To us, it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains. But in fact the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain. Its first use was as a shade(遮蔽)against the sun.
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese, back in the eleventh century BC.
We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use : it became a symbol of honor and power(权力). In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office or by royal people such as the kings or queens.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. The umbrella was in common use in ancient Greece, but it is believed that the first people in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans. During the middle ages in Europe, the use of the umbrella almost disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it became a symbol of power.
Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn't until the twentieth century that the umbrellas for women began to be made in all kinds of colors.Ancient people first used umbrellas as ____.
| A．a symbol of honor |
| B．protection against the sun |
| C．a symbol of power |
| D．protection against the rain |
According to the passage, the umbrella was probably first used in ancient ______.
| A．Egypt . | B．Babylon | C．Rome | D．China |
The underlined word royal might mean _ in Chinese.
| A．皇室的 | B．富裕的 | C．中产的 | D．平民的 |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The ancient Greeks used the umbrella in their daily life. |
| B．Europeans hardly used the umbrella during the middle ages. |
| C．The umbrellas for women were made colorful in ancient times. |
| D．The style of the umbrella hasn't changed a lot since it was invented |
This passage is mainly about _____.
| A．the sales of the umbrella |
| B．the differences among umbrellas |
| C．the invention of the umbrella |
| D．the history and the use of the umbrella |
The worker I hired to repair my house had just finished a difficult first day on the job. A broken wheel made him an hour late; his ladder( 梯子)fell down when he was painting the roof and now his old truck wouldn’t start. With each problem he shouted angrily more at himself than at his things. As I drove him home, the man didn’t say a word.
I tried talking to the man to kill time. I managed to find out that he had come up from Blue Hills in Victoria with his family six months ago to find a job. This was his first job since moving here. I now knew why his price was lower than any other worker I could find in the local newspaper. He really needed the job. His clothes told me as much.
On arriving, much to my surprise, he invited me to meet his family. As we walked through his front garden he suddenly stopped at a small tree and placed his hands on it. Then , when he opened the door he completely changed. Instead of his troubled face, there was now a warm smile, hugs for his two children and a kiss for his wife.
The following day, I asked him about the tree.
“That’s my trouble tree,” he answered. “Work troubles aren’t welcome at home with my wife and children. So I hang them on that tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again.”
“And you know what else?” he said smiling, “The next morning I find that there aren’t as many as I remember hanging up the night before.”Which of the following things did NOT happen to the worker?
| A．His truck broke down. |
| B．He was late for work. |
| C．He fell onto the roof. |
| D．His ladder fell down. |
When did the worker first arrive in this town ?
| A．Today. | B．Last night. |
| C．Six weeks ago. | D．Six months ago. |
Where did the writer find the worker ?
| A．Through a newspaper. | B．Beside the trouble tree. |
| C．In his old house. | D．In Blue Hills, Victoria. |
Why did the worker touch the tree ?
| A．To get good luck. |
| B．To leave his trouble outside. |
| C．To send good wishes to his family. |
| D．To clean his hands. |
What can we learn from the passage ?
| A．Looking for a job can make trouble. |
| B．It is important to get to work on time. |
| C．Often our problems are worse than what we think. |
| D．A happy family can make many problems go away. |
In the middle of the first term of school, the entire seventh grade was tested for basic skills. Steve hurried through his tests, and continued to dream of other things. His heart was not in school, but in the woods.
One day, Miss White’s impatient voice broke into his daydreams. “Steve! Pay attention!” Steve turned to look at her, fixing his eyes on Miss White, as she began to go over the test results for the seventh grade.
“You all did pretty well,” she told the class, “except for one boy, and it breaks my heart to tell you this, but...” She hesitated, her eyes searching his face. “...The smartest boy in the seventh grade is failing my class!” She just stared at Steve. Steve dropped his eyes.
After that, it was war! Steve still wouldn’t do his homework. Even as the punishments became more severe, he remained stubborn.
“Just try it! ONE WEEK!” He was unmoved.
“You’re smart enough! You’ll see a change!” Nothing touched him.
“Give yourself a chance! Don’t give up on your life!” Nothing.
“Steve! Please! I care about you!”
Wow! Suddenly, Steve got it! Someone cared about him? Steve went home from school, thoughtful, that afternoon. Walking into the house, both parents were out. He, quickly, gathered up a jar of peanut butter, a loaf of bread, a bottle of water, and this time...his schoolbooks.
The following Monday he arrived at school on time, and he waited for Miss White to enter the classroom. She walked in, all smiles! God, she was beautiful!
Miss White, immediately, gave a quiz on the weekend homework. Steve hurried through the test and was the first to hand in his paper. With a look of surprise, Miss White took his paper. Obviously puzzled, she began to look it over. Miss White’s face was in total shock! The smartest boy in the seventh grade had just passed his first test!
From that moment nothing was the same for Steve. Life at home remained the same, but life still changed. He discovered that not only could he learn, but he was good at it!
He discovered that he could understand knowledge and translate the things he learned into his own life. Steve began to go ahead!Steve used to be bad at his lessons because _______.
| A．the teacher blamed him from time to time |
| B．he was not a smart boy in his class |
| C．the test for the seventh grade challenged his confidence |
| D．he hadn’t put his heart into his studies |
The underlined word “stubborn” in the passage probably refers to “_______”.
| A．completely unchanged |
| B．severely punished |
| C．careless with the homework |
| D．lost in the test |
It was the _______that made Steve begin to work hard at his lessons later.
| A．his parents | B．his classmates |
| C．the teacher | D．failure in the test |
Which of the following descriptions is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Steve often helped his parents work in the woods instead of going to school. |
| B．The teacher punished Steve for his failure in the test for the seventh grade. |
| C．Steve not only made progress but finally became a good student of the class. |
| D．Steve was actually a clever boy, but Miss White hadn’t realized it at first. |
Which of the following words best describes Steve’s teacher?
| A．Hardworking. | B．Caring. |
| C．Outstanding. | D．Strict. |
| We all need a healthy environment, but we produce waster every day and it does harm to our environment. Though we are young, we can still do something to help. In fact, even the simplest everyday activities can make a real difference to the environment. Here are some ideas for you to live a green life. Remember these three words; reduce, reuse and recycle. Reduce means "use less". Don't waste things. This saves money and reduces pollution and waste going into the environment. Before we buy something new, think if it is really necessary or maybe the old one will be just as good! When we do buy thing, choose local products if possible, and try not to buy too many things from abroad. Reuse mean " use again". Use things for as long as possible. When we buy things, make sure that they last a long time.We should take care of them so that they will last, and we should repair them if we can instead of throwing them away and buying new ones. Don't use a paper cup or a paper bag. It's better to use a china cup and a lunch box because you can use them again. Recycle means "change things into something else". Although it takes energy to change something into something else, it's better than throwing things away or burning them. Find out what can be recycled in your neighbourhood and take part in recycling programmes.We should also buy products made from recycled materials, such as recycled paper, to help save trees. |
Title:
We produce waste every day and it is |
||
| Ideas |
Does |
Don'ts |
To |
Use less * Try to save something |
* Don't buy too many things from foreign |
| To reuse |
Use* Use things for us long as possible. * Buy things that last long. *Take care of things or |
* Don't use |
| To recycle |
Change things into something* Join in recycling programmes. *Buyproducts that |
* Don't |
Halloween was first celebrated over two thousand years ago in Great Britain and Ireland. They celebrated the end of the harvest and beginning of winter with a festival called Samhain（萨温节）. People wore masks and costumes during their celebrations to honor or mimic(模仿) ghosts. After that, holidays were added and changed. November 2nd became All Saints' Day, to honor saints. November 1st became All Souls' Day, or All Hallows' Day, to remember those who had died. Some children may know that is a holiday celebrated in many parts of Mexico. This holiday falls on All Souls' Day. October 31st became All Hallow's Eve, or the evening before All Hallows' Day. The name became shortened to Halloween.
Since Halloween falls near the end of the harvest, many traditional foods are associated with （与……相关联）the fall season, including pumpkins, apples, popcorn, and nuts. Candy "corn" is a nod to the fall harvest as well. There are many symbols on Halloween, such as skeletons （骷髅）, ghosts, black cats, witches, and a full moon.
Today, people still dress up for Halloween. They also give out food to trick-or-treaters, who come to their doors. While many trick-or-treaters receive treats or snacks, some also collect money for charities. Charity is a group that does good things for some people. And Halloween might be a good opportunity to help a charity.
A.Wearing costumes and going trick-or-treating,
B. Bobbing for apples and carving jack-o-lanterns.
C. Eating Moon cakes.
A.In Great Britain and Ireland.
B. In America.
C. In England.
A. November 1st.
B. October 31st.
C.December 1st.
A.Popcorn and nuts B.Chicken C.Apples
A.Trick-or-treat.
B. Dressing up the tree.
C.Eating pumpkin pie.
One day a poor farmer was taking a bag of rice to town. Suddenly the bag fell off his horse on the road. He didn’t know what to do about it because it was too heavy for him to lift by himself. He only hoped that somebody would soon pass by and help him.
Just at this moment a man riding a horse came up to him. But the farmer was very disappointed when he saw who he was. It was the great man living nearby. The farmer had hoped to ask another farmer or a poor man like him.
But to his surprise, the great man got off his horse as soon as he came near. He said to the farmer, “I see you need help, friend. How good it is that I’m here just at the right time.” Then he took one end of the bag, the farmer took the other. They together lifted and put it on the horse.
“Sir,” asked the farmer, “how can I pay you?”
“It’s quite easy,” the great man answered with a smile, “wherever you see anyone else in trouble, do the same for him.”
A. His horse’s leg was hurt
B. The bag fell from his horse.
C. The farmer lost his bag.
A. the bag was broken
B. the farmer was too old
C. the bag was too heavy for him to lift
A.Because he thought the great man couldn’t help him.
B.Because he thought the great man could take away his bag.
C.Because he thought the great man couldn’t see him.
A. The great man.
B. Another farmer.
C. A poor man like him.
A. I’ll give some help if I know him or her.
B. I won’t give any help unless he or she pays me money.
C. I’ll volunteer to help him or her.