“I pity the empress. Poor empress.” “Do you think Zhen Huan really loves the emperor?” From campuses to offices, from shopping malls to the streets, talk about Legend of Zhen Huan is everywhere.
Unlike other long TV series, Legend of Zhen Huan, the 76-episode Qing dynasty drama series, has kept attracting new audiences along the way. It has enjoyed widespread popularity on the Chinese mainland over the past months.
The story is seemingly the same as those dramas which look into the lives of women in the imperial palace. It focuses on plots and intrigues(阴谋) within the Inner Palace during Emperor Yongzheng’s reign.
The heroine, Zhen Huan, initially a kind and innocent young lady, enters the emperor’s harem(后宫) of concubines. Discovering that the palace is a cruel and harsh place, Zhen learns how to survive on her own.
However, Legend of Zhen Huan seems to arouse more discussion than any drama series. Why? Some experts say it’s because it’s a well-made series from inside out.
Niu Hanting, deputy editor-in-chief of Art Panorama magazine, told Xinhua News Agency that the sets, props and costumes are carefully chosen. And the screenplay and dialogue are well-written. “The series takes care of every detail a good period drama should have,” Niu said. “From that aspect, it’s no coincidence that Zhen Huan could be big.” More importantly, Niu added, the TV series strikes a chord among audiences in different ways. “For example, as a woman, Zhen is hurt by the man she once loved. And as a newcomer to the palace, she finds herself caught in the fierce infighting and she has to survive,” Niu said, “Everyone may find themselves in Zhen’s position at a certain point.”
Then it’s not hard to understand why the story of Zhen Huan is even seen as a survival guide for newcomers in the workplace. Its director, Zheng Xiaolong, once admitted that in terms of society today, the “promotion” of Zhen Huan reflects a person’s career path in some way. “Whether the principles can be applied in today’s society, or not, I want to make the story as real as possible,” Zheng told Sina.com. “There are many fairytale-like series that make audiences ignore or avoid reality, and the complexity of humanity.” “But Legend of Zhen Huan, is a series that makes you think.”What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A．People have pity on the empress. |
| B．Zhen Huan really loves the emperor. |
| C．Legend of Zhen Huan is very popular. |
| D．Legend of Zhen Huan is shown everywhere. |
What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 3 most probably refer to?
| A．The imperial palace. |
| B．The life of women. |
| C．Emperor Yongzheng’s reign. |
| D．The story of Zhen Huan. |
When Legend of Zhen Huan finds the palace is a cruel one, she ______.
| A．learns to survive on her own |
| B．asks others for advice |
| C．feels down and disappointed |
| D．becomes an innocent young lady |
We can learn from Niu Hanting that she ______.
| A．thinks Zhen has had effects on newcomers |
| B．makes little of Legend of Zhen Huan |
| C．speaks highly of Legend of Zhen Huan |
| D．wants newcomer to follow Zhen’s example |
This text is most probably taken from a(n) _________.
| A．textbook | B．newspaper |
| C．advertisement | D．story book |
A tourist comes out of the airport．There are a lot of taxis，but the tourist asks every taxi—driver his name．He takes the third taxi．It costs￡5 from the airport to the hotel．“How much does it cost for the whole day?” the tourist asks．“￡100”，says the taxi-driver．This is very expensive，but the tourist accepts the price．
The taxi—driver takes the tourist everywhere．He shows him all monuments and all the museums．In the evening they go back to the hotel．The tourist gives the taxi-driver￡100 and says，“What about tomorrow?” The taxi-driver looks at the tourist．“ Tomorrow? It’s another ￡100 tomorrow” But the tourist says，“That’s OK．If that’s the price，that is the price．See you tomorrow．”The taxi—driver is very pleased．
The next day the taxi-driver takes the tourist everywhere again．They visit all the museums and all the monuments again．And in the second evening they go back to the hotel．The tourist gives the taxi—driver another￡100 and says，“I’m going home tomorrow．”The taxi-driver is sorry．He likes the tourist and，above all，￡100 a day is good money．“So you are going home．Where do you come from?” he asks．
“I come from New York．”
“New York!” says the taxi-driver，“I have a sister in New York．Her name is Susannah．Do you know her?”
“Of course I know her．She gave me ￡200 for you．”The tourist is____．
| A．an Englishman | B．an American |
| C．a Chinese | D．a Frenchman |
The tourist asks every taxi-driver his name because______．
| A．he knows of one of the taxi-drivers |
| B．he wants to remember all of the taxi-drivers’ names |
| C． he is afraid of being cheated |
| D．there is a friend of his among the taxi drivers |
Why is the taxi-driver very pleased with the tourist?
| A．His sister has brought so much money to him． |
| B．His sister knows the tourist． |
| C．None but the tourist agrees to the price given without arguing with him． |
| D．He wants to be the guide of the tourist． |
We can conclude that ______．
| A．the tourist will give the taxi-driver another￡200 |
| B．the taxi-driver insists that the tourist should pay him another￡200 |
| C．the tourist will give the taxi—driver half of the sum |
| D．the tourist makes fun of the taxi—driver |
One day a teacher was giving her young students a lesson on how the government works. She was trying to explain the principle of income tax (收入税).
“You see ,” she began , speaking slowly and carefully , “each person who works must pay part of his or her salary (薪水) to the government . If you make a high salary, your taxes are high. If you don’t make much money, your taxes are low .”
“Is that clear?” she asked. “Does everyone understand the meaning of income tax?” The students nodded.
Are there any questions?” she asked. The students shook their heads.
“Very good!” she said.” “Now, I would like you to take a piece of paper and write a short paragraph on the subject of income tax.”
Little Joey was a slow learner. He had lots of problems with spelling and grammar, but this time he at least seemed to understand the task.. He took his pen and after a few minutes, he handed the teacher the following composition:
Once I had a dog. His name was Tax. I opened the door and in come Tax.The teacher was trying to explain _______one day.
| A．everyone should pay income tax |
| B．how the government works |
| C．the basic principles of the income tax |
| D．how much tax one should pay for his income |
After the teacher’s explanation,__________.
| A．not all the students understood the meaning of income tax |
| B．many of the students were still puzzled |
| C．all the students shook their heads |
| D．few students disagreed with their teacher |
The students were asked__________.
| A．to write a composition on “income tax” |
| B．to answer some questions on income tax |
| C．to say something about income tax |
| D．to explain the principle of income tax |
Little Joey __________.
| A．wrote a paragraph about his dog |
| B．grasped what income tax meant |
| C．was clear about the subject |
| D．did as what he was told to do |
What was your favorite sport during your childhood? Maybe running around the playground or jumping rope for hours would bring you pleasure. At that time you weren’t thinking of health, you were just thinking of entertainment(娱乐). But in this age of high-tech home equipment, the simple joy of jumping rope has been forgotten. I think rediscovering it probably will give you a total-body exercise.
Although considered an excellent form of exercise, jumping rope has never been widely accepted because of two reasons. First, most people consider jumping rope to be an excellent form of cardiovascular (心血管的) exercise, but they also believe that it is simply too difficult. In other words, they don’t think they’ll be able to continue jumping for the near 20 minutes in order to achieve a beneficial physical effect. Second, many people regard it as a little boring and overly repetitive —not as something fun or enjoyable.
As a matter of fact, jumping rope can be great fun as long as you find proper ways to practice it. Instead of doing the usual two-foot bounce(跳) over and over again, players good at rope-jumping often change their pattern every 10 or 20 jumps. A single bounce, a double –bounce, a skip, a knee-up, side swings, as well as a variety of other easy-to-learn free-style rope-jumping .
Nowadays researchers are discovering that jumping rope also prepares the brain for learning. It is an exercise allowing both brain hemispheres（半球）to perform equally to each other . In a word, jumping rope can be a life-long activity requiring little equipment, time and space, yet leading to a much healthier life.One reason that can explain why rope jumping has not spread widely is that_____.
| A．it is believed to be boring and repetitive |
| B．it is too difficult for people to learn to jump |
| C．it benefits the cardiovascular system |
| D．it requires little equipment, time and space |
The first sentence in Paragraph 3 implies thatin rope jumping .
| A．there is only one proper way to follow |
| B．the usual way should not be used again |
| C．the easiest way is always the best one |
| D．there are different kinds of ways to follow |
According to the researchers, jumping rope .
| A．only prepares the brain for learning |
| B．is suitable for students only |
| C．helps both brain hemispheres work together |
| D．can be dangerous for old people |
What is the author’s attitude towards rope jumping?
| A．He strongly argues against it. |
| B．He is sitting on the fence of it . |
| C．He is for it. |
| D．He knows little about it . |
Are you interested in travelling in the dangerous mountains in America? Here are some tour plans for you to choose.
Tour 1 Garland Valley
Bring your drink and lunch for this walk in a beautiful area of the Blue Mountains. Garland Valley is close to the town of Garland but is part of the National Park. Many wild animals live in this area, including many rare birds. This is a great walk for bird-lovers. The trip lasts four hours. Book in advance. Cost: $ 15 When: May 8, May 15
Tour 2 Flashlight Adventure
Put on your warm clothes, bring a flashlight and a pair of glasses, and come for a night walk along the Dungog Valley. A guide will lead the tour. Many of the animals you will see on this trip can only be seen at night. The guide will tell you about the lives of the animals you see. Numbers are strictly controlled on night trips, so be sure to book early. This walk lasts two and a half hours.
Cost: $ 12 When: May 8, May 15, May22
Tour 3 Black Bear Count
There have been fires in this area in the last few years and the Office of the National Park is not sure how many black bears are still living. Some bears have been seen since the fires, and the Office has asked for young people to help count them. The entire trip will last three hours. Remember to book in advance.
Cost: Free When: May 8
Advice to be followed:
☆Please bring enough water and food for all walks.
☆Wear good walking shoes---no high heels.
☆Wear a hat for day walks.
☆Dress warmly for night walks.
☆Children must be with an adult.
☆Make sure your flashlight works well and bring extra batteries for night walks.
☆Follow all instructions from guides during the walks. The mountains are so dangerous that you have to care.Where are these tours likely to take place?
| A．In a modern noisy city. | B．In a special kind of zoo |
| C．In a park in the mountains. | D．In three different countries. |
On which trip is it possible for you to see animals that are active
at night but may sleep during the day?
| A．Flashlight Adventure | B．Garland Valley. |
| C．Black Bear Count | D．None of the trips. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Extra batteries are needed for Tour 1 & 3. |
| B．All three tours require booking in advance. |
| C．It’s clearly advised to wear a hat for Tour 2. |
| D．Tour 3 will take the longest hours to finish. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Some Adventure Tours in America |
| B．Hunting around the Great Mountains |
| C．Interesting Tours in Different Parks |
| D．Discovery Tours in the Mountains |
You probably know you should say "please" and "thank you" at restaurants. You probably know the rules of a library. You know you should respect and be nice to your classmates. But do you have music manners?
Keep It Down! You have to notice the volume of your music. You should not play your music so loud that everyone around you can hear it. Some people might even get angry. Usually, when you play the music loud on an MP3 player, other people can't hear the words of the song. They just hear a loud sound. No one wants to listen to this. Very loud music can also be bad for your ears. So even if you are alone when listening to your MP3 players, you shouldn't turn it up too high.
Take Them Off! You need to know when to turn your MP3 off and put it away. Libraries and schools don't allow MP3 players. There are other places, like museums, that don't have rules, but it would be rude to have your MP3 player on. Sometimes, it doesn't make sense(无意义） to listen on your MP3 player at event. Why would you listen to music at a play, a movie or a sporting event? You would miss what is going on and others would wonder why you even came.
Take One Out! Once in a while it's okay just to take out one earphone and not the other. Imagine you are listening on your MP3 player when someone asks you the way. It would not be rude to take out one earphone, tell him the way, and put back the earphone and continue listening. You can also do this when you order food at a fast-food restaurant or when you answer the telephone.
It's Your Choice! There are times when you need to decide what is best. For example, some people can listen to music on their MP3 players when reading books, while others think it is disturbing. In cases like this, you need to do what seems right for you.The underlined word "volume" in Paragraph 2 probably means "_________."
| A．the type of music |
| B．the length of a song |
| C．the amount of a sound |
| D．the color of an MP3 player |
We should turn down the music when we are alone because loud music_________.
| A．may annoy others | B．will make us tired |
| C．is bad for MP3 players | D．can hurt our ears |
If we listen to our MP3 player at a play, _________.
| A．the theatre won't allow it |
| B．we may miss part of the play |
| C．others won't hear the play well |
| D．the actors will get angry |
The main idea of this passage is about _________.
| A．music lovers | B．music manners |
| C．music players | D．MP3 earphones |