Photographs are everywhere. They decorate (装饰) the walls of homes and are used in stores for sales of different goods. The news is filled with pictures of fires, floods, and special events. Photos record the beauties of nature. They can also bring things close that are far away. Through photos, people can see wild animals, cities in foreign lands, and even the stars in outer space. Photos also tell stories.
Reporting the news through photos is called photojournalism. At times photojournalists tell their stories through a single picture. At other times, they use a group of pictures to tell a story. Each picture is like a chapter in a book, which can do more than record the facts. It can also be a strong force for social change.
Jacob Riis was among the first photojournalists. He took pictures of parts of New York City where the poor lived. Riis believed that poverty(贫穷) caused crime, and he used photos to help him prove his point. A few years later, the photos of small children working in factories by Lewis Hine shocked the public. Hine’s pictures helped bring about laws to protect such children.
Hundreds of pictures may have to be taken in order to get one or two really good photos. It takes science to have the photo come out clearly and art to make a photo that has a good design and expresses feeling. Photojournalists make an actual record of what they see. A photo, however, can be both a work of art and an actual record. It can record an important event as a beautiful or exciting picture.
As historical and artistic documents(文献) , photos can become more important over time. Today photojournalists still have their pictures appear in newspapers and magazines. They also publish(发表) them in books and on the Internet.
The underlined word “They” in the first paragraph refers to .
| A．beauties | B．photos | C．goods | D．events |
The photos of the small children by Hine show us that photos .
| A．are also works of art |
| B．are popular ways of reporting news |
| C．often shock the public |
| D．can serve as a force for social change |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．News with pictures is encouraging. |
| B．Photos help people improve. |
| C．News photos mean history in a sense. |
| D．People prefer reading news with pictures. |
The text is mainly about .
| A．telling the story through pictures |
| B．decorating the walls of homes |
| C．publishing historical papers |
| D．expressing feeling through pictures |
Animal moms are great moms. You might be surprised at some of these moms.
Octopuses
The octopus mother lays about 50,000 eggs. For about 300 days, she stays with the eggs, cleans them and protects them. She does not leave to feed. However, this animal mom dies as soon as the eggs are hatched.
Crocodiles
A crocodile mother puts a lot of time and effort into raising her babies. She starts by building a nest(巢), which she guards for over two months! When the eggs are ready to hatch, the young crocs call out to their mother, who digs them out and helps them hatch. She then carries them in her mouth down to the water, where she will guard them for several weeks or months until they learn to hunt on their own.
Bats
Bats become moms by hanging head up in a cave, giving birth. Catching the youngster before it can fall to the ground below, she puts it in a pouch. Bat moms may carry babies with them when feeding for the first few days. As the little bats get bigger and heavier, moms help them hang on the wall of their caves and return often to feed them. It continues for about three weeks, until the babies are grown up and able to fly on their own.
Koalas
This animal mom gives birth after a pregnancy(怀孕期) of only 35 days. The hairless baby climbs into its mother's pouch and lives there for another five months. When the little koala is between five and eight months old, it leaves the pouch for short periods of time but returns for safety. Once it is too big to return to the pouch, it will climb onto its mother's back and ride there until it is about 12 months old.The passage is probably taken from _________.
| A．a movie | B．a conference |
| C．a science magazine | D．a speech |
Which animal moms dies when their babies are born?
| A．Octopus. | B．Crocodile. |
| C．Bat. | D．Koala. |
A crocodile mother usually carries her babies to the water ______.
| A．in her mouth | B．on her back |
| C．in her pouch | D．by her tail |
A bat mom ______.
| A．gives birth by lying in the nest |
| B．gives birth by hanging in a cave |
| C．leaves its babies in the pouch for months |
| D．lets its babies live on their own after birth |
How long does a young koala usually stay in its mother's pouch at least?
| A．35 days. | B．5 months. |
| C．8 months. | D．12 months. |
One of the traditions which is now a necessary part of Christmas is a that of Father Christmas, or Santa Claus. According to the modern legend, he is a magical figure who visits all the children of the world during the night before Christmas Day, leaving presents which they find the next morning. He flies through the night sky in a sledge pulled by reindeer, and enters houses by climbing down chimneys. This strange legend is based on the life of a man called Nicholas, but in fact we know very little about him. Historians think he was a Christian bishop(主教)in Turkey in about 285--350 A.D. One of the stories about him is that he helped three poor girls. No one would marry them because they were so poor. To provide them with money for their weddings, Nicholas secretly dropped some gold coins down the chimney of their house. After Nicholas died, he was made a saint(圣人) by the church.(The name Santa Claus thus comes from St Nicholas.) His feast day was celebrated in December, and parents started giving their children secret presents from St Nicholas. Over the years, this custom became part of our Christmas traditions.
Recently, a psychologist has claimed that Father Christmas is “the perfect fantasy” for children. According to Professor Anthony Clare, children love the character of Father Christmas because he is like an ideal father: he loves children and gives them presents, but he never criticizes them, is never angry, and children do not even need to thank him for the presents. Other writers, however, point out that Father Christmas can be a frightening character to some children. Jane Bidder says that some children are terrified of this fat, bearded old man. It can certainly confuse many children. As parents, we warn our children to be careful of strangers and never to let them into the house, and yet we tell children that a strange man will come into their bedroom at night! Some children can become very worried about this idea and fear that he is a kind of burglar.
Most children, however, understand from their parents and from the media that Father Christmas is basically a benign character, and look forward to his annual visit with joy and excitement.The main point of the first paragraph is that .
| A．Father Christmas is an important part of Christmas |
| B．the tradition of Father Christmas is a modern idea |
| C．Father Christmas is a magical figure who can fly |
| D．the legends about Father Christmas are not true |
The writer mentions details such as Father Christmas’s sledge, the reindeer and the way he climbs down chimneys because he/she .
| A．wants to make it clear that these things are impossible |
| B．is describing the history of St Nicholas |
| C．wants everyone to believe that Father Christmas is real |
| D．is explaining the modern legend of Father Christmas |
Why does the writer mention the story about St Nicholas helping three poor girls?
| A．It shows us that historians know very little about him. |
| B．This story explains why parents give secret presents to children. |
| C．It supports the writer’s main point that Father Christmas is based on an untrue story. |
| D．This story explains why we celebrate Christmas in December. |
In the last paragraph, the word “benign” means .
| A．religious | B．friendly |
| C．frightening | D．unreal |
The best title for this passage would be .
| A．Is Father Christmas Dangerous? |
| B．The True History of St Nicholas |
| C．The Legend of Santa Claus |
| D．The Traditions of Christmas |
Dear Susan,
I have been in England for three months now. I hope you don’t think I have forgotten you. There have been so many places to see and so many things to do that I’ve not had much time for writing letters. I shall soon start my studies at King’s College.
So far I’ve been learning about British ways of living. I won’ tell you about London in a traditional way, because there are plenty of books you can read and plenty of pictures you can look at. I’m sure you’ll be more interested to know what I think about the life here. I find some of the customs new and interesting. People here do not shake hands so much as we do in Asia. During the first few weeks I was often surprised because people did not put out their hands when I met them. Men raised their hats to women, but not to each other.
Yours ever,
AnneAccording to the passage, the author .
| A．has never been to England |
| B．came to England a few months ago |
| C．came to England just now |
| D．will come to England in there months |
The author has .
| A．not written to Susan for long |
| B．much time to write letters |
| C．no intention of writing letters |
| D．forgotten to write letters |
Why did the author come to London?
| A． Study at college |
| B．Make a living. |
| C． Learn British ways of living. |
| D．Learn about life there. |
Which part of the world does the author come from?
| A．Asia. | B．Europe. |
| C．America. | D．Africa. |
Men in England .
| A．don’t shake hands as often as the Asians do |
| B．shake hands as often as the Asians do |
| C．raise their hats to all friends |
| D．do not raise their hats to friends |
Sayings(谚语) are quite common in spoken English. We don’t normally put them in a composition or a letter. Sometimes it is helpful if you know what common proverbs mean. Here are a few examples.
“ Once bitten, twice shy.” If a dog bites me, I shall be twice as careful in future when I see it. This proverb is also used to apply to many things and not only to dogs. For example, if you have been cheated at a shop, you will not go to the same shop again.
“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” If I am a hunter, trying to catch birds, it is better to catch one than to see two birds in a bush but not able to catch them. Thus this means that what you have already got is better than the chance of being able to get something bigger in future.
“ Don’t be a dog in a manger(槽)” means “ Don’t be selfish.” In a stable (马棚)，the manger is the place where the horse’s food is put. Sometimes a dog will sleep in the manger and bark when a horse comes to get its food. The dog doesn’t want to eat the horse’s food in the manger but it will not let the horse eat it.
“ He who pays the piper calls the tune (调子).” A piper is a musician. The man who pays a musician can say what tunes the man will play. Thus this means that if a man provides the money for a plan, he can say how it will be carried out.
“To pour oil on troubled waters” is to try to calm things down. Oil is lighter than water. If a ship is in trouble at sea, another ship may come to help it. The second ship can send small boats to rescue people. However, it may first pour oil on the sea to make the sea less rough.Peter has a bicycle which is much too small for him but he does not want to let his young brother ride on it. What would Peter’s mother say to him?
| A．“ You can’t get blood out a stone.” |
| B．“ Don’t be a dog in a manger. |
| C．“ The early bird gets the worm.” |
| D．“ To pour oil on troubled waters.” |
Mr and Mrs Smith had a quarrel. Their friend, Mr Brown, wanted to talk to them. When he came back, he told his wife that he had been trying to help the Smiths by ______ .
| A．pouring oil on the troubled waters |
| B．getting blood out of a stone |
| C．being a dog in a manger |
| D．sitting on the fence |
Mr Wang paid for a new school. Some people didn’t like the design of the school but they didn’t argue with Mr Wang because ______.
| A．he was sitting on the fence |
| B．once bitten, twice shy |
| C．he who pays the piper calls the tune |
| D．a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush |
Mrs Lin wanted to buy a new dress. Her husband suggested that she buy it from a shop near their home. Mrs Lin disagreed because she had been cheated by that shop. So she said, “ I won’t go there again because ______ .”
| A．a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush |
| B．he who pays the piper calls the tune |
| C．once bitten, twice shy |
| D．I don’t want to be a dog in a manger |
Mr Brown had quite a good job in Hong Kong but he thought that if he went to Singapore, he might get a much better job with more money and a larger house. His wife didn’t want him to leave his job in Hong Kong and she reminded him that ______ .
| A．a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush |
| B．don’t be a dog in a manger |
| C．he who pays the piper calls the tune |
| D．once bitten, twice shy |
English words don’t stay the same. People need new words for new ideas and new inventions. Some new words come into use, and some old words are used in a new way.
English can change by borrowing words from other languages. The word “tomato” was borrowed from Mexico, and “tea” came from China, and so on. Now a great many new space and science words are being borrowed from other countries, too. New words can be created in other ways. For example, some can be created by adding two words together. “Weekend” and “cookbook” are made up of two parts. Sometimes new words are shorter forms of older words. The word “photo” was made from “photograph” by cutting off the end of the longer word. “Plane” was made by cutting off the front part of “airplane”. The names of people and products can become new words. Our “sandwich” was named after a man named Sandwich and “sello(透明胶带)” was a name given by the company that first made the product.New English words are needed because.
| A．people use old words in a new way |
| B．people need a new way to speak |
| C．the world is changing in a different way |
| D．new ideas and new inventions come about quickly |
What can we know from the passage?
| A．New science words are shorter than the old ones. |
| B．The best way to make a new word is adding words together. |
| C．Some new English words are borrowed from other languages. |
| D．Most new English words are the name of a person or a product. |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．New words come into use while older words disappear. |
| B．New words can only be formed by adding two words together. |
| C．The word “tea” was borrowed from China. |
| D．The word “photo” was named after its inventor. |
The main idea of the passage is that .
| A．the English language is always changing |
| B．there are new ideas in English today |
| C．people name new products and inventions |
| D．the change of languages goes on in the world |
This passage may most probably be taken from .
| A．a story book |
| B．a science magazine |
| C．a business report |
| D．a TV advertisement |