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. |
Have you ever read an English book? Have you noticed its contents*? If you do so, I think you can understand the contents below. Study the contents page of the book below and choose the right answer to each of the following questions.
How many pages does the book have?
| A．It has about eighty-six pages. |
| B．It has a hundred and one pages. |
| C．It has a hundred and ten pages. |
| D．It less than a hundred pages. |
Which part tells you some facts about Shanghai’s growth?
| A． PartⅠ |
| B．Part Ⅱ |
| C． Either PartⅠor Part Ⅱ |
| D．PartⅠand Part Ⅱ |
Where will you find information about traffic problems?
| A．In Chapter 7. | B．In Chapter 6. |
| C．In Chapter 5. | D．In Chapter 4 |
Which pages can you read if you want to know something about food production?
| A．Pages 17-31 | B．Pages 32-46 |
| C．Pages 47-57 | D．Page17-85 |
Where can you find this passage?
| A．In the middle of the book | B． In the front of the book |
| C．At the back of the book | D． At the end of the book |
任务型阅读
阅读下面小短文，然后从方框中选出与其匹配的选项，并将序号填入空格内，使其意思完整。
How to spend a rainy day with your friends? You don’t have to be bored on a rainy day. Here are some new ideas._________ You can tell stories from books or you can make up some new good stories.
________You can learn to cook. Ask your friends for help in the kitchen and make something delicious.
_________You can write stories about yourself and read them to your friends, or you can write a story together.
__________ Play a game. Act as teachers, doctors, nurses or policemen. You can even dress up in your parent’s clothes.
__________Enjoy some music and dance around in the room. You can also sing while your friends are dancing.
| A. Cook in the kitchen B. Play “Let’s act” game C. Tell stories D. Have a party E. Write a story together |
Toby, an 11-year-old boy, is playing with a ball. The ball goes into the street and Toby runs for the ball. A car hit(碰撞) Toby.
An ambulance（救护车）takes Toby to the hospital in 30 minutes. The doctors at the hospital tell Toby’s parents, “Toby is in a coma.” Every day Toby’s parents visit him at the hospital. They sit next to Toby’s bed and talk to him. But Toby never talks to them. He just sleeps.
One day, Toby’s father says ,” Wake up, Toby. Wake up, come home and play with Rusty.” Rusty is Toby’s dog.
When Toby’s father says ’Rusty’, Toby moves his arm. “Rusty!” Toby’s father says again. Again, Toby moves his arm（手臂）.
Toby’s parents have an idea. They tell the nurse, “We want to bring Toby’s dog to the hospital.” The nurse says “OK”.
The next day, Toby’s parents bring Rusty to the hospital. When they put the dog on Toby’s bed, Toby opens his eyes and hugs（拥抱）the dog.
Toby’s parents bring Rusty to the hospital every day. One day Rusty jumps onto Toby’s bed and scratches（抓）his arms. Toby says his first words “Bad dog!”.
After eight weeks, Toby is well. He leaves the hospital and goes home.Toby is in the street when a car hits him.
| A．visiting his father | B．walking with his dog |
| C．talking with his dog | D．running for a ball |
The words “Toby is in a coma.” may mean (意思是)_____________.
| A．Toby can’t wake up or talk |
| B．Toby must leave the hospital |
| C．Toby needs to play sports |
| D．Toby is very healthy |
wakes up Toby in the bed.
| A．A doctor | B．A nurse |
| C．His dog | D．His father |
From the story, we can learn that .
| A．Toby can never talk at last |
| B．Toby likes playing basketball |
| C．Toby’s dog is bad |
| D．Toby is in hospital for about eight weeks |
The best title（标题）for the story may be .
| A．the parents’ love | B．Toby and Rusty |
| C．a story of Rusty | D．Toby’s family |
Bill and his friends are in a big city. He takes a lot of food. His bag is big and heavy. Soon, Bill gets lost. He walks in the street for a long time and he feels tired (疲惫). It’s eight in the evening, he goes into a restaurant. He asks for some drinks and soon he begins to sleep. When he wakes up (醒来)，he can’t find any people in the restaurant. The door is closed and he can’t go out. He finds a telephone number and begins to call Mt Jackson, the owner (主人) of the restaurant.
“Hello,” says the boy. “When do you open your restaurant, Mr. Jackson?”
The telephone wakes up the man and he isn’t happy. So he says, “Don’t ask me about that. I can’t let you in.”
“Oh, no! I want to go out.”Bill’s bag is big because _________.
| A．there’s a lot of clothes in it |
| B．he puts much food in it |
| C．he likes big bags |
| D．he takes many books |
Bill goes to sleep because.
| A．he gets home |
| B．he eats too much in the restaurant |
| C．he doesn’t know where he can go |
| D．he’s very tired |
Mr. Jackson thinks_____________.
| A．Bill wants to sleep in his restaurant |
| B．Bill wants to go into the restaurant |
| C．Bill leaves his bag in the restaurant |
| D．Bill wants to go out of the restaurant |
President Obama (奥巴马总统) is very busy, but he has time to go to the school to visit students. He tells them about his life. He says that he learns a lot from his mother. He also asks students to study hard at school.
To help students to be better, President Obama has some good ideas(想法) for them. First, go to school on time every day. Second, listen to teachers carefully in class. Third, do their homework every day. Fourth, don’t watch too much TV.
Please do as President Obama says and you will be successful(成功) one day. Obama learns a lot from his __________.
| A．father | B．teacher | C．mother | D．friends |
What does President Obama ask students to do at school?
| A．Do some sports. | B．Play with their classmates. |
| C．Study hard. | D．Learn from mother. |
There are_______ ideas here from President Obama ?
| A．three | B．four | C．five | D．two |
Which is TRUE about President Obama’s ideas?
| A．Don’t go to school on time every day. |
| B．Don’t be late for school every day. |
| C．Listen to students carefully in class. |
| D．Don’t watch TV. |