Try reading the following sentences as fast as you can. “She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. So if she sells shells on the seashore, I’m sure she sells seashore shells.”
Not very easy, was it? What you’ve just read is called a tongue twister (绕口令). It is an exercise made up of sounds that are hard to pronounce in order to help people pronounce words faster and more correctly. Try the next example.
“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers? If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?”
Tongue twisters usually do not have much meaning. They are just designed to improve people’s ability (能力) to pronounce words. Although they may be very difficult, these exercises are very important to people who are trying to speak English correctly. This is because tongue twisters help people to tell the differences between similar sounds.
So if you wish to pronounce words more smoothly, you’d better try picking out some tongue twisters and practising them.Tongue twisters are helpful in improving ______ skills.
| A．listening | B．writing |
| C．pronunciation | D．communication |
The first tongue twister is hard because ______.
| A．it is very boring to read |
| B．it teaches us a lot of knowledge |
| C．we don’t know who “she” is |
| D．the sounds of “s” and “sh” are similar |
The passage is probably taken from ______ in a school newspaper.
| A．Story Time | B．Study Garden |
| C．Latest News | D．Lost and Found |
【福建省漳州市2015年中考英语试题】阅读理解(A、B、C、E篇：每小题2分，D篇：每小题1分．计45分)
A、B、C篇：根据所提供的内容，从四个选项中选择最佳答案。
A
Family traditions are special habits or customs that your family have. For example, in the family of Bill Gates, his parents keep the tradition of reading with children. And what's the tradition in your family?
Ialways the one who chooses where to go. We have visited Qingdao, Xiamen and Beijing.The family of Bill Gates keeps the tradition of ______ with children .
| A．playing | B．reading | C．singing | D．traveling |
________bought a film ticket for his mother.
| A．Bill | B．Jack | C．Nick | D．Yu Xin |
Sometimes, Jack's parents _________when the family get together .
A. cook food B. talk about interesting things
C meet cousins D. play games with the childrenYu Xin has visited some places EXCEPT_________.
| A．Xiamen | B．Hangzhou | C．Beijing | D．Qingdao |
The three children are talking about their________ .
| A．school life | B．birthday parties |
| C．holiday plans | D．family traditions |
【福建省厦门市2015年中考英语试题】阅读下面五篇文章，根据文章的内容选择最佳答案作答1-5小题。
E
Tony and Jane give their opinions about keeping pet dogs.
| Keeping pet dogs is a good idea, says Tony I think people should be allowed to keep pet dogs. There are lots of reasons for this. First, dogs are really cute. It’s nice to pick them up and hold them in our arms, and it’s wonderful to see them growing up quickly. Second, your dog might not be dangerous but by simply barking(吠)he can keep away a burglar(窃贼)who might think of entering your house. Finally, we can also learn about life and death from dogs. Young people can learn how to care for others and how to respect(尊重)all living things by keeping a pet dog. I think keeping pet dogs is something everyone can enjoy. |
Keeping pet dogs is not a good idea, say Jane In my opinion, it is never a good idea to keep a pet dog. Firstly, pet dogs creates a lot of mess. They leave fur(毛) and hair on the floor, on beds and on sofas, and they need to be washed daily. Secondly, we should remember that not all dogs are friendly. Some dogs bark at people they do not know. A few dogs bark all night. This stops their neighbors from getting any sleep. A small number of pet dogs even bite(咬) people. Lastly, you have to make sure pet dogs are in good health and provided with good pet products. Paying for dog food and visiting the vet when dogs are ill can be expensive. I believe that people should not keep pet dogs. |
57.Tony would probably think it____ to put pet dogs on beds.
A. uncomfortable B. acceptable C. dangerousThe underlined word “they” in the passage refers to(指) “ ____”.
A. beds B. sofas C. pet dogsFrom the underlined part, we can guess “vet” means“ ____”.
A. 兽医 B. 宠物店 C. 驯兽师Tony and Jane disagree on ____.
A. the growth of pets
B. the sound made by dogs
C. the money paid for pets It can be learned from the passage that ____.
A. people are not allowed to keep pet dogs
B. people are encouraged to keep pet dogs
C. opinions are divided on keeping pet dogs
【浙江省温州市2015年中考英语试题】阅读理解（本题有15小题，每小题2分，共30分）
阅读下面的短文，从每小题所给的A.B.C.D四个选项中选出最佳答案。
C
The village of Hengly was going to have the Bean Olympics.It was a competition to see which kind of bean would grow the fastest and tallest.Everybody was excited.They couldn’t waited to show their best plants.
Cassie knew clearly which bean she would choose for the competition,for her family had planted a special “family bean.”It was a flat bean that her greatgrandparents had brought from Sicily.Her grandmother planted the beans every year and served them at many meals.Cassie was sure they would be unbeatable beans.
However,the plan did not work out that way.Although Cassie’s bean plants looked healthy with beautiful purple flowers,they did not grow as fast or climb as high as any of her neighbors’.These people chose beans from seed(种子)stores.Their beans had wonderful names like “Rocket” or “Top Crop.”One type was even named “King’s Bean.”That was the bean Ivan planted,and his plants climbed almost to the top of the fence.Cassie’s plants were just near the middle of the fence.
On the day of the competition,Cassie was disappointed that her beans were in last place.Ivan laughed at hr beans and said she could win a prize for the slowest,shortest beans.
The organizer,Mr.Williams,handed out medals for the fastest-growing and the tallest beans plants.“Now there remains only one final test,and it is just as important:the taste test.”
Mr.Williams cooked the beans from each competitor and chose five experienced villagers as judges(裁判).
Cassie was nervous.Would her family beans lose another time?
After the judges tasted the beans,Mr.Williams counted the results.“We have a winner,” Mr.Williams announced.“The judges all agree that Cassie’s beans are the winner.”
Cassie grinned at this unexpected result.Many of her neighbors,even Ivan asked for her seeds.They were all in favor of the good-tasting beans even though they didn’t grow fast or very tall.
Cassie’s beans were from _____________.
| A．the organizer | B．seed stores |
| C．her neighbors | D．her family |
Cassie won the prize for ____________.
| A．the tallest beans | B．the most delicious beans |
| C．the most beautiful beans | D．the fastest-growing beans |
What does the underlined word grinned probably mean in the passage?
| A．smiled widely | B．left silently |
| C．nodded quickly | D．sang sadly |
What is the topic of the passage?
| A．The experience of growing beans. |
| B．The tallest bean in the competition. |
| C．The history of a special family bean. |
| D．The bean competition in Hengly Village. |
【浙江省丽水市2015年中考英语试题】阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下面四篇短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。B
He was an old man who fished alone in a small boat on the sea and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish. In the first forty days a boy had been with him. But after forty days without a fish, the boy’s parents had told him that the old man was now salao, which is the worst form of unlucky, and the boy had gone with another boat which caught three good fish the first week. It made the boy sad to see the old man come in each day with his boat empty. The sail looked like the flag of failure forever.
The old man was thin with deep wrinkles (皱纹) in the back of his neck. His face was terribly brown because of the strong sunlight on the sea every day and his hands had the deep scars (伤疤) from dealing with heavy fish on the lines. But none of these scars were fresh. Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful.
“Santiago,” the boy said to him as they climbed the bank from the sea. “I could go with you again. We’ve made some money.”
The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him.
“No,” the old man said. “You’re with a lucky boat. Stay with them.”
“But remember how you went eighty-seven days without fish and then we caught big ones every day for three weeks.”
“I remember,” the old man said.
“It was papa who made me leave. I am a boy and I must follow him.”
“I know,” the old man said. “It is quite normal.”
“He hasn’t much faith (信心).”
“No,” the old man said. “But we have. Haven’t we?”
“Yes,” the boy said. “Can I offer you a beer on the Terrace?”
“Why not?” the old man said “Between fishermen.”In the story the old man was the boy’s _____.
| A．grandfather | B．friend | C．boss | D．host |
The word they in Paragraph 2 refers to (指的是) _____ of the old man.
| A．the hands | B．the scars |
| C．the eyes | D．the wrinkles |
The old man refused the boy to go fishing with him again because _____.
| A．he wanted to fish by himself |
| B．he could really understand his parents |
| C．the boy asked for some money |
| D．the boy had already learnt how to fish |
From the story we can know that _____.
| A．the old man was always full of hope |
| B．the boy’s parents believed in the old man |
| C．everyone laughed at the old man’s bad luck |
| D．the boy was worried about the old man’s health |
【四川省南充市2015年中考英语试题】阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读短文，从题中所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
B
Amy had three sons, Dave, Bill and Bob. Every year her sons sent her expensive gifts on her birthday.
The eldest son Dave, had a lot of money and he wanted his mother to have the most expensive gifts, but he didn’t know what to buy. So he put an ad in the newspaper. “Wanted—the greatest gift for my mother.”
About a week before his mother’s birthday, a man came to his office. He brought a big bird.
“This bird can speak six languages and sing eight songs.” the man said.
“Really? I’d like to listen to it,” Dave said.
The man made the bird talk in French and tell a joke in Japanese. Then the bird sang a beautiful song. Dave was very happy and paid eight thousand dollars for the bird. The next day Dave sent the bird to his mother with a birthday card.
The day after his mother’s birthday he called his mother. “Well, mother” he asked, “What do you think of the bird?”
“Oh, it’s very delicious, dear.” said his mother. is the eldest brother?
| A．Bob | B．Bill | C．Dave | D．Amy |
What did Dave put in the newspaper?
| A．A show | B．A joke | C．An ad | D．A report |
How many songs could the bird sing?
| A．Five | B．Six | C．Seven | D．Eight |
How much did the bird cost Dave?
| A．＄8 | B．＄80 | C．＄800 | D．＄8000 |
How did the mother deal with the bird?
| A．She sold it. | B．She played with it. |
| C．She ate it. | D．She gave it to others. |