Americans love cars.They go everywhere in them.8 5%of people in the US go to and from work by car. And most adults have driving licenses.Why does this car culture exist?How it started?
America’s love of cars started after the war(战争)when soldiers returned home from World War II to rebuild their lives.They borrowed money from the government to buy houses and cars which became the symbols of status(地位).The more money they had,the bigger their cars were.
●Making of roads
During the war,President Eisenhower noticed what good roads Germany had.He decided to build new four-lane(四车道)roads in America.He said if something happened suddenly,the two-lane roads wouldn’t be able to carry all the cars that would suddenly leave the cities.Car and oil companies liked his idea and building started.
●Car lover
Not just teenagers are crazy about cars.Some Americans love their cars so much that they paint their cars beautifully .These are called Art Cars.Every April there is an activity in Houston,Texas,where they show their cars.
●Pollution
Cars have polluted the environment.American President Bush refused a worldwide law that is against pollution.Many countries were angry about it.Bush said he had to think of the American economy(经济)and all the American people that make money from cars.Factories say they want to make cars that pollute less.But others say making cars that pollute less will never be as good as having fewer cars.When did Americans begin to love cars?
A.Before the new two-lane roads were built.
B.After World War II.
C.During World War II..New four-1ane roads were build _______.
A.in Germany
B.by car and oil companies
C.in America.The underlined word “building” here means “the building of _______”.
A.companies B.roads C.houses.What were other countries’ feelings about Bush’s decision?
A.They agreed with him.
B.They showed anger to it.
C.They paid no attention to it..What does the last sentence mean?
A.It’s better to have fewer cars.
B.It’s better to make cars that pollute less.
C.It’s easier to make cars that pollute less.
At a nation’s saddest moment, its greatest heroes are born.
On September 11th, 2001, many police officers and government officials in America worked day and night to save lives from the big fire at the World Trade Centre. And in Japan, after the serious earthquake, a group of workers showed their courage.
The earthquake on March 11th made Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant(福岛核电站) turn off and stop its protective cooling systems. And later, a fire broke out. Workers were told that the plant’s radiation(辐射) could be harmful to human health. Hundreds of workers left the plant quickly. However, a group of workers decided to fight against the fire and the damage, though they knew it could cause very serious health problems. There were 50 workers in all, so they were also named the "Fukushima 50". The workers worked in shifts(轮班).
People knew little about the workers, who were mainly experts (专家) with the skills to control the situation. One woman said that her father had volunteered to stay there. "I heard that he volunteered even though he would retire(退休) in just half a year and my eyes were filled with tears. I am really proud of him. And I pray for his safe return.The passage mainly tells us
A.what happened in America on September 1l th, 2001 |
B."Fukushima 50" stayed in the nuclear power plant bravely |
C.who saved many lives from the big fire at the World Trade Centre |
D.what Japanese government did after the nuclear power plant was turned off |
Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant was turned off because
A.there were no heroes there | B.many workers left the plant |
C.it was destroyed by a big fire | D.the earthquake damaged it heavily |
workers stayed in Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant after the earthquake.
A.11 | B.50 | C.100 | D.150 |
Which of the following is TRUE?
A.The woman learned something about her father. |
B.A woman’s father who had retired from work still stayed there. |
C.Little was known about the workers when the passage was written. |
D.The workers didn’t know staying in the nuclear plant was harmful to their |
health. The writer thinks
A.American police officers were very strong |
B.the nuclear radiation would do no damage to humans |
C.all the workers who stayed in the plant should return quickly |
D.all the workers who stayed in the plant are great heroes |
The food in White Rose Restaurant was cheap and good, but nobody seemed to want to eat there. There were very few people going to eat there. The owner was very worried about it.
Then he thought of a good idea. A few weeks later, his restaurant was always full of men and their girlfriends. Whenever a gentleman came with a lady, a kind waiter would give each of them a beautiful menu. The menus looked exactly the same on the outside, but there was an important difference inside. The menu that the waiter handed to the man gave the correct price for each dish and each bottle of wine, while the menu that he handed to the lady gave a much higher price! So when the man calmly ordered dish after dish and wine after wine, the lady thought he was much more generous than he really was! The man could make a good impression on the lady.How was the food in White Rose Restaurant?
A.Cheap and good. | B.Cheap but bad. |
C.Expensive and bad. | D.Expensive but good. |
When a gentleman and his girlfriend went into the restaurant, the waiter would givea beautiful menu.
A.the gentleman | B.the lady | C.each of them | D.neither of them |
According to the passage, when a gentleman and his girlfriend had a meal at the restaurant, the meal would be paid by
A.the lady only | B.the gentleman only |
C.both of the gentleman and the lady | D.the gentleman or the lady |
What might the lady think of her boyfriend after having a meal together at this restaurant?
A.She thought he wanted to impress her. |
B.She thought he pretended to be rich. |
C.She thought he was very generous. |
D.She thought he was the owner of the restaurant. |
What does the story mainly suggest?
A.People like to go to expensive restaurants. |
B.A restaurant owner should design different menus for different guests. |
C.The men should pretend to be generous before their girlfriends. |
D.It’s helpful for businessmen to learn customers’ thoughts |
Have successful people ever felt sad? Do they have any "secrets" to success? The answers to these questions can be found in US president Barack Obama’s "back to school" speech. Here is a small part of his speech.
I know that sometimes, after watching TV, you may feel that you can be rich and successful without any hard work--that your ticket to success is through rapping (饶舌音乐) or basketball or being a TV star. But when chances come, you may not succeed.
The truth is, being successful is hard. And you may not succeed at everything the first time you try. That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world have had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected(退稿)12 times before it finally came out. Michael Jordan lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career (职业生涯). But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures beat you--you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.
No one’s born being good at things. You become good at things through hard work. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
And even when you’re struggling(挣扎), even when you’re discouraged(泄气), and you feel like other people have given up on you--don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country. Why does Barack Obama talk about JK Rowling and Michael Jordan in the second paragraph?
A.To show that these two famous persons are different. |
B.To show that writing and sports are difficult skills. |
C.To show that the two persons were treated unfairly. |
D.To show that being successful is hard. |
Barack Obama believes ____________ in his speech.
A.you can be rich and successful without any hard work |
B.you may succeed at everything the first time you try |
C.you can’t let your failures beat you |
D.you shouldn’t ask other people for help |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
A.If you’re discouraged, you should give up on yourself. |
B.You should believe in yourself no matter how difficult it is. |
C.When you’re struggling, you’ll feel like other people have given up on you. |
D.If you are not struggling or discouraged, you can give up on yourself. |
What’s the best title of this small part of Mr. Obama’s speech?
A.The way to succeed | B.Failures can help you |
C.Don’t give up on yourself | D.Barack Obama’s success |
In less than two months, Junior 3 students around the country will take the senior high school entrance (入学) exam. They are studying hard for this big challenge. Do they have time to do something in memory of their middle school years? Many do.
Leng Jingze, 15, from Tianjin said that in her class students are already writing goodbye messages for each other. "Even the head teacher has a plan," said Leng. "She plans to put all our class photos and the Chinese compositions we have written onto a CD and give each student one," said Leng. "She will also write something for each student."
Wang Zeyu, 16, in Changchun, Jilin said his classmates are making "lucky stars" as graduation gifts. They are making the cheerful stars from colored paper. "Before making a lucky star, you write some words for the person on the paper," said Wang. "He or she can read the words later." Who does Wang want to make a lucky star for? He said he wanted to make one for his head teacher. "I’ll write: Dear teacher, you always look so serious," said Wang. "But we know you have a warm heart. Smile more!"
In Xiao Xia’s school in Beijing, each Junior 3 student will get a yearbook (毕业年鉴) , in which the graduating classes will put their photos and self-introductions. "Most classes have written an article as the self-introduction," said Xiao, 15. "We have written a poem in the ancient style!" The poem records the big events of the class’s history and is in the shape of the number 9. "Nine is our class number," said Xiao, who felt very proud of the idea. "Our class may be not the one with the best school grade but it must be the most creative one," said Xiao. "I feel lucky to study in such a class!" Leng Jingze’s head teacher plans to ____________.
A.put all the class photos onto a CD |
B.put the student’s Chinese compositions onto a CD |
C.give each student a CD |
D.all above |
Wang Zeyu wanted to make a "lucky star" for his teacher because ____________.
A.his head teacher wasn’t serious enough |
B.he doesn’t like his head teacher |
C.his head teacher sent him a gift |
D.he wanted his head teacher to smile more |
From the last paragraph, we know that ____________.
A.most classes in Xiao Xia’s school have written a poem as the self-introduction |
B.9 is the lucky number for Xiao Xia’s Class |
C.Xiao Xia’s class has very creative ideas |
D.each graduating class will get a yearbook to put their photos and self-introductions |
The passage is probably from ____________.
A.a newspaper | B.a novel | C.a letter | D.a diary |
"Dear Grandpa Guo, we are losing our childhoods! Please help us!"
Guo Chuanjie, a famous scientist, received a letter from a Beijing primary school student. The student said that many Chinese kids have to take extra classes on weekends in order to enter key middle schools. The kid hoped more people would hear his voice with Guo’s help.
Guo is a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC,中国人民政治 协商会议). Last month the CPPCC members met in Beijing. They are from all walks of life - scientists, businesspeople, doctors, artists and athletes. They give proposals (提案) on the country’s important issues(问题) to make our country better. For the Beijing student’s letter, Guo read it in front of Yuan Guiren, China’s Minister of Education (教育部部长), during a CPPCC meeting.
According to Xinhua, there were 5,762 proposals in all. Many of the proposals were about problems like housing prices, heavy traffic and food safety, which were related to people’s daily lives. Some proposals were about teenagers. For example, singer Han Hong suggested that the government should deal with people who traffic(拐卖) children.
As usual, proposals will be given to relative departments (相关部门) after the meetings. For example, Guo’s proposal was handed to the Ministry of Education. The departments will consider the proposals carefully and see if they can be carried out in the future. The primary school student thought ____________ with Guo’s help.
A.children were losing their childhoods |
B.he didn’t have to take extra classes |
C.more people would hear his voice |
D.he could enter key middle school |
Many of the proposals were about problems except ____________ according to the passage.
A.housing prices | B.heavy traffic | C.food safety | D.scientific research |
After the CPPCC meetings, Guo’s proposal ____________.
A.was given to other members of the meeting |
B.was sent to the primary school student |
C.was handed to the Ministry of Education |
D.was returned to himself |
Which of the following sentences is NOT TURE?
A.A primary school student wrote a letter to a famous scientist, Guo Chuanjie. |
B.Guo Chuanjie went to Beijing for the CPPCC meetings last month. |
C.Guo Chuanjie read the student’s letter during a meeting. |
D.Guo Chuanjie wrote a letter to the Ministry of Education. |