If you want to walk in the footsteps of some of the world’s greatest figures, then go to Oxford. Many of Oxford’s 38 colleges are open to the public year-round. Here are a few of the colleges worth visiting and some famous people who have studied there.
Christ Church College
Long before it became known as a location for the Harry Potter films, Christ Church was the college where Albert Einstein, author Charles Dodgson who wrote Alice in Wonderland, and 13 British prime ministers studied. In this large and popular college, you can see the paintings in the 16th-century Great Hall.
Magdalen College
Many consider Magdalen to be one of the most beautiful Oxford’s colleges. This is where author Oscar Wilde read his classics course. You can enjoy the medieval(中世纪的) church with its 15th-century tower. Opposite the college is the beautiful Botanic Garden founded in 1621.
Merton College
Founded in 1264, Merton has the oldest medieval library in use. J. R. R. Tolkien is said to have spent many hours here writing The Lord of the Rings. One of the college’s treasures is an astrolabe(星盘)，thought to have belonged to Chaucer. The college has the most amazing collection of medieval colored glass in Oxford.
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library, the main research library of the University of Oxford, is the largest university library in the UK. It is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library. It holds more than 9 million printed items on 189 km of shelving and seats up to 2,500 readers. The users of the library here include five kings, 40 Nobel Prize winners, 25 British prime minister and countless famous writers.If a Harry Potter fan travels to Oxford, he’ll probably visit ____________.
| A．Merton College | B．Bodleian Library |
| C．Magdalen College | D．Christ Church College |
Which of the following can travelers see in Magdalen College?
| A．A 15th-century tower. |
| B．A seven–ton tower bell. |
| C．England’s smallest cathedral. |
| D．British oldest botanic garden. |
According to the passage, J. R. R. Tolkien is ____________.
| A．the founder of Merton College |
| B．the author of The Lord of the Rings |
| C．the designer of the oldest medieval library |
| D．the owner of the astrolabe in Merton College |
What do we know about the Bodleian Library?
| A．It lies in Magdalen College. |
| B．It is the most famous library in the UK. |
| C．It has a collection of 2,500 kinds of books. |
| D．It is smaller than the British Library. |
One cold winter evening, some young families and young couples were eating in a McDonald’s when an old couple walked slowly into McDonald’s hand in hand.
Some of the customers looked admiringly at them .You could tell what the admirers were thinking. Look, there is a couple who has been through a lot together, probably for 60 years or more.” The little old man walked right up to the cash register, placed his order with no hesitation(迟疑) and then paid for their meal. The couple took a table near the back wall and started taking food off the tray. There was one hamburger, one order of French fries and one drink. The little old man unwrapped(打开) the plain hamburger and carefully cut it in half. He placed one half in front of his wife. Then he carefully counted out the French fries, divided them in two piles and neatly placed one pile in front of his wife. He took a sip(吸) of the drink, his wife took a sip and then set the cup down between them.
When the man began to eat his few bites of hamburger, the crowd began to get restless. Again you could tell what they were thinking. “That poor old couple. All they can afford is one meal for the two of them.” Then, the man began to eat his French fries, when one young man stood and came over to the old couple’s table. He politely offered to buy another meal for the old couple to eat. But the old man replied that they were just fine and they were used to sharing everything.
Then the crowd noticed that the little old lady hadn’t eaten a bite. She just sat there watching her husband eat and occasionally taking turns sipping the drink. When the little old man finished eating and was wiping his face neatly, the young man could stand it no longer. Again he came over to their table and offered to buy some food.
After being politely refused again, he finally asked a question of the little old lady. “Ma’am, why aren’t you eating? You said that you shared everything. What is it that you are waiting for?”
She answered, “The false teeth”.According to the first paragraph, the old couple _____.
| A．enjoyed the scene outside the McDonald’s |
| B．didn’t look suitable(合适的) for the environment |
| C．loved being with young families and couples |
| D．liked the food in McDonald’s |
The little old man cut the plain hamburger in half because _____.
| A．he couldn’t finish eating it with one bite |
| B．he was very careful with his food |
| C．he ordered more than he could eat |
| D．he wanted to share it with his wife |
The young man who offered to buy the old couple food was _____.
| A．impolite | B．stubborn | C．sympathetic(有同情心的) | D．doubtful |
From the old lady’s answer, we know that _____.
| A．she was not interested in the food |
| B．the couple suffered a terrible toothache |
| C．the couple were using the same false teeth |
| D．actually she didn’t answer the young man’s question |
When movie star Scarlett Johansson was photographed naming in Los Angeles recently, she attracted a lot of attention; for the 27-year-old actress was wearing Vibram FiveFingers, so called because they look more like gloves than shoes, with a space for each toe.
Strange though they may look, these so-called barefoot shoes, which reproduce the effect of barefoot running but with less pain, are just one brand in a range of minimalist footwear. These super-thin sports shoes are causing a stir in the world of running and fitness. Why? Because some experts believe they could make you a better, more efficient runner and that traditional trainers could be doing you more harm than good.
"Wearing a shoe that has lots of cushioning and support affects the way your body naturally moves and studies suggest that this carries a higher risk of injury," explains Matt Wallden, an athlete performance expert. "But with barefoot shoes, the foot can actually feel the firmness and shape of the ground, which allows your body to respond effectively.'"
But before you rush out to invest in minimalist footwear, be careful. These kinds of shoes are not meant for everyone, or at least not straight away.
"Ordinary sports shoes with support are good for beginners whose bodies are not used to the impact of running," explains Patrick Davoren, former Olympic athlete. "If you are not in great condition, then running in minimalist footwear may cause injuries and will turn a lot of people off exercise and running.
If you are currently injured, and figures show that in any given year 65% of all runners are, it can be tempting to try anything that promises to get you back on the road, trail, or beach. But barefoot running is not a method of treating injury nor is it a magical way of suddenly turning you into a great athlete.
Even if you're used to running, when you start using minimalist shoes you should build up your distance gradually. Start_off'by doing just 10% of what you'd normally run and increase the distance by no more than 10% every week. And a word of warning - you may never have soft feet againThe Vibram FiveFingers are shoes ______.
| A．specifically designed for women |
| B．that have lots of cushion inside |
| C．safest for people who enjoy sports |
| D．that are much thinner than normal sports shoes |
The underlined word "they" in paragraph 2 refers to ________.
| A．experts | B．feet | C．shoes | D．runners |
According to Matt Wallden, the new shoes ________.
| A．make feet more sensitive to the running surface |
| B．will produce immediate improvements |
| C．force your body to move less naturally |
| D．increase the chances of getting hurt |
The author suggests that new users of Vibram FiveFingers should ________.
| A．run in the shoes every day at top speed |
| B．begin with a shorter running distance than normal |
| C．occasionally run barefooted to harden their feet |
| D．make sure they are already very fit before using them |
Where would you probably read this article?
| A．A travel book. | B．A movie website. |
| C．A sports magazine. | D．A science journal. |
Imagine one day, the water taps in your house stop running. You have to buy water from shops. And still there isn’t enough for everyone. Your mother has to save the family’s shower water to do other things. Would you be able to stand that kind of life?
Probably not. But that’s what kids in Yemen are experiencing. Experts said Yemen is going to be the first country in the world to run out of water. According to a report, the capital, Sanaa, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025.
Because of the shortage, the government often cuts the water supply. Hannan, an 18-year-old from Lahej, told the Times: “In a good week we’ll have a water supply all week. But then the following week there will be water only for a day or two.”
Hannan said only rich people have enough water to use. They can buy water from the shops or from the water truck. Private companies own the trucks. They travel around the city every day to sell water – at very high prices.
“A lot of people can’t afford it,” she said.
The average person in Yemen uses 100 to 200 cubic meters of water per year. That is far below the international water poverty line of 1,000 cubic meters.
The government is thinking of making use of seawater. But it will cost a lot and it may not happen soon enough to help the people of Yemen.The purpose of the text is to _______.
| A．tell us what life is like in Yemen |
| B．draw our attention to water shortage |
| C．remind us how important water is |
| D．show us ways of solving problems |
The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 2 refers to _____.
| A．buying water from shops |
| B．drinking dirty water |
| C．suffering from water shortage |
| D．washing clothes with used water |
Hannan described _____.
| A．what her life is like |
| B．how beautiful Lahej is |
| C．how people use water fully |
| D．how heavy the traffic in Lahej is |
The Yemen Government _____.
| A．has found a practical solution |
| B．only cares about rich people |
| C．may try to make use of seawater |
| D．can do nothing about the water supply |
We can infer from the text that _____.
| A．Sanaa will run out of water in 10 years |
| B．Hannan is a teenager from a rich family |
| C．the capital of Yemen is developing fast |
| D．private companies make a lot of money |
The best way of learning a language is using it. The best way of learning English is talking in English as much as possible. Sometimes you’ll get your words mixed up(混合)and people will not understand you. Sometimes people will say things too quickly and you can’t understand them. But if you keep your sense of humor(幽默感),you can always have a good laugh at the mistakes you make. Don’t be unhappy if people seem to be laughing at your mistakes. It’s better for people to laugh at your mistakes than to be angry with you, because they don’t understand what you are saying. The most important thing for learning Englsih is：“Don’t be afraid of making mistakes because everyone makes mistakes.”The writer thinks that the best way for you to learn a language is_______.
| A．writing | B．using it | C．listening | D．learning grammar |
What should you do in learning Englsih?
| A．Be careful not to make any mistake. | B．Write as quickly as you can. |
| C．Speak English as much as you can. | D．Laugh more often. |
When people laugh at your mistakes, you should______.
| A．not care | B．be happy | C．feel worried | D．be unhappy |
When you make a mistake, you should______.
| A．keep quiet | B．get angry | C．be kind | D．keep your sense of humor |
The story tells us,“________”
| A．Only foolish people make mistakes |
| B．Few people make mistakes |
| C．People never make mistakes |
| D．There is no one who doesn’t make mistakes |
Mr. Brown worked in a factory of a small town. He had been there for twenty years before one day he was sent to the capital for important business. He was quite excited because he had never been there before. Before he set off, he asked his wife and three daughters if they wanted him to buy something for them in Lon-don. Mrs. Brown began to think it over and then she said she wished her husband would be able to buy a nice umbrella for her, and so did their three daughters. As he was afraid he would forget it, he drew an umbrella on his hand. To his regret, he lost it at the station.
On the train Mr. Brown sat opposite to an old woman. The woman’s umbrella was so nice that he carefully looked at it and said to himself not to forget to buy a few umbrellas like it. When the train arrived at the station in London, he said good-bye to the old woman, took his bag and her umbrella and was going to get off.
“Wait a minute, sir,” shouted the old woman. “That’s my umbrella!”
Now Mr. Brown noticed that he had taken her umbrella. His face turned red at once and said in a hurry,“Oh, I’m very sorry, Madam! I didn’t mean it!”
Seven days later Mr. Brown left the capital. To his surprise, he met the old woman and sat opposite to her again. Looking at the four umbrellas, the old woman was satisfied with herself. “It seems that I had a better result than the other four women.” She thought.We can learn from the passage that Mr. Brown was ______.
| A．a conductor | B．a worker | C．a thief | D．an umbrella maker |
The underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refers to ______.
| A．his ticket | B．his bag | C．his drawing | D．his umbrella |
Why did Mr. Brown take the woman’s umbrella?
| A．Because he was lost in thought. |
| B．Because it was much like his own umbrella. |
| C．Because he thought the woman would not notice it. |
| D．Because the woman misplaced it beside Mr. Brown. |
When looking at Mr. Brown with four umbrellas, the woman felt ______.
| A．surprised | B．angry | C．fortunate | D．sad |
How did Mr. Brown get the four umbrellas?
| A．He picked them on the train. |
| B．He brought them from his small town. |
| C．He bought them in London. |
| D．He stole them from four women. |