How should one invest a sum of money in these clays of inflation (通货膨胀)? Left in a bank it will hardly keep its value, however high the interest rate. Only a brave man, or a very rich one, dares to buy and sell on the Stock Market. Today it seems that one of the best ways to protect your savings, and even increase your wealth is to buy beautiful objects from the past. Here I am going to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks, which I personally consider are among the most interesting of antiques.
I sometimes wonder what a being from another planet might report back about our way of life. "The planet Earth is ruled by a mysterious creature that sits or stands in a room and makes a strange ticking sound. It has a face with twelve black marks and two hands. Men can do nothing without its permission, and it fastens its young round people's wrists so that everywhere men go they are still under its control. This creature is the real master of Earth and men are its slaves（奴隶）."
Whether or not we are slaves of time today depends on our culture and personality, but it is believed that many years ago kings kept special slaves to tell the time. Certain men were very clever at measuring（量） the time of clay according to the beating of their own hearts. They were made to stand in a fixed place and every hour or so would shout tire time. So it seems that the first clocks were human beings.
However, men quickly found more convenient and reliable（可靠的） ways of telling the time. They learned to use the shadows cast by the sun. They marked the hours on candles, used sand in hour- glasses, and invented water-clocks. Indeed, any serious student of antique should spend as much time as possible visiting palaces, stately homes and museums to see some of the finest examples of clocks from the past.
Antique clocks could be very expensive, but one of the joys of collecting clocks is that it is still possible to find quite cheap ones for your own home. After all, if you are going to be ruled by time, why not invest in air antique clock and perhaps make a future profit（收益）?According to the passage, collecting antique clocks____.
| A．can hardly keep the value of your savings |
| B．will cost much of your savings |
| C．may increase your wealth |
| D．needs your bravery |
By quoting (引用) the remark of a being from another planet, the author intends to____.
| A．suggest human beings are controlled by a clock |
| B．describe why clocks can rule the planet Earth |
| C．tell readers what clocks look like |
| D．compare chocks to human beings |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way to measure the time?
| A．Counting the beating of one's own heart. |
| B．Making use of candles, sand and water. |
| C．Observing shadows cast by the sun. |
| D．Keeping slaves busy day and night. |
The underlined phrase stately homes in paragraph（段落）4 means_________.
| A．state-owned houses |
| B．houses in very good condition |
| C．grand houses open to the public |
| D．houses where statesmen meet regularly |
The purpose of the passage is________.
| A．to introduce the culture of antique clocks |
| B．to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks |
| C．to compare different ways to make a future profit |
| D．to explain convenient and reliable ways of telling time |
Nobody knows how many different languages there are in the world. The most widely used language is English. It’s used by business people, airline pilots all over the world. It’s also the first language of sports and science. So it’s very important for us to learn English.
English is most widely spoken in the world, while Chinese has the largest number of speakers. There are not only over one billion people living in China, but also many Chinese people living outside of China. You can find large or small groups of Chinese people living in almost every country in the world.
There are some other important languages in the world, too. Chinese is of course very important, especially in Asia. Arbic is widely spoken in many parts of Asia and Africa. Russian is spoken both in Europe and Asia. French is widely understand, not only in Europe, but also in parts of Canada, Africa and Asia, Spanish has a growing number of speakers all over the world, especially in Central and South Africa.
What language do people speak in the United Nations? There are so many different languages in the world, but they decide to use only six of them. There are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. Everything spoken or written in one language is translated into the other five.
根据短文内容，选择正确答案。What’s the first language of sports and science？
| A．Chinese | B．English |
| C．Russian | D．French |
The underlined word in the passage shows _____.
| A．English is spoken by the most people |
| B．Chinese is spoken by the most people |
| C．English is spoken in most parts of the world |
| D．Chinese is spoken in very parts of the world. |
According to the passage, _____has the least speakers in Asia.
| A．Russian | B．Spanish | C．French | D．Arabic |
How many languages are used in the United Nations?
| A．Four | B．Five | C．Six | D．Seven |
The best title for this passage is _____.
| A．Different countries, different languages |
| B．The importance of English |
| C．The number of languages in the world |
| D．Languages used in the United Nations |
In order to know a foreign language thoroughly(完全地), four things are necessary. Firstly, we must be able to understand the language when we hear it. Secondly, we must be able to speak it correctly with confidence and without hesitation(犹豫). Thirdly, we must be able to compose(创作) sentences that are grammatically(语法地) correct. Fourthly, we must know how to put sentences into paragraphs, so as to write a good letter or composition.
There is no easy way to success in language learning. A good memory(记忆力) is of great help but it is not simply enough to memorize rules from a grammar book. It is not much use learning long lists of words and their meanings by heart. We must learn words not by themselves but in sentences. We must learn by using the language. “Learn through use.” is a good piece of advice for those who are studying a new language. Practice is very important. We must practice speaking and writing the language whenever we can.
根据短文内容，判断正(T)误(F)。The passage is mainly about how to learn a foreign language.
When we try to speak a foreign language, we must believe ourselves.
The writer advises us to use a dictionary whenever we can.
The first step of learning a language is reading.
“Learn through use.” is a good piece of advice for those who are studying a newlanguage.
Yoga（瑜伽）is a kind of sport. It is very popular around the world now. Everyone, young and old can do yoga. It’s good for both men andwomen.
Why do people like yoga? There’s a short answer and a long answer to that question. The short answer is that yoga makes you feel better and make you healthier in body, mind and spirit.
There’s more about the answer if you are interested.
Yoga began in India about 5,000 years ago. At that time, people wanted to be free, healthy and live a long life, so this kind of exercise was born. The early yoga was part of a religion (宗教). It was usually taught one to one—one teacher with one student. Yoga is an Indian word that means “to join together”. There are three parts of yoga altogether: exercise, breathing and meditation (沉思). In the past, people paid more attention to the spirit. The idea behind the exercise was to join the mind, body and spirit as one. Yoga can give you peace, help you feel relaxed, and have fewer worries and illnesses.What is yoga?
A. An old Indian sport.
B. A European game.
C. A popular idea.Which of the following is true?
A. Yoga is good only for women.
B. Anyone can practise yoga.
C. Yoga can bring the world peace.Why do people like yoga?
A. Because it helps you work more quickly.
B. Because it is part of the real religion.
C. Because it is good for one’s health.In the past one yoga teacher taught _______.
A. only one student
B. a class of many students
C. men and women togetherThe three parts of yoga are________.
A. mind, body, and spirit
B. exercise, breathing and thinking
C. having peace, feeling relaxed, and being healthy
Microblog (微博) is used by more and more people in China. Do you know what it is? Micorblog makes the people around the world know each other better. It helps people to find the information that they need more easily, also to get some information about the world they did not know before.
Many famous people are using microblog now, including singers, TV hosts (主持人)and artists. Why is microblog so popular? The most important reason is that it is easy. People need not use too much time to write the articles to express their feelings. They can write at most 140 words, and then send them through computers or mobile phones onto the microblog. As soon as they send it out, their fans will know. They can send it out anytime, anywhere.
Many of my friends sent microblogs to share things with others. They can talk about what they see, hear and think in a sentence or a photo. Also, they can follow their friends’ or their favorite stars’. They can even join in any discussion of anything. Microblog is popular now! Have you microblogged today?Micorblog just makes family members know each other better.
It is not difficult to use micorblog.
When you sent a micorblog, you must write at least 140 words.
Your fans will see it at once when you sent out a micorblog.
People can discuss something by using microblog.
Leo and his father hadn’t talked for ten years. Ten years ago, Leo’s mother died. He thought it was his father who caused his mother’s death. He hated his father.
Now they were sitting in a nice coffee shop. Suddenly his father asked the waiter to put some salt in his coffee. You were born, your mother and I often had fun playing in the sea .We could taste the sea, just like the taste of the salty coffee. Every time I have salty coffee, I always think of your mother. I miss her so much.”
Leo was deeply moved. He never knew his father had such deep love for his mother. One month later, he moved in with his father. Every time he made coffee for him , he put some salt in the coffee.
After 10 years, his father died. ;Leo received a letter that read :”Dear Leo, please forgive(原谅）my life’s lie --the salty coffee. Actually at that time I wanted some just went ahead, Now let me tell you the truth, I don’t like salty coffee, but I drank salty coffee for 10 years .Having you with me was the biggest happiness of my whole life.”Why did Leo hate his father?
Why did Lea move in with his father one month later?
What did his father tell in the letter?
What was the biggest happiness for his father?
What’s the Chinese meaning for the underlined sentence?