It's not just women who wear skirts. Men can wear them, too. In Scotland, men wear a kind of skirt called a kilt. The kilt is their national dress and an important part of their tradition (传统).
A kilt is a colored skirt reaching down to the knees(膝盖). It has checks (格子) on it with different colors, like red or blue. Each family in Scotland has its own colors.
How did the Scots start to wear kilts? There are many stories about it. One story is that the kilt was invented (发明) in the 1720s by an English factory owner, Thomas Rawlinson. Rawlinson had a lot of Scottish workers in his factory and he thought their clothing got in the way of their work. So he cut their long clothes into a shorter skirt.
Today, most Scotsmen see kilts as formal(正式)dresses. They usually only wear them at weddings or big dinners. There are only a few men who still wear a kilt every day. Scots also wear kilts in parades when they play their traditional musical instrument(乐器): bagpipes (风笛). The army still has kilts as the dress uniform (制服), but they no longer wear them to fight (打仗). A kilt is ____.
A. |
B. |
C. |
D.  |
In Scotland, different families have different ___.
| A．colors | B．checks | C．rules | D．shapes |
What does "got in the way of" in the third paragraph mean?
| A．到达 | B．得到 | C．在路上 | D．妨碍 |
When do Scotsmen wear kilts?
| A．At weddings | B．At big dinners | C．In parades | D．all of the above |
The story mainly tells us ____.
| A．things about Scotsmen's traditional kilts |
| B．how to wear kilts |
| C．when to wear kilts |
| D．Scotsmen's important tradition |
It was Christmas Eve. When everyone went to bed, Bunny couldn’t fall asleep. He still couldn’t think of what he wanted as a special Christmas present. He wondered how Santa — Father Christmas would know what to bring him if he didn’t know himself.
As he was sitting up in bed, Bunny heard a big noise on the roof and a sound downstairs. It was Santa Claus, he realized. Bunny jumped out of bed and ran down the hall to the stairs. He hoped to take a look at the old man before Santa left for his next stop.
By the time Bunny was at the bottom of the stairs, everything was silent again. Lots of presents were put under the Christmas tree, but Santa was gone. A little disappointed(失望的), Bunny turned to climb back upstairs when he heard a cry.
“Hello,” said Bunny. “Is somebody there?”
He was answered by another cry. Bunny looked around the big pile of presents to see what was making the noise. Right under the tree was a funny looking brown animal with big feet and sad eyes. It also had antlers(鹿角) on its head. Bunny almost mistook it for a dog.
“Are you a reindeer（驯鹿）?” asked Bunny.
“Yes,” replied the brown animal with antlers. “My name is Ralph.”
“And you were pulling Santa’s sled(雪橇)?”
“I was until I got air-sick,” replied Ralph. “Santa had to leave me here and go on with the other seven reindeer.”
“Isn’t it a bit unusual for a reindeer to get air-sick? I mean, isn’t flying what reindeer are famous for?”
“Not me, I’m afraid. It makes me frightened. I always feel sick when it comes to flying,” replied Ralph. “But everyone wanted me to pull Santa’s sled, so when it was my turn I gave it a try. I’m afraid I just wasn’t cut out for the job. Now I’m trapped here and I don’t know how to get back to the North Pole.”
“Well, if you like, you can stay with us as a friend,” said Bunny. As he made the offer, Bunny suddenly realized the special present he wanted from Santa was a new friend! Why couldn’t Bunny fall asleep on Christmas Eve?
| A．He wanted to take a close look at Santa Claus. |
| B．He was waiting for his special present from his father. |
| C．He was thinking about what present to get from Santa. |
| D．He was woken up by a noise on the roof of his house. |
The underlined phrase “cut out” probably means .
| A．suitable | B．famous | C．ready | D．bad |
What can we learn from the article?
| A．Ralph is a brown dog with antlers. |
| B．Ralph is afraid of flying in the air. |
| C．Bunny got a sled as a Christmas present. |
| D．Bunny sent Ralph back to the North Pole. |
This article seems to tell us that .
| A．Santa lives in the South Pole with his reindeer |
| B．Santa usually puts Christmas presents on the roofs |
| C．Santa uses dogs to bring children presents on Christmas Eve |
| D．Santa knows what presents children want without being told |
I never saw my father home from work late or ill, nor did I ever see my father take a” night out with the boys.” He had no hobbies but just take care of his family.
For 22 years, since I left home for college, my father called me every Sunday at 9:00am. He was interested in my life--how my family was doing. The calls even came when he and my mother in Australia, England or Florida.
Nine years ago when I bought my first house, my father, 67 years old, spent eight hours for three days, painting my house. He would not allow me to pay someone to have it done. All he asked was a glass of iced tea, and that I hold a paintbrush for him and talk to him. But I was too busy, and I could not take the time to hold the paintbrush, or talk to my father.
Five years ago, my 71-year-old father spent five hours putting together a swing set(秋千) for my daughter. Again, all he asked was that I get him a glass of iced tea, and talk to him. But again, I had laundry(要洗的衣服)to do, and the house to clean. The morning on Sunday, January 16, 1996, my father telephoned me as usual, this time he had seemed to have forgotten something we had discussed the week before .I had to get to church, and I cut the conversation short.
The call came at 4:40 a.m. That day my father was sent to hospital in Florida. I got on a plane immediately, and I vowed (发誓)that when I arrived , I would make up for the lost time ,and have a nice long talk with him and really get to know him. I arrived in Florida at 1:00 a.m., but my father had passed away at 9:12 p.m. This time it was he who did not have time to talk, or time to wait for me.
In the years since his death I have learnt much about my father and even more about myself. As a father, he never asked me for anything but my time. Now he has all my attention, every single day.We know from the reading that the father__________________.
| A．liked to paint houses |
| B．had no friends around him |
| C．was not healthy in his youth |
| D．thought of his family as his all |
When her father painted her first house, the daughter____________.
| A．could only afford a glass of iced tea |
| B．was too busy to talk to her father |
| C．could do nothing but hold a paintbrush |
| D．spent eight hours a day working with his father |
In the reading the underlined phrase “get to know him” most probably means_____________.
| A．get him to know her | B．know more about him |
| C．get him to know himself | D．make him well-known |
Which is the best title of the reading?
| A．Painting Houses | B．Daughter’s Family |
| C．Father and I | D．Father’s phone calls |
Today I went to Sam's school in the UK. It was really different from my school in China.
Girls wore grey skirts and white shirts, boys wore grey trousers, and everyone wore the school tie.
Some of Sam’s lessons were a bit strange for me. We were reading Shakespeare in the English lesson, and there were quite some old words like “thou” and “thee” to mean “you”. In history we studied 20th Century China. It was strange hearing a foreign side of history—and hearing English people trying to say all our Chinese names!
Classes were also a lot more relaxing than in China. Teachers were called “sir” or “miss”, everyone shouted answers and raised their hands in classes. It was more like a debate than a class. A bell rang at the end of each lesson and everyone jumped up to go to the next class.
At break we bought potato chips and cookies in the dining room. Lunch was later than in China at 1 o’clock. We had big plates of pie with carrots. For dessert there was hot sweet rice called rice pudding.
It was good that I'd had an excellent lunch, because at Sam’s school, Monday afternoons are taken up with sports.
I played my first game of netball—a bit like basketball, but with some differences. Fortunately(幸运的是), I’d had a quick look in the rule book before I tried to join in the game. Paragraph 2 shows that ________.
| A．They wear uniforms in Sam's school |
| B．lessons are different between schools in China and the UK |
| C．there is a break of 30 minutes every day in the school |
| D．sports take up much lime in Sam's school |
The underlined word “debate” in Paragraph 4 means ________.
| A．fight | B．exam | C．discussion | D．suggestion |
What class does Sam have on Monday afternoon?
| A．Maths | B．History | C．PE | D．Music |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Relaxed classes in the UK |
| B．Clothes, food and sports in a UK school |
| C．Strange lessons in Sam’s school |
| D．A day in Sam’s school |
| Do you like fruit salad? Do you want to make fruit salad by yourself? Then you can follow the steps: Step 1: Prepare some fresh fruit, such as strawberries, bananas, apples and oranges. Yogurt is very important. It can make your fruit salad more tasty. Don’t forget salad. You may choose different salad as you wish. Step 2: Wash the fruit carefully. Make sure they are clean enough. Step 3: Cut them in different shapes if you like. Anyway, cut them into pieces. Step 4: Put all your fruit into the plate and sprinkle some yogurt and salad. Mix and stir. Now, your delicious fruit salad is coming. Prepare your forks and your mouth! Enjoy yourself! |
_______ can make your fruit salad more tasty.
| A．Fruit | B．Salad | C．Yogurt | D．Sugar |
_______ isn’t mentioned (提及) in the instruction.
| A．Strawberries | B．Pears | C．Apples | D．Oranges |
Your fruit can be in _______.
| A．the same shapes and pieces |
| B．the same shapes and halves |
| C．different shapes and pieces |
| D．different shapes and halves |
If you could see a movie of your life before you lived it, would you want to live it? Probably not. The excitement of living is that you don’t know what’s coming.
Sure, it’s hard to see uncertainty(不确定) in such active light when you’re out of work, or when you feel like you’re failing. But uncertainty is really another word for chance.
When Allison graduated from Harvard, she had chances all over the place but had no idea what she wanted to do. She took a job in consulting（咨询）, but she knew she wouldn’t stay there. She took the GRE and scored so high that she was able to increase her income（收入）by teaching students. Still, she didn’t think she wanted to go to graduate school. Allison knew she wasn’t doing what she wanted, but she didn’t know what she wanted.
She worried. All her friends were going to graduate school or starting their own businesses. She was lost and felt that she would never find anything out. After six years, Allison, by having a plan in mind, got married, moved to the Midwest, and used her consulting experience to get a great job. Allison realized that she spent her years finding her way: time well spent, and time we must all take if we’re being honest with ourselves.
The only way to lead an interesting life is to face uncertainty and make a choice. Otherwise your life is not your own—it is a path someone else has chosen. Moments of uncertainty are when you create your life, when you become who you are. Uncertainty usually begins with a job hunt, but it doesn’t end there. Every new role we take on means another round of uncertainty. Instead of fearing it, you should find some ways to deal with uncertainty.From the first two paragraphs, we can learn that .
| A．being out of work is a sad thing |
| B．uncertainty is what makes life interesting |
| C．life in a film is more exciting than real life |
| D．chance never appears when we need it |
What troubles Allison after graduation?
| A．She couldn’t find a well-paid job. |
| B．She had no money to start a business. |
| C．She was not sure what to do. |
| D．She didn’t score high enough for graduate school. |
How did Allison feel about her six years’ working experience?
| A．Uncertain. | B．Amazed. |
| C．Sorry. | D．Satisfied. |
What may be discussed in the following paragraph?
| A．How to deal with uncertainty. |
| B．What role uncertainty plays in life. |
| C．Why people fear uncertainty. |
| D．Whom to go to when facing uncertainty. |