A Christmas Carol is a famous short novel written by Charles Dickens. It is about an old man named Scrooge who never laughs or smiles. He is mean and only thinks about himself. He doesn't treat others nicely. He just cares about whether he can make more money and he hates Christmas. One Christmas Eve, Scrooge sees the ghost of Jacob Marley. Marley used to be just like Scrooge, so he was punished after he died. He warns Scrooge to change his ways if he doesn't want to end up like him. He also tells Scrooge to expect three spirits to visit him.
That night, three ghosts visit Scrooge. First, the Ghost of Christmas Past takes him back to his childhood and reminds Scrooge of his happier days as a child. Then the second spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Present, takes him to see how others are spending Christmas this year. Everyone is happy, even poor people. The last one, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, takes him to the future. Scrooge sees that he is dead, but nobody cares. He is so scared that he wakes up in his bed and finds out it is only the next morning — Christmas Day!
He decides to change his life and promises to be a better person. He happily celebrates Christmas with his relatives. He also gives gifts to people in need. He now treats everyone with kindness and warmth, spreading love and joy everywhere he goes. And that is the true spirit of Christmas!
Who is the writer of A Christmas Carol?
| A．Charles Dickens | B．Jacob Marley |
| C．Scrooge | D．Three ghosts |
What is Scrooge like?
A. He laughs and smiles a lot.
B. He is mean and only thinks about himself.
C He is friendly.
D. He treats others nicely. What happened to Marley after he died?
| A．He went to the heaven (天堂). |
| B．He met three spirits. |
| C．He was punished. |
| D．He changed his life. |
Which is NOT the true spirit of Christmas according to the passage?
| A．Treating everyone with kindness and warmth. |
| B．The importance of sharing and giving love and joy. |
| C．Spreading love and joy everywhere you go. |
| D．Giving gifts to whoever you meet. |
D
Graffiti is a common feature of most Western cities. The word graffiti was from the Greek word, graphein, which only meant writing. These days, however, the word means drawing or writing on the walls of buildings, or the public transportation, such as trains or buses.
Graffiti, as a form of expression, was born in New York during the 1960s and 1970s. At that time, a new modern culture about city life appeared. Graffiti was a written form of expression of that life. Later, it was mixed with a musical form called hip-hop that was another expression of the city life.
At first, graffiti artists used pens. But then, with the development of graffiti, they became experienced. They turned to using spray paint (喷漆罐). Spray paint allowed them to draw a greater area. And it also allowed them to work quickly.
At present, different people have different ideas about graffiti. Some people say it makes the cities dirty. It isn’t allowed by many local governments in America. The governments spend more than a million dollars a year cleaning graffiti. The money, they say, could be better spent on health or education. Other people think it is a form of art. In fact, the works of some famous graffiti artists can be found in museums, galleries, and art books.Which is the present meaning of the underlined word “graffiti” now?
| A．书法 | B．沙画 |
| C．涂鸦 | D．油画 |
How many forms of expression of city life are mentioned in the second paragraph (段落)?
| A．One. | B．Two. |
| C．Three. | D．Four. |
Why did graffiti artists use spray paint?
| A．Because they could work quickly. |
| B．Because they could spend less money. |
| C．Because they could paint a smaller area. |
| D．Because they could express themselves clearly. |
What’s the article mainly about?
| A．The meaning of graffiti. |
| B．Different expressions of graffiti. |
| C．Different attitudes (态度) towards graffiti. |
| D．The history and the development of graffiti. |
C
It’s something familiar to all parents of young children: you’re in a busy shopping street and your child wants to pee (小便) and he just can’t hold it any longer. But two parents’ decision to let their child relieve (释放) himself has caused much attention in China.
By now, it seems, the whole Chinese Internet is familiar with what happened on a crowded Hong Kong shopping street. A mother holds a nappy (尿布) while her two-year-old pees. A passerby took pictures which then were put online. The woman explained that they had found a public toilet (厕所) but saw there was a long queue, so she had no other choice but to let their child to relieve himself on the street instead.
Why has this one child’s act caused so much upset? Allowing a child under 12 to “answer the call of nature in any public street” is against the law in Hong Kong and the parents will face a 2,000 Hong Kong Dollar ($250) fine (罚款). But the on-line chatter has put all the attention on the fact that this family were tourists from mainland China, rather than being locals. “For Hong Kongers, people might think from time to time that mainlanders are not so polite and often break the public rules,” says Martin Yip of BBC. Charmaine Chui, who was born in Hong Kong, told BBC she feels angry to have seen mainland tourists peeing in shopping centers and restaurants. “Hong Kong is a beautiful, modern city. What do these people think of it?” she says.
In mainland China, there has also been criticism of the parents’ behavior. But most of the people say they find the parents’ behavior understandable as they had tried to find a toilet for their child and the mother used a paper nappy rather than simply allowing the baby to pee on the ground.The child peed ________ in HK.
| A．on a crowded shopping street | B．in a public toilet |
| C．at home | D．in a restaurant |
The underlined phrase “answer the call of nature” means _________.
| A．回归自然 | B．接自然打来的电话 |
| C．上厕所 | D．接电话 |
Charmaine Chui feels _________ to have seen mainland tourists peeing in shopping centers and restaurants.
| A．understandable | B．sorry |
| C．angry | D．happy |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．A policeman took photos of the 2-year-old child and put them online. |
| B．It’s OK for children under 12 to pee wherever they like in Hong Kong. |
| C．All the Chinese feel very angry about the parents’ behavior. |
| D．In mainland China, most of the people find the parents’ behavior understandable. |
B
People use their mouths for many things. They eat, talk, shout and sing. They smile and they kiss. In the English language, there are many meanings using the word “mouth”. But some of them are not so nice.
For example, if you say bad things about a person, the person might protest (抗议) and say “Do not bad mouth me.”
Sometimes, people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret(后悔) because it hurts that person’s feelings. Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell. The speaker might say, “I really put my foot in my mouth this time.” In other words, he might feel sad for saying the wrong thing.
Sometimes when one person is speaking, he says the same thing that his friend is going to say. When this happens, the friend might say, “You took the words right out of my mouth!”
Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family. There is an expression for this, too. You might say such a person “was born with a silver spoon in his mouth”.
This rich person is the opposite of a person who lives “from hand to mouth”. This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life, like food.“I really put my foot in my mouth this time” means _________.
| A．I regretted I had done the thing | B．I really did this |
| C．I have never done this thing | D．I want to do this thing |
When your friend took the words right out of your mouth, you can say “_________”.
| A．You are clever | B．I am very lucky |
| C．We have the same idea | D．I am very angry |
If a person lives from hand to mouth, he must be very _________.
| A．rich | B．poor | C．happy | D．sad |
The passage mainly tells us _________.
| A．everyone in England has the same mouth |
| B．people use their mouths to eat, talk, shout and sing |
| C．rich persons’ mouths are quite different with the poor persons’ |
| D．the word “mouth” has many different meanings in the English language |
A
Stress (压力) is everywhere in our everyday life. Men, women, the young and the old sometimes have stress.
The most important reasons of stress are: death, diseases, exams, making money, changing jobs, ending friendships and so on.
How do you know whether you have stress? Could you give your answers to the following questions?
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Yes |
No |
| Do you easily get angry? |
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| Do you often sleep badly? |
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| Do you get headaches a lot? |
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| Do you take sleeping pills? |
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| Do you find it difficult to relax? |
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| Do you smoke and drink a lot to keep quiet? |
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| Do you find it difficult to put your heart into something? |
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If you answer “Yes” to more than two of these questions, you are one of those people with stress. So what can you do about it?
Doing relaxing exercise, talking with friends and listening to light music are all usual ways relieving (减轻) stress. However, doctors now say that there are easier ways — people should laugh and smile more often. When you laugh and smile, your body relaxes. They also say that people, especially men, should cry more often, because crying is the natural way of relieving stress.Which of the followings is NOT one of the most important reasons of stress according to the passage?
| A．Taking exams. | B．Taking sleeping pills. |
| C．Making money. | D．Ending friendships. |
What’s the easier way to relax your body?
| A．Talking with friends. | B．Doing relaxing exercise. |
| C．Laughing, smiling and crying. | D．Listening to music. |
The main idea of the passage is about _________.
| A．a survey of people with stress |
| B．the reasons for having stress |
| C．who has stress easily |
| D．stress and how to relieve your stress |
Rivers are one of our most important natural resources (资源). Many of the world's great cities are located(坐落) on rivers, and almost every country has at least one river running through it that plays an important role in the lives of its people.
Since the beginning of the history, people have used rivers for transportation(运输). The longest one in the United States is the Mississippi. The lifeline of Egypt is the Nile. To the people of India, the Gangs is great, but it is also important for transportation; Ships can travel along it for a thousand miles. Other great rivers are the Congo in Africa and the Mekong in southeast Asia. The greatest of all for navigation (航海), however, is the Amazon in Brazil. It is so wide and so deep that large ships can go about two thousand miles upon it.
Besides transportation, rivers give food, water to drink, water for crops(庄稼), and chances for fun and entertainment for the people who live along their banks. In order to increase(增加) the supply of crops, engineers sometimes build a dam (大坝) across a river and let a lake from behind the dam. Then people can use the water not only to irrigate (灌溉) their fields but also to make electricity for their homes and industries.
However, large cities and industries that are located upon rivers often make problems. As the cities grow in size and industries increase in number, the water in the rivers becomes polluted with chemicals(化学物质) and other materials. People are learning the importance, however, of doing more to keep their rivers clean if they want to enjoy the benefits (利益) of this natural resource.The greatest river for navigation is ___________.
| A．the Amazon | B．the Nile |
| C．the Mekong | D．the Mississippi |
From a dam, people can use the water for ___________.
| A．keeping the rivers clean | B．only making electricity |
| C．washing clothes | D．irrigation and making electricity |
The water in the river is polluted because of _____________.
| A．people's drinking water too much |
| B．people's swimming in the river too much |
| C．chemicals and other materials |
| D．people's building a dam across a river |
The best title of the passage is ___________.
| A．Rivers in Cities | B．The importance of Rivers |
| C．Transportation | D．Natural Resources |
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