The ancient city is in Pingyao county, Shanxi Province. The city wall was first built during the Zhou Dynasty. Since 1997, it has been listed as a World Heritage Site. Now Pingyao city is the only one in China completely protected as it was hundreds of years ago.
The perimeter(周长) of this square city is 6.4km long and the city wall is the earliest and largest city wall in China. It is 12 m high with width of 5 m. The wall was built with earth and covered with bricks. Outside the city wall there is a river, 4 m wide and 4 m deep.
There are several gates of the city, two each on the east and west and one each on the south and north side. All the gates have two doors each. This has given the city the name “Turtle City” with the two gates on the south and north standing for the head and tail of the turtle and four gates on the east and west as the four legs. The doors on the south and north stand opposite each other, like the head of the turtle extending out and two wells just beyond southern gate are like a turtle’s two eyes.
Located on the trade route between Beijing and Xi’an, Pingyao developed into a merchant center where the local people set up the nation’s earliest banks. These banks were the first in China to use checks.
Several old courtyards have been turned into museums, most of which were homes and offices of Pingyao’s old banks. One of the most unusual aspects of a visit here is realizing that this place was very important to China’s financial(金融的) history. What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．The ancient city—Pingyao. |
| B．China’s ancient financial center—Pingyao. |
| C．The city wall of Pingyao. |
| D．The museums in Pingyao. |
How many gates are there in Pingyao city?
| A．Four. | B．Five. | C．Six. | D．Seven. |
Which gate in Pingyao city stands for the head of the turtle?
| A．The gate on the north. |
| B．The gate on the south. |
| C．The gate on the east. |
| D．The gate on the west. |
It can be inferred from the last two paragraphs that__________.
| A．Pingyao city played an important role in ancient China’s finance. |
| B．museums in Pingyao city are now used for bank offices. |
| C．Pingyao city was one of the largest cities in ancient China. |
| D．old banks in ancient Pingyao city used checks only. |
Market analysts in the United States have recently been quoted as saying that the biggest threat to the luxury (奢侈品) industry in the US is the tech industry. This is according to an article by fellow journalist Ashley Lutz. Her suggestion is sound. The main idea of her article is that products from Tiffany & Co. find their biggest competition not from other luxury brands but from companies like Apple. Lutz points out that luxury products are often only for “show,” while the attraction behind tech products is functionality.
You find few people in the United States today willing to purchase luxury goods at full price. It didn’t use to be that way. Luxury goods used to be actually exclusive. That meant you needed to travel to the right store to purchase them, and you didn’t even have the option of getting a deal.
Today, no one wants to pay full price for luxury goods. People have the unfortunate belief that fakes (赝品) somehow are equal to originals, and if you can’t get a deal on eBay, Amazon, or in an outlet store, purchasing a luxury product probably isn’t worth it. Luxury brands struggle to remain high-end (高档的) images despite the reality that the American consumer is motivated much more by discounts than they are by brand names or image.
Yet people stand in line to pay full price for a new product from Apple and crowds gather to hear about a new smart phone. While electronics are updating every day, people are purchasing technology at full prices much more than they are purchasing luxury goods. What are high-tech makers doing right that luxury makers are pitifully failing at?
Carefully looking at the situation, it would appear as if the Internet didn’t hurt the luxury industry, expectation from the consumers did. What people want these days more than anything is stuff that does something. They want cars that drive, shoes that are comfortable, games that are fun to play, screens that are beautiful to look at, tools that are useful, and entertainment that is entertaining. Little of that fits into what the luxury industry has typically offered with its status, image, and fine materials. The sad reality is that luxury products aren’t that luxury any more.What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．Nobody likes luxury goods any more. |
| B．Luxury goods are of poor quality nowadays. |
| C．Tech products become the new “luxury goods”. |
| D．Iphones have taken the place of luxury products. |
The underlined word “exclusive” in paragraph 2 means _______.
| A．unique and with no bargain | B．low in price |
| C．hard to find | D．easy to sell |
From paragraph 3 we can know that _______.
| A．people have found that some luxury goods are fakes |
| B．people can buy luxury goods at a low price on eBay |
| C．luxury brands will give up high-end images |
| D．consumers prefer brand names to discounts |
What do people pay most attention to nowadays?
| A．The Internet service. | B．The images of luxuries. |
| C．The function of products. | D．The expectation from the consumers. |
I stopped at a grocery store the other day because I was about to go on a long drive and I wanted to buy my favorite beverage for the trip. It wasn’t the store I normally go to, just one I passed along the way.
As I walked up to the entrance, I noticed a man and a boy who was about 10 or 12 years old standing at the front of the store. Customers walked past, as the man handed them half-sheets of white paper. I walked up to them with curiosity, wondering what cause they were representing. As I got closer, I saw that they had two carts starting to fill with groceries.
I said hello and the man greeted me and handed me one of the pieces of paper, explaining that they were collecting donations for the local food pantry. On the paper was a simple list of food items: peanut butter, noodles, pasta sauce, canned fruits and vegetables. It also included a short story about the boy and his efforts to collect food donations since the age of 8. I was really touched that someone so young would be so interested in helping others. I told him it was an awesome idea and that he should be proud of himself. He smiled.
Then, I went inside to get my drink. Unfortunately, the store didn’t have it in stock. But, I wasn’t upset, because by then I felt I had another mission. I went through the store, picking things from the list, then brought them back out to the boy and put them in the cart. I also gave the man the white sheet of paper back to reuse for another customer. They thanked me and offered me a treat (candy, I think) but I said to pass it on to someone else.
As I walked back to my car, the boy’s well-intentioned spirit stuck with me. How inspiring to encounter a young boy with a resolve to do good deeds, and the courage to act on it. It made my day!What do we know from the passage?
| A．The author wasn’t a regular customer to the store. |
| B．The store was owned by the man and the boy. |
| C．The store didn’t deal in drinks. |
| D．The author refused their treat because he didn’t need it. |
What does the author mainly want to tell readers in paragraph 4?
| A．He didn’t get his drink |
| B．He carried out another mission. |
| C．He got thanks and was offered a treat |
| D．He wasn’t upset though not getting his drink. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．A Day for a Boy. | B．A Young Boy’s Determination. |
| C．An Inspiring Boy. | D．A Young Boy’s Groceries. |
We can infer from the description of the author that the boy is _______.
| A．noble-minded | B．hard-working |
| C．well-educated | D．open-minded |
Museums in Texas
Depot Museum And Children’s Discovery Center
The museum is in the depot’s waiting room and office. The warehouse is a hands-on learning center. See the 1908 “Arnold Outhouse”, log cabin, doctor’s office, dogtrot cabin, oil derrick, cotton gin, print shop, and syrup mill.
Open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri. and 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Sat.
Admission charge.
Address: 514 N. High St. in the restored 1901 Missouri Pacific Railroad depot, Henderson
Phone: 903/657-4303
Tex-Ark Antique Auto Museum
It is designed to preserve, collect, operate and interpret a collection of autos and auto transportation equipment. Library and archive collection available.
Open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat. and 1–5 p.m. Sun.
Admission charge.
Address: 217 Laurel St., Texarkana
Phone: 903/938-9201
Jefferson Historical Society Museum
Find four floors of documents and antiques, including mementos of pioneer days, early steamboat commerce and antebellum society. See paintings and sculpture from the D.D. Feldman collection. It also has an outstanding doll collection.
Open 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. daily.
Admission charge.
Address: Old Federal Building, Austin and Market streets, Jefferson
Phone: 903/665-2775
The Woodlands Children’s Museum
The museum provides hands-on, interactive exhibits designed to immerse children and adults in play that stimulates curiosity and provides opportunities for learning in a nurturing environment.
Open 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Tue.–Sat. and noon–5 p.m. Sun.
Admission charge.
Address: 4775 W. Panther Creek Drive, the Woodlands
Phone: 281/465-0955What do the four museums have in common?
| A．They all have a long history. | B．They all charge for admission. |
| C．They all provide hands-on programmes. | D．They are all in the same city. |
If you are free on Sunday afternoons, you may visit the following museums except _______.
| A．Tex-Ark Antique Auto Museum |
| B．The Woodlands Children’s Museum |
| C．Jefferson Historical Society Museum |
| D．Depot Museum And Children’s Discovery Center |
Which of the following is not true according to the advertisement?
| A．Interactive exhibits are offered in the Woodlands Children’s Museum. |
| B．Dolls are on display in Depot Museum And Children’s Discovery Center. |
| C．Paintings and sculpture can be seen in Jefferson Historical Society Museum. |
| D．You can read and borrow books in Tex-Ark Antique Auto Museum. |
On Jan 23, 2012, I was aboard a ship on the Yangtze River, listening to the sound of fireworks and eating plate after plate of dumplings.
On Sunday Feb 10, 2013, I was preparing to celebrate Chinese New Year again – in London’s Chinatown.
It was raining. It was cold. But ever since I left Beijing in August, I had promised myself I would celebrate Chinese New Year – if only to help with my Beijing “homesickness”.
Central London was dressed up for the occasion. There was a stage for a big fireworks display for the evening. Even so, it wasn’t like my real Beijing chunjie.
Even buying a baozi didn’t cheer me up. It cost about 10 times as much as the real thing does in Beijing and got stuck to its rain-ruined paper bag.
Cold, wet and depressed, I ran into a shop for shelter. Suddenly, there it was. Between the packets of dried meat and fish, the bags of rice and the smell of dried noodles in this little Chinese supermarket, I had found home.
An hour later, I hurried into my house with bags of frozen jiaozi, packets of sauce and a large bottle of vinegar. I boiled water, tore open the packets, grabbed my chopsticks and settled down to a feast. This, I thought, is a Happy Chinese New Year.
I even watched the fireworks on TV. After all, why face the British weather when I can bring China home in one bite? We can conclude from the first three paragraphs that the author ______.
| A．likes watching fireworks on the boat |
| B．misses Chinese food more than anything else |
| C．finds it great fun to celebrate Chinese New Year |
| D．misses her life in Beijing very much |
How did the author feel when she found some Chinese foods in a supermarket?
| A．a little curious | B．rather tired |
| C．a bit comfortable | D．very depressed |
Why did the author watch the fireworks on TV?
| A．She didn’t want to get wet and cold again. |
| B．The square is far away from where she lives. |
| C．She doesn’t like fireworks very much. |
| D．She was too hungry to go out. |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Unforgettable Chunjie in Beijing | B．Wonderful Experience in Britain |
| C．Finding Home in London | D．Festival in London |
Sixty-five million years ago, an asteroid (小行星) that crashed on Earth led to the disappearance of the largest animals that have ever walked our planet – the dinosaurs. At least, this is what some scientists believe. But that accident happened so long ago. People have come to believe that we are free of threats from asteroids and everything else from space.
However, what happened on Feb 15 , 2013 was a reminder that we’re just as vulnerable as the dinosaurs once were. Two objects from space – a meteor (陨石) and an asteroid called 2012 DA14 – visited Earth’s atmosphere on the same day. The former fell in Russia, injuring 1,200 people, while the latter passed by Earth at a record-setting close distance.
Scientists had been expecting the asteroid since last year, but the meteor was a surprise. NASA’s telescope system only detects asteroids at least 50 meters in diameter (直径), which is just about the size of 2012 DA14. But the meteor was much smaller, which made it harder to spot.
But what if we do spot an asteroid that is headed right for Earth? There are several possible ways in which dangerous asteroids could be made to change its orbit. Which method is best depends on several factors and most importantly – how much time we have to stop it.
If there is enough time before the hit, we can send off a heavy spacecraft to travel alongside the asteroid. The gravity from the spacecraft would gradually change the rock’s orbit. Besides that, scientists could one day use sun-powered lasers to either make asteroids disappear or change their course. If there’s not enough time, we’ll have to go after the asteroid with a spacecraft and change its orbit with a crash. Finally, if things are truly desperate, there will be only one choice left – to use a nuclear bomb. That could turn the asteroid into a meteor shower, which would be even more dangerous.The author mentioned the asteroid that led to the dinosaurs’ dying out to ______.
| A．show that asteroids fall from space frequently |
| B．alert people about the possible danger of objects falling from space |
| C．inform readers about the constant threats the Earth faces |
| D．suggest that there are still many mysteries about the universe |
The underlined word “vulnerable” in the second paragraph probably means ______.
| A．unprotected | B．lonely | C．stupid | D．self-important |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about the meteor that fell to the Earth in Russia?
| A．It passed by the Earth at a close distance. |
| B．It was spotted by NASA’s telescope system a year ago. |
| C．It is about the same size as the asteroid that passed by the Earth. |
| D．It fell to the Earth and caused great damage to the local community. |
What is the main idea of the article?
| A．Learning about asteroids and meteors. |
| B．The threats of objects from space and possible solutions. |
| C．NASA’s latest technology to discover visitors to the Earth from space. |
| D．How to measure the damage of collisions from asteroids and meteors. |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号