London will stage its biggest political funeral in almost half a century on Wednesday when Britain's governing elite join the Queen and global leaders to bid farewell to former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, better known as the “ Iron Lady".
In an event comparable to that of Winston Churchill's funeral in 1965, Thatcher's coffin will be carried on a horse-drawn gun carriage through streets lined with admirers from parliament to the city's most famous cathedral.
The bells of London's symbolic Big Ben clock tower will fall silent for the first time since Churchill's funeral and more than 700 men and women from Britain's armed forces will honor a woman who led them to victory in the 1982 Falklands War as foreign politicians from around 170 nations look on.
Surveys have shown that many are unhappy that the estimated l0-million($15 million)pound bill for the funeral is being picked up by the taxpayer, while some left-wing lawmakers say the luxurious funeral is too expensive.
But her admirers, of whom there are many in her party and in southern England, argue that her historical profile deserves such a funeral. She was the country's first and only woman premier, was Britain's longest-serving prime minister of the 20th century, and won three general elections.
More than 2,300 mourners will attend including 11 serving prime ministers from around the world, the British government's entire cabinet, two heads of state and 17 foreign ministers.
But there will be notable absences. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev is too ill to attend and Nancy Reagan, the widow of Thatcher's great U·S. ally Ronald Reagan, is also unable to come.
Thatcher struck up a close relationship with Reagan during the Cold War, backed the first President George Bush during the 1991 Gulf War, and was among the first to discover that Gorbachev was a man she could "do business with. ”
Covered in the red, white and blue British flag, Thatcher's coffin lay overnight in a 13th-century church in Britain's parliament, a forum she dominated for years. From the passage we know that Big Ben clock tower will fall silent to .
| A．get repaired for the first time |
| B．honour the passing away of the great woman |
| C．tell the specific time to the public |
| D．welcome the officials from all over the world |
Who that are still alive will be absent from the funeral?
| A．Mikhail Gorbachev and Nancy Reagan. |
| B．Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan. |
| C．Nancy Reagan and Ronald Reagan. |
| D．George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev. |
From the passage we can learn that Margaret Thatcher was .
| A．strong and smart | B．weak and disappointing |
| C．aggressive and warlike | D．stubborn and luxurious |
Which of the following might serve as the best title of the passage?
| A．The legend of Thatcher, the “Iron Lady". |
| B．Why Big Ben falls silent for the first time? |
| C．Who will pay for such a luxurious funeral? |
| D．London will witness its biggest political funeral. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
I found the imagination of becoming a grandmother somewhat discouraging. I was younger than I thought a grandmother should be when I got the news that I was going to become one myself. I admit, it was not a role that I was emotionally ready to accept. I had been a young mother, and had certainly hoped my daughter would not face that same challenge. I remarried when she was a teenager, and then had two more children. On getting the news that she was expecting(怀孕), I remember thinking “What do I know about being a grandmother? —I haven’t even finished raising my own kids yet!” I don’t like to be unprepared, so I read a few books about grandparenting. That gave me a little help, but I was still uncertain. I thought about other grandmothers I knew, and got a few ideas I liked and a few more that I didn’t. But I couldn’t quite figure out what kind of grandmother I wanted to be. Then I thought about my own grandmother, Granny, as she’s known by most people, and I knew I had the answer.
I didn’t realize it until that moment, but my own grandmother was the example for the kind of grandmother I wanted to be. I am fortunate that I got to spend a lot of time with my grandparents when I was a little kid. Here is what I learned from my Granny：
Grandmothers always have a cookie jar. For my whole life, Granny always had a cookie jar full of cookies. When I was a little tiny girl, just at eye level with the counter, Granny would get the cookie jar down for me. When I was a little older I learned how to pull the chair over so I could reach. As I got taller, if I really stretched, I could reach the cookie jar with my finger tips and move it close enough to get it down off the counter to find out what kind of treat was inside. Always the first thing I did when I went to Granny’s house was check the cookie jar, and there were always cookies in it. Many years later, I’ll drive my own children to Granny’s house and the first thing to do is get us all a cookie.
So grandmothers must have a cookie jar, and on my granddaughter’ s first Christmas，my daughter bought me my own cookie jar. She said when they came to see me，her daughter would find the treat the way she did and I did.The writer thought it was a little discouraging to be a grandmother because________.
| A．she was not old enough to be one |
| B．she was not emotionally ready to be one |
| C．she thought her daughter was too young to be a mother |
| D．grandmother should be older than she was |
The underlined phrase “that same challenge ” in the first paragraph refers to “________”
| A．taking care of a grandchild |
| B．taking care of a baby |
| C．being a young grandmother |
| D．being a young mother |
It can be inferred from the last paragraph that________.
| A．the writer has many happy memories of her grandmother’s cookie jar |
| B．the writer always wanted to know what was inside her grandmother’s cookie jar |
| C．the writer often drove her grandchildren to see her grandmother’s cookie jar |
| D．women of the writer ‘s age all have a cookie jar for their grandchildren |
What kind of grandmother did the writer want to be?
| A．One who has a jar filled with many kinds of cookies for children and herself. |
| B．One who grows up with her grandmother^ cookie jar with all kinds of cookies. |
| C．One who is like her own grandmother with a cookie jar to treat her grandchildren. |
| D．One who always makes different kinds of cookies to treat her grandchildren. |
Which of the following can be the best title of this text?
| A．Grandmother’s Cookie Jar |
| B．Grandmother’s Treat for Children |
| C．Grandmothers and Grandchildren |
| D．Happy Memories of Cookies |
阅读下面短文，根据小题的具体要求，简要回答问题。
UFO is short for Unidentified Flying Object. It’s also called Flying Saucer. It is one of the most popular topics in the 20th century. With films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and ET in the 1970s came a rapid increase in reports of flying saucers and men from Mars. More than 20 countries said their people once saw the UFO and there were over 1,200 reports about the UFO. Some even said they saw aliens.
In July, 1916, Gaynor was a nine-year-old girl and lived in North Wales. One day, on her way home from school, she saw a silver object in a field not far from her home. The object looked like a saucer. Gaynor was very scared. She stayed in the tall grass and watched the door of the strange object open. She saw two aliens wearing silver suits get ou. Then they use something to examine the ground. They were short and had pink eyes. After about half an hour, the two aliens went back into the object. Then it took off. When Gaynor got home, she told her mother about her unusual experience, but her family decided to keep quiet about it. They didn’t want others to laugh at their daughter. However, 18 months later, Gaynor told her story to UFO scientists. They found out that Gaynor told the truth.What does UFO stand for? (No more than 3 words)
How did Gaynor feel when she saw the silver object like a saucer? (No more than 4 words)
Why did Gaynor’s parents keep quiet about her experience ? (No more than 10 words)
阅读下面短文，根据所读内容在文后小题的空格里填上适当的单词或短语。 注意：每空不超过3个单词。
Colors can affect our feelings. Generally, they can be divided into four kinds. They are calm colors, warm colors, energetic colors and strong colors.
Calm colors Some colors make us feel calm and peaceful. Blue is one of those colors. Blue can also represent sadness, so you may say “I’m feeling blue” when you are feeling sad. White is another calm color. It makes you feel calm and peaceful.
Warm colors Some colors can give you a happy and satisfied feeling. Colors like orange or yellow belong to these. Orange represent joy. It can bring you success and cheer you up when you’re feeling sad. Yellow is the color of the sun and wisdom, too.
Energetic colors When you feel tired or weak, you should wear energetic colors, such as green. Green can give you energy as it is the color of nature and stand for new life and growth.
Strong colors Anyone who needs physical or mental strength should wear red clothes. Red is the color of heat and represent power and strong feelings.
Colors and feelings
| feelings |
examples |
|
| calm colors |
Calm and peaceful |
|
| white |
||
| warm colors |
orange |
|
| yellow |
||
| energetic colors |
energetic |
|
| strong colors |
red |
|
| |
|
|
In 1901, H. G. Wells, an English writer, wrote a book describing a trip to the moon. When the explorers landed on the moon, they discovered that the moon was full of underground cities.
They showed their surprise to the “moon people” they met. In turn, the “moon people” showed their surprise. “Why,” they asked, “are you traveling to outer space when you don’t even use your inner space?”
H. G. Wells could only imagine travel to the moon. In 1969, human beings did land on the moon. People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon. However, the question that the “moon people” asked is still an interesting one. A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it.
Underground systems are already in place. Many cities have underground car parks. In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas. The “Channel”, a tunnel connecting England and France, is now completed.
But what about underground cities? Japan’s Taisei Corporation is designing a network of underground systems, called “Alice Cities”. The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on. A solar dome would cover the whole city.
Supporters(支持者) of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth’s space. The space, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens and wilderness. H. G. Well’s “moon people” would agree. Would you?The explorers in H. G. Well’s story were surprised to find that the “moon people” ______.
| A．knew so much about the earth |
| B．understood their language |
| C．lived in so many underground cities |
| D．were ahead of them in space technology |
What does the underlined word (paragraph 3) “it” refer to?
| A．Discovering the moon’s inner space. |
| B．Using the earth’s inner space. |
| C．Meeting the “moon people” again. |
| D．Traveling to outer space. |
What kind of underground system are already here with us?
| A．Offices, shopping areas, power stations. |
| B．Tunnels, car parks, shopping areas. |
| C．Gardens, car parks, power stations. |
| D．Tunnels, gardens, offices. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Alice Cities—cities of the future. |
| B．Space travel with H. G. Wells. |
| C．Enjoy living underground. |
| D．Building down, not up. |
Singapore’s public transport system is one of the best in the world, so you should have no problem finding your way around like a local. There are three main forms of public transport that you would find in any other major city—trains, buses and taxis.
TRAINS
Trains run from 6:00 am to midnight. Single trip tickets start at 80 cents. If you buy an EZ-Link cars for $15, you can ride the trains and buses as you like.
If you need more information, just call Transit Link on 1800 767 4333.
BUSES
There are several bus services in Singapore and fares(费用) start at 80 cents. Be sure always to ask the driver the cost of your ticket as he can not give change.
If you need help, just call Transit Link on 1800 767 4333.
TAXIS
There are three main taxi companies—City Cab (6552 2222), Comfor (6552 1111) and Tibs (6552 8888). Booking can also be easily by calling the numbers listed above.
RENABLE CARS
Driving in Singapore is a pleasure and if you like to travel at your own pace, renting a car is a good choice. Renting takes away the hassle of getting to places around Singapore. Just sit back and enjoy the city. It also means you’ll get to see a lot more that a train or a bus won’t let you see.
For car rental, call Avis on + 65 6737 1668.By an EZ-Link care, you can take ______.
| A．both buses and trains | B．only trains |
| C．both buses and taxis | D．only rental cars |
When you take a bus there, always remember to ______.
| A．take your own license(执照) with you |
| B．ask the driver how much your ticket is |
| C．buy the bus map of Singapore |
| D．book your ticket ahead of time |
What does the underlined word “hassle” mean in the text?
| A．trouble | B．fun | C．interest | D．cost |
What do you know about travelling in Singapore from the passage?
| A．A local has great trouble finding his way around. |
| B．It’s much cheaper to go around by bus than by train. |
| C．You can see a lot more in Singapore by taking a bus than by renting a car. |
| D．It’s very convenient(方便的) for visitors to travel in Singapore. |
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