Most visited museums in the world
 The British Museum, London, UK It is one of the world’s greatest museums of human history and culture. It was opened on Jan 15, 1759. And now it has about 8 million things, from the stone tools of early men to 20th century inventions. Some famous inventions are on show there, such as the bicycle, the telephone, the television and so on. |
 Musee du Louvre, Paris, France It was first built in 1204, but as a museum, it was opened in 1793. Once a palace that was homes to kings of France, the Louvre is now the world’s most famous museums. Millions of visitors go to the museum every year. It’s famous for some of the best pieces of art in the world. |
 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, US The museum is one of the world’s largest museums. It was opened in 1872. There are over 2 million things of art. You can see many interesting things from Africa and the Middle East. Of course, it has a great collection of American art. If you are interested in American history, don’t miss it. |
How many things are there in the British Museum now ?
| A．2 million | B．8 million | C． 5 million | D．7 million |
When was Musee du Louvre opened as a museum?
| A．1759 | B．1204 | C．1793 | D．1872 |
In the passage, we know the Metropolitan Museum of Art is __________.
| A．in New York | B．once a palace | C．not interesting | D．famous for science |
Amy, a little third-grader, was tired of being teased about her limping(跛行). It seemed that ever since Amy started the third grade, someone teased her every single day. Sometimes even in a classroom full of other students, the teasing made her feel all alone.
One day when she heard that there was a Christmas wish contest on the radio station, she decided to write a letter to Santa.
Dear Santa Claus,
My name is Amy. I am nine years old. I have a problem at school. Can you help me Santa?
Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and run and talk. I have cerebral palsy. I just want one day where no one laughs at me or makes fun of me.
yours, Amy
When Amy’s letter arrived at the radio station, manager Lee Tobin read it carefully. He thought it would be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this special third-grader and her unusual wish. Mr. Tobin called up the local newspaper.
The next day, a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa made the front page of the local newspaper. The story spread quickly. All across the country, newspapers and radio and television stations reported the story of the little girl in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who asked for such a simple Christmas gift -- just one day without teasing.
During that unforgettable Christmas season, over two thousand people from all over the world sent Amy letters of friendship and support. And Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at South Wayne Elementary School. Additionally, everyone at school got another lesson. Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing can make others feel.
That year the Fort Wayne mayor(市长) officially made December 21 as Amy Day throughout the city. The mayor explained that by daring to make such a simple wish, Amy taught a universal lesson. “Everyone,” said the mayor, “wants and deserves to be treated with respect, dignity and warmth.
| A．laugh at | B．talk about |
| C．look up to | D．run after |
| A．strange | B．alone | C．happy | D．surprised |
| A．Amy didn’t want to go to school any more |
| B．Amy wanted the mayor to make a special day for her |
| C．Amy didn’t want to be teased forever |
| D．teachers and students in her school got a special lesson |
| A．if we have trouble, we can write to the radio station |
| B．why Amy was teased by others |
| C．everyone deserves to be treated with respect, dignity and warmth |
| D．Amy’s wish is realized |
We were standing at the top of a church tower. My father had brought me to this spot in a small Italian town not far from our home in Rome. I wondered why. “Look down, Elsa,” Father said. I gathered all my courage and looked down. I saw the square in the center of the village. And I saw the crisscross (十字形的) of twisting, turning streets leading to the square.
“See, my dear,” Father said gently. “There is more than one way to the square. Life is like that. If you can't get to the place where you want to go by one road, try another.”
Now I understood why I was there. Earlier that day I had begged my mother to do something about the awful lunches that were served at school. But she refused because she could not believe the lunches were as bad as I said. When I turned to Father for help, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he brought me to this high tower to give me a lesson.
In the years that followed, I often remembered the lesson Father taught me. It not only helped me deal with the lunch trouble, but also made me know where I wanted to go in life. I began to work as a fashion designer two years ago. I wouldn’t stop working until I tried every possible means to my goal. Father’s wise words always remind me that there is more than one way to the square.
| A．enjoy the beautiful scenery of the whole town |
| B．find out how many ways lead to the square |
| C．encourage her to find out another way to solve her problem |
| D．help her forget some unpleasant things earlier that day |
| A．did something delicious for the writer |
| B．refused to do something about the awful lunch |
| C．tasted the awful lunch |
| D．spoke to the school about lunch |
| A．when one road is blocked, try another |
| B．how bad the lunch of her school is |
| C．how wise her father is |
| D．about the church tower near her home |
| A．the writer doesn’t like her mother any more |
| B．every time she has problems, she would first go to her father |
| C．the writer finally found out the way to solve the awful lunch at school |
| D．the writer’s friends like to ask her for advice |
In America, there is a traditional story called a “tall tale”. A tall tale is a story about a person who is larger than life. The descriptions in the story are exaggerated (夸张的), which makes the story funny. People who had lived in undeveloped areas in America first told tall tales. After a hard day’s work, they would get together to tell each other funny stories. One character from these stories was Paul Bunyan, a hero who cut down trees in North America. Tradition says he cleared forests from the northeastern United States to the Pacific Ocean.
It is said that Paul Bunyan was born in the northeastern American state of Maine. His mother and father were shocked when they first saw the boy. When the boy was only a few weeks old, he weighed more than forty-five kilograms. As a child, Paul was always hungry. His parents needed ten cows to supply(提供) milk for his meals. Before long, he ate fifty eggs and ten containers of potatoes every day. Young Paul grew so big that his parents did not know what to do with him. Once, Paul rolled over (翻身)so much in his sleep that he caused an earthquake. This angered people in the town where his parents lived. So the government told his mother and father they would have to move him somewhere else. Paul’s parents had to take him into the woods where he grew up.
| A．workers who cut down trees in America |
| B．people in poor areas in America |
| C．Paul Bunyan, a traditional figure |
| D．forest guards in poor areas in America |
| A．a story teller | B．a war hero |
| C．a tree cutter | D．a famous writer |
| A．he was a huge man who needed a lot of food for energy |
| B．he had to eat a lot of food because of his heavy work |
| C．there must be something wrong with his health |
| D．he was a kind of strong animal |
| A．wanted Paul to learn swimming |
| B．was afraid that Paul would cause another earthquake |
| C．was afraid that an earthquake would hurt Paul |
| D．hoped that they wouldn’t make Paul angry |
News 1
Don’t play Rubik’s Cube (魔方) with your hands any more. Use your feet. Earlier this month at the UK Rubik’s Cube Championships, people competed for the fastest time to solve a Rubik’s Cube using only their feet. The fastest winning time was just 1 minute and 3 seconds.
News 2
This poor donkey was trapped in drain in Switzerland. Luckily a man saw the animal while walking his dog. He called the firemen to save the donkey. It took the firemen more than an hour to pull the donkey free.
News 3
What do you want to be in the future? The question may receive different answers in different places. In Taiwan, a recent survey shows that most middle school students prefer to be bakers or hairdressers. The result is different from the traditional favorites of doctors, lawyers and accountants. Today’s Taiwan teenagers’ choices seem less demanding(高要求的).
| A．the United Kingdom | B．Switzerland |
| C．Taiwan | D．the United States |
| A．call the police |
| B．stay there and ask for help |
| C．call the firemen |
| D．help at once |
| A．a doctor | B．a lawyer |
| C．an accountant | D．a hairdresser |
You may know the English letters A, B and C. But do you know there are people called ABC? You may like eating bananas. But do you know there is a "banana person"? How strange! Are these people from “another earth”? No, they are just Chinese people like you and me.
ABC means American–born Chinese. An ABC is a Chinese, but was born in the United States. Sometimes, people call an ABC a “banana person”. A banana is yellow outside and white inside — looking like a Chinese but thinking like a Westerner. Do you know why? Usually, ABCs know little about China or the Chinese language. Some of them don’t speak Chinese. Also, they are not interested in Chinese politics.
But if ABCs can not speak Chinese, can we still call them Chinese people? Yes, of course. They are Chinese. They are overseas Chinese. These people may be citizens (公民)of another country like the US, Canada or Singapore. But they have Chinese blood. Their parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents were from China. They all have black eyes and black hair. But they are not Chinese citizens. They are not people of the People’s Republic of China. For example, we all know the famous scientist C .N.Yang (杨振宁). He got the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1957. Chinese people love him. But he is an American citizen.
| A．three English letters |
| B．a kind of banana |
| C．Chinese born in America |
| D．Americans born in China |
| A．their bodies are white inside but yellow outside |
| B．they look like Chinese but think like Westerners |
| C．they were born in China but got to study in America |
| D．they like to eat bananas |
| A．国籍 | B．血统 | C．爱心 | D．皮肤 |
A . American Chinese are great.
B. We love American Chinese.
C. Chinese people can win Nobel Prizes.
D. American-Chinese are not Chinese citizens.
A. different kinds of bananas
B. overseas Chinese
C. the Nobel Prize
D. the life story of C.N. Yang