A few years ago, Dave Stirling had the idea of selling CDs over the Internet. The business he started from his home in Ohio, the USA, now sells 500,000 CDs a year and has made him into a millionaire(百萬富翁)at the age of 24.

“I could see that this was the future of shopping,” says Stirling. “Why should you pay $15 for a CD and spend the time and the money getting into the store and parking your car? You can have the same CD for half of the price by clicking(敲擊)on your computer. And we can find any CD you want and bring it to your door in 24 hours!”

According to Stirling, this is the only beginning, “I believe that one day we’ll do our shopping over the net: it’s easier, quicker and cheaper. Shops and supermarkets will be the past.”

46. Dave Stiring started his business from______.

A. his home 　 B. his company 　　　　　 C. the office 　　　　 D. the country

47. How has Stirling become so rich?

A. By making ice cream.　　　　　　　 B. By making advertisements.

C. By selling ideas to others. 　　　 D. By selling CDs over the Internet.

48. If you pay $15 for a CD in the store, how much should you pay for it over the net?

A.$15. 　　　　　 B.$12. 　　　　 C.$7.5. 　　　　 D.$30.

49. By shopping over the net, you won’t_____.

A. spend the time and the money　　　 B. drive your car any more

C. click on your computer 　　　　　　　　 D. get into the store by yourself

50. What can we learn from the passage?

A. More than half of the Americans prefer to shop over the net.

B. Shops and supermarkets will be the past in the future.

C. Some people don’t like to go shopping over the Internet. 　　　　　

D. It’s easier, quicker and more expensive to do our shopping over the net.

I’m five years old, and my mother is washing the kitchen floor. I’m telling her about a new girl in school, and she suddenly looks up at me and says, “ Who are your two best friends ? ”

I’m not sure what to say. I’ve been friends with Jill since I was three or so , and I really like Jaime , a friend in kindergarten .

“ Jill and Jaime .”

“ Well , what about Karen and Cindy ?”

“ I don’t know who their best friends are ,” I say .

“ No ,” she says . “ I’m saying , why aren’t they your best friends ?”

“ But they’re my sisters .”

“ Yes , but they can still be your best friends . Friends may come and go, but your sisters will always be there for you .”

At that time, the idea of my two sisters being my closest friends seemed strange to me. We fought all the time over toys, food , attention , and what to watch on television . How could my sisters be my best friends ?

But my mother never let the three of us forget it : Sisters are lifelong friends . Her wish—like most parents’—was to give us something that she never had. Growing up as an only child, she longed for brothers and sisters. She gave birth to three daughters. She had given us each a gift—our sisters.

As we grew up, we realized that our mother was right. Today I share things with my sisters that I do with no one else. My sister Cindy and I ran the New York City Marathon together , side-by-side , even holding hands when we crossed the finish line . The three of us trust each other with our greatest secrets.

It was twenty-three years ago that my mother first asked me who my two best friends were. Today she doesn’t have to. She already knows.

46. How old was the writer when she wrote the passage ?

A. 5 .               B. 9 .              C. 23 .               D. 28 .

47. According to the writer , why can’t her sisters become her friends ?

A. Because they are older than her .          B. Because they don’t like her .

C. Because they often fought with each other .  D. Because they have their own friends .

48. What did the writer feel when her mother said her sisters could be her best friends ?

A. Strange .          B. Excited .          C. Interested .           D. Pleased .

49. What might be the most suitable title for the passage ?

A. My best friends .                       B. The greatest gift .     

C. My sisters and I                        D. My mother’s dream .

50. What can we learn from the passage ?

A. My mother used to give us some gifts .

B. My mother’s sisters are her best friends .

C. My sisters and I always get along well .

D. My sisters and I become good friends now .

  Pamela is a schoolgirl from Washington D. C. , America. She wants to be a doctor. She says, “I like working with people and I like the idea of working in a caring profession. ”

47. Who often helps his father on the farm?

    A. Pamela.     B. Ali.     C. Roy.       D. Scott.

48. Where does Roy live?

  A. In America.   B. In India.     C. In England.       D. In Canada.

49. What does Scott want to be when he grows up?

    A. A chef.     B. A farmer.     C. A pilot.     D. A doctor.

Good afternoon, everyone! This is Rose Garden Middle School Radio. John Smith speaking, with something new to share with you today. We all know that thinking green is sometimes the most difficult thing to do, but not impossible! Bed ZED, a new eco-friendly village (生態(tài)村) in the south of London, has done a great job of providing its villagers with a high level living while getting them to pay more attention to protecting the environment.

      people in Bed ZED have done many things. They recycle their paper, plastic, glass and other daily things. They build many houses whose windows face south in order to get as much sunlight as possible. The rainwater is collected for use in the toilets. Also, the people there travel to work in shared cars or use public transportation if they work far away.

      Now, you may think it's not easy to live such a life, but let me tell you. it's not! It's a way of life. We just have to say no to what is bad for the environment, and begin working on ideas to protect it. Life would be much more pleasant if villages like Bed ZED existed (存在) all over the world!

Thank you for listening!

 1. What people in Bed ZED often do is__________

            A. to build a lot of houses         B. to go to work in their own cars

            C. to recycle the paper, plastic and glass

 2.In Bed ZED, the water used in the toilet may come from ____________.         

    A. river water     B. running water           C. collected rainwater

3.People in Bed ZED usually go to work _________if they work far away.

            A. by bus               B. on foot               C. by bike

4.The expression "thinking green" might mean the same as__________ .

A. building a green house  

B. keeping simple thoughts 

C. protecting the environment

 5.The writer's opinion is that________________ .

            A. people should be against building eco-friendly villages

            B. Bed ZED is a good example in protecting the environment!

            C. the idea of thinking green is hard to work on

In real life, robots are mainly used in factories. They do many different jobs. Usually these jobs are too   43 , difficult or boring for humans.
Robots also help disabled people and people who cannot look after   44 . For example, scientists are making a robot to help blind people. Now many of them have a dog to help them. The dog is called a guide dog. In the future, guide dogs might be robot dogs.
One robot dog is called Meldog. It has wheels. It usually “walks” in front of its owner. It is very clever. It knows the speed of its owner’s walk. Meldog talks to its owner by   45 . The owner wears a special belt. This belt   46  instructions to the owner from Meldog such as “Stop here”, “Turn left” and “Turn right”.
In the United States, another   47  of robot helps disabled workers. This robot, called Kilroy, helps disabled computer operators. The robot   48  the sound of its owner’s voice. It follows instructions such as “Turn the page” and “Make a cup of coffee”.
Robots are also used in American   49 . They can do simple jobs. For example, they shave (刮臉) patients and brush their teeth and take meals from the kitchen to patients’ rooms. It never gets lost   50  this robot has a map of the hospital in its computer memory.