Sicily, an island of Italy, is home to beautiful beaches, outstanding food, and a bit of Italian history on every corner. It’s located just southwest of the Italian mainland and it’s the largest Mediterranean island. Controlled by many armies over the centuries, it became the site of Roman and Greek colonies(殖民地). Those cultures remain to this day.
As part of the Year of Italy in China, an exhibition of Sicilian culture is being held at the National Museum of China from April 29 to June 27. Although they have a rich culture and history, Sicilian people lead a simple life. Living on land with fertile (肥沃的) soil, most of them work in agriculture, fishing and of course tourism.
In Sicily, most stores and businesses are closed from one to four in the afternoon. Streets become crowded around five as people start to go out and engage in a variety of activities. They may take a walk to the shops, enjoy a pastry (糕点)or just meet up with friends.
Food is one of the great pleasures of Sicilian people. There is an old Sicilian saying: “With a contented stomach, your heart is forgiving. With an empty stomach you forgive nothing.”
People will go miles out their way to eat fresh seafood, such as tuna(金枪鱼), swordfish(箭鱼) and sardines(沙丁鱼).
Pasta (意大利面)is the main food. Each region has its seasonal pasta dishes, and every family cook their own specialty. Bread is common too. As another Sicilian saying goes, “A table without bread is like a day without sunshine.” In Sicily, bread is always freshly baked or bought, and usually twice a day.What can be learned from the passage?
| A．Sicily is the only island in Italy. |
| B．It is easy to do shopping in the afternoon. |
| C．Sicily was controlled by several countries. |
| D．Sicilian people seldom take part in activities. |
The local people work in several fields EXCEPT .
| A．fishing | B．mining | C．tourism | D．agriculture |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph is used to show .
| A．bread is a must for Sicilians |
| B．food is a great pleasure for them |
| C．bread should be cooked every day |
| D．Sicilians have nothing to eat but bread |
The best title of this passage might be______.
| A．Italian people |
| B．Italian culture |
| C．A Sicilian exhibition |
| D．Sicily—an Island of Italy |
When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out (指出) my shortcomings. Week by week her list grew: I was very thin, I wasn’t a good student, I talked too much, I was too proud, and so on. I tried to hear all this as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.
He listened to me quietly, then he asked. “Are the things she says true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like? Well, you now have that girl’s opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”
I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn’t change (like being very thin), but a good number I could-and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I go to very clear picture of myself.
I brought the list back to Daddy. He refused to take it. “That’s just for you,” he said. “You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be of help to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your duty. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you know is the right thing to do.”
Daddy’s advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice.What did the father do after he had heard his daughter’s complaint (抱怨)?
| A．He refused to take the list and have a look at it. |
| B．He told her to pay attention only to the things that were true. |
| C．He told her not to pay any attention to what her ‘enemy’ had said. |
| D．He criticized (批评) her and told her to overcome her shortcomings. |
What does “Week by week her list grew” mean?
| A．Week by week, my shortcomings grew more serious. |
| B．I was having more and more shortcomings as time went on. |
| C．Week by week she discovered more shortcomings and pointed them out to me. |
| D．She kept on adding new shortcomings to the list so that it was growing longer and longer. |
Why did her father listen to her quietly?
| A．Because he wasn’t quite sure which girl was telling the truth. |
| B．Because he wanted to show his anger by keeping silent for a while. |
| C．Because he knew that his daughter was telling the truth. |
| D．Because he believed that what her daughter’s “enemy” said was mostly true. |
Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?
A. My Father
B. The Best Advice I’ve Ever Had
B. My Childhood
D. Not an Enemy, but the Best Friend
Our surrounding(周围) is being polluted faster than nature and man’s present efforts can’t prevent it. Time is bringing us more people, an more people will bring us more industry, more cars, larger cities, and the growing use of man-made materials.
What can explain and solve this problem? The fact is that pollution is caused by man—by his desire for a modern way of life. We make “increasing industrialization” our chief aim. So we are always ready to offer everything: clean air, pure water, good food, our health and the future of our children. There is a constant flow of people from countryside to cities, eager for the benefit of our modern society. But as our technological achievements have grown in the last twenty years, pollution has become a serious problem.
Isn’t it time we stopped to ask ourselves where we are going—and why? It makes one think of the story about the airline pilot who told his passengers over the loudspeaker, “I’ve some good news and some bad news. The good news is that we’re making rapid progress at 530 miles per hour. The bad news is that we’re lost and don’t know where we’re going.” The sad fact is that this becomes a true story when spoken of our modern society.Man can’t prevent the world from being polluted mainly because .
| A．many man-made materials |
| B．more cars, trucks and buses |
| C．more people and more industry |
| D．more cities |
People crowd into the cities because_________.
| A．they want very much to find well-paid jobs |
| B．they eager for the achievement of our modern society |
| C．they have become tired of their homeland |
| D．they have a strong wish to become industrial workers |
The story about the airline pilot tells us that_________.
| A．man knows where the society is going |
| B．people do not welcome the rapid development of modern society |
| C．man can do little about the problem of pollution |
| D．the writer is worried about the future of our society |
What does the writer really want to say in this passage?
| A．With the development of technology, pollution has become a serious problem. |
| B．Lower the speed of development to stop pollution. |
| C．It’s time we did something to reduce pollution. |
| D．As industry is growing fast, pollution is the natural result. |
Are you carrying too much on your back at school? You’re not alone. Back experts in the USA were worried that young students are having back and neck problems because they are carrying too much in their backpacks (schoolbags).
“It hurts my back when I run,” said Eglin Reyes, a student in Virginia. “It’s hard to get up the stairs with my backpack because it’s too heavy.”
Students have to carry heavy backpacks on their backs for a whole week’s study. Beeline is one of them. They have regular backpacks with two straps(带子) to carry them, but a number of students with heavy loads have switched to rolling backpacks. The backpacks have wheels and can roll on the ground.
Shirley Park’s backpack weighs 10 kilos, and she said, “I’ll change to a rolling backpack because I am starting to have back pain.”
How much is too much? Experts say that students should carry no more than 10 to 15 percent of their own body weight. A few students have had a good idea to lighten the load: Less homework.
Doctor’s suggestions:
●Lighten the load. Take home only the books the students need that night.
●Wide straps are better. They can send out weight over your shoulders and be sure to wear backpacks with two straps.
●The heaviest things should be packed closest to the back.
●Bend(弯曲) both knees when you pick up the pack, don’t just bend the waist(腰).The main idea of the passage is about _______.
| A．the problems made by rolling backpacks |
| B．the advantage of backpacks |
| C．the best backpacks for students |
| D．how to lighten students’ backpacks |
If a child carries a heavy school bag ,__________
| A．his back and neck will be hurt |
| B．his head and arms will be hurt |
| C．his hands will be hurt |
| D．his feet will be hurt |
By the words of the experts, it’s better for a student of 40 kilos to carry a backpack of at most _______.
| A．7 kilos | B．8 kilos |
| C．6 kilos | D．10 kilos |
If students follow the doctor’s suggesting, they _______.
| A．will know how to use backpacks |
| B．may feel their backpacks are lighter |
| C．can learn how to enjoy them |
| D．may do less homework |
When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings(缺点). Sometimes she said I was thin. Sometimes she said I was lazy. Sometimes she said I wasn’t a good student. Sometimes she said I talked too much, and so on. I tried to put up with(忍受) her as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.
He listened to me quietly, and then he asked, “Are the things she said true or not? Mary, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like? Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”
I did as he told me and to my surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true.
I brought the list back to my dad. He refused to take it. “That’s just for you,” he said. “You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be helpful to you. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you think is right.”
Many years have passed. The situation often appears in my mind. In our life we often meet with some trouble and we often go to someone and ask for advice. For some advice you will treasure(珍惜) all your life!What did the writer’s father do after he heard her complaints(抱怨)?
| A．He told her not to pay attention to what her “enemy” had said. |
| B．he let her continue to put up with her “enemy”. |
| C．He told her to write down all her “enemy” had said about her. |
| D．He agreed with her “enemy”. |
The writer felt ______ when she did the things as her father had told her.
| A．sad | B．angry |
| C．disappointed | D．surprised |
Which of the following can we know from the passage?
| A．The writer is grateful to her father. |
| B．The “enemy” thought the writer studied hard. |
| C．The writer and her “enemy” became best friends at last. |
| D．The “enemy” thought the writer was pretty. |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．The Best Advice I Ever Had |
| B．A Serious Criticism(批评) |
| C．What People Say About You Is Always Right |
| D．My Parents |
In the United States, 30 percent of the people have a “weight problem”. To many people, the cause is obvious: they eat too much. But scientific evidence (证据) does little to support this idea. Going back to America of 1910, we find that people were thinner than today, yet they ate more food. In those days people worked harder physically, walked more, used machines much less, and didn’t watch television.
Several modern studies, moreover, have shown that fatter people don’t eat more on average than thinner people. A 1979 study of 3,545 London office workers showed that fat people eat less than slim (苗条的) people.
Studies also show that slim people are more active than fat people. A study by a research group at Stanford University found the following interesting facts:
The more the man ran, the greater loss of the body fat.
The more they ran, the greater increase in food intake.
Thus, those who ran the most ate the most, yet lost the greatest amount of body fat.Nowadays many Americans have the problem that ______.
| A．they lose too much body fat | B．they work too hard |
| C．they are too fat | D．they are too slim |
According to the passage, how many people in 900 Americans have a “weight problem”?
| A．150. | B．300. | C．600. | D．270. |
Is there any scientific evidence to support the idea that eating too much is the cause of a “weight problem”?
| A．We are not sure. |
| B．Of course, there is some evidence to support this. |
| C．There is hardly any scientific evidence to support this. |
| D．Yes, there is plenty of evidence. |
The Americans in 1910 ________.
| A．had more problems |
| B．ate less food but had more physical activities |
| C．ate less food and had less physical activities |
| D．ate more food and had more physical activies |