According to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, we officially welcome the Year of the Horse better than others.
The horse has played an important role throughout human history all over the world. Horses were used for thousands of years as a means of transportation, a weapon of war and a plougher of fields(犁地农具), but "the horse was more than just a vehicle - it had more character than a car, a tank or a tractor," Clare Balding wrote for The Telegraph.
In the Middle Ages in Western societies, the horse was a symbol of chivalry(骑士神)and nobility(贵族). In fact, the word "chivalry" comes from "cheval" in Old French, which meant horse. The idea of chivalry helped to fashion the 19th-century "gentleman", which was about good manners, courage and honesty to friends.
Nowadays, because of economic(经济) development, people in Western societies are less likely to see or ride horses. People living in cities, in particular, hardly ever experience horses except through movies, paintings or books. But horse racing, and betting .money on horse races, is still popular. The Kentucky Derby is one of the most popular sporting events every year in the US.
In the UK, the royal police still go around the city on horseback and the Queen rides in a traditional horse-drawn carriage on "ceremonial occasions (正式场合)”.
Some sayings about horses are still used in English today. For example, people still say "hold your horses" to mean “slow down". If someone seems too proud, people might tell him or her to "get off his or her high horse". And since horses are strong and energetic, there are expressions such as "as strong as a horse", "workhorse" and "horsing around". .
Interestingly, the horse also appears in many Chinese sayings, such as Qianlima, which means a talented person. Other Chinese horse sayings include Madaochenggong (instant success) and Baimawangzi (prince charming).
Besides their physical strengths, horses are smart and have "excellent memories", according to Discovery News. Maybe that's why Chinese people say, "An old horse never gets lost".
Since the horse is honored as a symbol of many great qualities, people born in the Year of the Horse are said to share them.According to Chinese tradition, which year is welcomed best officially?
A.the Year of the Snake | B.the Year of the Tiger |
C.the Year of the Mouse | D.the Year of the Horse |
According to the passage, which is NOT the role of the horse nowadays?
A.A weapon of war. |
B.The royal police's transportation to go around in the UK. |
C.Race horses. |
D.Animal actors in movies. |
If a friend of yours is overconfident, what are you supposed to tell him or her?
A.Hold your horses. | B.Get off your high horse. |
C.Be as strong as a horse | D.An old horse never gets lost |
According to the passage, which is NOT the reason why people like horses?
A.The horse has played an important role throughout human history all over the world |
B.The horse was a symbol of chivalry and nobility in the Middle Ages in Western societies. |
C.Besides their physical strengths, horses are smart and have “excellent memories". |
D.Horses are only used as a means of transportation like a car, a tank or a tractor. |
From the passage we know that .
A.Economy develops a lot, so people in Western societies hardly see or ride horses nowadays. |
B.The Kentucky Derby is one of the most popular betting events every year in the US. |
C.Qianlima in Chinese means a person who can run one thousand kilometers a day. |
D.Since the horse is honored as a symbol of many great qualities, people born in the Year of the Horse are said to be as strong as a horse. |
Peter is a sixth-grader at Woodland Primary School. He is only 12 years old but has been smoking for three years.John, 15, is a Junior 2 student at Woodland Secondary School. Hebegan smoking four years ago. “Smoking is part of my life,” John said. Peter and John are not those boys’ real names. But their problem,smoking, is a very real problem. In many countries, smoking is becoming abigger problem for young people. Most smokers start in their teens or earlier.
A study of 8,000 London students shows thatsmoking is a problem for many British kids. More than 21% of middleschool students and 6 % of primary school pupils said they smoked. “If young people start smoking early, it will be very hard for them to give up later on,” said a professor.
Every year, about four million people die because of smoking. And if people keep smoking, that number will go up to about ten million a year by 2030, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. So we have to learn and tell others about the dangers of smoking.The sentence “Smoking is part of my life” probably means “__________”
A.I don’t smoke very often. |
B.Smoking is very important to me. |
C.I don’t smoke at all. |
D.I’m going to give up smoking. |
What will probably happen if a person starts smoking early?
A.He will surely die early. |
B.He cannot stop smoking. |
C.It will be difficult for him to give up smoking. |
D.He will become lazy soon. |
The study in the passage shows that __________.
A.smoking is a serious problem among British students |
B.there are more and more smokers in England |
C.some student smokers are having fun smoking |
D.most of smokers are young students |
The main idea of this passage is that__________.
A.smoking is becoming a bigger problem for young people |
B.more and more people die because of smoking every year |
C.WHO asks young people to give up smoking |
D.we needn’t worry about the student smokers |
As middle school students, what should we do from now on?
A.We should start smoking after middle school. |
B.We should ask others to smoke outside. |
C.We should laugh at smokers. |
D.We should say no to smoking. |
Every country has its favorite food. Italians like to eat pizza. Indians like to eat hot food. Japanese like to eat fish. Often they don’t cook it.
In England, one of the most popular kinds of food is fish and chips. People usually buy it in a fish and chip shop. They put it in paper bags, and take it home, or to their workplace. Sometimes they eat it in the park or on the road. The world’s favorite food is American fast food. If you go to some important cities in the world, you can find people eating hamburgers and chips.
Fish and chips, and Chinese take-away food are very popular in England. But they are less popular in the USA, they eat take-away food, too, like chicken. But the most popular kind of take-away food is the hamburger. It looks like bread with meat in it. Ham(火腿) is a kind of pork, but the hamburger does not have any pork in it. The beef is inside a kind of cake hamburgers. They are delicious. They are also popular in England and Australia.Italians like to eat ___________.
A. fish B. pizza C. hot food Fish and chips are very popular in ________.
A. England B. Australia C. the USA In different countries people eat ________ food.
A. different B. the same C. hot The hamburger does not have any _________ in it.
A. beef B. pork C. chips Hamburger is a kind of __________.
A.meat B. drink C. food
There are many kinds of cars in the world. My grandfather thinks this is because cars are like their drivers. He says, “Rich people have expensive cars, big people have large cars, and old people drive old cars.” But I don’t agree with him.
My neighbor, Mrs Hill, is 82 years old. She drives only on Tuesday to the bank. She never drives more than 30 kilometers an hour. Do you think Mrs Hill has a very old and small car? No! Her car is new. It’s very large, and it can go 200 kilometers an hour!
My friend Mike is an artist. He paints beautiful pictures with lots of colors. But his car is black. Mrs Bates has a very, very old car. It often has some trouble. Does she drive that kind of car because she is poor? No, she has four restaurants and two million dollars in the bank. My uncle Joe has a very small car. Every Sunday, he drives to the country with his wife, his three children, his mother and his dog.
Now, you have read about my friends and their cars. Do you agree with my grandfather? Maybe you have a car. Does it say something about you? The writer’s grandfather thinks _______________.
A. a person has the same kind of car as himself (herself)
B. different people have cars of the same kind
C. poor people have large cars Mrs Bates has an old car ________________.
A. because she is poor
B. because she likes old cars
C. and the passage doesn’t tell us why Though Uncle Joe has a very small car, _____________.
A. he has a dog
B. he has a large family
C. he has no children The writer’s friend Mike paints _________________.
A. pictures in black
B. colorful pictures
C. pictures with only a few colors The writer thinks _______________.
A. cars are often the same as their drivers in many ways
B. artists shouldn’t drive black cars
C. a car doesn’t say anything about its owner
阅读短文,把A—D四个句子填入文中空缺处,使短文内容完整正确,然后完成小题。
Computers can injure (伤害) you .Most other injures happen suddenly .___1___. Now learn to use a computer safely .
Too much light can be bad for you eyes , so never sit too close to a computer screen .___2___ . This gives your eyes a rest .
When we use a computer , the window should be on your left or your right . If it is behind you , the light will reflect ( 反射 )on the screen .That may hurt your eyes .
Hand and wrist ( 手腕 ) injures can happen because the hands and wrists are moved in the same way hundreds of times .__ 3___,stop sometimes and exercise your hands ,wrists and fingers in a different way .
If you sit in wrong way ,you can injure your back or your neck . ___4___. The top part of the screen should be in front of your eyes .
A.Remember to look away from it sometimes B .But computer injures happen slowly . C. So you should sit with your back straight.. D. If you use a keyboard for a long time . |
Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage ?()
A. When you use a computer , the window should be in front of you .
B. Computers ’injures happen slowly .
C. The top part of the screen should be in front of your eyes .
D. After using a computer for a long time ,you should exercise your hands ,wrists and so on.
根据短文内容,选择最佳答案:(共5分)
London is a very large city with about 7 million people. How do so many people move on their way to work or school?
In London you can travel around the city by subway, bus, taxi or private (私人的)car. The subway runs under the city. It goes to all parts of the city. Traveling by subway is the fastest way to get around the city.
The second way to travel about the city is by bus. It is a slower way to travel. This is because the road traffic is always heavy.
You can also travel around the city by taxi. This is very expensive, but the taxi will take you to the every place you wish to go to. If traffic is heavy, the taxi will be slow. During the mornings and afternoons, there is the “rush hour”
The last way to get around London is using your own car. It is inconvenient(不方便的) if you are driving in the “rush hour”. If there is an accident on the road, you will have to wait for a long time.
The best time to travel around the city is from 9 am to 4 pm. This is the time after the morning “rush hour” and before the evening “rush hour”. Traffic will be less heavy during this time. How many ways are there if you travel around London ?
A.Four | B.Six | C.Five | D.Three |
What is the fastest way to get around London ?
A.Traveling by bike | B.Traveling by train |
C.Traveling by subway | D.Traveling by bus |
What’s the advantage of traveling around London by taxi ?
A.It’s fast |
B.You can go wherever you want to go |
C.It’s cheap |
D.You can visit the city easily |
The underlined words “rush hour” mean ________
A.快跑时间 | B.高峰期 | C.忙碌期 | D.冲刺期 |
What’s the best title for this passage?
A.The cheapest way to travel around London . |
B.Life in London |
C.Rush hour in London |
D.Transport in London |