Runners in a relay race pass a stick in one direction. However, merchants passed silk, gold, fruit, and glass along the Silk Road in more than one direction. They earned their living by travelling the famous Silk Road.
The Silk Road was not a simple trading network. It passed through thousands of cities and towns. It started from eastern China, across Central Asia and the Middle East, and ended in the Mediterranean Sea. It was used from about 200B.C to about A.D. 1300, when sea travel offered new routes. It was sometimes called the world’s longest highway. However, Silk Road was made up of many routes, not one smooth path. They passed through what are now 18 countries. The routes crossed mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles. Only experienced traders could return safe.
The Silk Road got its name from its most prized product. Silk could be used as money to pay taxes or buy goods. But the traders carried more than just silk. Gold, silver, and glass from Europe were much found in the Middle East and Asia. Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China. Indian merchants traded salt and other valuable goods. Chinese merchants traded paper, which produced an immediate effect on the West. Apples traveled from central Asia to Rome. The Chinese had learned to graft (嫁接) different trees together to make new kinds of fruit. They passed this science on to others, including the Romans. The Romans used grafting to grow the apple. Trading along the Silk Road led to world-wide business 2,000 years before the World Wide Web.
The people along the Silk Road did not share just goods. They also share their beliefs. The Silk Road provided pathway for learning, diplomacy (外交), and religion.
53. It’s probable that traders along the Silk Road needed____
A. to remember the entire trade route B. to know the making of products
C. to receive certain special training D. to deal with a lot of difficulties
54. The Silk Road became less important because____.
A. it was made up of different routes B. silk trading became less popular
C. sea travel provided easier routes D. people needed fewer foreign goods
55. New technologies could travel along the Silk Road because people____.
A. learned from each other B. shared each other’s beliefs
C. traded goods along the route D. earned their living by traveling
56. What is the best title for the passage?
A. The Silk Road: Past and Present B. The Silk Road: East Meets West
C. The Silk Road: Routes Full of Dangers D. The Silk Road: Pathways for Learning
People aren’t walking any more---if they can figure out a way to avoid it.
I felt superior about this matter until the other day I took my car to mail a small parcel. The journey is a matter of 281 steps. But I used the car. And I wasn’t in any hurry, either. I had merely become one more victim of a national sickness: motorosis.
It is an illness to which I had thought myself immune, for I was bred in the tradition of going to places on my own two legs. At that time, we regarded 25 miles as good day’s walk and the ability to cover such a distance in ten hours as sign of strength and skill. It did not occur to us that walking was a hardship. And the effect was lasting. When I was 45 years old I raced –and beat—a teenage football player the 168 steps up the Stature of Liberty.
Such enterprises today are regarded by many middle-aged persons as bad for the heart. But a well-known British physician, Sir Adolphe Abrahams, pointed out recently that hearts and bodies need proper exercise. A person who avoids exercise is more likely to have illnesses than one who exercises regularly. And walking is an ideal form of exercise--- the most familiar and natural of all.
It was Henry Thoreau who showed mankind the richness of going on foot. The man walking can learn the trees, flower, insects, birds and animals, the significance of seasons, the very feel of himself as a living creature in a living world. He cannot learn in a car.
The car is a convenient means of transport, but we have made it our way of life. Many people don’t dare to approach nature any more; to them the world they were born to enjoy is all threat. To them security is a steel river thundering on a concrete road. And much of their thinking takes place while waiting for the traffic light to turn green.
I say that the green of forests is the mind’s best light. And none but the man on foot can evaluate what is basic and everlasting.What is the national sickness?
| A．Walking too much |
| B．Traveling too much |
| C．Driving cars too much |
| D．Climbing stairs too much. |
What was life like when the author was young?
| A．People usually went around on foot. |
| B．people often walked 25 miles a day. |
| C．People used to climb the Statue of Liberty. |
| D．people considered a ten-hour walk as a hardship. |
The author mentions Henry Thoreau to prove that________.
| A．middle-aged people like getting back to nature |
| B．walking in nature helps enrich one’s mind |
| C．people need regular exercise to keep fit |
| D．going on foot prevents heart disease |
What is compared to “a steel river” in Paragraph 6?
| A．A queue of cars | B．A ray of traffic light |
| C．A flash of lightning | D．A stream of people |
What is the author’s intention of writing this passage?
| A．To tell people to reflect more on life. |
| B．To recommend people to give up driving |
| C．To advise people to do outdoor activities |
| D．To encourage people to return to walking |
So the little girl now walked on, her bare feet quite red and blue with the cold. She carried a small bundle of matches in her hand, and a good many more in her tattered dress. No one had bought any of them the live long day； no one had given her a single penny. Trembling with cold and hunger crept she on, the picture of sorrow: poor little child!
The snow-flakes fell on her long, fair hair, which curled in such pretty ringlets over her shoulders; but she thought not of her own beauty, or of the cold. Lights were glimmering through every window, and the savor of roast goose reached her from several houses；it was New Year's eve, and it was of this that she thought.
In a corner formed by two houses, one of which projected beyond the other. She sat down, drawing her little feet close under her, but in vain, she could not warm them. She dared not go home, she had sold no matches, earned not a single penny, and perhaps her father would beat her，besides her home was almost as cold as the street，it was an attic; and although the larger of the many chinks in the roof were stopped up with straw and rags. The wind and snow often penetrated through. Her hands were nearly dead with cold; one little match from her bundle would warm them. Perhaps, if she dared light it, she drew one out, and struck it against the wall, bravo! It was a bright, warm flame, and she held her hands over it. It was quite an illumination for that poor little girl; no, I call it rather a magic taper, for it seemed to her as though she was sitting before a large iron-stove with brass ornaments, so beautifully blazed the fire within! The child stretched out her feet to warm them also; alas, in an instant the flame had died away, the stove disappeared, the little girl sat cold and comfortless, with the burnt match in her hand. The author emphasized that the story happened on New Year’s Eve in order to _________.
| A．highlight the cold weather |
| B．contrast with the girl’s sadness. |
| C．present the time |
| D．describe the situation |
Which below is not the reason why the little girl dared not go home?
| A．She earned not a single penny. |
| B．Her father would beat her. |
| C．Her home was almost as cold as the street. |
| D．She didn’t finished selling her matches. |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph told us ___________.
| A．the girl was so cold that she formed an illusion that she sat beside a stove |
| B．a stove did give her some warmth on such a cold night |
| C．the thought she had could give her warmth |
| D．the light the match gave out did warm the little girl |
The little girl gave us an impression of being __________.
| A．beautiful and kind | B．poor but imaginable |
| C．poor and pitiful | D．poor but lively |
You may have heard the term “the American Dream”. In 1848, James W. Marshall found gold in California and people began having golden dreams. That 19th century “American Dream" motivated(激发) the Gold Rush and gave California its nickname of the "Golden State".
The American Dream drove not only 1800s gold-rush prospectors(采矿者) but also waves of immigrants throughout that century and the next. People from Europe, and a large number of Chinese, arrived in the US in the 19th century hoping that in America they would find gold there. But most, instead, worked as railroad laborers. They created the oldest Chinatown, in San Francisco, and gave the city a Chinese name "the old gold hill".
In the 20th century, some critics said that it was no longer possible to become prosperous through determination and hard work. Unfair education for students from poor families and racial discrimination almost made the American Dream a nightmare(噩梦).
Then, in the 1990s, California saw a new wave of dreamers in Silicon Valley. People poured their energy into the Internet. This new chapter of the American Dream attracted many business people and young talents from China and India to form start-ups and seek fortune in America.
Better pay, a nice house, and a rising standard of living will always be attractive. However, the new American Dream is no longer just about money. It encourages Americans to consume wisely to protect the environment, improve the quality of life, and promote social justice（正义）.
The Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has become the model of the new American Dream. After
years of hard work, he grew from a poor young man from Austria into a super movie star and then a governor.
Many people hope his story can save the American Dream and give California a brighter future.It can be inferred that_________.
| A．America’s golden dream could never be realized |
| B．America’s golden dream had bought great fortune to Chinese immigrants |
| C．different times have different themes of the American dream |
| D．determination and hard work are the best way to realize the American dream |
Why did most of the early immigrants work as railroad laborers?
| A．Because they could earn more money as railroad laborers. |
| B．Because they had to make a living by working as railroad laborers． |
| C．Because they thought railroad was the first step to find gold. |
| D．Because railroad laborers were greatly honored at that time. |
The underlined sentence “his story can save the American Dream” (in the last paragraph) indicates that________．
| A．the dream of seeking fortunate in America is easy to realize |
| B．most of the immigrants to America don’t reach their previous goals |
| C．the success of Arnold Schwarzenegger is among the common examples of the immigrants |
| D．the immigrants have made great contributions to California |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Wave of Immigrants to America |
| B．Make Fortunes Abroad |
| C．Hard Work Leads to Success |
| D．Changes of America’s Golden Dream |
Once we got home, there was barely time to enjoy our presents. We had to go off to our grandparents' house for our annual Christmas dinner. As we drove down the highway through town, I noticed that the family was there, standing outside the closed gas station.
My father was driving very slowly down the highway. The closer we got to the turnoff for my grandparents' house, the slower the car went. Suddenly, my father U-turned in the middle of the road and said, "I can't stand it!"
"What?" asked my mother.
"It's those people back there at the gas station, standing in the rain. They've got children. It's Christmas. "
When my father pulled into the service station, I saw that there were five of them: the parents and three children- two girls and a small boy.
My father rolled down his window. "Merry Christmas," he said.
"Howdy," the man replied.
"You’re waiting on the bus?" my father asked.
The man said that they were.
"Well, that bus isn't going to come along for several hours, and you're getting wet standing here. Winborn's just a couple miles up the road. They've got a shed with a cover there, and some benches," my father said. "Why don't y'all get in the car and I'll run you up there."
The man thought about it for a moment, and then he beckoned to his family. They climbed into the car. They had no luggage, only the clothes they were wearing.
Once they settled in, my father looked back over his shoulder and asked the children if Santa had found them yet. Three glum faces mutely gave him his answer.
"Well, I didn't think so," my father said, winking at my mother, "because when I saw Santa this morning, he told me that he was having trouble finding all, and he asked me if he could leave your toys at my house. We'll just go get them before I take you to the bus stop."
All at once, the three children's faces lit up, and they began to bounce around in the back seat, laughing and chattering.
When we got out of the car at our house, the three children ran through the front door and straight to the toys that were spread out under our Christmas tree. That was the Christmas when my sisters and I learned the joy of making others happy.
When they left, my father reached into his pocket and pulled out two dollars, which was all he had left. He pressed the money into the man's hand. The man tried to give it back, but my father insisted. “Take it. I've been broke before, and I know what it's like when you can't feed your family." We left them there at the bus stop in Winborn. As we drove away, I watched out the window as long as I could, looking back at the little girl hugging her new doll.For the majority, what the story impresses most on us is __________.
| A．father’s kind offer to the family in the rain |
| B．mother’s generosity to give all our Christmas presents away |
| C．that my sister and I had no alternative as to my parents’ decision |
| D．that the family who got help seemed to be indifferent |
The writer didn’t get the Christmas presents, but he/she was happy. The reason was_________.
| A．his/her parents taught his/her a good lesson |
| B．they learned the joy of making others happy |
| C．they would get another presents somewhere else |
| D．they were likely to get more presents from others |
We can draw a conclusion from the story that _________.
| A．only you help others heart and soul can you feel more happy |
| B．God helps those who help themselves |
| C．Present rose to others with fragrance lingering at hand. |
| D．Happiness takes no account of time |
After reading the story, you will have the feeling of _________.
| A．great happiness | B．light sadness |
| C．little sorrow | D．some warmth |
The host poured the tea into the cup and placed it on the small table in front of his guests, who were a father and daughter, and the cover on the cup. Apparently thinking of something, he hurried into the inner room, leaving the thermos(热水瓶) on the table. His two guests heard a cupboard opening.
They remained sitting in the sitting room, the ten-year-old daughter looking at the flowers outside the window, the father just about to take his cup, when the crash came, right there in the sitting room. Something was hopelessly broken.
It was the thermos, which had fallen to the floor. The girl looked over her shoulder, shocked, staring. It was mysterious. Neither of them touched it, not even a bit. True, it hadn’t stood steadily when their host placed in on the table, but it hadn’t fallen then.
The explosion caused the host to rush back. Gawking at the steaming floor, the host said, “It doesn’t matter! It doesn’t matter!”
The father started to say something. Then he said softly, “Sorry, I touched it and it fell.”
“It doesn’t matter,” said the host.
When they left the house, the daughter said, “Daddy, did you touch it?”
“No, but it stood so close to me.”
“But you did not touch it. I saw your reflection in the window glass.”
The father laughed. “What would you give as the cause of its fall?”
“The thermos fell by itself. The floor is not smooth. Daddy, why did you say that you…”
“That won’t do, girl. It sounds more acceptable when I say I knocked it down. There are things which people accept less the more you defend. The truer the story you tell, the less true it sounds.”
The daughter was lost in silence for a while. Then she said, “Can you explain it only in this way?”
“Only in this way,” her father said. Which statement is a possible theme of this story?
| A．People should take the blame for what they didn’t do. |
| B．People rarely tell the truth. |
| C．If you defend yourself, people will believe you. |
| D．You can’t always make people believe the truth. |
The underlined phrase “Gawking at” probably means ___________.
A. staring at with anger
B. looking at curious
C, looking at in a dull way
D. glancing at hopelesslyIt can be inferred from the story that the father____________.
| A．didn’t know the host well |
| B．didn’t think the host would believe the truth |
| C．was sorry that he told the truth |
| D．felt satisfied that he didn’t tell the truh |
From the story we know that the daughter ___________ .
| A．thought her father should tell the truth |
| B．didn’t know why the thermos fell |
| C．glancing at hopelessly |
| D．looking at in a dull way |
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