The Sahara Festival is a celebration of the very recent past. The three-day event is not fixed to the same dates each year, but generally takes place in November or December. It is well attended by tourists, but even better attended by locals.
During the opening ceremonies（仪式）, after the official greetings from the government leaders, people who attend the festival begin to march smartly before the viewing stands, and white camels （骆驼）transport their riders across the sands. Horsemen from different nations display their beautiful clothes and their fine horsemanship. One following another, groups of musicians and dancers from all over the Sahara take their turn to show off their wonderful traditional culture. Groups of men in blue and yellow play horns and beat drums as they dance in different designs（传统文化）. On their knees in the sand, a group of women in long dark dresses dance with their hair: their long, dark, shiny hair is thrown back and forth in the wind to the rhythm of their dance.
The local and visiting Italian dogs are anxious to run after hares. The crowd is on its feet for the camel races. Camels and riders run far into the distance, and then return to the finish Line in front of the cheering people.
Towards the evening, there comes the grand finale of the opening day, an extremely exciting horserace. All the riders run very fast on horseback. Some riders hang off the side of their saddles. Some even ride upside down -- their legs and feet straight up in the air -- all at full speed. Others rush down the course together, men arm in arm, on different horses. On and on they went. So fast and so wonderful!
64. The Sahara Festival is a festival which________.
A. has a very long history in North Africa
B. is held in the same place on the same day
C. is attended mainly by the people in the Sahara
D. is celebrated mostly by travelers from different countries
65. Before the races begin, ________ take part in the activities during the opening ceremonies.
A. musicians, dancers, horses and hares B. camel riders, musicians, dogs and hares
C. horsemen, dancers, camels and dogs D. musicians, officials, camels and horses
66. The underlined word "finale" in the fourth paragraph most probably means the ________of the opening day.
A. first part B. middle C. last part D. whole
67. This passage mainly tells readers_______.
A. what happens on the opening day of the Sahara Festival
B. how people celebrate during the three-day Sahara Festival
C. what takes place at the closing ceremonies of the Sahara Festival
D. how animals race on the first and the last days of the Sahara Festival
Mr. Scott has worked at a police station since he left army five years ago. He’s brave and has already caught many thieves. He was promoted (提升) to the rank of officer last month. Now he works harder.
It was Mrs. Scott’s birthday yesterday. The woman thought her husband was very busy, and she decided to hold a small party only with her husband. Mr. Scott agreed with her and they didn’t invite any friends of theirs to the party. At noon he didn’t go home for lunch and went to a shop. There he bought an expensive diamond necklace for his wife. He hoped to put it on her neck with his own hands at the party. To his sorrow, a rich woman’s house was broken into and some jewelry was stolen, and at once he was sent there to solve the case (案件)，when he came back to his office, it was late at night. He was tired and hungry. He brought out the necklace and was going to leave when he was asked to answer a telephone. Several minutes later when he came into his office, he found the necklace was gone, and he saw the case (盒子) only on his table. He became very angry and called all the policemen in and told them about it. But nobody admitted having stolen the necklace.
“I’ll give you a chance.” Said Mr. Scott, “ All the lights will be turned off. The man who took the necklace away will be able to put the necklace into the case in the dark.”
A few minutes later, Mr. Scott turned on the lights again. To his surprise, the case was also stolen.Mr. Scott was promoted because _______.
| A．he had been in the army. |
| B．he was young. |
| C．he had worked there for five years. |
| D．he did his duty better than his workmates. |
Having read the story, we can know ______.
| A．Mr. and Mrs. Scott loved each other. |
| B．the necklace was the most expensive in the town. |
| C．The Scotts had a few friends there. |
| D．Mr. Scott was the richest at the police station. |
At last, _________
| A．Mr. Scott knew who had stolen the necklace. |
| B．Mr. Scott lost both the necklace and the case. |
| C．the thief put the necklace back into the case. |
| D．Mr. Scott caught the thief in his office. |
Happy April Fool’s Day! In celebration of the day, we have put together a list of some of the greatest hoaxes (恶作剧) in history. They are the lies that have been designed for innocent people who are ready to believe them.
▲INSTANT COLOR TV
In 1962 there was only one TV channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station’s Kjell Stepson, appearing on the news to announce that thanks to a newly developed technology, all viewers could now quickly and easily transform their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon (尼龙) stocking over their TV screen, and they would begin to see their favorite shows in color. Reportedly, hundreds of thousands of people, were taken in. Actual color TV transmission only started to appear in Sweden on April 1, 1970.
▲SAN SERRIFFE
In 1977 the British newspaper The Guardian published a special seven –page supplement(增刊) in honor of the tenth anniversary of San Serriffe, a small republic located in the Indian Ocean. A series of articles affectionately asked for more information about the beautiful holiday spot. Few noticed that every thing about the island was made up.
▲NIXON FOR PRESIDENT
In 1992 American National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation program announced that, Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again. His new campaign slogan was, “ I didn’t do anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.” Accompanying this announcement were audio clips(片断) of Nixon delivering his election speech. Listeners responded immediately to the announcement, flooding the show with calls expressing shock and anger. Only during the second half of the show did the host John Huckleberry reveal that the announcement was a practical joke. Nixon’s voice was copied by comedian Rich Little.Which of the following countries in NOT mentioned in the text?
| A．India | B．The UK | C．The United States | D．Sweden |
Who worked as a host on the radio?
| A．Kjell Stepson | B．Rich Little | C．Richard Nixon | D．John Huckleberry |
When did the small republic San Serriffe come into being?
| A．In 1962 | B．In 1977 | C．In 1992 | D．Never |
Where can we probably read this article?
| A．In the ad. | B．In a magazine | C．In a novel | D．In a news report |
Florence Nightingale was born in a rich family. When she was young she took lessons in music and drawing, and read great books. She also traveled a great deal with her mother and father.
As a child she felt that visiting sick people was both a duty and a pleasure. She enjoyed helping them.
At last mind was made up. “I’m going to be a nurse,” she decided.
“Nursing isn’t the right work for a lady,” her father told her.
“Then I will make it so,” she smiled. And she went to learn nursing in Germany and France. When she returned to England, Florence started a nursing home for home. During the Crimean War in 1854 she went with a group of thirty eight nurses to the front hospitals. What they saw there was terrible. Dirt and death were everywhere to be seen — and smelled. The officer there did not want any woman to tell him how to run a hospital, either. But the brave nurse went to work.
Florence used her own money and some from friends to buy clothes, beds, medicine and food for the men. Her only pay was in smiles from the lips of dying soldiers. But they were more than enough for this kind woman.
After she returned to England, she was honored for her services by Queen Victoria. But Florence said that her work had just begun. She raised money to build the Nightingale Home for Nurses in London. She also wrote a book on public health, which was printed in several countries.
Florence Nightingale died at the age of ninety, still trying to serve others through her work as a nurse. Indeed, it is because of her that we honor nurses today.When she was a child, Florence ____ .
| A．loved to travel very much |
| B．knew what her duty in life was |
| C．loved to help the sick people |
| D．was most interested in music and drawing |
What made Florence make up her mind to become a nurse？
| A．Her father’s support. |
| B．Her desire to help the sick. |
| C．Her education in Germany and France. |
| D．Her knowledge from reading great books. |
During the Crimean War in 1854, Florence served in the front hospital where ____ .
| A．she earned a little money |
| B．work was very difficult |
| C．few soldiers died because of her work |
| D．she didn’t have enough food or clothes |
The passage can best be described as ____ .
| A．the life story of a famous woman |
| B．a description of the nursing work |
| C．an example of successful education |
| D．the history of nursing in England |
In England a woman fell down a stair. Panic followed—178 persons lost their lives. In Michigan a woman fell ill. There was a call for water. Someone thought it meant fire---71 were killed. In Oklahoma an old man’s hair caught fire---36 died.
What should you do to be out of danger?
1. As you sit in any crowd, pick out an exit(出口) which is not the one where most persons enter and plan to use if necessary.
2. If a rush stairs, do not get into it . Stay still. Let it pass. Then go to the exit you have chosen.
3. Do not cry out. Speak quietly. Act calmly.
4.Do not stop for your hat and coat unless they are at hand.
5. If there is smoke, crouch. The best air is about three feet above the floor.
6. When you are outside the building, stay out. Many dead would be alive if they had not returned for something.
7. When you get out, move far from the door so that others can get out.The first paragraph tells us that over two hundred people lost their lives because of_________.
| A．a fire | B．a call for water |
| C． falling downstairs | D．panic |
If you are in a crowd when panic stars, you should ________.
| A．run with the others. |
| B．call for help as loudly as you can. |
| C．hurry at once to an exit. |
| D．stay still until the crowd has passed. |
What should you do once out of a place where there is panic?
| A．stay outside. |
| B．go back for your wallet. |
| C．return to ask people not to run. |
| D．stand near the exit. |
When you are safe outside a burning building , stay away from the door so that _______.
| A．the smoke can get out. |
| B．you will not get burned |
| C．others may leave. |
| D．others may enter. |
In 2006, the UK government started to allow universities in England and Wales to charge British students tuition fees. More than 80 percent of students in England and Wales now take out a student loan in order to go to university. They use the loan (贷款) to pay for tuition fees, books and living expenses. Although the interest on student loans is quite low, it begins as soon as the student receives the loan. The average student in England and Wales now graduates from university with debts of around £12,000. Students of medicine usually have debts of more than £20,000. That is a lot of money. It means graduates cannot afford to buy a house for many years. They even struggle to pay rent on a flat, because they have to start paying back the student loan after graduating. If you start to earn over £15,000 a year, the government takes repayments directly from your monthly salary. Is it any surprise, therefore, that the average British person does not leave their parents’ home until they are 30 years old?
You might think that a British person with a degree will find it easy to get a well-paid job. However, most people in white-collar jobs seem to have a degree these days, so there is a lot of competition. Also, British companies tend to value work experience over a piece of paper. Like everyone else, graduates usually have to start at the bottom and work their way up. That can be very frustrating for them, since they are often over-qualified for the work they are doing. While at university, they have dreams of getting an exciting, challenging job. Therefore, life after university ends up being quite disappointing for a lot of graduates.
All of the above is beginning to make British people question whether a university degree is really worth the money.What's the best title of this passage?
| A．What's a University Education worth in the UK? |
| B．There is a lot of competition in the UK |
| C．There won't be any University Place left for British students |
| D．It doesn't cost students more and more to attend university |
What's the following is true?
| A．University Education is really worth the money in England |
| B．University Education is worth all over the world except in England |
| C．British education is becoming more expensive for a majority of British students |
| D．British students don't like to go to university |
We can infer from the passage ____
| A．The average British person didn't leave their parents' home until they are 35 years old |
| B．Having a degree doesn't get aBritish person a good job |
| C．Students are graduating without larger and larger debts. |
| D．things are easier for students from other countries coming to study |
in the UK without moneyThe word "interest" in paragraph2 means_______
| A． money paid for a week's work |
| B． money borrowed from a band |
| C． a regular monthly salary |
| D． extra money paid on a loan or bank savings |