Once there was a man travelling in a faraway village. As he was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped. He found that these huge elephants were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains(锁链), no cages. It was clear that the elephants could, at any time, break away from their ropes but for some reason, they did not.
He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and didn’t try to get away. “Well,” the trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they still believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can hold them, so they never try to break free.”
How could it be? These animals could at any time break free from their ropes. But because they were always stuck(固定) right where they were, they believed they couldn’t.
Just like the elephants, how many of us go through life believing that we cannot do something, just because we failed at it once before?
We should never give up the struggle(斗争) in life.What did the writer see in the village？
| A．Chains | B．Elephants. |
| C．Cages. | D．Farmers. |
Why do the elephants never try to break free from the ropes?
| A．Because they think they can not.. |
| B．Because they are too old to do it. |
| C．Because they like their living places. |
| D．Because they get on well with the trainer. |
How did the man feel after he heard what the trainer said?
| A．Moved. | B．Surprised. |
| C．Angry. | D．Nervous. |
Which of the following is the missing part(空白处) in the last paragraph?
| A．Failing is part of learning |
| B．We should be different from others |
| C．Helping animals is helping ourselves |
| D．Travelling always makes people relaxed |
What is the best title for this text?
| A．A Pleasant Trip | B．A Cruel Trainer |
| C．Elephant Training | D．The Elephant Rope |
| Welcome to the 2012 London Olympic Games! |
|
Archery |
Archery has a 10,000 year history, when bows and arrows were first used for hunting and war. Archery first appeared at the Paris Olympics of 1990. It was removed after 1908 and only returned to the Olympics at Munich in 1972. |
| Did you know? In the 14th century, archery was so important that as English law required every man, aged seven to 60, to practise it. |
|
Badminton |
This sport was invented by British soldiers in India who called it Poono, the same name as the town in which they lived. It was first played at the Olympics in 1992 at Barcelona. Although the rules of the modern sport were developed in England, Asian countries are now the best. |
| Did you know? The best balls are said to be made from the feathers of the left wing of goose. |
|
Football |
There are two medal competitions for Olympic football, one for men’s teams and one for women’s. Football was first played at the 1908 Olympic Games and it has been played at every Olympic Games ever since, except for Los Angeles 1932. |
| Did you know? Hungary has won three football gold medals-more than any other country. |
|
Taekwondo |
This Korean sport’s name means “the way of the hand and foot”. The players get points by hitting each other with these two parts of the body only. The players mustn’t lie on the floor and no equipment can be used. Taekwondo first appeared at the 2000 Sydney Games. |
| Did you know? Over 60 million people from 190 countries around the world regularly take part in this sport. |
Who invented the sport of badminton?
| A．Indians. | B．British. | C．Chinese. | D．Koreans. |
Which of these sports appeared earliest at the Olympics?
| A．Archery. | B．Badminton. | C．Taekwondo. | D．Football. |
Which sport was first named after a town?
| A．Badminton. | B．Football. | C．Taekwondo. | D．Archery. |
Which of the following picture shows the sport of “Taekwondo”?
| A． | B． | C． | D． |
Where can you most probably find web page?
| A．Sydney 2000.com |
| B．Beijing 2008.com |
| C．Guangzhou 2010.com |
| D．London 2012.com |
I am a professor of sports and exercise so I often deal with nervousness in my research with sports people. Actually, most people experience nervousness at some time or another.
If you are feeling anxious, my advice is to first find the cause or causes. Make s list of those things that are making you nervous and work out which ones you can do something about. Focus all of your efforts on managing the causes that you can control.
Most people cannot tell the difference between controllable(可控制的) and uncontrollable causes, so things they can’s control become a big reason for nervousness. Dealing with this is very important if people want to keep a healthy mind.
Simply try to accept the uncontrollable causes of nervousness. You might be worried about the weather on a big day, an accident or an attack on the train, or perhaps just things that other people are doing at work. The results may be very important but there is still no use worrying because you can’t control any of these things. Accept that you can’t control everything. Once you understand this, it becomes easier not to worry.
If a situation, such as swimming, is causing you to be anxious, try to face it as often as possible so that you can get used to it.
It can often help to think about yourself doing the thing that makes you nervous—then close your eyes and imagine it going well. Imagine how the flight or job interview is going to happen so that you can get used to it. This will help you understand that the thing you fear most is probably not going to happen.Who wrote this passage?
| A．A reporter. | B．A sportsman. | C．A patient. | D．A professor. |
The writer thinks there is no use worrying about some causes of nervousness because____.
| A．most are not very important |
| B．they are not the real causes of the problem |
| C．they cannot be controlled by people |
| D．it’s better to deal with one cause at a time |
If swimming makes you nervous, what should you do according to the writer?
| A．Go swimming often to get used to it. |
| B．Avoid going to the swimming pool. |
| C．Find a swimming teacher. |
| D．Imagine watching others swim. |
What is true about nervousness according to the passage?
| A．It usually has only one cause. |
| B．It is usually caused by people. |
| C．People can easily manage it. |
| D．Most people suffer from it. |
What is the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To introduce the writer’s sports experience. |
| B．To advise on how to deal with nervousness. |
| C．To help people remember their fears. |
| D．To explain the dangers of nervousness. |
Frankenstein is one of the world’s most famous horror stories. It’s about a doctor who creates a new man from the body parts of dead people and brings it to life. But the experiment goes wrong and the monster(怪兽) kills the doctor and many others. The story has been read by millions since it was first published and in the last hundred years it has been made into dozens of movies. Many people are surprised to learn its writer was a 19-year-old woman, called Mary Shelley.
Mary was born into a rich London family in August 1797. She was educated by her parents and when she was 13 decided to become a writer. In 1812, she met the famous writer Percy Shelley and they soon got married. Sadly for Mary, their first child died soon after birth in Italy. In her diary, Mary wrote about a dream: “I dreamt that my little baby came to life again—that it had only been cold and that we rubbed it before the fire and it lived.”
In 1816, Percy Shelley and 19-year-odl May visited the poet Lord Byron at his home in Switzerland. Because of the bad weather they stayed indoors reading horror stories. One night, Byron asked everyone to write their own story. Mary thought of her dream and wrote the story Frankenstein.
Frankenstein was published when Mary was 21, and became a huge success. Many people didn’t think a 19-year-old woman could write so well and believed her husband was the real writer.
Although famous, Shelley’s life was full of sadness. Only one of her four children lived and in 1822 her husband died in a swimming accident. Mary was broken-hearted and decided not to marry again. She devoted herself to her child and continued to write until her death in 1851. What do we know about he story Frankenstein?
| A．It was really written by Mary Shelley’s husband. |
| B．It was been read by millions of people. |
| C．It was written to remember Shelley’s husband. |
| D．It is the most famous story in the world. |
Where was Mary Shelley when she wrote the story Frankenstein?
| A．In England. | B．In Italy. | C．In Switzerland. | D．In France. |
In which order to the following take place?
a. Bad weather made everyone stay indoors reading horror stories.
b. The story Frankenstein was first published.
c. Mary wrote about a dream in her diary.
d. Mary met the famous writer Percy Shelley.
e. Movies based on the story of Frankenstein were made.
| A．a, c, b, e, d | B．d, c, a, b, e | C．c, a, b, d, e | D．b, a, d, c, e |
How old was Mary Shelley when she died?
| A．43 | B．48 | C．51 | D．54 |
What can we learn about Mary Shelley from this passage?
| A．She experienced a lot of sadness in her life. |
| B．She wasn’t considered a good writer during her life. |
| C．She was educated at her local school. |
| D．She became very rich because of the story Frankenstein. |
One day a man saw an old lady standing by her expensive car, clearly in need of help. So he stopped his old truck and got out. Although he was smiling, the old lady was worried. Was he gong to hurt her? He didn’t look safe.
The man could see that she was frightened, so in his friendliest voice he said, “I’m here to help you, madam. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.” Bryan quickly fixed the car and the lady thanked him. Then she asked how much she should pay him.
But Bryan wanted no money. He was just giving a hand to someone in trouble. This was normal for him. He said, “If you really want to repay me, next time you see someone in need, help them and think of me.”
After saying goodbye, the lady continued down the road until she reached a small café where she decided to stop for something to eat. As the pretty waitress took her order, the lady noticed she was nearly eight months pregnant(怀孕). Although the waitress looked tired she was very kind. As the lady was going to pay the $10 bill she remembered Bryan’s words.
She paid with a hundred-dollar bill. But when the waitress returned with the change the lady was gone. On the table she saw a small note. There ware tears in her eyes when she read it: “Somebody once helped me the way I’m helping you. If you want to pay me back, continue being kind to others.” Under the note were nine more $100 bills.
Was the old lady an angel? The waitress was so excited that she called her husband to tell him the news. “Bryan Anderson my dear…you’re not going to believe what just happened…”When the lady saw Bryan, she was worried because she thought_____ .
| A．he may hurt her | B．he wasn’t going to stop |
| C．he couldn’t help her | D．she didn’t have enough money |
答案: A
DIY, which means Do It Yourself, is quite popular in UK. Lots of stores and supermarkets sell DIY things. TV proprammes show people how to DIY.
English people like DIY. There is a saying in UK –“An Englishman’s home is his castle”. Huge numbers of people spend their holidays making their homes beautiful “castles”. If there is anything that needs fixing around their houses, such as painting the walls or putting in a new shower, they will do the jobs themselves. They share DIY experiences with their friends. More and more people have discovered the joy of DIY. Sometimes people also DIY for saving money. With the economic downturn at present, many people can not afford to buy a bigger house. They are looking at how they can make their house better without spending a lot of money. It is not surprising that DIY is so popular.
DIY can be difficult. There is a huge market for DIY furniture which people need to put together themselves with a few basic tools. However, people often find it not easy to build a piece of furniture because they can’t understand the instructions. Sometimes the instructions are simple and clear, but the furniture itself is difficult to build. One thing is for sure, though most DIY projects are started with the best intentions, many of them may not get finished. DIY can also be dangerous. For example, anything electrical should be done by a professional worker. Unluckily, many people don’t care about this warning and put themselves in danger. It is reported that in just one year over 230,000 people were hurt while doing DIY in UK, including 41,000 who fell off ladders.
Therefore, DIY can bring us fun and help us save money, but it is not always as easy as it is thought to be if we bite off more than we can chew. Maybe factories should make products that are easier and safer for us to DIY.How do many English people spend their holidays according to the passage?
| A．Making their homes beautiful. | B．Visiting their friends. |
| C．Travelling all over the world. | D．Making a lot of money. |
Why do English people like DIY?
| A．Many stores sell DIY things. | B．DIY can bring them fun. |
| C．TV programmes teach them to DIY | D．All DIY projects are easy. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．DIY is a waste of money. | B．It is always difficult to DIY. |
| C．We should be careful while doing DIY. | D．It’s very safe for us to DIY |
In the passage, “we bite off more than we can chew” probably means ___________.
| A．we can eat everything we like | B．we should do something difficult |
| C．we do something that is too difficult | D．we eat too much food that is not safe |