As early as 1894,the newly-formed InternationalOlympic Committee(IOC) considered ice skating as apossibility for the first modern Olympic Games whichwould be held in 1896.
In 1911, a member of the IOC suggested thatwinter sports should be staged as part of the 1912Olympics in Helsinki. Some opposed the idea. At last,the IOC decided to hold Winter Olympic Games in1916. However, World War I broke out in 1914.After 1920, the national governing bodies for wintersports in several countries began talking about thepossibility of separate Winter Olympics.
The town of Chamonix, in the French Alps,planned to hold a winter sports festival in 1924, andat the same time Paris was to host the Olympics. TheMarquis de Polignac, a member of the IOC, suggestedthat the festival be formally recognized as the WinterOlympic Games. The IOC didn't go that far, but didagree that Chamonix could call its festival an "Olympic winter carnival".
The festival drew 258 athletes from 16 countriesto compete in bobsledding(雪橇车比赛), figureskating, hockey, Nordic skiing and speed skating.Charles Jewtraw from the United States won the first
gold medal, in the 500-metre speed skating,but thefestival's hero was Claus Thunberg from Finland. Hewon five medals, three of which were gold, in speedskating.
Weather has often been a major story at theWinter Olympics, and so it was at Chamonix. Thefestival opened with rain and unseasonably warmtemperature that turned snow and ice to mud. Thentemperature dropped as far as 25 below zero and themud became ice.
Despite the weather, more than 10, 000 peopleshowed up. At its yearly meeting in 1925, the IOC recognized the Chamonix festival as the first WinterOlympics and decided that the Winter Games wouldbe held every four years, just like the SummerOlympics. Why was the first Winter Olympic Games notheld in 1916?
| A．Because the IOC didn't agree to it. |
| B．Because it was still under discussion. |
| C．Because some people opposed the idea. |
| D．Because World War I broke out in 1914. |
How many years was the first modern Olympic Games earlier than the first Winter Olympic Games?
| A．16. |
| B．24. |
| C．28. |
| D．29. |
We can know from the passage that ______
| A．the weather destroyed the first Winter Olympics |
| B．people from 16 countries watched the first Winter Olympics |
| C．Charles Jewtraw won the most medals in the first Winter Olympics |
| D．Finland got 3 gold medals in speed skating in the first Winter Olympics. |
What's the passage mainly about?
| A．The development of the Winter Olympics. |
| B．The importance of weather in the Olympics. |
| C．The events of the first Winter Olympic Games. |
| D．The heroes of the Winter Olympics. |
In 1933 an unknown American called Clarence Nash went to see the film-maker Walter Disney. He had an unusual voice and he wanted to work in Disney’s cartoon film for children. When Walter Disney heard Nash’s voice, he said, “Stop! That’s our duck!”
The duck was the now-famous Donald Duck, who first appeared in 1934 in the film, The Wise Little Hen. Donald lived in an old houseboat and worn his sailor jacket and hat. Later that year he became a star after an eight minute Mickey Mouse film. The cinema audiences (观众) liked him because he was lazy and greedy, and because he lost his temper very easily. And they loved his voice when he became angry with Mickey’s eight nephews. Soon Donald was more popular than Mickey Mouse himself, probably because he wasn’t a goody-goody, like Mickey.
In the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, Donald and his friends Mickey, Goofy and Pluto made hundreds of Disney cartoons. He also made educational film about the place of the USA in the world, and safety in the home. Then in 1966 Donald Duck and his voice disappeared—there were no more new cartoons.
Clarence Nash died in February, 1985. But today’s Children can still see the old cartoons on the television and hear that famous voice.Who made Donald Duck cartoons?
| A．Mickey Mouse. | B．Clarence Nash. | C．Walter Disney. | D．Pluto. |
When did the first Donald Duck film appear?
| A．In 1933 | B．In 1934 | C．In 1966 | D．In 1965 |
Who was Clarence Nash?
| A．A cartoonist. |
| B．A writer. |
| C．A film maker. |
| D．The man who made the voice for Donald Duck. |
Where do today’s children see Donald Duck cartoons?
| A．In new cartoons. | B．At the cinema. | C．On television. | D．In the theatre. |
Why did people like Donald better than Mickey Mouse?
| A．Probably because he was lazy and greedy. |
| B．Probably because he wasn’t a goody—goody like Mickey. |
| C．Probably because he lost his temper very easily. |
| D．Probably because he became angry with Mickey’s eight nephews. |
Ad.1
West High School Bake Sale
Come and support our band and buy some delicious baked goods!
Friday, September 20th, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
In the hall by the office after school
Cookies: 25 cents each or 5 for $1
Brownies: 50 cents each or 3 for $1.25
Cake by the slice: $1
Whole cakes: $8
Proceeds go toward sending our band to Nationals.
Ad.2
SHIPPING AND HANDLING CHARGES
Ups or U.S. Parcel Post are the standard methods for continental U.S. shipments.
ORDER TOTAL GROUND EXPEDITED GROUND
9-12 working days 4-5 working days
$0.00 to $30.00 $4.50 $5.50
$30.01 to $60.00 $7.25 $8.25
$60.01 to $100.00 $9.50 $10.50
$100.01 to $200.00 $11.50 $12.50
Add $7.00 to Ground Rates for 3 Days. How much money can you save (节省) if you buy 3 brownies?
| A．50 cents. | B．1.25 dollars. | C．75 cents. | D．25 cents. |
Which of the following gives you the most for your money if you buy the baked goods?
| A．4 cookies. | B．5 cookies. | C．2 brownies | D．One slice of cake. |
If you wish to receive an order totaling $90.00 within 3 days, how much would the shipping cost?
| A．$10.50. | B．$15.00. | C．$16.50. | D．$26.50. |
How much should you pay for an order totaling $50 for the expedited ground (快递)?
| A．$1 | B．$7.25 | C．$8.25 | D．$15.5 |
We have designed all our bank cards to make your life easier.
How to use your NatWest Servicecard .
As a Switch card, it lets you pay for all sorts of goods and services, wherever you see the Switch logo. The money comes straight out of your account, so you can spend as much as you like as long as you have enough money ( or an agreed overdraft (透支) to cover it. It is also a cheque guarantee for up to the amount shown on the card. And it gives you free access to your money from over 31,000 cash machines across the UK.
How to use your NatWest Cashcard
You can use your Cashcard as a Solo card to pay for goods and services wherever you see the Solo logo. It can also give you access to your account and your cash from over 31,000 cash machines nationwide. You can spend or withdraw what you have in your account, or as much as your agreed overdraft limit.
Using your cards abroad
You can also use your Servicecard and Cashcard when you’re abroad. You can withdraw cash at cash machines and pay for goods and services wherever you see the Cirrus or Maestro logo displayed.
We take a commission charge (手续费) of 2.25% of each cash withdrawal you make. . We also apply a foreign-exchange transaction fee of 2.65%.
How to use your Nat West Credit Card
With your credit card you can do the following：
* Pay for goods and services and enjoy up to 56 days interest-free credit.
* Pay in over 24 million shops worldwide that display the Mastercard or Visa logos.
* Collect one AIR MILE for every￡20 of spending that appears on your statement（结算单）.
（This does not include foreign currency or traveller’s cheques bought，interest and other charges.）If you carry the Servicecard or the Cashcard , ________.
| A．you can use it to guarantee things as you wish |
| B．you can draw your money from cash machines conveniently |
| C．you can spend as much money as you like without a limit |
| D．you have to pay some extra money when you pay for services in the UK |
If you withdraw￡200 from a cash machine abroad, you will be charged ________.
| A．￡4.90 | B．￡4.5 | C．￡5.25 | D．￡5.3 |
Which of the following is TRUE about using your NatWest Credit Card?
| A．You have to pay back with interest within 56 days. |
| B．You will be charged some interest beyond 56 days. |
| C．You can use the card in any shop across the world. |
| D．You will gain one air mile if you spend ￡20 on traveller’s cheques. |
The purpose of the passage is to show you how to ________.
| A．play your cards right |
| B．use your cards abroad |
| C．draw cash with your cards |
| D．pay for goods with your cards |
Do dogs understand us?
Be careful what you say around your dog. It might understand more than you think.
A border collie博德牧羊犬 named Rico recognizes the names of about 200 objects, say researchers in Germany. The dog also appears to be able to learn new words as easily as a 3-year-old child. Its word-learning skills are as good as those of a parrot or chimpanzee(黑猩猩).
In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided them into 20 groups of 10 objects. Then the owner told the dog to go and fetch one of the items and bring it back. In four tests, Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right. As the dog couldn't see anyone to get clues, the scientists believe Rico must understand the meanings of certain words.
In another experiment, the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room with seven toys whose names the dog already knew. The owner then told Rico to fetch the object, using a word the dog had never heard before.
The correct object was chosen in seven out of l0 tests, suggesting that the dog had worked out the answer by the process of elimination(排除法). A month later, Rico remembered half of the new names, which is even more impressive.
Rico is thought to be smarter than the average dog. For one thing, Rico is a border collie, a breed (品种)known for its mental abilities. In addition, the 9-year-old dog has been trained to fetch toys by their names since the age of nine months.
It's hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say. Even if they do, they can't talk back. Still, it wouldn't hurt to sweet-talk your dog every now and then. You might just get a big, wet kiss in return!From paragraph 2 we know that ____________..
| A．animals are as clever as human beings |
| B．dogs are smarter than parrots and chimpanzees |
| C．chimpanzees have very good word-learning skills |
| D．dogs have similar 'learning abilities as 3-year-old children |
Both experiments show that .
| A．Rico is smart enough to get all commands right |
| B．Rico can recognize different things including toys |
| C．Rico has developed the ability of learning mathematics |
| D．Rico won't forget the names of objects once recognizing them |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The purpose of the experiments is to show the border collie's mental abilities. |
| B．Rico has a better memory partly because of its proper early training. |
| C．The border collie is world-famous for recognizing objects. |
| D．Rico is born to understand its owner's commands. |
What does the writer want to tell us?
| A．To train your dog. |
| B．To talk with your dog. |
| C．To be friendly to your dog. |
| D．To be careful with your dog. |
This dictionary tells you about English words and how to use them in reading, writing and speaking English. It not only gives the meaning of words, it can also help you with spelling, word-building, grammar and pronunciation.
To use your dictionary correctly, you need to understand how the dictionary works. At the front of the book, you will find some exercises to help you make the most use of your dictionary.
If you look up the word “colour”, you will find two spellings for this word. “Colour” is used in British English, while “color” is used in American English. When there are differences between British and American spelling, the dictionary shows it with the word “BrE” for British English and “AmE” for American English.
The dictionary also helps you pronounce words correctly. We use a special alphabet (特殊字母) to show pronunciation. If you turn to the inside back face, you will see all the phonetic letters (音标) with some words to show you how they are pronounced. Just look at the inside back cover when you’re not sure how to say a word.
The most important reason for using a dictionary is to find out the meaning of a word—its definition
In this dictionary, the definitions have been written using only 2000 words. This means that the definitions of even the most difficult words are simply explained and easy to understand.
When a word has more than one meaning, read all the meanings until you find the one that correctly tells the use of the word you are looking for.
Most of the words in this dictionary can be used by people in all parts of the world.The AmE spelling of the Chinese word “颜色” in this dictionary is ________.
| A．colour | B．colar | C．color | D．corner |
The phonetic alphabet help you ________ each word correctly.
| A．understand | B．write | C．say | D．know |
The underlined word ‘definition’ means__________
| A．词性 | B．词条 | C．词义 | D．词库 |
The dictionary explains ________.
| A．some of the difficult words |
| B．all the words in the dictionary in a simple way |
| C．all easy words |
| D．the words with two meanings |