To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains, But actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain, Its first use was as a shade against the sun!
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient
times . Probably the first to use it were the Chinese in the 11th century B C.
We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was in commonly used in ancient Greece. But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans.
During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it was considered as a symbol of power. By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France and later in England.
By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout mostof Europe.
Umbrellas have hot changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that women’s umbrellas began to be made , in a whole variety of colors.According to this passage, the umbrella was probably first invented in ancient_______.
| A．China | B．Egypt | C．Greece | D．Rome |
Which of the following statements is not true about the umbrella?
| A．No one exactly knows who the inventor of the umbrella was |
| B．The umbrella was first invented to be used as protection against the sun. |
| C．The umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century |
| D．In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. |
A strange feature of the umbrella’s use is that it was used as__________.
| A．protection against rain | B．a shade against the sun |
| C．a symbol of honor and power | D．women’s decoration (装饰) |
In Europe, the umbrella was first used against the rain_______________.
A. during the Middle Ages B. by the 18th C. in Rome D .in GreeceThis passage talks mainly about_______________.
| A．when and how the umbrella was invented |
| B．why the umbrella was so popular in Europe |
| C．the development of the umbrella |
| D．The history and use of the umbrella |
Honey(蜂蜜)from the African forest is not only a kind of natural sugar, it is also delicious. Most people, and many animals, like eating it. However, the only way for them to get that honey is to find a wild bees' nest(巢)and take the honey from it. Often, these nests are high up in trees, and it is difficult to find them. In parts of Africa, though, people and animals looking for honey have a strange and unexpected helper一a little bird called a honey guide.
The honey guide does not does not actually like honey, but it does like the wax (蜂蜡) in the beehives (蜂).The little bird cannot reach this wax, which is deep inside the bee’s nest. So, when it finds a suitable nest, it looks for someone to help it. The honey guide gives a loud cry that attracts the attention of both passing animals and people. Once it has their attention, it flies through the forest, waiting from time to time for the curious animal or person as it leads them to the nest. When they finally arrive at the nest, the follower reaches in to get at the delicious honey as the bird patiently waits and watches. Some of the honey, and the wax, always falls to the ground, and this is when the honey guide takes its share.
Scientists do not know why the honey guide likes eating the wax, but it is very determined in its efforts to get it. The birds seem to be able to smell wax from a long distance away. They will quickly arrive whenever a beekeeper is taking honey from his beehives, and will even enter churches when beeswax candles are being lit.Why is it difficult to find a wild bees' nest?
| A．It's small in size. | B．It's hidden in trees. |
| C．It's covered with wax. | D．It's hard to recognize. |
What do the words "the follower" in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．A bee. | B．A bird. | C．A honey seeker. | D．A beekeeper. |
The honey guide is special in the way_·
| A．it gets its food | B．it goes to church |
| C．it sings in the forest | D．it reaches into bees' nests |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Wild Bees | B．Wax and Honey |
| C．Beekeeping in Africa | D．Honey-Lover's Helper |
Life affects friendships. As we grow, marry, fight in wars, move across the country or change jobs, old friendships fall away and new ones form. As long as we live, the things around us change, and as long as things change, friendships are affected.
When we were children we had best friends. No matter what happened we were still friends. We live our lives, however, and do what life calls for us to do, and as we get older, memories fade, faces blur, and even friends' names from childhood are forgotten.
Do you have a question about friendship? Do you wonder what to do with a friend who is no longer friendly? Perhaps you will see that you can't control others. If someone wants to be your friend, it is their choice. All you can do is treat them well and do the best for them when you are with them. Then you wish them well when they leave.
You can talk to old timers and they will tell you that life is full of incredible joy and incredible sorrow, and that what bothers you today will one day becomes a memory and the sting(痛苦) will be gone. Seniors might tell you that you will learn more as you get older. They will tell you that friendships come and friendships go. Sometimes when they go it will hurt, but you will be okay with it. It's the way life works, after all.What can we learn about friendship, according to the text?
| A．Friendship can not be easily affected by one's family. |
| B．Friends are always around us and will never go away. |
| C．Friends in childhood are the best no matter what happens. |
| D．Friends in childhood are sometimes forgotten by us. |
What should we do with friends who are no longer friendly according to the text?
| A．Do our best to control them and make them listen to us. |
| B．Forget them and make new friends who have a lot in common with us. |
| C．Find the reason why our friendship has changed. |
| D．Care about them and do the best for them when we are together. |
The text mainly tell us _________.
| A．how to face the changes in friendship |
| B．how to deal with unfriendly people |
| C．that childhood friendship is valuable |
| D．how to share happiness with friends |
Cheating happens a lot in our city. It can be hard to know who is really in 1 and who is trying to take advantage of other people's 2 .
Recently, I was finishing my work at home 3 the dog barked letting me know that 4 was at the gate. I rushed to see who it was and there I saw a 5 weak woman in her late fifties. I said to her, "May I ask you what you 6 ?" She 7 , "Hello, my name is Mary. My husband and I live in the slum nearby. We earn our living 8 working at construction sites. A few days ago my 9 tripped on the stairs while
10 a heavy load. He is 11 hurt and hasn't been able to 12 for the past five days, so we have no food. Now he is at home in bed with a high fever. Please help me! I need to take my husband to a doctor!"
"Oh!" I said. "Please 13 here." I went into the room. I felt really bad about her 14 but--- Was she telling me the 15 or trying to cheat me out of my money?
Finally, I 16 to help her. But first I said a simple prayer, "Dear Lord, you know 17 I earn my pennies, so please make sure that my hard earned money helps those who 18 need it. Amen." I went out with a fifty note and
19 it to her. The moment she got the money she broke down in tears. She took my hand and said, "May god bless you, my dear! Thank you so much!"
I was so 20 , and turned back to my work smiling.
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A. braveness B. kindness C. interest D envy
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The common cold is the world's most widespread illness, which is a serious infection that man receives.
The most widespread mistake of all is that colds are caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person. You catch a cold by touching directly or indirectly, with someone who already has one. If cold causes colds, it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in separate Arctic (北极的)areas, explorers have reported being free from colds until touching again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes.
During the First World War, soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches, cold and wet, seldom caught colds.
In the Second World War, prisoners at Auschwitz concentration camp, bare and starved, were astonished to find that they seldom had colds.
At the Common Cold Research Unit in England, volunteers took part in experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for a long time. After taking hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be with cold water, and then stood about dripping wet in a room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose.
If then, cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds, why are they more frequent in winter? Despite the most hard research, no one has yet found out the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times, and that makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on.
No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and pain-killers such as aspirin, but all that they do is to reduce the symptoms.The writer thinks the cause of catching cold is due to_______.
| A．touching anyone directly |
| B．touching anyone indirectly |
| C．cold weather |
| D．getting viruses from person to person |
Arctic explorers may catch colds when___.
| A．they are working in the separate Arctic areas |
| B．they are writing reports in terribly cold weather |
| C．they are free from work in the isolated Arctic regions |
| D．they are coming into touch again with the outside world |
Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit___.
| A．suffered a lot | B．never caught colds |
| C．often caught colds | D．became very strong |
The passage mainly discusses___.
| A．the experiments on the common cold |
| B．the mistake about the common cold |
| C．the reason and the way people catch colds |
| D．the continued spread of common colds |
Passage 1
As one of China’s most popular and widely known story ,Monkey King, is set to return to screens with 3D effects. It may feature many of the same leading actors from the earliest 1986TV series Journey to the West. According to the producer, which can be got easily in the market? The TV drama, with a total investment of 150 million yuan, will be broadcast on Sichuan TV. Almost 90 million yuan has been put into 3D effects with each 45-mniute episode containing eight minutes of 3D. “The 3D effects not only cost us a lot of money but also a lot of time,” director Kan Weiping said. “We had to put off its broadcasting time, which was set at first this summer.”
Passage 2
The Solar Roadway is an intelligent road that provides clean renewable energy using power from the sun, while providing safer driving conditions along with power. American inventors of the Solar Road said that it will power itself, and reduce the country’s carbon marks. Many panels(平板) are fixed on the Solar Road. The top of the Solar Road panels is made of glass and the inventors are working together with top glass researchers to develop super strong glass that would offer vehicles pulling power they need. The Solar Roadway creates and carries clean renewable electricity and, therefore, electric vehicles can be recharged at any rest stop, or at any business that uses solar road panels in their parking lots. Such parking lots will be safer at night with the light provided by LED within the road panels. The inventors say their solar roadway has many applications and advantages from main roads to driveways, parking lots, bike paths and runways.What’s Passage 1 mainly about?
| A．The origin of the story about Monkey King |
| B．Monkey King will return to screens with 3D effects. |
| C．The brief introduction to the TV series Journey to the West |
| D．The amount of money invested on the 3D TV series Journey to the West |
About the 3D TV series Journey to the West we can learn that________.
| A．it contains 45 episodes in total |
| B．it will feature new actors completely |
| C．we could watch it on TV after the summer |
| D．we can enjoy it at home just with normal glasses |
What can be inferred about the Solar Roadway from Passage 2?
| A．It will have a bright future |
| B．It can’t work without electricity |
| C．The vehicles won’t work without electricity |
| D．The electric vehicles can’t be recharged on it |
Passage 2 is most probably taken from________.
| A．a science fiction | B．a research paper |
| C．a product brochure | D．a technology report |