“How many common English words were invented by Shakespeare?”
How long did it take people to find the answer to this question 15 years ago? And now! You can google it and find the answer immediately!
Google is the most popular Internet search engine(搜索引擎)in the world. It was invented by two students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. They met in 1993, when they were studying computer science at Stanford University, USA. They dreamed of producing something that could also answer any question in seconds.
Internet search engines at that time were slow and gave many websites that weren’t useful. In January 1996, Page and Brin decided to make a better and faster search engine. They thought the results should be based on the most popular websites.
Nobody would give them money for their project, so they used their own money. They also borrowed money from family and friends. Then, in 1998, they were given a cheque for $100,000, and they started their own company(公司). Their first office was in a friend’s garage(车库).The company name is Google, a word which comes from mathematics. A “google” is a very high number — 1 followed by a hundred zeros.
The Google search engine was soon used by thousands of people worldwide because it was fast, easy and correct. By 2002 it was the biggest search engine on the Internet. Now, more questions have been answered by Google than any other Internet service, from sport to science, and from music to medicine. Google hopes that in the future all the world’s information will be put on the Internet, so that everybody can find everything.Why did the writer begin this passage by asking you a question?
A.Because he or she liked to begin this passage by asking readers a question. |
B.Because he or she was afraid that the readers didn’t know this question. |
C.Because he or she wanted to make the readers interested in this passage. |
D.Because Shakespeare is one of the most famous people in the world. |
The underlined word “cheque” in the fifth paragraph means _______.
A.楼房 | B.账单 | C.订单 | D.支票 |
From the passage we know that at the beginning of their project, _______.
A.there was not any search engine on the Internet |
B.nobody supported them except their family and friends |
C.Larry Page and Sergey Brin dreamed to answer any question |
D.one of the most popular websites gave them a cheque for $100,000 |
Which statement is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Now the Google search engine is widely used in the world. |
B.The Google search engine was not the biggest one before 2002. |
C.Larry Page and Sergey Brin named google after a hundred zeros. |
D.The service of the Google search engine is very popular. |
The passage mainly tells us _______.
A.the development of the Google search engine |
B.about Larry Page and Sergey Brin |
C.how to find information on the Internet |
D.how to use the Google search engine |
Do you love holidays but hate the increase of weight that follows? You are not alone. Holidays are happy days with pleasure and delicious foods. Many people, however, are worried about the weight that comes along with these delicious foods.
With proper planning, though, it is possible to control your weight. The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much. You don’t have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy. The following suggestions may be of some help to you.
● Do not miss meals. Before you leave home for a big dinner, have small, low fat foods. This may help to keep you from getting too excited before delicious foods.
● Begin with clear soup and fruit or vegetables. A large glass of water before you eat may help you feel full. Use a small plate(盘子); a large plate will encourage you to have more than enough.
● Better not have high fat foods. Dishes that look oily have much fat in them.
● Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables.
● If you have a sweet tooth, try some fruits. They don’t have as much fat as cream(奶油)and chocolate.
● Don’t let exercise take a break during the holidays. A 20 minutes’ walk after a meal can help burn off calories (卡路里).The writer gives us suggestions about controlling weight during holidays.
A.four | B.five | C.six | D.seven |
Before we leave for a big dinner, we should eat some ________.
A.high fat foods | B.cream and chocolate |
C.oily dishes | D.small and low fat foods |
Which of the following is a good way to stop us putting on weight during holidays?
A.Don’t take exercise and have a rest. |
B.Just have clear soup and fruit or vegetables. |
C.Drink a large glass of water before eating. |
D.Use a big plate and fill it with beef and chicken. |
From the passage we know that holidays may bring us pleasure and .
A.bring weight problems |
B.make us hate delicious food |
C.force us to eat less fruit |
D.encourage us to have more food |
Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1904. He was famous because of the books he wrote for children. They have funny words, pictures, and social opinion(观点). Dr Seuss wrote his first book for children in 1937. It is called And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street. Soon other successful books followed. Over the years, he wrote more than forty children’s books. They were fun to read. Yet his books sometimes dealt with serious subjects.
By the middle 1940s, Dr Seuss had become one of the best-loved and most successful writers of children’s books. He had a strong desire to help children. In 1954, Life magazine gave a report about school children who could not read. The report said many children’s books weren’t interesting. Dr Seuss decided to write books that were interesting and easy to read.
In 1957, Dr Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat. He used less than 225 words to write the book. This was about the number of words a six-year-old should be able to read. The story was about a cat who tried to play with two children on a rainy day while their mother was away from home. The cat was very special and it could talk. The book was a great success. It was an interesting story and was easy to read. Children loved it. Their parents loved it, too. Today many adults(成年人) say it is still one of the stories they like best.Theodor Seuss Geisel was famous for .
A.his funny words and pictures |
B.his social opinion |
C.his ideas on serious subjects |
D.his books written for children |
The underlined word desire in the passage probably means “.”
A.问题 | B.愿望 | C.感激 | D.标准 |
According to the passage we know that .
A.Dr Seuss wrote his first book for children at the age of 33 |
B.Dr Seuss wrote less than forty children’s books over the years |
C.Life magazine gave a report about adults who could not read in 1954 |
D.And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street was loved by children and parents |
Why do many adults like reading The Cat in the Hat today?
A.Because Dr Seuss used 225 words to write the book. |
B.Because it was about a cat trying to play with two children. |
C.Because it was an interesting story and was easy to read. |
D.Because the cat was very special and it could talk with children. |
Every people(民族) uses its own special words to show its ideas and feelings. Some of these expressions are commonly used for many years. Others are popular for just a short time. One such American expression is “Where’s the beef?” It is used when something is not as good as it is said to be. In the early 1980s “Where’s the beef?” was one of the most popular expressions in the United States. It seemed as if everyone was using it at the time.
Beef, of course, is the meat from a cow, and food is more popular in America than a hamburger made from beef. In the 1960s a businessman named Ray began building small restaurants that sold hamburgers at a low price. Ray called this “McDonald’s”. Ray became one of the richest businessmen at last in America.
Other business people watched his success. Some of them opened their own hamburger restaurants. One company(公司) called “Wendy’s” said its hamburgers were bigger than those sold by McDonald’s or anyone else. The Wendy’s Company began to use the expression “Where’s the beef?” to make people know that Wendy’s hamburgers were the biggest. The Wendy’s television advertisement(广告) showed three old women eating hamburgers. The bread that covered the meat was very big, but inside there was only a bit of meat. One of the women said she would not eat a hamburger with such a little piece of beef. “Where’s the beef?” she shouted in a funny way. The advertisement for Wendy’s hamburger restaurants was a success. As we said, it seemed everyone began using the expression “Where’s the beef?”The expression “Where’s the beef?” is used when.
A.someone can’t find the beef at all |
B.someone isn’t satisfied with the beef |
C.something is better than it is said to be |
D.something is not as good as it is said to be |
“Where’s the beef?” was one of the most popular expressions in ________ in the early 1980s.
A.Britain | B.America |
C.India | D.Australia |
The Wendy’s Company used the expression “Where’s the beef?” in order to.
A.show Wendy’s hamburgers were the biggest. |
B.make people know where they could find the beef |
C.let people notice the bread that covered the meat was big |
D.compare its hamburgers with those sold by McDonald’s |
This passage mainly tells us .
A.two famous companies |
B.a rich businessman |
C.a popular expression |
D.a television advertisement |
Mr. Clinton and his 13-year-old son Tony are baseball fans. Last October 10th was Tony’s birthday, so Mr. Clinton decided to drive him to New York, for the first game of the World Series (世界职业棒球大赛). They had no ticket but hoped to buy a pair from others.
After they arrived, they walked in the street for two hours, carrying a sign, “We need two tickets.” Then they found the cheapest ticket was $200. They were about to leave when suddenly a man stopped them. He took out two tickets and handed them to Mr. Clinton.
“How much do you want?”
“Just a present.” said the man, “Enjoy the game.”
Mr. Clinton wouldn’t accept, so the man explained, “I’m Jackson. Hans is my boss. He and his wife haven’t missed a World Series in 18 years. But he is ill and can’t watch the game this time. So he told me to give the two tickets to people who would actually enjoy the game. Then I saw you and I followed you for a while. You seemed very sad. You made me think of my dad and me when I was a child. I dreamed of going to a World Series game with my father. But my dream never came true.”
How do you suppose this made Mr. Clinton and his son feel? Here is what Mr. Clinton said: “This is the most wonderful thing that ever happened to us. My boy and I must have turned to each other over 30 times and said, ‘I can’t believe this.’ We still never forget Jackson and Hans.” Mr. Clinton took his son Tony to watch the first game of the World Series because.
A.he got two tickets for the game |
B.they both liked watching games |
C.it was a birthday present for Tony |
D.he had enough time and money |
The two tickets from Jackson saved Mr. Clinton at least ________.
A.$100 | B.$ 200 | C.$ 300 | D.$ 400 |
From the passage we can know that Hans and his wife often ________.
A.watched the World Series |
B.gave a hand to the poor |
C.sold the tickets for World Series |
D.missed the wonderful game |
Which of the following sentence is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Mr. Clinton hoped to buy the tickets at the ticket office. |
B.Mr. Clinton and his son were very thankful after getting the tickets. |
C.Jackson’s dream of going to a World Series game came true in the end. |
D.Jackson was ill in hospital and couldn’t watch the World Series game. |
What’s the best title for this passage?
A.A special present. | B.A helpful boss. |
C.A wonderful game. | D.An excellent dream. |
What do you usually do in your free time? Play sports? Watch TV? How about reading books? You must know the Chinese saying: "Read thousands of books; travel thousands of miles” Books are important in our life. Reading books is good for us. It can help us know and understand the world better. It can help us get a lot of knowledge(知识). It brings us a new and different world that we have never been before. Almost all the great men like reading, like Chairman Mao and Madame Curie.
In a word, books are helpful to us and we must love them. But before you read, remember to choose a good one. Ask your parents or teachers about what books to read. Be sure you are interested in them. There are many different kinds of books: I like biography(传记) because I can learn something from the characters.
What about you? Young friends, please love books and read them, They are very helpful to you.Which of the following is TRUE?.
A.We have to choose a good book before we start to read. |
B.Madame Curie doesn't like reading at all. |
C.We shouldn't ask teachers about what books to read. |
D.Reading books can’t give us any knowledge. |
What does the underlined part "Read thousands of books; travel thousands of miles." mean in Chinese?
A.滚石不生苔 | B.读数千本书就能行数千里路 |
C.读万卷书,行万里路 | D.读书百遍,其义自见 |
Reading books can help people_________.
A.understand the world better |
B.get more sleep |
C.know little about themselves |
D.get money from others |
What kind of books does the writer like?
A.Comic books. | B.Biography. |
C.Novels | D.Story-books. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A.Books are helpful to us. |
B.Only reading books can make people succeed(成功). |
C.Young people should read more books. |
D.Chairman Mao likes reading very much. |