No one knows when the first kite was made.The first record of a kite was more than 2,000 years ago
in China.Han Xin,the leader of an army,wanted to bring down a king.He decided to dig a tunnel (隊道)into the king's palace.He flew a kite over the wall of the palace to make sure the length (长度)of its string (线).In this way,he could determinehow long the tunnel should be.His men in the tunnel
took the kite string with them.When they reached the end of the string,they knew to dig up.
Kites have been flown in Japan for hundreds of years.In the 1700s,kites were flown in autumn to give thanks for a good harvest.They were also flown to send good wishes to couples who had their first
son.Today in Japan,kites are often flown as part of a celebration,such as the beginning of a new year.And kite festivals are held each year in many parts of the country.
Kites have been used for scientific purposes in the western world.In 1752,Benjamin Franklin tied a key to a kite and flew it in a storm to find out that lightening was a form of electricity.In the 1890s,Lawrence Hargrave invented the box kite to test ideas about flight.From 1898 until 1933,the United States Weather Bureau (气象局) used box kites to collect weather data.The Wright brothers also experimented (试验)with kites.What they learnt helped them make the first airplane flight in 1903.
(1)Why did Han Xin want to dig a tunnel?
A. |
To pull down the palace. |
B. |
To fight against the king. |
C. |
To search for the king's treasure. |
D. |
To find out the length of the kite string. |
(2)What does the underlined word" determine"in Paragraph 1 probably mean in Chinese?
A. |
测定 |
B. |
选择 |
C. |
了解 |
D. |
考察 |
(3)One of the purposes of flying kites in Japan is .
A. |
to give thanks for a good harvest in summer |
B. |
to express good wishes to the first﹣born daughter |
C. |
to celebrate the beginning of a new year |
D. |
to hold kite festivals all over the country |
(4)When did the United States Weather Bureau begin to use box kites?
A. |
In 1752. |
B. |
In 1898. |
C. |
In 1903. |
D. |
In 1933. |
(5)What would be the best title for the text?
A. |
The History of Kites |
B. |
The Experiments of Kites |
C. |
The Invention of a Kite |
D. |
The First Record of a Kite. |
Do you want to know something about children in Africa? What to they do for fun every day? Find out here:
Education
School is expensive for many African children. Lots of families can’t afford school uniforms or exercise books even though they don’t have to pay for school.
For those lucky enough to go to school , they have a lot to learn. Some take two language classes: English or French, and their first language. There is also math, science, history, social studies and geography. Chores take up much of children’s time after school. They have to get water and firewood for the family every day. Also there’s cleaning , washing and helping Mum with the meal.
Daily fun
It’s not all work and no play. Sports are very popular. Children can make goals with twigs ( 嫩树枝)and their own footballs with plastic and bits of string ( 绳子 ). They play in the country and the streets of old towns. There’re many football teams for teenagers in Africa.
Internet
It’s really expensive to get on the Internet. To surf the net for 20 hours costs over 600 yuan. This is more than the average (平均的) monthly pay per person.
Egypt and South Africa are the top two users of the Internet in Africa. All of the capital cities there can get on the Internet.
Some schools offer computer lessons but few students can enjoy computer fun at home. The underlined word "Chores" probably means
A.网上冲浪 | B.家务杂活 | C.体育活动 | D.家庭作业 |
Sports are very popular in Africa because children _________.
A.do not need money to play |
B.can play all kinds of ball games |
C.don’t like to go to school |
D.don’t like to do their homework |
The passage is mainly about_________.
A.education in Africa |
B.children’s school life in Africa |
C.the Internet in Africa |
D.children’s daily life in Africa |
From the passage, we can infer (推断) that in Africa_________.
A.basketball is popular among children |
B.children in Africa have to pay for school |
C.some children in Africa have to take two foreign language classes |
D.people in Egypt and South Africa may get higher pay than people in the other countries |
Hi,my name is Erik. I live in a small town in the southeast of England. In my house there are three rooms downstairs ad three rooms upstairs. Now I’ll show you some of the rooms.
![]() Kitchen |
The fridge—This is the place where mum keeps things cool. Dad’s computer—Not everyone in England has a computer in his kitchen but my dad has. Washing Machine—Mum washes our clothes here and hangs them out in our garden to dry. |
|
![]() Bathroom |
A toilet. A bath—We fill the bath up with water and then climb into it to wash ourselves. A sink with two taps (one for hot water and one for cold). I clean my teeth at the sink and also wash my hands and face. Laundry basket—This is where I put my dirty clothes for washing. |
|
![]() Bedroom |
My own computer and my own television. Wardrobe—to hang my clothes in.Bookcase—for my books. My bed—My bed is high up as I have my desk and my computer under it. |
|
- The living room is also downstairs. It is where the television is. We eat our food and watch TV there. The three rooms upstairs are all bedrooms.Where will Erik’s father go if he wants to surf the Internet?
A.To the kitchen. |
B.To the living room. |
C.To the bathroom. |
D.To go upstairs. |
Where does Erik put his dirty clothes?
A.In his bedroom. |
B.In the living room. |
C.In rooms upstairs. |
D.In the bathroom. |
If Erik wants to watch TV, he may go to_________.
A.his bedroom |
B.the kitchen or the living room |
C.the living room only |
D.the bathroom or his bedroom |
The best title for this passage is_________.
A.I love my bedroom |
B.My family and my house |
C.Inside an English house |
D.Houses in England |
Olympic torch relay (奥运火炬接力) planned route
Beijing, April 27—The Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay will cover the greatest area and include the largest number of people. The plans were announced on Thursday night. The planned route would last 130 days and travel 137 000 km.
First Nobel Prize winner to donate to Hope School
Chinanews, Beijing, May 10—Professor Dannel Chee Tsui, in the USA, signed the agreement to donate 350 000 yuan to his home town to build a Hope Primary School in China.
Bill Gates receives Tsinghua honorary doctorate
Beijing,April 20—Bill Gates, chairman of global IT giant Microsoft, received an honorary doctorate (荣誉博士学位) when he
visited China’s famous Tsinghua University on Thursday.
Big Shaolin kung fu center to be built in Russia
Chinanews, Beijing, April 27—China and Russia have signed a letter of intent ( 意向书)on the building of a Shaolin kung fu center in Russia. It will be the first of its kind in Russia,and also the biggest overseas kung fu center when it is completed. How long will the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay last?
A.One month. |
B.Two months. |
C.Three months. |
D.More than four months. |
Who signed an agreement to donate money to build a Hope Primary School on May 10?
A.Bill Gates. |
B.Professor Daniel Chee Tsui. |
C.Beijing government. |
D.Tsinghua University. |
What will be built in Russia according to the news?
A.A university. |
B.A sports centre. |
C.A Shaolin kung fu center. |
D.A Hope Primary School. |
Children in England mustn’t work until they are 13. They need to have a work permit (许可证) to start working.
The jobs teenagers can do:
Delivering (递送) newspapers: Many teenagers will get up early to deliver newspapers to houses in their local area before going to school. They are known as Paper-boys or Papergirls.
Babysitting: Looking after young children in their home while their parents have gone out for the evening is a popular job for teenagers, as they get money for watching children and television all at the same time!
Helping the Milkman: From the age of 14 some teenagers help the milkman deliver milk to houses.
Other popular jobs : Working in a shop; Office work; Washing cars ; In a cafe or restaurant. The hours teenagers (13 and 14 year olds )can work:
School Days: Not more than 2 hours in one day during the following periods:
Morning 7 a. m. —start of school or Evening : close of school— 7 p. m.
Saturdays: Up to 5 hours between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Sundays: Up to 2 hours between 7 a.m. and 11 a. m.
Term time: Up to 12 hours a week (Including weekends) In England how old do children have to be before they can work?
A.15. | B.14. | C.10. | D.13. |
Paper-boys and Papergirls deliver newspapers
A.early in the morning |
B.at noon |
C.in the afternoon |
D.in the evening |
Teenagers in England can do all of the following except_________.
A.work in an office |
B.work in a night club |
C.look after young children |
D.deliver newspapers |
How many hours a week may teenagers work during the term time?
A.10. | B.14. | C.17. | D.20. |
When I was a foreign teacher in China,every day I taught English to my students and they taught me about China.One day the topic mined to saying “I love you”.I was shocked to learn that not one of my students had said this to their mothers,nor had their mothers said it to them.“Does your mom love you?” “Of course,”they answered.
“How do you know?” was my logical question.They responded that their moms cooked and Always told them what they were doing wrong to show their earning.I was strummed. So mom’s cooking and criticizing read our as “I love you”.”Then how do you say ‘I love you to her?” They agreed that getting good grades, followed by good jobs would be how they showed their love.
I come from a culture where most people are expressive enough,so I repeated these queries in clauses over time.Gradually,I began to get different responses.Some of them had exchanged those sentiments with their moms.
One of my favorite stories of change came from a girl.When she came home from university,her mother met her at the door and hugged(拥抱)her.This had never happened before,but her mom said,“Now that you have gone I have more time to myself.I noticed that in some places mothers and children hug each other and I decided it was a good idea and that I would begin hugging you.”
In my family we all say “I love you” a lot.While it is true that we often say the words without having great depth of feelings at that moment,it is almost like a blessing we give each other. Those three little words carry a world of meaning,even when said as a greeting, but most especially if they are the lax words we say to or hear from those we love.The foreign teacher _________.
A.comes from America | B.is a young woman |
C.is expressive enough | D.knows much about China |
Chinese people prefer to show love by __________.
A.saying “I love you” | B.cooking |
C.getting good grades | D.doing something helpful |
In paragraph 4, what’s the real meaning of the mom’s hugging?
A.She is meeting her daughter at the dour. |
B.She loves her daughter and misses her. |
C.She is glad that she has more time to herself. |
D.She finds it interesting to hug her daughter. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.Say “I love you” more to your family. |
B.Say “I love you” a lot to Chinese people. |
C.Say “I love you” as a greeting to others. |
D.Say “I love you” without great depth of feelings. |