Thang﹣ga （唐卡） is a special kind of painting． It was found only in Tibet， China． It started from the Tang dynasty （唐朝）． Thang﹣ga paintings show Tibetan people's lives． In recent years， Thang﹣ga paintings have caught the public's attention． At the same time， the Chinese government has also tried hard to protect the art．
The colors of Thang﹣ga paintings look wonderful and special． Because of the special environment of Tibet and the excellent skills of artists， the paints （颜料） used in Thang﹣ga paintings are different from other paints． They were made from minerals （矿物质） like gold and silver， as well as some plants． The paints were made by hand and the beautiful colors could last （持续） for hundreds of years．
However， with the development of technology， people now use cheaper and easily﹣made chemicals to make Thang﹣ga paints． The traditional paints used in Thang﹣ga paintings took a lot of work and they were made in many secret ways． Later people stopped making the paints and forgot about them． So the skills needed to make them were almost lost． The traditional Thang﹣ga paintings are difficult to find now．
（1）What is Thang﹣ga？
| A． |
A photo． |
| B． |
A painting． |
| C． |
A book． |
| D． |
A story． |
（2）Who has tried to protect the Thang﹣ga art？
| A． |
Both teachers and students． |
| B． |
An old person． |
| C． |
Only old people． |
| D． |
The Chinese government． |
（3）What were the Thang﹣ga paints made from？
| A． |
Minerals and plants． |
| B． |
Just water． |
| C． |
Only ink． |
| D． |
Only a mineral． |
（4）How long can the colors of Thang﹣ga paintings last for？
| A． |
One year． |
| B． |
A month． |
| C． |
Hundreds of years． |
| D． |
A few thousand years． |
（5）Are there the traditional Thang﹣ga paintings now？
| A． |
Yes， there are． |
| B． |
No， there aren't． |
| C． |
I think they disappeared． |
| D． |
When I read it， I don't know the answer． |
It was early morning. Peter Corbett helped Mark Wellman out of his wheelchair and onto the ground. They stood before El Captain, a huge rock almost 1.2 kilometers high. Mark had long dreamed to climb El Captain when he was a child. At the age of twentyone, he had fallen while climbing mountain, losing his legs. But he never lost his love for life.
Mark knew he couldn’t finish the climb alone, but his friend Peter would be there to lend a helping hand. They thought it would take seven days to reach the top. Now Peter climbed about 30 meters up and hit a piton(岩钉) into the rock. Fastening(拴紧) one end of a 50meter rope(绳子) to the piton, he let the other end of the rope fall down. Mark caught the rope and fastened it to his belt. He next reached above his head and fastened a T-bar(丁字铁) to the rope. Mark took a deep breath, pushed the Tbar up almost as far as his arms could reach, and began the first pullup. High above, Peter let out a cheer, “You’re on your way.”
For the first four days the two men progressed upward(向上) without accident. But on the fifth day, a very strong wind began to blow, making it hard for Mark to hold on to his rope. But Mark kept on pushing up the T-bar and pulling himself up.
It took them one day more than they had expected. But as the two heads appeared the group of people waiting on the top went wild with joy.
Mark Wellman showed that if you set your heart and mind on something, no wall is too high, no dream impossible. With the help of his friend, Mark could climb up El Captain about meters in height each day.
| A．300 | B．150 | C．50 | D．30 |
While climbing, Mark .
| A．carried the T-bar on his back and stepped upward |
| B．pushed up the T-bar and pulled himself up |
| C．sat in his wheelchair and pushed himself up |
| D．held on to the rope drawn up by his friend |
Which is the correct order of the steps before Mark’s climbing?
a. push up the T-bar
b. tie the rope to his belt
c. hit the piton into the rock
d. fasten the T-bar to the rope
e. tie the rope to the piton
| A．cebda | B．ecabd |
| C．ebdca | D．bdeca |
Which of the following is true of Mark Wellman?
| A．He realized his dream without anyone helping him. |
| B．He was badly injured when he climbed El Captain. |
| C．He dreamed to climb up El Captain for a long time. |
| D．He climbed up the rock by using a tool for the disabled. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| B．Dreams will come true in the end. |
| C．Each step is important to success. |
| D．Nothing can stop a strong will. |
Kitesurfing as a water sport began in the 1980s, but didn’t get popular until the end of last century. It is also known as kiteboarding, and in some European countries as flysurfing. Kitesurfing works through wind power(动力) by using a large kite to pull a rider on the water at high speed.
At first, kitesurfing was a difficult and dangerous sport. Now it is becoming easier and safer because of the safer kite design. For an able and strong person, kitesurfing can be a very fun, extremely exciting sport, just like skating on the water with a feeling of flying. It has become more and more popular.
Compared with other water sports, kitesurfing is easier to learn. A beginner can understand how to operate the kite with 5—10 hours of training. And anybody aged from 13 to 65 can learn. It is not expensive to get the equipment for kitesurfing, which costs $1,000 to $2,500. Training lessons range from $200 to $500 for two or three hours. With the development of its equipment progress, kitesurfing is becoming even safer. After some training, you can enjoy its excitement and challenging feeling.
With the rising popularity of kitesurfing, most major seaside cities have kitesurfing clubs. In China, Xiamen is the only place that has the kitesurfing club, which provides professional kitesurfing training and equipments.Kitesurfing has a history of about years.
| A．30 | B．50 | C．100 | D．130 |
is mentioned in the passage as the power of kitesurfing.
| A．Water | B．Wind | C．The sun | D．The kite |
The underlined word “range” in the third paragraph means “” in Chinese.
| A．在……范围内变动 | B．按……顺序排列 |
| C．向……方向延伸 | D．根据……归类 |
The most important reason for the popularity of kitesurfing is that .
| A．its price is getting lower and lower |
| B．more and more people are enjoying its excitement |
| C．its equipment progress makes it easier and safer |
| D．all people can learn and take part in it |
The main idea of this passage is about .
| A．the way of operating kitesurfing |
| B．the progress of kitesurfing equipment |
| C．the history of kitesurfing in China |
| D．the development of kitesurfing |
Events
Long March exhibit
The Shanghai History Museum is putting on exhibition to remember the Long March(长征) which took place 75 years ago. More than 220 photos and 40 other things are on show. All the exhibition is explained in Chinese. The show will end on November 20.
Time: 10:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.
Address: 1286 Hongqiao Road
Ticket: 8 yuan for Chinese / 15 yuan for foreigners
Thai elephants
Eight elephants from Thailand are an attraction for visitors at Changfeng Park by riding bikes, playing basketball, dancing and blowing a musical instrument. The elephants give three shows a day at 9:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and there is an extra show at 1:30 p.m. at weekends. The show will end on November 15.
Address: 189 Daduhe Road
Ticket: 30—40 yuan
Dancing dolphins
Dolphins jumping from the water to touch a ball, dancing to music, kissing people and doing easy math problems, and seals and sea lions, also performing, have made a large part of the aquarium in Peace Park, which interests children greatly.
Hours: 10:30 a.m., 4:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.
Ticket: 20 yuan for adults and 10 yuan for childrenWhere can one see the Long March exhibition?
| A．In Shanghai History Museum. | B．In Changfeng Park. |
| C．In Peace Park. | D．On 189 Dahude Road. |
How many shows do the Thailand elephants give at weekends?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
What may interest children very much in Peace Park?
| A．Elephants playing basketball. | B．Dolphins dancing to the music. |
| C．Seals riding bikes. | D．Sea lions blowing instruments |
How much should a child pay to go into Peace Park?
| A．Five yuan. | B．Fifteen yuan. | C．Ten yuan. | D．Twenty yuan. |
Which of the following is true?
| A．The Long March exhibition is explained in English. |
| B．The sea animals can work out difficult math problems. |
| C．Thai elephants’ shows can only be seen in the day. |
| D．The sea animals perform three times a day. |
We moved to a new area when our son was in Grade Five. Before we moved, we took him to spend half a day at his new school. There he saw his new classmates and teachers. He enjoyed the visit. During the almost 150-kilometre drive home, he told us that he had told some of the students the dace when we would move there. And he had also invited them to visit us.
The moving day, a Saturday, was a busy day. We arrived at our new house at noon. About an hour later, kids began to come and soon one of them invited our son to his house to play for the afternoon.
By the time he returned, he knew where most of the kids lived and the histories of their families.
On Monday morning, the doorbell rang just before the time he would leave for school. Then it rang again and again.
By the time he was ready, we had eight young boys waiting to walk to school with him on his first day. They all live near us.
I asked them if their parents had sent them. The answers surprised and pleased me, "No, we just came so that he would have someone to walk with." and "It is the right thing to do."
The friendships were formed(形成) from that day. We have lived here for nearly six years and the same group of kids still play together, go to parties on weekends together, and surfing the Internet together.
I am still thinking how welcoming and kind those kids are. And how lucky my son is to have them as friends.Before the family moved to the new area, the son was taken to his new school to ______.
| A．invite the teachers to visit them | B．get to know it |
| C．see if the school was far | D．play with his classmates |
Why did the doorbell ring again and again on Monday morning?
| A．Because no one answered it. | B．Because it was time for school. |
| C．Because kids were coming one by one. | D．Because there was something wrong with it. |
Which of the following is true?
| A．The family moved to the new house on Saturday afternoon. |
| B．The kids visited the house before the family arrived. |
| C．The son knew the kids well before he got there. |
| D．The son was invited to play in a kid’s house later that afternoon. |
The passage shows us that ______.
| A．it’s easy to move to a new place | B．it’s kind of people to help a new comer |
| C．it’s good to make new friends | D．it’s better to live in the same place |
"Tom? Are you in bed yet?" called Mrs White. There was no answer. Mrs White put down her book and went to her 14-year-old son’s room. Tom was sitting in front of a bright computer screen on which a colourful dragon jumped and shouted.
"Oh, Tom! You’re still playing on that computer. You must stop now. It’s half past eleven. If you don’t go to bed soon, you’ll be very tired tomorrow," said Mrs White.
"But I’ve nearly beaten the dragon," said Tom. Mrs White could see the excitement on her son’s face. She sat down beside him.
"You are always playing on that computer. You spend more time with this machine than with your family," she said with a smile. "What’s special about it? Show me what it can do!"
"I think this is a great computer, Mum!" he said happily. "The hardware (硬件) is good. There’s so much memory and it has some wonderful software programs. This game, ’Dragon Player’, is my favourite, but I sometimes borrow games from Daniel and other friends. I don’t have to worry about any infected（感染） disks because I have a virus（病毒） detector (探测器) which can go over any disk and check it for viruses. Let me show you!" Tom began tapping. The screen changed in answer to his orders.
"Oh, Tom," laughed Mrs White. "I’m sure it’s a wonderful computer, but I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about."When Mrs White was calling Tom, he was ______.
| A．playing computer games in’ his bedroom | B．playing with a dragon in his bedroom |
| C．playing "Dragon Player" in the study | D．lying in bed reading a book |
Tom was excited because ______.
| A．the computer has a good memory | B．the hardware is good |
| C．he had nearly won the game | D．his mother came to see him |
What do we know about Mrs White?
| A．She loves her son too much. |
| B．She loves computer games too. |
| C．She is very hard on his son. |
| D．She is as wonderful as the computer game. |