wonder of the natural world
When I arrived, it was early morning and it was raining. I looked to the east—the sky was becoming grey. I got out of the car, went through a gate and walked along a dark path. There was nothing to see, but I knew it was there.
After about a mile, a stranger appeared beside the path. “Am I going the right way?” I asked. He knew where I was going. “Yes,” he replied. “you’ll get there in five minutes.” Finally, I came to some rocks and stopped. I looked over them, but it was silent and there was no sign of it.
Suddenly, the rain stopped and the clouds cleared. The sun rose behind me and shone on the rocks. Far below me, the ground fell away and down to a river. I was looking across one of the wonders of the natural world –the Grand Canyon.
I looked down to the Colorado River, a silver stream nearly one mile below me. If you put the two tallest buildings in the world on top of each other at the bottom of the canyon, they still would not reach the top. Then I looked across to the other side of the canyon. It was about fifteen miles away, maybe more. Finally, I looked to my left and to my right, and on both sides the canyon went far away for more than 200 miles. The Grand Canyon was not just big. It was huge!
I remained by the canyon for about half an hour, and I asked myself, “Is the Grand Canyon the greatest wonder of the natural world?” I certainly know the answer. What do you think?Where does the passage most probably come from?
| A．A magazine | B．A grammar book |
| C．A dictionary | D．A storybook |
Why was there nothing to see?
| A．Because there was nothing |
| B．Because it was too dark |
| C．Because it was raining |
| D．Because it was in the morning |
Which direction was the writer facing while he/she was looking over the Grand Canyon?
| A．South | B．North | C．East | D．West |
Which of the follow is wrong?
| A．The writer visited the Grand Canyon by car in the morning. |
| B．A stranger showed the writer the wrong direction of the Grand Canyon. |
| C．The Grand Canyon is more than fifteen miles. |
| D．The writer realized the Grand Canyon was the great wonder at least. |
What is the writer’s purpose in writing this passage?
A. To give facts about the natural world.
B. To say how he feels about the natural world.
C. To tell an interesting story about the Grand Canyon.
| Garden Hotel Address: 222 People’s Street Phone: 514-6023 The number of rooms: 120 Single room: $25 Double room: $35 Special attractions (吸引人的东西): French restaurant, swimming pool, coffee shop, phone and TV in each room, near the city center |
| Gloria Hotel Address: 129 North Street Phone: 595-5620 The number of rooms: 50 Single room: $12 Double room: $18 Special attractions: Close to the airport, phone in each room, restaurant |
| Dreamers’ Hotel Address: 233 People’s Street Phone: 641-6946 The number of rooms: 120 Single room: $15 Double room: $20 Special attractions: Near the gym, Chinese restaurant, coffee shop |
| No.1 Hotel Address: 1264 Children’s Street Phone: 643-8211 The number of rooms: 180 Single room: $30 Double room: $50 Special attractions: Japanese restaurant and Chinese restaurant, swimming pool, large garden |
_____ and _____ have the same number of rooms.
| A．Garden Hotel, Gloria Hotel | B．Garden Hotel, Dreamers’ Hotel |
| C．Gloria Hotel, NO.1 Hotel | D．Dreamers’ Hotel, NO.1 Hotel |
What can we know about Garden Hotel and Gloria Hotel?
| A．They both have a phone in each room. | B．They both have a swimming pool. |
| C．They are both near the city center. | D．They both have a TV in each room. |
The most expensive double room is _____ dollars in _____.
| A．50, Dreamers’ Hotel | B．50, NO.1 Hotel |
| C．35, NO.1 Hotel | D．20, Dreamers’ Hotel |
In Dreamers’ Hotel and NO. 1 Hotel, you can _____.
| A．have a good time swimming | B．enjoy delicious Chinese food |
| C．eat great French food | D．have coffee in a large garden |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．We can call NO.1 Hotel at 595-5620. | B．Dreamers’ Hotel is on North Street. |
| C．Only Gloria Hotel is near the airport. | D．Gloria Hotel is near Garden Hotel. |
Childhood is a time of fun and games. Many people still remember when they were young, they often played games like hide-and-seek and chess. Playing teaches children how to get with others, and it also helps to exercise the mind and body. However, children today spend most of their time in front of the computer, playing video games.
A recent survey found that in the US. Children between 8 and 12 spend at least 13 hours a week playing video games or "gaming". Boys of this age spend even more time, almost 16 hours a week. Although some people will say that gaming is helpful, it brings many problems as well.
One big problem is that kids who spend most of their time on games might have difficulty communicating with real people. They might have trouble sharing and resolving (解决) problems because they do not practice these skills when sitting alone at a computer.
Another problem is about health. Game players usually sit for hours without doing any exercise. And they might not eat healthily. As a result, they might be out of shape.
Next, game players might have trouble with their lessons. Many of them spend more time playing games than working on their homework. In the end, they fail in the exams.
Finally, it is always possible that the gamers become addicted. Some people play four or five hours a day or even all day. This happened to a 28 - year - old Korean man. He spent about 50 hours playing an online game without sleeping or eating well. He died while gaming!
This is one example of the dangers of video gaming. It tells us that video gaming, like everything else, should not be done too much. A few hours a week should not hurt, but several hours a day just might be dangerous to your health.Children of 8 to 12 in the US spend at least _________ hours a week playing video games.
| A．13 | B．16 | C．28 | D．50 |
How many problems about playing video games are mentioned in the passage？
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
If game players spend lots of time playing games without doing their homework, they might __________.
| A．become ill | B．lose their friends | C．die at once | D．get lower grades at school |
What does the underlined word “addicted” mean in Chinese?
| A．悲伤 | B．无聊 | C．成瘾 | D．沮丧 |
What does the writer want to tell us by writing this passage?
| A．Video gaming has quite a lot of advantages. |
| B．Video gaming might be a dangerous thing. |
| C．Childhood is a time of fun and games. |
| D．Children should learn how to get along with others. |
Last year The Voice of China, the most popular TV talent show became a popular topic in people’s chatting and media information from both home and abroad. It began on July 13, 2012 and ended on September 30, 2012. Liang Bo, a handsome boy from Changchun, Jilin was the champion of The Voice of China in 2012. Before the competition Liang Bo was just an ordinary college student studying music. He captured (夺得) the hearts of audience (观众) with his passionate (激情的) rock’n’roll (摇滚) performance at the show.
Fans described Liang’s voice as “natural, clear and touching’’. Although he seemed cool on stage, he could quickly turn on the power once he started singing. “His performances make you imagine things. When I listen to his singing, I see pictures and think of stories.” said Na Ying, one of the four judges (评判员) on the show. She was also Liang’s tutor for the competition.
Liang Bo, like many young Chinese, he fell in love with music through playing the guitar. Liang got his first guitar as a birthday gift when he was in middle school. He would spend days and nights practicing. “ I can’t live without my guitar.” he said.
“ I don’t like talking much but I carry great passion inside me,” Liang said. “ There is no better way to let it out than through music like rock’n’roll. Many people compare Liang to famous Chinese rockers including Xu Wei, Wang Feng and Zheng Jun. But the young man doesn’t want to stand in others’ shadow. “ I respect those rockers, but I’m not going to copy them. I will be who I am,” he said.Which was the most popular TV show last summer?
| A．The Voice of China. | B．Sports News. | C．Football. | D．Animal World. |
How long did The Voice of China last?
| A．More than two days. | B．More than two weeks. |
| C．More than two months. | D．More than two years. |
How many judges were there in the TV talent show?
| A．3. | B．4. | C．6. | D．8. |
Who helped Liang Bo win the competition?
| A．Zheng Jun. | B．Xu Wei. | C．Liu Huan. | D．Na Ying. |
According to the passage, which of the following is Not true?
| A．Liang Bo fell in love with music. | B．Liang Bo was a college teacher. |
| C．Liang Bo was a quiet man. | D．Liang Bo played the guitar well. |
Spain is famous for its tomato festival, called La Tomatina. It happens in a small town Hanoi on the last Wednesday of August every year. During the festival there are all kinds of activities, but the most exciting part is the tomato fight. It takes place at the end of long celebration (庆祝). You are encouraged to throw tomatoes in the fight. There’re many stories about how the festival began. One of the stories goes that during the 1940's, some friends started a tomato fight, while another story is about a local band. Anyway, everyone in Bunol seems to have a different story.
Before the tomato fight, there are parades (游行)，musical bands, street parties and so on. On the day of the fight, shopkeepers cover their windows and doors in order to keep away from the tomato fight. At the same time, thousands of tourists and local people come to the town square together. Then large trucks (卡车) full of tomatoes arrive. From theback of the large trucks, a great town band start to throw tomatoes at others. Then the crowds fight back, throwing the tomatoes at anything and anyone. Soon the streets are in the sea of red tomato juice.
Everyone is supposed to obey a small number of rules: You must squash (压烂) the tomato before throwing it and you are allowed to throw nothing but tomatoes.
It is usually over in less than half an hour. Everyone then sets off to the river to clearup. Sounds like fun!The most exciting activity of the festival is ________.
| A．parades | B．street parties | C．the tomato fight | D．the musical bands show |
The stories about how the festival began are ________.
| A．quite different | B．rather sad | C．very famous | D．very clear |
On the fight day, _________.
| A．all the buses are filled with tomatoes |
| B．you can see lots of red apples on the streets |
| C．shopkeepers are not allowed to watch people fight |
| D．lots of tourists and local people take part in the fight |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．You can throw tomatoes at others but others can’t throw back. |
| B．The tomato must be squashed before throwing it. |
| C．The fight usually lasts more than thirty minutes. |
| D．People can throw everything on the fight day. |
The best title of the passage can be________.
| A．Travel in Spain | B．The Tomato Festival in Spain. |
| C．The History of Spain | D．Rules of the Tomato Festival |
Hundreds of years ago, news was carried from place to place by people on foot or by horse. It took days, weeks and sometimes months for people to receive news. Now it is possible to send words and pictures around the world in seconds. Billions of people learn about news of their country and all over the world every day, either by watching TV or reading newspapers.
Newspapers have been an important part of everyday life since 18th century. Many countries have hundreds of different newspapers. How do newspaper editors decide which news to print？ Why do they print some stories and not others? What makes a good newspaper story?
Firstly, it’s important to report news. TV stations can report news much faster than newspapers. Yet, newspapers give more about the story. They may also look at the story in another way, or they may print completely different stories from those on TV.
Secondly, a new story has to be interesting and unusual. People don’t want to read stories of everyday life. As a result, many stories are about some kind of danger and seem to be “bad” news. For example, newspapers never print stories about planes landing safely, instead they print stories about plane accidents.
Another factor(因素) is also very important. Many people are interested in news in foreign countries, but more prefer to read stories about people, places and events in their own country. So the stories on the front page in Chinese newspapers are usually very different from the ones in British, French and American newspapers.According to the passage, how do people learn about news in the world now?
| A．They carry news stories and tell others from place to place on foot or by horse. |
| B．They tell each other what they have seen with their eyes. |
| C．They watch TV or read newspapers. |
| D．They listen to the radio every day. |
Newspapers have been an important part of the daily life since ______.
| A．19th century | B．18th century | C．16th century | D．17th century |
The difference between newspaper stories and TV news reports is that ____.
| A．people can learn more about the same news from a newspaper |
| B．people can read the news story more quickly in a newspaper |
| C．people can read news stories in other countries |
| D．people can read news stories about their own country |
To make a good newspaper story, how many factors does the passage talk about?
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
Which is NOT TRUE in the passage?
| A．Newspapers may print different stories from those on TV. |
| B．People like to read interesting and unusual news like plane accidents. |
| C．Many Chinese people have no interest in news in their own countries. |
| D．Newspapers have been an important part of everyday life for more than three hundred years. |