A characteristic of American culture that has become almost a tradition is to respect the self made man—the man who has risen to the top through his own efforts,usually beginning by working with his hands.While the leader in business or industry or the college professor occupies a higher social position and commands greater respect in the community than the common labourer or even the skilled factory worker,he may take pains to point out that his father started life in America as a farmer or labourer of some sort.
This attitude toward manual(体力的) labour is now still seen in many aspects of American life.One is invited to dinner at a home that is not only comfortably but even luxuriously(豪华地)furnished and in which there is every evidence of the fact that the family has been able to afford foreign travel,expensive hobbies,and college education for the children;yet the hostess probably will cook the dinner herself,will serve it herself and will wash dishes afterward,furthermore the dinner will not consist merely of something quickly and easily assembled from contents of various cans and a cake or a pie bought at the nearby bakery.On the contrary,the hostess usually takes pride in careful preparation of special dishes.A professional man may talk about washing the car,digging in his flowerbeds,painting the house.His wife may even help with these things,just as he often helps her with the dishwashing.The son who is away at college may wait on table and wash dishes for his living,or during the summer he may work with a construction gang on a highway in order to pay for his education.
1.From paragraph 1,we can know that in America_________.
A.people tend to have a high opinion of the selfmade man
B.people can always rise to the top through their own efforts
C.college professors win great respect from common workers
D.people feel painful to mention their fathers as labourers
According to the passage,the hostess cooks dinner herself mainly because_________.
A.servants in America are hard to get
B.she takes pride in what she can do herself
C.she can hardly afford servants
D.it is easy to prepare a meal with canned food
3.The expression“wait on table” in the second paragraph means“_________”.
A.work in a furniture shop
B.keep accounts for a bar
C.wait to lay the table
D.serve customers in a restaurant
4.Which of the following may serve as the best title of the passage?
A.A Respectable Self made Family B.American Attitude toward Manual Labour
C.Characteristics of American Culture D.The Development of Manual Labour
Few people would ever think of beginning a career at the age of 76, but one American most famous artist did just that. Anna Mary Robertson, better known as “Grandma Moses”, turned to painting because she could no longer take an active part in the funning of her farm. As she searched for something to do, she discovered painting--- an activity she had loved as a child.
Grandma Moses painted in primitive style, and her works are simple and basic — almost childlike in their composition. She first painted only for her own pleasure, and then began to sell her works for small sums of money.
In 1939, an art collector named Louis Caldor chanced to see several of Granma Moses’ works hanging in a store. He liked them, bought them at once, and set out to look for more. Caldor held a show to introduce the works of Grandma Moses to the art world.
Grandma Moses passed away on December 13,1961, at the age of 101, who had enjoyed a second career that lasted a quarter of a century.Before becoming an artist, Grandma Moses _______ .
| A．wrote several good books | B．managed a farm | C．was a housewife | D．worked as a nurse |
Grandma Moses’ art career lasted ______ .
| A．101 years | B．76 years | C．25 years | D．22 years |
Even if no one had bought her paintings, Grandma Moses probably would have ________.
| A．continued to paint anyway | B．gone back to farming |
| C．given up painting | D．spent the rest of her life in peace |
The story is mainly about_______ .
| A．pictures in primitive style | B．a successful art collector |
| C．a great American artist | D．the secret of living longer |
Rescue workers at the San Jose gold and copper mine in northern Chile had reason to sing this week．A small hole drilled into the earth became a passage（通道） to freedom for thirty-three trapped miners．They spent sixty-nine days underground．"Never have people been trapped for so long so deeply," says a doctor at NASA, the American space agency, which helped in the rescue．
But the chief medical officer for the miners said most are in good enough health to leave the hospital within a day or so．The first three were released from the hospital Thursday night．
For much of the day the miners relaxed with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera．The thirty-two Chileans and one Bolivian still wore special sunglasses to protect their eyes．
A partial mine collapse（坍塌） on 5th of August trapped them more than half a kilometer underground．They had to stretch a two-day food supply．For two weeks no one knew if they were alive or dead．
Later, they received supplies（供给） and a video link lowered through drill holes．That link was how Ariel Ticona watched his wife give birth to their daughter．
The miners have apparently agreed to share the money they earn from selling their story．
They have already received gifts of money and travel offers．Edison Pena has been invited to the New York City Marathon and to Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee．Mr．Pena described how he ran in the mine tunnels to ease the stress．And he led the miners in singing Elvis songs．
The first miner rescued on Wednesday was Florencio Avalos．The second was Mario Sepulveda, who talked about how the experience tested his faith．He said: "I was with God and I was with the devil, they fought me, but God won．He took me by my best hand, the hand of God．"
The last miner up was Luis Urzua．He was the shift leader when his crew became trapped．
Rescuers used a metal cage to pull the miners to safety in less than twenty-four hours -- faster than expected．The rescue capsule was a half-meter wide and known as the Phoenix．How many miners had been rescued according to the report?
| A．Three | B．Sixty-nine | C．Thirty-three | D．Thirty-two |
According to the passage, when the miners were trapped, some of them did the followings except ________．
| A．sharing money | B．Running to ease stress |
| C．Watching a video showing his wife giving birth | D．Singing songs |
Edison Pena was invited to Graceland probably because ________________．
| A．he ran in the mine tunnel． | B．he prayed to God． |
| C．he led the miners in singing Elvis songs． | D．he was the shift leader． |
From the passage, we can infer the followings EXCEPT that _______________．
| A．Rescue workers were happy about their rescue work． |
| B．People felt surprised to find the miners safe and sound． |
| C．People might have been quite worried about the miners’ safety． |
| D．The trapped miners drilled a small hole themselves to escape． |
What would be the best title for the report?
| A．A mining accident | B．Miners saved, safe and sound |
| C．A difficult rescue | D．Miners trapped deep underground |
Garden building is considered an important part of Chinese culture. Some people say that if you have never walked through a Chinese garden, you cannot say that you have really visited China.
Traditional Chinese gardens are located(位于)in North China in such places as Beihai Park, the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City. In larger imperial gardens, the main buildings are connected by an imaginary（虚构的） line in the middle of the garden on the north-south axis(轴). Other features (特征)of imperial gardens are colored-paintings, man-made hills and lakes.
Most private gardens are found in the south, especially in cities south of the Yangtze River. Private gardens were mostly built at one side or at the back of the houses. Around the beautiful scene are small open areas with beautiful shaped-doors through which visitors can enjoy the sights. They are open on all sides and are often near the water so that the whole scene can be enjoyed. Suzhou, known as the home of gardens, displays the most and the best Chinese traditional private gardens. Different parts of it are examples of the garden style of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.[
The landscape garden contains a number of pleasant natural scenes and some fairy tales. The ancient Chinese used to call the garden landscape “Jing” , which means “scene” in English. Good examples include the ten West Lake Scenes in Hangzhou, the twenty-four slim West Lake in Yangzhou and the eight Daming Lake Scenes in Jinan. The passage tells mainly about ________.
| A．an important part of Chinese culture |
| B．the characteristics (特征) of different style of Chinese garden building |
| C．where foreigners can find Chinese gardens |
| D．how to appreciate Chinese gardens |
Which of the following is NOT a feature of the imperial garden?
| A．There is a north-south axis in the center of garden |
| B．There are man-made hills and lakes in the gardens. |
| C．They were built because of some fairy tales. |
| D．They have colored-paintings. |
In the third paragraph, the underlined word “They” refer to ______.
| A．private gardens | B．beautiful scenes |
| C．the houses | D．rivers and lakes |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Chinese people often invite foreigners to visit a Chinese garden. |
| B．The landscape garden reflects different styles of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. |
| C．All three kinds of gardens make up the important part of Chinese culture which is appreciated by the people all over the world. |
| D．People enjoy the private gardens more than other two styles. |
The garden landscape “Jing” which the ancient Chinese used to call actually means in English _________.
| A． well | B．tight | C．garden | D．scene |
The whole morning we just checked our own things. We were looking for items to give away. We thought of blankets, food and clothing. Our aim was not to find things we no longer wanted, but things we use every day and would be useful to others.
We made up boxes with the things and added some small toys. Inside the boxes a simple letter was placed, reading:
“Please take these items and know that your life is important. Times are difficult but they will pass. We share what we have, believing it will matter. Use the blanket to stay warm. Be safe and know that the human spirit can overcome（战胜） anything. Don’t hold your head down. Someday please do the same when you can. How you do it and when, your heart will tell you.
This kind act was not because the phone rang or for any reason. It was simply because it was the right time to do. We have often seen homeless people at the park where we left the belongings. The city would say that it isn’t a problem but I see the lives walking to and from it.
I noticed that my wife had put her favorite green coat into one of the boxes. I asked if she was sure about it and she simply replied that it had a hood (风帽). She liked the coat but knew the hood could shelter (遮挡)someone from the rain.
We don’t know where these gifts of compassion（同情）will go. We never go back and see what happens. It’s unimportant. The right things will find the right people and that is all that counts. On the way my wife started to cry. When I asked why, she said because some things felt so right. What can we learn from the first paragraph about the couple？
| A．They had deep feelings of their work |
| B．They often threw the useless daily items away |
| C．They liked helping others by sharing their things |
| D．They often gave away the daily items they didn’t use |
The couple placed the letter inside the box mainly to_______________.
| A．help the poor go through the difficulties |
| B．let the poor know who gave away the things |
| C．tell the poor how to use the items correctly |
| D．tell the poor to pass on the spirit to others |
Why did the author ask his wife if she was sure about giving away her green coat? _________.
| A．Because he thought the coat was very valuable |
| B．Because he thought the coat was of a very high price |
| C．Because he thought he liked the coat very much himself |
| D．Because he thought she liked the coat very much herself |
The couple liked this kind act because _______.
| A．they thought it was the right thing to do |
| B．they had a good habit of saving things |
| C．they often received telephone calls for help |
| D．they hated being troubled by homeless people |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．Boxes filled with compassion | B．Good behavior leading to happiness |
| C．The most important thing in our life | D．Happiness coming from sharing things |
In America, when the eighth graders leave the middle school, they are often worried about moving to the high school. It is a hard time for them, but it can be an exciting one as well. To make it easier, students need to get familiar with their school.
Even though they’ve done this already in the middle school, it’s still important to find where their classrooms are. Most schools take students to the high school for a visit at the end of their eighth grade year. And, most schools also have a freshman (新生) speech for parents and students before the first year begins. Sometimes the main office will give away a map of the school. This can help students and parents to find different places in the school.
One way to know your high school more and make new friends is to join a club or play a sport. Schools often offer chances to join different clubs and sports. Fall activities begin in August before the first day of school. If you are not interested in sports, there are clubs for any interest, such as drama, dance, chess, photography, community service, etc. These clubs allow students from different grades. By joining an activity, students can find new friendships, not to mention improving their chances in future college applications (申请). The school office will have a list of activities offered at the school and information on how to join them.
What’s more, to have a great start to a high school year, students can write down some of their worries, and ask for help from teachers and school workers.According to the text, most students feel ________ when entering the high school.
| A．excited | B．nervous | C．lonely | D．disappointed |
Which of the following is TRUE about the school clubs?
| A．There are fewer students from higher grades in the school clubs. |
| B．The school clubs in high school only welcome sports fans. |
| C．Summer activities begin before school starts. |
| D．The school office can help new students join school clubs. |
When do many schools take students to visit their new high school?
| A．Before the eighth grade year starts. |
| B．Right after the high school year starts. |
| C．At the beginning of the new term in the high school. |
| D．At the end of their eighth grade year |
The main offices will give away maps of their schools________.
| A．only to help students to find different places of the schools |
| B．only to help parents to find different places of the schools |
| C．to help students and parents to find different classrooms of the schools |
| D．to help students and parents to find different places of the schools |
What is the purpose of this text?
| A．To tell the new students how to learn in high school |
| B．To introduce new schools. |
| C．To give the teachers some advice. |
| D．To give advice to new high school students. |