Have you ever heard the saying “All roads lead to Rome”? At one time, this was pretty much true. During the Roman Empire, lots of roads were built in order to move armies, send messages by courier (信使), and make trade easier.
The network of Roman roads was begun in 312 BC. It was demanded that the roads be built strong so that they would not fall down. Roman soldiers, supervised (监督) by engineers, laid down the roads in a special pattern of layers. There were all together 4 layers, which was made of different materials, such as sand, rocks, stones and so on.
Also, Roman roads were cambered(拱形). This means that they were built higher in the middle than on the edges, allowing rainwater to run off, which prevented flooding. We use the same technique in building roads today. The Romans also laid out roads over hills when necessary, setting them down in a zigzag (之字形的)pattern to make the road rise gradually.
All Roman roads had milestones (里程碑), placed every thousand paces (a Roman mile). The milestones told when the road was built, who was emperor at the time, the road’s destination, how far the traveler was from the destination, and how many miles had been traveled since the beginning of the road. This information was a great help to travelers.
Because of their excellence in construction, it really is no surprise that many parts of Roman road still exist today. These roadways are one of the most impressive achievements of the Roman Empire.The following description about Roman roads is true EXCEPT _____.
| A．Roman roads were built by the Roman soldiers directed by the engineers |
| B．Roman roads could prevent flooding using the technique we don’t use today |
| C．Roman roads had milestones that were placed every Roman mile |
| D．Roman roads still exist today as an impressive achievement of Roman Empire |
What information can you find on the milestones?
| A．The builders of the road. |
| B．The materials used in building roads. |
| C．The distance from one city. |
| D．The time spent in building roads. |
The passage mainly ______.
| A．explains the saying “All roads lead to Rome” |
| B．praises ancient Romans for their great achievements |
| C．shows how great the Roman Empire was |
| D．introduces the construction of the Roman roads |
People have strange ideas about food. For example, tomato is a kind of very delicious vegetable. It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways. It has rich nutrition(营养) and vitamin in it. But in the 18th century, Americans never ate tomatoes. They grew them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty. But they thought the vegetable was poisonous(有毒的). They called tomatoes “poison apples”.
President Thomas Jefferson, however, knew that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples. Jefferson never spoke to his honored guests about the fact.Tomato is a kind of ___________.
| A．poisonous fruit | B．poisonous vegetable |
| C．tasty fruit | D．tasty vegetable |
After you read the passage, which of the following do you think is true?
| A．Americans never ate tomatoes after they began to plant them. |
| B．Americans didn’t eat tomatoes before 19th century. |
| C．Even now Americans don’t eat tomatoes. |
| D．In the 18th century Americans ate a lot of tomatoes. |
Jefferson learned that tomatoes were good to eat ____.
| A．while he was in Paris | B．when he was a little boy |
| C．because his parents told him so | D．from books |
From the passage we know all the honored guests invited by Jefferson were____.
| A．people from other countries | B．from France |
| C．people of his own country | D．men only |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT TRUE?
| A．None of the guests knew the soup that was served at the President’s party was made of tomatoes. |
| B．All of the guests thought the soup which was prepared by the President’s cook was nice. |
| C．President Thomas Jefferson knew that tomatoes were good to eat and not poisonous at all. |
| D．All of the guests didn’t know that their president would serve his honored guests poison apples. |
The pen is more powerful than the sword. There have been many writers who use their pens to write things that were wrong. Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe was one of them.
She was born in the U. S. A. in 1811. One of her books not only made her famous but has been described as one that excited the world, and was helpful in causing a civil war and freeing the enslaved race. The civil war was the American Civil War of 1861, in which the Northern States fought the Southern States and finally won.
This book that shook the world was called Uncle Tom's Cabin. There was a time when every English-speaking man, woman, and child had read this novel that did so much to stop slavery. Not many people read it today, but it is still very interesting, if only to show how a warm-hearted writer can arouse people's sympathies. The author herself had neither been to the Southern States nor seen a slave. The Southern Americans were very angry at the book, which they said did not at all represent the true state of affairs, but the Northern Americans were widely excited over it, and were so inspired by it that they were ready to go to war to set the slaves free.Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe became famous for .
| A．one of her books |
| B．she was a very heartedly person |
| C．she was a kind wife |
| D．she worked for the war |
How old was Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe when her world famous book was published?
| A．About sixty years old. |
| B．Over fifty years old. |
| C．In her forties. |
| D．Around twenty years old. |
What do we learn about Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe from the passage?
| A．Before the civil war she had been a slave. |
| B．Before the civil war she had lived in the north of America. |
| C．She had a good school education. |
| D．She was better at writing than swinging a sword. |
Why could Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe's book cause a civil war in America? Because .
| A．she disclosed the terrible wrongs done to the slaves in the Southern States |
| B．she wrote so well that the Americans loved her very much |
| C．the Americans were too excited when they reads the book |
| D．the Southern Americans hated the book, while the Northern Americans liked it |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．No wor can be won without such a book as Uncle Tom's Cabin. |
| B．We must understand the importance of literature and art. |
| C．We needn't use weapons to fight things that are wrong. |
| D．A writer is more helpful in war than a soldier. |
I moved to Chicago ten years ago. As I was new to the area, I had friends and seldom went out to parties. But a month later, I was invited to a party and there I an elderly couple.
The wife and I for a long time. She told me how she was about her husband who was a heart operation. At that time I was working as a researcher in the same where the husband would be going for his operation, I told her to take down my phone number and me to let me know when he was there.
She phoned a few weeks later as and told me that her husband was admitted to the hospital and
waiting. I told her that I would go and check on him every day while I was at . I thought that if it was my dad, I would do the same, so I decided to give them some .
Weeks turned into months and it just became my to see them and keep track of how things were going before, during and after the heart operation. Sometimes I'd bring a for him to read, or some food that we would share . As time went by, it seemed like I became part of the . Even after the husband returned from the hospital, we still often each other on holidays.
Now, ten years later, I my own family. Since our parents don’t close by, this couple has become my son’s “local” grandparents. My wife and I often feel truly to have this couple as our “local” parents! Sometimes family comes out of the most unexpected place.
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Two Chinese living in South Africa were killed in a robbery (抢劫) on February 5, bringing the total number of Chinese killed in the country to four in less than a month.
Chen Jianqing, 35, from Southeast China's Fujian Province, who ran a shop with her husband in a small town 45 kilometers away from South African capital Johannesburg, was shot dead.
"One of her business partners died later in the hospital," the Chinese consulate (领事馆) officials in Johannesburg said yesterday. "Local police are trying to find more information about the case. And we have told the victims' (遇难者的) relatives and are helping them come to Johannesburg," Consul Wu Gang told China Daily. Chen's husband was injured during the robbery but did not suffer seriously, said Wu.
The robbery happened at about 5:45 pm local time and the armed robbers ran away after taking more than 50,000 South African rand (US $8,200) and some jewelry, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The killing happened just three days after Chen Jingmin, a 23-year-old man from Qingdao, Shandong Province, was shot dead north outside Johannesburg by armed robbers. On January 10, a Hong Kong businessman was attacked and robbed at his home in Johannesburg and died the next day in the hospital. All these happened just in less than a month.
According to records, there were more than 40 robberies attacking Chinese in South Africa last year, in which eight were killed. More than 100,000 Chinese are doing various kinds of businesses in South Africa, according to a Chinese official in the country. An increasing number of them are becoming targets (目标) of robbers after buying big houses or luxury cars, the official said.. The passage is probably ______.
| A．a business story | B．a scientific article |
| C．a newspaper report | D．an official document |
. Who were killed on February 5 in a small town near Johannesburg?
| A．Chen Jianqing and her husband. |
| B．Chen Jianqing and one of her partners. |
| C．Chen Jingmin and a Hong Kong businessman. |
| D．Chen Jingmin and one of his relatives. |
. How many Chinese were killed in South Africa since January ?
| A．2 | B．4. |
| C．5. | D．8. |
. _______are more likely to be robbed in South Africa.
| A．Those Chinese who depend too much on local police |
| B．Those Chinese who live near the capital of South Africa |
| C．Those Chinese who open shops selling Chinese goods |
| D．Those Chinese who leave others the impression of being rich |
Friends play a very important part in everyone’s life. Friendship usually develops during childhood. New friends are made when you progress through school. Those friends that you make as a student can usually last long. Friends influence your development, maturity (成熟) and sense of responsibility. A familiar expression is “you can tell a lot about a person by knowing who his friends are.” Friendship is based on common interests. If you like sports, most of your friends are likely to be athletic. If you enjoy reading and shopping, most of your friends do the same.
Some people call you their friends for the wrong reason. These people are not really friends. They are only “friends” on the outside, not the inside where it counts. They only want to be your friends if it is to their advantage. True friends are there whether you are rich or poor. It is easy to have many so-called “friends” if you are rich. By this time you should be able to separate your friends into the real or the “false”.
True friends are most special. They are also difficult to find. You can consider yourself very lucky if you have one true friend. This friend is eager to help you whenever necessary. He or she knows you would do the same for them. A true friend is someone you can talk to about any subject or problem. You and your true friend have good understanding of each other. True friends support you, take your side, and build up your confidence.. “So-called” friends refer to .
| A．fair-weather friends |
| B．those who want to benefit from you |
| C．the friends who are on the surface only |
| D．all of the above |
. Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．You should tell true friends from false ones. |
| B．True friendship is too difficult to find. |
| C．You can share your joys and sorrows with a true friend. |
| D．A true friend will stand by you whatever happens. |
. The proper title for this article may be “”.
| A．Friendliness | B．What friends like |
| C．True Friends | D．So-called Friends |