If the rose can be said to be a special flower, then the apple can be said to be a special fruit. It is very important in American culture. American stories speak of Johnny Appleseed, who went throughout America collecting apple seeds and planting apple trees. He had a great love for nature and went through fields and farms adding richness and beauty to the country.
One of the first sayings taught to school children is, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” This short saying encourages children to eat fresh fruit to keep healthy. If someone always says good words to a person, people will call him an “apple polisher”. This, however, is not a good name. If someone is very dear to us, we say that he or she is the “apple of our eye”.
Most people believe that the fruit which Eve gave to Adam was an apple, even though the Bible(圣经) never says so. The apple, therefore, is a deep part of the language and stories of America.
An apple is also delicious. Apples can be cooked in many ways, used as a dessert, and made into sweet juice.
In many parts of the country during the harvest season, a popular activity is to go into an apple garden to pick apples. Washington, D. C. and New York are both famous for their apples.
Finally, when it’s time to take a vacation to American cities, one can always visit New York, which is “the biggest apple” of all the American cities. What does the underlined phrase “apple polisher” mean?
| A．Something for cutting apples. |
| B．A person who likes to please others. |
| C．A person who is dealing with fruits. |
| D．A machine for cleaning apples quickly. |
Which of the following is TRUE with apples?
| A．Apples are medicine. |
| B．Apples are the most important food. |
| C．New York is famous for its big apples. |
| D．The Bible says Adam was given an apple. |
The passage is mainly about .
| A．stories about the apple |
| B．apples in American culture |
| C．some famous sayings of the apple |
| D．big cities that is famous for apples |
【湖北省黄冈市2015年中考英语试题】综合阅读（共两节；计 32 分）
第一节 阅读理解（共 12 小题；每小题 2 分，满分 24 分）
阅读下面三篇短文，根据短文内容，从所给的 A、B、C、D 四个选项
中选出最佳选项。
（1）
CCTV News May 28, 2015, Thursday  The No-Smoking Law in China will be carried out next Monday in Beijing. All indoor public places and many outdoor public places, violators (违者) will face fines of up to 200 yuan. |
CCTV News May 31, 2015, Sunday Su Bingtian broke record at Saturday’s IAFF Diamond League ( 国 际 田 联 钻 石 赛) in Eugene, United States. He finished third in 9″ 99, behind Americans Tyson Gay in 9″ 88 and Mike Rodgers in 9″ 90. Liu Xiang said,“You are great! ” |
CCTV News June 2, 2015, Tuesday It’s reported that the first two deaths from an outbreak of MERS (中东呼吸综合症) on June 1st in South Koren. So far, the number of new confirmed（感染）cases is 25 in total. |
CCTV News June 4, 2015, Thursday The big ship Dongfang Star( 东方之星) with 458 people sank in Yangtze River after being caught in a strong cyclone at 21:28, June 1. So far, only fourteen people were saved, however, the rescue（搜 救）are still continuing. |
When will the No-Smoking Law be carried out in Beijing?
| A．May 31, 2015 | B．June 1, 2015 |
| C．June 2, 2015 | D．June 4, 2015 |
Who became the first Asian\|born person in the men’s 100 meters?
| A．Tyson Gay. | B．Mike Rodgers. |
| C．Su Bingtian. | D．Liu Xiang. |
How many people died from the outbreak of MERS in South Korea on June 1st?
| A．1 | B．2 | C．14 | D．25 |
What caused the big ship to sink on Yangtze River?
| A．Hitting another ship. | B．Carrying too many people. |
| C．The wrong driving. | D．A sudden strong cyclone. |
【上海市2015年中考英语试题】 Answer the questions(根据以下内容回答问题) (12分)
Denny believed in Santa Claus, didn’t he?
Where did the Christmas gifts come from according to Denny ?
How old was Denny when he wrote the letter ?
Why was Denny not on the “ Nice List” ?
What would Denny probably do in order to get a Christmas present ?
Who do you think answered Denny’s letter ? Give your reason.
【上海市2015年中考英语试题】Reading comprehension (阅读理解) （共50分）
A. Choose the best answer （根据以下内容，选择最恰当的答案）
| Monday |
|
| 8—10 a. m |
TECHNOLOGYInformation Technology (IT )—Using the Internet In this lesson, students learn how to surf the internet safely and effectively. There will also be information about using different search engines. Finally, this lesson teaches students about the best websites to use to continue their education online. |
| 10—12 a. m |
ARTS |
| 10:00 a. m |
DRAMA Students learn the play that the teacher gave before class. During this lesson, students will have the chance to act out roles with other students. |
| 11:00 a. m |
PAINTING WITH WATERCOLOURS For most of this term, students learn how to use watercolours properly to make pictures. If the weather is good, the lesson may take place outdoors. |
| LUNCH |
|
| 1—2 p. m |
SCIENCES Biology/Chemistry Students can choose which class to attend In biology this week, the topic is Human Body. Students will learn about how it works. Alternatively, students can study chemistry. This class takes place in the science lab, and this week students learn about H2and O2 |
| 2—4 p. m |
SPORTS |
| 2:00 p. m |
SIKLLS Students learn about the skills in a certain sport. We use video to see real action from past games. |
| 3:00 p. m |
PRACTICE After we have picked teams, students will play a short match lasting 45 minutes. This week, the sports are football(for boys) and tennis (for girls) |
| HOMEWORK IT— the teacher will give students websites to look up at home (about 30minutes) Drama –students have to learn a part for the next lesson (about 40 minutes) Biology/ Chemistry—students have to write a short report of the lesson (about 20 minutes) |
At ______ , students are having a painting lesson.
| A． 9:30 a. m | B． 11:35 a. m |
| C． 1:30 p. m | D．2:15 p. m |
The underlined word “Alternatively” in closest in meaning to “______ ”.
| A．As another choice | B．For this reason |
| C．At the same time | D．In other words |
Students should prepare a new part of _____ ahead of time as their homework.
| A．Technology | B．Biology | C．Drama | D．Chemistry |
Students can learn how to ______ according to the information in the table.
| A．make a video | B．write a report on Drama |
| C．play basketball | D．surf the internet safely |
An average student need about ______ minutes to finish his homework.
| A．30 | B．40 | C．90 | D．110 |
The information in the table is mainly for students to ______
| A．take classes | B．do their homework |
| C．choose teachers | D．organize hobby group |
【浙江省台州市2015年中考英语试题】阅读理解（本题有15小题，每小题2分，共计30分）
阅读下面材料，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
The Vine That Ate the South
Kudzu is a fast-growing vine(蔓生植物) that covers a large area in the southern United States. It is so common that one might think it is a native plant, but it is not. Kudzu was brought to the United States from Japan in 1876. Many Americans thought it was beautiful, and they began to plant it. They didn’t know it could grow up to a foot a day during the summer months. Nor did they know it would grow up and over anything in its path(路径).
In Japan, kudzu experienced cold winters and a short growing season. But in the United States, it has a very long growing season with warm and wet southern weather. It is fine weather for the vine to grow fast.
In the 1920s, people used the vine to feed farm animals. Ten years later, the government supported to plant kudzu because it kept soil(土壤) from washing away. However, by the 1950s, the government no longer wanted people to plant the vine. Twenty years after that, the government said it was a harmful plant.
The vine grows up trees and buildings, making some beautiful shapes. However, trees die after kudzu covers them because they can not get enough light. Scientists are looking for ways to kill the vine. They used poisons(毒药) to kill the vine. However, some of the poisons made it grow even better. Scientists also find it difficult to dig up Kudzu. The plant is really tough.
Because kudzu is so hard to kill, some people are making the best of it. So they try to find different uses for the vine. They find the vine can be used to make paper and baskets, it can be used to feed the goats, and it can even be eaten by people. Scientists are studying it in the hope that the vine can be used as a medicine. At the very least, kudzu serves as an example of the unexpected results that can come from non-native plants. We can learn from the passage that .
| A．kudzu mostly grows in the northern America |
| B．kudzu was brought to Japan from America |
| C．kudzu grows very fast in warm and wet weather |
| D．American government has never supported to plant kudzu |
The underlined word “tough” in Paragraph 4 probably means “ ”.
| A． not easily broken | B．widely used |
| C．hard to grow | D．important to one’s health |
The last paragraph is mostly about .
| A． how quickly the vine grows |
| B．how people use the vine |
| C．why people want to kill the vine |
| D．why people eat the vine |
The writer uses the title “The Vine That Ate the South” most probably to .
| A．let readers know kudzu is a vine |
| B．interest readers in a way |
| C．tell readers the vine is a kind of food |
| D．get readers to realize the passage is serious |
【浙江省台州市2015年中考英语试题】阅读理解（本题有15小题，每小题2分，共计30分）
阅读下面材料，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
“Am I my brother’s keeper?” The question comes from the Bible(圣经). In the Bible, Cain kills his brother Abel. When God asks Cain where Abel is, he replies, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” by which he means, “Am I responsible (有责任心的) for my brother—his safety and health?” The answer, of course, is “Yes, you are.”
This sense of responsibility for others is basic to all good societies. And also it is basic to what we call “civil(文明的) society”. China is now working on building a civil society and the high schools in Shanghai want students to take part in that through volunteering. They are supposed to do sixty class hours of volunteer work before graduation. This is something new in China, but it is not new in other countries.
In the Canadian province of Ontario, high school students are required to do forty hours of volunteering. In some American states, the volunteering requirement is one hundred hours. These students spend about an hour a week during the school year and summer vacations, helping the poor, the sick and the old. They also teach young children to read and help to clean up the environment. And studies have shown that this volunteering experience influences students a lot after graduation.
Some of you may be thinking, “Gee, sixty class hours is a lot. How can I find the time?” In fact, if you finish it in three years, you only need to do the work about three class hours a month. And the time is well spent if it helps you realize that “being your brother’s keeper” makes you a better person and makes society a better place for everyone. A Shanghai high school student should finish class hours of volunteer work before graduation.
| A．thirty | B．forty | C．sixty | D．one hundred |
The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 2 refers to “ ”.
| A．building a civil society | B．reading the Bible |
| C．doing the volunteer work | D．playing more sports |
According to the writer, “being your brother’s keeper” means “ ”.
| A．being a good school student |
| B．being responsible for others |
| C．taking good care of your brother |
| D．doing volunteer work with your brother |
The main purpose of the writing is to .
| A．tell students where to do volunteer work |
| B．give advice on how to be a good volunteer |
| C．encourage students to do more volunteer work |
| D．introduce volunteer work in different countries |