The idea that red means stop and green means has influenced our lives in more ways than just traffic signals(信号). We have been taught from a young age that the color red means danger and green means it's okay to move forward. But why were those colors chosen for traffic lights in the first place? For something we have to look at every day, why couldn't they have been prettier colors?

Well, it's import to know that before traffic lights for cars, there were traffic signals for trains. At first, railway companies used red to mean stop, white to mean go, and green to mean warn. As you could imagine, trains ran into a few problems with white meaning go. For example, one train mistook a bright star for a white light and something unexpected happened. Because of that, railway companies finally moved green meaning go and used yellow to mean warn. And it's been that way ever since.

Red has always been a color that mean danger, long before cars were even around. This most likely started because it's the color with the longest wavelength(波长) so it can be seen somewhere farther than other colors.

But, believe it or not, yellow was once used to mean stop. Back in the 1900s, some stop signs were yellow because it was too hard to see a red sign in a poorly lit area. Finally, highly reflective materials(高反射材料) were developed and red stop signs were born. Since yellow can be seen well at all times of the day, school zones, some traffic signs, and school buses continue to be printed yellow.

So next time you are impatiently waiting at a traffic light, don't get so mad at them, they've certainly come a long way.

根据材料内容选择最佳答案。

31．What were traffic signals for before traffic lights for cars?

A．Trains                    B．Boats.                    C．Planes                    D．Bicycles

32．Which of the following colors meant go at first?

A．Red.                      B．Yellow.                  C．White.                   D．Green.

33．Why does red mean danger?

A．Because it's the brightest color.                    B．Because it can be seen far away.

C．Because railway companies say so.              D．Because it has the shortest wavelength.

34．Why are school buses painted yellow?

A．Because yellow is a prettier color.

B．Because yellow once meat danger.

C．Because yellow can be seen well in daytime.

D．Because yellow means it's OK to go forward.

35．What does the text mainly tell us?

A．How important traffic lights are.

B．Which color has the longest wavelength.

C．What red, yellow and green can be used for.

D．Why traffic lights are red, yellow and green.

The Silk Road is the name of different roads that long ago connected Europe, Africa and Asia. People reached these different places along these roads. Scientists believe people began to travel the Silk Road about 3000 years ago. By the time the Chinese silk trade became important in the world. The Silk Road covered almost 6500 kilometers. It went from Rome to China, which is from the West to the Far East.

Merchants travelled along the Silk Road to carry silk, of course. They also carried and traded other things like spices (香料), cloth, jewels and gold.

Along and around these ancient path(小路), have come many fascinating and mysterious stories.

It is said that Roman soldiers who lost a war travelled through central Asia. They decided to live somewhere near the ancient Chinese villages. Some of these Romans married local Chinese women and the legend of the blond-haired, blue-eyed tribes of China was started.

Some historians believe that the people of Kashmir were taken away from their country Israel. They were prisoners (俘虏) of war almost 2800 years ago. People say that these people travelled along the Silk Road. They kept their Jewish way of life for a long time.

During its busiest period, the Silk Road allowed people from many different cultures and countries to meet each other and mix. The Silk Road allowed the sharing of valuable things and new ideas. It included people and trading goods from different areas. All these peoples travelled the Silk Road. And they shared goods, stories, languages, and cultures.

In modern times, the old Silk Road routes (路线) are still used, but now they are crossed by trains instead of camels and horses. There is even silk route museum in Jiuquan in China. It has over 35, 000 objects from all along the Silk Road. In this way, China protects the history of many countries and peoples.

41．It is clear that ___________.

A．the Silk Road was divided into Europe, Africa and Asia

B．Roman soldiers would like to travel along the Silk Road

C．people could travel to different countries along the Silk Road

D．people shared only silk on the Silk Road

42．The underlined word “Merchants” in the passage probably means_______.

A．foreigners              B．businessmen            C．soldiers                  D．prisoners

43．According to the passage, _________.

A．the Silk Road began with the wars

B．the Silk Road covered almost 6500 kilometers in China

C．people began to travel the Silk Road about 3000 years ago

D．people from Israel were not included among people on the Silk Road

44．The old Silk Road routes are still used because       .

A．there are many old stories about them

B．the historians and scientists think highly of them

C．China will make good use of the Silk Road again

D．people can keep on traveling and trading along them

45．The best title for the passage can be       .

A．Stories along the Silk Road                         B．Silk Route Museum

C．Trade for Silk                                            D．The West and the Far East

In many English homes people eat four meals a day. They have breakfast at any time from seven to nine in the morning. They eat porridge(粥) eggs or bread and drink tea or coffee at breakfast. Lunch comes at one o’clock. Afternoon tea is from four to five in the afternoon and dinner is about half past seven. First they have soup, then they have meat or fish with vegetables. After they eat some other things, like bananas, apples or oranges. But not all English people eat like that. Some of them have their dinner in the middle of the day. Their meals are breakfast, dinner, tea and supper and all these meals are very simple.

6．Many English people have ______ meals a day.

A．two              B．three            C．four             D．five

7．People may have _______ for their breakfast according to the passage.

A．tea and eggs                         B．hamburgers and tea

C．coffee and salad                     D．eggs and fish

8．People have lunch at _______.

A．any time         B．nine             C．five             D．one

9．People don’t have _______ for their dinner.

A．bananas and apples   B．soup and meat   C．meat and fish   D．porridge

10．Most Englishmen have dinner ________.

A．at one           B．at any time      C．at noon          D．in the evening

    Healthy eating doesn't just mean what you eat, but how you eat. Here is some advice on healthy eating.     

Eat with others. It can help you to see others' healthy eating habits. If you usually eat with your parents, you will find that the food you eat is more delicious.

 Listen to your body. Ask yourself if you are really hungry. Have a glass of water to see if you are thirsty--sometimes you are just thirsty, and you need no food. Stop eating before you feel full.

Eat breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Because you don't eat for the past ten hours, your body needs food to get you going. You will be smarter after eating breakfast

Eat healthy snacks like fruits, yogurt(酸奶) or cheese. We all need snacks sometimes. In fact, it's a good idea to eat two healthy snacks between your three meals. This doesn't mean that you can eat a bag of chips instead of a meal.

Don't eat dinner late. In our busy life, we always put off eating dinner until the last minute. Try to eat dinner at least 3 hours before you go to bed. This will give your body a chance to digest most of the food before you rest for the next 8-10 hours.

16．The writer gives us _________ pieces of advice on healthy eating.

A．4                B．5                C．6                D．7

17．Which snack is Not mentioned in the passage?

A．Fruits.          B．Yogurt.          C．Chips.           D．Ice cream.

18．Which of the following is True according to the passage?

A．Snacks are bad for our health.

B．We should keep eating until we are full.

C．Dinner is the most important meal of the day.

D．We should have dinner at least 3 hours before going to bed.

19．The underlined word "digest" means  ______ in Chinese.

A．消化             B．享用             C．储存             D．循环

20．The passage mainly tells us ___________

A．where to eat     B．how to eat       C．why to eat       D．when to eat

A lot of people like taking a trip with no plans. They think it is very exciting and has more fun. But in fact, it is not good. Making vacation plans is very important.

First, a vacation plan can make sure that everything goes well. If you visit a place but you don't book a hotel, you may have no place to stay at night.

Second, you have lots of things to take with you for a vacation. You need to plan what things you have to buy and what things you need to put in bags. For example, you want to visit one place, but when you arrive at the airport(机场), you forget to bring your plane ticket! You may be late for the plane.

Third, making a vacation plan can help you save a lot of money. No one wants to spend more money than they want to. If you surf the Internet before you go on a vacation, you may find some cheap plane tickets and hotel rooms.

Next time when you go on a vacation, try to write down some plans. They can help you have more fun in your vacation.

26．The writer thinks that taking a trip without plans is________.

A．interesting      B．relaxing         C．bad              D．exciting

27．From this passage we can know it's very important ________.

A．to make a vacation plan              B．to take a trip by plane

C．to surf the Internet                 D．to visit a place with more money

28．________ can make sure that everything goes well during the vacation.

A．Bringing your plane ticket           B．Booking a cheap hotel room

C．Taking many things with you          D．Making a vacation plan

29．The underlined word “book” in the passage means “________” in Chinese.

A．装修             B．预订             C．扩建             D．推荐

30．The passage mainly tells us ________.

A．why we must make a vacation plan     B．it's important to have more fun

C．how we can make a vacation plan      D．what we must take during the vacation