People in the United States honor their parents with two special days: mother’s day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days make us think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery(墓地). On these days，families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries(面包师), telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.Which of the following is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?
| A．Parents bring up children. |
| B．Parents give love and care to children. |
| C．Parents educate children to be good persons. |
| D．Parents pass away before children grow up. |
On Father’s Day, what do people often do?
| A．They wear carnations. |
| B．They have outdoor barbecues. |
| C．They attend religious services to honor parents. |
| D．They visit the cemetery. |
What do you think “florists” do? _________.
| A．They sell flowers. |
| B．They make and sell bread. |
| C．They offer enough room for having family parties. |
| D．They sell special gifts for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. |
Which do you think is right about “carnation”? _________.
| A．It has only two kinds of colors. |
| B．It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. |
| C．It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes. |
| D．People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May. |
Bill and his family has been living in the six－family building for years.All the neighbours got along fairly well with each other until recently.
An old man and his wife used to live on the second floor.Bill’s mother and the old lady were good friends.Unfortunately the lady died last month.Her husband could not live alone,so he had his grandson move over and live with him.
The grandson has become a problem to all the neighbours,especially to Bill’s family.The walls of the building are thin and he is noisy.Bill is used to peace and quiet but the young man likes to listen to the radio late at night.Sometimes friends of his visit and they make a lot of noise.That is too much for Bill’s family.
Bill’s mother once asked the old man politely if he was able to sleep well at night,but obviously the man didn’t understand what she meant.If he did and spoke to his grandson,the young man obviously didn’t listen,since things haven’t changed any.Everyone in Bill’s family agrees that something must be done though they don’t want to hurt the kind old man.Bill’s family got angry because ________.
| A．the old lady had died |
| B．a young man moved in |
| C．the old man could not live alone |
| D．the grandson made a lot of noise |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The old man could not live without his wife’s help. |
| B．The old man and his wife were sometimes making trouble too. |
| C．Bill’s mother was kind to her neighbours. |
| D．Bill’s mother was the only one who likes the young man. |
It seems that ________to solve the problem.
| A．anyone is able | B．only the grandfather is going |
| C．Bill’s mother is able | D．nobody is likely |
Tourism probably started in Roman times.Rich Romans visited friends and family who were working in another part of the Roman empire.But when the empire broke down,this kind of tourism stopped.
In the early 17th century,the idea of the“Grand Tour”was born.Rich young English people sailed across the English Channel（英吉利海峡）.They visited the most beautiful and important European cities of the time,including Paris in France,and Rome and Venice（威尼斯）in Italy.Their tours lasted for two to four years,and the tourists stayed a few weeks or months in each city.The“Grand Tour”was an important part of young people’s education—but only for the rich.
In the 18th century,tourism began to change.For example,people in the UK started to visit some towns,such as Bath to“take the waters”.They believed that the water there was good for their health.So large and expensive hotels were built in these towns.
In the 19th century,travel became much more popular and faster.When the first railways were built in the 1820s,it was easier for people to travel between towns,so they started to go for holidays by the sea.And some started to have holidays in the countryside as cities became larger,noisier and dirtier.
Traveling by sea also became faster and safer when the first steamships were built.People began to travel more to far away countries.
The 20th century saw cars become more and more popular among ordinary people.Planes were made larger,so ticket prices dropped and more people used them.
Thus tourism grew.In 1949,Russian journalist Vladimir Raitz started a company called Horizon Holidays.The company organizes everything—plane tickets,hotel rooms,even food—and tourists pay for it all before they leave home.The package tour and modern tourist industry was born.
The first travel agency in China was set up as early as 1949.But tourism did not take off until 1978.In 2002,the industry was worth 500 billion yuan and became an important part of China’s social development.In the early times,the travelers ________.
| A．all came from Roman |
| B．were very young and strong |
| C．had lots of money |
| D．traveled by boat |
________ played the most important role in the tourism development.
| A．Education | B．Money | C．Transportation | D．People’s ideas |
Modern tourism was born ________.
| A．in 1949 | B．in Roman times |
| C．in the early 17th century | D．in the 19th century |
The underlined phrase“take off”means ________.
| A．a plane rising into the air |
| B．develop very fast |
| C．remove hats and clothes |
| D．bring down the prices |
The twin towns of LAUFEN/OBERNDORF
Laufen owes its former economical and cultural significance to the river Salzach,which forms a peninsula with its sharp curves（弯） there.
Laufen’s economic boom began with the salt trade and the shipping on the river.The salt—mainly coming from Hallein and Bad Reichenhall—was loaded onto bigger ships downstream,which made Laufen one of the most important ports of shipment for salt in Salzburg and Bavaria.
The archbishop（大教主） of Salzburg had given special privileges to the people who were involved in the shipping of salt on the river Salzach.
The Napoleonic Wars brought occupation and serious disturbances.They brought the sudden end to the independent state of the Duke—Archbishop of Salzburg.The end of the 18th century brought a decrease in shipping because of the general economic situation.On the 1st May 1816 Salzburg definitively became a part of Austria （Munich agreement） that’s why the Salzach became the border between Bavaria and Austria.Laufen’s suburbs Oberndorf and Altach were divided up.The number of inhabitants fell from 1392 to 809.Even the re－unification of the two towns’shipsmen’s guilds（行会） and the reorganization of 1928 could not prevent the decline of shipping which finally came to an end in the late 19th century.________played an important role in Laufen’s economy and culture life.
| A．Salt | B．Shipment | C．Guilds | D．Theriver Salzach |
The underlined word“boom”probably means________.
| A．pleasant sounds | B．sudden increase | C．sudden decrease | D．trade |
The main idea of this passage is mainly about ________.
| A．how the economy declined in Laufen |
| B．the effects of The Napoleonic Wars |
| C．how the twin towns of LAUFEN and OBERNDORF came into being |
| D．the history of Salzburg |
Vive la Tower!
Until New York’s Chrysler Building was completed in 1930,the Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in the world.Located by the river Seine,on an avenue named after its designer,this 985－foot （300－meter） tower is the most famous edifice（大建筑物） in the city of Paris.Gustave Eiffel’s idea was certainly chosen from among 700 proposals（提议） to represent the city in the International Exhibition of Paris in 1889.It commemorated（纪念） the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. 
In 1887,three hundred steel workers spent two years constructing the 7 000－ton tower.Yet,it was almost torn down two decades after its completion.Luckily,its antenna（天线）,used for telegraphy at the time,saved it.Last July,it looked to observers as though the tower might be destroyed after all,as ominous（不吉利的） black clouds of smoke encircled the structure.Luck was again smiling upon the tower:the fire turned out to be a small one that was quickly put out by attendants on duty.
To date,more than 200 million people have visited the Eiffel Tower.However,it has not always been a beloved tourist attraction.At first,Parisians despised it.Its architectural style and metallic composition were not considered pleasing.Today,the Eiffel Tower is adorned（装饰） with special lights that sparkle for ten minutes each hour,from sunset until one a.m.If you happen to be passing by,look up at this breathtaking monument for an astonishing sight.The Eiffel Tower,composed of iron and steel,is greater than the sum of its parts.If you wanted to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle,when might you stop by?
| A．1:15 a.m. | B．3:30 p.m. | C．9:10 p.m. | D．0:00 a.m. |
When was the Eiffel Tower almost torn down?
| A．1907. | B．1909. | C．1889. | D．2003. |
At first,what did Parisians think about the tower?
| A．The steel and iron parts were unimpressive. |
| B．The awe－inspiring design was attracting. |
| C．Both A and B are correct. |
| D．Neither A nor B is correct. |
The South Pole is a particular place on the earth.When people stand at the top of it looking around,they will find all directions face to north.No matter how they make their first step in which direction,they will always walk towards the north.That’s to say,only north and south exist there,neither east nor west exists.
At the top of the South Pole,any clock or watch keeps good time because all meridians（子午线） join there.All kinds of local time are completely suitable there.It is even difficult to distinguish（区别） New Year’s Eve from New Year’s Day.
The explorers and scientists from different countries always fix the time according to their own.Therefore the time by their watches was different when the people with different nationality gathered there.
The Winter Solstice（冬至日） is an important festival at the South Pole.It is always on June 21 or 22.This day is called Midwinter Festival,on which the daytime is the shortest in a year and the night the longest.All people at the South Pole extend greetings to each other and present gifts to each other.They usually give all kinds of celebrations.From that day on,the daytime will get longer day by day.At the top of the South Pole,your watch will ________.
| A．keep good time | B．be five minutes fast |
| C．stop | D．be ten minutes slow |
The Winter Solstice is an important festival ________.
| A．in the world | B．at the South Pole | C．at the North Pole | D．in China |
On the Winter Solstice,________ is the shortest in a year.
| A．the night | B．the noon | C．the morning | D．the daytime |
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