London used to be “foggy”(有雾的) for the same reason that cities like Beijing or Chongqing are “foggy” today. The “fog” was in fact smog(烟雾), a mixture of smoke and fog.In other words, it was made by air pollution. In London, some of this pollution came from factories, but much of it came from the coal(煤)that people burnt in their houses to keep warm during the winter. By the 1950s, London’s smog problem had become so bad that the government decided to do something to clean the air. A new law was made and nobody could burn coal in any British city. Within a few years, the air became much cleaner. There were no more “pea-soupers”.
Many Chinese cities now face the same sort of problem with air pollution that London faced 40 or 50 years ago. However, this problem is more difficult for Chinese cities to solve. One reason is that more of the pollution comes from the factories, rather than from coal burnt in people’s houses. If these factories were closed, this would harm the economy and lots of people would lose their jobs. Another reason is that changing from coal to cleaner fuel(燃料), like gas, is quite expensive.
However, the air in many Chinese cities is becoming cleaner and cleaner, as the government and people pay more and more attention to cutting down pollution. As a result, there are fewer “pea-soupers” in Beijing than there used to be.
What was the main reason for air pollution in London?
A.There was too much smoke in the sky.
B.There were too many factories in the city.
C.People burnt too much coal in the houses.
How did the air in London become much cleaner?
A.There was not so much fog in the winter later.
B.A law was made to keep people from burning coal in their houses.
C.Many factories in the city were closed.
What does the underlined work “pea-soupers” refer to?
A.Smog. B.Smoke. C.Gas.
The problem of air pollution is more difficult for Chinese cities to solve because of _____reasons
A.one B.two C.three
Which sentence is Not true?
A.Using coal is much more expensive than using gas.
B.Factories made much more pollution in China.
C.The reasons of air pollution in London and Beijing are different.
When I drove to work yesterday, I met a traffic jam. As I looked out of my window, a handsome young man was walking on the street. He was walking towards the bridge. There were some homeless men with their cups around there. The young man went to one of them. He brought out some money from his pocket, said a few words to him and put the money into his cup. He continued to walk and then saw another homeless man. He stopped for a minute, said a few words and then gave the man a candy.
And then he saw the next homeless man. He was shivering because of coldness. The young man now stopped for a second and gave his scarf to him. He then said goodbye to him with a big smile and went away in the snow. At that moment, I was in tears. I gave this young man my best wishes with love and blessings.How many homeless men did the young man help in this passage?
A.2. | B.3. | C.4. | D.5. |
The story probably happened in __________.
A.spring | B.summer | C.autumn | D.winter |
The man was shaking slightly because of __________.
A.hunger | B.coldness | C.illness | D.worries |
What did the young man give the homeless men?
A.Some money, his scarf and a candy. | B.His scarf, his coat and some money. |
C.A candy, his hat and his coat. | D.His coat, some money and a candy. |
The writer felt __________ after seeing the young man’s behavior.
A.sad | B.surprised | C.moved | D.interested |
Baron Pierre de Coubertin was a Frenchman. At his time sports were not taught in French schools. De Coubertin believed that sports should go hand in hand with studies. He had an idea. His idea was to begin the Olympics all over again.
Sports teachers of other countries liked De Coubertin ideas. So in 1896, the modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece. Since then the Olympics have been held once every four years, except three times, when there were wars.
The modern Olympic games have many foot races and field sports programs. The longest race in the games is called marathon.
Before the start of the Olympic Games, runners carry lighted torch(火炬) through many nations towards the stadium where the games will be held. These sportsmen are from different countries. Yet they work together to carry the Olympic torch. It is passed from runner to runner, When the last runner enters the stadium, he or she places the torch in a special basin filled with oil. It catches fire. It is then, only then, that the Olympic Games can begin.
The Olympic flame burns throughout the games. It is the flame of peace.Before 1896 French schools didn't teach ______.
A.match | B.history | C.sports | D.physics |
Baron Pierre de Coubertin ________.
A.was the first man to start the Olympics |
B.helped start the modern Olympics |
C.believed that sports were less important than studies |
D.failed to began the modern Olympics |
According to this passage, the third modern Olympics should have been held________.
A.1914 | B.1904 | C.1896 | D.1908 |
Marathon in the passage is________.
A.a foot race | B.a jumping contest | C.a field sport | D.a boxing match |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A.The Olympics do not begin until the basin of oil catches the fire. |
B.The torch is carried from runner to runner through many countries. |
C.Runners who carry the torch can be men or women. |
D.After the start of the Olympics, the Olympic flame is put out. |
On the bus, on the subway, every head is lowered to a cell phone, iPad, or other digital device. But does this mean more and more people are getting into reading the digital way?
According to the National Reading Survey, before the 17th World Reading Day on April 23, only 1.2 percent of Chinese people said they read a lot. But 38.6 percent said they read on digital devices like cell phone and e-books. This is a 17.7 percent increase from 2010.
Many experts are talking about a trend toward fragmented reading ––reading many short messages or items on a digital device like a cell phone instead of one long text in a book.
Zhao jianmin, a professor at Shanghai University, said fragmented reading was part of modern life. “The fast pace of life leaves many people no time to sit and read a whole book,” he said. “So making use of fragmented time to read is sure to be a trend”
Fragmented reading has its advantages. People can enjoy large amounts of information, knowledge and entertainment in a short time. Digital reading is faster than traditional deep reading.
However, some experts fear the trend of digital reading will lead people to read in a simple way. Xu Guosheng, at a Chinese Academy of Press and Publication, says fragmented reading makes it harder for people to think more about what they read. He also warned fragmented reading could make people lazy about remembering facts because they know they can always just search for answers online.
“Fragmented reading is sometimes good, but don’t let it take all your time,” suggested Tian Zhilng, an editor. He said it was important to read quality books in a deeper way, and we should read for knowledge, for practical use and for pleasure. He suggested people choose easy books first, then move onto more difficult ones.How many disadvantages of fragmented reading have been mentioned?
A.1 | B.2 | C.3 | D.4 |
How does Tian Zhiling think about people should read?
A.They should spend more time reading on digital device. |
B.They should spend days reading whole novels at a time. |
C.They should read both on digital devices and quality books. |
D.They should read a fun way instead of a traditional way. |
The underlined word “pace” means _________ in Chinese.
A.行走 | B.步骤 | C.节奏 | D.步测 |
What can we learn from the article?
A.Chinese people read in a simple way these days. |
B.Students should read more to get high marks. |
C.Reading on a digital device is harmful to health. |
D.People’s reading habits are changing. |
What is the main idea of the article?
A.The results of a national reading survey. |
B.An explanation of a new trend in reading. |
C.The advice on how to read the digital way. |
D.A call to return to traditional deep reading. |
Cats are creatures of habit. They like to go to sleep about the same time every day and for a certain length of time. They seem to have a natural clock inside them that tells them when to sleep. Cats increase their regular sleep with occasional cat naps.(打盹). Some experts feel that humans can also get advantages from this habit. Cats nap help to build up energy in the body. They are also a good way to get rid of trouble! Since cats have the same moods as humans, some experts believe that people can improve their moods. People might become happier.
A number of famous people have copied cats by taking cat naps during the day. The naps would usually last from 15 to 30 minutes. Winston Churchill took cat naps. So did President Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson. These famous men were known for their energy. They were also able to work long hours, often into the night. Napping was their secret. From the passage we know that cats_________________.
A.donothaveregularsleep |
B.haveoccasionalsleepaswellasnapseveryday |
C.takenapstoaddtotheirregularsleep |
D.takenapswhentheyarenothappy |
Napsusuallylast________.
A.threehours | B.lessthanhalfanhour |
C.forty-fiveminutes | D.fifty-fiveminutes |
which of the following is NOT true?
A.Cats have the same moods as people. |
B.Some famous people take cat naps. |
C.Some people have full energy after they take cat naps. |
D.People should take their naps secretly. |
How many famous men were known for their energy have been mentioned?
A.3 | B.4 | C.5 | D.6 |
Takingcatnaps________.
A.willmakeapersonlazyandtired | B.isabadhabit |
C.willmakepeoplefeelbetter | D.canhelppeopletobecomefamous |
Astronauts, people who fly into space, need special training. First they go to Houston, Texas. That is the home of the Johnson Space Centre. There they are tested to see how strong and smart they are.
One of the first tests is for the heart. The people walk or run, then the space doctors see how fast their hearts are beating.
Another important test is performed. In this test the person must curl(蜷曲)his body up in a ball. When he is in that position, he is put into a round cloth bag. The doctors give him no idea how long he will have to stay in the bag. If a spaceship broke down in space, the astronauts would get into bags like this. Then they would have to wait and curl up in darkness, until help could arrive. You can see that an astronaut must not be afraid of tight space or darkness.
After the tests, only the best people are chosen to start astronaut training in a training centre. The astronauts in training learn many other things. They learn how to jump out of a moving airplane. They learn to how to blow up a lifeboat and get into it while they are in the ocean. The astronauts also have to learn how to get lifted out of the ocean by helicopter(直升机). That may look fun, but it can be dangerous.
After they finish training, the astronauts continue to work. They stay in good shape by running and doing exercise. They read about their special jobs. In that way they can learn new facts about space travel.
Then the big day comes. The astronaut is told to go to work on a flight into space. The crew members(全体船员)get to know each other first. Then they can learn which job each will do.The astronauts don’t know how long they will stay in the bag in the test because ________________.
A.the doctors need to know how strong they are |
B.the astronauts need to show how smart they are |
C.good astronauts mustn’t be afraid of darkness or tight space |
D.nobody knows when help will come if the spaceship breaks down |
The astronauts don’t learn how to ________________ in the training centre.
A.walk or run in space | B.jump out of the moving plane |
C.blow up a lifeboat | D.get lifted out of water by helicopter |
Which is the correct order according to the passage?
a. Doctors do tests on the astronauts.
b. The astronauts go to the Space Centre.
c. The astronauts learn new facts about space travel.
d. The best people are chosen for training.
e. The astronauts go to work on a flight into space.
A.a, b, c, d, e | B.d, a, e, b, c | C.b, a, d, c, e | D.c, d, e, b, a |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A.After the tests, only the best people are chosen to start astronaut training in a training centre. |
B.The crew members get to know each other after the tests. |
C.One of the first tests is for the heart. |
D.An astronaut must not be afraid of tight space or darkness. |