Chris Jones recently completed a very unusual journey. Our reporter Mary Owen met him at his home in the south of London and be told her all about the trip.
Reporter: What gave you the idea to make a trip around India on an elephant, Chris?
Chris: Well, it all started the idea two years ago when I was planning a trip to India. I visited a photo exhibition of elephants and I realized that the only enjoyable way to make a trip around India was on an elephant.
Reporter: What did you do next?
Chris: I flew to New Delhi and started looking for an elephant, I needed an elephant trained to carry people. I didn’t know anything about elephants, so I asked an expert(专家) for help. He taught me how to ride an elephant. He also helped me find an elephant.
Reporter: How long did it take you to find a suitable elephant?
Chris: Not too long. I bought a famale elephant called Tara for about 6.000 dollars.
Reporter: Can you tell me about the journey?
Chris: Tara and I set off from New Delhi a week later. We were going to Sonepur in northern India. There is a big elephant market there and I could sell Tara easily. And what a ride! Elephants can travel at about 6 miles an hour and Sonepur is more than 1,200 km away. It took us 64 days to complete the journey.
Reporter: Did you have any problems on your journey?
Chris: Yes, a few. But nothing serious. On the third day. Tara hurt her foot. But that got better quickly. Also, there was a lot of heavy rain during the first week and we got very wet!
Reporter: What happened when you reached Sonepur?
Chris: My plan was to sell Tara. But I was very fond of her. I couldn’t take her back to Britain and I didn’t want to sell her at the market. I happened to meet some people who wanted an elephant for their national park in southern India. I knew that Tara would be safe with them, so I gave her to them. I was very sad to say goodbye.Chris got the idea to make a trip around India on an elephant from ______
| A．a visit to a zoo |
| B．an elephant expert from India |
| C．the photos of elephant |
| D．an old friend who lived in India |
The elephant expert told Chris ______
| A．when to buy an elephant |
| B．how to feed an elephant |
| C．where to sell his elephant |
| D．how to ride an elephant |
Chris decided to go to Sonepur because ________
| A．it is a very interesting place |
| B．he would be able to sell Tara there easily |
| C．elephants cannot be sold anywhere else |
| D．it would take only a short time to get there |
When Chris arrived at the market in Sonepur,__________
| A．he realized that he did not really want to sell Tara |
| B．he visited some shopkeepers |
| C．he sold Tara to a national park |
| D．he decided to take Tara home with him. |
The United States has many different kinds of climate（气候）．On the west coast（海岸），the temperature changes very little between summer and winter，but the north central states（中部各州）have a very different kind of climate．In these states，people wear light clothes during the summer，and they need heavy wool or fur clothes in winter．
In the southwest，the climate is quite warm during the winter，but hot in summer．
In the eastern part of the United States，summer temperatures are very different from winter temperatures．Summers are usually hot，and winters are usually cold．Spring temperatures are comfortably warm，and autumn temperatures are quite cool．
Years ago，people in the cold areas（地区）of the United States did not often get vegetables and fresh fruits during the winter．Today trucks and trains carry fruits and vegetables very quickly to all parts of the United States．In this way，Americans“send their climate”to people in other states．In the north central states，people wear________clothes in summer and________clothes during the winter．
| A．silk；linen |
| B．light；heavy fur |
| C．wool；cotton |
| D．wool；silk |
The climate in the southwest is________during the winter，but________in summer．
| A．quite warm；little hot |
| B．quite cold；very hot |
| C．comfortably warm；rather hot |
| D．a little cold；rather hot |
Today________parts of the United States can get fruits and vegetables in winter．
| A．not all |
| B．a few |
| C．most |
| D．all |
Which statement is true according to the passage？
| A．Most states in America have almost the same climate． |
| B．The climate in the west of the USA is almost the same as that in China． |
| C．Now Americans don’t worry about eating fresh fruits and vegetables． |
| D．In winter，most Americans have to wear heavy clothes． |
The best title（标题）of the passage should be________．
| A．The Climate of the United States |
| B．Vegetables and Fruits |
| C．The Climate and Fruits |
| D．The United States |
Once there was a huge apple tree．A little boy loved to come and play around it every day．He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him．
Time went by…the little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree every day．One day，the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad．“Come and play with me．”the tree asked the boy．“I’m no longer a kid．I wouldn’t play around the tree any more．”the boy replied．“I want toys．I need money to buy them．”“Sorry，I don’t have money．But you can pick all my apples and sell them．So，you will have money．”The boy picked all the apples on the tree and left happily．The boy never came back after he picked the apples．
One day，the boy returned and the tree was so excited．“Come and play with me．”the tree said．“I don’t have time to play．I have to work for my family．We need a house for shelter．Can you help？”“Sorry，I don’t have a house．But you can cut off my branches to build your house．”So the boy cut all the branches off the tree and left happily．The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy never came back since then．The tree was again lonely and sad．
One hot summer day，the boy returned and the tree was pleased．“Come and play with me！”the tree said．“I am sad and getting old．I want to go sailing to relax myself．Can you give me a boat？”“Use my trunk to build your boat．You can sail far away and be happy．”So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat．He went sailing and never showed up for a long time．
Finally，the boy returned after he left for so many years．“Sorry，my boy．But I don’t have anything for you any more．The only thing left is my dying root，”the tree said with tears①．
“I don’t need much now，just a place to rest．I’m tired after all these years，”the boy replied．
“Good！Old tree root is the best place to lean on and rest．Come and sit down with me and rest．”The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears②…—Why did the boy pick all the apples on the tree？
—Because________．
| A．he wanted to eat them |
| B．he needed money to buy toys |
| C．he liked the tree without apples |
| D．he wanted to share them with friends |
—When did the boy come back to the apple tree？
—He came back________．
| A．whenever he was happy |
| B．if he missed the apple tree |
| C．when he was in times of difficulty |
| D．as soon as he was free |
—What did the boy want at last？
—He wanted________．
| A．to have a house to live in |
| B．nothing except a place to rest |
| C．the root of the apple tree |
| D．anything that the apple tree had |
—What can we learn from the story？
—We should________．
| A．plant more apple trees |
| B．learn from the boy |
| C．always stay at home |
| D．be thankful to our parents |
According to the passage，which of the following statements is NOT true？
| A．The phrase“with tears①”means that the apple tree was sad because the boy asked for too much． |
| B．The phrase“with tears②”means that the apple tree was still happy because she could help the boy for the last time． |
| C．Each time the boy asked the apple tree for help，the tree tried her best to satisfy him． |
| D．After reading the passage，we can easily think of the old Chinese saying“Parents’love is universal！” |
（河南）
Once there was a man traveling in a faraway village．As he was passing the elephants，he suddenly stopped．He found that these huge elephants were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg．No chains（锁链），no cages．It was clear that the elephants could，at any time，break away from their ropes but for some reason，they did not．
He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and didn’t try to get away．“Well，”the trainer said，“when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and，at that age，it’s enohgh to hold them．As they grow up，they still believe they cannot break away．They believe the rope can hold them，so they never try to break free．”
How could it be？These animals could at any time break free from their ropes．But because they were always stuck right where they were，they believed they couldn’t．
Just like the elephants，how many of us go through life believing that we cannot do something，just because we failed at it once before？
________．We should never give up the struggle（斗争）in life．What did the writer see in the village？
| A．Chains． |
| B．Elephants． |
| C．Cages． |
| D．Farmers． |
Why do the elephants never try to break free from the ropes？
| A．Because they think they cannot． |
| B．Because they are too old to do it． |
| C．Because they like their living places． |
| D．Because they get on well with the trainer． |
How did the man feel after he heard what the trainer said？
| A．Moved． |
| B．Surprised． |
| C．Angry． |
| D．Nervous． |
Which of the following is the missing part in the last paragraph？
| A．Failing is part of learning |
| B．We should be different from others |
| C．Helping animals is helping ourselves |
| D．Traveling always makes people relaxed |
What is the best title for this text？
| A．A Pleasant Trip |
| B．A Cruel Trainer |
| C．Elephant Training |
| D．The Elephant Rope |
The Mayan Indians lived in Mexico for thousands of years before the Spanish arrived in the 1500s. The Maya were an intelligent, culturally rich people whose achievements were many. They had farms, beautiful palaces, and cities with many buildings. The Mayan people knew a lot about nature and the world around them. This knowledge helped them to live a better life than most people of that time, because they could use it to make their lives more comfortable and rewarding. Knowledge about tools and farming, for instance, made their work easier and more productive.
In ancient Mexico there were many small clearings in the forest. In each clearing was a village with fields of corn, beans, and other crops around it. To clear the land for farms, the Maya cut down trees with stone axes. They planted seeds by digging holes in the ground with pointed sticks. A farmer was able to grow crops that produced food for several people. But not every Maya had to be a farmer. Some were cloth makers, builders, or priests. The Maya believed in many gods, including rain gods, sun gods, and corn gods. The people built large temples to honor the Mayan gods. Skillful workers built cities around these temples. It was difficult for them to construct these cities, because they had no horses to carry the heavy stone they used to build with. Workers had to carry all of the building materials themselves. Today, many of these ancient Mayan cities and temples are still standing.21·世纪*教Although the cities that the Maya built were beautiful, and the people worked hard to build them, very few of the people lived in them. Usually, only the priests lived in the cities.
The other people lived in small villages in the forests. Their houses were much simpler than the elaborate structures in the cities. They lived in small huts with no windows. The walls were made of poles covered with dried mud, and the roof was made of grass or leaves. Most Maya lived a simple life close to nature.
Measuring time was important to the Maya, so they developed a system for measuring it accurately. Farmers needed to know when to plant and harvest their crops. Mayan priests made a system to keep track of time. They wrote numbers as dots (...) and bars (---). A dot was one and a bar was five.
The Mayan priests(牧师) studied the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets. They made a calendar from what they learned. The year was divided into 18 months of 20 days each with five days left over. The Mayan calendar was far more accurate than the European calendars of the time.
Around the year 800, the Maya left their villages and beautiful cities, never to return. No one knows why this happened. They may have died from an infectious disease. They may have left because the soil could no longer grow crops. Archaeologists（考古学家）are still trying to find the lost secrets of the Maya. They are still one of our greatest mysteries.According to the passage, what made the Mayan people’s life easier?
| A．Their knowledge about nature and the world. |
| B．The arrival of the Spanish. |
| C．The location of their villages and cities. |
| D．The gods they believed in. |
Which of the following is not true about the Maya?
| A．Religion was an important part of the Mayan culture. |
| B．The Maya led a simple and natural life. |
| C．Most Mayans lived in the cities they built. |
| D．Tools made the Mayan’s farming easier and more productive. |
What numbers do“ .. ”and “ – – – ” represent respectively?
| A．2；3 | B．10；3 | C．2； 15 | D．10；15 |
The elaborate（精心制作的） structures in the cities ________________.
| A．were complex and consisted of many parts |
| B．didn’t have much decoration |
| C．were small but very cozy（舒适的） |
| D．were made of modern materials |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．The Mayan calendar was more accurate than the European calendar. |
| B．The Maya were an intelligent, culturally rich people with many achievements. |
| C．The mysteries of the Maya. |
| D．How did the Mayan develop their agriculture? |
There are two types of people in the world. Although they have an equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy, while the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons and events and the resulting effects upon their minds.
People who are happy fix their attention on the convenience of things. They enjoy all cheerful things. Those who are unhappy think and speak only of unpleasant things. Through their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, offend many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind is found in nature, such unhappy people should be pitied. The intention of criticizing and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation（模仿）. It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it can be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects.
Although this attitude is mainly an act of the imagination, it has serious results since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. If such people aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone speak a word in favor of their hopes. If they are criticized, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join in criticizing their wrong doings. So they should change this bad habit and stop worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them. Otherwise, they will have a disagreeable time, especially when someone becomes mixed up in their quarrels.How does the writer tell the happy from the unhappy? 21om
| A．According to their degree of health. |
| B．According to their wealth. |
| C．According to their attitudes to the same thing. |
| D．According to their habits. |
The phrase “sour the pleasure of society” in paragraph2 probably means “________”.
| A．have a good attitude towards social life |
| B．make others unhappy |
| C．tend to blame others openly |
| D．enjoy the pleasure of life |
We can conclude from the passage that ________.
| A．we should pity all unhappy people |
| B．unhappy people are dangerous to social life |
| C．people can get rid of the habit of unhappinesswww-2-1-cnjy-com |
| D．unhappy people can not understand happy people |
If such unhappy people insist on keeping the habit, the author suggests that people should ________.
| A．not have any communication with them |
| B．show no respect for them |
| C．persuade them to recognize the bad effects of their habits |
| D．quarrel with them until they realize their mistakes |
In this passage, the writer mainly ________.
| A．describes two types of people |
| B．laughs at unhappy people |
| C．offers advice for unhappy people |
| D．tells people how to be happy in life |