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 most of 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 Greece |
This 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 |
As a boy growing up in India, I had longed to travel abroad. I used to listen to the stories my father would tell me about his stay in Canada and tours to Europe in the 1970s, with great interest.
My big moment finally came in the summer of 1998 when I was able to accompany my parents to Europe, where my father was to attend a meeting. We planned to travel to Belgium, Netherlands and West Germany.
I have vivid memories even today of going to Mumbai airport at night all excited about finally going abroad. I had heard several great things about Lufthansa till then but now I finally got to experience them first hand, during the flight to Frankfurt. We flew business class and even today I can remember the excellent service by the Lufthansa crew. The flight was really smooth and thoroughly enjoyable, even for someone like me, who is otherwise scared of flying.
After spending almost two weeks in Europe, we took the Lufthansa airport express from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt airport, for our return flight. What a journey that was! All along the Rhine(莱茵河), it was simply an unforgettable experience. I was in a sombre mood on the flight back to Mumbai as it marked the end of a wonderful vacation, but the Lufthansa crew members were able to change it into a most enjoyable experience yet again, with the quality of their service.
Being the first airline to take me overseas, Lufthansa will always hold a special place in my heart. Even today, I continue to enjoy flights on Lufthansa and simply cannot dream of choosing any other airline. Flying, in general, for me, has always been an ordeal (terrible and painful experience). Flying on Lufthansa, however, is something I always have and always will look forward to.Which country does the author live in now?
| A．India. | B．Canada. | C．Belgium. | D．Germany. |
Which of the following is TRUE about the authors trip to Europe in 1998?
| A．The author traveled with one of his parents. |
| B．Both their going and return are by air. |
| C．They traveled in spring that year. |
| D．They stayed in Europe for nearly two months. |
It can be inferred from the passage that Lufthansa is __________.
| A．a city in India | B．a city in Europe |
| C．an airline company | D．a travel agency |
The underlined word sombre in the 4th paragraph probably means_________.
| A．happy | B．sad | C．angry | D．enjoyable |
There are two kinds of changeschemical change and physical change.
In a chemical change, there is always a new substance formed. Breaking up water into hydrogen and oxygen is a chemical change. In each of the chemical change at least one new substance is formed. A change is not a chemical change if it doesn’t form a new substance.
Physical changes are very common, too. There are many examples. You can make a physical change by tearing a piece of paper into two, or by cutting a piece of iron with lathe(车床). Here paper is still paper, and the iron is still iron.
Another way of making physical change is dissolving something in water. When you dissolve salt in water, the salt disappears. You may think that a new substance has been formed. But really there is no new substance. The salt is still salt. You can still taste it. So the dissolving of anything is a physical change.
When water freezes, the change is also a physical one. The water changes from liquid to solid, but it is still the same substance. That is why the freezing of anything is a physical change.In a physical change _______ .is formed.
| A．a new substance | B．nothing new |
| C．a piece of paper | D．a piece of iron |
The dissolving of salt in water is_______.
| A．a physical change | B．a chemical change |
| C．hydrogen and oxygen | D．breaking up |
We can separate a chemical change from a physical one by_______.
| A．the change of shape |
| B．the change of color |
| C．newly-produced smoke |
| D．newly-formed substances |
Long, long ago there were a lot of donkeys. The donkeys worked hard every day. They had no time to play or to relax, but they never felt appreciated for the work they did.
One day two donkeys got bored. They wanted to live a comfortable life. So the donkeys went to see a wise old man. They told him their problem. The wise old man agreed that they worked too hard, and he wanted to help the donkeys. "I have an idea." he said.
"What is your idea?" asked the donkeys.
"I will paint you and no one will know you are donkeys," said the man.
The man went off to find some paint and he returned in just a matter of minutes. He had two pots of paint. One pot was filled with white paint, and the other black paint.
The old man first painted them white, and then painted black stripes(斑纹) over the white paint. When he finished, the donkeys did not look at all like donkeys. "You no longer look like donkeys, the old man said. Everyone will be fooled. I will call you something else, zebras. "
The zebras went to a field to eat grass. Now they did not have to work.
Soon, other donkeys saw the zebras. They asked the zebras where they came from. When the ' zebras told the donkeys their secret, the donkeys all rushed to see the old man.
"Make us into zebras, too," they pleaded. So the wise old man painted more donkeys. As he did, more and more donkeys came.
The old man could not paint fast enough. Soon the donkeys became impatient. They began to kick about, and they knocked over the paint pots.
There was no more paint. The painted donkeys ran off to become zebras. The unpainted don- keys, because of their impatience, had to return to work.
This is why it is important to be patient.The text was written to______.
| A．explain how donkeys became zebras |
| B．tell a good way to avoid hard work |
| C．tell an important truth about things |
| D．explain how zebras got their stripes |
The two donkeys went to see a wise old man in order to _____.
| A．tell him their problem | B．get some grass |
| C．change into zebras | D．ask him for help |
When the two donkeys returned, why did they no longer have to work?
| A．No one knew they were donkeys. |
| B．They didn't want to work. |
| C．They didn't eat enough grass |
| D．They were no longer donkeys. |
What does the underlined word " pleaded" mean?
| A．advised. | B．begged. | C．agreed. | D．ordered. |
Have you got teenage children between 12 and 17？Will they jump at the idea to go to South Africa too? Well, let me help you here. I will give you some great ideas about what teenagers can do in Cape Town and give you reasons why a stay in Cape Town will be cool for them too.
You will read where to find really interesting activities and how much money you will have to pay for them and also how your children can gain as many great experiences as possible when holidaying or even living in Cape Town.
·Mad about Football — not only for Soccer Fans
Where: Cape Town Stadium (体育场)，15 min from Cape Town’s central business district (CBD). The new visitor center offers several tours. How much does it cost? R45.6 for adults or kids over 12, R17.1 for kids up to 12 and R11.4 per student for school groups. The Biodiversity Garden next to the stadium is interesting as well and can be added into tour at an additional cost.
·Theme Park with more than 23 rides and roller coasters (过山车)
Where: Ratanga Junction, Century City, 20 min north of Cape Town CBD. Costs: R75 for kids under 1.3m and R152 for kids over 1.3m or adults, open only on school holidays and public holidays.
·Sandboarding anyone
Where: Atlantis, 45 min north of Cape Town CBD. Costs: R595 for a half day of fun in the sand.
·Ice skating
Where: Grand West Casino Complex, Goodwood, 20 min east of Cape Town CBD Costs:R35 (including skates)
·Enjoy mini golf(高尔夫)
Where: Several places around Cape Town CBD. Muizenberg Beach Promenade, Green Point Promenade, Durbanville Vodacom Golf Driving Range or try Cave Golf at the V&A Waterfront next to Scratch Patch. Costs:R8.
·Go bowling
Where: Several places aroun Cape Town CBD. Costs: R25.
·How about climbing walls
Where：Observatory, 20 min south of Cape Towm CBD. Costs: R50. A visitor can get the following information about the activities in the passage EXCEPT ______.
| A．locatin | B．cost | C．food | D．distance |
If a couple want to take their son aged 15 and daughter aged 9 to visit Cape Town Stadium, they shoul pay _________.
| A．R 182.4 | B．R153.9 | C．R125.4 | D．R114 |
In order to have fun on the sand, visitors should go to ________.
| A．Atlantis | B．Green Point Promenade |
| C．Ratanga Junction | D．Grand West Casino Complex |
Which of the following activities costs least?
| A．Theme Park | B．Climbing wall |
| C．Bowling | D．Mini golf |
As an expert on education, I finished a Junior Achievement course at a local middle school last week. I received some meaningful answers when I asked teens what they would want to tell their parents about money.
Max said,’Dear Mom, I need to give you some advice on money. I need more allowance (零用钱)！” I have to say many teenagers have the same idea as him. As an expert, I advise a little money for teens and more if they help with the housework. Now that your children are in middle school, it’s time to think about paying them to do something. My daughter missed a lot of school when she was a junior so I promised to buy her a notebook computer if she didn’t miss any school as a senior — she got the computer finally. What worked for my other daughter was a clothing allowance for her joining in the housework. She would receive a set amount every two months; it taught her a valuable lesson: when the clothing money ran out, she couldn’t buy more clothes until she got enough money through doing the housework. “I need more allowance,” should be the start, not the end, of a dialogue.
Grace wanted to tell Mom, “Only buy what we need.” Spending wisely and saving money was a good theme from all the students. The idea of thinking carefully about spending is just what I taught them at class, but this is not the subject of this Junior Achievement course. It shows me that these teenagers look at their parents’ spending habits, but they don’t tell their parents their opinions about them. Therefore, Moms and Dads, pay attention and remember: your children watch everything you do when it comes to money — do it right, point them in the right direction.
Nikola’s advice is valuable to all parents — “Mom and Dad, I think I should be more involved in money and financial (金融) things so I know how to do everything without a struggle when I get older.” This child has got it right. Her answer shows the fact that parents are responsible (负责的) for the financial training of their children. It is one of our most important parental goals.What does the author advise parents to do when their children want more allowance ?
| A．Stop giving them allowance at once. |
| B．Buy them something they are in need of. |
| C．Give them more allowance if they help do the housework |
| D．Encourage them to earn more allowance by doing part – time jobs. |
Why does the author mention his daughters in Paragraph 2?
| A．To show he does better than others in teaching his children. |
| B．To tell readers how to encourage children to study hard. |
| C．To show paying children to do things really works. |
| D．To tell readers he has children who often make trouble. |
In Paragraph 3 the author suggests that parents should ________.
| A．set good examples to their children in spending and saving money |
| B．set up a good relationship with their children |
| C．ask their children for advice on spending money |
| D．attend his Junior Achievement course |
We can learn from the passage that Nikola _______.
| A．expected her parents to think about her future |
| B．expected to learn how to manage money |
| C．worried about her ability to make a living |
| D．had a better understanding of the author’s course |