Three rich ladies met every day by the river. They sat there and talked the whole day. Once the three ladies quarreled(争吵). One of them said. “Look, how white and beautiful my hands are!” Another one said, “My hands are more beautiful.” The third one said, “Mine are the most beautiful ones.” An old beggar(乞丐) woman came up to them. “Beautiful ladies,” she said, “I’m hungry. Please give me something to eat.”
But the three ladies gave her nothing. They only asked, “Tell me, old woman, which one of us has the most beautiful hands?”
A peasant(农民)woman was also sitting by the river. She was poor and her hands were rough(粗糙的) because of hard work. The old woman came up to her and said, “I’m hungry. Please give me something to eat.” The peasant woman took out her only cake she had and gave her a half.
The old woman ate it and drank some water. Then she took the peasant woman by the hand, brought her before the rich ladies and said, “Now, I shall tell you whose hands are the most beautiful. The hands of the poor peasant woman are rough because of work, but they give us food; they are far more beautiful than your hands which have never done anything.”The three ladies ___________.
A.had a quarrel every day |
B.were rich but unkind |
C.had a talk about their hands every day |
D.lived by the side of the river |
The old woman asked for something to eat, ___________.
A.but none of the three rich ladies gave anything to her |
B.but only one of the three ladies gave her half a cake |
C.because she wanted to know whose hands were beautiful |
D.because she wanted to know which lady was the richest |
The peasant woman’s hands were not so white as the three ladies’ ___________.
A.because of the hard work she had done |
B.but she was stronger than any of them |
C.so she didn’t quarrel with the three ladies |
D.but she was more beautiful than any of them |
During a winter storm in 1919, one dog managed to save the lives of the people on the ship Ethie. Today, people still tell the story of the dog.
In December 1919, Ethie was travelling along the coast of northern Canada. Without warning, the ship ran into a bad storm. Because of high winds and heavy snow, the captain could not tell where he was going. Sailing too close to the shore (岸), the ship could not move because of some rocks. Ethie was in danger.
The captain decided to save the people on his ship. He thought it was too dangerous to try to reach the shore by lifeboat, so he sent up flares (闪光信号) to call for help. People saw the flares and rushed to the beach. The crew (船员) tried to throw a rope (绳子) to them, but there seemed to be no way to get a rope to the shore.
In the early 1900s ships often carried a large kind of dog called a Newfoundland. Newfoundlands are excellent swimmers. During sea journeys, Newfoundlands would bring back things that had fallen off the ship or even save people from the sea.
The Newfoundland on Ethie was named Tang. The captain decided that Tang offered their best hope of survival (幸存). He gave the dog a long rope. Holding the rope between his teeth, Tang jumped into the turbulent water. He fought his way through high waves and strong winds. Finally he reached the beach.
The people on the shore took the rope. The rope became the ship’s lifeline.
Because of Tang, all the people on Ethie landed on the beach safely. He was given a special medal for being a hero. Tang wore the medal for the rest of his life. What happened to the ship Ethie at the beginning of the story?
A.It ran into a bad storm. |
B.It couldn’t reach the shore. |
C.There was a hole in it. |
D.It was found at the bottom of the sea. |
Ethie could not move near the shore because of
A.the high waves | B.the heavy snow |
C.some rocks in the sea | D.the strong winds |
Which order is RIGHT according to the story?
① The dog reached the beach.
② The captain gave Tang a rope.
③ Tang was given a special medal.
④ The captain sent up flares.
A.①③②④ | B.④②①③ |
C.①②④③ | D.②④①③ |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A.A storm in 1919 | B.The rope to save people |
C.A medal for a dog | D.The hero on the ship |
Amy was looking for a gift for her little daughter. Suddenly she stopped before a store of dolls.
“Girls like dolls,” she thought as she was walking into it. Looking around, she saw a grandma doll - one with gray hair and a pair of glasses. In her mind appeared Joyce, her mother.
When Amy was a little girl, she got her first doll from Joyce for her birthday. Then the second, the third...A doll a year from Joyce never arrived late. “Why always a doll?” This question had been in Amy's mind until one day her father gave the answer, Little Joyce dreamed to have a doll. Her parents promised one for her fifth birthday. Sadly, they both died in a traffic accident before it arrived. The never-received gift was the most precious in her eyes. Her mother's story being recalled(回忆) , Amy got an idea.
It was Joyce's 60th birthday. A package was delivered(递送) to her, with a card that read:
Dear Joyce,
I forget to send you the package(包裹) that you should have received on May 20, 1956, your fifth birthday. The gift inside has aged, but I felt that you might still wish to have it.
Angel of Joy
Joyce opened the package and saw a lovely grandma doll. She held the doll that she had waited for so many years, with tears running down her face. The doll, given by “Angel of Joy”, made her the happiest “child” in the world.We can tell from the story that Joyce is .
A.Amy’s daughter | B.Amy’s mother |
C.the grandma doll | D.Angel of Joy |
Why did Joyce often buy a doll for her as a birthday present every year?
A.Because Amy liked dolls. |
B.Because Amy’s mother Joyce liked dolls. |
C.Because the dolls made Joyce think of the never-received gift given by her parents. |
D.Because Joyce’s parents liked dolls. |
The underlined word “precious” probably means .
A.expensive | B.Beautiful | C.useful | D.valuable |
How do you understand the last sentence “The doll, given by ‘Angel of Joy’”, made her the happiest “child” in the world?
A.Amy’s doll gift made Joyce feel so happy that she smiled like a child |
B.Though Joyce was old, she still wished to have a doll that is often liked by a child |
C.Joyce seemed to realize the dream in her childhood----receiving her parents’ gift. |
D.Joyce thought the doll was only suitable for children. |
Liang Xiyan still misses her long black hair, which was cut two weeks ago.
Liang became a senior high school student in September. In her new school, the rules say that boys’ hairstyles must be cropped (剪短) and girls’ hair cannot fall below their shoulders.
Liang’s school is not alone: many have similar rules on hairstyles. Teachers think a cool hairstyle is a waste of time and money. It may also distract students from their studies. “Your personality is not shown in how you wear your hair but in your ability,” say teachers.
It’s difficult for students to follow these rules. Teenage students like to look nice but they are asked to wear school uniforms. Liang says the only way in which they can be different lies in how they wear their hair. And they want to copy their favorite stars’ hairstyles. They wouldn’t be happy in a school with strict rules.
“I prefer a school with rules on hairstyles,” said Li Man, a Senior 1 student. She said her school’s rules on hairstyles are OK but there could be some little changes. “For example, boys should be allowed to have their hair a little longer,” Li said. “But students must not dye or curl their hair (染发或烫发). This way there will not be so many complaints.”Which of the following hairstyles is not allowed in Liang’s school?
Paragraph 3 mainly tells us .
A.what rules schools have |
B.what students think of the rules |
C.why schools have the rules |
D.how many schools have similar rules |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “distract” in Chinese?
A.引领 | B.使分心 | C.保护 | D.使远离 |
We can learn that students in Liang’s school.
A.can show their personalities by hairstyle |
B.must not have a cool hairstyle |
C.should wear the same shoes to school |
D.can show they are different by wearing their favorite clothes |
William Shakespeare was a writer of plays and poems. Some of his most famous plays are Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth. He wrote thirty-seven plays in all. They are still popular today.
He was born in England. At school he liked watching plays. He decided to be an actor when he finished school at the age of fourteen. In 1582,he married a farmer’s daughter. She was eight years older than he was. Their first child was a daughter. Later they had twins. In 1585, Shakespeare left his hometown, Stratford-upon-Avon. His wife and children stayed behind. No one knows why he left or what he did between 1585 and 1592.
At twenty-eight, he moved to London and joined a theatre company which opened the Globe Theatre in 1599.He became an actor, and he also wrote plays. He usually acted in his own plays. He made almost no money from his writing. But he made a lot of money from acting. With the money he bought a large house in his hometown.
At the age of forty-nine, Shakespeare retired(退休)and went to live in Stratford-upon-Avon. He died at the age of fifty-two in 1616. He left his money to his family. He left the genius(天才)to the world. You still see his plays in English and in many other languages. He is one of the most famous writers in the world.Shakespeare wrote many famous plays except .
A.Hamlet | B.Macbeth |
C.Romeo and Juliet | D.Man and Superman |
Shakespeare decided to be an actor in .
A.1578 | B.1582 | C.1599 | D.1616 |
In 1585,Shakespeare left his hometown Stratford-upon-Avon .
A.with his wife | B.with his daughter |
C.with his wife and children | D.Alone |
One mother took many lovely photos of her sleeping son. After the little baby, Wen, fell asleep, his mother would create an imaginary fairy tale scene behind him and then take those lovely photos.
When the baby was asleep, he was photographed traveling to castles(城堡) in the clouds, cooking eggs in the kitchen or swinging on the swing with an elephant to catch him. The photos have attracted people around the world because of the cute creativity.
Mrs Liao drew inspiration(灵感) from a famous child photographer Anne and a mother Adele who published a book of similar photos, so she decided to turn her hobby of photographing toward her son. She said, “Every day just before Wen’s nap, I would imagine him being the main character in one of my favorite scenes and paint a background setting with common clothes, lovely animals and other household materials, just like how an artist would deal with the paint brush. After he fell asleep, I would place him at the centre of the theme I had creates and start taking photos.”
With a collection of more than one hundred photos of Wen, Mrs Liao published a book in Chinese in Taiwan. And there are plans for an English version to be published. She told her fans, “I’m truly touched by your support.”What’s Mrs Liao’s hobby?
A.painting pictures |
B.looking after her son |
C.photographing |
D.writing books |
Because of _________, the photos attract so many people around the world.
A.her lovely son | B.her cute creativity |
C.her skill of photographing | D.her talented painting |
Will there be a book with lots of photos of Wen in English one day?
A.Probably | B.Impossible | C.Not at all | D.We don’t know |
Who gave Mrs. Liao inspiration to create the lovely photos?
A.Anne | B.Adele | C.Wen | D.Both A and B |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A.The photos were always taken during her son’s nap. |
B.In the scenes she created, there were fashionable clothes, lovely animals and house hold materials. |
C.Her son was always at the centre of the theme, and he was the main character. |
D.The lovely photos seemed to tell people some imaginary fairy tales. |