Hanging Gardens of Babylon(巴比伦空中花园)
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were built in the 7th century BC and are considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were amazing not only because of their beauty, but also because of their location.
In the 7th century BC a king named Nebudchadnezzar II created the gardens as a sign of love for his wife, Amyitis. According to legend, Amyitis, the daughter of the king of the Medes, was homesick. She missed the green hills and valleys of her homeland.
Upon marrying Nebudchadnezzar II, Amyitis moved to the ancient chief city of Babylon. The area was in the Mesopotamian desert, and the climate there was totally different from where she had left. So the new queen was very sad about the flat and the sun-baked desert. To make Amyitis happier and more comfortable the king decided to build her a series of magnificent gardens.
Many think of the gardens as an otherworldly creation that hung in the air somehow. But experts agree that the gardens were actually built on a mountainside, rather than actually “hanging”.
The hanging Gardens of Babylon are famous. Stories of them spread throughout the ancient world, and ancient writers recorded a large number of descriptions of the gardens, but some wonder whether this paradise of the past ever existed. There are no historical records of it except stories. Whatever may happen, even the idea of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is amazing. They were essentially impossible to create because of the climate, but they were kept in the minds of many as a botanical beauty created in the middle of unattractive desert scenery.Hanging Gardens of Babylon are considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, aren’t they?
What makes the Hanging Gardens of Babylon so amazing and famous?
Why did the king Nebudchadnezzar II create Hanging Gardens of Babylon?
What made the Hanging Gardens of Babylon essentially impossible to create?
According to the experts, were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon really hanging or built on a mountainside?
Did Hanging Gardens of Babylon really exist? What makes you think so? (In no more than THREE sentences)
Many people say that they are working too many hours. They don’t have enough time to relax or to stay with their family.
Work hours are different from one country to another. In France, people spend about 1,646 hours a year at work. In Japan, however, people work about 2,159 hours a year. That means a Japanese worker works 513 more hours a year that a French worker.
Why do people work so many hours? Some people work extra hours because they want to make more money. However, many companies don’t pay overtimes. Their workers don’t get more money for more work. Some people think it’s their duty to work more hours. Some are afraid of losing their jobs if they don’t work more hours.
Many people say that their vacations are too short. In France, people get five weeks of paid vacation a year. In Germany, they get four to six weeks, and in the United States, two weeks. One study shows fewer than half of workers used all their vacation days. In Great Britain, there is a saying, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull (迟钝的) boy.” If that is true, there must be a lot of dull people in the world.A Japanese worker works ________ more hours a year than a French one.
| A．513 | B．1,646 |
| C．2,519 | D．3,805 |
The underlined word “extra” in Paragraph 3 means “___________”.
| A．正常的 | B．额外的 |
| C．有用的 | D．少量的 |
People on _________ get only two weeks of paid vacation a year.
| A．France | B．Germany |
| C．The United States | D．Great Britain |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．No companies offer vacation to their workers. |
| B．Many people say they have enough time to relax. |
| C．Not all companies pay their workers for more work. |
| D．More than half of workers use all their vacation days. |
We each have a memory(记忆力). That’s why we can still remember things after a long time. Some people have very good memories and they can easily learn many things in a short time, but some people can only remember things when they say or do them again and again. Many of the great men of the world have got surprising memories.
A good memory is a great help in learning a language. Everybody learns his mother language when he is a small child. He hears the sounds, remembers them and then he learns to speak. Some children are living with their parents in foreign countries. They can learn two languages as easily as one because they hear, remember and speak two languages every day. In school it is not so easy to learn a foreign language because the students have so little time for it, and they are busy with other subjects, too.
But your memory will become better and better when you do more and more exercises.Some people can easily learn many things in a short time because______.
| A．they always sleep very well | B．they often eat good food |
| C．they read a lot of books | D．they have very good memories |
Everybody learns his mother language _________. .
| A．at the age of six | B．when he is a small child |
| C．after he goes to school | D．when he can read and write |
Before a child can speak, he must _____________. .
| A．read and write | B．make sentences |
| C．hear and remember the sounds | D．think hard |
Why can a Chinese learn English easily if he is in England?
| A．Because he must speak English every day. |
| B．Because he will have a good memory in England, not in China. |
| C．Because his father is an Englishman. |
| D．Because his English teacher is better in England. |
Wearing the wrong type of glasses will do harm to your eyes. Incorrect glasses may not be good for the children under 10. You may see better with glasses that are specially made for you.
Watching too much television may be bad for your eyes. This is not true for everyone. People with easily affected eyes may find they get red and achy (痛) from watching TV for long. Carrots will help you see in the dark. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene (β胡萝卜素). The body can change beta-carotene into vitamin A, and too little beta-carotene can cause night blindness. However, a lot of research shows that night blindness is more likely to be connected with some other vision problems.Night blindness can be caused by _____.
| A．wearing incorrect glasses | B．watching TV for long |
| C．too little beta-carotene | D．too much vitamin A |
Watching TV for a long time may cause _______.
| A．night blindness | B．easily affected eyes |
| C．no eye trouble for some people | D．vision problems for everyone |
The purpose of this passage is to tell people _______ .
| A．to have more carrots | B．how to protect their eyes |
| C．of the importance of their eyes | D．something more about their eyes |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Eating too many carrots can cause night blindness. |
| B．Watching too much TV may do harm to everyone. |
| C．Wearing wrong glasses may do harm to children's eyes. |
| D．The human body is unable to change beta-carotene into vitamin |
The people in needn’t go to work on Fridays.
| A．Canada | B．Scotland |
| C．Japan | D．Egypt |
If it is 8:00 a.m. in western Canada, the time is _______ in eastern Canada.
| A．11:00a.m | B．2:00 p.m. |
| C．12:30 p.m. | D．4:00 a.m. |
While Canadian children are waking up, children in Scotland are ________.
| A．having lessons | B．sleeping |
| C．watching TV | D．playing games |
Mobile phones help us easily find people anywhere at any time. A mobile phone can include many things, such as games, music and Internet surfing. Today, 4,600,000,000 people around the world have mobile phones, according to CBS News.
However, using mobile phones too often may cause cancer(癌症). It’s reported that people who used a mobile phone for 10 years or more were more likely to get cancer. The advice below may help you reduce the risk of cancer:
★An earphone gives out much less radiation(辐射) than phones. However, you should take it off your ear when you’re not talking to anyone.
★Your phone gives out radiation when you talk or text(发短信), but not when you’re listening or getting messages. Listening more and talking less can lower the risk of cancer.
★Hold the phone away from your body when you’re talking, not against your ear. Also, don’t keep it in your pocket.
★Phones gives out less radiation to send texts than to carry a person’s voice. Texting also keeps radiation away from your head.
★Do not use your mobile phone when the signal(信号) is weak. Fewer signal bars on your phone mean that the phone needs to give out more radiation to work. Make and take calls when your phone has a strong signal.According to CBS News, _____ people all over the world have got mobile phones.
| A．4.6 million | B．4.6 billion |
| C．46 billion | D．460 thousand |
From Paragraph 1, we know that _____.
| A．mobile phones have three new ways |
| B．it’s dangerous to use mobile phones too much |
| C．mobile phones help us a lot and many people use them |
| D．people can do nothing without mobile phones |
How many pieces of advice to reduce cancer are mentioned in this passage?
| A．Six. | B．Five. |
| C．Four. | D．Three. |
The passage mainly talks about _____.
| A．the development and advantages of mobile phones |
| B．the reason why mobile phone radiation causes cancer |
| C．how to protect ourselves from mobile phone radiation |
| D．the best ways to use mobile phones to communicate |
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