Martin Lynch, an American businessman, had been going on vacation to a small Mexican fishing village for a number of ears. One morning while going for a walk along the beach, he saw his friend Pablo Perez, a local fisherman. Martin watched Pablo unload his boat and pack the fish in a box.
Martin noticed Pablo was smiling and looked very happy. He could also see several large fish in the boat. Martin greeted Pablo and asked how long it took to catch the fish. “Just a few hours,” replied Pablo. Martin asked, “Why didn’t you stay longer and catch more fish?” “I have enough for my family,” Pablo said. “And what do you do with the rest of your day?” asked Martin. “I take a nap, play with my children, spend time with my wife, and go into the village to see my friends and play cards, I have a full and busy life.” Martin explained that if Pablo worked longer hours and caught more fish, he could make more money. With the extra money, Pablo could buy more boats and catch money more fish. By selling the fish, Pablo could open his own factory and sell direct to supermarkets.
“Then what?” asked Pablo. “Well you would probably have to move to Mexico City to run the business. Finally, you would be able to sell your business and make millions of dollars,” replied Martin. “How long will that take?” asked Pablo.
Martin thought for a while and said it would probably take at least 15 years.
“And then what” asked Pablo.
“Well, that’s the best part,” Martin said. “You will be able to retire, buy a house near the ocean, sleep longer, play with your children, spend more time with your wife, see your friends, and play cards.”What is the story mainly about?
| A．A businessman and a fisherman have become friends. |
| B．A businessman learns how to fish from a fisherman. |
| C．A businessman wants to become a businessman. |
| D．A businessman gives advice to a fisherman. |
What makes the Mexican fisherman happy is ______________.
| A．many friends to visit him |
| B．a full and busy life |
| C．more boats and more fish |
| D．the house near the ocean |
How can the fisherman make more money in the businessman’s view?
| A．By buying a supermarket. |
| B．To move to Mexico City. |
| C．By selling his own business. |
| D．To work longer and catch more fish. |
The underlined word “unload” in the passage means ____________.
| A．put … into | B．take … away from |
| C．break down | D．set off |
We can infer from the passage that ____________.
| A．the fisherman will stay the same with his life |
| B．the fisherman will leave the village for Mexico City |
| C．the business man will buy the fisherman’s boat |
| D．it takes all day for the fisherman to catch large fish |
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Chinese writer Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize in Literature(文学) in 2012. Mo， who was born in 1955 from a farmer’s family in Gaomi country in Shandong Province， is the first Chinese in China to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. In his early years， life was not easy and he experienced hunger(饥饿). These things have influence(影响) Mo Yan’s later writings. |
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60-year-old Park Geun-hue(朴槿惠) was selected(当选) the new President of South Korea in December， 2012. She becomes the country’s first female head of state and her term will last five years from 2013. “I will become a president who puts people’s living before anything else，” she told the cheering people in central Seoul as she accepted her win. “I will keep my promises.” |
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Barack Obama (born in Honolulu， Hawaii in 1961)， who was elected the 44th President of the United States in 2008， has been elected again to a second term. Obama is a graduate(毕业) of Columbia University and Harvard Law School. His father was from Kenya. And his mother was born in Wichita， Kansas. |
When Mo Yan was young， his family might be .
| A．big | B．poor | C．rich | D．modern |
Where was Barack Obama born?
| A．In Kansas. | B．In Kenya. |
| C．In Golumbia. | D．In Hawaii. |
Which of the following is NOT true about the passages?
| A．The writer Mo Yan lived in a big city before he got the prize. |
| B．Park Geun-hue will lead South Korea till the year 2018. |
| C．Obama studied in Columbia University and Harvard Law School. |
| D．Among the three persons， Park Geun-hue is the oldest. |
| Persons |
Introductions |
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Mo Yan, a famous writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature(诺贝尔文学奖)in 2012, was born in Gaomi, Shandong, 1955. He is the first and only one writer who won this prize in China. He said that he was surprised at winning, but in fact, he has written many famous books and his books are really nice and popular. |
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Cristiano Ronaldo, was born in Portugal(葡萄牙) on February 5, 1985. He liked playing football and he showed his talent when he was very young. He played for Manchester United and later for the Real Madrid. He has gotten many champions for the clubs. He played for his national team in 2003. He has won the Award of Gold Ball of FIFA (国际足联金球奖)for three times. |
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On May 8,2012, around the gate of Jiamusi No.4 Middle school, a traffic accident happened there. Zhang Lili was badly hurt under the bus because she saved two students. From then on, She lost both her two legs. People were deeply moved by her and called her “The most beautiful teacher in China”. |
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Lee Minho was born in Soul on June 22,1987. He is a South Korean actor who is best known for his leading role in a TV play. He is the leader of the group of students known as F4, in the South Korean TV play Boys Over Flowers（花样男子）. He is tall and handsome. He is not only a famous actor, a popular singer but also a model. |
We can read books written by _____.
| A．Mo Yan | B．Cristiano Ronaldo |
| C．Zhang Lili | D．Lee Minho |
Why is Lee Minho very popular?
| A．Because he is the leading role. |
| B．Because he plays football very well. |
| C．Because he is a famous actor, a singer and a model. |
| D．Because he likes writing books. |
When was Zhang Lili badly hurt?
| A．In 1955. | B．In 2012. | C．In 1985. | D．In 1987. |
Where was Cristiano Ronaldo born?
| A．In. Manchester United. | B．In the Real Madrid. |
| C．In Soul. | D．In Portugal. |
Which do you think is WRONG according to the information above?
| A．Lee Minho doesn’t come from China. |
| B．Mo Yan is the oldest person among them. |
| C．Cristiano Ronaldo is famous for playing basketball well. |
| D．Zhang Lili is disabled now. |
People use money to buy food, books and lots of other things they need. When they work, they usually get paid in money.
Most of the money used today is made of metal or paper. But in the time long ago, people used to use all kinds of things as money. One of the first kinds of money was shells (贝壳).In China, cloth and knives were used as money. Elephant tusks (牙), monkey tails and salt were
used in some parts of the world. Rice was also a kind of money used by the
people in some islands. Some animals were used as money, too.
The first copper(铜) coins were made in China. They were round and had a square hole in the center. Different countries have used different metals for their money. Later, some countries began to make coins of gold and silver(银). But gold and silver were heavy to carry when people needed a lot of coins to buy something expensive. The Chinese were the first to use paper money. The first paper money looked more like a note from one person to another then the paper money is used today. Money has had an interesting story from the days of shell money till today.
What do people use money to do?
| A．To play with. | B．To keep at home. |
| C．To buy something useless. | D．To buy things they need. |
From the passage we know that______ weren’t used as money in the world.
| A．trees | B．elephant tusks |
| C．monkey tails | D．salt |
What problems did people have using gold and silver coins?
| A．They didn’t have much. |
| B．They were too heavy to carry. |
| C．They didn’t like them. |
| D．People couldn’t found them. |
In the world what kinds of money were first made by Chinese people?
A. Copper coins.B. gold coins.
C. paper money.D. both A and C.How many things that were used as money are mentioned in this passage?
| A．8. | B．9. | C．10. | D．7. |
Once there was a baby eagle living in a nest (巢)on a cliff(山崖).The baby eagle loved his nest. It was warm, soft and comfortable. And even better, he had all the food and love that his mother could give. Whenever the baby eagle was hungry, his mother would always come just in time with the delicious food he liked.
He was growing happily day after day. But suddenly his world changed. His mother stopped coming to the nest. He was full of sadness and fear. He thought he would die soon. He cried, but nobody heard him. Two days later his mother appeared with some nice food, the baby eagle was wild with joy. But his mother put the food at the top of the mountain and then looked down at her baby. The baby eagle cried out. “Mum, why did you do this to me? I’m hungry. Don’t you know I will die if I have nothing to eat?”
“Here is the last meal I give you. Come and get it by yourself.” his mother said. Then she flew down and pushed the baby eagle out of the nest. The baby eagle fell down, faster and faster. He looked up at his mum, “Why do you abandon me?” He looked down at the earth. The ground was much closer. Then something strange happened. The air caught behind his arms and he began to fly! He wasn’t moving to the ground any more. Instead, his eyes were pointed up at the sun.
“You are flying! You can make it!” His mother smiled.
According to the passage, the baby eagle’s nest was _____.
| A．warm | B．comfortable |
| C．soft | D．above all |
What did the baby eagle’s mother do when she came the last time?
| A．She put some food in the nest. |
| B．She shouted at her baby eagle and flew away. |
| C．She just came to see him again. |
| D．She pushed her baby eagle out of the nest. |
What was the baby eagle’s feeling when his mother didn’t come back?
| A．He was full of sadness and fear | B．He was excited. |
| C．He was surprised. | D．He was with joy. |
What does the word“abandon” mean?
| A．歧视 | B．保护 | C．抛弃 | D．拯救 |
We can infer(推断)from the story that_________.
| A．The baby eagle lost his mother |
| B．The baby eagle could get food himself |
| C．The baby eagle fell down and died |
| D．The baby eagle was still angry with his mother |
Where in the world can you take an hour's train ride, and pass a forest, a London street, a scene from the Wild West, and a burning building that never burns down? There's only one place, and that's Hollywood, in California. The scenes you see from the tourist train are film sets（布景） in the Universal Studios, one of the oldest and largest movie companies in the USA.
A visit to Universal Studios brings back memories of great days of Hollywood, the films and the stars. But they are only memories. Hollywood isn't quite the same as it used to be. Costs have gone up and confidence has gone down. Movie-makers are afraid to spend their money on expensive new ideas. Instead, they repeat old ones.
The film industry is changing fast. Teenagers still go out to the movies. The theatre is a good place to meet friends away from home. But older people mostly stay home to watch series, like Dynasty have become as important to Hollywood as expensive movies. These “soap opera”, as they are called, show rich, powerful families living in beautiful homes and wearing beautiful clothes. But the actors and actresses are nearly all middle-aged, like many of the people who watch them.
Though it is soap operas that are keeping the film-makers of Hollywood in Business, big films are still being made in America. But more and more of them are made outside Hollywood. New York is the most important new center, but there are many others as well. Movie-makers have realized that they don't need Hollywood any more. Modern cameras and real houses instead of expensively made copies in a studio. Other states, especially Florida and Texas, are working hard to take the film business away from California. They are offering better working conditions and lower cost. But Hollywood is fighting back. The state of California is trying hard to keep its best-known industry. From the passage, we know Universal Studios is ________.
| A．a very large park |
| B．a busy London street |
| C．a famous movie company |
| D．an old Hollywood movie |
The movie industry in California isn't as successful as before because ________.
| A．young people don't go to movie theatres any more |
| B．there is strong competition from other states |
| C．its movie companies are in need of young stars |
| D．the state hasn't put a development plan into action |
What can we learn about “soap operas” from the passage?
| A．They are teenagers’ favourites. |
| B．They are much more expensive. |
| C．They are less attractive. |
| D．They are cheaper and easier to make. |
The passage mainly tells us ________.
| A．something about the film industry in the USA |
| B．the importance of soap operas in Hollywood |
| C．the good old days of Hollywood |
| D．the film business in California |
