China is a nation of etiquette（礼仪）．Chinese people are among the most hospitable people in the world．If foreigners visit a Chinese family， they would be surprised at the warmth that they would receive as guests．
When you visit a Chinese family， the host usually makes tea for you．Then he will serve you snacks like biscuits or candies． Someone in the family will also chat with you， never letting you feel lonely．
At the same time， other family members will prepare a meal for you．Chinese people treat their guests with a big meal．They always present more food than the guest can eat．On the table，the guests must be the first to eat．Perhaps one of the things that surprises a western guest most is that the Chinese host likes to pick food for their guests． However ，it won't happen at western tables．
The Chinese family go out of their way to make you feel at home．As you are done eating，the host usually says，"It seems that you didn't eat much． Please have more．Although you tell them you are full， they still put more food in your bowl．"
Being warm and hospitablehas long been an important part of Chinese culture and tradition．As Confucius（孔子） said thousands of years ago：" To meet friends from afar（远方）．How happy we are!"
（1）As a guest in a Chinese family, you are usually offered by the host.
| A． |
coffee |
| B． |
juice |
| C． |
tea |
| D． |
milk |
（2）On a meal table in China, must be the first to eat．
| A． |
the guests |
| B． |
the host |
| C． |
the oldest |
| D． |
the youngest |
（3）Why does a western visitor feel surprised when the host picks food for him？
| A． |
Because he thinks it's not polite． |
| B． |
Because he thinks it's not necessary． |
| C． |
Because he thinks it's not important． |
| D． |
Because it won't happen in western countries． |
（4）The Chinese family try their best to make the guests feel ．
| A． |
lonely |
| B． |
at home |
| C． |
surerised |
| D． |
thankful |
（5）What does the underlined word "hospitable" means in the passage？
| A． |
救死扶伤的 |
| B． |
艰苦朴素的 |
| C． |
热情好客的 |
| D． |
善良仁慈的 |
Many people like doing unusual things, and some of them have appeared in the record books. Here are a few examples.
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Saimir Strati from Albania built the largest picture ever made from toothpicks. More amazingly, a very beautiful horse is in it ！ The artist used 1.5 million toothpicks and it took him about a month to complete it. |
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Can you imagine how tall a motorbike is? Well, here's one! Gregory Dunham （ the USA ） has built the world's biggest motorbike. It is 2.4 meters tall, about 4 meters long and weighs about 1 ton. Has Gregory ever ridden it? Of course, he has, and he says it's great fun! |
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People of Hamburg, Germany, set a new record. They have made the longest model train in the world. It is 110 meters long. How long would a real train of this size be? Leave it to your imagination. |
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Ashrita Furman has appeared in The Guinness Book of World Records 203 times. Furman once ran a mile in about 13 minutes while he was doing the hula hoop （呼拉圈） . But he isn't satisfied. Furman's life is all about breaking records. |
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
36 ． A ____________ is in the largest picture made from toothpicks.
| A． |
book |
B． |
horse |
C． |
train |
D． |
hula hoop |
37 ． Gregory Dunham is from ____________.
| A． |
Albania |
B． |
England |
C． |
the USA |
D． |
Germany |
38 ． The longest model train in the world is ____________ long.
| A． |
1.5 meters |
B． |
2.4 meters |
C． |
4 meters |
D． |
110 meters |
39 ． The Guinness Book of World Records has mentioned ____________ 203 times.
| A． |
Gregory Dunham |
B． |
Ashrita Furman |
C． |
some Germans |
D． |
Saimir Strati |
40 ． According to the passage, we know that ____________.
| A． |
Saimir Strati built the largest toothpick picture |
| B． |
Gregory Dunham made the best hula hoop |
| C． |
some Germans made the longest real train |
| D． |
Ashrita Furman's life is all about running |
Zoology is everything about animals. And people who study it are called zoologists. They want to learn about the difference between different kinds of animals, where they come from, and how they live.
What do zoologists do?
There are many different kinds of zoologists. Some try to learn everything about one animal, and some learn about a group of animals, some try to understand where new kinds of animals come from and other zoologists are interested in how animals can get sick. Many zoologists study what animals do when they are with other animals.
A famous zoologist
Charles Darwin is probably the most famous zoologist. He showed that animals are all one big family and that every kind of animal changes slowly to match the place where they live. This is called "evolution （进化） ". During his life, people laughed at Darwin, saying that people and animals couldn't come from the same family. However, many zoologists today agree that Darwin was right.
Why is it important?
Understanding animals is important because people are animals. When we study animals, we learn about ourselves.
Do you know?
•Frogs can breathe （呼吸） without their mouths! When frogs are not in water, their bodies can take air through their skin.
•Some people say sharks never get sick, but that is not true. Sharks get sick, just like any other animal.
51 ． What kind of people are called zoologists? （根据短文内容回答问题）
__________________________________________________________________
52 ． How many kinds of zoologists are mentioned （提到） in paragraph2? （根据短文内容回答问题）
__________________________________________________________________
53 ． Why is it important to study animals? （根据短文内容回答问题）
__________________________________________________________________
54 ． In the passage, the underlined word "that" refers to （指） "_______"
55 ． Which sentence in paragraph 3 shows people's attitude （态度） towards Darwin when he was alive? （按要求在短文中找到并写出该句） ______________________________
The traditional Chinese calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. In China, the 24 solar terms were created thousands of years ago to guide agricultural （农业的） production. But solar term culture is still useful today to guide people's lives through cultural activities and special foods that go with each term.
Great Heat, the 12th solar term of the year, begins this year on July 22 and ends on August 6. During Great Heat, most parts of China enter the hottest season of the year. Here is something you should know about Great Heat.
Great Heat is a season of harvesting （收割） . During this time, the sunshine, high temperatures, and heavy rainfall are good for the plants. But many natural disasters also happen. So, it's important to harvest and plant in time.
Sending the Great Heat ship is a tradition in Taizhou. The ship is full of all kinds of meat. More than 50 fishermen take turns carrying the ship as they walk through the streets. The ship will finally be pulled out of the port and burned at sea. People believe that is a symbol of good harvests and health.
Great Heat is a season with most crickets （蟋蟀） in the countryside. Cricket fighting is popular game for some people in China during this period. The custom dates back over 1,000 years ago.
People in different places enjoy different food. For example, in southern Shandong, people would like to drink mutton soup. Grass jelly is very popular in Guangdong because there is a saying "Eating grass jelly in Great Heat will make you stay young."
41 ． Ancient Chinese people created 24 solar terms to ________.
| A． |
keep a healthy life |
B． |
serve different food |
C． |
help farming |
42 ． Great Heat lasts for ________days this year.
| A． |
6 |
B． |
16 |
C． |
22 |
43 ． In Taizhou, people send the great Heat ship________.
| A． |
just for fun |
B． |
to get exercise |
C． |
with good wishes |
44 ． According to the passage, ________.
| A． |
Great Heat is an important time to harvest and plant |
| B． |
cricket fighting games are getting popular in China now |
| C． |
people in Guangdong enjoy mutton soup during Great Heat |
45 ． Which of the following shows the structure of the passage? (P=Paragraph)
| A． |
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B． |
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C． |
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There was a young painter who made a living by painting portraits （肖像） . One day, a rich man asked him to paint a portrait for him and promised to pay him 10,000 dollars.
After a week, the rich man came to take the painting, but he was not pleased with it. He told the young painter, "I will only pay 3,000 dollars for this painting".
The young painter was angry. He argued with the rich man, hoping the rich man would keep his word.
The rich man thought, "The man in the painting is me. If I don't buy this painting, no one else will buy it." So he said, "I will ask you one last time: will you sell it for 3,000 dollars?"
The young painter said firmly （坚定地） , "No. This is a shame for me! I would prefer not to sell it, rather than be humiliated by you. Someday, you will pay 20 times the cost for breaking your promise."
After that, the painter worked hard day and night. Finally, he became well-known in the art world.
The rich man forgot about the artist and what he had told him. But one day, some friends told him, "There is a painting selling for 200,000 dollars and the man in the painting looks exactly like you. It has a name of 'Thief （贼） ".
Then, the rich man remembered the artist. He quickly went to say sorry and paid 200,000 dollars to buy the portrait. The young painter made the rich man lower his head in the end.
36 ． The rich man would only pay 3,000 dollars for the painting because ________.
| A． |
he didn't have 10.000 dollars |
| B． |
he wasn't very satisfied with it |
| C． |
he thought others would buy it |
37 ． The painter became famous by________.
| A． |
working hard |
B． |
making friends |
C． |
making a lot of money |
38 ． The underlined word "humiliated" means "________" in Chinese.
| A． |
欺骗 |
B． |
吓唬 |
C． |
羞辱 |
39 ． The man in the painting with the name "Thief" is ________.
| A． |
the artist |
B． |
the rich man |
C． |
the rich man's friend |
40 ． What happened at the end of the story?
| A． |
The rich man kept his promise. |
| B． |
The rich man fought with the painter. |
| C． |
The rich man was punished by the painter. |
Arguments （争吵） between teenagers and parents can be a problem and should be taken seriously.
•A few examples of the arguments
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Parent: Mike is always making trouble in school. You'd better keep away from him. Ben: You don't know him as well as I do stop trying to tell me who I can make friends with. |
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Parent: Don't spend so much time playing computer games. You should do something meaningful. Grace: I've already finished my homework. I just want to relax. |
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Parent: You got an F in your physics exam again. I'm disappointed （失望） with you. Jack: I did study hard. but it's just too difficult for me. |
•Some results of a survey
About 18% of the kids talk to their parents when they have problems.
Over 50% of the kids think their parents don't understand them.
Almost 50% of the parents talk to their children only about school.
•Some suggestions from experts
Communicate with your kids in a friendly way.
Encourage kids to share their feelings with you.
Take part in different activities together with kids.
31 ． Ben's parent isn't happy with Ben being friends with________.
| A． |
Mike |
B． |
Grace |
C． |
Jack |
32 ． Grace's mother thinks playing computer games is ________.
| A． |
interesting |
B． |
relaxing |
C． |
meaningless |
33 ． Jack didn't do well in physics because________.
| A． |
he often plays with Mike |
| B． |
he thinks it's too hard for him |
| C． |
he plays computer games too much |
34 ． From the survey of the passage, we can know that ________.
| A． |
none of the kids think their parents understand them |
| B． |
most parents talk to their children only about school |
| C． |
a few kids talk to their parents when they have problems |
35 ． The suggestions are for ________.
| A． |
parents |
B． |
teachers |
C． |
students |
