Well before the 15th century, an Anglo-Saxon custom required that a prospective bridegroom break some highly valued personal belonging. Half of the broken token was held by the father of the bride and the other half by the groom. A wealthy man was expected to split a piece of gold or silver.
The earliest engagement rings were also used as wedding rings, serving to seal an act of sale which transformed o
wnership of a daughter from father to husband. Such rings were usually of solid gold to prove the groom’s worth.
For Roman Catholics, the engagement ring became a required statement of Nuptial intent（结婚意向）, as decreed by Pope Nicholas I in 860 A.D. The engagement ring was to be of valued metal, preferably gold, which for the husband-to-be represented a financial sacrifice.
Signifying enduring love, and chosen for its durability, the diamond was chosen for the engagement ring. The diamond’s fire is also associated with “love’s clear flame,” given by Medieval Italians because of their belief that the diamond was created from the flames of love.
The Venetians were the first to discover that the diamond is one of the hardest, most enduring substances in nature, and fine cutting and polishing releases the brilliance. Rarity and cost limited their rapid proliferation（急增） throughout Europe but their intrinsic（内在的） appeal guaranteed them a future. By the 17th century, the diamond ring had become the most sought after statement of European engagement.
1. Who kept the two halves of the engagement rings before marriage?
A. The bride’s father and the bridegroom’s mother.
B. The bride’s mother and the bridegroom.
C. The bride and the bridegroom.
D. The bridegroom and the bride’s father,
2. What’s TRUE about the early Anglo-Saxon custom before the 15th century ?
A. A will-be bridegroom should beat all his valuable belongings.
B. Every will-be bride should split a piece of gold.
C. The engagement rings were also used to prove the groom’s worth.
D. A rich bride should break one of her most valuable personal belongs.
3. Pope Nicholas made the engagement ring a required statement of nuptial intent ______.
A. in t
he 15th century B. over 1,000 years ago
C .in the 1860s D. by the 17th century
4. What kind of engagement ring has been the most popular one in Europe ?
A. Rings made of gold B. Rings made of silver
C. Rings made of diamond D. Rings made of an unknown substance in nature.
What do you think of British people and American people? You might think that there are no differences between the people in the two countries. After all they speak the same language, don't they? But if you ask a British or an American person, the differences are quite great.
What do British people think Americans are like? The British think Americans are very strange. They make a lot of noise and they laugh too loudly. They are rich, and they only think about money. But the British do say that Americans are kind, friendly people. They are happy to help you if you are in trouble.
What do Americans think of the British? Well, they think the British are cold and very unfriendly. They are not interested in success or in making lots of money. They think Britain is the best country in the world. They look down upon other countries. But Americans say that the British are quite good workers. They are brave and honest. And in time of trouble they face difficulties happily.
You can see that these ideas can cause misunderstanding between the British and Americans. But when American and British people become friends, they usually find things are not as bad as they expected.
根据文章内容，选择正确答案：What do you think of the differences between British and American people?
| A．Their differences are very small. |
| B．The differences are very great. |
| C．There are no differences between them. |
| D．Some people think there are, but some people don’t think so. |
What do the British think Americans are like?
| A．They are strange but friendly. |
| B．They are poor. |
| C．They are rich but unfriendly. |
| D．They are happy in trouble. |
The American and British people usually get along quite well ____.
| A．when misunderstanding is caused between them |
| B．once they become friends |
| C．after they fight |
| D．when they help each other |
An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money.
When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother， “Only a miracle（奇迹） can save him now，” the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully.
She hurried to a drugstore （药店） with the money in her hand.
“And what do you want？” asked the salesman. “It‘s for my little brother，” the girl answered. “He’s really，really sick and I want to buy a miracle.” “Pardon？” said the salesman.
“My brother Andrew has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost？” “We don‘t sell a miracle here， child. I’m sorry，” the salesman said with a smile.
“Listen， if it isn‘t enough， I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs.”
A well-dressed man heard it and asked， “What kind of a miracle does your brother need？”
“I don‘t know，” she answered with her eyes full of tears. “He’s really sick and mum says he needs an operation. But my daddy can‘t pay for it， so I have brought all my money.”
“How much do you have？” asked the man. “$ 1.11， but I can try and get some more，” she answered. “Well， what luck，” smiled the man. “$ 1.11， the price of a miracle for little brothers.”
He took up the girl‘s hand and said, “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”
That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong，a famous doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn‘t long before Andrew was home again.
How much did the miracle cost？What was the trouble in the little girl‘s family？
A. Her brother was seriously ill.
B. They had no money.
C. Nothing could save her brother.
D. Both A and B.In the eye of the little girl， a miracle might be _______.
| A．something interesting |
| B．something beautiful |
| C．some wonderful medicine |
| D．some good food |
The little girl said again and again “…I can try and get some more.” That shows _______.
| A．she had still kept some money |
| B．she hoped not to be refused |
| C．There was no need to worry about money |
| D．she thought money was easy to get |
From the passage we can infer （推断） that _______.
| A．The doctor didn‘t ask for any pay |
| B．A miracle is sure to happen if you keep on |
| C．The little girl is lovely but not so clever |
| D．Andrew was in fact not so sick as they had thought |
Welcome to our school. You can do a lot of things here. Come and join us.
| Timetable |
|
| Sunday 8:30---11:30 Personal Inventions You can see many inventions by the students; you may also bring your own inventions. |
Monday 19:00---21:00 Space and Man Dr. Thomas West If you want to know more about the universe. |
| Wednesday 19:30---21:00 Modern Medicine Mrs. Lucy Green Would you like to know medical science? |
Friday 18:30---21:00 Computer Science Mr. Harry Morison from Harvard University Learn to use Windows XP. |
You may have a chance to introduce your inventions on ___.
| A．Sunday | B．Monday |
| C．Wednesday | D．Friday |
The person who teaches Computer Science is from______.
| A．Canada | B．Australia |
| C．New Zealand | D．America |
You may learn something about a disease called TB from ___.
| A．Dr. West | B．Mr. Morison |
| C．Mrs. Green | D．Mr. Thomas |
If you want to learn something about satellites, you can go to the class from______.
| A．8:30 to 11:30 on Sunday | B．19:00 to 21:00 on Monday |
| C．19:30 to 21:00 on Wednesday | D．18:30 to 21:00 on Friday |
Our lifestyles today are very busy. We have family, school, sports, entertainment and social activities to fit into a time that seems never enough. We need to be healthy to meet the demands of daily life. But what does it mean to have a healthy lifestyle?
To have a healthy lifestyle, we need to:
◆eat different kinds of healthy food most of the time
◆do exercise often
◆have time to relax
◆get enough sleep to give our bodies time to grow healthy and strong
Read about a normal day in the lives of two children.
| Abbey gets up at 7:00 am, feeds the dog, and has cereal and a glass of juice for breakfast. She walks to school with her friend, Julia. She has a bag of chips for a morning snack, drinks water, and has a chicken and lettuce sandwich with a banana for lunch. She likes to play soccer with her friends at lunch and morning break time. She walks home with Julia, has some crackers with cheese and juice for afternoon snack and plays with the dog for a while. She plays computer games for an hour or two before dinner, then has a shower and does her homework. She watches her favorite television show for an hour, then usually goes to bed at about 9:30 pm. |
Carl gets up at 8:30 am and has two pieces of bread with jam and a glass of milk for breakfast. His mother drives him to school on her way to work. He eats cookies with juice for morning snack and a pot pie ordered from the school lunch room with juice for lunch. He likes to play card games with his friends at lunchtime and climb the fixed equipment at morning break time. He catches the bus home, has a cereal bar and a can of soda for afternoon snack, then watches some television. He has a shower before dinner, then plays the computer for an hour or two. He goes to bed at about 10:30 pm. |
No matter which kind of lifestyle you agree on, just remember it’s important to balance all aspects of life.About a healthy lifestyle, the writer doesn’t talk about __________.
| A．diet | B．exercise |
| C．relaxation | D．medicine |
What can we learn from the article?
| A．Abbey plays soccer with her friends at school. |
| B．Abbey does her homework first after school. |
| C．Carl goes to school by bus every day. |
| D．Carl has juice for breakfast. |
Where is the article probably from?
| A．A health magazine. |
| B．A clothing website. |
| C．A sports guidebook. |
| D．A travel advertisement. |
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Similarly, if we drink a little more water every day, we may find that we need to go to the doctor a lot less often. A healthy diet is made up of water and a great many different kinds of foods. We know that healthy foods like fruits, vegetables and fish, are important as they provide us with energy and fiber, without giving us too much fat and sugar. But why is water important?
The human body needs water to survive. Water is important as it carries poisons and waste out of our bodies. However, doctors advise us to drink plenty of water, much more than the small amount we need to stay alive.
Some doctors believe that water is important for our health in all kinds of ways. They believe that a great many illnesses and health problems appear as a result of dehydration--a lack(缺少) of water in the body. Most people are dehydrated at least some of time, although they probably don’t know it. It is surprising to learn that if we feel thirsty, we are already in the first stages of dehydration. In fact, we are advised to drink water before we feel thirsty.
These doctors think that health problems such as headaches, high blood pressure and asthma could be helped if people drink more water. They also believe that drinking more water can help people who are overweight. Water contains no calories so it will not make us put on weight. If we drink water, we will probably drink less sugary soft drinks such as Coca-cola. Doctors also believe that drinking more water may stop people from overeating. They say that many people think that they are hungry when they are, in fact, thirsty. Doctors suggest, therefore, that we eat less food and drink more water.
There are still many health problems that cannot be solved by drinking water, so we should not stop going to seeing the doctor completely. However, if we make a decision to drink water every day, we may find that we need to go to the doctor a lot less often.We need _____for a healthy diet.
| A．fibre | B．Water and different foods |
| C．water | D．food |
From the text, we know water can carry_________.
| A．energy and fibre in our bodies |
| B．fruit, vegetables and fish in our bodies |
| C．poisons and waste out of our bodies |
| D．sugar and fat out of our bodies |
Lack of water caused people to put on weight too much because_______.
| A．it makes them hungry |
| B．they think they are thirsty and eat less |
| C．water has no calories |
| D．they think they are hungry and eat too much |
Which of the following isn’t mentioned in the passage?
| A．The amount of water a person should drink in a day. |
| B．Some healthy problems start because of a lack of water. |
| C．Drinking more water may stop people from overeating. |
| D．Fruit provides us with energy and fibre. |