There was a gardener who looked after his garden with great care. To water his flowers, he used two buckers. One was a shiny and new bucket. The other was a very old and dilapidated one, which had seen many years of service, but was now past its best.
Every morning, the gardener would fill up the two buckets. Then he would carry them along the path, one on each side, to the flowerbeds. The new bucket was very proud of itself. It could carry a full bucket of water without a single drop spilled . The old bucket felt very ashamed because of its holes: before it reached the flowerbeds, much water had leaked along the path.
Sometimes the new bucket would say, “See how capable I am! How good it is that the gardener has me to water the flowers every day! I don't know why he still bothers with you. What a waste of space you are!”
And all that the old bucket could say was, “I know I’m not very useful, but I can only do my best. I’m happy that the gardener still finds a little bit of use in me, at least.”
One day, the gardener heard that kind or conversation. After watering the flowers as usual, he said, “You both have done your work very well. Now I am going to carry you back. I want you to look carefully along the path.”
Then the two buckets did so. All along the path, they noticed, on the side where the new bucket was carried, there was just bare earth; on the other side where the old bucket was carried, there was a joyous row of wild flowers, leading all the way to the garden.What does the underlined word “dilapidated” probably mean?
| A．Dirty | B．Dark | C．Worn-out | D．Plain-looking. |
What was the old bucket ashamed of?
| A．His past. | B．His aging. | C．His manner. | D．His leaking. |
The new bucket made conversations with the old one mainly to
| A．laugh at the old one |
| B．take pity on the old one |
| C．show off its beautiful looks |
| D．praise the gardener’s kindness |
Why was the old bucket still kept by the gardener?
| A．Because it was used to keep a balance |
| B．Because it stayed in its best condition |
| C．Because it was taken as a treasure |
| D．Because it had its own function |
As you are students of English, it’s very possible that you’ll be interested in England. That’s where the language was first spoken. But England is often called by other names. This often confuses people and I wonder if you know what these names mean. So, now I would like to tell you about this matter of names. I believe that you have heard people use the names—England, Britain or Great Britain. Let’s see what each of these names means.
If you look at a map of Europe, you’ll see a group of islands--one larger island off the northwest coast, one smaller and many tiny ones. These make up what is called the British Isles. The largest island of the British Isles is Britain. It is also called Great Britain. The smaller island is Ireland.
Britain is divided into three parts: Scotland, Wales and England. But sometimes the word “England” is used instead of “Britain”. Why so?
In ancient times, what is Britain now used to be three different countries. People in these different countries spoke different languages. Over many years the three countries became one. England is the largest and richest of the three and it has the most people. So the English people take it for granted that their own name stands for the whole island.
There’s another thing that confuses people: sometimes you may hear people say “the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”. That is the official name of the country. Northern Ireland is only one sixth of the island of Ireland. The rest of the island is an independent state, called the Republic of Ireland. So we have the names of “England”, “Britain”, “Great Britain”, and “the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”. Now do you know what each of them means?English was first spoken in ____.
| A．Britain | B．England | C．Great Britain | D．Ireland |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
| A．Wales is the richest of the three. |
| B．Scotland is the largest of the three. |
| C．Sometimes England is used instead of Britain. |
| D．Britain is the only name of the largest island of British Isles. |
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is _____.
| A．part of Britain |
| B．part of British Isles |
| C．the official name of the whole country |
| D．the largest country of all mentioned in the passage |
Which of the following is the best title?
| A．Students of English |
| B．Different Names of England |
| C．Different Languages Spoken in England |
| D．The Republic of Ireland |
Read the advertisements carefully. Then answer the questions that follow.
INTERESTED IN CHILDCARE?
Qualified person or preschool teacher needed for busy childcare center, south of the river. Full-time work guaranteed. Immediate start necessary. The candidate must be able to work as a co-operative team member, Phone 6345 2345 for an interview and fax （传真传输）resume (简历） to 6345 2346.
WE NEED OFFICE CLEANERS!
Three people are required for professional cleaning in the CBD area. Working hours from 5:00 p. m. on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. Approximately five hours per shift. A good record is necessary. Experience preferred. Phone 6345 7843 now.
WANT TO WORK AS A DENTAL NURSE?
This is an exciting opportunity for a qualified dental nurse with a confident and cheerful personality to work in the School Dental health Scheme. You must be able to get along well with children because work involves talking to groups about dental health practices. For further information, visit our website: schooldentalservices@gov. sg. And fax your resume to 6234 4567.
FLORIST WANTED!
Are you a creative and trained florist with at least two years of experience? Then this may be just what you are seeking. The city’s leading Florist Artist Studio needs another part-time member on their wedding team. Please phone 6098 7888 now!You many find the above advertisements .
| A．in a store window | B．in a school magazine |
| C．in a newspaper | D．on a company notice-board |
The position of a(n) is a part-time job.
| A．florist | B．artist | C．preschool teacher | D．dental nurse |
Which of the following is the most important for the childcare job?
| A．Cooking skills. |
| B．Childcare experience. |
| C．The ability to start work in two weeks. |
| D．The ability to work well with other people. |
The office cleaners will be required to work about hours a week.
| A．5 | B．10 | C．15 | D．20 |
The air hostess (空姐) was in a small kitchen at the back of the plane, preparing the plates for lunch, when a little old lady came and spoke to her, “Could you please tell me,” she asked, “where is the ladies’ lavatory (厕所) in the plane?”
“Yes, madam,” said the air hostess and smiled. “It is right at the other end of the plane---at the front.”
The little lady went too far. She walked all the way to the front of the plane, opened the door in front of her, and saw the captain of the plane and the other officers. They were all busy with their work and did not see her. She went out again, shut the door and returned to the air hostess.
“Oh, didn’t you find it, madam?” the girl asked her. “Yes, I did,” said the little lady. “But there are four men in the ladies’ lavatory watching television.”The story happened .
| A．in the evening | B．in the afternoon |
| C．in the morning | D．at midnight |
What were the four men doing when the little old lady opened the door?
| A．They were busy working in the control room. |
| B．They were working while watching television. |
| C．They were watching television in the ladies’ lavatory. |
| D．They were enjoying themselves by watching television. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The air hostess was humorous (幽默的). |
| B．The old lady didn’t find the ladies’ lavatory. |
| C．The old lady was fooled by the air hostess. |
| D．There was no ladies’ lavatory in the plane. |
The Nadam Festival, usually held from June 4 to 9(lunar calendar), is one of the most exciting and colorful festivals in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. At the center of the festivities are the fierce horse racing, archery(射箭) and wrestling competitions, the traditional sports of the Mongolian warriors (the three “manly” sports, though young girls and women participate in the horse racing and archery contests).
In Mongolian, the word “Nadam” means “amusement and entertainment” and the festival began in 1225 AD, when Genghis Khan organized an expedition to the west and got control of Khwarezm. In order to celebrate the victory they held the magnificent Nadam Fari. The Mongolians used this exciting gathering as a big occasion to compete in the horse racing, Mongolian wrestling and archery, which were regarded as the three basic skills of men.
Gradually more and more events were added to the festival, such as marksmanship(射击), chess, reciting epics, polo(马球), film, drama, singing, dancing, track and field competitions and so on.
There are three kinds of Nadam, the big one, the medium one and the small one. The big Nadam requires the participation of 512 wrestlers and 300 horses and usually lasts 7-10 days while the medium Nadam will have the participation of 256 wrestlers and 100-150 horses, lasting 5-7 days. And 64 or 128 wrestlers and 30 or 50 horses will take part in the small Nadam, which lasts 3-5 days. Anyone can apply to compete in Nadam, regardless of his or her ethnic origin and religious belief.
Nadam has become a popular artistic and sports event participated in by people of all ages. Boys and girls can also take the opportunity to show their love, i. e. the so-called “meeting at aobao”.
In addition to sports competition, people also make good use of this gathering to hold talks and establish relations in economic trade or to interchange goods.We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A．girls are not allowed to take part in horse racing |
| B．foreigners also have a chance to compete in the Nadam Festival |
| C．the Nadam Festival is only for sports competition |
| D．Business activities can’t be held in the Nadam Festival |
It can be inferred that “meeting at aobao” expresses ______.
| A．love of parents to kids | B．old friends’ friendships |
| C．deep feelings between brothers | D．love between boys and girls |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．The introduction of the Nadam Festival. |
| B．The origin of the Nadam Festival. |
| C．The sports events of the Nadam Festival. |
| D．The modern style of the Nadam Festival. |
If you want fully enjoy your vacation, then you’d better check the Durban City Tours! This is actually one of the best choices in South Africa today.
There is nothing more relaxing than to think about that there is a place to go and relax, right? City life is strained, but you can escape this situation and be in the place where there is nothing but relaxation. Here in Durban you will get to see all the amazing tourist attractions. If you love animals and want to see some elephants wandering around the streets, then Durban is the place to go. You can even get to ride one if you want!
Here you will also get to taste all the delicious South African food. You can choose from Italian cooking to its native dishes. Durban is a great place to tour with your friends and family. You will learn a lot about its history through the landmarks you will see down the streets. Tourists and even the local villagers just can’t get enough of these treats!
However, it is important that you make the necessary arrangements. There are actually lots of tour guides that will help you as you make your journey along the streets of Durban. But if you prefer the best tour guides here in Durban, then you’d better choose the Street Scene Tours. Their staff are all well-trained and professional. They will certainly make your stay here an unforgettable one. No wonder tourists prefer the Street Scene Tours when it comes to Durban City Tours.The underlined word“strained”in Para. 2 means ______.
| A．easy | B．stressful | C．relaxing | D．wonderful |
What is the main idea of Paragraph 2?
| A．Durban is relaxing city. | B．People don’t like city life. |
| C．It is good to have a place to relax. | D．One can have fun riding elephants. |
If you walk in the streets of Durban, what will impress you most?
| A．Tourists from all over the world. |
| B．The buildings and many kinds of animals. |
| C．The streets and some wandering elephants. |
| D．The friendly local people and the scenery. |
What does the last sentence in Paragraph 3 show?
| A．The food can’t satisfy them. | B．They are bored with the streets. |
| C．They are treated very well here. | D．never get tired of the sights. |
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