Can you remember the day when you spoke your first words? If you can, you are unusual. Try to think what the first months of your life were like. I’m sure you just spent most of your time eating, sleeping and crying. As you grew older, your parents spent more time playing with you and talking to you. You watched and listened. You began to know that people make some sounds to go with some things.
Then you began to cry to make sounds you heard. And step by step (逐渐地) you were able to make the right sound for one thing.
On that day you came to understand the secret of the language. The secret is that a certain sound means a certain thing. Only when a group of people use the same set of sounds of things can they understand each other, so these people have a language.
After you found the secret of language, you learnt words. Some of the words mean things, like
books, chairs and shops. Some of the words mean actions, for example, go and swim. Soon you learnt to put words together to share your idea, like “I want to go out and play with my friends.”
This is language. By the way of language, people can communicate (交流). So we say languages mean sharing.
can remember the day when we spoke our first words?
| A．Few of us | B．one |
| C．Most people | D．All of us |
When you were a little baby, you .
| A．tried your best to remember all the sounds you heard |
| B．spent most of your time eating, sleeping and crying |
| C．could not hear any sounds around you |
| D．spent most of your time playing with your parents |
The secret of language is that .
| A．one sound might be as good as another |
| B．a certain sound is for a certain thing |
| C．people can understand each other |
| D．there is a special sound for each other |
The underlined word “actions” means in Chinese.
| A．表情 | B．表演 | C．动作 | D．感情 |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Language is easy to learn. |
| B．You learn language by reading at first. |
| C．You couldn’t learn language without parents. |
| D．Language means sharing. |
【2014年内蒙古呼和浩特市中考】
Our village carpenter (木匠) , John, came one day and made a dining table for my wife. He made it just the right size for the space between the two windows. When I got home that evening, John was drinking a cup of tea and writing out his bill for the job.
My wife said to me quietly,“That’s his ninth cup of tea today. ”But she said, in a loud voice,“It’s a beautiful table, dear, isn’t it？”
“I’ll decide about that when I see the bill. ”I said.
John laughed and gave me his bill for the work. I read:
One dining table 10 November, 1998
Cost of wood $17. 00
Paint $1. 50
Work, 8 hours ( $1 an hour )$8. 00
Total $36. 50
When I was looking at the bill, John said, “It’s been a nice day, hasn’t it？Quite sunny. ”
“Yes. ”I said. “ I’m glad it’s only the tenth of November. ”
“Me, too. ”said John. “You wait — it’ll be a lot colder by the end of the month. ”
“Yes,colder — and more expensive! A dining table will be $20 more expensive on November 30, won’t it, John？”
John looked hard at me for half a minute. Was there a little smile in his two blue eyes？I gave his bill back to him.
“If there isn’t too much trouble, John,” I said,“please add it up again. You can forget the date…”
I paid him $26. 50 and he was happy to get it.Why did John talk about the weather when the writer was looking at the bill？
| A．Because he didn’t want the writer to go through the bill carefully. |
| B．Because it was really a fine day. |
| C．Because he wanted the writer to check the bill carefully. |
| D．Because he wanted to tell the writer what the weather was like. |
The writer thought John would ask for _______ if he made a dining table on the last day of November.
| A．$20. 00 | B．$46. 50 |
| C．$56. 50 | D．$26. 50 |
When the writer gave John the money, he was happy because _______.
| A．he got what he should get for his work |
| B．he got much more money for his work |
| C．he got the money easily |
| D．he didn’t have to add up the costs again |
From the story we know that ______.
| A．John made a mistake in the bill |
| B．John tried to fool the writer in order to get more money for his work |
| C．John had written out the bill before the writer got home |
| D．John still wanted to get $36.50 for his work in the end |
What do you think of the writer？ He is ______.
| A．honest | B．clever |
| C．foolish | D．afraid |
【2014年内蒙古包头市、乌兰察布市中考】
阅读下面的短文，掌握大意，然后从每小题后的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出一介最佳选项，并将答题卡上对应题目的答案标号涂黑。
Ted Brown's dream as a child was an unusual one: he wanted to fly. What was more unusual was the way in which he made his dream come true.
After high school, he wanted to join the U. S. Air Force but he failed because of his poor eyesight. However, his dream remained.
At the age of 33, Ted was a truck driver in Los Angeles. One day, while sitting outside in his garden, he watched planes fly overhead and an idea came to him: to use balloons(气球) to fly.
A few weeks later, Ted bought 42 huge balloons. He tied them to a chair and then he sat down in the chair with some beer, sandwiches and a gun. His plan was to fly to 10 meters above his garden, enjoy a few hours in the air, and then shoot some balloons with his gun to get back down. But things did not go as he planned.
Once his friends cut the ropes under Ted's chair, the 42 balloons flew into the sky at an astonishing speed until about 4000 meters above the ground with Ted and his chair. He didn't shoot any of the balloons because he was afraid he might break the balanee(平衡) of his "plane". Ted stayed in the sky with his beer and sandwiches for 14 hours, cold and frightened.
Planes heading towards Los Angeles' busy international airport reported the strange sight. And Ted' s balloons caused great danger to them. At last, Ted gathered his courage to shoot a few balloons and slowly landed on the ground, where many policemen were waiting for him.
Ted made his dream come true, but it cost him: he was fined(罚款) $ 1,500 for breaking the law about air safety.
When asked by a reporter why he had done it, Ted answered, "A man can't just sit around and do nothing; he should have his dream and go for it. "Why couldn't Ted join the American Air Force?
| A．Because he didn't finish high school. |
| B．Because his parents stopped him. |
| C．Because there was problem with his eyes. |
| D．Because he was too short. |
He was fined $ 1,500 because
| A．his balloons caused trouble to planes |
| B．he stayed too long in the air |
| C．he used too many balloons |
| D．he took a gun with him |
Which of the following is true?
| A．He didn't go to college because of his dream to fly. |
| B．He felt sorry for what he had done. |
| C．He realized his dream in a dangerous way both to himself and to others. |
| D．He didn't shoot the balloons at first because he wanted to stay there longer. |
What can be the best title for the story?
| A．Go for It. | B．A Man with Poor Eyesight. |
| C．Up High in the Air. | D．Ted's Dream to Fly. |
【2014年内蒙古包头市、乌兰察布市中考】
阅读下面的短文，掌握大意，然后从每小题后的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出一介最佳选项，并将答题卡上对应题目的答案标号涂黑。
Most of my sweet memories are from my childhood. There are always so many interesting things in the far away village where I grew up. One thing that leaves a deep impression on me is shearing the sheep.
In my village, sheep are washed and sheared (剪毛) sometime in the month of June. This should be done quite early in the month, before the hot days begin.
It's best for the sheep to have the wool taken off, or they will be too hot in the summer time.
When the time comes for washing the sheep, they are driven to a pond or a little river.
Then they are thrown into the water, one at a time. The men who are in the water catch them, and wash them to get the dirt all out of the wool.
When the wool is dry, the sheep are taken to the shearer; and he cuts off the wool with a large pair of shears.
In a short time, before the cold winter comes, new wool grows out on the sheep. By the coming of spring, there is so much that it must be cut off soon.
When are sheep sheared usually?
| A．In February. | B．In June. |
| C．In April. | D．In August. |
According to the passage, why do people cut off the wool of sheep?
| A．They do that for fun and pleasure. |
| B．They do that as a sport and exercise. |
| C．They do that to help sheep spend hot summer. |
| D．They do that to make sheep look more beautiful. |
What does the underlined word "shears" in Paragraph 6 mean?
| A．Knives | B．Scissors. |
| C．Baskets. | D．Rivers. |
How often do people shear their sheep?
| A．Several times a year. | B．Twice a year. |
| C．Once a few years. | D．Once a year. |
【2012年广东广州】阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳答案，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Although he died almost 40 years ago，Bruce Lee is still considered the greatest and most influential kung fu performer of the 20th century．His films brought traditional Hong Kong kung fu movies to a new level of popularity，and introduced kung fu to millions of people in the West。
Bona in the USA in 1940，Lee returned to his native Hong Kong before his birthday．As a teenager，the highly intelligent boy was accepted into one of Hong Kong’s most famous middle schools but he paid little attention to his studies. He was more interested in sport，especially kung fu，and hanging out with his street-gang friends. In 1959，Lee got into trouble with the police for fighting．His mother，fearing he would end up in prison，sent him to the USA。Two years later，he began studying at university there．
While still a student，Lee opened his own kung fu school，teaching a new fighting style he had developed．What made Lee’s style different was that it used power，strength and，quick—action attacks．It also combined(融合)Japanese，Korean and South American fighting styles with traditional stow—moving Chinese kung fu．
Among Lee’s students were several famous actors who，impressed by his good—looks and fighting skill，encouraged him to start acting．Over the next fire years Lee achieved some Success in America．But his dream of introducing his fighting style into American movies was not accepted by local film makers who thought western audiences were not interested in kung fu．
Determined to prove them wrong，Lee returned to Hong Kong in 1970．There he made two filmsFists of Fury(1971)andWay of the Dragon(1972)，using his kung fu ideas and techniques.The movies were huge hits world—wide，making Lee an international star and symbol of kung fu．These were followed by what is widely considered the greatest kung fu movie of all time，Enter the Dragon(1973)．Tragically however，Lee suddenly and mysteriously died while making his next movieGame of Death。He was only 33 years old．AS a teenager,Lee was very ．
| A．quiet | B．hard—working | C．brave | D．smart |
Why was Lee sent to America?
| A．His parents wanted him to study at university there． |
| B．He wanted to develop a new American fighting style． |
| C．His family：feared he was getting into too much trouble in Hong Kong． |
| D．He was determined to become a successful and popstar actor there。 |
How was Lee’s style of kung fu different from the traditional Chinese style?
| A．It was much faster． |
| B．It was easier to Iearn。 |
| C．It made people more powerful． |
| D．It was much more dangerous， |
What was Lee’s dream according to the passage?
| A．To develop a new style of kung fu。 |
| B．To become a famous movie star． |
| C．To make movies using his fighting style． |
| D．To teach Americans kung fu． |
According to the passage．how many kung fu movies did Lee complete in his lifetime?
| A．Two． | B．Three． | C．Four． | D．Five． |
【2012年广东】阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳答案，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Fifty-three years ago Barbie Millicent Roberts first appeared in the world of toys.
Since then, Barbie doll, as everyone called her,has become the most successful toy doll in history. Her parent,the Mattel Company,said that 90% of all Ame”rican girls between 3 and 10 have at least one Barbie at home.
However, Barbie is facing some trouble at present (现在). There are many similar dolls on the market in competiotion with her. Another doll named Bratz, for example, come to life thirteen years ago. She looked more like today’s pop stars with heavy makeup(浓妆) and miniskirts. And her company offers more kind of clothes too.
It seems that Barbie has lost her magic among older girls. “ For younger girls, playing with a Barbie is much fun. But when you get older, you want something smarter and more modern,” says Vera Shepherd, a shop assitant in a New York toy store.
It is good news that on the international market. Barbie is still No. 1. although Mttel is selling ferwer Barbies int the United States three years, sales in other countries are still going up.in January 2009, Mattel openee its first Barbie store in Shanghai, where girls can shop, eat, drink or even becomefashion designersfor their own Barbies.
Mattel is planning big celebration for Barbie’s 53rdbirthday. Fashion designers from all over the world have been called to make new dresses for Barbie. How long will Barbie stay popuplar in the world of toy dolls? It is hard to say, but 1.is surely not the age to retire(退休)。Barbie’s family name is______.
| A．Roberts | B．millicent | C．Shepherd | D．Bratz |
Barbie’s trouble is that__________.
| A．it wears heavy makeup and miniskirts. |
| B．other dolls are more popular with little girls. |
| C．other dolls are trying to beat her in the market. |
| D．it has become less popular in the international market. |
Girls can do the following in the first Barbie shop in Shanghai except_______.
| A．going shopping | B．having food |
| C．drinking juice | D．taking photos |
What’s the meaning of the underline words “fashion designers” in the passage?
| A．珠宝设计师 | B．发型设计师 |
| C．舞台设计师 | D．服装设计师 |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．First Barbie Shop in Shanghai |
| B．Barbie’s Past and present |
| C．Barbie’s 53rdBirthday Party |
| D．Barbie Lost Her Magic |