To us, it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains. But in fact the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain. Its first use was as a shade(遮蔽)against the sun.
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese, back in the eleventh century BC.
We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use : it became a symbol of honor and power(权力). In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office or by royal people such as the kings or queens.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. The umbrella was in common use in ancient Greece, but it is believed that the first people in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans. During the middle ages in Europe, the use of the umbrella almost disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it became a symbol of power.
Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn't until the twentieth century that the umbrellas for women began to be made in all kinds of colors.
| A．China | B．Egypt | C．Greece | D．Rome |
| A．No one exactly knows who the inventor of the umbrella was |
| B．The umbrella was first invented to be used as protection against the sun. |
| C．The umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century |
| D．In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. |
| A．protection against rain |
| B．a symbol of honor and power |
| C．a shade against the sun |
| D．women’s decoration |
| A．during the Middle Ages | B．in Rome |
| C．by the 18th | D．in Greece |
| A．when and how the umbrella was invented |
| B．why the umbrella was so popular in Europe |
| C．the development of the umbrella |
| D．The history and use of the umbrella |
I am Canadian． I started learning French when I was 10 years old． But my whole experience with the language was in the classroom． All of that changed， however， during my last summer of high school． As a 17﹣year﹣old girl， I flew across the country by myself for the first time! I headed for Quebec to live in the province with a French﹣speaking host family， who didn't speak any English． And I would learn French at a local school．
On the first day of school， all of us students were given a test to determine（测定）our language level． We were required to speak only French all summer．
I made every effort to communicate in a second language by making new friends， seeing movies and even ordering food from restaurants in French． Though I couldn't understand most of it at the very beginning， the whole experience was exciting and refreshing．
On weekends， my classmates and I took trips to different places around the province． On one trip， we went whale watching on the St． Lawrence River． Even though it was raining， we could see huge whales swimming around our boat． The most memorable part of our trip was a visit to historic Quebec City． I walked along the stone streets， took pictures of the European﹣style（欧式的）buildings， and learned some stories there．
Finally my efforts paid off! At the end of the summer， I was able to communicate pretty well． I couldn't wait to go back to school and talk with my French teacher． Being fully immersed（沉浸）in a French﹣speaking environment was a valuable learning experience． And it could be the main reason for my improvement in French．
（1）When did the writer fly alone for the first time？
（2）How did the local school determine the students' language level？
（3）Did the writer enjoy the experience of communicating in French？
（4）What did the writer think of the visit to historic Quebec City？
（5）What could be the main reason for the writer's improvement in French？
It is believed that Huck Finn is based on（基于）a childhood friend of Mark Twain's． In fact， Twain was not alone in basing a fictional character（虚构的角色）on a real﹣life person．
Severus Snape / John Nettleship
Severus Snape is a skillful wizard（巫师）teaching magic in Harry Potter． The writer， J．K． Rowling， once said that the character was based on a teacher of hers．
The teacher turned out to be John Nettleship， who taught Rowling chemistry． At first， Nettleship felt surprised． "I know I am a strict teacher，" he said． "But I don't think I am as bad as Snape!" On second thoughts， however， he said that he was so ill﹣tempered that most of his students avoided making him mad． Also， he used to wear long hair and have an untidy lab． That sounds familiar to Harry Potter fans．
Alice / Alice Liddell
Famously， Lewis Carroll's Alice in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is based on Alice Liddell．
Carroll was close to the Liddell family． One day， ten﹣year﹣old Alice asked Carroll to tell her a new story． Carroll began to create his famous tale of Alice and what happened after she fell through the rabbit hole． The little girl liked the story so much that she asked him to write it down． And the rest is history．
Dill / Truman Capote
In To Kill a Mockingbird， Harper Lee based Dill on her childhood friend， Truman Capote． Capote once said， "Lee was my best friend． Have you ever read To Kill a Mockingbird？ I'm a character in that story! The story takes place just in the town where we lived!"
（1）Snape and Nettleship have something in common EXCEPT ．
A．their jobs
B．their looks
C．their hobbies
（2）What does the underlined word "ill﹣tempered " mean in Paragraph 3？
A．沉着冷静的
B．优柔寡断的
C．脾气暴躁的
（3）What made Carroll decide to create Alice's Adventures in Wonderland？
A．Alice Liddell's requirement．
B．His great interest in rabbits．
C．His experience of travelling．
（4）Being a character of To Kill a Mockingbird， Truman Capote felt ．
A．proud
B．unsatisfied
C．surprised
（5）The text is mainly about ．
A．purposes of writing fictional stories
B．introductions to famous writers' childhood friends
C．characters of fictional stories from real﹣life persons
Recently， a junior high school sent several students back home because they broke the school uniform（校服）rules． Should students wear school uniforms？ The Young World magazine held a discussion on this topic（话题）．
Kennedy： The school uniform is very important， because it always reminds me that I am supposed to go out of my way to study hard． It also helps prevent school bullying（欺凌）． If everyone wears the same clothes， it is impossible to laugh at other people's clothing．
Manson： The uniform has to be earned（获得）through efforts． Students should start school with no uniforms． As they make progress at school， they start wearing it． I always think children need to be proud of their school． The uniform is important for that． So， make students earn it! If they don't perform well， they should not be allowed to get one．
Moorhead： In my opinion， kids don't have to wear uniforms． There should be more choices open to kids in education． They ought to develop their own independence and just be themselves．
Their personalities would be expressed through their own clothes at school． And different dress could be one way of showing their understanding of beauty． Besides， they make the school lively and colorful．
Patrick： I can see the advantages of wearing school uniforms． They play a very important role in managing schools． However， a school should not depend heavily on uniforms to improve students' behaviors． Teaching them how to express themselves with confidence（信心）is more important．
（1）What does the writer mean to do in Paragraph 1？
A．Present an opinion on a subject．
B．Introduce a topic for discussion．
C．Provide a way to solve problems．
（2）What is Kennedy in the second paragraph？
A．A student．
B．A teacher．
C．A parent．
（3）In Manson's opinion， ．
A．students have the right to get school uniforms for free
B．students should be encouraged to earn school uniforms
C．students performing well needn't wear school uniforms
（4）According to Patrick， what is more important？
A．Managing schools by uniforms．
B．Improving students' behaviors．
C．Helping students express themselves confidently．
（5）We can learn from the text that ．
A．Kennedy can't stand school uniforms
B．Moorhead is against school uniform rules
C．the writer holds the same opinion as Patrick's
（1）If you are accepted as part of the audience by EZ Comedy Club， you can ．
A． perform there
B． watch a live show
C． record your own comedies
（2）Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the poster（海报）？
A． The host of the show．
B． The way to join the audience．
C． Recording time and location．
（3）We can infer（推断）from the poster that the show could be ．
A． very serious
B． quite funny
C． kind of boring
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