Although English is not as old as Chinese, it is spoken by many people around the world every day. English speakers are always making up new words, and we are often able to know where most come from.
Sometimes, however, no one may really know where a word comes from. Did you ever think about why hamburgers are called “hamburgers”, especially when they are not made with ham(火腿)? About a hundred years ago, some men went to America from Europe. They came from a big city in Germany called Hamburg. They didn’t speak good English, but they ate good food. When some Americans saw them eating round pieces of beef, they asked the Germans what they were. The Germans didn’t understand the question and answered, “We come from Hamburg.” One of these Americans owned a restaurant, and had an idea. He cooked some round pieces of bread with beef in them and started selling them. Such bread came to be called “hamburgers”. Today, “Hamburgers” are sold in many countries around the world.
Whether this story is true or not, it certainly is interesting. Knowing why any word has a certain meaning is interesting, too. This reason, for most English words, can be found in any large English dictionary.English is spoken by many people around the world every day, but English is ______.
| A．as old as Chinese | B．older than Chinese |
| C．younger than Chinese | D．older than German |
Hamburg is ______.
| A．a kind of food | B．a round piece of beef |
| C．the name of a country | D．a city in Germany |
According to the story, the word “hamburger” comes from ______.
| A．English speakers because they’re always making up new words |
| B．the round piece of beef which those people from Hamburg ate |
| C．English because Germans don’t speak good English |
| D．a large English dictionary |
. Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Few Americans like hamburgers. |
| B．Hamburgers are made with ham. |
| C．Hamburgers were first sold a century ago. |
| D．Hamburgers were some people. |
. Which of the following can be found in any large dictionary?
| A．Where Germans came from. |
| B．Where all the new words came from. |
| C．The reason why a new word has a certain meaning. |
| D．Why English is spoken all over the world. |
The air pollution was so bad in Harbin, in China, on October 21,2013 that the city had to close roads and schools, and cancel* hundreds of flights from its airport.
News reports said the smog (a mixture of smoke and fog) was so thick that people couldn’t see more than 10 or 20 metres in front of them.
It is also said that people could not even see the person standing next to them. The city’s website said: “You can’t see your own fingers in front of you.”
The local people said there was a “burning” smell in the air. Many people covered their noses and mouths with scarves or masks*.
The pollution was caused on several factors* including: farmers burning off old corn stalks* and crop stubble*; coal*-fired heating systems; and low winds that allowed the smoke to remain over the city.
The smog had been building up for several days. It became worse when the city turned on the public heating system, which uses coal to heat millions of homes and offices in the city.
Harbin has a population of more than 10 million people. It lies in northeastern China, where cold winter weather can last up to six months. The main fuel* there is coal, because it is cheaper than other types of fuel.
Air pollution from burning coal can cause health problems like heart disease. During the smog crisis* in Harbin, the number of people taken to the hospital with breathing problems was 30% higher than usual.
The city government is trying to reduce its use of coal by adding more insulation* and better roofs and windows to buildings to reduce heating needs. It has also used cleaner fuel for cars and factories.The roads and schools in Harbin had to be closed on October 21, 2013 because of ____
| A．the heavy rain | B．the strong wind | C．the serious smog | D． the terrible snow |
There are many reasons for the air pollution EXCEPT____________.
| A．farmers burn off old corn stalks and crop stubble |
| B．people use coal to heat millions of homes and offices |
| C．The smoke remains over the city because of low winds |
| D．Many buses and cars use cleaner fuel and so do factories. |
What is the government trying to do when the air pollution get worse?
| A．To offer cars new fuel. |
| B．To give people more masks. |
| C．To reduce its use of coal. |
| D．To ask people to stay at home. |
What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．The serious air pollution in China |
| B．Coal-fired heating systems |
| C．The population crisis in Harbin |
| D．The reasons for heart disease |
Wang Jiaming from Beijing Chenjinglun High School says he is a lucky boy .He’s happy that he’s sitting the senior high school entrance exam in2014 instead of 2016.
On October 22,Beijing Municipal Commission of Education* announced that, from 2016,the English scores in the senior high school entrances exam will be reduced* from 120 to 100.Of the 100 points, the listening ability scores will increase to 50.Meanwhile, the points for Chinese will increase from 120 to 150.
“The change won’t affect me. I fell so lucky because English is my strongest subject,’’ said Wang. Why such a change? It places the importance on Chinese in our study and reduces students’ pressure, said Li Yi, a spokesman of the commission.
“The change will also push us to pay attention to the practical usage of English.,’’ said Li. “Students will be encouraged to learn to understand English menus and read English news on mobile phones.”
There isn’t news that other cities will have the same change. But several places are making changes to English tests in the college entrance exams.
For example, Shandong is considering taking out the listening part of the English exam in its Gaokao. But, “ being tested for less points doesn’t mean the subject can be taken lightly,” Bai Ping wrote in China Daily.
English has long been the world’s most commonly used language. Wang Jiaming said he understood the change.
“Chinese, not English, is our mother tongue*,” he said. “ but still, I think English is both interesting and useful.” In the Beijing senior high school entrances exam of 2016, the English scores will be cut down to __________.
| A．50 | B． 100 | C．120 | D．150 |
Wang Jiaming feels lucky because _______
| A．the exam change from 2016 doesn’t affect him |
| B．he doesn’t need to take the important exam |
| C．Chinese is his strongest subject |
| D．he is not good at chemistry |
The sentence “ being tested for less points doesn’t mean the subject can be taken lightly,” in the passage means ______________
| A．the students can spend less time on English. |
| B．it’s harder to for the students get a high score. |
| C．English is not as important and useful as before |
| D．studying English is still important for the students. |
What is the main purpose of the change?
| A．To encourage students to learn how to order meals in English. |
| B．To make students to learn to read English news on mobile phones. |
| C．To ask students to prepare for the college entrance exam. |
| D．To make students pay more attention to learn Chinese. |
| Three little pigs Story-teller: Three little pigs make three houses. They all think their own house is the best! But the wolf comes. He is very hungry! He has blown down two houses of the pigs. It makes the two little pigs very scared. P1&p2：Oh, my god! Let’s run away, run away! (They run into the third pig’s house and close the door)) P1：The wolf is very strong! P2：He wants to eat us! P3：My god, help me! ( The three pigs are hiding under the bed) W：Little pig, little pig, let me come in! P1P2P3：No! Go away. You bad wolf! W：Open the door! I can blow the house down! (The wolf blows and blows, he blows and blows, but the house is very strong.) Why? (The wolf is too tired and falls onto the ground) P1p3p2：Yeah! We are safe now! |
 Story-teller: The wolf is very angry! He has a good idea! He climbs up the chimney*! P1&P2&P3：Oh! Look! The wolf! P1：How to do? (Starts run around the chimney) P2：Mom！Where are you? (Cries) P3：Don’t worry! Let’s put the wood into the fire! P1p2p3：Ok, 123… W：(Falls into the fire and struggles) Oh ! No! P1p2p3：The wolf is dying! We succeed! yeah ! |
This passage is ____________.
| A．an ad | B．a play | C．a poster | D． a letter |
The wolf’s good idea is to ______.
| A．blow the house down | B．hit the house hard |
| C．climb up the chimney | D．put the wood in the fire |
Which pig is very calm and clever when they are in danger?
| A． P1 | B．P2 | C．P3 | D． None |
A king had a wonderful talent for growing flowers. He became old and didn’t want to deal with big things anymore. So he began to look for someone to take his place. But who could he trust for the job? He thought for a while and got an idea. He would let the flowers decide. He gave everyone a little seed (种子). The one who could grow the most beautiful flower from the seed would be the next leader.
A girl called Serena was very beautiful and wanted to grow the most beautiful flower. She planted it in a nice pot and took great care of it, but nothing would grow.
The next year she saw everyone come to the palace with pots full of beautiful flowers. She was disappointed but also went to the meeting with her empty pot. The king looked through all the flowerpots and then stopped at hers.
“Why is your pot empty?” he asked.
“Your Majesty (陛下), I did everything to make it grow, but I have failed,” she answered.
“No, you didn’t,” he said.
“You see, the seeds I’ve given out were all roasted (烤过的), so nothing could come out of them. I have no idea where all these flowers come from. But you have been honest and by being so, you will become my successor (继承人).”The king wanted to choose a person to _____.
| A．be the next leader | B．grow beautiful flowers for him |
| C．be his daughter or son | D．make friends with him |
How did the little seed show who was the right person?
| A．It had some special power. |
| B．The king knew nothing could grow from it. |
| C．A special flower could grow from it. |
| D．Only a good person could grow beautiful flowers from it. |
The king knew that those with pots of beautiful flowers _____.
| A．worked hard | B．cheated him |
| C．were kind to plants | D．were good at growing flowers |
In this passage the underlined word “given out” means ______.
| A．收到 | B．拿来 | C．分发 | D．奖励 |
From the story, we learn that _____ is a good quality.
| A．Kindness | B．carefulness | C．honesty | D．politeness |
Modern life is impossible without traveling. The fastest way of traveling is by plane. With a modern plane you can travel to lots of places in one day.
Traveling by train is slower than by plane. But you can see beautiful countryside when you are traveling by train. Modern trains give comfortable seats and dining cars. They make the journey(旅途) interesting.
Some people like to travel by sea. There are large liners and river boats. You can visit many other countries and different parts of your country on them. Ships are not so fast as trains or planes, but traveling by sea is a very nice way to spend a holiday.
Many people like to travel by car. You can make your plan. You can travel three or four hundred miles or only fifty or one hundred miles a day, just as you like. You can stop whenever you wish to see something interesting. If you find a good place to have meals you can stop, too. That is why traveling by car is popular, while people usually take a train or a plane when they travel on business.The fastest way of traveling is ________from this passage.
| A．by train | B．by sea | C．by plane | D．by car |
The advantage(优点) of traveling by train is that _________.
| A．you can see the countryside | B．it is faster than traveling by ship |
| C．you can get to a place which it took years to get to before | D．it is cheap |
The underlined word “They” in the passage means _________.
| A．modern trains in the country | B．comfortable seats and dining cars |
| C．people who travel by train | D．the slower ways of traveling |
People would like to go picnic with their family by _________.
| A．car | B．plane | C．train | D．ship |
The best way for business should be _________in the passage.
| A．planes | B．cars | C．trains and planes | D．ships |
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