Do you know that a fast reader can get the ideas better than a slow reader can? Of course, you save time by reading fast, but it is not the main reason for fast reading. The main reason is that you understand better what you are reading when you read fast.

     As your eyes move along the line of a book, they make f'txations (注視). It is important that you see several words at a fixation. It is also important that your eyes leave a group of words quickly and move on to another group. The number of letters or words that you see at a fixation are called your eye span(視幅). With practice you can learn to read faster than you usually read.

     The way in which you read always has something to do with what you are reading and why you are reading. You should know the different ways of reading so that you can use the fight and necessary way. Here are four ways of reading, but not all; they may help you read faster.

1. Skimming(瀏覽) is an important kind of reading. It can be used when you wish to go over something that you have forgotten. You may skim to find a lost place of a sentence that you have read and can’t remember. You may skim to get an idea of a story.

     2. Fast first reading and then rereading certain parts carefully is important. You may use this kind of reading to study a science lesson or a history lesson.

     3. You need to do careful reading and rereading sometimes. This kind of reading is necessary for making a careful study of the main school subjects, working out math problems, studying rules for playing a game, or reading directions.

     4. Fast reading is used when you read stories for pleasure. You may also do fast reading when going over the lessons you have already known well.

1. Which is a better way of reading, seeing a group of words or a word at a fixation?

2. If you forget an important date in your history lesson and want to find it in the book, what way of reading should you use?

3. What's the good point of reading fast?

4. Why does the writer talk about different ways of reading?

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

Betty is not a traditional American beauty. She is unfashionable, has thick red glasses, untidy hair and large metal braces (牙套) on her teeth. But this hasn’t stopped her from becoming one of American’s favorite TV characters. So how did she manage to do it?

The answer is that charm can be more attractive than beauty. Betty is the main character in a TV show Ugly Betty. The show is about her life as an office worker at a fashion magazine in New York.

　　The TV show has just started. Betty has many exciting experiences and romantic stories. Betty is often looked down on and laughed at by the people around. But she manages to do better than others with her hard work, charm and wisdom. The show tells us about how a girl goes from an ugly young duck into a beautiful swan.

　　Though you may know the ending of the show from the beginning and the story is familiar to many of us, it has still been a big success in the USA. It has attracted a large number of viewers and won two Golden Globes awards, one of the highest honors for a television program in the USA.“ I think you can see a bit of Betty in all of us, and I mean men as well, because it’s about the underdog (弱者)”，says Ashley Jensen, who plays one of the characters on the show.

　　The program is so successful because of the good performance of the 23-year-old actress America Ferrera who plays the role of Betty. She brings the character alive on the screen.

1.Betty is popular because of ____.

A. her clothes 　　　　　B. her charm 　　　   C. her metal braces  　　　D. her appearance

2.In Paragraph 4, the underlined word “it” refers to (指的是) ____.

A. the beginning 　　　　B. the ending 　　  　C. the story 　　　        D. the show

3.Which is the reason for the success of the show?

A. A large number of viewers. 　　　　　　B. Her life as an office worker.

C. The wonderful performance. 　　　　　 D. Two Golden Globes awards.

4.Which of the following is NOT true according of the show?

A. Betty is a girl of wisdom.

B. Betty acts as a beautiful swan on the show.

C. Betty is an American favorite TV character.

D. Betty is often looked down on by the people around.

5. What can be the best title for the passage?

A. Beauty from within. 　　　　　  B. A romantic story.

C. An ugly girl. 　　　　　　　　  D. An exciting experience.

We have always been warned of the dangers of forest fires. They cause _____ 85 _____ to a forest. They kill many plants and animals in an eco-system, which is a group of living things and their environment. But have you ever heard of a forest fire that can be _____86_____  for a forest? People start some of the fires with a special reason to actually do good to the eco-system.

In fact, fires are a natural part of any eco-system. Without fires, the oldest and largest trees would stop sunlight from reaching the forest floor. Fires can _____87_____ some of these old trees. When the trees die, they provide something good for the earth. New trees can grow strong and healthy in their place.

Some trees even need fires to grow. These trees hold their seeds (種子) inside. Heat from a fire allows the coat of the seeds to open up. Then the seeds fall to the ground and have the _____88____ to grow/

Scientist, who know about nature’s needs, start some of these fires, called controlled burns. A fire is started and kept under control. This way, the fire does not spread out of the area or _____89_____ a after forest fires, they can go hungry _____90_____ their food has been damaged in the fire. Small, controlled fires mean than animals will not have to move far to find food. After some time, small plants begin to grow. Animals return soon after the plants return. This _____91_____  makes an eco-system.

So the next time you hear about a forest fire, think about the good as well as the bad. It may take a new eco-system a while to return, but it will likely come back stronger and healthier than ever.

1.A) illness     B) difficulty      C) damage       D) flood

2. A) helpful    B) powerful      C) harmful       D) awful

3. A) take the place of    B)  get ready for     C)  be bad for      D) get rid of

4.A) time       B) water       C) chance       D) skill

5.A) discover    B) cover       C) but          D) waste

6. A) because    B) although      C) but         D) so

7.A) almost     B) again        C) never      D) even

We have always been warned of the dangers of forest fires. They cause _____ 85 _____ to a forest. They kill many plants and animals in an eco-system, which is a group of living things and their environment. But have you ever heard of a forest fire that can be _____86_____  for a forest? People start some of the fires with a special reason to actually do good to the eco-system.

In fact, fires are a natural part of any eco-system. Without fires, the oldest and largest trees would stop sunlight from reaching the forest floor. Fires can _____87_____ some of these old trees. When the trees die, they provide something good for the earth. New trees can grow strong and healthy in their place.

Some trees even need fires to grow. These trees hold their seeds (種子) inside. Heat from a fire allows the coat of the seeds to open up. Then the seeds fall to the ground and have the _____88____ to grow/

Scientist, who know about nature’s needs, start some of these fires, called controlled burns. A fire is started and kept under control. This way, the fire does not spread out of the area or _____89_____ a after forest fires, they can go hungry _____90_____ their food has been damaged in the fire. Small, controlled fires mean than animals will not have to move far to find food. After some time, small plants begin to grow. Animals return soon after the plants return. This _____91_____  makes an eco-system.

So the next time you hear about a forest fire, think about the good as well as the bad. It may take a new eco-system a while to return, but it will likely come back stronger and healthier than ever.

1.A) illness     B) difficulty      C) damage       D) flood

2. A) helpful    B) powerful      C) harmful       D) awful

3. A) take the place of    B)  get ready for     C)  be bad for      D) get rid of

4.A) time       B) water       C) chance       D) skill

5.A) discover    B) cover       C) but          D) waste

6. A) because    B) although      C) but         D) so

7.A) almost     B) again        C) never      D) even

.  Your mouth will be opened and your teeth will be shown when you laugh. However, the h____(1)_____ those teeth are, the happier you look. Strong, healthy teeth can help you eat the right food to help you g_____(2)______. They also help you speak clearly. But do you know how to take care of your teeth? These should be f_______(3)______.
Brush your teeth twice a day after breakfast and before bedtime. If you can, brush after lunch or after eating sweet cakes. T____(4)_____ your time while brushing. Spend at least 3 minutes each time you brush. Brush all of your teeth, not just the f____(5)_____ ones. Spend some time on the teeth along the s_____(6)______ and in the back.  
Be sure the t____(7)_____ you use is soft and should be changed every three months or even less.
Learn how to floss(用牙線清理) your teeth, which is a very important way to keep them healthy. It feels s when you do it at first, but soon you’ll get used to doing it. The floss cleans up food that’s h____(8)_____ between your teeth.
Brushing and flossing keep your teeth healthy. You also need to c______(9)______ about what you eat and drink. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables and drink water i____(10)____ of drinks.