Short and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. "Football, tennis Cricket — anything with a round ball, I was useless." he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England’s rural Devonshire.
It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance. At age 18, he ran his first marathon.
The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s school of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man’s cold-water exploits (成就). Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future. Journeys to the Pole aren’t the usual holidays for British country boys, and many people dismissed his dream as fantasy. "John Ridgway was one of the few who didn’t say, ’You are completely crazy,’" Saunders says.
In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole. He suffered frostbite, had a closer encounter (遭遇) with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit.
Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he’s skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton. His old playmates would not believe the transformation.
This October, Saunders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis.The turning point in Saunders’ life came when ________.
| A．he started to play ball games |
| B．he got a mountain bike at age 15 |
| C．he ran his first marathon at age 18 |
| D．he started to receive Ridgway’s training |
We can learn from the text that Ridgway ________.
| A．dismissed Saunders’ dream as fantasy |
| B．built up his body together with Saunders |
| C．hired Saunders for his cold-water experience |
| D．won his fame for his voyage across the Atlantic |
What do we know about Saunders?
| A．He once worked at a school in Scotland. |
| B．He followed Ridgway to explore the North Pole. |
| C．He was chosen for the school sports team as a kid. |
| D．He was the first Briton to ski alone to the North Pole. |
The underlined word "Intrigued" in the third paragraph probably means ________.
| A．Excited | B．Convinced | C．Delighted | D．Fascinated |
It can be inferred that Saunders’ journey to the North Pole ________.
| A．was accompanied by his old playmates |
| B．set a record in the North Pole expedition |
| C．was supported by other Arctic explorers |
| D．made him well-known in the 1960s |
【2015年安徽省初中毕业学业考试英语试题】阅读下列短文，从每小题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出一个最佳选项。
Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. Every day they are very busy trying to make money for my schooling.
One day, my mother was sewing a quilt（缝被子）. I silently sat beside her.
“Mum, is there love between you and Dad?” I asked in a very low voice.
With surprise in her eyes, she stopped her work for a while. The she said, “Susan, look at this thread（线）. It can hardly be seen, but it’s really there. It makes the quilt strong. If life is a quilt, love should be a thread. Love is inside.”
I couldn’t understand her until the next spring. At that time, my father suddenly got sick seriously. My mother had to stay with him in the hospital for a month.
After they were back, may mother helped my father walk slowly on the country road every day. They were so kind to each other and it seemed they were the happiest couple.
After two months my father still couldn’t walk by himself.
“Dad, how are you feeling now?” I asked him one day.
“Susan, don’t worry about me.” he said. “I just like walking with your mum. I like this kind of life.” Reading his eyes, I knew he loves my mother deeply.
Now I understand that love is just a thread in the quilt of our life. Love is inside, making life strong and warm.Why are Susan’s parents busy trying to make money?
| A．To send Susan to school | B．To get to see the doctor |
| C．To buy a strong quilt | D．To show their love |
Susan’ father stayed in hospital for ______.
| A．one day | B．one month | C．two months | D．three months |
Susan came to understand her mother ______.
| A．while her mother was sewing a quilt | B．before her father was in hospital |
| C．when she was sitting beside her mother | D．after her father was seriously sick |
What can we know from the passage?
| A．Susan’s father is very lazy | B．Susan’s mother is a nurse |
| C．Susan’s parents love each other | D．Susan doesn’t like her father |
Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?
| A．How to make a Quilt Strong | B．Love is just a Tread |
| C．Walking on the Country Road | D．A Seriously Sick Father |
【四川省资阳市2015年中考英语试题】阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
If you enjoy reading, don’t miss Shakespeare and Company when you visit the city of Paris. It is a famous English-language bookstore on the left bank of the river Seine. The first Shakespeare and Company in history was opened in 1919 by an American, Sylvia Beach. Ms. Beach did more than sell books. Her bookstore was also a library, and she even prepared beds for writers visiting there. Ms. Beach was not only kind to people but also good at choosing books, so her bookstore was often visited by writers like Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce. But in 1941, after the Germans took power in Paris, Ms. Beach was told to close her bookstore.
In 1951, another American, George Whitman, opened in Paris another English-language bookstore, Librairie Mistral. Since then, just as Ms. Beach did, Mr. Whitman has also made his bookstore a library for people to borrow books, and a free hotel for writers to stay in. To remember Ms. Beach, Mr. Whitman changed the name of his bookstore to Shakespeare and Company in 1964, two years after Ms. Beach died.
Next time when you are in Paris, don’t forget to visit this friendly bookstore, and see if you can spend a night there!When was Shakespeare and Company first opened？
| A．In 1919. | B．In 1941. | C．In 1951. | D．In 1964. |
What does Shakespeare and Company do?
a. It sells books. b. It lends books.
c. It offers food to readers. d. It prepares beds for writers.
| A．a, b, c | B．a, c, d | C．a, b, d | D．b, c, d |
Ms. Beach closed her business because _________.
| A．she died | B．she left Paris |
| C．she was made to do it | D．she didn’t manage it well |
What do we know about Mr. Whitman?
| A．He was Ms. Beach’s neighbor. |
| B．He used to work at Ms. Beach’s bookstore. |
| C．He opened a bookstore to remember Ms. Beach. |
| D．He has followed Ms. Beach’s ways of doing business. |
【四川省资阳市2015年中考英语试题】阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
What you have read is a(n) _________.
| A．report | B．ad. | C．message | D．notice |
What restaurant is Tea Cottage?
| A．Chinese. | B．British. | C．American. | D．French. |
Who has to work every day?
| A．Singers. | B．Waiters. | C．Cleaners. | D．Cooks. |
If you want to get more information, you can _________.
| A．send a letter | B．make a call |
| C．send an email | D．visit the boss |
【山东省德州市二O一五年初中学业水平考试英语试题】阅读下列短文，然后从每小题ABCD中选出能回答所提问题或完成所给句子的最佳答案。
Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.
Sometimes, the word “green” means young, fresh and growing. For example, a greenborn is someone who has no experience. In the 15 th century, a greenborn was a young cow or an ox whose borns(角)had not yet developed. A century later, a greenborn was a soldier who had no experience in war. By the 18 th century, a greenborn had the meaning it has today—a person who is new in a job.
Someone who is good at growing plants is said to have a green thumb(大拇指). The expression comes from the early 20 th century. A person with a green thumb can make plants grow quickly and well. The Green Revolution(绿色革命)is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. It was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.
Green is also the color used to describe the powerful feeling. Jealousy(嫉妒). The green eyed monster is not a dangerous animal from outer space. It is an expression used about 400 years ago by the British writer William Shakespeare in his play “Othello”. It describes the unpleasant feeling when someone has something he wants.
In most places in the world, a green light is a signal(信号)to move ahead. In everyday speech, a green light means approval(赞成)to continue with a project.A new solider was called a greenborn in the ____ century.
| A．15 th | B．16 th | C．18 th | D．20 th |
A person with a green thumb____.
| A．is good at growing plants |
| B．really has a green thumb |
| C．has no experience in war |
| D．is new in a job |
A man may meet the green eyed monster if ____.
| A．he sees a dangerous animal |
| B．he can’t get something |
| C．he reads a sad play |
| D．his friend gets a prize that he wants |
This passage doesn’t mention the history of the expression “____”.
| A．a green thumb | B．a greenborn |
| C．the green eyed monster | D．a green light |
Which would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Green, the color of grass and trees |
| B．The stories about the color “green” |
| C．Green, a sign of approval |
| D．Different meanings of “green” |
【山东省德州市二O一五年初中学业水平考试英语试题】阅读下列短文，然后从每小题ABCD中选出能回答所提问题或完成所给句子的最佳答案。
If you want to book a ticket, you can NOT____.
| A．use the Internet |
| B．go to the Box Office on Sundays |
| C．ring and pay by credit card |
| D．post the booking form to the Box Office |
If you make a group booking for 14 persons, how much should you pay?
| A．$ 120. | B．$126. | C．$ 140. | D．$150. |
On average(平均), which kind of tickets is the cheapest?
| A．Saver. | B．Supersaver. | C．Group bookings. | D．School. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．There are no spaces for wheelchairs. |
| B．The audience(观众)can serve exchange tickets. |
| C．A group of 12 can get 10% discount. |
| D．A school group of 15 should pay $ 59 for the tickets. |
The passage is ____.
| A．booking notes of Fra ? | B．a review of Far ? |
| C．a survey of F ? | D． about f ? |