The year 2009 is the Year of Ox. The ox is a representative of the fanning culture of China. In the farming economy (经济), oxen are the major animals pulling plows (犁).
Of course, the good of oxen is not limited to plowing. In fact, they are seen as “boats on land” for their ability to carry loads. Besides, the whole body of an ox is full of treasures. Their meat and milk are food full of nutrition, and their skin can be used to make clothes and shoes. With all these qualities, oxen are regarded as generous creatures.
In the past, oxen played an important role in the spiritual life of the Chinese. Even today, oxen still play a special part in some folk activities. For example, some people who1ive in southwest China will cook cattle bone soup and share it among family members when holding the ceremony for children who reach 13. They believe that the cattle bone soup represents the blood relationship among family members. In order to express their love for oxen, people in some other areas will run to shake off diseases on the 16th day of the first month by the lunar calendar (农历), and during their run they will take their oxen along, which indicates they regard the creature as human.
Because of the con
tribution of oxen in their lives, the Chinese people are very grateful to the animal. In addition, the use of oxen in ceremonies and the thanks people owe to oxen help to develop various traditional customs, which becomes an important part of the folk culture of the Chinese nation.
（1）The words “boats an land” underlined in Paragraph 2 refer to ____
A. animals for taking goods B. creatures for pulling plows
C. treasures of the folk culture D. tools in the farming economy
（2）From the third paragraph, we know that ____
A. oxen are no more important today than in the past
B. ceremonies are held when people cook cattle bone soup
C. oxen are treated as human in some areas of China
D. people run with oxen to shake off diseases every month
（3）Which of the following helps to develop tradi
tional customs? ____
A. The special role of oxen in farming.
B. People’s respect and love for oxen.
C. The practical value of an ox’s body.
D. The contribution of oxen to the economy.
（4）Why does the author write the text? ____
A. To stress the importance of oxen in farming.
B. To introduce the Chinese folk culture.
C. To describe how to celebrate the Year of Ox.
D. To explain how to develop agriculture with oxen.
A capsule inn is a kind of cheap and small hotel where people just sleep in rectangular containers(容器). After experiencing popularity in Japan for more than 30 years, capsule inns have now entered the Chinese market. This new style is becoming popular with many visitors, but some are less than what they expected. The capsule inn covers an area of more than 300 square meters, with 68 very small bedrooms for guests to rest. Each room is 2.2 meters long and about 1 meter wide.
As small as the capsules are, they provide more than enough daily necessities(必需品) for visitors. They do have plenty of functions. Each includes independent power sockets, clocks, lights, and flat screen televisions. People can also enjoy wireless Internet service. The basic fee(费用) for each capsule is 28 yuan, and guests will be asked to pay an extra 4 yuan every hour. The highest cost could reach 88 yuan per day.
Ta Zan, capsule inn Manager, said, “Capsule inns are similar to Internet cafes. When they first appeared more than 10 years ago, people thought they might not succeed. But now it’s a common thing in our lives.” He believes that more capsule inns will open around the nation very soon. He is sure about the future of his business.How much will you pay if you want to stay in a capsule inn for 12 hours?
| A．88 yuan | B．76 yuan | C．28 yuan | D．4 yuan. |
What does the underlined word “functions” mean in Chinese?
| A．价格 | B．功能 | C．方法 | D．需求 |
For whom, a capsule inn is a good choice while traveling around?
| A．A family who like to cook by themselves. |
| B．A young student who likes watching TV or surfing on the Internet. |
| C．An old man who would like to stay in a big house with his wife. |
| D．A business man who wants to have a meeting with others. |
Why does the manager compare(比较) his inn to Internet cafes?
| A．Because he thinks they are similar in shape. |
| B．Because he knows Internet cafes were popular 10 years ago. |
| C．Because he thinks capsule inns are a common thing in our lives. |
| D．Because he believes both will have good development. |
A great man married a woman and they had a little lovely girl.
When the little girl was growing up, the man usually hugged her and said, “I love you, little girl.” The Little girl would say, “I’m not a little girl any more.” Then the man would laugh, “But to me, you’ll always be my little girl.”
The little girl later left her home and went into the world. No matter where she was, the man would call her and say, “I love you, little girl.”
One day the little girl received an unexpected phone call. The great man became ill. He couldn’t talk, smile, walk, hug or dance.
So she went to the side of the great man. He looked at her and tried to speak, but he could not. She sat next to the great man, and drew her arms around his useless shoulders(肩膀). Her head on his chest(胸膛), she thought of many good memories. She felt sad as she couldn’t hear the words of love that had comforted her.
And then she heard from within the man, the beat of heart. The magic happened. She heard what she wanted to hear. His heart beat out the words that his mouth could no longer say… I love you, little girl… I love you, little girl.When the little girl said, “I’m not a little girl any more.” , the great man ______.
| A．felt sad | B．was happy | C．was angry | D．couldn’t stand |
What did the man do after the little girl left her home?
| A．He left her wife. |
| B．He learned to sing and dance |
| C．He left his home and went into the world. |
| D．He would call her and showed his love to her. |
The little girl went to her father because ______.
| A．he became ill |
| B．she missed her parents |
| C．she made lot of money outside |
| D．she didn’t get his father’s calls |
What can we learn from what the girl had done after seeing his father?
| A．She knew his father would die soon. |
| B．She felt sorry for leaving his father. |
| C．She loved her father deeply too. |
| D．She was sure his father would be well soon. |
| Lost Cat Please help me to find our cat. His name is Fluff and he’s a Persian cat. The photo is an old one—Fluff is bigger now. Fluff went missing from our home on Christmas Day of 2011. If you find him, please phone me at 91843568. I’m Jack Lim and my address is: 32 Lavender Lane, Singapore 532981. Reward for finding Fluff: $ 50.00 |
The name of the cat is ______.
| A．Persian | B．Fluff | C．Lavender | D．Jack |
If you find the cat, you can call its owner at ______.
| A．532981 | B．918435 | C．91843568 | D．84356891 |
This passage is most probably from a ______.
| A．map | B．dictionary | C．guidebook | D．newspaper |
Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl. She had one big ambition—to play the drums in a band. But one big problem lay in her way. To be good enough to play in a band, Brenda had to practice a lot, but she lived next-door to a lot of old people. Many of them are sick. She knew that the sound of beating drums would really get on their nerves. So, she had tried playing in the strangest places: a basement, a kitchen, and even in a shower. But there was always someone it would annoy.
One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she heard that sound cannot travel in space, because there's no air. At that moment, Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut.
With the help of a lot of time, books and work, Brenda built a space bubble. This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out all the air inside. All that would be left inside was a drum kit（成套设备） and a chair. Brenda got into the space suit she had made, entered the bubble, turned on the machine, and played those drums like a wild child.
It wasn't long before Brenda Bongos came very famous. Many people came to see her play in her space bubble. Shortly afterwards she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts. Her fame spread so much that the government suggested that she be part of a unique space journey. Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut, and had gone far beyond her first ambition of playing drums in a band.
Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this, she thought for a moment, and said: ''If those old people next – door hadn't mattered so much to me, I wouldn't have found a solution, and none of this would have ever happened.''Why did Brenda try to play in the strangest places?
| A．Because she didn't want others to hear her play |
| B．Because she didn't mean to disturb others. |
| C．Because she didn't have her own room |
| D．Because she didn’t like her neighbors. |
Brenda started to give concerts _______.
| A．after she practiced in her space bubble |
| B．when she became part of the unique space journey |
| C．after she became a real musical astronaut |
| D．when people came to see her in the space bubble |
Brenda became famous because _______.
| A．she was good at music and science |
| B．she became a real musical astronaut |
| C．she invented a special way of practice |
| D．she played well and had a talent |
Which of the following can be used to describe Brenda?
| A．Kind, hardworking and clever |
| B．Brave, kind and hardworking. |
| C．Lovely, brave and kind |
| D．Nervous, kind and clever. |
It can be inferred from the text that: " _______".
| A．He laughs best who laughs last |
| B．It's never too old to learn |
| C．Two heads are better than one |
| D．One good turn deserves another |
What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt(收据)? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion(蒲公英) standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that l already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; My dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood, I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling (卷曲的)black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was.
| A．doing shopping | B．having a debate |
| C．leaving for Wyoming | D．reading a message |
The author's inspiration for the gift came from .
| A．a photo of a flower | B．a story about a kid |
| C．a call from the mother | D．a text about Christmas |
The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refers to a poem by _.
| A．the father | B．the author |
| C．Edgar Allan Poe | D． William Blake |
The author made the gift by.
| A．searching for the poems online |
| B．drawing the background by hand |
| C．painting the letters in three colors |
| D．matching the words with pictures |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To show how to design images for gifts |
| B．To suggest making gifts from one's heart. |
| C．To explain how computers help create gifts |
| D．To describe the gifts the author has received. |