What can make people cheer in every corner of the world？ The answer can only be soccer，the world's most﹣loved sport．
December 9 is celebrated as World Soccer Day in China． Fans show their love for this sport by having soccer games． But for many people， it's not just a simple game﹣it's a way of life，
According to FIFA（足球国际管理机构），3，570 million people enjoyed the 2018 World Cup in Russia． That's about half of the world's population! Over 240 million people in more than 200 countries play soccer today．
There are facts about the amazing game． The earliest form of soccer was from China．It was called cuju（蹴鞠）． Players had to kick a ball into a net． They couldn't use their hands， But modem soccer was invented in England． In 1863， the English Football Association was set up．It made the rules of modern soccer． Scotland（苏格兰） and England played the first official（官方的） international soccer match in 1872． The score of the match was 0﹣0． About 4.000 people enjoyed it The first soccer match shown on TV was in 1937．Soccer players run an average（平均） of 6 miles， about 10.000 meters，during every game．
（1）How do fans show their love for soccer？
| A． |
By making soccer rules． |
| B． |
By having soccer games． |
| C． |
By singing songs about soccer， |
| D． |
By throwing the soccer into a net． |
（2）Where was the earliest form of soccer from？
| A． |
England． |
| B． |
Russia． |
| C． |
China． |
| D． |
Scotland． |
（3）When was the English Football Association set up？
| A． |
In 1863． |
| B． |
In 1872． |
| C． |
In 1937． |
| D． |
In 2018． |
（4）What can you learn from the passage？
| A． |
Modem soccer was invented in Scotland． |
| B． |
World Soccer Day was celebrated in Brazil． |
| C． |
Soccer is just a simple game for many people． |
| D． |
The history of soccer in China is longer than that in England． |
（5）Which part of the newspaper may the passage be from？
| A． |
Business． |
| B． |
Health． |
| C． |
Sports． |
| D． |
Travel． |
MOST of you may have heard about the Nobel Prize. But do you know the Ig Nobel Prize (搞笑诺贝尔奖)?The awards are given each year to 10 unusual achievements in science. It is to “honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think.
This September the 2014 winners of the Ig Nobel awards came out! Research into why bananas are slippery(滑的) won the Ig Nobel for physics.
A team of scientists from Japan, tested 12 different banana skins. They then used sensors to measure the friction(摩擦力) between the slippery side of banana skin and the ground. They found that when someone steps on a banana skin, a special chemical, polysaccharide follicular gel(囊泡多糖凝胶), is set off. This chemical reduces friction by one-fifth. Later, scientists also compared banana skin with apple skin and orange skin and showed why apple and orange skins are not quite so dangerous. Friction was about 60 per cent higher on an apple peel.
Polysaccharide follicular gel is also found in the membranes (薄膜) where our bones meet. “This idea will help to design a joint prosthesis (人工关节),” Kiyoshi Mabuchi, the lead scientist, told the BBC news.
The Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine went to doctors from the Detroit Medical Center, US. They used salt pork to stop a young child’s nose bleed. Other interesting research includes whether owning a cat was bad for your mental health and looking at ugly art can be painful.
While Ig Nobel Prizes are mostly funny, great scientific breakthroughs(突破) can be made. In 2006, a team found that a type of mosquito(蚊子) is equally attracted to the smell of feet and cheese. As a result, mosquito traps were made using cheese to fight against malaria in Africa.
Ig Nobel Prize awards are mainly given for achievements in _____.
| A．chemistry | B．Science |
| C．medical research | D．Arts |
Which of the following is True about the banana skin research?
| A．The test led to the invention of a joint prosthesis. |
| B．Stepping on apple and orange skins are not dangerous. |
| C．The test showed that apple skin is more slippery than banana skin. |
| D．The chemical inside the skin mainly causes the banana’s slipperiness. |
Which research has won 2014 Ig Nobel for Medicine?
| A．Looking at ugly art can be painful. |
| B．Salt pork can be used to treat nosebleeds. |
| C．Mosquitoes like the smell of feet and cheese. |
| D．The influence cats have on their owner’s mental health. |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．Fun science that makes people think |
| B．Science is dry and humorless but meaningful |
| C．Ig Nobel Prizes： Think First, Then Laugh |
| D．Ig Nobel Prize given out to silly scientists |
The judge(法官) thought Geoffrey Payne killed his wife. Now for the first time Payne wrote to a magazine from the prison about what happened on the night of 13 October 1999.
I had to stay late at the hospital that night to do an operation. I finally left at about 11p.m.. I drove home slowly because the wind was blowing and it was raining heavily. I was running into our road when a man suddenly ran in front of my car. I almost hit him but I stopped just in time. I was scared and the man looked scared, too. I got out of the car but he ran away before I could ask if he was all right. It was very strange.
When I got home, the lights were on but it was very quiet. I called to my wife but there was no answer. Then I remembered that she was out at a concert.
I was still very unhappy about what happened on the road, so I made myself a drink. Then I went upstairs to have a bath. I saw that the window in the bedroom was open. This was strange because my wife always locked the doors and windows before she went out. She was afraid of burglars. When I went to close it, I found Ellen. She was lying on the floor. There was blood everywhere. I rushed over for her pulse but she was dead. I was so scared. I sat on the floor beside her body without knowing what to do.
The next thing I knew was that the sky was getting light. I can’t remember a thing about that night. In the morning I phoned the police. They arrived half an hour after I phoned them. But it seemed like hours. During that time I tried hard to remember anything I could about the night before. I couldn’t stop thinking about the man in the road. What was he doing at that time of night in our quiet neighborhood?When Payne got home, he found ______________.
| A．a burglar in his house |
| B．the bedroom window closed |
| C．Ellen lying on the floor, blood all over |
| D．Ellen waiting for him in the concert hall |
After he found Ellen dead, Payne .
| A．called out for help |
| B．called the police at once |
| C．was too scared to do anything |
| D．tried to find out the murderer |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Payne called the police the next morning. |
| B．Payne ran away after his car bumped into the man that night. |
| C．Payne couldn’t remember clearly what had happened that night. |
| D．Payne wondered what the man was doing in his neighborhood that night. |
In this passage Payne tried to .
| A．show he was sorry for his wife’s death |
| B．show he was guilty for murdering his wife |
| C．tell why his wife was killed that night |
| D．say the man in the road was probably the murderer |
He is a child in a grown man’s body. Everywhere he goes, he makes his fans laugh so much. He is the lead character of the hugely popular film and TV series of Mr. Bean(憨豆先生), created by British comic actor Rowan Atkinson.
Since its TV show made the first appearance in 1990, its 14 half-hour programs have been sold to more than 200 TV territories worldwide. This year sees Mr. Bean celebrate its 25 th anniversary(周年纪念日).
Why has the character enjoyed success with people of different cultures?
Unlike most people in comedy today, Mr. Bean doesn’t make much use of dialogue, so there is no language barrier (障碍) in his work. Mr. Bean can talk ---sometimes does--- but what he does is much more important than what he might say. For example, in a TV episode, Mr. Bean becomes a barber and makes a terrible mess of the customer’s hair. This doesn’t need any translation.
But there’s a deeper reason. Although he is British and the stories generally take place in British settings, people from different cultures laugh at Mr. Bean for the same reason earlier generations (一代人) laughed at comic star Charlie Chaplin.
As Atkinson told the newspaper： “The essence (本质) of Mr. Bean is that he is self-centered and in fact doesn’t care about the outside world.” Mr. Bean breaks social rules wherever he goes – he jumps the queue, tries to cheat(作弊) in exams – we all secretly want to do but generally don’t.
The article is mainly about ______.
| A．the influence of Mr Bean on British culture |
| B．the reasons behind the success of Mr Bean |
| C．the importance of humor in British culture |
| D．the most successful British film director |
Why has Mr Bean been popular with people of different cultures?
| A．Because he looks lovely and smart. |
| B．Because he can solve any problem in a special way. |
| C．Because people can quite often see him on the screen. |
| D．Because people can easily understand his humour. |
Charlie Chaplin is mentioned in the second-to-last paragraph to ______.
| A．make clear his importance in comedy history |
| B．show his popularity in Britain before Mr Bean |
| C．show he and Mr Bean have something similar |
| D．show that he and Mr Bean are British heroes |
According to Atkinson, which of the following is an important characteristic of Mr. Bean?
| A．Being selfish. | B．Being childish. |
| C．Being generous. | D．Being dangerous. |
“Sesame Street” has been called “the longest street in the world. That is because the television program by that name can now be seen in so many parts of the world. It first appeared in New York in 1969.
In the United States more than six million children watch the program regularly. Tests have shown that children from different backgrounds have benefited(受益) from watching it. Those who watch it five times a week learn more than occasional (偶然的) viewers. In the US the program is shown at different hours during the week in order to increase the number who can watch it regularly. The programs all use songs, stories, jokes, and pictures to give children a basic understanding of numbers, letters and human relationships.
Why has “Sesame Street” been so much more successful than other children’s shows? Many reasons have been suggested. People mention the educational theories （理论）of its creators, thethe support by the government and private (私人的) businesses, and the skillful use of all kinds of TV tricks. Perhaps an equally important reason is that mothers watch it along with their children. This is partly because famous adult stars often appear on it. But the best reason for the success of the program may be that it makes every child watching feel able to learn. The child finds himself learning, and he wants to learn more.Why is Sesame Street shown many times during the week?
| A．More children can benefit from it. |
| B．Children can watch it 5 times a week. |
| C．Many schools can use it in classes. |
| D．Children can watch it again and again. |
What can children learn from Sesame Street mainly?
| A．Singing skills. | B．Drawing skills. |
| C．Basic knowledge. | D．Storytelling. |
What is the most important reason for Sesame Street to be successful?
| A．Because it is supported by the government and businesses. |
| B．Because it is based on educational theories. |
| C．Because it gives parents chances to see famous stars. |
| D．Because it gets children interested in learning. |
Answers to life can be found in everyday events. Watching nature, watching people and watching animals communicate with each other provide some of the simplest ways to life’s biggest problems.
This became clearer to me yesterday. It caused me to ask myself, “How do I respond (反应) to the storms in life?”
People usually run when it starts to rain. I love to walk in it, stand on my front door and feel it. I grew up doing it and have never really felt the fear many people do.
The animal world senses changes in the weather far earlier than humans. My dog, Ricky, begins to shake long before the storm is close enough to be noticed. I was about to feed my three dogs yesterday and as usual, I let them out in the yard first. They didn’t move when thunder came across the skies. So I placed their food in their bowls and called Ricky into the kitchen.
Ricky was just standing there in place next to his bowl. The thunder became louder, which forced him to stop eating his meal. Then I watched Phil. He made his way across the kitchen floor and stood over Ricky’s bowl. He ate all the remaining food. Generally, if Ricky was standing there, he wouldn’t dare (敢) come close. But today, he took advantage (优势) of the storm and got what he wanted. His hope for the prize outweighed (胜过) his fear of the storm.
That’s when it hit me. As men, we face all kinds of storms. They come in unannounced. Sometimes we stay in a corner or under the blankets, hoping it will all pass. However, if you dare put your head out, you’ll discover there’re people doing what they must to get what they must have out of life. Isn’t it time you decided to take advantage of the storm? According to the writer, answers to life ______.
| A．are difficult to find |
| B．lie around us |
| C．are simple to understand |
| D．make people become fearless |
From the passage we can learn that the writer ______.
| A．enjoys the rain | B．fears thunder |
| C．hates the storm | D．cares little about the weather |
According to the passage, what hit the writer most?
| A．Phil wasn’t afraid of the storm. |
| B．Ricky stopped eating food. |
| C．Phil ate the rest of Ricky’s food. |
| D．Ricky sensed the storm earlier than he. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Find out Answers to Life |
| B．Take Advantage of the Storm |
| C．Stop Storms in our Daily Life |
| D．Pay Attention to Everyday Events |