高一英语上册期中测试题高一英语 试题卷命题: 审稿: 满分[100]分 时间[120]分钟 2009年11月
第一部分:听力 ( 共两节,满分10分 )第一节 ( 共5小题,每小题0. 5分, 满分2. 5分 ) 听下面5段对话,每段对话后有一个小题,从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项,并标在试卷的相应位置,听完每段对话后,你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。1. What are these two people talking about?A. A lightweight shirt. B. Things to wear. C. The warm weather.高考资源网2. What is the woman's job?A. Cook. B. Waitress. 高考资源网 C. Saleswoman.3. How is the man getting to work?A. Riding. B. By bus. C. Driving.高考资源网4. What does the man mean?A. The woman's uncle will come for a visit. B. He thinks the woman should visit her uncle. 高考资源网C. He asks the woman to go over to his place.5. What will the weather in Arizona be like in the coming week?A. Rainy. B. Warm. C. A bit cold. 高考资源网第二节( 共15小题, 每小题0. 5分, 满分7. 5分 )听下面5段对话或独白,每段对话或独白后有几个小题,从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项,并标在试卷的相应位置,听每段对话或独白前,你将有时间阅读各个小题,每小题5秒钟;听完后,各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。听第6段材料,回答第6至8题。6. What lipstick did the woman expect to buy? A. Lyfel, dark shade. B. Lyfel, pink shade. C. Lyfel, bright shade.7. Why does the woman want to change the color of her lipstick?A. To be cool. B. To be serious. C. To be attractive.8. How about the lipstick the woman took in the end? A. Its color is suitable but is very expensive. B. Its color is right though it is not Lyfel brand. C. Its color isn't right but its brand is Lyfel.听第7段材料,回答第9至11题。9. Why is it easier for the woman to learn English? A. She often talks to English people. B. She speaks two languages already.C. She always does her homework right after class.10. Which of the following is suggested by the woman to be a good way of learning English?A. Reading newspapers. B. Writing diaries. C. Reading aloud in the morning.11. Why is it difficult for the man to lean English? A. He doesn't talk to his English teachers. B. There are no native speakers around him. C. He is too shy to speak English.听第8段材料,回答第12至14题。12. How does the man get information about the apartment? A. From TV advertisements. B. From advertisements in the newspapers. C. From radio advertisements.13. How many rooms has the apartment got?A. Four B. Five C. Six14. How much will the man pay for the rent per month if he wants to include management and parking as well?A. $500. B. $450. C. $550.听第9段材料,回答第15至17题。15. What is the woman afraid of when she takes her trips?A. Taking a voyage. B. Taking a train. C. Taking a flight.16. What transportation can you infer the man prefers?A. Trains. B. Planes. C. Ships.17. What's the probable relationship between the two speakers?A. Husband and wife. B. Teacher and student. C. Friends.听第10段材料,回答第18至20题。18. What was Miss Richards?A. A chemistry teacher. B. A physics teacher. C. A science teacher.19. How did Miss Richards feel before Dick answered her question?A. Disappointed and unhappy. B. Angry and annoyed. C. Excited.20. What can we learn from the passage? A. Dick was the top student in class. B. The students were active in class. C. Miss Richards was rather patient.第二部分:英语知识运用 ( 共两节,满分35分 )第一节 单项填空 ( 共15小题, 每小题1分,满分15分 )从所给A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。21. We believe ______ Shanghai we’ll see in the year 2010 will be quite ______ different city from what it is now.A. 不填; a B. the; a C. the; the D. 不填; 不填22. Was it in 2002 ______ he was still at middle school ______ the boy became expert at computer? A. that; where B. when; where C. that; when D. when; that23. — Shall I telephone the hotel for information? —There is no need. Sarah said that she would ______ for the weekend. A. put up us B. put us up C. put down us D. put us down24. I prefer a street in a small town to ______ in such a large city as Shanghai.A. one B. that C. it D. this25. ______ of the mountains in that area ______ covered with trees and grass.A. Two-fifth; is B. Two-fifth; are C. Two-fifths; are D. Two-fifths; is26. — The manager left for Shanghai yesterday morning.— I ______ that. He mentioned it the day before.A. should think of B. must have thought of C. don’t think of D. should have thought of27. It’s so nice to hear from her. ______, we last met more than thirty years ago.A. What’s more B. That is to say C. In other words D. Believe it or not28. — Oh, it’s you! I ______ you.— I’ve just had my hair cut, and I’m wearing new glasses.A. didn’t recognize B. didn’t know C. don’t recognize D. don’t know29. A number of young people ______ present at the party and the number of them ______.A. was; were many B. were; was many C. was; were large D. were; was large30. Britain is an ______ country. You can improve your ______ if you stay there for a year. A. English-speaking; speaking English B. English-speaking; spoken English C. English; speaking English D. English; English speaking31. ______ get such a pair of shoes for my son? A. Where do you think can I B. Do you think where I can C. Where do you think I can D. Do you think where can I 32. The police officer bought a new house ______ face south. A. the windows of them B. which windows C. whose windows D. their windows33. Be quick, the doors ______! You will just ______ in time. A. have closed; take it B. are closed; miss it C. close; get it D. are closing; make it34. Zhou Lan wonders what use is ______ these reference books her father bought for her. A. made up of B. made out of C. made of D. made from35. — Well, my daughters take great interest in most of the food on the menu.— Thanks. ______ ?— Salad, fried fish, chips and orange juice, please.A. Shall I take your order B. At your service C. What to follow D. Can I help you第二节 完形填空( 共20小题,每小题l 分,满分20分 ) 阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从36-55各题所给的四个选项 ( A、B、C和D )中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。It was the last day of the final examination in a large eastern university. On the steps of one building, a group of students were talking about the exam that was going to begin in a few 36 . On their faces was confidence(信心). This was their 37 exam—then on to graduation(毕业)and jobs.Some talked of jobs they already had, others talked of jobs they 38 get. With the certainty of four years of college, they felt 39 and able to take control(控制)of the world.The coming exam, they knew, would be a(n) 40 task, as the professor had said they could bring __41__books or notes they wanted, requesting only that they did not 42 each other during the test.__43__they entered the classroom. The professor passed out the papers. And smiles 44 on the students’ faces as they found there were only five questions.Three hours had passed 45 the professor began to collect papers. The students no longer looked confident. On their faces was a frightened expression. Papers in hand, no one spoke as the professor faced the class.He looked at the 46 faces before him, and then asked: “How many completed all five questions?” 47 a hand was raised.“How many answered four?” Still no hand. “Three? Two?” The students moved restlessly in their seats.“One, then? Certainly somebody finished 48 .” But the class remained silent.The professor put down the papers. “That is exactly what I 49 ,” he said. “I just want you to know that, although you have completed four years of study, there are 50 many things about the 51 you don’t know. These questions you could not answer are relatively common(普遍)in everyday 52 .” Then, smiling, he added, “You will all 53 this course, but remember—even though you are now college graduates, your education had just __54__.”The years have weakened the name of the professor, but not the 55 he taught. 36. A. seconds B. minutes C. hours D. days37. A. only B. first C. very D. last38. A. would B. must C. had to D. used to39. A. glad B. ready C. sorry D. nice40. A. interesting B. necessary C. easy D. unusual41. A. no B. either C. any D. some42. A. listen to B. look at C. care for D. talk to43. A. Hardly B. Happily C. Quickly D. Carefully44. A. appeared B. changed C. failed D. stopped45. A. then B. as C. before D. after46. A. pleased B. worried C. surprised D. moved47. A. Not B. Once C. Only D. Even48. A. all B. none C. one D. it49. A. wondered B. enjoyed C. hated D. expected50.A. even B. already C. so D. still51. A. exam B. subject C. question D. college52. A. job B. class C. practice D. study53. A. pass B. fail C. take D. start54. A. begun B. completed C. failed D. succeeded55. A. subject B. questions C. words D. things第三部分:阅读理解 ( 共两节,满分29分 )第一节 阅读理解 ( 共16小题, 每小题1. 5分,满分24分 )阅读下面的文章,从所给A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。ATaiwanese singer Stefanie Sun(孙燕姿)looks just like any other young girl. She has short hair, a clear face and a sweet smile. However, there is something about her that makes her very special: her voice. No one else can sing like she can. Now 28, Sun is a bright star. She has released many albums(专辑).Sun was born in Singapore. When she was a child, her father told her, “A person should always be good at something in life, so they have something to do for a hobby.” Sun chose to learn to play the piano when she was only five. Then, she took up kick-boxing(搏击操)because she felt she was thin and wanted to make herself stronger.She often sings about the pain and happiness of growing up. The simple but true feelings in her music are loved by teens. “Sun may be a star, but she seems like a normal girl. She is close to us, ” said Zhu Liying, 15, a Beijing student. “Her songs give me courage.”Eventually, the star was tired because she had worked so hard. She stopped singing for a while and had a one-year holiday to travel. “I won’t give up singing. I just want a rest and to try something new. I hope to make better music when I come back.” Sun said then.Now she is working hard again to let her fans hear more beautiful music.56. Which is NOT true about Sun?A. She has short hair. B. She always has sweet smiles.C. Her face looks clear. D. She is a very famous actress.57. The underlined word “released”(in Paragraph 1)means ______.A. 发行 B. 释放 C. 放大 D. 组成58. Sun learned kick-boxing when she was still a child because ______.A. she wanted to be a dancer B. she wanted to get strongerC. she enjoyed dancing D. she wanted to be famous59. Teenagers love Sun’s songs because ______.A. her songs are about the pain of growing up B. she looks clear and is kind to all her fansC. the feelings in her songs are simple but true D. her songs are about love and friendsBWhen a new Harry Potter book hits the shelves, kids aren’t the only people who are happy. Doctors are happy, too. Doctors in England recently reported that when the last two Harry Potter books came out, the number of kids in the hospital emergency room(急诊室)fell. Dr. Stephen Gwilym studied the number of kids aged from 5 to 15 who were in the hospital emergency room after the latest Harry Potter books came out. They focused on two weekends: after Order of the Phoenix came out in 2003 and after Half-Blood Prince arrived in stores in the end of 2004.During the non-Harry Potter weekends, an average(平均)of 67.4 children visited the emergency room. On Harry Potter weekends, that number was 36.5.Kids were so interested in the books that they would not go outside to play those weekends. Once Dr. Stephen Gwilym saw a child sitting peacefully for hours while reading Harry Potter.60. Why were the doctors happy when the Harry Potter books came out?A. Because they could read the books.B. Because there would be less injuries in hospital.C. Because they found the children peacefully reading books.D. Because they could conduct the study.61. What is the name of the last Harry Potter book?A. Harry Potter B. Order of the PhoenixC. Half-Blood Prince D. Dr. Stephen Gwilym62. The sentence “…all average of 67.4 children visited the emergency room’’ means “…an average of 67.4 children ______ ”.A. were injured and went to see the doctor B. read Harry Potter in the emergency roomC. went to see the emergency room D. stayed at the emergency room to be studied63. The phrase “hit the shelves” in the passage means ______.A. break the shelves B. begin to be sold C. become very popular D. become illCIf you want to get the most out of the study of a language, you must also read for pleasure: novels, plays, travel books, and so on. And in reading books of this kind the important thing is to get on with the reading; to try to grasp what the writer is going to tell you in the book as a whole. This is impossible if you stop and think over the meaning of every single word which happens to be unfamiliar (不熟悉). You can not enjoy a story if you stop half a dozen times on every page in order to look up words in the dictionary. You may even prevent yourself from understanding the story as a whole by doing this. When you are reading books of this kind, therefore, you will usually have to rely mainly on (依靠) the context (上下文) to help you. If you meet an unfamiliar word, do not let it take too much of your attention from the main thread (主线) of the story. In all probability (可能) you will meet the same word again a few pages later on in a slightly different context, and each time you see it that your understanding of it will become more exact.64. The phrase “to get on with reading” in the passage has the same meaning as “______”.A. to try to grasp the meaning of every sentence in the bookB. to try to catch the meaning of every word in the bookC. to try to understand all the writer is going to tell youD. to try to understand the main idea of the book65. When you meet new words in reading such kinds of books, you’d better ______.A. stop and look them up in a dictionary B. stop and think them overC. try to guess their meanings from the context D. have none of them66. From the passage the best way to read novels, plays and travel books is ______.A. to read very slowly B. to read quickly and not too carefullyC. to read very carefully D. to read very seriously67. The best title for this passage is “______”.A. Read for Pleasure B. Get on with the BooksC. Reading Skills D. The Importance of ReadingDFor many years Henry had been a journalist. He had worked on many international newspapers and magazines and traveled all over the world.Henry had witnessed wars and natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes (火山爆发) .He had reported on serious accidents such as big fires and airline crashes.He had seen every kind of terrible crime and strange event there was.He had met and written about some of the most unusual people in the world.In fact, there wasn’t much that Henry had not seen or done.Now he retired from journalism (新闻业). He owned a very expensive restaurant and spent his days talking to his wealthy and important customers. He liked to say that nothing surprised him.One day he was sitting at the bar in his restaurant when a big gorilla walked in and asked for a table.Henry showed no surprise. He took the gorilla to a table and handed him a menu. He treated him politely and pretended there was nothing at all strange about having a gorilla in his restaurant.The gorilla looked through the menu and ordered a salad.Henry served the gorilla his salad personally, knowing that his waiters and waitresses would be too frightened.At last the gorilla finished his salad and asked for the bill.Henry wrote out the bill and handed it to the big animal.The gorilla studied it, shook his head sadly, then gave Henry fifty dollars.“Thank you”, Henry said, and then to make conversation he added, “We don’t get many gorillas in this restaurant.”“At fifty dollars for a salad,” the gorilla said, “I’m not surprised.”68. What does the underlined word “witness” mean? A. when something happens one sees or notices it on the spot. B. to be part of C. to tell what happens D. to feel unhappy with69. According to the story, Henry had ______.A. had the most exciting experiences B. told the longest storiesC. made history D. caused accidents70. One day when a gorilla came into the restaurant, Henry was ______. A. very surprised by the gorilla B. not troubled by the gorilla C. very interested in the gorilla D. scared of the gorilla71. The gorilla was ______. A. angry with the salad B. still hungry after his salad C. not surprised by the cost of the food D. surprised by the price.第二节 五位学生打算选择适合各自情况的文学课程。第72至76题是学生对课程要求的介绍。阅读下面六个课程简介(A、B、C、D、E和F),选出符合各人需要的最佳选项,并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。选项中有一项是多余选项。(共5小题, 每小题1分,满分5分)72. ______Tommy has the basic knowledge of American literature. He wants to take a course which can help him read more famous works about American literature.73. ______ Kate likes to read literature works and she has many opinions after reading, but she doesn’t know how to express her idea properly.74. ______ Jerry wants to write some articles to show the significance of researching literature today, especially the significance in life. He is looking for a course which can help him.75. ______ Helen wants to become a famous writer in the future. She is eager to take a course which can help her realize her dream.76. ______ Peter was ill last term and missed a lot of lessons in American literature. He wants to take a course which can give him an outline of it.A. American CommentsThe course is a study of how to write literature comments through some vivid examples. We believe that practice makes perfect. Only by following our examples can you acquire your ability on literature comments.B. Works of Some Famous American WritersWorks of Some Famous American Writers show us the introductions to eleven famous writers and their works and also give us some comments on the works.C. Detailed Reading of American Literature Detailed Reading of American Literature is a course which focuses on some important and moving details in the works of American literature. It will analyse the details.
D. Story and PlotIt is a course which analyses the setting of the main plots in some famous stories. The aim of this course is to help those who want to become writers in the future.E. Characters and Life As you know, literature comes from our life, but it is more than our life. This course will analyse the personalities of some important characters in the world literature, and combine the analysis with our life. It will help us gain wisdom from the characters.F. A Look at American Literature A Look at American Literature is a course which gives us a brief outline of American Literature. Our classes are organized in small size and given by professors who are expert in American literature.第四部分:写作 ( 共三节, 满分26分)第一节 单词拼写( 每小题0. 5分,共12题,满分6分 )77. She gave me a d______ look - the kind that said she would not change her mind.78. He looks like a nice and r______ man, but in fact he often tells lies.79. Rains are f______ in this city in early summer, that is to say, it rains a lot here.80. Some research workers completely i______ all those facts as though they never existed.81. We should enlarge our v______ as much as possible in order to read more books.82. S______ were built for survivors whose homes had been destroyed after Wenchuan Earthquake.83. Tom tried to p______ his father to quit smoking, but his father did not listen.84. The army organized teams to dig out those who were trapped and to b______ the dead.85. In spite of such a big difference in a______ towards what one eats, there is no doubt that people in the west regard the Chinese food as something special.86. I told him it was a bad idea, but Dave’s so s______ that he just never listens. 87. The buildings were completely d______ by the earthquake.88. The news of his wife’s death was a terrible s______ to him.第二节 短文改错( 每小题0. 5分,共10题,满分5分 )假如英语课上老师要求同学们交换修改作文, 请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误, 要求你在错误的地方增加、删除、或修改某个单词。增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),并在其下面写上该加的词。删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。修改:在错的词下划一横线, 并在该词下面写上修改后的词。注意:1. 每次错误以及修改均限一词;2. 只允许修改10处, 多者从第十一处起不计分。Dear Mary,Thank you very much for invite me to your birthday party in Saturday evening. I’d love to
come and I have to go to the countryside to see my grandparents. They were very old and
unluckily not in good healthy. My mother has been already called them and promised visit them
with me this Saturday. We will stay at my grandparents the whole weekend. So I’m real sorry I
can’t make it. I hope you can understand me. Here I wish your a happy birthday party.Yours,Jim 第三节 书面表达( 满分15分 )最近我校对高一年级同学入学两个多月来的学习生活适应情况做了一个调查,情况如下。请你用英语表达下表的调查内容,并提出个人观点。要求: 1.字数120字左右;2.文章开头已给,不计入总词数。参考词汇:course 课程 benefit 对…有益30%左右的同学认为 70%左右的同学认为 我的观点1.高中学习很有压力;2.科目难度大,课后作业多。3.没有时间参加锻炼等活动。 1.适应并喜欢高中生活;2.课程更有趣,活动更丰富,受益匪浅。 ......Recently, a survey has been carried out in our school whether the students have adapted to the life in senior high school. …
Attention: clean and beautiful handwriting expected.
2009学年第一学期期中考试 高一英语 参考答案及评分标准命题:王晓丽 审稿:孙建琴一. 听力1-5 BBCBA 6-10 ABBBA 11-15 CBACC 16-20 BCCAC二. 单选21-25 BDBAC 26-30 DDADB 31-35 CCDCA三. 完型填空36-40 BDABC 41-45 CDBAC 46-50 BACDD 51-55 BCAAD四. 阅读理解56-59 DABC 60-64 BCAB 65-67 DCBC 68-71 AABD72-76 BAEDF五. 单词拼写77.determined 78. reliable 79. frequent 80. ignored 81. vocabulary82. Shelters 83. persuade 84. bury 85. attitude 86. stubborn87. destroyed 88. shock六. 短文改错Dear Mary,Thank you very much for invite me to your birthday party in Saturday evening. I’d love to inviting ongo and I have to go to the countryside to see my grandparents. They were very old and but areunluckily not in good healthy. My mother has been already called them and promised ∧ health tovisit them with me this Saturday. We will stay at my grandparents the whole weekend. So I’m grandparents’real sorry I can’t make it. I hope you can understand me. Here I wish your a happy birthday party. really you Yours,Jim七.书面表达:( 参考范文 about 130 words )Recently,a survey has been carried out in our school whether the students have adapted to the life in senior high school. As can be seen from the result of the survey, opinions are divided. About 30% of the students hold the opinion that life in senior high school is far from relaxing. The reasons are as follows. Firstly, the subjects they are learning now are obviously more difficult. Besides, they have to do endless homework after class, which leaves them little time for exercise and other activities. On the contrary, others say they have adapted to the new life and have begun to enjoy it. They find the courses are more interesting and the activities are more colorful, which surely benefit them a lot. As far as I’m concerned, we should balance our study and other activities and do everything efficiently. Only in this way can we learn more and enjoy our life.
听力录音原文Text 1W: What kind of dress are you looking for?M: Since it's getting warmer this time of the year, I want something lightweight. What do you think would be the best?Text 2M: I must say, Miss, the food was great and I've never had better service.W: Well, thank you, sir. I'll pass your praise on to the cook and the man¬ager. And thanks too for the tip.Text 3W: I've to go to Washington this afternoon, but I'm too tired to drive and the bus is so uncomfortable.M: No problem. I'll save you the cost of a taxi by dropping you off at the train station on my way to work.Text 4W: I have been thinking about my uncle a lot these days.M: Why not go over for a visit?Text 5W: Good morning, can I help you?M: Yes, I'd like to know something about the weather in Arizona in the coming week.W: Well, it will be fairly hot and there will be much rain.M: I see. Thanks very much for your help.Test 6M: Welcome, Miss. May I help you?W: I hope so. I want a lipstick.M: Do you have any particular brand in mind?W: I like Lyfel very much.M: We have different shades of Lyfel lipstick. May I know what color you usually wear?W: Pink. But today, I'm thinking of buying one in a dark shade. You know, I will be a teacher next month. I wish to look more serious.M: Yes, I see. How do you like this one?W: Not too bad. May I have a try?M: Certainly, Miss.W: Mmm… It's still too bright. Any darker shades?M: Not from the Lyfel group, I'm afraid.W: Well, any brand will do as long as I can get the right color.M: How about this one, then? It has more transparent touch.W: OK, that’s the very thing I need.Test 7M: It's so hard for me to learn English. Why is it so easy for you?W: I didn't know you were having problems. Maybe it's easier for me because I already speak two languages. But also, I really work at it.M: Well, I always do my homework and go to classes. What else do you think would help?W: Well, you might try reading newspapers. And I always talk to Americans when I get a chance, though sometimes it’s hard.M: But, how do you meet Americans? I only know other foreign students.W: How about sitting next to an American at lunch, or have you ever thought of asking someone over to your house for dinner?M: Those are good ideas. But I' m a little shy to speak English.W: You won't learn if you don’t try and speak. If I were you, I'd talk to your English teacher. He might have some good ideas.Test 8M: Hello, my name’s David Parker . I'm calling about the apartment advertised in the paper. Can you tell me something about it?W: Yes, it’s a one-bedroom apartment, with a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom and a balcony.M: Where is it located?W: It's on Montreal Road.M: Is it furnished?W: Yes, it is furnished with sofas, a dining table, chairs and some ap¬pliances.M: How much is the rent?W: It’s five hundred dollars per month, including utilities.M: You mean gas, electricity and heat?W: Yes, that's right.M: Is there anything like management fee or parking fee?W: The management fee is included in the rent. But parking is fifty dollars a month.M: Can I come and have a look at it today?W: Yes, how about one o'clock this afternoon?M: One o'clock sounds fine. See you then.W: See you.Text 9M: Are you looking forward to your trip to Canada, Susan? W: I can’t wait to see Canada, Jason, but I' m scared stiff of the journey. My husband insists on flying, but I want to sail. Planes make me nervous.M: There's nothing to be frightened of. How many planes fly across the Atlantic every day?W: I've no idea. Hundreds, I suppose.M: And how often do you hear of a crash? Once or twice a year?W: Yes, but aero planes fly so high and fast that once is enough.M: There are more road accidents per day than air deaths per year. Air transport is really safe compared with road transport.W: I still prefer to go by sea. Ships may not travel fast but as least you can relax. I'd love a trip on a luxury liner like the Queen Elizabeth II.M: It's fine if you're a good sailor, but have you ever traveled far in a rough sea?W: No. I've only been in a boat once. I sailed down the River Thames on a sightseeing tour, but in any case I'd rather be sea sick than dead.Test 10Hello, everyone. I'd like to tell you a story about Miss Richards.Miss Richards was a teacher at a school for boys and girls. She taught chemistry and physics from the lowest to the highest classes in the school. Sometimes the new classes learned rapidly, but sometimes they were very slow, and then Miss Richards had to repeat things many times.One year, the first class had been studying chemistry for several weeks when Miss Richards suddenly asked, "What is water? Who knows? Hands up." There was silence for a few seconds, and Miss Richards felt sad but then one boy raised his hand. "Yes, Dick?" said Miss Richards encouragingly. He was not one of the brightest students in the class, so she was glad this boy could answer. "Water is a liquid which has no color until you wash your hands in it, then it turns black," the boy replied.