The view over a valley of a tiny village with thatched (草盖的) roof cottages around a church; a drive through a narrow village street lined with thatched cottages painted pink or white; the sight over the rolling hills of a pretty collection of thatched farm buildings—these are still common sights in parts of England. Most people will agree that the thatched roof is an essential part of the attraction of the English countryside.
Thatching is in fact the oldest of all the building crafts practiced in the British Isles(英伦诸岛). Although thatch has always been used for cottage and farm buildings, it was once used for castles and churches too.
Thatching is a solitary (独立的) craft, which often runs in families. The craft of thatching as it is practiced today has changed very little since the Middle Ages. Over 800 full-time thatchers are employed in England and Wales today, maintaining and renewing the old roofs as well as thatching newer houses. Many property owners choose thatch not only for its beauty but because they know it will keep them cool in summer and warm in winter.
In fact, if we look at developing countries, over half the world lives under thatch, but they all do it in different ways. People in developing countries are often reluctant to go back to traditional materials and would prefer modern buildings. However, they may lack the money to allow them to import the necessary materials. Their temporary mud huts with thatched roofs of wild grasses often only last six months. Thatch which has been done the British way lasts from twenty to sixty years, and is an effective defiance against the heat. Which of the following remains a unique feature against the heat_______.
| A．Narrow streets lined with pink or white houses. |
| B．Rolling hills with pretty farm buildings. |
| C．Cottages with thatched roofs. |
| D．Churches with cottages around them. |
What do we know about thatching as a craft?
| A．It is a collective activity. |
| B．It is practised on farms all over England. |
| C．It is quite different from what it used to be. |
| D．It is in most cases handed down among family members. |
People in developing countries also live under thatch because .
| A．thatched cottages are a big tourist attraction |
| B．thatched roof houses are the cheapest |
| C．thatch is an effective defense against the heat |
| D．they like thatched houses better than other buildings |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A．thatched cottages in England have been passed down from ancient times. |
| B．thatching is a building craft first created by the English people. |
| C．the English people have a special liking for thatched houses. |
| D．most thatched cottage in England are located on hillsides. |
A man and his girlfriend were married. It was a large celebration. All of their friends and family came to see the lovely ceremony. Everyone could tell that the love they had for each other was true.
A few months later, the wife came to the husband with a piece of advice, “I read in a magazine, a while ago, about how we can strengthen our marriage,” she offered. “Each of us will write a list of the things that we find a bit annoying with the other person. Then, we can talk about how we can fix them together and make our lives happier together.”
The husband agreed. So each of them tried to think of the things that annoyed them about the other and wrote down what they came up with. The next morning, at the breakfast table, they decided that they would go over their lists.
“I’ll start,” offered the wife. She took out her list. It had many items on it, enough to fill three pages. In fact, as she started reading the list of the little annoyances, she noticed that tears were starting to appear in her husband’s eyes because he never thought that he had so many shortcomings.
The wife continued to read until she had read all three pages to her husband. “Now, you read your list and then we’ll talk about the things on both of our lists,” she said happily.
Quietly the husband stated, “I don’t have anything on my list. I think that you are perfect. I don’t want you to change anything for me. You are lovely and wonderful and I wouldn’t want to try and change anything about you.” The wife, touched by his honesty and the depth of his love for her and his acceptance of her, turned her head and wept.
In life, there are enough times when we are disappointed, depressed and annoyed. We don’t really have to go looking for them. We have a wonderful world that is full of beauty, light and promise. Why waste time in this world looking for the bad, disappointing or annoying when we can look around us and see the wonderful things before us?Why were there tears in the husband’s eyes when the wife read his annoyances?
| A．Because he had no courage to face his shortcomings. |
| B．Because he never thought he had so many annoyances in his wife’s eyes. |
| C．Because he was sorry that he didn’t find any annoyance about his wife. |
| D．Because he didn’t think he deserved to have such a perfect wife. |
After hearing the husband’s words, the wife felt _________.
| A．moved and ashamed | B．sad and disappointed |
| C．satisfied and proud | D．surprised and confused |
The story is intended to tell us that ___________.
| A．disappointment cannot be avoided in our life |
| B．young couples should be more tolerant (宽容的) to each other |
| C．we should turn a blind eye to other people’s blame |
| D．we should try to look for and see the wonderful things around us |
People all need friends because nobody wants to be lonely and a friend can help you in good and bad times.You’ve made friends since childhood，but you still don’t know who your true friends are.Here are some signs to tell you if your friend is a true friend：
Always honest
Honesty is important to keep a relationship alive.A true friend always tells you the truth.It may be hard sometimes but lying can destroy a friendship.It is important that your friend speaks honestly and never makes up stories.
_________________
There are always periods in your life when you have problems or difficulties. A true friend will always have time to listen to your problems and give advice.It may not be able to offer a solution to your problems but the fact that your friend made time to listen is a sign he/she cares for you. Your friend is not a true friend if he/she can never make time for you when you are in trouble.You also need to be reasonable and accept that your friend also has other things to do so he/she can’t always listen immediately to your problems.
Always respectful (尊敬的)
A true friend will always respect your opinion no matter whether he/she agrees or not.Your true friend may disagree but never insists that he/she is correct.
Always understanding
It is possible that some problems will arise between you and your friend.A true friend will always be forgiving (体谅的) and understanding，even if it isn’t his/her fault.We are all different people and we all make mistakes.A true friend is always forgiving and understanding because he/she doesn’t want to take the risk of losing his/her best friend.What’s the best title for the third paragraph?
| A．Always there for you | B．Keep your secrets |
| C．Always happy for you | D．Remember your important days |
According to the passage，a true friend will always.
| A．follow your advice |
| B．offer a solution to your problems |
| C．listen immediately to your problems |
| D．respect your opinion even if he/she disagrees with it |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Never tell lies to friends. |
| B．Making time for friends. |
| C．Sharing fun with friends. |
| D．Paying attention to a friend’s opinions. |
A true friend will always forgive and understand you because.
| A．he/she wants to help you |
| B．he/she doesn’t want to lose you |
| C．he/she wants you to feel confident |
| D．he/she doesn’t care about your mistakes |
The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means. Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest problems is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it.
Man has been polluting the earth. The more people, the more pollution. Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to another place. But this is no longer true.
Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.
Air pollution is still the most serious. It’s bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.
Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air. Pollution by SO2 is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. We are sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.
The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must take care of the rise in pollution at the same time._______, our world is becoming much smaller.
| A．Because of the rise in pollution |
| B．Thanks to science development |
| C．Because the earth is being polluted day and night |
| D．Because the earth is blown away by the wind every year |
Hundreds of years ago, life was __________ it is today.
| A．much easier than | B．as easy as |
| C．much harder than | D．as hard as |
Pollution comes in many ways. We can even hear it. Here “it” means _______.
| A．rubbish(垃圾) | B．noise pollution |
| C．air pollution | D．water pollution |
Air pollution is the most serious kind of pollution because _______.
| A．it makes much noise |
| B．it makes us angry more easily |
| C．it makes our rivers and lakes dirty |
| D．it’s bad for all living things in the world |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. |
| B．The pollution of the earth grows as fast as the world population does. |
| C．The problem of pollution is not so serious because there are not so many people living on the earth. |
| D．If people could go to work by bus or bike instead of car or motorbike, it would be helpful in fighting against the problem of SO2. |
Some time ago, a friend of mine punished his three-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight（困窘的）, and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you, Daddy.” He was embarrassed by his earlier over-reaction, but his anger flared again when he found that the box was empty.
He shouted at her loudly, “Don’t you know that when you give someone a present, there’s supposed to be something inside of it?”
The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, “Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty. I blew kisses in the box. I filled it with my love. All for you, Daddy.”
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged her for forgiveness（原谅）. My friend told me that he kept that gold box by his bed for years. Whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary（假想的）kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each of us as parents has been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children. There is no more precious possession（财产）anyone could hold.Why did the father punish his daughter?
| A．Because the girl had torn his favourite paper. |
| B．Because the girl was wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. |
| C．Because the girl took the box under the Christmas tree away. |
| D．Because the father was in bad temper（脾气）. |
Why did the father become angry again when he opened his present?
| A．Because the present is not suitable for him. |
| B．Because his daughter didn’t know that when she gives someone a present, there’s supposed to be something inside of it. |
| C．Because he hated receiving present. |
| D．Because he found that the present box was empty. |
What kind of present did the little girl give her father?
| A．The little girl had put her kisses in the box as a present. |
| B．The little girl had kissed the box as a present. |
| C．The little girl had filled the box with gold wrapping paper. |
| D．The little girl had filled the box with air. |
How did the father feel after he listened to his daughter’s explanation?
| A．Happy. | B．Sorry. |
| C．Crazy. | D．Impatient. |
What’s the meaning of the last sentence—“There is no more precious possession（财产）anyone could hold.”?
| A．The possession is too heavy to hold. |
| B．There’s no more precious thing for us to hold. |
| C．It’s not necessary to hold the possession. |
| D．The present contained with children’s love and kisses is the most precious thing. |
Mr Smith made many tests (作试验) with different animals and the monkey was the cleverest of all the animals.
One day Mr Smith put a monkey in a room. He also put some small boxes in it. In one of the boxes there was some food. "How long will it take the monkey to find the food? " Mr Smith said to himself. " Let me wait and see. " He left the room and waited outside. Three minutes later, he put his eye to the keyhole (钥匙眼). What did he see? He saw the eye of the monkey. The monkey was on the other side of the door and looked at Mr Smith through the keyhole.Mr Smith made tests with __________.
| A．different animals | B．the monkey only |
| C．all the monkeys | D．all of the cleverest animals |
There was some food in _______ of the small boxes.
| A．some | B．none | C．one | D．each |
Mr Smith put a monkey and some boxes in a room because he wanted to know___________.
| A．how much food monkey could find |
| B．how many boxes the monkey could carry |
| C．how long it would take the monkey to put its eye to the keyhole |
| D．how long it would take the monkey to find the food |
What was the monkey doing when Mr Smith was putting his eye to the keyhole?
| A．The monkey was eating food. |
| B．The monkey was looking for food. |
| C．The monkey was eating on the other side of the door. |
| D．The monkey was looking at Mr Smith through the keyhole. |
Mr Smith is a ________.
| A．teacher | B．scientist (科学家) |
| C．doctor | D．farm worker |