The Homeless World Cup is an international football event, where teams made up entirely of people who are homeless compete. The event has been held annually since 2003.
It was at the end of 2001 that Mel Young, a famous expert in the media inDustry, came up with the idea of the Homeless World Cup. 18 months later the first event took place in Austria. It was such a success that people decided to do more.
There are some interesting and special rules of the event. For example, players(male or female at least 16 years old) must have been homeless at some time after the previous year’s World Cup or make their main living income by selling newspapers in the street or be asylum（政治避难） seekers . Anyone can take part, regardless of his or her abilities. There are at most 4 players per team to compete in the field. Games are 14 minutes long.
In 2007, 48 nations, 500 players took a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent their countries for true spirit and glory in Copenhagen, Denmark. The winner in 2007 was Scotland. The 2008 Homeless World Cup took place in Melbourne, Australia. And in 2009 it was held in Milan. The latest Homeless World Cup was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in September 2010. Paris 2011 Homeless World Cup takes place August followed by the México City 2012 Homeless World Cup.
The success of the competition has been in two aspects—to attract the world’s attention to the problems of homelessness and also to help participants live a better life.
According to a survey by the Homeless World Cup Organization after 2006 Homeless World Cup, 92% of the players had a new motivation for life, 93 players successfully got rid of their dependency on drugs and alcohol, 44% improved their housing situation and 72% continued to play football.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The first Homeless World Cup took place in 2003. |
| B．The Homeless World Cup was held every other year. |
| C．The host country of the 9th Homeless World Cup was Australia. |
| D．Anyone who is homeless can take part in the Homeless World Cup. |
The aim of the Homeless World Cup is to _____.
| A．promote the cause of football |
| B．help the homeless live a better life |
| C．draw attention to those living in poverty |
| D．call on homeless people to unite and compete for honor |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Most players moved out of poverty. |
| B．Homeless players became professional footballers. |
| C．93% of the players were independent of drugs and alcohol. |
| D．The Homeless World Cup helped homeless people change their lives. |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．To End Homelessness. | B．Football For Everyone. |
| C．Hope For The Homeless. | D．Beating Homelessness Through Football. |
Frankenstein is one of the world’s most famous horror stories. It’s about a doctor who creates a new man from the body parts of dead people and brings it to life. But the experiment goes wrong and the monster(怪兽) kills the doctor and many others. The story has been read by millions since it was first published and in the last hundred years it has been made into dozens of movies. Many people are surprised to learn its writer was a 19-year-old woman, called Mary Shelley.
Mary was born into a rich London family in August 1797. She was educated by her parents and when she was 13 she decided to become a writer. In 1812, she met the famous writer Percy Shelley and they soon got married. Sadly for Mary, their first child died soon after birth in Italy. In her diary, Mary wrote about a dream：“I dreamt that my little baby came to life again---that it had only been cold and that we rubbed it before the fire and it lived.”
In 1816, Percy Shelley and 19-year-old Mary visited the poet Lord Byron at his home in Switzerland. Because of the bad weather they stayed indoors reading horror stories. On night, Byron asked everyone to write their own story. Mary thought of her dream and wrote the story of Frankenstein
Frankenstein was published when Mary was 21, and became a huge success. Many people didn’t think a 19-year-old woman could write so well and believed her husband was the real writer.
Although famous, Shelley’s life was full of sadness. Only one of her four children lived and in 1822 her husband died in a swimming accident. Mary was broken-hearted and decided not to marry again. She devoted herself to her child and continued to write until her death in 1851.Where was Mary Shelley when she wrote the story Frankenstein ?
| A．In England | B．In Italy | C．In Switzerland | D．In France |
In which order do the following take place?
a. Bad weather made everyone stay indoors reading horror stories.
b. The story Frankenstein was first published.
c. Mary wrote about a dream in her diary.
d. Mary met the famous writer Percy Shelley.
e. Movies based on the story of Frankenstein were made.
| A．a,c,b,e,d | B．d,c,a,b,e | C．c,a,b,d,e | D．b,a,d,c,e |
How old was Mary Shelley when she died?
| A．43 | B．48 | C．51 | D．54 |
You probably know you should say “please” and “thank you” at restaurants. You probably know the rules of a library. You know you should respect and be nice to your classmates. But do you have music manners?
Keep It Down! You have to notice the volume of your music. You should not play your music so loud that everyone around you can hear it. Some people might even get angry. Usually, when you play the music loud on an MP3 player, other people can’t hear the words of the song. They just hear a loud sound. Not one wants to listen to this. Very loud music can also be bad for your ears, so even if you are alone when listening to your MP3 player, you shouldn’t have it turned up too high.
Take Them Off! You need to know when to turn your MP3 player off and put it away. Libraries and schools don’t allow MP3 players. There are other places, like museums, that don’t have rules, but it would be rude to have your MP3 player on. Sometimes, it just doesn’t make sense to listen your MP3 player at event. Why would you listen to music at a play, a movie or a sporting event? You would miss what is going on and others would wonder why you even came.
Take One Out! Once in a while it’s okay just to take out one earphone and not other. Imagine you are listening on your MP3 player when someone asks you the way. It would not be rude to take out one earphone, tell him the way, and put back the earphone and continue listening. You can also do this when you order food at a fast-food restaurant or when you answer the telephone.
It’s Your Choice! There are times when you need to decide what is best. For example, some people can listen to music on their MP3 players when reading books, while others think it is disturbing. In cases like this, you need to do what seems right for you.The underlined word “volume” in Paragraph Two probably means “_____”.
| A．the type of music |
| B．the amount of a sound |
| C．the beat of a song |
| D．the colour of an MP3 player |
We should turn down the music when we are alone because loud music _____ .
| A．is not enjoyable | B．makes us tired |
| C．is bad for MP3 players | D．hurts our ears |
It’s all right to use our MP3 player in __________.
| A．schools | B．libraries | C．restaurants | D．museums |
What can be the best title of this passage?
| A．Music Lovers | B．Music Manners | C．MP3 Players | D．MP3 Earphones |
Zhoukoudian is a small village situated about 50 kilometers to the southwest of Beijing. In the 1920s, archaeologists discovered some prehistoric human bones there which changed people’s view of China’s history. They came from an unknown species of man and were the first evidence of human life in China thousands of years ago. The remains were three teeth!
In 1929, a complete skull was also discovered. Eventually, archaeologists found almost 200 items, including six skulls and more than 150 teeth. These discoveries proved the existence of a human species who lived in the area between 700,000 and 200,000 years ago. Four sites where Beijing Man and his relatives lived were discovered on the northern face of Longgushan. They lived in the caves in the area.
However, the life span of Beijing Man was short. About 70% of the people probably died before the age of 14. Fewer than 5% lived to the age of 50. Ashes were found alongside the fossils which showed they had used fire for cooking food and also for light, warmth, and protection against wild animals. This is the earliest evidence of the use of fire anywhere in the world. They also made tools of bones and stones. Unfortunately, when Japan invaded China in 1937, excavations (发掘) at the Beijing Man Site stopped and most of the fossils disappeared, including a Beijing Man skull. After the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949, the work started again.
Zhoukoudian was listed as a World Heritage Site in December 1987. It has not only given us important information about prehistoric Asian societies, but also provided amazing evidence about the process of evolution. Today, parts of the caves have been badly affected by rain. Some areas are almost completely covered in weeds, causing serious damage. Pollution from the nearby factories has also led to the problem. This is a very serious matter and the Chinese Academy of Sciences is trying to raise public awareness of protecting it. Archaeologists _________.
| A．thought that the findings in Zhoukoudian are the first evidence of human life in Asia |
| B．thought that the findings in Zhoukoudian wouldn’t change the history of China |
| C．discovered some prehistoric human bones in Zhoukoudian |
| D．thought that Zhoukoudian was a beautiful village |
Beijing Man used fire to do all of the following things EXCEPT _____.
| A．light in the dark | B．keep warm |
| C．scare wild animals away | D．make tools |
What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．Zhoukoudian is a World Heritage Site. |
| B．Zhoukoudian is in great need of protection. |
| C．The digging of Zhoukoudian is still under way. |
| D．Zhoukoudian plays an important part in the study of prehistoric societies. |
People often said Thomas Edison was the greatest genius of his age. There are only a few men in all of history, who have changed the lives of other men as much as the inventor of the first useful electric light. But Edison could never be pleased only because someone said he was a genius. "There is no such thing as genius," Edison said. He thought what people called genius was mostly hard work.
But Edison was a dreamer as well as a worker. From his earliest days as a child he wondered about the secrets of nature. He tried to understand them, and then he tried to learn what he could usefully do with them.
Edison enjoyed thinking. He knew that most people would do almost anything instead of the difficult work of thinking, especially if they do not think very often. But he knew, too, that thinking could give men enjoyment and pleasure.
Edison could not understand how anyone could not be interested in life. As he loved to think, he also loved to work. On the day he became 75 years old, someone asked him what idea he had about life. “Work,” he answered, “Discovering the secrets of nature and using them to make men happier.” He said he had enough inventions in his mind to give him another 100 years of work.According to Thomas Edison, what's genius?
| A．Hard thinking. | B．Useful inventions |
| C．Useful dreams. | D．Hard work. |
After exploring the secrets of nature, Edison always tried to______．
| A．make them useful in life |
| B．carry out a new experiment |
| C．write down what he had learnt |
| D．share them with others |
Edison could not understand______.
| A．how anybody enjoyed life |
| B．how anybody loved working |
| C．why anybody loved thinking |
| D．why anybody was tired of life |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means that______．
| A．Edison was able to live another 100 years |
| B．life was too short for Edison to work for human beings |
| C．Edison was born to be a great inventor |
| D．Edison was ready to make his l00th invention |
Americans Spend Their Free Time In Various Ways
America is a country of sports—of hunting，fishing and swimming，and of team sports like baseball and football．Millions of Americans watch their favorite sports on television．They also like to play in community orchestras(管弦乐队)，make their own films or recordings，go camping，visit museums，attend lectures，travel，garden，read，and join in hundreds of other activities．The people also enjoy building things for their homes，sewing their own clothes，even making their own photographs．They do these things for fun as well as for economy．
But as much as Americans enjoy their free time，the country is at the same time a“self-improvement” country．More than 25 million adults continue their education，chiefly by going to school in the evening， during their own free time，at their own expense．Added to the time spent on personal activities，Americans a1so devote a great amount of their time to the varied needs of their communities．Many hospitals，schools，libraries，museums，parks，community centers，and organizations that assist the poor depend on the many hours citizens devote to these activities，often without any pay. Why do they do it?
There are several answers．The idea of cooperating and sharing responsibility with one another for the benefit of all is as old as the country itself．
When the country was first founded in 1776，it was necessary for the settlers to work together to live．They had crossed dangerous seas and risked all they had in their struggle for political and religious freedom．There remains among many Americans a distrust of central government．People still prefer to do things themselves within their communities，rather than give the government more control．
Sometimes people offer their time because they wish to accomplish something for which no money is paid，to do something that will be of benefit to the entire community．It is true that some people use their leisure because they are truly interested in the work；or they are learning from the experience．
No matter what the reason is，hundreds of thousands of so-called leisure hours are put into hard，unpaid work on one or another community need．The writer mentions the foundation of the country in order to indicate ____．
| A．the reason for Americans’ willingness to cooperate and share responsibility |
| B．the American people’s determination to live |
| C．the American people’s love for freedom |
| D．the early history of America |
Which of the following best explains the meaning of the underlined word “leisure”?
A．work time B. spare time C. energy C. effortThis passage is mainly about ________ ．
| A．how Americans are devoted to their community activities |
| B．why America is a “self-improvement” country |
| C．why America is a country of sports |
| D．how Americans spend their free time |