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．王室的 | B．富有的 |
| C．中产阶级的 | D．贫穷的 |
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 young violin player Vanessa-Mae was the first musician to use dance and rock music in classical（古典的）music. Vanessa-Mae love pop music, and she was also a very good classical violinist, and she brought these kinds of music together.
Vanessa-Mae was born in Singapore on October 27,1978.She moved to London with her family when she was four.A year later,she started to learn the violin.When she was eight,she went to Beijing to study the violin.When she was ten,she played with a very famous group of classical musicians.But Vanessa-Mae doesn’t only play the violin.She learnt the piano before she started to play the violin.
She likes lots of different kinds of music, from Beethoven to the Beatles, and she wants to play the music she likes. Not only has she played in classical concerts all over the world, but she has also played in pop concerts with pop stars.
A lot of people don’t like the way she uses modern rhythms（节奏）, noisy drums and guitars in traditional（传统的）music. But Vanessa-Mae has done one important thing: she has brought many new fans to classical music. For the first time, many young people began to listen to classical music.Vanessa-Mae was a young woman.
| A．Chinese | B．English |
| C．Singaporean | D．French |
The type of music Vanessa-Mae likes is .
| A．traditional music | B．different kinds of music |
| C．classical music | D．rock and roll |
listen to classical music because they like Vanessa-Mae.
| A．Pop stars | B．Young people |
| C．Classical musicians | D．Old people |
was the first instrument（乐器）she learnt to play.
| A．The violin | B．The piano |
| C．The drums | D．The guitar |
Street Markets Around the World
There are many ways of shopping．You can shop by telephone，by post or through your home computer，but for many people，the most exciting way to shop is also the most traditional--at a street market．You can find market anywhere in the world．Here are four of them：
There are many “floating markets” in Asia；perhaps the most unusual is in Thailand（泰国），at a place called Damnoen Saduak．It's open from six in the morning to the noon every day．People sell fresh fruit from their boats．
Many Belgians（比利时人）say that the Grand Place is the most beautiful square in the world．It is the home of a colorful flower market．It's open every day except Monday．On Monday，instead of flowers，there's a wonderful bird market!
One of the world's most famous markets is in Mexico City--the Sonora Market．You can buy toys，birds，herbs and medicine．There are all kinds of things．It's open every day from early in the morning till late at night．
In England，every weekend，thousands of young people from all over London travel to the Camden Market--it's the place to go for street fashion，CDs and tapes．Many people also go there for fun．
根据短文内容，在表格中的横线上填写所缺的单词。
| Names |
Countries |
Features（特征） |
Things to Sell |
Open Time |
| The Damnoen Saduak |
Thailand |
unusual |
fresh |
Everyday |
| The Grand Place |
Belgium |
beautiful |
Every day except Monday |
|
| the Sonora Market |
Mexico |
all kinds ofthings |
Every day |
|
| the Camden Market |
fashion |
Fashion things |
Every |
When William Thomas decided to rob(抢劫) a jewellery’s shop, he made carefully plan. He watched the shop for some days, he found a good place to leave his car, he found a really heavy brick, and he even made plans for the jewellery immediately so that he wouldn’t be caught.
On the day of the planned robbery, he parked his car on a nearby road and walked around the corner to the jewellery’s shop, carrying the brick under his coat.
He looked up and down the road and then, when nobody was watching him, he took the brick from under is coat and threw it at the window.
Unluckily, William had not checked how strong the glass in the shop window was. The brick hit the window and bounced back off the glass. It hit William on the head and knocked him unconscious（失去知觉）.Where did the robbery happen, outside or inside the jewellery’s shop?
How many things did William do in preparation for his robbery?
From which part did William plan to go into the shop?
What did he take with on the day of the planned robbery?
Did William rob anything?
Every teacher probably asks himself time and again：What are the reasons for choosing teaching as a career? Do the rewards of teaching outweigh the trying comments? Answering these questions is not a simple task．Let's see what the author says．
Why do you teach? My friend asked the question when I told him that I didn't want to be considered for an administrative position．He was puzzled that I did not want what was obviously a "step up" toward what all Americans are taught to want when they grow up：money and power．
Certainly I don't teach because teaching is easy for me．Teaching is the most difficult of the various ways I have attempted to earn my living．I teach because teaching is a profession built on change．When the material is the same，I change the more important，my students change．
I teach because I like the freedom to make my own mistakes，to learn my own lessons，to stimulate myself and my students．As a teacher，I'm my own boss．If I want my freshmen to learn to write by creating their own textbook，who is to say I can't? Such courses may be huge failures，but we can all learn from failures．
I teach because I like to ask questions that students must struggle to answer．The world is full of right answers to bad questions．While teaching，I sometimes find good questions．
Besides，teaching gives me pace，and variety，and challenge，and the opportunity to keep on learning．
Last，teaching offers love．Not only the love of learning and of books and ideas，but also the love that a teacher feels for that rare student who walks into a teacher's life and begins to breathe．Perhaps love is the wrong word：magic might be better．These are the real reasons I teach，these people who grow and change in front of me．Being a teacher is being present at the creation，when the clay（黏土）begins to breathe．
I teach because，being around people who are beginning to breathe，I occasionally find myself catching my breath with them．．What do all Americans are to taught to get _______when growing up?
| A．money and power | B．freedom and happiness |
| C．wealth and safety | D．life and money |
The author chose teaching as a career because teaching________．
| A．is full of love | B．can change anytime |
| C．can make people breathe | D．A & C |
What does the author think of teaching_________?
| A．it is difficult for him to do |
| B．it is free to make mistakes |
| C．it brings him too much |
| D．it makes me him lose much |
According to the passage，failure is also ___________．
| A．an enemy | B．a lesson | C．a teacher | D．a friend |
The best title of the passage is _____________．
| A．Teaching is terrific |
| B．Teaching is difficult |
| C．Why I like teaching |
| D．Why I chose teaching as a career |
Once you are in the examination room with the paper in front of you there is nothing else to do but give it your best．You will find it goes by very quickly - so make the best of it．Most people feel nervous and a bit scared before an exam but don't worry，once you start concentrating on the passage your nerves will calm down - you'll be too busy．
●Always remember exams are not there to catch you out or make you fail．Examiners try their best to make the exams fair while keeping to the standard set for each level．They want you to pass．
●The exam is part of the Standard Grade course．All your work will have prepared you for this and you and your teacher will have practiced close readings．You know what you are doing．
●Don't be put off by those sitting around you．If someone at the next table starts writing and you are only half way through reading the passage that is their problem not yours．Ignore them．Concentrate on your reading．Be totally selfish, this is one day you can think about yourself and getting your best mark．
●If you find a question hard don't panic．Move on to the next question after a minute or so but always remember to come back and put in an answer．
Don't worry if there are difficult words in the passage or something you don't understand．It would be a strange exam if everyone understood everything．Read through and carry on with the passage．You can still get enough marks to reach the level required even if there are some blanks in your reading．Your nerves will calm down if you ______．
| A．give your best to read the passage． |
| B．don't worry about the exam |
| C．feel nervous |
| D．start focusing on the passage |
What should you do if you find a question very difficult?
| A．I will feel afraid． | B．I move on to see the next question． |
| C．I come back and put in an answer． | D．I give it up． |
Which of the following statement is right according to the passage?
| A．You need to get every answer right to get the higher grade in each level． |
| B．If you don't know an answer to a question it is best to leave it blank． |
| C．It is important to always write in sentences． |
| D．It is important not to be affected by those around you |
What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A．How to get marks． |
| B．How to study well． |
| C．What to do in an examination |
| D．What to do when are afraid in an examination． |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Staying calm | B．Don’t be nervous |
| C．Keeping silent | D．Tips of taking an exam |