This year is the Year of the Cock．Just like other Chinese zodiacs（生肖） the cock means a lot．Do you want to know more about it？Read on．
☆Cock in Chinese culture
In ancient times，there were no clocks．The cock （old people it
was time to get up and start to work．So hard﹣working ancient
Chinese people were big fans of the cock．
Traditionally，people thought the cock was a bird that could avoid evil （邪恶的） things．The story says once cocks make their morning calls，all the evil things at night will leave．
The cock is popular with people for its courage．In ancient China，a lot of people liked to watch cockfighting （斗鸡） because the game was exciting．
The pronunciation of"cock"in Putonghua is the same as that of"chance"and"good luck'
☆What it means to be a cock
Those who are born in the Year of the Cock are said to be active．"They like to be the center of attention and always look beautiful"，the China Highlight website noted．
☆Big events in the Year of the Cock
On January 20，Donald Trump became the 45th president of the United States．
☆In the first half of 2017，China launched （发射）its first cargo spacecraft （货运飞船）
Tianzhou﹣l，to dock （对接） with Tiangong﹣2．
☆On July 1，1997，Hong Kong returned to China.2017marks the 20th year of its return．
☆At the end of 2017，China will launch its fifth lunar probe （月球探测），Chang'e﹣5．
36．The cock could people in ancient times．
| A． |
wake up |
| B． |
lift up |
| C． |
fight with |
| D． |
talk with |
37．Chinese people like the cock for reasons
| A． |
two |
| B． |
three |
| C． |
four |
| D． |
five |
38．The people born in the Year of the Cock may be
| A． |
shy |
| B． |
quiet |
| C． |
brave |
| D． |
active |
39．One event in 2017is that
| A． |
Tiangong﹣2was launched |
| B． |
China will launch Chang e﹣5 |
| C． |
Hong Kong returned to China |
| D． |
Trump became the new president of the UK |
40．The best title of the passage may be
| A． |
The Culture of the Cock |
| B． |
Big Events in the Year of the Cock |
| C． |
Talk about Cocks in the Year of the Cock |
| D． |
Different Zodiacs，Different People． |
Born in Ghana，West Africa，in 1989，Freddy Adu has become one of the most promising young soccer players in the world.Soccer fans have been crazy about him since 2003，when he became the youngest player to join a professional sports team in the United States.The next year，he became the youngest athlete ever to play in an allstar game，a match in which the best players from many professional teams compete.
As a child，Adu did what many children in Ghana love to do—play soccer.His mother recognized her son's talentand encouraged it by providing soccer balls，which were expensive for them.Since he had soccer balls，other children always came looking for him and played together.
Education was very important to Adu's mother，and she wasn't sure that her son could receive a good education in Ghana.So she tried hard and moved to Maryland，U.S. in 1997，when he was eight years old.His new school friends soon noticed his talent for soccer，and the parents of one friend encouraged him to join a soccer club.This was his first time playing organized soccer，and he helped his team from the Potomac Soccer Association win a tournament in Italy in 2000.One professional Italian team was so impressed by Adu that they offered him $750，000 to play for them.Adu's mother refused the offer and thought that her eleven-year-old son needed to finish school first.
Adu did finish high school at the age of 14.Nowadays，he is playing professional soccer and living with his mother in a house he bought for her.His salary with the D．C. United team is $500，000 a year，and Adu is also paid to advertise products such as sports shoes and drinks.Adu is happy that his mother no longer has to work at two jobs，and his fans are happy that they can watch him play their favourite sport for many years to come.
Freddy Adu was ____ years old when he became the youngest ever allstar team player.
| A．eight | B．ten | C．thirteen | D．fifteen |
Adu's mother helped him develop his talent by ____．
| A．making him play soccer every day |
| B．finding him a soccer coach |
| C．offering him soccer balls |
| D．making him join the school team |
Which is the correct order of the following events？____
a．Adu became the youngest professional soccer player in the USA.
b．Adu's family moved to the United States.
c．Adu's mother noticed his special ability to play soccer.
d．Adu is paid to advertise sports shoes and drinks.
A．b—c—d—a. B．a—c—b—d.
C．d—c—a—b. D．c—b—a—d.
What can we learn from the passage？____
| A．As a child，Adu taught other children to play soccer in his hometown. |
| B．Adu moved to the USA because there were no soccer teams in Ghana. |
| C．Adu helped his team win a tournament and got $750，000 in Italy in 2000. |
| D．Adu gets more than $500，000 a year and lives happily with his mother now. |
What is the secret of the success of Adu according to the passage?
| A．His mother noticed his talent and encouraged him all the time. |
| B．He received a good education in the United States. |
| C．The parents of his friend encouraged him to join a soccer club. |
| D．All of the above |
Look carefully at the back of a California state quarter．A man with a walking stick is pictured there．A bird called a California condor(大秃鹫)is flying overhead. Who is this man，and why is he so important that he is featured(处于显著地位)on the back of a coin?
The man on this quarter is John Muir．Even as a child, Muir loved watching nature. As a young man，he spent much of his life exploring the beauty of the wilderness．He walked more than a thousand miles across the country，through fields and woods．John Muir liked writing about the places he visited，describing their beauty.
Muir also wrote about problems．In order to create more farmland for sheep and cattle, rnany trees were being cut down．This made Muir unhappy and worried，because he knew that trees were important to forests and to the animals that lived in them．Muir believed that nature should be conserved(保护)instead of being changed by human beings．He wrote articles in magazines and newspapers to spread the word about conserving forests．Soon，others began to listen．
Muir wrote letters to important people，such as President Theodore Roosevelt．The president admired Muir’s love for nature．When Roosevelt came to visit Muir in California. Muir convinced(说服)the president to go camping with him for three nights under the trees so they could talk about conservation．Later，President Roosevelt set aside 148 million acres of land for national forests and established(建立)five national parks．National parks are large areas of land that are protected from development. This means that people cannot build homes or businesses there. One of these parks is Yosemite National Park，the area that is featured on the back of the California quarter．
Though it has been almost one hundred years since John Muir died，people continue his work today．His work as a conservationist helped us to see the beauty of our natural world．John Muir made us understand the importance of protecting our earth and our resources---then，now，and for the future．What did John Muir spend much of his life doing when he was a young man?
| A．Watching natural views． |
| B．Writing about the places he visited． |
| C．Exploring the beauty of the wilderness． |
| D．Creating farmland for sheep and cattle． |
Why did President Theodore Roosevelt visit John Muir?
| A．Because Roosevelt loved watching nature． |
| B．Because Roosevelt received letters from John Muir． |
| C．Because Roosevelt admired John Muir’s love for nature. |
| D．Because Roosevelt was sad about the problems with farmland． |
What happened after President Roosevelt went camping with John Muir?
| A．Many trees were cut down． |
| B．Five national parks were established． |
| C．More homes and businesses were built. |
| D．More farmland was used for sheep and cattle. |
Why is John Muir featured on the back of a California state quarter?
| A．Because he walked over a thousand miles across the country． |
| B．Because he helped people understand the importance of protecting the natural world. |
| C．Because he wrote articles to spread the word about conserving forests． |
| D．Because he once wrote several letters to President Theodore Roosevelt． |
What is the writer’s purpose of writing this article?
| A．To advise readers to become active conservationists. |
| B．To make us interested in the story about a great man． |
| C．To tell us something about an important person in history． |
| D．To give information about how to conserve the environment． |
Smoking in indoor public places including public working places, public transport vehicles and some other special outdoor working places has been banned(禁止)in China since January 2011.Let’s look at the following advantages of banning smoking.
First, banning smoking will not only help in saving smokers from health problems and diseases, but will also be good for passive(被动)smokers. When the smoker is smoking in a restaurant, the people around him are sure to breathe in the smoke and suffer from the diseases an active smoker gets. If smoking is banned, spread of these diseases can be controlled.
Next, banning smoking will put stress on smokers to give up. Since a smoker is prevented from smoking, he will learn how to live without smoking for long hours. When a smoker doesn’t smell or see anybody around him smoking, it might reduce his wish to smoke too. As a result, people have to give up smoking.
Smoking in public places influences non-smokers to start smoking, especially adolescents. When teens see people around them smoking, they will follow them easily. Thus the number of teen smokers will increase. Also asthma(哮喘)and other problems are often seen in children living around smokers. So if it is banned, these places will become safe for children and teenagers.
Looking from the economic point of view, smoking should be banned to increase work productivity(生产率).Employees(雇员)who smoke usually take breaks to smoke while working. So the number of hours they put in their work is smaller.
If you see from the environment point of view, smoking should be banned. Smoking causes air pollution. If it is banned, it will help keep the environment from getting worse.
________doesn’t belong to a non-smoking place.
| A．A field | B．A hospital |
| C．A library | D．A restaurant |
The second paragraph mainly wants to tell us ______.
| A．banning smoking is good for restaurants |
| B．banning smoking is good for non-smokers |
| C．banning smoking is good for spread of diseases |
| D．banning smoking is good for active smokers and passive smokers |
How many advantages of banning smoking are mentioned in this passage?
| A．Two. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
According to the text, the underlined word “adolescents” means ______.
| A．men | B．women | C．adults | D．teenagers |
Which of the following statements in NOT true?
| A．If smoking is banned, work productivity will increase. |
| B．If smoking is banned, the number of teen smokers will be larger. |
| C．If smoking is banned, it will make the environment become better. |
| D．If smoking is banned, smokers will learn how to live without smoking. |
Welcome to this short tour of London. In this square we are standing in the middle of London. Opposite 对面) is the National Gallery, a museum with lots of famous paintings. Go along the red street to Buckingham Palace. The queen (后) lives here.
Turn left and go to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. Opposite you can see the London Eye. It takes you 135 meters above the River Thames. You can see most of London on a clear day.
When you are tired, the best way to see London is by boat. You can get the boat near Big Ben. As you go along the river, the London Eye is on your right, near the Railway Bridge.
Get off the boat at Tower Bridge. Then you can see the Tower of London next to the bridge. The Tower of London is the city’s oldest palace. It is nine hundred years old.
Take the boat back along the river. Get off the boat and go past the station and walk along the street. Opposite is the old fruit and vegetable market. They don’t sell fruit and vegetables now. There are stores and restaurants, and lots of street musicians. Turn left into King’s Street, and go past the church. You’re now back where you started, at the square. Now you finish your tour.
If you go to visit the National Gallery, what will you find?
| A．lots of lovely animals | B．lots of valuable plants |
| C．lots of famous paintings | D．lots of interesting books |
Where can you get the boat?
| A．Near Buckingham Palace. | B．Near Big Ben. |
| C．Near Tower Bridge. | D．Near King’s Street. |
______ is London’s oldest palace.
| A．The Tower of London |
| B．The National Gallery |
| C．Buckingham Palace |
| D．The Houses of Parliament |
______ is the London Eye.
You will not go past ______ on your way back.
| A．the station | B．the square |
| C．the park | D．the church |
There were smiling children all the way. Clearly they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite relatives. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved.
I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics.
It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight. Immediately I came alive; I decided to wave back.
From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.
The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3:00 pm. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug (拥抱). I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.
I looked forward to the return journey.The writer expected the train trip to be________.
| A．dangerous | B．pleasant | C．exciting | D．boring |
What impressed the writer most during his train trip?
| A．The friendly country people. |
| B．The mountains along the way. |
| C．The crowds of people in the streets. |
| D．The straight rows of rubber trees. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The people on the train were the villagers’ favorite relatives. |
| B．The writer spent the whole journey reading magazines. |
| C．The writer thought he enjoyed the train journey at last. |
| D．The writer’s uncle gave him a warm hug with a huge smile. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Pleasure of living in the country |
| B．Reading gives people delight |
| C．Comfort in traveling by train |
| D．Smiles brighten people up |
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