A youth lay in a bath of tomato juice during the “Tomatina” Tomato Fight in the town of Bunol, near Valencia, eastern Spain.
Tens of thousands of people took off their shorts and threw tons of juicy tomatoes at each other in the Tomatina food fight, creating knee-deep rivers of tomato sauce (酱) on the streets of this Spanish town.
Five trucks carried 130 tons of the fruit for the hour-long fight which attracted foreign tourists. Among them are British, French, Argentineans and Japanese, as well as locals.
On the bell of noon the signal was given and for the next 60 minutes participants (参加人) hurled tomatoes at each other until a gunshot signalled the end of the festival.
The clean-up followed, with fighters washing the signs of battle away in the local river or under hundreds of temporary (临时的) showers. While the front of buildings were watered, they seemed brighter than ever after their bath.
The Tomatina, held on the last Wednesday in August, is said to be the world’s largest tomato fight. In the past people have been hurt during the tomato fight but no one was killed or injured this year.
The origin (起源) of the festival is unknown, but everyone in Bunol seems to have a favorite story. However, most agree it started around 1940.The passage shows that the tomato fight this year is __________.
| A．frightening | B．boring |
| C．popular | D．harmful |
The underlined word “hurled” means “__________”.
| A．presented (赠送) | B．threw |
| C．gave | D．picked |
According to the passage, we can learn that __________.
| A．participants can have a good rest after the fight ends |
| B．the festival came from a favorite story |
| C．only adults are permitted to attend the festival |
| D．no one was hurt in this year’s tomato fight |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．A Youth Lay in a Bath of Tomato Juice |
| B．Tomato-hurling Festival in Spain |
| C．The History of “Tomatina” Tomato Fight |
| D．Festivals in Spain |
Newcastle, one of the fastest developing cities in the United Kingdom, is beginning to draw tourists from all corners of Europe. It’s said most visitors come here to see the famous soccer team play. The mood of the locals is often changed by the success or failures of the local team.
Newcastle’s most popular place is the Gate, which is in the center of the city and has many attractions including bars, restaurants, sports bars, pubs and so on. During a home game it becomes a real home to happiness.
Culture and local history lovers can make their dreams come true by taking one of the local city tour buses. They come and leave every few minutes and stop at all the important historical sites in the city. Also the seats and the environment on the buses are comfortable. It’s the best way to see the city without tiring yourself out or getting cold. Places such as the Hancock Museum and Millennium Bridge are must-see attractions. But be careful if you’re short of time. Newcastle is a big place, so you should be prepared to kill a few hours on one of these buses.
If you want to watch the local team play soccer in the St. James Park, remember to book a ticket as early as possible. The locals are crazy soccer fans, and you’ll find it hard to get a ticket if you don’t wait in the queue early.
As you can see, Newcastle is a fantastic city with so much to be offered and so many things to see. You’re sure to have a wonderful time here!The purpose of the text is to ________.
| A．advertise the local soccer team |
| B．encourage people to visit Newcastle |
| C．introduce the lifestyle in Newcastle |
| D．describe the long history of Newcastle |
Most visitors come to Newcastle in order to ________.
| A．watch its soccer team play | B．take the local tour buses |
| C．visit the Hancock Museum | D．have a big meal in restaurants |
If you want to learn about the history and culture of Newcastle, you _______.
| A．should go to the Gate | B．can go on a city tour |
| C．must visit St James Park | D．must drive your own car |
The underlined word “They” in Para 3 refers to ______.
| A．history lovers | B．local people |
| C．city tour buses | D．local soccer teams |
Lexi Peters, a 14-year-old girl in New York, loves hockey. She’s not only good at playing on her after-school team, but also at playing hockey video games. But when Peters played the popular NHL (National Hockey League) games made by Electronic Arts, something really bothered her. The virtual (虚拟的) character in the game could only be a boy — not a girl.
She didn’t think that was reasonable. There must be many girls playing hockey in the US. So she wrote a letter to Electronic Arts.
“Being represented by a man is unfair to women and girl hockey players,” Peters wrote. “Women’s hockey is a fast-growing sport. I am confident that I’m not the only woman interested in the opportunity to create herself in the game.”
Several weeks later, Peters received an unexpected e-mail from the senior producer for EA Sports’ NHL games, David Littman. “Hi, Lexi,” the e-mail began. “We agree with you!”
Electronic Arts said it would create a female player in the game. “I was thinking you could be the model,” Littman wrote. Peters almost couldn’t believe it. Later, she sent photos of herself taken at all different angles (角度).
And so, when Electronic Arts released the newest version of their game, NHL 12, this fall, Peters was the face of the female player. She can now skate with the NHL’s great players. “It’s strange at first, but you get used to it,” said Peters. “It’s really funny and cool.”
For Peters, there is also an important lesson that she will take with her the rest of her life. “If you have something to say, and you think it’s important, go for it!” she said. What bothered Peters when playing NHL games?
| A．There was no girl character in the game. |
| B．The characters were not real at all. |
| C．No girls would like to play the game. |
| D．It was not like playing real hockey games. |
According to Peters’ letter, we can know that ________.
| A．girls were not allowed to play hockey in the past |
| B．female players can be represented by men |
| C．boys don’t like to play hockey with girls |
| D．more and more girls are interested in hockey |
What was David Littman’s opinion of Peters’ letter?
| A．He ignored it. | B．He disliked it. |
| C．He agreed to it. | D．He voted against it. |
Peters’ experience tells us that we should ________.
| A．enjoy the fun of being a model |
| B．do what you think important to do |
| C．work hard to get used to any new situation |
| D．think about problems from different angles |
There is an English saying :“laughter is best medicine .”Until recently ,few people took the saying seriously .Now however ,doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body .They have found that laughter really can improve people’s health .
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body .People watched funny films while doctors checked their hearts ,blood pressure ,breathing and muscles .It was found that laughter had similar effects to physical exercise .It increases blood pressure ,the heart beating and breathing ; it also works several groups of muscles in the face ,the stomach ,and even the feet .If laughter exercises the body ,it must be beneficial .
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body .In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programmes .The group that tolerated(忍耐)the pain for the longest time was the groups which listened to a funny programme .The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemicals in the brain which diminish both stress and pain .
As a result of these discoveries ,some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics ,in which they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh .They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing ,making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter .Doctors have proved the following EXCEPT that .
| A．smiling does good to health |
| B．laughter can be tolerated |
| C．there is a way to reduce pain |
| D．laughter can work the muscles in the feet |
The main idea of the passage is .
A. laughter and physical exercise have similar effects on the human body
B smile can produce the same effects as laughter
C. pain can be reduced by laughter
D. laughter is the best medicine The students whotolerated the pain for the longest time .
| A．listened to different radio programmes |
| B．could produce a kind of chemical |
| C．don’t have stress of pain |
| D．listened to a funny programme |
The underlined word “diminish” is similar to .
| A．test | B．stop | C．reduce | D．increase |
Doctors hold laughter clinics _________.
| A．to give better condition to their patients |
| B．in order to improve patients’ health |
| C．to make patients smile |
| D．to prove smile and laughter have the same effect |
It was a quiet village in which there was a military camp. It was far from the towns and cities and there were some high mountains around. Of course it was a good place for training the new soldiers. But it was difficult for the young men to go outside. Mr. White, an officer of forty, was strict with them and he hardly let them leave the camp.
Once Mr. White was ill in bed. He couldn't work and a young officer, Mr. Hunt, began to train the new soldiers instead of him. He knew the young men well and let nine soldiers go to the nearest town to have a holiday. But night fell and none came back to the camp. He was worried about it and stood at the gate. It was five to twelve when Mr. Hunt decided to go to the town and see what was happening with the young men. He started the car quickly and set off. At that moment the nine soldiers came back. It seemed they were all drunk. Of course they found the officer was angry.
"I'm sorry, sir," said the first soldier. "I left the town on time. But something was wrong with my bus on my way here. I had to buy a horse and made it run fast. Bad luck! It died and I had to run back."
And the other seven soldiers said they were late for the same reasons. It was the last soldier's turn. He said, "I'm sorry, sir. I got on a bus on time, but…"
Having heard this, the officer became even angrier and stopped him at once. He called out, "If you say something was wrong with your bus, I'll punish you at once!"
"No, no, sir," said the young man. "My bus was all right, but the dead horses were in its way!"The military camp was built in the village to _______.
| A．stop the soldiers going to towns |
| B．stop the soldiers meeting their friends |
| C．train the new soldiers |
| D．make the young men live quietly |
Mr. Hunt let the nine soldiers have a holiday because _______.
| A．he was kind to them |
| B．they felt lonely |
| C．they had something important to do |
| D．they were the best of all |
The young officer was worried because _______.
| A．a traffic accident had happened |
| B．he was afraid something happened to the nine soldiers |
| C．the nine soldiers didn't come back on time |
| D．the nine soldiers drank too much in the town |
The nine soldiers returned to the camp late because _______.
| A．something was wrong with their buses |
| B．their horses died on the return way |
| C．it took them much time to run back |
| D．they all had drunk much in the town |
Which answer do you think right?
| A．I'll believe only the last soldier. |
| B．The officer believed the nine soldiers. |
| C．I'll believe none of the nine soldiers. |
| D．The officer won't punish his soldiers. |
Animal moms are great moms. You might be surprised at some of these moms.
Octopuses (章鱼)
The mother octopus lays about 50,000 eggs. For about 300 days, she stays with the eggs, cleans them and protects them. She does not leave to feed. However, this animal mom dies as soon as the eggs are hatched (孵化).
Crocodiles(鳄鱼)
A crocodile mother puts a lot of time and effort into raising her babies. She starts by building a nest (巢), which she guards for over two months! When the eggs are ready to hatch, the young crocs call out to their mother, who digs them out and helps them hatch. She then carries them in her mouth down to the water, where she will guard them for several more weeks or months until they learn to hunt on their own.
Bats （蝙蝠）
Bats become moms by hanging head up in a cave, giving birth. Catching the youngster before it can fall to the ground below, she puts it in a pouch (育儿袋). Bat moms may carry babies with them when feeding for the first few days. As the little bats get bigger and heavier, moms help them hang on the wall of their caves and return often to feed them. It continues for about three weeks, until the babies are grown up and able to fly on their own.
Koalas (考拉)
The animal mom gives birth after a pregnancy (怀孕期) of only 35 days. The hairless baby climbs into its mother’s pouch and lives there for another five months. When the little koala is between five and eight months old, it leaves the pouch for short periods of time but returns for safety. Once it is too big to return to the pouch, it will climb onto its mother’s back and ride there until it is about 12 months old.Which animal moms die when their babies are born?
| A．Octopuses. | B．Crocodiles. | C．Bats. | D．Koalas. |
A crocodile mother usually carries her baby to the water _____.
| A．in her mouth | B．on her back | C．in her pouch | D．by her tail |
A bat mom _____.
| A．gives birth by lying in the nest |
| B．gives birth by hanging in a cave |
| C．leaves its babies in the pouch for months |
| D．lets its babies live on their own after birth |
How long does the bat mom help to feed her babies?
| A．About 3 days | B．About 3 weeks | C．About 13 weeks | D．About 3 months |
How long does a young koala usually stay with its mom?
| A．35 days. | B．5 months. | C．8 months. | D．12 months. |