For over one hundred and fifty years, Americans of all social classes have worn blue jeans. Whether they are worn for work or for fashion today, Strauss’ invention continues to be popular not only among Americans but also among people around the world.
Levi Strauss was born in Germany in 1829. He grew up in Kentucky before moving to New York in 1847. Before becoming an American citizen and moving to the West in 1853, Strauss worked in his brother’s dry goods business. This gave him a chance to produce his famous invention. After the gold rush of 1849, Strauss decided to move to the West to seek his fortune.
Strauss did not want to be a person who searched an area for minerals. Instead, he knew he could make a good living by selling supplies to the miners. At first, he planned to sell sewing supplies and cloth. When he heard miners complaining that their clothes were easily broken or they usually tore their pockets during mining, he decided to use a special fabric to make pants for the miners. These pants proved so popular that he quickly ran out of materials to make more.
In 1873, Strauss received a letter from a Jewish tailor named Jacob Davis who had invented a process of connecting pockets with copper rivets(铆钉). This made the pants last a long time. Because Davis did not have the money to patent his idea, he offered to share it with Strauss if Strauss would agree to pay for the patent.
By the time Strauss died in 1902, he had made a great contribution to American fashion.
The business has been growing ever since and Levi Strauss' company is now one of the largest clothing companies in the world.
| A．As a young boy, he moved with his family to the United States. |
| B．Nobody knew what kind of material was suitable. |
| C．He did and Levi jeans have been made with metal rivets ever since. |
| D．However, he did not get much business for those products. |
E. He also made a great contribution to America's clothing industry.
F. Since they were invented by Levi Strauss, they have become a symbol of American consumer culture.
G. As the business grew, Strauss got much money from it.
Besides entertainment and beautiful lanterns, another important part of the Lantern Festival, or Yuanxiao Festival is eating small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour. We call these balls Yuanxiao or Tangyuan. Obviously, they get the name from the festival itself. It is said that the custom of eating Yuanxiao originated during the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the fourth century, then became popular during the Tang and Song periods.
The fillings inside the dumplings or Yuansiao are either sweet or salty. Sweet fillings are made of sugar, Walnuts, sesame（芝麻）, osmanthus flowers(桂花), rose petals, sweetened tangerine（橘子）peel, bean paste, or jujube paste（枣子酱）. A single ingredient or any combination can be used as the filling . The salty variety is filled with minced meat（肉末儿）, vegetables or a mixture.
The way to make Yuanxiao also varies between northern and southern China. The usual method followed in southern provinces is to shape the dough of rice flour into balls, make a hole, insert the filling, then close the hole and smooth out the dumpling by rolling it between your hands. In North China, sweet or nutmeat stuffing is the usual ingredient. The fillings are pressed into hardened cores, dipped lightly in water and rolled in a flat basket containing dry glutinous rice flour. A layer of the flour sticks to the filling, which is then again dipped in water and rolled a second time in the rice flour. And so it goes, like rolling a snowball, until the dumpling is the desired size.
The custom of eating Yuanxiao dumplings remains. This tradition encourages both old and new stores to promote their Yuanxiao products. They all try their best to improve the taste and quality of the dumplings to attract more customers.Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The custom of eating Yuanxiao dates back to the fourth century. |
| B．Sugar, rose petals and minced meat are all fillings of Yuanxiao. |
| C．Sweet Yuanxiao are usually made in southern China. |
| D．People in northern China usually make Yuanxiao by rolling like a snowball. |
Which country does the Lantern Festival come from?
| A．China | B．South Korea | C．Jin Dynasty | D．Tang and Song periods. |
Choose the right order of making Tangyuan in southern provinces.
① make a hole and insert the filling
② roll the dough between your hands
③ shape the dough of rice flour into balls
④ close the hole
⑤ prepare some rice flour
| A．⑤③②①④ | B．③⑤①②④ | C．③①④②⑤ | D．⑤③①④② |
What is the best title of this passage?
| A．The Lantern Festival | B．The ingredients of Yuanxiao |
| C．The difference between Yuanxiao and Tangyuan. | D．China’s traditional food—Yuanxiao. |
Why do we eat Yuanxiao today?
| A．Because it’s a tradition. |
| B．Because it’s a tasty food. |
| C．Because we love our country. |
| D．Because this food can make money. |
China's government has issued a severe weather warning after the heaviest snowfalls in decades. The country is experiencing transport delays and power cuts as millions of people prepare to make long journeys home for the Chinese New Year. This report from Quentin Summerville: China hasn't experienced weather this bad in decades. And as the country prepares for Chinese New Year, the disruption couldn't come at a worse time. Over 100,000 people are stranded(搁浅) in Guangzhou railway station in the south. It may climb to as many as 600,000 as more people arrive to make their journeys home for the Spring Festival. Travellers have been evacuated to nearby sports stadiums and exhibition centres.
Across China around nineteen airports have shut because of the weather. Around half the provinces in the country have had to start rationing power(定量供电), according to the state media. The government has suspended（暂停） coal exports in favour of home consumption. At least a dozen people died over the weekend because of heavy rains and the snowfall.
The Spring Festival is China's most important holiday when people journey home to be with their families. For millions of the country's migrant workers it's their only holiday. Some two billion journeys were made during the festival last year, making it the largest migration of people on the planet. And even without the severe weather, conditions on overcrowded trains and buses are terrible. The holiday stretches China's transport system to its very limitsChoose the best title for this passage.
| A．Heavy snow hits China |
| B．Chinese New Year in snow |
| C．China’s terrible translation system. |
| D．An accident |
Which is not true according to the passage?
| A．The heavy snow is the worst disaster in decades in China. |
| B．No other cities in the world have more travellers in festivals than in China. |
| C．The government doesn’t care for people’s life in disaster areas. |
| D．The country’s migrant workers have more than one holidays to celebrate, according to the passage |
The run-up to the launch of China's first lunar orbiter at the end of this month has caught the country's imagination, with more than two thirds of the nation hoping to see the launch live on TV, according to a survey.
According to the survey by China Youth Daily and www.qq.com, almost the entire nation hopes to catch images of the event at some point, with 99 percent of the 10358 respondents saying they expected to witness the satellite launch and 68.9 percent said they were certain to watch the live broadcast of the launch. On www.qq.com and www.sina.com, two popular web portals in the country, internet users have contributed some 2,000 poems and 5000 drawings on the theme of Chang'e I.
"The satellite launch means much more than just saying 'hello' to the moon. Maybe in the future we could also send some people to accompany sister 'Chang'e'," said a college student in the survey.
Remarkably, many people expect to visit the moon one day, with 93.4 percent of respondents saying they expected to do so.
Chang'e I is named after Chang'e, a famous character from Chinese mythology. She ascended from earth to live on the moon as a celestial being after drinking an elixir.
There is also another connection between the moon and China. In the 1970s, a crater on the moon was named after a Chinese stargazer, Wan Hu, who is said to be the first astronaut in human history.
Legend says about 600 years ago, around the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Wan Hu, a local government official, tried to fly into space with the help of a chair, two big kites and 47 self-made gunpowder-filled rockets. According to the legend after the rockets were lit there was a huge bang and lots of smoke. When the smoke cleared Wan was nowhere to be found.
China's first astronaut flew into space in 2003 with the launch of the Chinese-made spaceship Shenzhou V. China became the third country, after the Soviet Union and the United States, to carry out manned space missions.Which is true according to the passage?
| A．According to a survey, two thirds of the nation are hoping to see the launch live on TV, |
| B．The internet users have drawn some 5000 pictures of ‘Chang’e’. |
| C．Wan Hu, a Chinese stargazer(n. 看星星的人,占星师,天文学家) , was dead after the huge bang and a lot of smoke. |
| D．China’s first astronaut flew into space in 2003 in the spaceship Shenzhou VI. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word in paragraph 5?
| A．a kind of medicine for long life. | B．a kind of medicine to make you light enough to fly in the air. |
| C．a kind of wine | D．a kind of alcohol. |
Why was Wan Hu said to be the first astronaut in human history?
| A．Because a crater on the moon was named after his name. |
| B．Because he was the first to go to the moon in his own “spaceship”. |
| C．Because of his courage for scientific experiment to the moon. |
| D．Because he made the first rocket in human history. |
Want to be a volunteer for Beijing Olympics in 2008? Recently, the recruiting started.
The recruiting of Beijing Olympics Volunteer starts from Aug 28, 2006 to end of March 2008.
Stage 1: Beijing Volunteers
From August 28, 2006, the program opens to applicants in Beijing (and Beijing only).
Stage 2: China Volunteers
From Dec, 2006, people from outside Beijing can submit their application.
Stage 3: Overseas Volunteers
By March 2007, people from outside China (including in other countries) can apply for volunteering in Olympics 2008.
The Program
Travel, hotel are not provided. Only working meal is available for volunteers (makes sense, isn't it?)
If you have any questions, just call Olympics Volunteer hotline: +86-10-12308
According to news, 100k college students have applied for the position after three days of recruiting. 50,000 to 100,000 volunteers are needed for the game.
If you want to participate, just call the number and ask more questions about the program. However, my guess is, to be admitted to the program is not easy.Who has the most time to apply for volunteering in Olympics 2008 ?
| A．Liling from Beijing | B．Wangbing from Tianjin . |
| C．Jane from Australia | D．Dongdong from Yunnan. |
Being a volunteer in Olympics 2008 , you can enjoy free ________ service.
| A．food | B．taxi | C．hotel | D．ticket |
Why does the author think it is not easy to be admitted to the program?
| A．Because too many people want to watch the game live. |
| B．Because the volunteers can have good free meals every day. |
| C．Because the volunteers can watch the game without buying a ticket. |
| D．Because more and more people care for the Olympics . |
Once the 2008 Olympic Games finishes, the drums and trumpets(喇叭) of the competitions would also stop. But would the city remain as lively as it would be after this world event? Investment sustainability and high demand are two highly invaluable economic concepts(概念) that can be looked at in order to ensure post-Olympics flourish, or perhaps, an even better future for Beijingers.
Naturally, an economic downturn occurs in an Olympic host city once the major event finishes. Renmin University Professor Jin Yuanpu noted that a global event like this would put Beijing into a position of large importance in the international stage. But after this event, who would use the heavily-funded equipment and public and private investments left in the city? Various economists argued that a meltdown (彻底垮台) is highly unlikely. Jonathan Anderson, UBS Asia economist, suggested that the negative effects of the end of Beijing Olympics 2008 on the entire country aren’t important compared to previous host cities. China is such a huge economy that the conclusion of the Olympics games is the same as an ant-bite on a dragon.
But what about post-Olympics Beijing? Retired Headmaster of Peking University, Li Yining, noted that a long-term civil demand growth and a popular desire by companies to adopt careful financial management decisions can lead to continued investment growth. Even though demand in some departments of the economy would drop in the short-run, creativity, practicality and innovation(创新) would be the key factors that would continually enhance the city's image and flourish long after the Olympics in the city has ended.
So what's next for Beijing after the Olympics? Well, it's business as usual...Which one of the followings is the author’s idea?
| A．Beijing’s economy will have a downturn after the 2008 Olympic Games. |
| B．The 2008 Olympic Games have no effects on Beijing’s economy. |
| C．Beijing’s economy will go on as usual. |
| D．Beijing’s economy will go worse after the 2008 Olympic Games. |
What’s the Jin Yuanpu idea about Beijing’s economy after the 2008 Olympic Games according to the passage?
| A．to have a downturn |
| B．to develop as usual |
| C．to develop more rapidly |
| D．all of the above |
Why did Jonathan Anderson believe that the negative effects of the end of Beijing Olympics 2008 on the entire country aren’t important?
| A．The negative effects are small. |
| B．The Chinese government has many measures to take. |
| C．The Chinese economy has developed at a certain level so that the negative effects can’t affect it too much. |
| D．Jonathan Anderson liked China very much so he didn’t want China to go worse. |
Choose a best title for this passage.
| A．Beijing After the Olympics |
| B．The negative effects of the end of Beijing Olympics |
| C．Can Beijing get through the difficult period after the 2008 Olympic Games |
| D．Beijing’s economy after the 2008 Olympic Games |