Thomas Edison was a great American inventor. He was born to a poor family in 1847. His mother taught him at home. He often observed things carefully and he made over 1,300 inventions during his life time. He was often said to be the greatest genius(天才) 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 happy only because someone said he was a genius. “There is no such thing as genius,” Edison said. He also said that 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. Nature, he often said, is full of secrets. He tried to understand them; then, he tried to learn what could usefully be done with them.
Edison enjoyed thinking. He knew that most people will do almost anything instead of the difficult work of thinking, especially if they do not think very often. But he knew, too, that thinking can give men enjoyment and pleasure.
Edison could not understand how anyone could be uninterested in life. As he loved to think, he also loved to work. On the day he became 75 years old, someone asked him what ideas he had about life. “Work, ” he answered back, “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.Edison was______________.
| A．interested in changing people’s ideas |
| B．interested in discovering the secrets of nature |
| C．very much uninterested in nature |
| D．uninterested in making people happier by discovering the secrets of nature |
Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Many other people have changed Edison’s life. |
| B．Edison has changed the lives of many other people. |
| C．Only a few men in history can change other people’s lives. |
| D．Edison invented the electric light. |
The last sentence in the passage most probably implies(意指)___________.
| A．people of his time were ready to give Edison another 100 year’s work |
| B．Life is too short for Edison to invent more for human beings |
| C．Edison made 100 inventions in his life |
| D．Edison was able to live and work for 100 years |
【重庆市2015年初中毕业暨高中招生考试英语试题（A卷）】阅读下列材料，从A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案，并把答题卡上对应题目的答案标号涂黑。
News Review
APEC Blue People in Beijing got the saying after the APEC meeting in Beijing. It refers to(指) the clear blue sky during the meeting. To get such a blue sky, many factories in Beijing and nearby cities stopped work, and the number of cars on the road was cut.
A Warning Ticket A 24-year-old woman in Nanjing was given a warning ticket for eating food on the subway. Eating is not allowed on Nanjing subway. Up to now, 2,698 people have been punished(惩罚) because of their eating, smoking or selling goods on the subway.
A Teacher-free Exam Recently, students at Ningbo Huamao Foreign Language School in Zhejiang took their mid-term exam –a teacher-free exam. After handing out the exam papers, the teachers left the classroom, leaving the students to take the exam without being watched. They only came back to collect the papers at the end.
A Tomato Fight Do you want a tomato shower? Come to the “tomato fight” in Spain! Once every year, people in the town of Bunol throw tomatoes at each other. Don’t worry. It’s not a real fight. People do this only for fun.APEC Blue refers to _____ in Beijing during the APEC meeting.
| A．the factories | B．the clear blue sky | C．the people | D．the cars on the road |
A 24-year-old woman in Nanjing was given a warning ticket for _____ on the subway.
| A．drinking | B．smoking | C．eating food | D．selling goods |
In a teacher-free exam, students take their exam _____.
| A．at the end of the term | B．outside the classroom |
| C．without giving answers | D．without being watched |
In the town of Bunol, Spain, people throw tomatoes at each other _____.
| A．to have fun | B．to enjoy dinner | C．to take a shower | D．to start a fight |
【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” |