My first home was a beautiful meadow with a pond of clear water. There were some large trees near the pond. On one side of the meadow was a field and on the other was the house of our master, Farmer Grey. He was a kind man.
My mother and I had a happy life. She worked during the day, I played with the other young horses and had great fun. At night I lay next to her.
One day, my master sold me to Squire Gordon. He lived with his family in a big house.
"You're a beautiful horse," he said. "You have a beautiful black coat. I shall call you Black Beauty."
I learned to carry my master on my back and pull a coach. I learned to ware reins (缰绳) and a bit in my mouth. I did not like them but all the horses had to wear them.
My master had two horses. One of them was Merry legs. He was very friendly. The other was Ginger. She was not friendly. She bit and kicked people.
Ginger and I pulled a coach together. The coachman's name was John. Ginger and I worked very hard. We became friends.
Ginger told me about her life when she was young. She told me, "My master was not kind to me. My reins and bit hurt me. My master did not care."
Squire Gordon and his men felt sorry for Ginger. They were always king to her. She stopped biting and kicking people. She became a happy horse.
One day in autumn Squire Gordon went on a long journey. John went with him and I pulled the coach. The weather was rainy and windy. Mr. Gordon and John could not see well in the rain. We came to a bridge. I stopped. "Something is wrong," I thought. I did not want to go on to the bridge. Mr. Gordon and John wanted me to go on to the bridge. I did not move. Just then a man saw us."Hey there! Stop!" he cried.
"What is it?" shouted the Squire.
"The bridge is broken in the middle," he answered. "If you go on to it, you are all going to drown in the river."
"Thank God!" said the Squire. "Thank you, Beauty!" said John. We turned around and went along the road by the river. For a long time no one said anything. Then John said: "Black Beauty saved our lives. He knew the bridge was dangerous."
When we returned home, the Squire told Mrs. Gordon:
"We are all safe, thanks to Black Beauty!"
That night I was glad, because I was very tired.
(1)Who named the horse Black Beauty?
A. Farmer Grey.
B. Squire Gordon.
C. Mrs. Gordon.
D. John.
(2)What do the underlined words "coach" and "drown" probably mean in the passage according to the given English﹣English dictionary entries (词条)?
coach 1[C] a person who trains a person or team in sport 2[C] a comfortable bus for carrying passengers over long distances 3[C] a large closed vehicle with four wheels, pulled by horses, used in the past for carrying passengers |
drown 1[V] to die because you have been underwater too long and you cannot breathe; to kill sb in this way 2[V] to make sth very wet; to completely cover sth in water or another liquid 3[V] to be louder than other sounds so that you cannot hear them |
A. 1;2
B. 3;1
C. 1;3
D. 3;3
(3)Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Black Beauty lived a hard life with mum.
B. Ginger was unhappy when she was young.
C. Some horses did not wear reins or bits.
D. Mr. Gordon went on a long journey alone.
(4)How did Black Beauty save his master's life?
A. By fixing the bridge.
B. By asking other horses for help.
C. By crossing the bridge.
D. By refusing to step onto the bridge.
(5)What might happen that night from the passage?
A. Black Beauty was sent away from home.
B. Mr. Gordon sold Black Beauty to others.
C. Black Beauty got good food and a nice bed.
D. Mr. Gordon had Black Beauty do extra work.
Beijing Library To Susan Chan, Just to remind you that you have 4 overdue (过期) books. Title Author Rose Meets Mr. Winter Garden Bob Graham due 22/1 My Friend Whale Simon James due 23/1 Edward the EmuSheena Knowles due 24/1 Imagine Alison Lester due 25/1 Please return the books tomorrow. Other people may be waiting to borrow them. Librarian Mrs. Josie Jones Date 3/2/2005 Note: You may not borrow any new books until these books have been returned. |
This note was sent to _______.
A.the librarian | B.Josie Jones | C.Alison Lester | D.Susan Chan |
On what date was My Friend Whale due to be returned to the library?
A.22nd, January. | B.23rd, January. | C.24th, January. | D.25th, February. |
This note could be described as a ________.
A.report card | B.news letter | C.reminder letter | D.set of instruction |
From the note we can know that ________.
A.Susan does not like reading |
B.the library has many books to lend |
C.someone else has borrowed these books |
D.Susan may not borrow any new books at the moment |
When this story happened, they were working around a very large house. Their job was to do the cleaning. It was not a difficult job, but sometimes it was a little dangerous, because they had to walk below where workmen were working. Often these workmen dropped something from the top of the house many meters high to the ground.
One morning Joe was working near the house with a cigarette behind one of his ears. Suddenly somebody on the top shouted, "Look out!" But Joe did not "look out". He looked up. And as he did so, a long knife missed Joe's head, but it cut off one of his ears. At once he put his hand to one side of his head and cried out, "I've lost an ear. Help! Help!"
Jeff ran up to help his friend. "Look for my ear," Joe told him. "It must be on the ground somewhere." Jeff looked everywhere for the missing ear. At last he found an ear on the ground. He picked it up and carried it to Joe. "Here you are," he said, "I've found it." Joe looked at it. "No, that's not my ear." he said, "Mine had a cigarette behind it."What were Joe and Jeff?
A.Soldiers. | B.Drivers. | C.Farmers. | D.Cleaners. |
How did Joe lose his ear?
A.He cut it off by himself. | B.Jeff cut it off with a knife. |
C.A falling knife cut it off. | D.A cigarette burned it up. |
From the passage, we know Joe was not _______.
A.strong | B.kind | C.foolish | D.clever |
Which is the most possible title for this passage?
A.A Lost Ear | B.A Busy Cleaner |
C.A Falling Knife | D.A forgetful Man |
Yancheng History Museum is closed on _______
A.Monday | B.Friday | C.Saturday | D.Sunday |
Tommy is an 8-year-old boy. He wants to visit the City Flower Show with his parents. How much will they pay?
A.75yuan | B.100yuan | C.125yuan | D.150yuan |
If you want to get more information about English Winter Camp, you can _________.
A.go to Canada |
B.write to CEE/CCIEE |
C.call at (0515)6606-2607 |
D.send an e-mail to Yancheng Teachers University |
_____ will give Performances in Pop Music in Yandu Park.
A.Bands | B.Dancers | C.Singers | D.Both A and C |
How old is “old”? The answer has changed over the years. Two Hundred years ago, you were old at 35. At the beginning of the 20th century, the average life span (平均寿命) was 45. In 1950, 70-year-olds were really old. Today, a healthy 70-year-old is still thought young.
So, how old is “old”? The answer is one you’ve heard many times, from all kinds of people. “You are as old (or young) as you feel.” Your age simply tells you how many years you have lived. Your body tells you how well you’ve lived.
“Nobody grows old by living a number of years,” wrote a writer. “People grow old when they don’t have their ideals (理想).” People shouldn’t have the wrong ideas about aging. Sometimes, older minds can be as bright as young minds. Alice Brophy once said, “It makes me unhappy when people say, ‘You look young for your age.’ What does that mean? You know you can die old at 30 and live young at 80.”About 100 years ago, the average life span was __________.
A.35 | B.45 | C.70 | D.80 |
The meaning of the word “aging” is __________.
A.growing old | B.staying young | C.keeping healthy | D.feeling unhappy |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
A.Old people are not as bright at young people. |
B.All older people are healthy and strong. |
C.Aging does not mean you become unhealthy. |
D.Most older people are unhealthy and poor. |
The passage is mainly(主要地) about _________.
A.the average life span | B.aging |
C.the 20th century | D.older people and young people |
Most people in America live in small family groups. More than a quarter of homes in America have only got one person in them. Some of these are old people but some are people of twenty or thirty years old who would like to live alone. 35% of homes have two people in them, and another 17% have three people. 15%have four people in them, and the other homes have five or more.
The families in America are small. It is unusual for parents to have more than two children. When children are about eighteen or nineteen years old, they leave their parents’ homes, and they often go to different cities. Sometimes they only visit their parents two or three times a year.How many people in America have 3 people living in them?
A.17% | B.15% | C.35% | D.5% |
At what age do children in America usually go away from. heir parents’ homes?
A.About 30 or 31 | B.About 20 or 21 | C.About I ? or less | D.About 18 or 19 |
What is the passage?
A.A traveling story | B.A report | C.An invention | D.A joke |