How would we travel without maps? It would be a bit adventurous (冒险的) to set off from Oxford University to go to London Bridge if there wasn't a map of the London Underground at each station. In fact, a lot of the early map-makers were adventurers and explorers, especially in the 15th and 16th centuries.
So what did people do before there were maps? Well, it was quite easy to use natural signs like mountains and rivers if you were travelling on foot or riding a horse. People took small boats down rivers and followed coastlines. And it was much more logical (合理的) to use time, not distance, to measure (计量) journeys: the next village is a three-hour ride, for example.
In fact, in the earliest maps, people didn't draw landmarks. They drew the stars. It was very easy to see the night sky and use it for navigation (航行). The sky was a lot clearer before the light pollution from cities that we have today. When towns and cities were built, people drew road maps which gave correct distances and directions.
The London Underground was opened in 1863 and it also used a road map style. But a man called Henry Beck realized that travelling by train wasn't the same as driving your car across London. Passengers only needed to know which stations to change at. His new design (设计) for the Underground map wasn't very popular with the train companies at first. But the passengers loved it and in 1933, 700,000 copies were printed.
These days, of course, you can ride a bike, drive a car or go through a forest and know where you are exactly, using a GPS. It's really difficult to get lost!What was drawn in the earliest maps?
| A．Stars. |
| B．Landmarks. |
| C．Cities and towns, |
| D．Mountains and rivers. |
When did road maps come out?
| A．Around 15th and 16th centuries. |
| B．When people began to travel by train. |
| C．When people began to travel by sea. |
| D．When cities and towns appeared. |
Which of the following is true?
| A．A GPS helped people to travel long time ago. |
| B．Ancient people could travel on a horse without maps. |
| C．The sky was polluted by light before cities were built. |
| D．Henry Beck's map wasn't popular with the passengers. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Maps have a long history. |
| B．We never get lost these days. |
| C．We can't travel without maps. |
| D．Henry Beck designed a new map. |
On my eighth birthday, Dad bought me an accordion(手风琴） and said excitedly, "Once you learn to play, it'll stay with you for life." But I didn't want to play it. I just wanted to play games, But Dad asked me to take accordion lessons.
One day, I found a box in a corner. When I opened it, I saw a beautiful violin. "It was your father's," Mum said. "His parents bought it for him. I guess he got too busy on the farm to learn to play it."
I had to practice half an hour every day, and every day I tried to get out of it. But Dad didn't allow. I asked why. He answered, "Because you can bring people joy. You can touch their hearts." He added softly, "Someday you'll have the chance I never had: you'll play beautiful music for your family. And you'll understand why you've worked so hard." I was speechless.
The lessons stopped after I finished high school. When I grew up, I got married and moved into a new house. I put the accordion in the attic（阁楼）.
One afternoon, my two children found the accordion by accident (偶然). They got very excited. "Play it. Play it," they laughed and said. I started to play some simple songs. I was surprised I could still remember them. Soon the kids were dancing. Even my wife was laughing and clapping to the beat.
At that moment, my father's words came back to me, "Someday you'll have the chance I never had. And you'll understand." I finally knew why Dad had asked me to practice hard. Dad never learnt to play his violin. But I told my family, "This is my father's music."My father didn't learn to play his violin when he was young because _____.
| A．he didn't like to play the violin |
| B．he didn't keep on practicing |
| C．he wanted to play games |
| D．he had to make money for his family |
How might the writer feel when he had to practice playing the accordion?
| A．Bored | B．Excited. |
| C．Delighted | D．Relaxed. |
"Dad didn't allow" means "_______".
| A．Dad didn’t keep me doing it. |
| B．Dad didn't agree with me. |
| C．Dad didn't help me do it. |
| D．Dad didn't see me do it. |
Dad asked me to learn to play the accordion so that _______.
| A．I could go to a better school |
| B．I could give myself much joy |
| C．I could make people happy |
| D．I could be a useful |
When the traffic lights turn red, we will stop driving a car or crossing a street. Why is red used for traffic lights instead of other colors?
As we know, scattering (散射) happens when light goes through the air. For the same media (媒质), if the wavelength is long, the sscattering will be short. If the wavelength is short, then the scattering will be long.
Of all lights we can see, red has the longest wavelength. So the scattering is the weakest. That means the red light travels far. In fact, it travels farther on rainy days.
Using the red light can help drivers in farther places see the lights. It helps drivers slow down or stop in time. So there will be fewer accidents. Moreover, red can also excite people. We can act more quickly when we see the color red. In a word, red lights help drivers stop in time and help prevent accidents.According to the passage, the scattering of the red light is the _______.
| A．longest | B．weakest | C．farthest | D．brightest |
The underlined word “wavelength” means________ in Chinese.
| A．光波 | B．波浪 | C．波长 | D．光波 |
What can the red light help drivers do?
| A．It can make drivers stop in time. |
| B．It can help drivers act more slowly. |
| C．It can help drivers see the lights in farther areas . |
| D．A and C |
Which of the following is the best title?
| A．Why do accidents happen |
| B．How does the red light travel |
| C．Why do we use red traffic lights |
| D．The colors of the traffic lights |
Do you help with chores at home? These are what some people say about it.
Manuel, 19: “I only like to do the laundry. My mom does the other chores. When she isn’t at home, I can cook an easy dinner myself, but please don’t ask me whether I’m a good cook or not. ”
Vivian, 38:“I do everything because I live by myself now. I think I can do everything because I watched and helped my mom cook our family meals all the time when I was young. At first I was told to help my mom, but later I began to like cooking. Now I can cook many kinds of dishes. ”
Arthur, 67:“I do many things around the house because everyday is like Sunday for me now. I have to do something to keep busy. I help with gardening and cleaning the most. I enjoy doing these things. Cooking and laundry are my wife’s chores. ”Who did Vivian learn cooking from?
| A．Arthur. | B．Her friend. |
| C．Her mom. | D．Her teacher. |
Why does Vivian have to do all the chores?
| A．She loves doing chores. |
| B．Her parents force (强迫) her to do all the chores |
| C．Her mother asks her to do all the chores. |
| D．She lives by herself. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Manuel is good at cooking. |
| B．Maybe Arthur has already retired(退休）. |
| C．Vivian has to cook for the family every day. |
| D．The writer likes doing chores at home. |
There is a new park near Lily’s home. It’s fine today. Lily and her family are in the park now. On their left, there is a café(咖啡屋). There’s a big lake, too. There are many flowers and trees around(在…周围) the lake. There is a small hill behind the lake. Near the lake, there are two signs. One says, “Don’t swim in the lake!” The other says, “No fishing!” But you can go boating on the lake. There is a beautiful garden in the middle of the park. There are green grass and beautiful flowers in it. There are some small shops between the lake and the garden. The park is very nice. Lily and her family like it very much. Is there a lake in the park?
__________________________________________What can people do on the lake?
__________________________________________ What’s behind the lake?
__________________________________________How many signs are there near the lake?
__________________________________________ Do Lily and her family like the park?
__________________________________________
It’s Charlie’s birthday today, but he isn’t feeling happy. No one wishes him a happy birthday. Mother says nothing about his birthday. She just tells Charlie to play outside(在外面). At lunchtime, his mother calls, “Come in for lunch, Charlie!” Charlie slowly(慢慢地) walks into his house. But the living room looks different. Charlie sees a big “Happy Birthday” banner(横幅). Then, he sees a birthday cake, balloons(气球), presents, and all of his friends. “Happy birthday!” everyone shouts. Charlie’s face lights up. He is happy and surprised(吃惊). No one forgets(忘记) his birthday after all! What is this story about?
| A．Eating cake. |
| B．Celebrating a special day. |
| C．Forgetting a birthday. |
| D．Having fun at a friend’s party |
Why is Charlie not happy?
| A．He doesn’t like his party. |
| B．He doesn’t like his presents. |
| C．He wants to eat cake. |
| D．He thinks people forgets his birthday. |
Why does the living room look different?
| A．There are many decorations(装饰). |
| B．The lights are on. |
| C．There is a birthday cake. |
| D．There are many presents. |
What’s the Chinese for “light up” here?
| A．点燃 | B．容光焕发 | C．抬起来 | D．照亮 |
Which of these is not right?
| A．There are many lovely things in the living room. |
| B．Charlie’s mother plays a trick on Charlie. |
| C．Charlie is happy all day. |
| D．No one forgets Charlie’s birthday. |