Once upon a time there lived a king called Minos．He ruled the island of Crete．And he also had a terrible monster （怪兽） called the Minotaur．The Minotaur lived at the center of a very large maze（迷宫）．It had the body of a man but the head of a bull．
Minos was a cruel king．Whenever he was bored，he would attack（进攻） a nearby island called Athens．In order to get peace，King Aegeus of Athens made a deal with King Minos．If Minos didn't attack Athens，he would send seven boys and seven girls to Crete every nine years to be eaten by the Minotaur．
It was time again to send the children to Crete．Theseus，the son of King Aegeus，could not stand this situation，and decided to go as the seventh boy and kill the Minotaur．He promised his father that if he was successful，he would use white sails（船帆） instead of the black ones to show he was alive．
When arriving in Crete，Theseus met King Minos'daughter called Ariadne．She fell in love with him and wanted to help him．So when the children were sent to the Minotaur，Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of string （细绳） and a knife．Theseus left a line of string behind him when he entered the maze．After he killed the monster，he followed the string and got out of the maze．Ariadne was waiting outside．They quickly ran away together before Minos could catch them．
However，on the journey home，Theseus was so full of joy that he forgot to change the color of the sails．As soon as King Aegeus saw the black sails，he was so upset and jumped into the sea．Since then，the sea has been called the Aegean Sea in memory of King Aegeus．
56．Who had the Minotaur，King Aegeus or King Minos？
57．Where did the Minotaur live？
58．How often would King Aegeus send seven boys and seven girls to Crete according to the deal？
59．How did Theseus get out of the maze after he killed the monster？
60．Why did King Aegeus feel upset and jump into the sea as soon as he saw the black sails？
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Many people have to work on the weekend. Some people do not mind. Others think it is terrible.
One man thinks that working on the weekend can be dangerous. He is Graham Coates. Mr Coates works in an office in Brighton, England.
On Saturday, May 24, 1986, he went to the office to do some work. When he got on the lift(电梯), it stopped between floors. Mr Coates could not get out of the lift. He started to shout, but no one heard him. Then Mr. Coats remembered that it was a holiday in England. No one was going to come to work until Tuesday.
There was nothing for him to do. He had to wait until one of his workmates came to work and found him. With nothing to eat or drink, Mr Coats ended up sleeping for most of the day.
Now Mr. Coates says, "I only use lifts if they have telephones in them."Mr. Coates thinks working on the weekend is_____.
| A．interesting | B．terrible | C．happy | D．unhappy |
Mr. Coates stayed in the lift for_____.
| A．about twenty hours | B．nearly two days |
| C．one week | D．more than sixty hours |
When Mr. Coates got out of the lift he_____.
| A．was cold, weak, hungry and tired |
| B．wouldn't work there any more |
| C．said "I only use lifts if they have telephones in them." |
| D．went home at once |
Why could Mr. Coates not get out of the lift? Because _____.
| A．it was broken | B．it was the weekend |
| C．it was in an office | D．it was a holiday |
In the lift, there was_________.
| A．water | B．beer | C．telephone | D．nothing |
British English and American English
A student is studying British English. He wonders: Can I have a talk with Americans? Can they catch me? Learners of English often ask--what are the differences between British English and American English? How important are these differences?
Certainly, there are some differences between British English and American English. There are a few differences in grammar（语法）. For example, speakers of British English say “in hospital” and “Have you a pen?” Americans “in the hospital” and “Do you have a pen?” Pronunciation (发音) is sometimes different. Americans usually sound the “r” in words like “car”and “farm”. Some speakers of British English do not sound the “r” in these words. There are differences between British English and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example, “colour”and “honour” are British English spellings. “Color” and “honor” are American English spellings.
These differences are in grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary. However, they are not important. For the most part, British English and American English are the same language.In American English, we can say, “? ”
| A．Have you a new book |
| B．Do you have a new book |
| C．Are you have a new book |
| D．Can you to have a new book |
Between British English and American English, sometimes pronunciation is .
| A．poor | B．different | C．high | D．short |
In American English, the word “favourite”can be spelt.
| A．favoruite | B．favurite | C．favorite | D．favrite |
Englishmen say “in hospital”, while Americans say .
| A．at the hospital | B．in the hospital |
| C．by hospital | D．to hospital |
The main idea of the passage is that .
| A．there are no differences between British English and American English |
| B．British English and American English are two different languages |
| C．speakers of British English and American English speak the same language |
| D．we shouldn't speak English |
If you are riding a bike in foreign countries, you need to know what these traffic signs mean.
| 1 |
 |
This sign means “walk”, you can cross the street along with other people. |
| 2 |
 |
This sign is the “don’t walk” sign. It means you should stop to wait for a while until the sign of “walk” is showing. |
| 3 |
 |
This sign means that there is a bike lane. If you see such a sign, you must use the bike lane. |
| 4 |
 |
Car drivers and bike riders must come to a complete stop at “STOP” signs. |
| 5 |
 |
This sign means you are coming to a zebra crossing. You must slow down to allow people in the zebra crossing to cross the street. |
| 6 |
 |
This sign means parts of the road are rough. Be careful! Rough roads make you fall off your bike. |
Which of the following signs means “walk”?
| A． | B． | C． | D． |
What should bike riders do when they see the sign?
| A．To ride against traffic. |
| B．To ride on the left side of the road. |
| C．To ride on the bike lane. |
| D．To ride on the right side of the road. |
Which of the following sign has the same meaning as the sign?
| A． | B． | C． | D． |
In order to know a foreign language thoroughly, four things are necessary. Firstly, we must be able to understand the language when we hear it spoken. Secondly, we must be able to speak it ourselves, correctly, with confidence and without hesitation. Thirdly, we must be able to read the language and fourthly, we must be able to write it. We must be able to compose（组成）sentences that are grammatically correct. We must know how to arrange sentences in paragraphs, so as to write a good letter or composition.
There is no easy way to succeed in language learning. A good memory is of great help, but it is not enough simply to memorize rules from a grammar book. It is not much use learning by heart long lists of words and their meaning. We learn words not by ourselves, but in sentences. We must learn by using the language. “Learn through use” is a good piece of advice for those who are studying a new language. Practice is very important. We must practice speaking and writing the language whenever we can.The word “confidence” here probably means _____.
| A．use | B．eyes | C．need | D．feeling sure of ourselves |
The writer advises us to _______.
| A．speak more and write more |
| B．read more |
| C．speak more |
| D．use a dictionary |
The first step in learning a language is ______.
| A．reading | B．speaking | C．writing | D．listening |
Words should be learned _____.
| A．from a dictionary | B．from a textbook |
| C．in sentences | D．from a good grammar book |
“Learn through use “is to say that ______.
| A．we must practise speaking and writing |
| B．we must learn by using the language |
| C．we must learn everything by language |
| D．we must remember grammar rules as many as possible |
Jackie Chan was born on April 7, 1954, in Hong Kong, China. His parents left mainland China for Hong Kong a short time before he was born. His parents named him “Chan Kong-sang”, which means “born in Hong Kong”. They wanted to celebrate a safe trip to Hong Kong.
At first, Jackie’s family lived in the French Embassy(大使馆).His father was a cook, and his mother was a housekeeper. When Jackie was seven years old, his family moved to Australia. His father got a job in the American Embassy. Later, back in Hong Kong, Jackie’s father sent him to the China Drama Academy. Jackie studied and worked 19 hours a day. The students practiced Kong Fu and learned how to do many stunts(特技表演)there.
When Jackie was 17, he began to do dangerous stunts for films. In the early 1980s, Jackie went to Hollywood, but he wasn’t very successful. He went on to make films in Hong Kong and had great success. Finally, in 1995,Jackie Chan became famous in the United States. Today, Jackie Chan has both Chinese and American fans and his films make millions of dollars.When did Jackie Chan’s parents move to Hong Kong?
A. They moved to Hong Kong a short time after Jackie Chan was born.
B. They moved to Hong Kong a short time before Jackie Chan was born.
C. They moved to Hong Kong after they came back from America.What did Jackie Chan learn in the China Drama Academy?
A. Dramas B. Dancing C. Kong Fu and stuntsWhich is true according to the passage?
A. Jackie Chan is about forty years old.
B. He wasn’t very successful when he first went to Hollywood.
C. He became famous at the age of 17.From the passage we know that_________.
A. neither his American fans nor his Chinese fans like his films.
B. everybody in the world likes his films very much
C. his films are popular not only in China but also in AmericaWe can learn from the article that _____.
A. Jackie Chan’s mother was also born in Hong Kong .
B. At first, Jackie’s family lived in France.
C. the time when his family moved to Australia was around 1961.