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A

On a hill 600 feet above the surrounding land， we watch the lines of rain move across the scene， the moon rise over the hills， and the stars appear in the sky. The views invite a long look from a comfortable chair in front of the wooden house.

Every window in our wooden house has a view， and the forest and lakes seldom look the same as the hour before. Each look reminds us where we are.

There is space for our three boys to play outside， to shoot arrows， collect tree seeds， build earth houses and climb trees.

Our kids have learned the names of the trees， and with the names have come familiarity and appreciation. As they tell all who show even a passing interest， maple （枫树） makes the best fighting sticks and white pines are the best climbing trees.

The air is clean and fresh. The water from the well has a pleasant taste， and it is perhaps the healthiest water our kids will ever drink. Though they have one glass of juice a day and the rest is water， they never say anything against that.

The seasons change just outside the door. We watch the maples turn every shade of yellow and red in the fall and note the poplars （杨树） putting out the first green leaves of spring. The rainbow smelt fills the local steam as the ice gradually disappears， and the wood frogs start to sing in pools after being frozen for the winter. A family of birds rules our skies and flies over the lake.

1. What can be learned from Paragraph 2？

A. The scenes are colorful and changeable.

B. There are many windows in the wooden house.

C. The views remind us that we are in a wooden house.

D. The lakes outside the windows are quite different in color.

2. By mentioning the names of the trees， the author aims to show

that the kids ______ .

A. like playing in trees

B. are very familiar with trees

C. find trees useful learning tools

D. have learned much knowledge about trees

3. What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean？

A. The change of seasons is easily felt.

B. The seasons make the scenes change.

C. The weather often changes in the forest.

D. The door is a good position to enjoy changing seasons.

4. What is the main purpose of the author writing the text？

A. To describe the beauty of the scene around the house.

B. To introduce her childrens happy life in the forest.

C. To show that living in the forest is healthful.

D. To share the joy of living in nature.

B

Exam time is the most stressful period for students. But help is at hand for those studying at the University of Bristol thanks to a special “puppy （小狗） room” to aid relaxation and calmness.

Students are being invited to hold guide dogs and their puppies with organizers hoping the cute puppies can provide ways to reduce stresses of revision. It comes from research published in Japan， which suggests pictures of cute things like puppies or kittens can help improve concentration levels and performance.

Gordon Trevett from the university wanted to bring the puppy love to Bristol with the help of the charity Guide Dogs. He said， “Every year I see students worrying about their exams and I thought this would be a great way to ease the stress and take their minds off it. People with dogs have lower blood pressure in stressful situations than those without a dog. Its proved really popular and over 600 students have signed up. ”

There will be around 20 dogs and puppies throughout the day. To ensure the puppies arent agitated （激怒）， the number of people allowed in the room is limited and each group will last 15 minutes. Students will be asked to make a suggested donation （捐款） of 2 dollars to Guide Dogs.

Sarah Knox said， “Guide Dogs is pleased to be able to work with the University of Bristol and allow students the chance to de-stress at the busy exam time. We are sure we will meet lots of students who miss their own pet dogs while away at university. I would like to say a big thank-you to the university for their interest in our charity and also our volunteers who I am sure will create a wonderful experience for the students.”

5. Why was the puppy room brought in？

A. To train guide dogs.

B. To improve the students health.

C. To ask students to help with a charity.

D. To calm stressed students before exams.

6. What does the underlined word “It” in Paragraph 2 refer to？

A. The stress of revision.

B. The charity Guide Dogs.

C. The idea of setting up a puppy room.

D. The calmness needed to take exams.

7. Why do they limit the number of people in the room？

A. To keep puppies from getting angry.

B. To give puppies enough room to walk around.

C. To make each group of people stay long enough.

D. To let every student enjoy the company of puppies.

8. What can be the best title for the text？

A. The Special Use of Guide Dogs

B. The Benefits of Having Puppies

C. Stressed-out Students Before Exams

D. Puppy Room to Help Students Reduce Stress