My name is Lucy and this is my grandfather. His name is Tim and he is my best friend. My grandfather is 64 years old and he is retired now, so he has much time to be and play with me. I love him very much and I know he loves me too.

    He lives with me, my father, my mother and my brother Kevin. We live in a big house. My grandfather is a very tall and strong man! Can you see me on his shoulders (肩膀)in this picture? He is really strong! My grandfather always knows what I want to do or to eat or what I feel inside! When I am sad, he makes me laugh with his funny faces. Every night before I go to bed, my grandfather tells me stories, and he even sings for me!

根据材料内容选择最佳答案。

    Four men who would become fathers were in a hospital waiting room while their wives were going to give birth to their babies. The nurse arrived and proudly said to the first man, “Congratulations, sir. You're the father of twins!”

    “What a surprise! Believe it or not! I work for the Minnesota Twins Baseball teams!”

    Later the nurse returned and congratulated the second father on the birth of his triplets (三胞胎).

    “Wow! That's unbelievable! I work for the 3M Company.”

    An hour later, the nurse returned to congratulate the third man on the birth of his quadruplets (四胞胎). Surprised, he only could answer, “I don't believe it! I work for the Four Seasons Hotel!”

    After this, everyone turned to the fourth man who had just fallen down. The nurse ran fast to his side. As he slowly came to himself, they could hear him speak in a very low voice over and over, “I should never have taken that job at 7-Eleven. I should never have taken that job at 7-Eleven. I should never have taken that job at 7-Eleven.”

B

    Last summer, Mac Hollan, a primary school teacher, was cycling to Alaska with two friends. On the way, his friends had to stop for a bicycle repair, but they encouraged Mac to ride on, and they would catch up with him soon.

    Mac began to cycle alone. A few minutes later, Mac heard quick and loud breathing behind him. "Man, that's a big dog!" he thought. But when he looked to the side, he saw immediately that it wasn't a dog at all, but a wolf, quickly catching up with him.

    Mac's heart jumped. He searched and took out his can of bear spray（防熊喷雾）. With one hand on the bars, he fired the spray at the wolf. A bright red cloud enveloped the animal. To Mac's relief（宽慰）, it fell back, shaking its head. A minute later, however, it was again by his side. It even attacked the back of Mac's bike, tearing open his tent bag. He fired at the wolf a second time, and again, it fell back, only to quickly restart the chase（追赶）.

    Mac was riding hard now. He waved and shouted at passing cars without slowing down.

    At that moment, Paul and Becky were driving their car on their way to Alaska. They found a dog-like animal running alongside a man on a bike. As they got closer, they realized that the "dog" was a wolf. Mac heard a large car behind him. He kept waving and shouting as the wolf was catching up closer. And the car did stop in front of him at the right time.

In China, the year 2024 is the Year of the Dragon or "Loong", as it is known in Chinese. Nowadays more and more Chinese people prefer the word "long" to "dragon" when talking about Chinese dragons.

In Western culture, the dragon is usually a symbol of darkness. Western dragons are often described as cruel, fire-breathing Unlike Western dragons. Chinese loongs traditionally symbolize strơng powers that can help people. They control over water and ensure a good harvest (收成). The loong is important in Chinese culture and has been popular throughout Chinese history.

In China, newborns in such years as 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, are called "loong babies." They are thought to be blessed with bravery and wisdom characteristic of the Chinese loongs. Parents wish their kids to "become loongs" expecting their children to get future success. It is hoped that their children will get some achievements in life with a good education and hard work.

The Western idea of dragon is not the same as that of the Chinese dragon. If you want to express ideas related to the Chinese dragon then you should use the word "loong". For example: "I was born in the year of the loong" or "Happy the Year of the Loong".

A desert is a place where almost no rain falls. Only plants and animals that need very little water can live in a desert. Here are two types of deserts.

Sandy deserts are covered in hills of moving sand called dunes (沙丘). Very few plants grow in these hot and dry places. Camels (骆驼) are the desert animals. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. A camel can go for days without food or water. It lives on the fat stored in its hump (驼峰). {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. These camels usually live in the desert of Africa and Australia. And some camels have two humps on their back. They live in Asia where the desert is cooler. They are known as Asian camels. A camel usually has thick eyelashes to protect its eyes from sand blown by the wind.

In some deserts, the land is rocky. They're called rocky deserts. Plants can store their own water grow in the dry and rocky deserts of North America. Rattlesnakes (响尾蛇) live in rocky deserts. A rattlesnake gets its name from the rattle (响环) on the end of its tail. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Most cacti (仙人掌) grow in rocky desert. They grow very slowly, but they can live for 20 years. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Some types of owls like to build their homes in them.

A. Some camels have only one hump

B. Many of them can grow taller than a house

C. Humps are really important for an adult camel

D. They help people carry things across the desert

E. It shakes its tail from side to side to warn other animals to stay away

 In the future, we might not just drive or take trains to get around. Smart people are making a new way to travel: flying cars. These cars can drive on the road like usual cars, but they can also fly in the sky like planes.

"Wow, can you imagine flying over traffic jams?" asks Tom.

"Sure, Tom!" answers Sarah. "It would save us so much time."

 Flying cars can help deal with(处理) some big travel problems. One is traffic jams. With flying cars, people can fly over them and save time. Another problem is pollution. Many flying cars are being made as electric cars, so...

"I heard these electric(电) flying cars won't pollute the air," Jack puts a word in.

"That's right, Jack," adds Emma. "They' re eco-friendly and a big step towards cleaner transportation(交通)."

 Safety(安全) is very important for new ways to travel. Engineers are using cool technology to make flying cars safe. They put safety nets into them, like parachutes and good guided system(导航系统) to help.

"Dad, are flying cars safe?" little Timmy asks.

"Yes, Timmy," his dad reassures him. "Engineers are working hard to make them as safe as possible."

 Flying cars are still being tested, but some companies have tried them out. It might take a few years, but soon we might see flying cars in our everyday life. The idea of flying cars is not just a dream any more— it's getting real.

"I can't wait for the day we can just fly to work," says Lisa, excitedly.

"Me neither," agrees Mike. "It's going to change the way we live and travel."