Yang Liwei circled the earth 14 times in 21 hours on October 15 and 16, 2003, landing on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. Looking a little tired, Yang stepped out of Shenzhou V, smiling and waving at the waiting people. “I feel very good.” Yang said to Premier Wen Jiabao on the phone. Yang said to a newspaper, “For our motherland and me, this is a great moment.”
China’s launch of Shenzhou V shows a higher starting point. It has two special systems（系统）to protect the spaceman, but neither Russian rockets（火箭）nor American ones have.
Yang didn’t know that he was chosen as China’s first spaceman until just before the launch. Although Yang was excited at the news, he still slept at 8p.m. as usual and was woken up at 8p.m. the next morning. Before the launch, Yang ate Chinese traditional food-dumplings. We all know that travelers usually eat them before going on a journey for good luck.
A stamp Success of China First Manned Space Flight was issued（发行）on October 16, 2003, making China the third country to send a spaceman into outer space.It took Yang Liwei_____ to travel around the earth every circle.
| A．6 hours | B．90 minutes |
| C．2 days | D．21 hours |
How did Yang Liwei feel after he came back to the earth?
| A．Quite tired. | B．A little scared. |
| C．Tired but excited. | D．A little nervous |
Which of the following statement is right?
| A．There is no difference between China’s spaceship and other countries. |
| B．Yang Liwei knew he would be China’s first spaceman long before. |
| C．From the news, Yang Liwei was too excited to fall asleep. |
| D．Yang was proud of the flight. |
What does the underlined word “launch” mean?
| A．发射 | B．出发 | C．制造 | D．设计 |
China issued the stamps to _________.
| A．leave them in space |
| B．give them to Yang Liwei as a reward |
| C．celebrate the success |
| D．give them to Russian and American spacemen. |
【2013年重庆】Sometimes the easiest way to get somewhere is on the back of a bike.
More and more people are using cars in many places in Africa today. However, things are different in Malawi( 马拉维 ).Bikes are the most popular in this African country.
Bike riding is a way of life in Malawi. People use them to carry heavy things. They also use bikes to carry people, especially tourists. These years, taking a “ bicycle taxi” to travel around Malawi has become quite popular among tourists from all over the world.
If you go to Malawi, you will find a lot of bike taxis waiting on the sides of the roads. The riders make the bikes comfortable for passengers to sit on . You can jump on a bike taxi and get around at a very low cost.
Alice is a 21-year-old student from Canada. She enjoys the special bike riding a lot. “I really like the bike taxi,” she says. “It’s easy and cheap.” Alice usually pays just $1 for going shopping in town.
28-year-old Panjira Khombe began to ride a bike taxi two years ago. The young man enjoys this job.“I used to make boats for a living, but that’s a hard job. Being a bike taxi rider is easy for me and I don’t mind carrying heavy people,” he says.In Malawi ________ are the most popular way for people to get somewhere.
| A．cars | B．bikes |
| C．trains | D．buses |
The passage tells us that Alice enjoys the bike taxi because it’s________.
| A．on the side of the road | B．popular and heavy |
| C．all over the country | D．cheap and easy |
From the passage we can learn Panjira Khombe thinks that________.
| A．going shopping is easy |
| B．making boats is difficult |
| C．riding a bike taxi is cheap |
| D．carrying heavy people is interesting |
The best title of the passage may be “________ ” .
| A．Bike Riders | B．A Special Country |
| C．Bike Taxis | D．A Cheap Journey |
【2013年安徽】Many people say that they are working too many hours. They don't have enough time to relax or to stay with their family.
Work hours are different from one country to another. In France, people spend about 1,646 hours a year at work. In Japan, however, people work about 2,159 hours a year. That means a Japanese worker works 513 more hours a year than a French worker.
Why do people work so many hours? Some people workextrahours because they want to make more money. However, many companies don't pay overtime. Their workers don't get more pay for more work. Some people think it's their duty to work more hours. Some are afraid of losing their jobs if they don't work more hours.
Many people say that their vacations are too short. In France, people get five weeks of paid vacation a year. In Germany, they get four to six weeks, and in the United States, two weeks. One study shows fewer than half of workers used all their vacation days. In Great Britain, there is a saying, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull (迟钝的) boy." If that is true, there must be a lot of dull people in the world.A Japanese worker works _ _ more hours a year than a French one.
| A．513 | B．1,646 |
| C．2,159 | D．3,805 |
The word "extra" in Paragraph 3 means ".
| A．正常的 | B．额外的 | C．有用的 | D．少量的 |
People in ________ get only two weeks of paid vacation a year.
| A．France | B．Germany |
| C．the United States | D．Great Britain |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．No companies offer vacations to their workers. |
| B．Many people say they have enough time to relax. |
| C．Not all companies pay their workers for more work. |
| D．More than half of workers use all their vacation days. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Many workers have to work long hours. |
| B．Many people have vacations long enough. |
| C．Work hours are the same around the world. |
| D．There are a lot of dull people in the world. |
【2014年江苏省无锡市中考】
阅读下面的短文，然后根据短文内容，在每小题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Hawaii is a truly beautiful place. Most people know Hawaii for its lovely beaches. However, Hawaii is also a land full of legends(传奇). One of the oldest legends tells of a special dance called the hula, which started here around 300 years ago.
One hula teacher tells the story of how the dance started. “The hula started, as far as the legend tells it, when Hi’iaki and her good friend Hopoe went down to the beach. And then, when they were there, they noticed the waves(波浪)…and they imitated the waves. And then started to use their hands…like showing the waves.That is how the hula started.”
However,not everyone has always liked the hula.In 1820,some religious(宗教的) people from Western countries came to Hawaii.The visitors were shocked by the hula because the dancers were not wearing many clothes.So they asked the local government to ban(制止) the dance.
After that,most Hawaiians were not allowed to perform the hula in public for almost 60 years.But that did not mean the dancing stopping.Many dances still performed the hula in secret.The dance was always there.
Things have changed.At the moment,people of all ages want to study the old culture.They want to learn how to dance the hula.As a result,more and more people are attending halaus. Halaus are special schools that hula in the traditional way.
Kumano is a hula teacher. For him, the dance is a way to bring the best of old Hawaii culture to people today. Kumano says that the dance is not really about the body.He feels that it is more about the mind.He explains this feelings,”…the hula is more… not so much a physical thing,but more of a mental thing.For new dances,the dancing means very little,because for Hawaiians today,many of them don’t speak the Hawaiian language. So,what I try to do is to mind the real thing they see today.”Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word”imitated”in this passage?”
| A．Absorbed | B．Chased. | C．Recorded. | D．Copied. |
Why was the hula banned for almost 60 years?
| A．Because the local government found the movements of the dance were rude. |
| B．Because the religious visitors thought that the dances did not dress properly. |
| C．Because the dances realized it was not suitable to perform the dance in public. |
| D．Because the Hawaiian people believed the dance was not in fashion any more. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Hi iaki and her good friend Hopoe got the idea of the dance from nature. |
| B．The hula had already had a history had a history of over 200 years when it was banned. |
| C．Many people attend hulaus because they teach the hula in a modern way. |
| D．Kumano thinks that the hula dance is good exercise for people of all ages. |
How do we understand that Kumano tries to bring to mind the real thing they today?
| A．He tries to help young Hawaiian understand the old culture better. |
| B．He tries to let new dances feel the beauty of the Hawaiian language. |
| C．He tries to advise his students to pay more attention to the mind. |
| D．He tries to show local people that the hula can be different today. |
【2014年江苏省宿迁市中考】
Jenny wanted to encourage students to read more famous books, so she decided to put an introduction to some interesting children’s story books in the school newspaper.
The Little Prince (《小王子》is a famous work written by French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. In the book, the little prince leaves his own planet to explore the universe (宇宙). In his journey, he finds that the adult world is really strange and boring. Finally, he goes back to his planet which is full of love. The book is really popular throughout the world.
Charlotte’s Web (《夏洛特的网》is a famous children’s novel written by American author E. B. White. The novel tells the story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a spider named Charlotte on a farm. When Wilbur is in danger of being killed for his meat by the farmer, Charlotte writes messages to praise Wilbur in her web and saves him. Wilbur becomes famous in the village and he is safe in the end. When it came out in 1952, the book was welcomed by both adults and children. And it is still very popular today.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (《爱德华的奇妙之旅》is a 2006 novel written by Kate DiCamillo. The book is about an unusual journey of a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. He travels from one place to another, meeting many people. During his journey, he learns to love and finally finds love again. This book is popular nowadays and was mentioned many times in the famous South Korean TV series My love from the Star (《来自星星的你》. The warm and sweet story will surely make you understand more about love. Jenny introduced some interesting children’s story books to ________.
| A．encourage students to read more |
| B．encourage students to write more |
| C．show off the books she has read |
| D．make money by selling books |
The underlined word “praise” properly means “________” in Chinese.
| A．欺骗 | B．批评 | C．赞扬 | D．攻击 |
Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The three books mentioned in the passage are popular today. |
| B．The writers of the three books are all Americans. |
| C．When Charlotte’s Web came out, it was only popular with adults. |
| D．My Love from the Star is a famous Chinese TV series. |
【2014年江苏省宿迁市中考】
As an old Chinese saying goes, food is what matters most to people. A Bite of China Season Two, all about the history and culture of eating and cooking in China, broadcast on CCTV-1 from April 18 to June 6. Food plays an important role in our daily life. It is also one of the most important parts of Chinese culture. Besides the rich food culture in China, A Bite of China Season Two also wants to show the joys and sadnesses of ordinary Chinese in changing times through food.
The documentary makes viewers long for home and the tastes of childhood. One Weibo user wrote, “A Bite of China Season Two makes me have so many words to say. It makes me think of my parents and grandmother. I remember my father taught me how to fish when I was a kid. I haven’t been home for a long time, so I’ve decided to go back in a few days.”
The documentary uses food as a window to introduce China to the world. Viewers can see how Chinese people love life by loving food. The new season is not just an introduction to food. It also explores the relationship between Chinese people and their food. Anyone who wants to know more about Chinese food culture and Chinese society should have a bite of the programme. What type of TV programme is A Bite of China Season Two?
| A．A cartoon. | B．A documentary. |
| C．A comedy. | D．A chat show |
When did the programme begin on CCTV-1?
| A．April 6. | B．April 18. |
| C．June 6. | D．July 6. |
What’s the main idea of the programme?
| A．The development of Chinese history. |
| B．An introdution to Chinese culture. |
| C．The history and culture of Chinese food. |
| D．Feelings of ordinary Chinese. |