There is a popular Chinese saying that "Fair skin（皮肤） will make up for three flaws（缺陷）"． This mentions the fact that in Chinese culture， it is believed that people who have fair skin are more beautiful． In Western culture， however， the opposite is true ﹣ many Westerners think tanned skin is prettier． The example shows that different cultures have different ideas of what they think is beautiful． These cultural meanings of the beauty， however， are no longer important． As more and more people travel overseas， ideas about beauty are being shared among cultures． The Internet has also made it easier for people to share different types of beauty since people are always posting pictures on social media． The result is an ever﹣changing idea of what is considered beautiful．
The cultural practice of ear piercings， for example， has become a part of modern day culture．
In Kenya， it is a tradition among Masai men and women to pierce and then make their ear
lobes（耳垂） longer using ivory and wood or stones． They then wear colorful things on their ear lobes． This is a common practice since longer ear lobes are seen as a sigh of beauty． This tradition has now found its way into present﹣day culture． Nowadays， this might still seem unusual to some， but with more and more well﹣known actors and film stars showing off their longer ear lobes， it will finally become more fashionable．
It is understood that different cultures around the world have different ways of showing beauty． However， since we now live in a worldwide society， people's views about beauty are always changing． With the help of the Internet， people are now able to easily borrow ideas from other cultures to help them stand out． So what new fashions can we expect to see in the future？
（1）What has made it easier for people to share ideas about beauty ？
A．The development of technology．
B．The popularity of the latest fashions．
C．The unchanged cultural traditions．
D．The world's growing population．
（2）What can be learned about the Masai people from the passage ？
A．Longer ear lobes are their new fashion．
B．Only women make their ear lobes longer．
C．They think longer ear lobes look beautiful．
D．They make actors and film stars famous．
（3）The underlined word "them" in the last paragraph refers to ．
A． people
B． ideas
C． cultures
D． fashions
（4）What is the passage mainly about ？
A．People in Asian countries like fair skin better．
B．Beauty is considered important in many cultures．
C．Different cultures have different ideas about beauty．
D．People's ideas about beauty are changing all the time．
【2013四川雅安】Put 2 February in your diary! It is World Wetlands Day! It marks the date that the Convention(公约) on Wetlands was signed(签署)in1971.This special day was first celebrated in 1997 and it is celebrated every year.
The celebration is a call for action. It is a way to show people how important and
useful the wetlands are for people. On World Wetlands Day, people around the world take
part in many wetlands activities. People take trips to the local wetlands. There are talks
about how important the wetlands are. People get together to clean up their local wetlands
Children draw pictures to advertise the day. People also compete(比赛)in boat races.
The World Wetlands Day is important! If there are no wetlands, there will be no water for anyone in the future. Wetlands help protect nature and resources(资源)like fresh water. Already, more than 10000 million people in the world do not have fresh water.
Many people do not know how important the wetlands are. They can understand why an
elephant or a tiger is important because they are big, beautiful animals. It is much harder for
them to understand how important the animals in the wetlands are. These small animals,
such as frogs and snails, play a very important part in keeping the balance of nature.
All plants and animals are part of the food chain(链).If the small wetlands animals
die, some animals in the food chain will have nothing to eat. They will also die. People
need the wetlands to keep the balance of nature in the world. If we do not protect nature
today，it will be gone tomorrow.What should you put in your diary?
| A．Some frogs. |
| B．The date of World Wetlands Day. |
| C．1971 |
| D．Any special day. |
Where do people celebrate World Wetlands Day?
| A．All over the world. | B．In ships |
| C．At home. | D．In their own way. |
Which of the following sentences is NOT true?
| A．People celebrate World Wetlands Day by taking part in competitions. |
| B．People celebrate World Wetlands Day by taking hips to local wetlands. |
| C．People celebrate World Wetlands Day by listening to talks about the wetlands. |
| D．People celebrate World Wetlands Day by talking about the weather. |
Why are small animals important?
| A．They are part of the balance of nature and the food chain. |
| B．They are beautiful. |
| C．Bigger animals are eaten by them |
| D．Without them, there may be no water. |
Which of the following might be the best title of the article?
| A．Wetlands Are Important |
| B．Small Animals Are Also Important |
| C．World Wetlands Day |
| D．Food Chain |
【2014年江苏省南通市中考】
These days haze（雾霾）is around us here and there. In fact，everyone has the power to change their living habits to help reduce it. Many local governments call on their people to take action to make the air cleaner.
Transport is one of the biggest contributors（促成物）to haze. When，where，how，why and what you drive all affect air quality. When one drives to work for one year，he uses as much energy as a bus rider uses in 10 years. So walk or ride your bicycle to work or school whenever possible. If it is necessary，you can use public transport instead of your car. Each person using public transport for a year instead of a car can save nearly a tonne of pollutants，including CO2，from going into the atmosphere.
Carpooling is another way to reduce carbon emissions（排放）.Carpooling is the sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car. It immediately reduces your car’s emissions by half.
What you do inside your living space can have a big effect on the air quality outside it. You can do a lot of things inside and around your home that will help you pollute less and save some money.
A large amount of our energy supply comes from burning coal，another contributor to haze. By cutting down your electricity use，you are cutting down on haze. So you may try to reduce your use of electricity by turning off lights，using your air conditioner wisely during the summer months，or updating some of your electrical appliances to low-energy models. For example，you can use energy-saving lamps that require less energy and last 10 times longer than common bulbs. Which does the writer think should play an important rode in reducing haze？
| A．City cleaners | B．Haze producers |
| C．Local governments | D．Common people |
We can infer（推断）from the passage that the writer thinks .
| A．cars can be used only when people have to |
| B．cars should be given up as soon as possible |
| C．cars must be improved to reduce air pollution |
| D．cars may cause the most serious pollution of all |
We should reduce the use of electricity mainly because .
| A．we can save a lot of money by using less energy |
| B．coal is now becoming rarer and rarer on our planet |
| C．harmful things come out while electricity is produced |
| D．electrical appliances send out something harmful to our air |
Which can be the best title for the passage？
| A．What are causing haze around us |
| B．What you can do to reduce haze |
| C．How dangerous haze is to our life |
| D．How important it is to reduce haze |
【2014年甘肃省兰州市中考】
This is a story from a meeting held by some people and two things in nature. We call it the Four-Sided Talk. Let's "listen to" everyone carefully and find out what they think.
阅读以上“四方会谈"的内容，回答下列问题。 What doesn't the old tree tell us?
| A．He's afraid to be cut down some day. |
| B．He has fewer and fewer friends. |
| C．The trees have the longest lives in the world. |
| D．He has lived for thousands of years. |
What's the meaning of the underlined word "disasters"?
| A．神话 | B．奇迹 | C．财富 | D．灾难 |
Why do some people get sick after drinking the water from the river?
| A．Because the river is polluted. |
| B．Because the river makes the earth more beautiful. |
| C．Because the river can only offer water to animals. |
| D．Because there are too many animals and plants in the river. |
What have the United Nations made up their minds to do from the passage?
| A．Set an Earth Protecting Day. |
| B．Protect and love the earth. |
| C．Hold an international meeting. |
| D．Find out what is making the pollution. |
What will people do according to the passage?
①Over-use the resources.
② Make good use of the resources.
③ Start a global group.
④ Protect the earth.
| A．①④ | B．②③ | C．①③ | D．②④ |
【2014年山东省威海市中考】
阅读下面短文，根据短文内容，从短文后面每小题所给的四个选项中选择最佳答案。（每小题1.5分）
Why do we like drinking water from plastic bottles? Some people think it is healthy and clean. Others drink bottled water because it’s easy — you can carry it around with you. In hot countries, like Greece, we often buy bottles of cold water in the summer.
However, making lots of plastic is not a good idea for many reasons. First of all, we need a lot of oil for plastic products. We usually use oil as a source(资源) of energy. If we reduced the number of bottles we made, we wouldn’t need so much oil. Plastic bottles also pollute the environment. If we recycled all our plastic bottles, we wouldn’t need so much space for rubbish dumps. But in Greece, we don’t recycle much of the plastic we use. In 2006, Greeks recycled only about 10% of plastic waste. The rest became rubbish on land and in rivers and sees. So next time you want to throw away a plastic bottle in the litter bin, stop and think. If you recycled it, you would help the environment. But what can you do when there isn’t a recycling bin near you? Well, there are loes of useful ways that you can use your bottles again. For example, an empty bottle makes a great piggy bank for your pocket money, and if you cut a bottle in half, you will have a plant pot. Go green! You can make a difference.
What is not mentioned about bottled water in this passage?
| A．It’s healthy | B．It’s clean. |
| C．It’s easy. | D．It’s expensive. |
Plastic products are made from .
| A．energy | B．oil |
| C．rubbish | D．plants |
of plastic waste became rubbish in Greece in 2006.
| A．10% | B．50% | C．80% | D．90% |
Which is the best way to deal with used plastic bottles?
| A．To recycle them. |
| B．To make a piggy bank. |
| C．To make a plant pot. |
| D．To drop them into the river. |
The underlined part in this passage tells us “ ”.
| A．To make a different life, you’d better go outside. |
| B．To look different, you’d better wear green clothes. |
| C．To protect the environment, you can do something. |
| D．To go green, you should use plastic products. |
【2014年江苏省淮安市中考】
With the development of science and technology, our dailylife is becoming more colorful and more convenient.
An Underwater Hotel
It looks like a spaceship but it is actually a picture of an underwater hotel. A company plans to build the hotel in the sea which is about 15metres below the surface(表面).The whole building is underwater and you can get to it by swimming and diving.
Google Glass
Google Glass is a pair of glasses with a battery(电池)hidden inside the frame(边框). It can perform many of the same tasks as smart phones. The glass has hidden camera and a tiny screen. It is designed to take hands-free photos or videos of anything people are doing.
A New Kind of shirt
Hate washing clothes? You’re going to love this kind of shirt made by an American clothing company, Wool Prince. This shirt can be worn for 100 straight days without washing! The Wool Prince shirt never needs ironing(熨烫).
The Digital(数字) Library
Can you imagine walking into a library and finding all books have turned into companies? The first bookless public library is planned to open in San Antonio, Texas, America. Computers will take the place of books soon. The underwater hotel is about _______meters below the surface.
| A．10 | B．15 | C．100 | D．150 |
You needn’t use ______ when you take photos or video with Google Glass.
| A．camera | B．a screen |
| C．a battery | D．your hand |
You can wear the Wool&Prince shirt for about ______ without washing.
| A．a month | B．two months |
| C．three months | D．a year |
The digital Library tells us something about a library without ______.
| A．books | B．computers |
| C．bookshelves | D．reader |
Which one of the following can reduce our housework in our daily life?
A. The underwater hotel B Google Glass
C. The Wool&Prince shirt D. The digital Library