Buckingham Palace is where the Queen lives. It is the Queen’s official and main royal London home.
Buckingham Palace was originally a splendid house built by the Duke(公爵) of Buckingham for his wife. George IV began changing it into a palace in 1826. It has been the official London home of Britain’s royal family since 1837. Buckingham Palace is also an office and used for the administrative work of the royal family.
When the Queen is at home you can see her royal flag (the Royal Standard) flying from the flag pole on top of Buckingham Palace. The flag is divided into four equal parts. The first and fourth parts represent England and contain three gold lions waking on a red field; the second part represents Scotland and contains a red lion standing on a gold field; the third part represents Ireland and contains the gold coat of arms of Ireland on a blue field.
In flag protocol (礼仪), the Royal Standard which must only be flown from buildings where the Queen is present is supreme (至高无上的). It flies above the British Union Flag (the Union Jack), and other British flags. It never flies at half mast.
The guards of the Palace wear red jackets and tall, furry hats. When the first guards come on duty, there is a ceremony called the Changing of the Guard. A familiar sight at Buckingham Palace is the Changing of the Guard ceremony that takes place in the open space in front of it each morning.
The Palace has around 750 rooms, including 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 78 bathrooms, 92 offices, a cinema and a swimming pool. It also has its own post office and police station. About 400 people work at the Palace, including servants, chefs, footmen, cleaners, gardeners, electricians, and so on. More than 50,000 people come to the Palace each year as guests to dinners, receptions and Royal Garden Parties. For whom was the original Buckingham Palace built?
| A．The Duke of Buckingham. | B．George IV. |
| C．The Duke of Buckingham’s wife. | D．George IV’s wife. |
According to the text, the Royal Standard_________.
| A．is flown at Buckingham Palace every morning |
| B．represents the four countries of the UK |
| C．flies at half mast only on a few occasions |
| D．flies higher than the British Union Flag |
When can a visitor see the Changing of the Guard ceremony?
| A．Every morning and evening. |
| B．Every morning. |
| C．When the Queen’s flag is flying. |
| D．When a flag is flying at the Palace. |
What is the last paragraph about?
| A．What you can see inside Buckingham Palace. |
| B．The royal parties at Buckingham Palace. |
| C．The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. |
| D．People living and working at Buckingham Palace. |
I have forgotten the name of an old lady who was a customer on my paper route when I was a twelve-year-old boy back in 1954. Yet it seems like just yesterday that she taught me a lesson in forgiveness that I can only hope to pass on to someone else someday.
On a Saturday afternoon, a friend and I were throwing rocks onto the roof of the old lady's house. I found a smooth rock and sent it. The stone headed straight for a small window on the old lady's back door. At the sound of broken glass, we took off from the old lady's yard.
I was too scared about getting caught that first night. However, a few days later when I was sure that I hadn't been discovered, I started to feel guilty for her misfortune.
I decided to save my paper delivery money, and in three weeks I had the seven dollars that I thought would cover the cost of her window. I put the money in an envelope with a note explaining that I was sorry for breaking her window. Then I put the envelope through the letter slot in her door. My soul felt redeemed (救赎) and I couldn't wait for the freedom of, once again, looking straight into the old lady's eyes.
The next day, I. handed the old lady her paper. She thanked me for the paper and said, "Here, I have something for you. " It was a bag of cookies. I thanked her and ate the cookies as I continued my route.
After several cookies, I felt an envelope and pulled it out of the bag. When I opened the envelope, I was shocked. Inside was the seven dollars and a short note that said, “I'm proud of you. ”What work did the author do at the age of 12?
| A．Repairing roofs. | B．Collecting old papers. |
| C．Picking rocks. | D．Delivering newspapers. |
Why did the author and his friend escape from the old lady's yard?
| A．They broke the old lady's back door. |
| B．They broke the old lady's window. |
| C．They heard the old lady shouting. |
| D．They were seen by the old lady. |
What did the author do to make up for his mistake?
| A．He gave the old lady papers for free. |
| B．He saved some money to cover the cost. |
| C．He apologized in the old lady's presence. |
| D．He bought cookies for the old lady. |
According to the passage, the old lady was a person who was.
| A．strict | B．patient | C．generous | D．helpful |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Seven dollars | B．Being honest | C．A silly mistake | D．True forgiveness |
Starting a new school term is always exciting. It is a chance to see all of your friends again. But most exciting of all, the new term is an opportunity to take up new hobbies. As you know, it is common in Britain for students to take up new hobbies after the Christmas holidays. Promising to begin something new is a common New Year resolution for many school teenagers.
Most schools offer different kinds of hobby classes. Students take them in their free periods or after school. Some classes you have to pay for and others are free of charge. For example, I once took a free Wednesday evening gymnastics class that my school offered. But when I learnt how to play the drum my parents had to pay for the lesson, and they did so, like most parents, without any complaint.
The most popular extra classes at my school were piano lessons and drama club: Both classes offered exams students could take. Because the extra classes may take up much time of the students, students with many hobbies sometimes felt more stressed than those without any. But they could enjoy their life better than those who didn't foster (培养) any hobbies at school. For example, they could build up good friendship with the persons who shared the common interest with them. Most important of all, the students with hobbies left school with many extra skills.
Frankly speaking, I haven't continued any of the hobbies I began at school. But I have never regretted taking them. After all, my best friend today is someone whom I met in my gymnastics class. The reason why we are still keeping in close touch with each other is that we have much in common.The first paragraph suggests that it's children's nature.
| A．to value friendship |
| B．to make a promise easily |
| C．to copy others' behavior |
| D．to be curious about the new |
The author's parents' attitude to hobby classes might be that of.
| A．approval | B．doubt | C．unconcern | D．disapproval |
What is the biggest benefit children can get from taking up a new hobby?
| A．They can enjoy a good time. |
| B．They can learn extra skills. |
| C．They can make more friends. |
| D．They will have things to share. |
From the author's experience, we can learn that.
| A．free hobby classes are very popular |
| B．hobbies are a way of making friends |
| C．we must be careful when choosing a hobby |
| D．hobby classes may not last a long time |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To introduce some hobby classes at school. |
| B．To tell readers how to choose hobby classes. |
| C．To encourage readers to take up new hobbies. |
| D．To report a trend among British school children. |
Traditional Japanese food is surely one of the healthiest and most delicious in the world, and fortunately for most of us, foods like tofu, sushi and even green tea are now familiar and can be found easily out of Japan. As a national cuisine(烹饪), thanks to many social as well as political changes, Japanese food has greatly developed over the past few centuries. In ancient times, when much of the traditional cuisine was influenced by Korean and Chinese cultures, Japanese cuisine slowly changed with the start of the medieval(中世纪的)period, which brought along with it new tastes.
With the coming of the modern age, a great many changes took place and the Japanese cuisine was influenced greatly by Western culture. However, the traditional Japanese food of today is still very like what existed toward the end of the 19th century. This would mean that a large part of the Japanese cuisine includes those foods whose cooking methods and ingredients(原料)have been introduced from other cultures, but which have since then been experimented with and developed by the Japanese themselves.
The thing about Japanese food is that you either will love it or will completely look down upon it. With traditional Japanese food, there is no such thing as an in-between. However, chances are that if you hate Japanese food, then you probably haven’t even tasted real Japanese food or you simply haven’t given yourself the chance to like it. Unlike other cuisines, Japanese food is not something that you will appreciate after having only a bite. Like wines and cigars, Japanese food needs time to be liked. After reading the whole passage, we learn that this passage mainly.
| A．advises us to eat healthy food is so healthy |
| B．explains why Japanese food is so healthy |
| C．introduces some famous traditional Japanese food |
| D．tells us something about traditional Japanese food |
What does the writer mean by saying “fortunately for most of us”?
| A．That most people know how to prepare tofu and sushi themselves. |
| B．That most traditional Japanese food can be enjoyed everywhere. |
| C．That we can enjoy some traditional Japanese food out of Japan. |
| D．That Japanese food like tofu, sushi and even green tea is not strange to us. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Japanese food changed most during the medieval period. |
| B．Japanese food has been greatly influenced by other cultures. |
| C．The traditional Japanese food of today tastes totally different from that in the past. |
| D．Korean food is also one of the healthiest foods in the world. |
The last paragraph suggests that.
| A．healthy food usually doesn’t taste good |
| B．not everyone likes Japanese food |
| C．some people are crazy about Japanese food |
| D．it’s very easy to tell whether the food is real Japanese food or not |
In the writer’s opinion, Japanese food.
| A．is not as good as people think |
| B．sometimes tastes really terrible |
| C．is worth tasting a second time |
| D．tastes as good as Chinese food |
When I was about 10, I was walking down the street with my mother. She stopped to speak to Mr. Lee. I knew I could see Mr. Lee anytime around the neighborhood, so I just stood there. After we passed him, my mother stopped and said something unforgettable, "You let that be the last time you ever walk by somebody you know without opening your mouth to speak, because even a dog can wag its tail when it passes you on the street. "That sentence sounds simple but it made me become who I am.
At work, I used to say hello to the president of the company and ask him how our business was doing. But I also spoke to the people in the cafe and people who cleaned the buildings, and asked them how their children were doing, for every single person deserves to be accepted, no matter how humble(低微的)they are. I remember that after a few years of passing by the president, I had the courage to ask him for a chat. We had a great talk. At some point, when I asked him how far he thought I could go in his company, he said that if I wanted to, I could get all the way to his seat.
I've become vice-president, but that hasn't changed how I treat people. I speak to people wherever I am. Speaking to people creates a pathway into their world, and it lets them come into mine, too.
The day you speak to someone who has his head down and then see him lift it up and smile, you will realize how powerful it is just to open your mouth and say hello.What is the best title for this passage?
| A．The power of being talkative |
| B．My mother's influence on me |
| C．The power of saying hello |
| D．My way to become vice-president |
It is implied in the first paragraph that.
| A．the writer didn't like Mr. Lee |
| B．the writer didn't say hello to Mr. Lee on that occasion |
| C．the writer didn't get along well with his mother |
| D．the writer's mother stopped to say hello to everyone she met |
What can we learn from the second paragraph?
| A．The writer didn't say hello to everyone in the company. |
| B．The writer made a very good impression on the president of the company. |
| C．The president of the company thought the writer was much better than him. |
| D．The president of the company actually didn't like the writer at all. |
For the writer, saying hello to others.
| A．is a way to get what he wants |
| B．has become a habit and a way of life |
| C．is a way to show respect for his mother |
| D．is important in making him remembered |
According to Paragraph 3, in the writer’s opinion, speaking to others can.
| A．make our world much better |
| B．make people much happier every day |
| C．help people understand each other better |
| D．help people work much better |
When I was a child, I was shocked at the idea that my sisters could be my best friends. Now, I wouldn’t have it any other way. At the time, the idea of my two sisters being my closest friends seemed strange to me. We fought all the time over toys, food, attention, what to watch on television—you name it, and we quarreled about it at some point. How could my sisters be my best friends? They weren’t the same age as I. We all had our own friends in school.
My mother never let the three of us forget that sisters are lifelong friends. Her wish like most parents’ was to give us something that she never had. Growing up as an only child, she longed for (渴望) siblings. When she gave birth to three daughters, the fulfillment (实现) of her dream had only just begun. She had given each of us a gift and she wanted to make sure we did not take that gift for granted. She would frequently tell us how lucky we were. But there were other, more subtle (难以察觉的) ways that she encouraged us to grow closer. She never showed favoritism to one daughter over the other, as not to cause jealousy or bitterness between sisters. She constantly took us places together—skating, shopping and swimming, so that we developed common interests. And when we were teenagers, Mom always punished us equally, giving us yet another bonding (密切相连) experience.
We didn’t always get along beautifully and fought just like any other siblings. But somewhere in between Mom’s lectures, the family vacations and the shared memories, we realized that our mother was right. Today I share things with my sisters that I do with no one else. My sister Cindy and I ran the New York City Marathon together, side by side, even holding hands when we crossed the finish line. When my sister Karen got married, I was her maid of honor(伴娘). Cindy and I traveled through Europe together and even shared an apartment for two years. The three of us trust each other with our greatest secrets.
It was twenty-three years ago that my mother first asked me who my two best friends were. Today she doesn’t have to. She already knows.As a child, the author was shocked at her mother’s idea because ________.
| A．her sisters seemed strange to her |
| B．her sisters didn’t like to be her friends |
| C．none of the girls had their own friends |
| D．they didn’t have much in common |
The underlined word “siblings” in the passage probably means _________.
| A．sisters | B．parents | C．daughters | D．friends |
How did the author’s mother encourage her three daughters to grow closer？
| A．She punished her daughter differently. |
| B．She showed equal love to her daughters. |
| C．She encouraged her daughters to do sports. |
| D．She often took her daughters to many places. |
The best title of the passage could be ________.
| A．The Greatest Gift | B．Mother’s Love |
| C．Growing Experiences | D．Unforgettable Memories |