.
B. Humans want to do nothing to reduce light pollution.
C. Sea turtles always get lost and die from tiredness.
D. Something has been done to reduce light pollution.

     What are headaches? What may cause them? And when should we go to see a doctor?
     A headache is not a disease, but it may show that something in your body is wrong. We may have more
than one headache each month.
     Usually a fever or some other illness may cause headaches. You may get a headache when you work too
hard. You may get a headache when you can't get enough sleep. You may get a headache when you exercise
on an empty stomach.
     If you have headaches often, you need to see a doctor.

(     )1. A headache may show something wrong in your body.
(     )2. We never have a headache in our life.
(     )3. A fever may cause headaches.
(     )4. You may get a headache when you are hungry.
(     )5. As soon as you have a headache, you need to see a doctor at once.

     Many children love to play with snow in winter. But Long Chuan has come to hate it.
     This year his hometown suffered from snowstorms (遭受暴風(fēng)雪) for nearly a month. The heavy snow
stopped cars and trains, broke the electricity (電) tower and turned tap water to ice.
      Every day Long Chuan had to walk several kilometers to carry drinking water. "I couldn't ride a bike
and it took me 3 hours to walk to school. I can't remember how many times I slipped (滑倒) on the hard ice,"
said Long Chuan.
     Long is not alone. This year millions of people in central and southern China had a freezing winter without
enough water and electricity. The biggest snowstorms in 50 years killed more than 100 people. They also
cost the country 111.1 billion yuan.
     Experts (專家) say a special type of climate condition (氣候條件), La Nina, caused the storms. During a
La Nina, the water in the Pacific Ocean (太平洋) near the equator (赤道) becomes colder than usual. It
changes the weather around the world.
     Besides China, Canada, the US and Middle Eastern countries also met with heavy snowstorms this winter.
The special climate caused the recent flooding (洪水) in Australia, too.
     However, experts say that people have destroyed the environment (環(huán)境). Global warming (全球變暖)
may be causing these terrible weather events to happen more and more often.

1. What took place in Long Chuan's hometown last winter?

A. Earthquake.
B. Flooding.
C. Traffic Accident.
D. Heavy snowstorms.

2. During the snowstorms this year, Long Chuan ___________.

A. had to walk to carry drinking water
B. had to ride a bike to school
C. couldn't go to school on foot
D. couldn't play with snow

3. The heavy snow ___________ this year.

A. killed millions of Chinese
B. cost China 111.1 billion yuan
C. used too much electricity
D. lasted more than three hours

4. We can tell from the story that ___________.

A. China is the only country which suffered from the heavy snow
B. La Nina is said to have caused the snowstorms
C. La Nina also caused hot summer in Australia
D. the snowstorms have nothing to do with global warming

5. The passage tells people around the world ___________.

A. to wear more clothes in winter
B. to stop riding bikes on the hard ice
C. to protect (保護(hù)) the environment
D. to save water and electricity

     What does blood do for us? It brings food to all parts of our bodies and takes waste away from them.
All parts of our bodies are made of cells (細(xì)胞). These cells are very small. They all need food all the time.
No one had seen cells before the invention of microscope. No one could make pictures of cells because no
one could see them.
     What makes the blood move round the body? The heart does. The heart is a pump. It pumps the blood
and sends it round the body. The heart has rooms with doors between them. It pumps blood in and out
through these doors by changing the size of the rooms so that the doors are opened and shut. The heart
keeps a stream of blood going all around the body and back again to itself. The heart is a very important
part of one's body. When it stops beating, one will die.

1. Blood is important to our body because it can ________.

A. provide pictures of cells
B. bring food and take waste
C. form a stream
D. move around the heart

2. What does the underlined word "microscope" mean in Chinese? 

A. 顯微鏡
B. 探測(cè)儀
C. 放大鏡
D. 攝像機(jī)

3. According to the passage, a pump is used to ________.

A. open or shut doors
B. send something up
C. change the size of rooms
D. make something in or out

     China had decided to take action to stop the use of plastic bags. Supermarkets, shops and outlets (經(jīng)銷(xiāo)店)
in China will not be allowed to hand out free plastic carriers and all plastic carriers must be clearly marketed
with prices from June 1.
     "People use too many plastic bags every year and fail to deal with them properly, wasting valuable oil and
littering the country," China's government said in a statement.
     While providing convenience for consumers (消費(fèi)者), the plastic bags have also caused serious pollution
and waste of energy and resources.
     "We should encourage people to return to carrying cloth bags, and using baskets for their vegetables." the
statement said.
     In addition, the production, sale and use of bags less than 0.025 mm thick is banned from the same date.
The firms that break the rules will face fines or confiscation (沒(méi)收) of goods and profits (利潤(rùn)).
     China also said it would consider increasing taxes (稅) to discourage the production and sale of plastic bags
and encourage the recycling industry.
     Rubbish collectors have to separate plastic for reprocessing and cut the number of plastic bags that are
burnt or buried (掩埋).
     The move brings China into line with a growing international trend (趨勢(shì)) to cut back on the use of plastic
bags. From Ireland to Uganda and South Africa, governments have experimented with heavy taxes, with the
aim of getting rid of plastic bags.

1. China decided to take action to stop the use of plastic bags because ______.

A. they are not free any more
B. they can't provide convenience for consumers
C. they have polluted the environment and wasted valuable oil
D. the firms have increased the cost

2. The underlined word "banned" in the fifth paragraph probably means ______.

A. 計(jì)劃
B. 禁止
C. 打破
D. 消費(fèi)

3. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true? 

A. The company that won't obey the rules will face fines.
B. Taxes will be increased to discourage the production and sale of plastic bags.
C. Rubbish collectors will burn or bury all plastic bags.
D. Plastic should be separated for reprocessing.

4. From the passage, we can infer (推斷) that ______.

A. China will be among the strongest nations in the world
B. people all carry cloth bags or baskets for their vegetables
C. more energy and natural resources will be saved
D. supermarkets and shops will get more profits

5. What's the main idea of the passage?

A. Plastic Bags are Free
B. Recycling industry
C. How to Protect the Environment
D. Free Plastic Shopping Bags to be Banned