The Roman Emperor Claudius II was fighting many wars. He wanted a strong army, but many men did not want to be soldiers. Claudius thought the men wanted to stay at home to be with their wives and children instead of leaving to fight wars.
Claudius thought of an awful solution to his problem. He decided to cancel all marriages! No one in all of Rome could get married. Claudius thought that if the men couldn’t get married, the men would ignore the women and want to be soldiers.
Valentine, who was a priest (牧师), believed that people needed to get married. He thought it was wrong for people to live together without being married. So he secretly and illegally married couples anyway. He performed the weddings in secret places, so the Roman soldiers would not find out.
But they did find out. Valentine was arrested and brought before the Emperor. The Emperor thought Valentine was a well-spoken and wise young man, and encouraged him to stop being a Christian (基督徒) and become a loyal Roman. Valentine would not deny his beliefs, and he refused. He was sent to prison and was finally killed. While he was in prison, he sent out letters to his friends and asked to be prayed (祈祷) for by writing Remember your Valentine.
Valentine was killed on the 14th or the 24th of February in the year 269 or 270. We celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14th in honor of St. Valentine. The Emperor Claudius II wanted men to __________.
| A．live at home and work for the empire |
| B．become loyal Roman citizens |
| C．go to other countries and raise families |
| D．fight wars in other lands |
The underlined word “awful” in the second paragraph probably means __________.
| A．terrible | B．wonderful | C．possible | D．friendly |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Valentine believed in marriage and risked death to marry people. |
| B．Claudius wanted to stay at home with his wife. |
| C．Claudius thought Valentine was a man with a bright future. |
| D．Valentine broke the law. |
During his life Dr James Naismith worked as a doctor, taught P.E and wrote several books. While he never thought it very important, Dr Naismith is today best known for one thing. He was the inventor of basketball.
Dr James Naismith was born in Canada in 1861 and his first job was at a special sports school in the USA. One day the school principal told James he was having a problem with the students. Because of heavy snow, the students could not go outside. He told James that they needed a sport the boys could play indoors and gave the teacher two weeks to think of something.
It was on the very last day that James came up with his idea. The “birth of basketball” is said to be on December 21, 1891, when two teams from the school played the first game. It was quite different from the basketball games of today. It had 9 players on each team and footballs were used instead of basketballs. Soon after, the game changed to 5 players on each side, using special “basketballs” through nets.
Although Dr Naismith did not live to see basketball become the worldwide game it is today, in 1936, just three years before his death, basketball became an Olympic sport at the Games in Berlin.
Which of the following things did Dr James Naismith NOT do?
| A．Teach P.E in school. | B．Write some books. |
| C．Work at a hospital. | D．Take part in the Olympic Games. |
In which season did Dr Naismith invent basketball?
| A．Summer. | B．Winter. | C．Spring. | D．Autumn. |
Why is December 21 thought to be the birthday of basketball?
| A．It was on this day that Dr Naismith came up with his idea for basketball. |
| B．It was the day on which Dr Naismith was born. |
| C．It was the day on which Dr Naismith was asked by his boss to invent a new game. |
| D．It was on this day that the first game of basketball was played. |
At the time of Dr Naismith’s death, which of the following was true?
| A．Basketball was already a worldwide game. |
| B．Basketball was played with 9 players on each side. |
| C．Basketball was an Olympic sport. |
| D．Basketball was still played using footballs. |
Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask. But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history. Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history.
The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past. I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures. However, as the unfortunately true statement goes "the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don't seem to learn from history." Perhaps at least in teaching history to my children I can do a small part in changing this.
A second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context. We cannot even understand why we are and where we are without history, much less (更不必说) try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be.
I teach my children history, for one more reason. I purchased a set of historical audio (录音机) tapes for our children. My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over. It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself. I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr. if, in doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished. I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for.
What message can we get from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?
| A．Many people aren't clever enough to learn well from the past. |
| B．Many people fail to make good use of history and make the same mistakes. |
| C．Many people feel it hard to understand history. |
| D．Many people have no interest in studying history. |
In Paragraph 3, the author shows that history is useful because ___________.
| A．it makes the current political situation go smoothly |
| B．it helps us realize the importance of historical events |
| C．it helps us understand why things are the way they are |
| D．it helps people accept the present situation where they live |
What would be talked about in the following paragraph?
| A．How to teach history effectively. |
| B．Some negative reasons for studying history. |
| C．How to get more people to study history. |
| D．Some bad historical figures. |
The main purpose of this passage is to ____________.
| A．inspire the parents to teach their children history |
| B．show the importance of history in politics |
| C．explain the reasons why children study history |
| D．introduce the writer’s own way of teaching history |
Once upon a time there was a wise man that used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought that someone would dance on the beach. So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
As he got closer he called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?”
The young man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish in the ocean.” “I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?” “The sun is up and the tide is going out, and if I don’t throw them in they’ll die.”
“But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The young man listened politely, then he bent down, picked another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said, “It made a difference for that one.”
There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference. And if we can know that gift, we will gain through the strength of our visions the power to shape the future.
We must each find our starfish. And if we throw our starfish wisely and well, the world will be better.
One day, the wise man saw the young man .
| A．dancing along the beach | B．walking with a dancer |
| C．picking up starfish for sale | D．trying to save as many starfish as possible |
Near the end of the passage, “something very special” refers to .
| A．the gifts from friends | B．the strength of making decision |
| C．our own starfish | D．the ability of shaping one’s own future |
From the last two paragraphs, we can learn that .
| A．the wise man realized something new and important |
| B．the wise man thought it was foolish of the young man to throw starfish into the ocean |
| C．the young man had the ability to make a difference |
| D．it is necessary for us to save starfish on the beach |
The writer told this story in order to show us .
| A．how and where we can write a good article |
| B．everyone can do something for the future |
| C．wise men are sometimes stupid |
| D．young people are actually wiser than old people |
Hello, Shanghai!
| Shanghai is hosting the 2010 World Expo with the theme: “Better City, Better Life.” The Expo is a window to the world. Haibao, the mascot, will guide you around the Expo Park. |
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| The World Has Come to You. Join the Trip to the Pavilions! (场馆) |
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| Pavilions |
What’s inside? |
| China Pavilion |
Coloring the Future Red The first stop is the China Pavilion. As the largest national pavilion, it has three floors. There are three parts. Footprint in the East on the top floor shows the changes in Chinese cities. Journey of Wisdom on the second floor shows the China’s four great inventions. Blossoming（绽放的）City on the ground floor shows what future cities will look like. The China Pavilion is painted in seven different red colors. It makes the pavilion look red at different times of day. |
| UK Pavilion |
Life Begins Here You will see a “World Bank” of seeds: There are 60,000 seeds in the UK Pavilion. They are from seed banks in the UK and Kunming in China. If you can’t go to Shanghai, you can find out all about the UK Pavilion at its website online at: http://ukshanghaiexpo. com/ home. php. |
| Norway Pavilion |
A Green Pavilion Norway is the best country for living in the world. At the Shanghai World Expo, you’ll find out what it means to be “powered by nature”. When the sun shines, the roof collects solar energy. The Norway Pavilion uses this energy for electricity. You can also learn about how green energy like the sun, wind and wave power is used to make air cleaner in cities. |
| Visit Expo from Your Home Don’t have enough time or money to visit the World Expo in Shanghai? Check the official website Expo Online, at www. Expo 2010. cn. It has two main parts. One is a site tour. The other is Expo Carnival（嘉年华）. You will feel like you’re enjoying the real Expo Park. Why not check it out? |
Which part of the China Pavilion should people go to if they are interested in the four great inventions?
| A．The ground floor. | B．The second floor. | C．The third floor. | D．The top floor. |
What is the typical feature of the UK Pavilion?
| A．People can see it on line. | B．It is the largest national pavilion. |
| C．People can see 60,000 seeds here. | D．All the seeds are from the UK. |
Which of the following can best explain the meaning of “a green pavilion”?
| A．A pavilion using green energy. | B．A pavilion painted in green. |
| C．A pavilion with more sunshine. | D．A pavilion with cleaner air. |
Construction workers in Southern California have made a wild discovery. They were digging at a building site in San Timoteo Canyon (峡谷) when they unearthed hundreds of ancient animal fossils. Researchers say the bones hold important clues about the history of the region.
Nearly 1, 500 fossils were recovered from the dusty canyon. The remains are about 1.4 million years old. They include the bones of a new species of deer, several small rodents (啮齿目动物) and more. A giant cat fossil was also found. Scientists believe the animal was an ancestor of the saber- toothed tiger. Signs of plant life were uncovered as well.
“This is a huge find,” says Rick Greenwood, a scientist studying the site. “I don’t think most people had any idea that those types of animals were wandering around here more than a million years ago.”
San Timoteo Canyon is located about 85 miles from Los Angeles. The area of the canyon where the fossils were found was once part of a green river valley. Today, the region is dry and plant life is rare.
Most of the fossils are well preserved. Experts say a muddy lake bed may have trapped thirty animals that wandered over for a drink. The mud helped to protect the animal fossils.
The remains are a million years older than those discovered at the famous La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. Scientists studying the bones will be able to learn more about how the animals adapted to changes in the environment.
“We have a confused view of what this time period was like, ” says another scientist. “A discovery like this could really be an important contribution.”
About 35 different animal species are represented in the fossil collection. Scientists began removing bones from the site last fall. The project was completed this summer. Starting next year, the fossils will be on display at the Western Science Center in the nearby city of Hemet, California.
What does the passage mainly focus on?
| A．The secret of ancient animals’ deaths. |
| B．The preparation for a future fossil exhibition. |
| C．A great discovery of fossils. |
| D．The history of San Timoteo Canyon. |
From what Rick says, we know ________. (原创)
| A．fossils were discovered in the canyon for the first time. |
| B．the canyon in ancient times was quite different. |
| C．more research work will be carried on in the canyon. |
| D．the river water helped to protect the animal fossils. |
Compared to the discovery at the La Brea Tar Pits, the canyon-involved fossils _______.
| A．are far older | B．include more species |
| C．are better preserved | D．make experts more confused |
What do we know about the fossils from the passage?
| A．All of them are of new species. |
| B．Some of them have been destroyed |
| C．They were looked for under experts’ guidance. |
| D．They will be on show in the near future. |
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