When you go to St. Petersburg, the number of at-tractions can seem overwhelming. If you’re short on time, or just want to make sure to hit the highlights, these are the top must-see sights in St. Petersburg.
The Hermitage Museum
The Hermitage Museum is one of the most important sights to see for any visitor to St. Petersburg. There you can see lots of different paintings of old masters inside the Hermitage. Prepare to come face-to-face with classic Western artists.
The Russian Museum
The Russian Museum holds one of the largest collections of Russian art in the world. View Russian art creations through the ages, from Byzantine (拜占庭)-style icons to the Socialist Realism of Stalin’s times.
Kizhi Island
Kizhi Island is an open-air museum of wooden buildings from the Karelia Region of Russia. These impressive structures are made without any nails (钉子) — the wood fits together with joints and grooves (沟槽).
Peterhof
Peterhof is as beautiful as it is fun. You’ll be charged for admission (门票), but go to Peterhof when the fountains (喷泉) are working — during the day in the summer. They are shut off in winter as well as in the evenings.
The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood
Love it or hate it, the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood is an attractive must-see sight. The beautiful look may make your eyes brighten, and the paintings inside the church will make you say “Wow!”
The Bronze Horseman Statue
The Bronze Horseman is a part of Russian Culture and a symbol of St. Petersburg. Made famous by Alexander Pushkin (普希金), this statue of Peter the Great sitting on his horse can truly show Peter the Great’s influence on the Russian idea of greatness.If you’re interested in paintings, you’d better go to _____.
| A．the Hermitage Museum and Peterhof |
| B．the Hermitage Museum and the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood |
| C．Kizhi Island and the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood |
| D．the Russian Museum and Kizhi Island |
The man on the Bronze Horse refers to _____.
| A．Peter the Great | B．Alexander Pushkin |
| C．Byzantine | D．Stalin |
What can we know from the passage?
| A．The fountains in Peterhof can be seen all year round. |
| B．The largest collection of Russian art is in the Hermitage Museum. |
| C．The buildings on Kizhi Island are made of wood. |
| D．You can visit Peterhof free of charge. |
The main purpose of this passage is to _____.
| A．show the wonderful history of Russia |
| B．introduce the famous buildings in Russia |
| C．persuade artists to study St. Petersburg |
| D．attract tourists to visit St. Petersburg |
“Some day, there’ll be no Americans left in the NBA,” said 12-year-old Xing Tao, who joined his school team two weeks ago after watching Yao Ming in a televised NBA game, “The players will all be Chinese, like Yao.”
To China, Yao is a home-grown superstar who helped make the world’s first basketball league closer to Chinese players. To the NBA, the 2.23-meter center offers an opening of a different sort into the world’s largest new market. Yao’s NBA first appearance against the Indiana Pacers in October reached 287 million families in the US. That game might have been a bit of a letdown to Yao’s fans: He played just 11 of the 48 minutes, had two rebounds(篮板) and got no points. Comparing that with his performance on December 19, also against Indiana, Yao won 29 points and 10 rebounds. “This was one of the most exciting games I’ve had,” Yao said after Houston’s 95-83 victory. The NBA has to be excited about his on-count success. In all his games, he’s averaging 12.7 points and 7.7 rebounds, quite good for a new star. “Yao Ming has brought the NBA closer to the Chinese,” said NBA spokeswoman Cheong Sau Ching, “That makes the dream seem practical for other people in China and proud to be Chinese.”
The 22-year-old Yao is not the country’s first player in the NBA: Wang Zhizhi broke down the Dallas Mavericks in November 2003. But Yao’s combination of modesty and skills make him a favorite back home.What’s the direct reason for Xing Tao to join the school basketball team?
A. He watched an NBA game
B. He liked basketball.
C. He hoped to play for the NBA.
D. He had dream that he would become a basketball star.How many points did Yao Ming win in his first game in the NBA?
| A．zero | B．two | C．29 | D．10 |
What does the word “letdown” in line 4, Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．failure | B．surprise | C．disappointment | D．sadness. |
Why does Yao Ming win more popularity than Wang Zhizhi at home?
| A．He is modest and performs excellently. |
| B．He is too kind to others. |
| C．More and more Chinese people like to watch his games. |
| D．He is very modest but proud. |
What’s the main idea of this passage?
A. Middle school students want to play basketball
B. Yao Ming makes NBA closer to China.
C. There’ll be no Americans left in the NBA
D. There are many new stars from China in the NBA.
The weather is getting hotter. You are thirsty playing basketball or riding home from school. A cold drink may be just the thing. But be careful what you are drinking. Something that looks cool may not be good for your health. There are plenty of “energy drinks” on the market. Most of them have beautiful colors and cool names. The lists on them tell you they are helpful to your health. Sounds great!
But after a careful check you may find that most energy drinks have lots of caffeine(咖啡碱)in them. These drinks are especially aimed at young people, students, busy people and sports players. Makers sometimes say their drinks make you better at sports and can keep you awake. But be careful not to drink too much. Caffeine makes your heart beat fast. Because of this, the International Olympic Committee(IOC) has limited(限制) its use. Caffeine in most energy drinks is at least as strong as that in a cup of coffee or tea. Possible health dangers have something to do with energy drinks. Just one box of energy drink can make you nervous, have difficulty sleeping and can even cause heart problems. Scientists say that teenagers should be discouraged from taking drinks with a lot of caffeine in them.Many people like drinking energy drinks because of the following EXCEPT that ______.
| A．they have beautiful colors and cool names |
| B．they have lots of caffeine |
| C．they can keep them awake and better at sports |
| D．they are said to be helpful to health |
The main reason for people not to drink too much energy drinks is that they may cause ______.
| A．heart problems | B．nervousness |
| C．sleeping difficulty | D．possible health dangers |
The underlined word “discouraged” can be replaced(替换) with ______.
| A．encouraged | B．stopped | C．helped | D．disliked |
From the passage we can know that ______.
| A．advertisements are important in getting people to buy energy drinks |
| B．energy drinks are helpful to teenagers’ study |
| C．sports players need to drink a lot of energy drinks |
| D．energy drinks are especially aimed at teenagers |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage? ______
| A．What’s the Use of Energy Drinks? |
| B．Who Can Drink Energy Drinks? |
| C．What’s That in Energy Drinks? |
| D．Why Can’t We Buy Energy Drinks? |
Son’s Help
Mr. Smith worked in a factory. As a driver, he was busy but he was paid much. His wife was an able woman and did all the housework. When he came back, she took good care of him and he never did anything at home. So he had enough time when he had a holiday. A few friends of his liked gambling(赌博) and he learned it soon. So he was interested in it and hardly forgot anything except gambling. He lost all his money and later he began to sell the television, watches and so on. His wife told him not to do it but he didn’t listen to her. She had to tell the police. He and his friends were punished for it. And he was hardly sent away. After he came out of lockup, he hated her very much and the woman had to leave him.
It was New Year’s Day. Mr. Smith didn’t go to work. He felt lonely and wanted to gamble again. He called his friends and they came soon. But they were afraid the police would come. He told his six-year-old son to go to find out if there were the policemen outside. They waited for a long time and didn’t think the police would come and began to gamble. Suddenly opened the door and in came a few policemen.
“I saw there weren’t any policemen outside, daddy,” said the boy, “so I went to the crossing and asked some to come.”Mr. Smith was paid much because _______.
| A．his wife helped him a lot |
| B．he worked in a factory |
| C．he was busy and had a lot of work to do |
| D．he had worked there for a long time |
Mrs. Smith did all housework because _______.
| A．she couldn’t find any work |
| B．she thought her husband was tired |
| C．her husband spent all time in gambling |
| D．she wouldn’t stop her husband gambling |
_____, so he was put into lockup.
| A．Mr. Smith often gambled |
| B．Mr. Smith was late for work |
| C．Mr. Smith didn’t help his wife at home |
| D．Mr. Smith wasn’t polite to the police |
The woman had to leave Mr. Smith because _______.
| A．he didn’t love her any longer |
| B．he wouldn’t stop gambling |
| C．he had been put into lockup |
| D．he was hardly sent away by the factory |
What is the meaning of the underlined word in the first paragraph?
| A．clinic | B．office | C．prison | D．restaurant |
We are all interested in equality, but while some people try to protect the school and examination system in the name of equality, others, still in the name of equality, want only to destroy it.
Any society which is interested in equality of opportunity and standards of achievement must regularly test its pupils. The standards may be changed ---- no examination is perfect ---- but to have no external(外部的)tests or examinations would mean the end of equality and of standards. There are groups of people who oppose this view and who do not believe either in external examinations or in any controls in schools or on teachers. This would mean that everything would depend on luck since every pupil would depend on the efficiency, the ideal and the purpose of each teacher.
Without external examinations, employers will look for employees from the highly respected schools and from families known to them ---- a form of favoritism will replace equality. At the moment, the bright child from an ill-respected school can show certificates（证书）to prove he or she is suitable for a job, while the lack of a certificate shows the unsuitability of a dull child attending a well - respected school. This defense of excellence and opportunity would disappear if external examinations were taken away, and the bright child from a poor family would be a prisoner of his or her school's fame, unable to compete for employment with the child from the favored school.
The opponents（对手）of the examination system suggest that examinations are an evil force because they show differences between pupils. According to these people, there must be no special, different, academic class. They have even suggested that there should be no form of difference in sport or any other area: all jobs or posts should be filled by unsystematic selection. The selection would be made by people who themselves are probably selected by some computer.
These people are not just against school organization, but are at war with the whole idea of modem competitive society and they are using children in schools for their destructive purposes. There is no reason why we should allow such people to determine the way our schools are organized when it is to the obvious disadvantage of the pupils, of the schools and of our society as a whole.According to the passage, the writer thinks that ________.
| A．changing the standards could mean the end of equality |
| B．standards must keep changing in order to achieve equality |
| C．there would be no standards without external examinations |
| D．we cannot have standards because examinations are not perfect |
In the writer's opinion, what would happen if external examinations were taken away?
| A．There would be no more opportunities and no more excellence. |
| B．Children from poor families would not be able to change schools. |
| C．Going to a favored school should be the only way to get a good job. |
| D．Schools for bright children would lose their fame. |
The situation at the moment is that ________.
| A．many children who are suitable for a job have no proof of their suitability |
| B．a school's fame is not important, as long as a child has a certificate. |
| C．children attending well - respected schools need not get certificates. |
| D．a bright child doesn't need a certificate a t all to get a good job. |
Which of the following sentences is TRUE?
| A．Most students from poor families can't get a good job. |
| B．Some people are using students to destroy our society. |
| C．The writer thinks it a good way to choose a job by computer. |
| D．The opponents of the examination want to reorganize schools. |
The opponents would agree that _________.
| A．computers should be selected to take over many jobs |
| B．particular people should not be chosen for particular jobs |
| C．well-respected schools should be got rid of as soon as possible |
| D．the students are not equally treated if they take external examinations |
One day an out of work mimic(滑稽演员) is visiting the zoo and attempts to earn some money as a street performer. As soon as he starts to draw the crowd，a zoo keeper grabs him and drags him into his office. The zoo keeper explains to the mimic that the zoo's most popular attraction，a gorilla(大猩猩)，has died suddenly and the keeper fears that attendance at the zoo will fall off. He offers the mimic a job to dress up as the gorilla until they can get another one. The mimic accepts.
So the next morning the mimic puts on the gorilla suit and enters the cage before the crowd comes. He discovers that it's a great job. He can sleep all he wants，play and make fun of people and he draws bigger crowds than he ever did as a mimic. However，eventually the crowds tire of him and he tires of just swinging on wires. He begins to notice that the people are paying more attention to the lion in the cage next to his. Not wanting to lose the attention of his audience，he climbs to the top of his cage，crawls across a partition(隔离物)，and dangles from the top to the lion's cage. Of course，this makes the lion very angry，but the crowd loves it.
At the end of the day the zoo keeper comes and gives the mimic a raise for being such a good attraction. Well，this goes on for some time－the mimic keeps taunting the lion，the crowds grow larger，and his salary keeps going up. Then one terrible day when he is dangling over the angry lion he slips and falls. The mimic is terrified.
The lion gathers itself and prepares to attack. The mimic is so scared that he begins to run round and round the cage with the lion close behind. Finally，the mimic starts screaming and yelling，“Help me，help me！”But the lion is quick and attacks. The mimic soon finds himself flat on his back looking up at the angry lion and the lion says，“Shut up，you idiot！Do you want to get us both fired？”The mimic visits the zoo to________.
| A．take care of the dying gorilla | B．beg some money from the zoo keeper |
| C．ask for a job there | D．perform and earn some money there |
The zoo keeper offers the mimic a job to act as the gorilla because________.
| A．it is more expensive to hire a real gorilla |
| B．the real gorilla died but the keeper does not want to lose its visitors |
| C．he likes the mimic's performance |
| D．he wants to help the mimic who is out of work |
What does the mimic feel about the new job at first?
| A．He likes it because he has enough freedom in the job. |
| B．He likes it but he prefers to working as a mimic. |
| C．He doesn't like it for people do not respect him. |
| D．He doesn't like it because he gets little pay. |
The mimic climbs to the lion's cage because________.
| A．he finds it more interesting to climb the cage |
| B．he wants to play with the lion |
| C．he wants to attract the attention of his audience |
| D．he has never seen a lion before |
What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．The mimic and his job | B．The mimic and his success |
| C．The actor and the mimic | D．The mimic and his animals |