A Christmas Carol is a famous short novel written by Charles Dickens. It is about an old man named Scrooge who never laughs or smiles. He is mean and only thinks about himself. He doesn't treat others nicely. He just cares about whether he can make more money and he hates Christmas. One Christmas Eve, Scrooge sees the ghost of Jacob Marley. Marley used to be just like Scrooge, so he was punished after he died. He warns Scrooge to change his ways if he doesn't want to end up like him. He also tells Scrooge to expect three spirits to visit him.
That night, three ghosts visit Scrooge. First, the Ghost of Christmas Past takes him back to his childhood and reminds Scrooge of his happier days as a child. Then the second spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Present, takes him to see how others are spending Christmas this year. Everyone is happy, even poor people. The last one, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, takes him to the future. Scrooge sees that he is dead, but nobody cares. He is so scared that he wakes up in his bed and finds out it is only the next morning — Christmas Day!
He decides to change his life and promises to be a better person. He happily celebrates Christmas with his relatives. He also gives gifts to people in need. He now treats everyone with kindness and warmth, spreading love and joy everywhere he goes. And that is the true spirit of Christmas!
Who is the writer of A Christmas Carol?
| A．Charles Dickens | B．Jacob Marley |
| C．Scrooge | D．Three ghosts |
What is Scrooge like?
A. He laughs and smiles a lot.
B. He is mean and only thinks about himself.
C He is friendly.
D. He treats others nicely.What happened to Marley after he died?
| A．He went to the heaven (天堂). |
| B．He met three spirits. |
| C．He was punished. |
| D．He changed his life. |
Which is NOT the true spirit of Christmas according to the passage?
| A．Treating everyone with kindness and warmth. |
| B．The importance of sharing and giving love and joy. |
| C．Spreading love and joy everywhere you go. |
| D．Giving gifts to whoever you meet. |
After death, John went to see God. God looked at him, feeling very unhappy, “You’ve lived in this world for 60 years. Why haven’t you gotten any result at all?” God asked.
John argued, “My God, I couldn’t become a successful person just because you didn’t give me any chance. If you let that magic apple hit on my head, the man who found the law of gravity should be me.”
God said, “OK, we might as well try again.”
God rocked his hands and the time turned back to a few hundred years ago.
God shook the apple tree for the first time, when a red apple fell and happened to drop on John’s head. John picked up the apple, wiped it and ate it up as soon as possible.
God allowed another bigger apple drop on John’s head and John ate it up once again.
God shook the apple tree for the third time, when a much bigger apple fell on John’s head. John got mad, picked up the apple, threw it out heavily. Then he shouted angrily: “The apple annoyed my sweet dream! What a bad luck!”
The apple flew out and happened to fall on Newton’s head. Newton awoke and picked up the apple. After a long time of thinking, he discovered the law of gravity at last.
The time returned once again now.
God said to John, “John, do you understand it now?”
John asked, “My God, please give me another chance…I will …”
God shook his head and said, “No. The chance that the apple drops on the head of everyone is the same, but each person’s ability to catch the chance is different.”When did John die?
| A．At the age of 50. | B．At the age of 60. |
| C．At the age of 70. | D．At the age of 80. |
How many times was John hit by apples?
| A．Once. | B．Twice. | C．Three times. | D．Four times. |
What did John do after he was hit by the apple for the second time?
| A．He ate the apple at once. | B．He got angry and shouted. |
| C．He threw the apple out. | D．He thought something over. |
Which is the best title of the passage?
| A．God’s Words | B．Annoying Apples |
| C．John’s Life | D．Lost Chances |
Zhang Heng was a famous scientist in the history of China. His invention Hou Feng Seismometer was a great success and it helped us understand the world better.
 (AD 78-139)  |
It was invented. Zhang Heng was born in Nanyang in the eastern Han Dynasty. At that time, there were many earthquakes every year. People thought they were from ghosts. Zhang Heng, however, didn’t believe it. He tried to find ways to study earthquakes for many years and in 132 he invented the first seismometer in the world. |
| It was used. But at first, people didn’t believe it and all laughed at him. In February, 138, Zhang heng’s seismometer told there was an earthquake in the west of Luoyang. After four days, three earthquakes really happened in Luoyang area. It was believed to be useful from then on. However, it was lost 1700 years ago. |
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| It was reproduced. Scientists have been trying to reproduce one like that. In 2012, the latest reproduced seismometer was successfully listed in Shanghai museum. It was reported to have been a little helpful during the earthquakes in Tangshan, Yunnan and Sichuan. It is hoped to be improved better soon and be able to predict coming earthquakes one day. |
When was the first seismometer in the world invented?
| A．In 78. | B．In 132. | C．In 138. | D．In 139. |
Where can we visit the latest reproduced seismometer?
| A．In Henan. | B．In Luoyang. | C．In Shanghai. | D．In Nanyang. |
We probably read this passage from a (an) ______________.
| A．advertisement | B．story book |
| C．travel guidebook | D．science magazine |
| Henry |
I like dogs because they are so cute. Sometimes they play with you. How happy! They are our friends. So I enjoy watching animal shows about dogs on TV. |
| Julia |
I don’t like dogs because they are scary. Some dogs hurt(伤害) people. I like to have some small or clean animals. So I don’t need to give them showers every day. |
| Nancy |
Dogs are helpful! They help people with many things. Some dogs help to do the housework and some other work. Some dogs can be “doctors”, too! They can make the sick children or old people happy. So I love dogs. |
| Andrew |
I like dogs. They are clever. But my mother dislikes them. She thinks they are noisy. She only likes cats. My father doesn’t like to have pets at home. So I can’t keep a dog or any pets. I’m not happy about that. |
_______ doesn’t like dogs.
| A．Andrew | B．Julia | C．Nancy | D．Henry |
_______ kids like dogs.
| A．One | B．Two | C．Three | D．Four |
________ like the same animal.
| A．Nancy and Julia | B．Henry and Nancy |
| C．Julia and Andrew | D．Andrew and his mother |
Some dogs are “doctor” because ___________.
| A．They can work in the hospital | B．they treat (治疗)the sick people |
| C．they can do some medical work | D．they can make sick children happy |
Which sentence is NOT true?
| A．Henry thinks dogs are cute. | B．Julia likes giving animals showers. |
| C．Dogs can help people with many things. | D．Andrew thinks dogs are smart. |
A young man and a young girl get married (结婚). The man has much money, and he likes reading very much in his spare (空闲的) time. The woman is very beautiful, but she doesn’t have anything to do because the servant(仆人)does everything for her every day. She isn’t happy, either. Do you know the reason? Her husband is busy reading his books and has no time to stay with her every day.
One day, she says to her husband: “I would like to be a book!” “Why, dear?” the husband asks. “Then you will love to read me very much” “But I don’t think so, dear. After I read one book, I usually read the next one soon,” the husband answers. The young man is ________.
| A．Cute | B．poor | C．rich | D．tall |
Who does the housework in the family?
| A．The woman. | B．The man. | C．The servant. | D．The man’s mother. |
The man likes ______ in his spare time.
| A．fishing | B．swimming | C．reading | D．sleeping |
What does the underlined word “husband” mean?
| A．妻子 | B．丈夫 | C．佣人 | D．爷爷 |
Why does the woman want to be a book?
| A．Because she likes books very much. | B．Because the man has lots of money. |
| C．Because she wants the man to read her. | D．Because she wants the man to love her. |
Do you know how to write an English letter? It is different from the Chinese letter. When we write a letter in English, we should write the date on the top of the right corner. Sometimes we write the insideaddress(信内地址)---the number of the house and the names of the street, city and country. Then we can begin the letter at the left corner. We always use words like “Dear sir”, “Dear Mr/Miss/Mrs …”to begin the writing. At the end of the letter, we usually use expressions as “Yours”, “Yours ever” or “Yours sincerely”. Then sign the writer’s name.
It is also different to write an English envelope. You should write your name and address on the top of the left corner and write the receiver’s in the middle or on the bottom of the right corner. When we write a letter in English, we should write the date _______.
| A．At the beginning of the letter | B．at the left corner |
| C．on the top of the right corner | D．at the end of the letter |
The inside address includes _______.
| A．The number of the house | B．the name of the street |
| C．the name of the city and country | D．all of the above |
We always use words like “__________ ” to begin the writing.
| A．Dear sir | B．Dear Mr/Miss/Mrs | C．Your sincerely | D．A and B |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The English letter is the same as the Chinese letter. |
| B．You can write your name and address on the top of the left corner. |
| C．Writing an English envelope is the same as writing a Chinese envelope. |
| D．We can begin the letter at the right corner. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．How to write English letters | B．How to write Chinese letters |
| C．Writing letters and sending emails | D．The advantage of writing letters |