Uncle Tom gave little Vicki Black a birthday gift one week before her birthday. He told her not to open it until her birthday. She knew her mother wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect to the kind man who helped them out after Vicki’s father passed away. Besides, Vicki didn’t want Uncle Tom to get angry. But little Vicky didn’t want to just hold it and guess what was in it. After all, she looked forward to his coming to show her interesting things, like how to turn an old sock into a doll.
All the day, Vicki couldn’t stop thinking about the gift. While her teacher was giving a lecture¸ Vicki sat still in her seat, drawing paper dolls inside the box. When school was done, she raced home. Walking into the room, again, she shook the present, but she heard nothing. Holding her breath, she opened the box and looked inside. Seconds later, she cried. When Mrs. Black saw the box, she said angrily, “Didn’t I tell you to leave it alone?” Vicki sobbed and said, “Mommy, you don’t understand.”
“Don’t cry to me. You have missed everything now, just because you couldn’t wait,” Mrs. Black accused. “What will Uncle Tom think now?”
“Uncle Tom gave me nothing,” Vicki cried and handed the empty box to her mother. “He played a trick on me.”
Mrs. Black said doubtfully, “Uncle Tom is not like that. You must have dropped it.”
Vicki kept crying. Only a rapid knock on the door made the house quiet. It was Uncle Tom. He looked at the empty box. “You have already done it? I told you to wait for your birthday.”
“You didn’t give me a gift.” Fresh tears filled her eyes.
“I try to give you something. I know your birthday is a special day. I tell myself to give you something valuable to last your whole life. I think hard and get the idea to give you an important lesson. If you open it on birthday, I see you learn. Then I will make a big party to celebrate. Maybe next year you listen and then you will understand the gift better.
Vicki’s cheeks flushed.
We can learn from the text that Vicki_______.
| A．often received gifts from her father |
| B．expected Uncle Tom to give her a doll |
| C．was sad because of her father’s death |
| D．liked and respected Uncle Tom |
What do the underlined words “done it” refer to?
| A．Guessed the result |
| B．Opened the box |
| C．Realized Uncle Tom’s purpose |
| D．Known what her birthday gift was |
What kind of person is Uncle Tom?
| A．Thoughtful | B．Humorous | C．Mysterious | D．Funny |
What did Uncle Tom want to teach Vicki?
| A．How to respect others | B．The meaning of gifts |
| C．How to deal with gifts | D．The value of a promise |
A new study gives us the warning that about thirty percent of the world's people may not have enough water by the year 2025.
A private American organization called Population Action International did the new study. It says more than three-hundred-thirty-five-million people lack enough water now. The people live in twenty-eight countries. Most of the countries are in Africa or the Middle East.
P-A-I researcher Robert Engelman says by the year 2025, about three-thousand-million people may lack water. At least 18 more countries are expected to have severe water problems. The demand for water keeps increasing. Yet the amount of water on Earth stays the same.
Mr. Engelman says the population in countries that lack water is growing faster than in other parts of the world. He says population growth in these countries will continue to increase.
The report says lack of water in the future may result in several problems. It may increase health problems. Lack of water often means drinking waters not safe. Mr. Engelman says there are problems all over the world because of diseases, such as cholera, which are carried in water. Lack of water may also result in more international conflict. Countries may have to compete for water in the future. Some countries now get sixty percent of their fresh water from other countries. This is true of Egypt, the Netherlands, Cambodia, Syria, Sudan, and Iraq. And the report says lack of water would affect the ability of developing to improve their economies. This is because new industries often need a large amount of water when they are beginning.
The Population Action International study gives several solutions to the water problem. One way, it says, is to find ways to use water for more than one purpose. Another way is to teach people to be careful not to waste water. A third way is to use less water of agriculture.
The report also says long-term solutions to the water problem must include controls on population growth. It says countries cannot provide clean water unless they slow population growth by limiting the number of children people have.__________ are expected to have severe water problems by the year 2025
| A．No countries | B．18 countries | C．46 countries | D．28 countries |
All the following are true except____________.
| A．Lack of water may cause conflict between countries |
| B．Egypt now has enough fresh water |
| C．There are solutions to the water problem |
| D．New industries need a lot of water |
It can be inferred that _____________.
| A．There is connection between providing clean water and slowing population growth |
| B．Lack of water may also result from international conflict |
| C．The ability of developing has nothing to do with lack of water. |
| D．It is not known whether diseases have something to do with lack of water |
What is the solution to the water problem for a long time?
| A．Not to waste water. | B．Less developing industries. |
| C．Less international conflict. | D．Control the population |
The best title of the passage would be __________.
| A．World Conflict | B．Diseases and Water |
| C．World Water Shortage | D．Population and Water |
Even people who don’t understand English can enjoy Chaplin’s films because they are mostly silent. It isn’t what he says that makes us laugh. It depends upon actions which mean the same thing to people all over the world. He is master of the art – a kind of world language.
As a young man, he and his brother traveled to America in a small company of actors. Chaplin was then invited to join a new company that was making film comedies. Very soon he had made dozens of short films for this company. And it was in his second film that he wore the clothes which made his reputation – black hat, tight coat, baggy trousers, huge shoes, moustache and walking stick. He intended simply to make people laugh. But the odd make-up made him look both comic and sad.
By the time he was thirty, Chaplin was the greatest, best known and best loved comedian in the world. He received thousands of dollars for each film he made. He had formed his own manner of acting. He was welcomed by excited crowds wherever he went. But he worked very hard and had few close friends. Perhaps that is why the sad side of the little tramp began to show more clearly in the films he made. The little man began to want more than food and a roof over his head. He began to want love.
In one of his most famous films “The Gold Rush” a girl plays tricks on the little man. Then she begins to feel sorry for him and treats him kindly. He mistakes her pity for love. The girl in “City Lights” is blind. She thinks he is the most wonderful man she has ever met. But then she recovers her sight and sees what a foolish figure he is. This sadness gives Chaplin’s films a depth of human experience which few comedians can equal.
After living in America for forty years he moved to Switzerland. There he died on Christmas Day 1977. He once described himself as a citizen of famous pictures that were made during the 1920s and 1930s, the time of the silent films. But, to many people all over the world Chaplin will always be the king of comedy.What’s the meaning of the underlined word in the first paragraph?
| A．A man in control of people, animals or things. |
| B．A man who is head of a house or a family. |
| C．A man of great skill in art or work. |
| D．A skilled workman with his own business. |
Charlie Chaplin had few friends because he _____.
| A．was famous |
| B．didn’t want to have friends |
| C．was not good at making friends |
| D．spent most of his time in working and had no time to make friends |
In all Chaplin’s films, the main character is _____.
| A．a girl | B．a girl and little man |
| C．a little man | D．a wonderful man |
We may infer that films with sound probably came into being _____.
| A．after the 1920s and 1930s | B．in the 1930s |
| C．in the 1970s | D．after the 1930s |
Which one is wrong according to the passage?
| A．The little man didn’t want love. | B．Chaplin made a lot of money. |
| C．He didn’t live in the same country. | D．He became famous in a short time |
The sea horse is a magical animal, which has puzzled （使困惑） people for thousands of years. In ancient Rome sea horses were believed to be the babies of Neptune’s horses. And Neptune was the god of the ocean. Now we know they are not horses at all — they are a kind of fish. They still seem as magical as ever, especially to divers who have watched them horsing around(瞎闯) in the sea. But today, sea horse populations face an uncertain future. Fishermen are catching too many of them, and their undersea habitats （栖息地） are being destroyed.
At least 20 million sea horses are taken from the ocean each year. More than 95% are used for traditional medicines in Asian countries. The sea horses are usually dried and then made into powder which is used to treat such problems as asthma（哮喘）, throat infections, skin diseases and cuts. How well the medicines work is unclear.
Sea horses are also bought and sold in large numbers as pets. Sea horse expert Amanda Vincent warns against buying pet sea horses. “A lot of people treat them as if they’re goldfish,” she says. But sea horses require very special care and live food. Most captive (被猎取的) sea horses pick up diseases and die.
Sea horse experts are trying to teach fishermen to become sea horse farmers. Instead of pulling nets of sea horses from the ocean, fishermen could learn to raise them in specially designed saltwater “farms”. That way, fishermen would have sea horses to sell, but ocean populations would not be hurt.
Vincent and her team have only discovered the 35 different species of sea horses, and they still have plenty of sea horse secrets left to unlock. That is why, Vincent told TFK, protecting future sea horse populations is especially important: “I promise your readers that by the time they grow up to be marine biologists, we’ll still have a lot to learn.”In the past, Romans thought the sea horse to be ______.
| A．a kind of horse | B．a kind of fish |
| C．the god of the ocean | D．one of Neptune’s pets |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．People in Asian countries hunt sea horses for food. |
| B．Most sea horses caught are used as medicine. |
| C．The effects of the powder of sea horses are uncertain. |
| D．35 different kinds of sea horses have been discovered. |
The underlined phrase “pick up” in Paragraph 3 probably means “______”.
| A．follow | B．collect | C．get | D．create |
It can be inferred that the best way to protect sea horses is to ______.
| A．do more research on sea horses |
| B．teach fishermen how to farm sea horses |
| C．stop hunting sea horses |
| D．ban the sea horse trade |
If you think American cooking means opening a package and throwing the contents into the microwave oven (微波炉), think again. On the one hand, it’s true that many Americans have cold cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and instant (方便的) dinners. From busy homemakers to working people, many Americans enjoy the convenience (方便) of fast food that can be ready to serve in 10 minutes or less. On the other hand, many Americans realize the importance of cooking skills. Parents — especially mothers — see the importance of training their children — especially daughters. Most Americans think that there’s nothing better than a good home-cooked meal. But with cooking, as with any other skill, good results don’t happen by accident.
Probably every cook has his or her own way of cooking. But there are some basic skills that most people follow. For example, baking is a main method (方法) of preparing food in America. For that reason, Americans would find it next to impossible to live without an oven. American cooks pay special attention to the balance of foods, too. In planning a big meal they try to include meat, a few vegetables, some bread and often a dessert. They also like to make sure the meal is colorful. Having several different colors of food on the plate usually makes for a healthy meal.
For those who need guidance in their cooking, or for those who have just run out of ideas, recipes are a great help. Recipes list all the ingredients for a dish (generally in the order used), the amount of each to use, and a description of how to put them together.This passage mainly tells us that ______.
| A．Americans like to have several different colors of food on the plate |
| B．without an oven, Americans find it impossible to live conveniently |
| C．Americans pay special attention to recipes and nutritious meals |
| D．Americans usually have fast food, but they pay special attention to cooking as well |
Many Americans have cold cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and instant dinner because ______.
| A．they like instant food very much |
| B．they don’t like cooking at all |
| C．most American working people are busy and don’t have time to cook |
| D．fast food is delicious and it usually contains a lot of vitamins |
By saying “But with cooking, as with any other skill, good results don’t happen by accident”, the author means ______.
| A．good cooking doesn’t come easily; it needs a lot of practice |
| B．just like any other skill, cooking may bring good results |
| C．cooking comes from one’s gift, not through practice |
| D．cooking can lead to accidents |
From the passage, we know that ______.
| A．Americans don’t care about food |
| B．Americans are not good at cooking because they like to use recipes |
| C．an oven plays an important role in cooking for Americans |
| D．while cooking, Americans usually run out of ideas |
Hanukkah
Hanukkah (光明节) is a Jewish festival. It is celebrated on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev (犹太教历), which is usually sometime in December. It is often called the festival of lights. The festival celebrates the time, over 2,000 years ago, when the Jewish people fought against an emperor who would not let them follow their own traditions and religion. When the Jewish people won back their temple in Jerusalem, they found there was only enough holy oil to keep the sacred light burning for one day. However, to their surprise, this small amount of oil kept the light burning for eight days and nights, until the people had time to make more oil.
At the center of the Hanukkah celebrations is a candlestick (called a Menorah) that holds nine candles. On the first night of Hanukkah the first candle is lit, and each day this candle is used to light another candle, until on the eighth day, the last day, all the candles are lit. During Hanukkah, people go to the synagogue (犹太教堂) to pray and to remember the miracle (奇迹) of the holy oil. Hanukkah is a time for family and friends to come together. People exchange gifts and greeting cards, and children go to parties. Parents often give their children money at Hanukkah. Potato cakes, called latkes, are a traditional Hanukkah food.For how many days does Hanukkah last?
| A．7 | B．10 | C．9 | D．8 |
According to the passage, what is necessary when celebrating Hanukkah nowadays?
| A． Candles. | B．Money. | C．Oil | D．Cards. |
What does the Menorah remind Jewish people about?
| A．The war that they fought 2,000 years ago. |
| B．The God that they honored best. |
| C．The miracle of the holy oil that happened 2,000 years ago. |
| D．The church they built 2,000 years ago. |
The passage mainly tells us about _____.
| A．the history of Hanukkah and how it is celebrated |
| B．why Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah |
| C．why Jewish people protect their traditions |
| D．the miracle of the holy oil in the Jewish temple |
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