Dragons are not real animals, but look like a combination (结合体) of many animals such as snakes, fish and deer. They have two horns (角) and a long moustache (胡子). With fantastic powers, they fly in the sky or swim in the sea. They can make rain, too. The Chinese dragon is a symbol of strength and good luck. The emperors of ancient China loved dragons. Their clothes were covered with pictures of dragons.
We are proud to call ourselves the "descendants (传人) of the dragon" In Chinese, "excellent" people are often called "dragons". A number of Chinese sayings and idioms talk about dragons, for example, “Hoping one's child will become a dragon," which means hoping he or she will be successful.
It is said that people born in the Year of the Dragon have certain characteristics. They are creative, confident, brave and quick-tempered. There are some famous "dragons" who have done excellent things, for example, the great man Deng Xiaoping, the famous businessman Li Jiacheng and the movie star Zhao Wei. They are all very successful.
There are also some traditional festivals about dragons in China, such as Dragon Head – Raising Day and Dragon Boat Festival. We have different kinds of activities to celebrate them. These two festivals come every year, but the Year of the Dragon comes every twelve years.
The dragon is very important in Chinese culture. As the "descendants of the dragon", it is necessary for us to know the views on dragons in our culture. It can help us understand why our parents always want us to be "dragons".
This year is the Year of the Dragon. Good luck to you!
| A．A combination of many animals. |
| B．Chinese sayings and idioms. |
| C．Traditional festivals. |
| D．Strength and good luck. |
| A．龙马精神 | B．龙飞凤舞 |
| C．望子成龙 | D．龙腾虎跃 |
They may be _______.
| A．creative, confident, brave and powerful |
| B．creative, confident, brave and quick-tempered |
| C．lovely, confident, brave and quick-tempered |
| D．lucky, confident, creative and successful |
| A．1988. | B．1998. |
| C．2008. | D．2018. |
| A．Dragons are real animals. |
| B．There are many Chinese sayings and idioms about dragons. |
| C．People born in the Year of the Dragon must be successful |
| D．The "descendants of the dragon" are often called "dragons". |
Choose the best answer（根据短文内容，选择最恰当的答案): ( 12分)
He was just an ordinary postman. Day after day, he shuttled(穿梭) back and forth across the village. For him, life
was without waves. 
One day, he was delivering mail as usual. When he looked up in the sky, he suddenly lost his balance. It was a little stone that tripped him up（绊倒）. He observed the stone that had embarrassed（难堪） him, finding it strange but beautiful. In his eyes, this stone was like a lost jewel（宝石） covered with dust. The postman then placed the stone in his bag carefully. Because of this stone’s arrival, his day was lightened. He suddenly had a bold thought—I can build a castle with such beautiful stones. How magnificent it will be!
His ordinary life started to be different since then. He still delivered mail, but he collected every stone he could find along the way. All those dusty stones, in his eyes, glittered like diamonds.
Gradually, his small bag couldn’t hold his stones anymore and he needed to use a wheelbarrow to carry them. People didn’t understand what happened when they saw the postman delivering letters with a wheelbarrow full of stones.
After collecting enough stones, he started to build his castle. During the daytime, he passed along the dreams of others; and during the nighttime, he built his own dream. No one was willing to join in. But the postman was unmoved, still happily building his castle. Because he knew, the dream and the castle only belonged to him.
After 20 years of working day and night, the postman’s dream castle was finally completed. It was a magnificent castle just as he had imagined. It was a miracle arising from the ordinary.
This is a real story. The postman’s name is Xue Waller. The stone castle has become a famous tourist attraction in France, which is called“ ideal palace of Ferdinand Cheval.”At the entrance of the stone castle, there is a sentence—“I want to know how far a dream stone can go.” The postman felt embarrassed because he _______.
| A．lost his balance | B．lost his bag |
| C．delivered mail | D．found a stone |
The postman’s own dream was to _______
| A．collect stones | B．deliver mail |
| C．find diamonds | D．build his castle |
The underlined word “glittered” in the third paragraph may mean ________.
| A．shone | B．cleaned | C．posted | D．hid |
Which of the following is not true?
| A． A little stone tripped the postman up while he was delivering mail as usual. |
| B． The postman collected every stone he would find along the way. |
| C． The postman built his castle with the help of his family and friends. |
| D．The postman spent twenty years building his stone castle. |
The postman named Xue Waller was ________.
| A．German | B．French | C． British | D．American |
From the passage we can learn that ________.
| A． The postman had a colourful life before the accident in which he lost his balance. |
| B． The postman gave up his job in order to built his stone castle. |
| C． The stone that tripped the postman up was a real jewel. |
| D． Though people didn’t understand him, the postman continued his dream ---building a castle. |
According to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, we officially welcome the Year of the Horse better than others.
The horse has played an important role throughout human history all over the world. Horses were used for thousands of years as a means of transportation, a weapon of war and a plougher of fields(犁地农具), but “the horse was more than just a vehicle – it had more character than a car, a tank or a tractor,” Clare Balding wrote for The Telegraph.
In the Middle Ages in Western societies, the horse was a symbol of chivalry (骑士精神) and nobility(贵族). In fact, the word “chivalry” comes from “cheval” in Old French, which meant horse. The idea of chivalry helped to fashion the 19th-century “gentleman”, which was about good manners, courage and honesty to friends.
Nowadays, because of economic(经济) development, people in Western societies are less likely to see or ride horses. People living in cities, in particular, hardly ever experience horses except through movies, paintings or books. But horse racing, and betting money on horse races, is still popular. The Kentucky Derby is one of the most popular sporting events every year in the US.
In the UK, the royal police still go around the city on horseback and the Queen rides in a traditional horse-drawn carriage on “ceremonial occasions (正式场合)”.
Some sayings about horses are still used in English today. For example, people still say “hold your horses” to mean “slow down”. If someone seems too proud, people might tell him or her to “get off his or her high horse”. And since horses are strong and energetic, there are expressions such as “as strong as a horse”, “workhorse” and “horsing around”.
Interestingly, the horse also appears in many Chinese sayings, such as Qianlima, which means a talented person. Other Chinese horse sayings include Madaochenggong (instant success) and Baimawangzi (prince charming).
Besides their physical strengths, horses are smart and have “excellent memories”, according to Discovery News. Maybe that’s why Chinese people say, “An old horse never gets lost”.
Since the horse is honored as a symbol of many great qualities, people born in the Year of the Horse are said to share them.
According to Chinese tradition, which year is welcomed best officially?
| A．the Year of the Snake | B．the Year of the Tiger |
| C．the Year of the Mouse | D．the Year of the Horse |
According to the passage, which is NOT the role of the horse nowadays?
| A．A weapon of war. |
| B．The royal police’s transportation to go around in the UK. |
| C．Race horses. |
| D．Animal actors in movies. |
If a friend of yours is overconfident, what are you supposed to tell him or her?
| A．Hold your horses. | B．Get off your high horse. |
| C．Be as strong as a horse | D．An old horse never gets lost |
According to the passage, which is NOT the reason why people like horses?
| A．The horse has played an important role throughout human history all over the world |
| B．The horse was a symbol of chivalry and nobility in the Middle Ages in Western societies. |
| C．Besides their physical strengths, horses are smart and have “excellent memories”. |
| D．Horses are only used as a means of transportation like a car, a tank or a tractor. |
From the passage we know that ____________.
| A．Economy develops a lot, so people in Western societies hardly see or ride horses nowadays. |
| B．The Kentucky Derby is one of the most popular betting events every year in the US. |
| C．Qianlima in Chinese means a person who can run one thousand kilometers a day. |
| D．Since the horse is honored as a symbol of many great qualities, people born in the Year of the Horse are said to be as strong as a horse. |
Hollywood child star Shirley Temple died on Monday Feb 10th2014, at home in Woodside, California, from natural causes. "She was surrounded by her family and caregivers," a statement said.
With her sweet smile and curly blonde hair, she was one of the most popular stars of the 1930s, in hit movies like Bright Eyes and Stand Up and Cheer.
Her singing, dancing and acting won over fans worldwide. She was given a special Oscar in 1935, when she was just six years old. To this day, she is still the youngest person to receive the award.
After retiring from films at the age of 21, Temple returned to the spotlight as a politician(政客) and diplomat（外交官）.
Shirley Temple started her film career at three years old. Between 1934 and 1938 she appeared in more than 20 feature films and was the top US movie star at that time.
As well as being the youngest ever winner of an Oscar (at the age of 6 years and 310 days), Temple was also the youngest person to present one of the statuettes(小雕像). She stood on a chair to give Claudette Colbert the best actress prize for It Happened One Night in1935.
At the age of 12 Temple’s star burnt out -- her parents stopped her from making movies and sent her to a girls’ school. Her final film, A Kiss For Corliss, is available to watch online for free. This is star’s final ever moment on the big screen. The actress retired from Hollywood in 1950, but she still appeared occasionally on TV. In 2006, she accepted the Life Achievement Award at the 12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.What did Shirley Temple die of?
| A．cancer | B．accident |
| C．heart disease | D．natural causes |
What did Shirley do after retiring from films?
| A．a politician and diplomat | B．a president and politician |
| C．a director and writer | D．all above |
From the passage, we know that Shirley Temple died at the age of ________.
| A．95 | B．85 | C．89 | D．82 |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Shirley Temple was given a normal Oscar in 1935. |
| B．Shirley Temple started her film career when she was four years old. |
| C．Shirley Temple was sent to a girls’ school in 1941. |
| D．Shirley Temple made her last movie in 1954. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Shirley Temple was one of the most popular stars of the 1930s, |
| B．Between 1934 and 1938 Shirley Temple was the top US movie star. |
| C．In 1935 Shirley Temple was the youngest winner of an Oscar instead of a presenter. |
| D．In 2006, she accepted the Life Achievement Award at the 12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. |
Mr. and Mrs. Smith have just opened a small restaurant. In order to attract customers, they put a notice in front of the restaurant, which said: “Meals on the house for three days.”
A foreign student who didn’t know much English passed by the restaurant on the second day. It was lunchtime and he felt hungry. “Well, here is a restaurant. I’m going to have something to eat,” he said.
He saw the notice when he walked towards the restaurant. “American people are really strange. They even eat dinners on the house! But how can I get onto the top of the house?” he asked himself. He looked around and found a ladder(梯子) against a tree nearby. He was very glad. But as he reached the top, he heard someone shouting at him, “Hey, what are you doing up there?”
Mr. Smith was looking at him angrily. Beside him was a policeman. “Doesn’t your notice say „Meals on the house for three days’? Is it just a joke?” the foreign student answered. On hearing this, both Mr. Smith and the policeman burst into laughter. Do you know the meaning of “on the house”?
The Smiths have __________.
| A．opened a restaurant | B．built a house |
| C．climbed onto the top | D．been policemen |
Why do Mr. and Mrs. Smith put up the notice?
| A．Because they wanted to attract policemen |
| B．Because they wanted people to eat on the roof |
| C．Because they wanted to attract more customers |
| D．Because they liked to play jokes |
The student walked past the restaurant ___________.
| A．when the Smiths started their business |
| B．when the Smiths put on the notice |
| C．when the policeman came to the restaurant |
| D．when it was time to have lunch |
The student _________, so Mr. Smith shouted at him.
| A．was very hungry | B．knew little about English |
| C．climbed onto the top of the house | D．took away the ladder |
“On the house” may mean that the meal _____________.
| A．is taken on the house | B．is paid on the house |
| C．is made on the house | D．is free for the customers |
The sun gives energy and the earth receives the sun’s energy. The way the earth interacts with the sun’s energy can be displayed in a picture called the earth’s energy budget（预算）. It displays the sun’s energy that reaches us and how much of that energy is taken in and how much is thrown back by the earth and its air. Once the energy reaches the earth, some of it is taken by land and oceans. The amount of energy that is taken in influences the temperatures. The energy that is not taken in is thrown back to space.
Generally, the amount of energy coming in is equal to the amount of energy going out. So, we say the earth’s energy budget is balanced. If more energy was coming in than was going out, the earth’s temperature would increase. On the other hand, if too much energy is thrown back, and not taken in, we would see the earth’s temperature dropping.
Of all of the sun’s energy that hits the earth, about 67% is taken in by the land, oceans, air and clouds and about 33% is thrown back into space.
The picture above shows us how ________ hits the earth.
A. the high temperature B. the heavy rain C. the sun’s energyIn the 2nd paragraph, the underlined phrase “equal to ” means “______”.
A. less than B. the same as C. more thanPicture ______ shows us the main idea of the last paragraph.
A. B. C.
If too much energy is thrown back, we will feel ______on the earth.
A. cold B. hot C. warmThe amount of energy that is _______ influences the temperatures.
A. well balanced
B. thrown back
C. taken in