【2012年江西】How would we travel without maps? It would be a bit adventurous (冒险的) to set off from Oxford University to go to London Bridge if there wasn't a map of the London Underground at each station. In fact, a lot of the early map-makers were adventurers and explorers, especially in the 15th and 16th centuries.
So what did people do before there were maps? Well, it was quite easy to use natural signs like mountains and rivers if you were travelling on foot or riding a horse. People took small boats down rivers and followed coastlines. And it was much more logical (合理的) to use time, not distance, to measure (计量) journeys: the next village is a three-hour ride, for example.
In fact, in the earliest maps, people didn't draw landmarks. They drew the stars. It was very easy to see the night sky and use it for navigation (航行). The sky was a lot clearer before the light pollution from cities that we have today. When towns and cities were built, people drew road maps which gave correct distances and directions.
The London Underground was opened in 1863 and it also used a road map style. But a man called Henry Beck realized that travelling by train wasn't the same as driving your car across London. Passengers only needed to know which stations to change at. His new design (设计) for the Underground map wasn't very popular with the train companies at first. But the passengers loved it and in 1933, 700,000 copies were printed.
These days, of course, you can ride a bike, drive a car or go through a forest and know where you are exactly, using a GPS. It's really difficult to get lost!What was drawn in the earliest maps?
| A．Stars. |
| B．Landmarks. |
| C．Cities and towns, |
| D．Mountains and rivers. |
When did road maps come out?
| A．Around 15th and 16th centuries. |
| B．When people began to travel by train. |
| C．When people began to travel by sea. |
| D．When cities and towns appeared. |
Which of the following is true?
| A．A GPS helped people to travel long time ago. |
| B．Ancient people could travel on a horse without maps. |
| C．The sky was polluted by light before cities were built. |
| D．Henry Beck's map wasn't popular with the passengers. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Maps have a long history. |
| B．We never get lost these days. |
| C．We can't travel without maps. |
| D．Henry Beck designed a new map. |
I was really shy in the past. Talking to strangers was my worst fear. But now I am outgoing. Now let me share with you some ways of getting rid of shyness completely. In this step you need to accept your shyness and be comfortable with it. You can start by saying to yourself repeatedly, “Yes, I am shy and I accept it.”
For 99% of us, we become shy when we think if we speak up or stand out, we’ll embarrass (使……尴尬) ourselves. That’s why it’s important to focus on others and place our attention elsewhere. When we stop focusing on ourselves, we will stop worrying about the embarrassment.
This is the most important way. Talk to strangers and force yourself to have long conversations with others. It’s extremely hard in the beginning but each time you do it, the difficulty will decrease (减少). Keep doing it until it becomes a piece of cake.
There will be always someone who is better than you. The more you compare yourself with others, the shyer you will be. It’s no good to you comparing yourself with anybody else.
Before you start a conversation, make sure that you have a small list of things in your mind which you’re going to talk about. I used to get well-prepared before I talked to someone.
| A. Pay attention to others B. Make yourself talk with others C. Prepare for the conversation D. Accept your shyness E. Don’t compare yourself with others |
One little miracle (奇迹) has been happening to me recently, and it gives me a special joy.
A few months ago, I was telling my daughter, Sally, some stories about my mother. Mydaughter was so young when my mother died that she doesn’t remember her well. I told her allI could remember, like how wonderful my mother was and how much she meant to me.
One day, Sally was sad because her grandmother was in heaven (天堂) and she couldn’tsee her. I explained that though her grandmother was dead, now she was still watching over usand could send us something to let us know she was there. She could be anywhere, even ridinginvisibly (看不见地) on the back of a butterfly (蝴蝶). Just after I said this, a butterflyflew down right by us, and we laughed happily.
Now many people would say it was just luck that the butterfly flew down at that time. A funnything, however, has happened since then. Every time I go out in any type of weather I seebutterflies. Very often they fly right by my face to get my attention. I always say hi to Mom, send her my love, and thank God for little miracles.
Everyone is always looking for some big miracles to come out and save them when they are introuble, but they don’t notice the little miracles that happen every day right in front of theireyes. I know what they really are, however. For me little miracles are the best kind. So manylittle miracles happen around me all the time that I know they are not just luck. When her grandmother died, Sally was .
| A．at school | B．quite young |
| C．in trouble | D．not at home |
One day Sally was sad because .
| A．her mother told her a sad story |
| B．she argued with her grandmother |
| C．she couldn’t see her grandmother |
| D．her grandmother sent her nothing specia |
What does the underlined word “they” refer to(指代) ?
| A．Everyone | B．Butterflies |
| C．Grandparents | D．Little miracles |
What is the little miracle that has been happening to Sally’s mom?
| A．She has a wonderful time with her daughter. |
| B．She sees butterflies every time she goes out . |
| C．She can make her daughter laugh happily every day. |
| D．She often sees her mother ride on the back of a butterfly . |
The world today has become a small place. Thanks to the means of communicationandtransportation. Today, people have moved out of their own countries, to other lands, in search of better lives. If you look at any large companies, you will find the workers come from different countries and cultures, working together in it. This has made one thing quite apparent - If someone wants to be successful today, he has to be a global citizen, someone wants to know all kinds of cultures, and he has to know the people he is working or traveling. And, the first thing that a person trying to know about a foreign culture has to do is to learn the language.
There are more than six thousand seven hundred languages in the world today. It is impossible to learn all of them. Also, many of these languages are spoken by less than thousand people! So, there is no point in learning such languages as their utility (功用) is very low. So, a person who wants tostudy a foreign language should choose any one of the most useful languages to learn. “The world today has become a small place.” means ‘___________’.
| A．The earth is getting smaller and smaller |
| B．The population of the world is growing fast |
| C．Communication and transportation are developing fast |
| D．Going to other countries is easier than before |
The underline word “apparent” may mean ‘______’ in China.
| A．显然的 | B．有趣的 |
| C．必要的 | D．可能的 |
There are ______ languages in the world today.
| A．less 6,700 | B．6,700 |
| C．over 6,700 | D．less 670 |
Which of the following is WRONG?
| A．Many people go to other countries to get a better life. |
| B．You can meet people from many countries in a large company. |
| C．It’s impossible for a person to learn all the languages. |
| D．If you want to learn a foreign language, you should choose the most useful one. |
On a hot summer day, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the lake behind his house.
In a hurry to swim in the cool water, he ran out of the back door, leaving behind his shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not noticing (注意到)
that in the middle of the lake, a crocodile (鳄鱼) was swimming to the bank. His mother in the house saw the two as they got closer and closer. She quickly ran to the lake, shouting to her son as loudly as she could.
Hearing her voice, the little boy swam quickly to his mother, but he was too slow. Just as he reached her, the crocodile reached him, too.
The mother caught her little boy by the arms just as the crocodile caught his legs. There was a tug of war (拔河) between the two. The crocodile was much stronger than the mother, but the mother didn’t give up. A farmer happened to drive by. He heard her shouts, and then tried his best to kill the crocodile.
After spending weeks in the hospital, the little boy felt well. His legs were scarred (留下疤痕) by the animal and on his arms there were deep scars, too. His mother’s hands had deeper scars because she wouldn’t let go.
The newspaper reporter interviewed the boy. He asked the boy if he would show him his scars. The boy said to the reporter proudly, “Look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms. I have them because my mom wouldn’t let go.” The little boy when he heard his mother’s shouts.
| A．swam to the middle of the lake |
| B．quickly ran toward the water |
| C．ran out of the back door of his house |
| D．swam quickly towards his mother |
Who killed the crocodile in the end?
| A．The boy. | B．A farmer. |
| C．The boy’s mother. | D．The boy’s father. |
he boy’s were hurt in the accident.
| A．legs and hands | B．hands and arms |
| C．legs and arms | D．face and hands |
Which can be the BEST title for the passage?
| A．The scars of love | B．In a hot summer |
| C．A scary crocodile | D．A dangero |
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Mr. Smith wants to have a seven- day journey around Italy, France, Germany, Holland and England. How much will it cost him?
| A．￥8,857 | B．￥8,875 |
| C．＄8,857 | D．＄8,875 |
What telephone number should Lily call if she needs a 2 bedroom house?
| A．2391400 | B．23670072 |
| C．23870052. | D．2378002 |
If Mr Smith wants to be a Business Journalist of WORLDWATCH,what languages does he have to know well ？
| A．Spanish and German | B．French and German |
| C．Spanish and French | D．French , German and Spanish |