Buckingham Palace is where the Queen lives. It is the Queen’s official and main royal London home.Buckingham Palace was originally a splendid house built by the Duke(公爵) of Buckingham for his wife. George IV began changing it into a palace in 1826. It has been the official London home of Britain’s royal family since 1837. Buckingham Palace is also an office and used for the administrative work of the royal family.
When the Queen is at home you can see her royal flag (the Royal Standard) flying from the flag pole on top of Buckingham Palace.
The flag is divided into four equal parts. The first and fourth parts represent England and contain three gold lions waking on a red field; the second part represents Scotland and contains a red lion standing on a gold field; the third part represents Ireland and contains the gold coat of arms of Ireland on a blue field.
In flag protocol (礼仪), the Royal Standard which must only be flown from buildings where the Queen is present is supreme (至高无上的). It flies above the British Union Flag (the Union Jack ), and other British flags. It never flies at half mast.
The guards of the Palace wear red jackets and tall, furry hats. When the first guards come on duty, there is a ceremony called the Changing of the Guard. A familiar sight at Buckingham Palace is the Changing of the Guard ceremony that takes place in the open space in front of it each morning.
The Palace has around 750 rooms, including 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 78 bathrooms, 92 offices, a cinema and a swimming pool. It also has its own post office and police station. About 400 people work at the Palace, including servants, chefs, footmen, cleaners, gardeners, electricians, and so on. More than 50,000 people come to the Palace each year as guests to dinners, receptions and Royal Garden Parties. For whom was the original Buckingham Palace built?
A.The Duke of Buckingham. |
B.George IV. |
C.The Duke of Buckingham’s wife. |
D.George IV’s wife. |
According to the text, the Royal Standard_________.
A.is flown at Buckingham Palace every morning |
B.represents the four countries of the UK |
C.flies at half mast only on a few occasions |
D.flies higher than the British Union Flag |
When can a visitor see the Changing of the Guard ceremony?
A.Every morning and evening. |
B.Every morning. |
C.When the Queen’s flag is flying. |
D.When a flag is flying at the Palace. |
What is the last paragraph about?
A.What you can see inside Buckingham Palace. |
B.The royal parties at Buckingham Palace. |
C.The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. |
D.People living and working at Buckingham Palace. |
Teenagers are often a difficult group. With all those hormones(荷尔蒙) flooding their bodies, they can be moody, unpredictable, and tend to make uncertain choices. But however confusing their teenage years are, kids can still be generally happy, depending on their lifestyle choices. According to a new research by British scientists, teens who don’t smoke, drink only moderately or not at all, and who don’t eat much junk food are likely to be happier than other teens.
The study looked at 40,000 British families and came up with some interesting findings. For example, kids who never drank alcohol were up to six times more likely to report higher levels of happiness than kids who drank. And teens who smoked were five times less likely to rate high on happiness charts compared to kids who don’t smoke. Same goes for diet and physical activity. The more fruits and vegetables kids eat, and the more hours they spend playing sports, the happier they are.
Now, of course this doesn’t mean that not smoking or drinking, and playing sports guarantees happiness. It could be that kids who have happy character tend to be more active and less addicted to drinking or smoking. And it could equally be the case that kids who are unhappy are more related to drinking and smoking and eating junk food.
Other studies have shown that exercise is a proven way to treat anxiety and depression. Future studies may support the idea that other healthful behaviors, including refraining(克制) from smoking, drinking, and eating too much junk, can avoid sadness and increase happiness, too. What can we learn from the text?
A.Not smoking or drinking guarantees happiness. |
B.Teens with flooding hormones can not be happy. |
C.Playing sports can decrease teen’s unhappiness. |
D.Unhappiness can certainly result in smoking and drinking. |
Which of the following might help teens quit anxiety?
A.Smoking and drinking. | B.Taking exercise. |
C.Eating junk food. | D.Going on a diet. |
Which can be the best title for the text?
A.Ways to treat anxiety and depression. |
B.Exercise and teenagers’ health. |
C.Teenagers shouldn’t drink or smoke. |
D.Teenagers’ lifestyle and their happiness. |
The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of 2 September 1666. In four days it destroyed more than three-quarters of the old city, where most of the houses were wooden and close together. One hundred thousand people became homeless, but only a few lost their lives.
The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King's baker in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window in the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.
By eight o'clock three hundred houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul's and the Guildhall among them.
Samuel Pepys, the famous writer, wrote about the fire. People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment. Birds fell out of the air because of the heat.
The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire. With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.
After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect, wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone. In fact, the streets are still narrow; but he did build more than fifty churches, among them was new St Paul's.
The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.It seems that the writer of the text was most sorry for the fact that ______.
A.many famous buildings were destroyed |
B.the birds in the sky were killed by the fire |
C.some people lost their lives |
D.the King's bakery was burned down |
Why did the writer cite (引用)Samuel Pepys’ words?
A.Because Pepys was among those putting out the fire. |
B.Because Pepys also wrote about the fire. |
C.To give the reader a clearer picture of the fire. |
D.To show that poor people suffered most. |
How was the fire put out according to the text?
A.Houses standing in the direction of the fire were pulled down. |
B.All the wooden houses in the city were destroyed. |
C.People managed to get enough water from the river. |
D.The king and his soldiers came to help. |
Which of the following were reasons for the rapid spread (扩散)of the big fire?
(a) There was a strong wind.
(b) The streets were very narrow.
(c) Many houses were made of wood.
(d) There was not enough water in the city.
(e) People did not discover the fire earlier.
A.(a) and (b) | B.(a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) |
C.(a), (b), (c) and (d) | D.(a), (b) and (c) |
Two students started quarreling at school. One student shouted dirty words at the other, and a fight began. What can be done to stop fights like this at school? In some schools, the disputants sit down with peer mediators(同龄调解者). Peer mediators are students with special training in this kind of problems.
Peer mediators help the disputants to talk in a friendly way. Here are some of the ways they use:
1) Put what you think clearly but don’t say anything to hurt the other. Begin with “I feel…” instead of “You always…”
2) Listen carefully to what the other person is saying. Don’t stop the other person’s words.
3) Keep looking at the other person’s eyes when he or she talks.
4) Try to see the other person’s side of the problem.
5) Never put anyone down. Saying things like “You are foolish” makes the talk difficult.
6) Try to find a result that makes both people happy.
Peer mediators never decide the result or the winner. They don’t decide who is right and who is wrong. Instead, the disputants sit down with peer mediators(同龄调解者) The underlined word “disputants” refers to the students ________.
A.who make peace | B.who give in |
C.who are lazy | D.who quarrel |
When there is a fight at school ________.
A.the peer mediators decide who the winner is |
B.the peer mediators and the disputants talk together |
C.the students who quarrel decide who the winner is |
D.the two students sit down and listen to the peer mediators |
Peer mediators’ work is ________.
A.to give lessons to disputants |
B.to find out who starts a quarrel |
C.to give students some special training |
D.to help find a way to make both sides happy |
Which of the following ways is not used by Peer mediators in finding a “win-win” result?
A.Listen carefully to what the other person is saying. |
B.Try to see the other person’s side of the problem. |
C.Never say things like “You are foolish” |
D.Never keep looking at the other person’s eyes when he or she talks. |
In the past ten years, many scientists have studied the differences between men and women. And they all got the same answer: The sexes(性别) are different, because their brains are different. And this, the scientists say, makes men and women see the world in different ways.
Boys, for example, generally are better than girls at mathematical ideas. Boys also generally are better than girls at the kind of hand and eye movements necessary for ball sports. Girls, on the other hand generally start speaking earlier than boys. And they generally(通常) see better in the dark than boys and are better at learning foreign languages.
What makes men and women better at one thing or another? The answer is the brain. The brain has two sides connected by nerve(神经) tracks. The left side generally is used for mathematics, speech and writing. The right side is used for artistic creation(创造) and the expression for emotions(情感). In men and women, different areas in each side of the brain develop differently. In boys, for example, it’s the area used for mathematics. In girls, it is the area used for language skills. Another interesting difference is that the two sides of a man’s brain are connected by a smaller nerves than the two sides of a woman’s brain are. Which of the following is best to outline(概括) the article?
A.Research on the brain. |
B.Differences between men and women |
C.People’s different brains. |
D.Who Are Better, Boys or Girls |
________men and women think differently.
A.Sex makes. |
B.The different brains make |
C.The different experiences make. |
D.The influences of society make. |
According to the article, girls are generally better than boys at __ in your school.
A.mathematics | B.physics |
C.English | D.Chemistry |
Which of the following is true?
A.The right side of brain in boys generally develops better than that in girls. |
B.The left side of brain in girls generally develops better than that in boys. |
C.Men are better than women in all things. |
D.The area in girls’ brain used for language skills develops better. |
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. The “standard” retirement age varies from country to country, but it is generally between 50 and 70. However, for a long time, people have got into an argument about whether the age of retirement should be increased or reduced in their own countries.
There are several arguments for allowing older people to continue working as long as they are able. Many people think that older employees have a large amount of knowledge and experience which can be lost to a business if they are made to retire. Besides, older employees are often extremely devoted employees and are more willing to implement company rules than the young. A more important point is regarding the attitudes in society to old people. To force someone to resign or retire at 60 or 65 indicates that the society does not value the input of these people and that their useful life is over.
Allowing older people to work indefinitely (无限地), however, is not always a good policy. Some people took the strong view that age alone is no guarantee of ability. Many young employees have more experience or skills than older staff, who may have been stuck in one area for most of their working lives. On the other hand, older people should be rewarded by society for their life’s labor by being given generous pensions and the freedom to enjoy leisure. They can have time to do whatever they like, that is, they can have their own plans and achieve their retirement goals.
With many young people unemployed or frustrated in low-level positions, there are often calls to compulsorily retire older workers. However, this can affect the older individual’s freedom and right to work. In my opinion, giving workers more choices over their retirement age will benefit society and the individual.What does this passage mainly talk about?
A.How to set a standard of the retirement age. |
B.More opportunities should be given to young people. |
C.Companies should make full use of old people’s wisdom. |
D.Opinions about retirement age are different among people. |
Some people think older people should go on with work because ______.
A.they have a sense of achievement |
B.they want to learn more knowledge |
C.they have grasped much practical experience |
D.they will help the business not to fail quickly |
The underlined word “implement” in Paragraph 2 probably means “______.”
A.take over | B.carry out |
C.get rid of | D.set aside |
Which point of view may the author agree to?
A.Older people are encouraged to retire on time. |
B.Older people would like to do something else. |
C.Older people’s experience should be valued. |
D.Older people can choose whether to work on or not. |