War Horse is a historical story by Michael Morpurgo. It is written for kids ages 8 to 12. Now just sit and get through the introduction to the plot.
In 1914, a young horse named Joey is sold to a farmer. The farmer' s son, Albert, is thrilled. He cares for Joey. When the family begins to feel the financial impact of war, Albert' s father secretly sells Joey to an army officer named Captain Nicholls. Albert begs the captain to let him join the army. Albert is too young, but Nicholls promises to take good care of Joey for him.
Nicholls treats Joey well. Though Joey still remembers Albert, he grows to like his new master. He develops a friendship with another horse, Topthorn., who belongs to Nicholls' friend, Captain Stewart. The horses and men are shipped overseas for battle. They soon face their own battle in France, and Captain Nicholls is killed.
A young soldier named Warren becomes Joey’s new owner. Joey and Topthorn do well in battle, but the Germans capture Warren and Stewart and their horses. The horses' duty of pulling carts full of wounded German soldiers earns them praise. An old farmer and his granddaughter, Emilie, dote on the horses as well. When the German army moves out of the area, Emilie and her grandfather keep the two horses. Joey and Topthorn are content to work the farm until another band of soldiers takes them. They become workhorses under bad conditions. Joey is very upset when Topthorn dies of exhaustion.
Alone and frightened, Joey wanders into "no-man's-land” between the German and English camps. An English soldier takes him back to camp.
Joey is reunited with Albert. As the war ends, Albert' s officer announces the horses will be sold in France. An old Frenchman buys Joey. The man, Emilie' s grandfather, tells Albert how Emilie lost the will to live after the horses were taken. However, he eventually sells Joey to Albert for one penny, as long as Albert promises to share Emilie' s story so her life will not be in vain. Joey and Albert return home.Why does Albert's father secretly sell Joey?
| A．Because he’s in need of money. |
| B．Because Captain Nicholls is fond of Joey. |
| C．Because Albert is too young to care for Joey. |
| D．Because he believes Joey will contribute to the country. |
Which of the following is TRUE about Captain Nicholls?
| A．He’s a rich man. |
| B．He’s a Frenchman. |
| C．He’s a man of his word. |
| D．He doesn’t win Joey’s trust. |
The underlined phrase "dote on" in Paragraph 4 probably means ____.
| A．train | B．ride | C．raise | D．love |
Which of the following words can be used to describe Emilie’s grandfather?
| A．Brave. | B．Generous. | C．Hardworking. | D．Humorous. |
What will our future look like? As for the future home, cookers will be set so that you can cook a complete meal at_the_touch_of_a_switch. Television will give the information on prices at the nearby shops as well as news and enjoyment. Visionphones will bring pictures as well as sound to telephone conversation. Machines will control temperature, lighting, enjoyment and gardening, etc. At work, robots will take over most jobs and working hours will fall to under 30 hours a week. Holidays will get longer. Six weeks will be the holidays every year.
What most shocks us is that in the future it will be possible to use virtual reality(虚拟现实)to bring the dead back to life. People will drag out their old and boring home movies and choose a relative to bring back to life. The visual will be combined with records about that person to create a virtual relative. Then the family can have a chat with that relative, keep it running, and live with it. The experience will be like living with a ghost.This passage is mainly about________.
| A．what our future life will be like |
| B．how machines help us with our life |
| C．what the use of robots will be |
| D．how to live with a ghost |
The underlined words “at the touch of a switch” in the first paragraph mean________.
| A．when you are beside the switches of the cookers |
| B．on touching the cookers |
| C．the moment you turn the cookers on |
| D．as soon as you touch the cookers |
It's true that in the future________.
| A．people will enjoy their holidays for 42 days a year |
| B．robots will do everything for man |
| C．people will see instead of hearing each other when they are talking on the visionphone |
| D．none of the above |
In the future, machines can do the following except that________.
| A．machines can control people's body temperature |
| B．machines can control lighting |
| C．machines can do gardening |
| D．machines can give people enjoyment |
As for the dead in the future, ________.
| A．they can come back to life and become real persons |
| B．people can use virtual reality to bring them back to life |
| C．they will become ghosts and come back |
| D．the family can't chat with them |
What will people die of 100 years from now? If you think that is a simple question, you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in biotechnology(生物技术). With the help of new medicine, the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents, murder and war. Today's leading killers, such as heart disease, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memories.
In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live? Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells(细胞)are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond 120 years because the basic materials of cells, such as those of brain cells, would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs(The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life, will build new brain cells, heart cells, and so on—in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.)
It is exciting to imagine that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic condition of human existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.According to the passage, human death is now mainly caused by________.
| A．diseases and aging |
| B．accidents and war |
| C．accidents and aging |
| D．heart disease and war |
In the author's opinion, today's most important advance in technology lies in________.
| A．medicine |
| B．the Internet |
| C．brain cells |
| D．human organ |
Humans may live longer in the future because________.
| A．heart disease will be far away from us |
| B．human brains can decide the final death |
| C．the basic materials of cells will last forever |
| D．human organs can be repaired by new medicine |
We can learn from the passage that________.
| A．human life will not last more than 120 years in the future |
| B．humans have to make medicine to build new skin cells now |
| C．much needs to be done before humans can have a longer life |
| D．we have already solved the technical problems in building new cells |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。
(2012年山东卷，B) One of the greatest contributions to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most unusual. In 1879, Oxford University in England asked Prof. James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language. It would include every English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations (引文)showing how it was used.
This was a huge task. So Murrary had to find volunteers from Britain, the United States, and the British colonies to search every newspaper, magazine, and book ever written in English. Hundreds of volunteers responded, including William Chester Minor. Dr. Minor was an American Surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England. He gave his address as “Broadmoor, Crowthorne, Berkshire,”” 50 miles from Oxford.
Mi nor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray. Over the next years, he became one of the staff’s most valued contributors.
But he was also a mystery. In spite of many invitations, he would always decline to visit Oxford. So in 1897， Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself. When he arrived, he found Minor locked in a book-lined cell at the Broadmoor Asylum for the Criminally insane.
Murray and Minor became friends, sharing their love of words. Minor continued contributing to the dictionary, sending in more than 10,000 submissions in 20 years. Murray continued to visit Minor regularly, sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds.
In 1910, Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America. Murray was at the port to wave goodbye to his remarkable friend.
Minor died in 1920, seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed. The 12 volumes defined 414,825 words, and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient.According to the text，the first Oxford English Dictionary ________.
| A．came out before Minor died |
| B．was edited by an American volunteer |
| C．included the English words invented by Murray |
| D．was intended to be the most ambitious English dictionary |
How did Dr. Minor contribute to the dictionary?
| A．He helped Murray to find hundreds of volunteers. |
| B．He sent newspapers，magazines and books to Murray. |
| C．He provided a great number of words and quotations. |
| D．He went to England to work with Murray. |
Why did Dr. Minor refuse to visit Oxford?
| A．He was shut in an asylum. |
| B．He lived far from Oxford. |
| C．He was busy writing a book. |
| D．He disliked traveling. |
Prof.Murray and Dr. Minor became friends mainly because ________.
| A．they both served in the Civil War |
| B．they had a common interest in words |
| C．Minor recovered with the help of Murray |
| D．Murray went to America regularly to visit Minor |
Which of the following best describes Dr. Minor?
| A．Brave and determined. |
| B．Cautious and friendly. |
| C．Considerate and optimistic. |
| D．Unusual and scholarly. |
What does the text mainly talk about?
| A．The history of the English language. |
| B．The friendship between Murray and Minor. |
| C．Minor and the first Oxford English Dictionary. |
| D．Broadmoor Asylum and its patients. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。
That summer an army of crickets(蟋蟀) started a war with my father. Dad didn't care for insects much more than Mamma，but he could tolerate a few living in the basement. Mamma was a city girl and she said a cricket was just too noisy. 
Then to prove her point she wouldn't go to bed. She drank coffee and smoked my father's cigarettes and paced between the sofa and the TV. Next morning she threatened to pack up and leave，so Dad drove to the store and hurried back. He sprayed poison from a jug. When he was finished he told us that was the end of it.
For a couple of weeks we went back to find dead crickets in the laundry. He suggested that we'd all be better off to hide as many as we could from Mamma. I fed a few dozen to the cat who I didn't like because it scratched for no reason.
However，soon live crickets started showing up in the kitchen and bathroom. Mamma was upset because she thought the dead crickets came back，but Dad said these were certainly new ones. He fetched his jug of poison and sprayed all over until the whole house smelled of poison，and then he sprayed the basement again.
A couple of weeks later，when both live and dead crickets kept turning up，Dad emptied the basement of junk. Then he burned a lot of old newspapers and magazines which he said the crickets had turned into nests.
While we ate supper that evening，the wind lifted some flames onto the wood pile. The only gasoline was in the lawn mower's(割草机) fuel tank but that was enough to create an explosion big enough to reach the house. Once the roof caught，there wasn't much anyone could do.
After the fire truck left，Mamma took the others to Aunt Gail's. I helped Dad and Uncle Burt carry things out of the house and pile them by the road. We worked into the night and we didn't talk much，while all around the noise of crickets broke our silence.What do we know about the author's mother?
| A．She didn't like insects at all. |
| B．She liked insects more than his father. |
| C．She cared for insects very much. |
| D．She could only tolerate a few insects. |
The author's father drove to the store to buy ________.
| A．cigarettes for himself |
| B．more coffee for his wife |
| C．some poison |
| D．some gasoline |
The author fed a few dozen crickets to the cat probably to ________.
| A．make his mother happy |
| B．help his mother clear away the crickets |
| C．play with the cat |
| D．harm the cat |
The author's father burned the old newspapers and magazines because he thought
________.
| A．they were no longer useful |
| B．the crickets were afraid of fire |
| C．they became the home of crickets |
| D．the dead crickets came back to life |
We learn from the last paragraph that ________.
| A．the author's family lost their battle against the crickets |
| B．the author's parents learned to put up with insects |
| C．the author's family didn't suffer much in the fire |
| D．the author's parents got divorced |
(2012年深圳市高三调研)As the forceful king of Macedonia(马其顿)，Alexander the Great overthrew the Persian Empire，becoming a hero that would survive centuries after his death.
Born in 356 B．C.，Alexander Ⅲwas the son of PhilipⅡand Olympians. Alexander's parents wanted him to receive the finest education，and arranged for him to study under Aristotle，regarded as one of the greatest scholars.
Alexander's father was a strong leader. Philip Ⅱbuilt an impressive army and established the Macedonian kingdom；he was even planning to attack Persia shortly before his death.
In 336 B．C.，Philip Ⅱwas murdered by one of his guards. Although it was obvious that the guard had a personal hatred，there were clues that other people were related to it.
After Alexander was cleared as a suspect，he succeeded his father without opposition，and killed those said to be responsible for his father's murder，as well as all rivals. He was then just 20 years old. He then prepared to attack Persia.
In the spring of 334 B．C.，Alexander led the army made up of nearly 50,000 soldiers into Asia，which is called “the most powerful military expedition(远征) ever to leave Greece”．He soundly defeated the Persian army at the Gracious River，sending a strong message to Darius Ⅲ，leader of the Persian Empire.
In 333 B．C.，Alexander faced Darius at Issus，a mountain pass. The Macedonian army was greatly outnumbered but able to work the narrow mountain passageway to their advantage. Darius managed to escape.Continuing down the Mediterranean Coast，Alexander took every city in his path.
In 332 B．C. Alexander declared Egypt to be part of the Greek Empire and was crowned Pharaoh(法老)．
When Alexander left Egypt in 331 B．C.，he defeated the Persians again and was crowned leader of Asia.
In 323 B．C.，however，Alexander developed a fever on the way back home and died 10 days later at Babylon. He was just 33 years old.
【选项】 The underlined word “succeeded” is the closest in meaning to ________.
| A．followed |
| B．supported |
| C．continued |
| D．replaced |
What can we know about Philip Ⅱ's death?
| A．He was killed by someone intending to take power from him. |
| B．Alexander sent someone who hated Philip Ⅱto kill him. |
| C．His death was related to his plan of fighting Persia. |
| D．The murder might be organized by a group of people. |
The Macedonian army could defeat the Persians at Issus mainly because ________.
| A．Darius didn't command his army in the battlefield |
| B．the Macedonian soldiers were more than the Persian soldiers |
| C．the Macedonian soldiers could fight better at the mountain pass |
| D．Macedonia was more powerful than the Persian Empire |
In which order did Alexander do the following things?
a．Totally overthrew the Persian Empire.
b．Defeated the Persian army at Issus.
c．Was crowned Pharaoh of Egypt.
d．Defeated the Persian army at the Gracious River.
e．Became the leader of Macedonia.
| A．e，d，b，c，a |
| B．d，e，a，c，b |
| C．e，b，d，c，a |
| D．d，a，c，e，b |
According to the passage，we can infer that ________.
| A．Aristotle taught Alexander how to defeat other nations |
| B．Alexander was happy about his father's death |
| C．Persia is tougher to defeat than Egypt |
| D．Macedonia soon declined after Alexander died |