It is nearly impossible to answer the question when or where baseball started． Several cultures created games which involve（涉及） hitting a ball with a bat and running． But there were several rules that made them quite different from each other． The game of baseball itself has improved over time and has several changes from its early version（版本）．
When did baseball start in the US？ As the legend goes， the game we know as baseball today was invented or at least built with an accepted set of rules by Alexander Joy Cartwright． As there is little proof（证据） that baseball was played in the United States before Alexander Joy Cartwright wrote up the rules of baseball， it has been formally accepted that Cartwright is， if not the biological， the most suitable father of baseball．
The legend further goes that baseball， which has grown to become a hugely popular game in the United States today， was invented in a famous Manhattan based club called the Knickerbockers． So the name for the rules set by Alexander Joy Cartwright was then called "the Knickerbockers Rules"． The first New York baseball team was called the New York Knickerbockers． Having created the rules， Cartwright was naturally the judge （裁判） for the first ever baseball game played in the United States base on the rules．
Cartwright's contribution（贡献） to baseball doesn't just end in setting the rules for the game． He is also known for popularizing the game and its rules over the United States． Cartwright． Who traveled to California during California Golf Rush， spread the knowledge of baseball pretty much at every stop on his way from New York to California．
Till about the late 1860 s， baseball was largely an amateur game until a Cincinnati club﹣the Cincinnati Red Stockings， which is known to almost all Americans﹣decided to recruit（招募） the best players for prize money． The first professional baseball league in the United States was the National Association of Professional Baseball Players， which was set up in 1871．
（1）From Paragraph 1 ， we can learn that baseball ．
A． is a game with a long history
B． is popular all over the world
C． has experienced some changes
D． had strict rules as it appeared
（2）According to the passage，which of the following is true about Cartwright？
A． He made baseball very popular in the world．
B． He made the rules for baseball．
C． He chose the judge for the first baseball game．
D． He was a famous baseball player．
（3）What does the underlined word "amateur" most probably mean in Chinese？
A． 常规的
B． 团体的
C． 激烈的
D． 业余的
（4）What does the writer's purpose of writing the passage？
A． To introduce the history of baseball．
B． To encourage people to play baseball．
C． To introduce the inventor of baseball．
D． To show people how popular baseball is．
（5）The passage is most probably taken from ．
A． a news report
B． a sport poster
C． a history book
D． a sports magazine
I was not having a happy holiday. My family had decided to go back to the countryside in New Hampshire, US, again. But I found it boring. What made the holiday even worse was that I had to sleep in the same bed as my brother. But I was wrong. This trip was the best holiday I have ever had. During the holiday, I met a very special friend.
While I was walking in the countryside, I saw a man carrying a small brown bag. Wearing white clothes, the man looked like a ghost. As he looked at me, I felt frightened. I wanted to run away when the man spoke to me. “Hello. Beautiful day, isn’t it?” he said. The man talked a lot. I wasn’t listening very carefully because I was looking at his little bag. I wanted to see what was inside it!
He saw me looking at the bag and he asked me if I would like to see. Out came a lively, beautiful puppy. The brown puppy was small and only about two months old. The man then asked me, “Would you like to keep this puppy?” I had always wanted a puppy and now I had the chance. I thanked him, took the puppy and ran home. For the rest of that summer, I played with him all the time. And after the trip, I took him home. The puppy is now loved by all my family. He is a friend to both my brother and me, a warm little ball of happiness in our lives.
I’ve always wanted to thank the man because he changed my life. His gift has given me years of pleasure. And I never have boring family holidays anymore.The “special friend” in the third paragraph referred to _______.
| A．the man | B．a ghost |
| C．the puppy | D．the bag |
According to the story, which words can be used to describe the man?
| A．talkative and friendly | B．boring and frightening |
| C．unfriendly and strange-looking | D．good-looking and outgoing |
Why did the writer keep looking at the man’s little bag?
| A．Because the man was carrying it and running quickly. |
| B．Because the writer wondered what was inside. |
| C．Because there was something dangerous in it. |
| D．Because the writer saw a puppy in it. |
How did the writer deal with the puppy?
| A．He left it in the countryside. |
| B．He gave it to his brother. |
| C．He took it home after the holiday. |
| D．He played with it and gave it back to the man at last. |
What’s the best title for the story?
| A．Don’t Be Afraid | B．A Strange Man |
| C．Never Believe in Others | D．The Best Holiday |
One day, a farmer was walking along a road with his son Thomas. The father said, "Look! There's a horseshoe .Pick it up and put it in your bag.” Thomas said, "It isn't worth the trouble." His father said nothing but he picked it up himself. When they got to a nearby town, they had a rest. There the farmer sold the horseshoe and with the few pennies he bought some cherries(樱桃).
The father and the son continued their way. The sun was well up in the sky, and there wasn't a house or even a tree where they could have a rest. Thomas felt too thirsty to walk on. At this time, his father dropped a cherry on the ground and Thomas picked it up quickly and ate it. After a while, his father dropped another cherry and once again, his son lost no time in picking it up and putting it in his mouth.
And so they went on. The old farmer dropped the cherries and the son picked them up .When Thomas had eaten up all the cherries ,his father said to him "My dear son ,if you had bent (弯腰)down early to pick up that horseshoe, it would not have been necessary for you to bend so many times for the cherries. Always remember the lesson that he who does not worry about the little things will find that he cannot do the great things."
根据短文内容，从题中所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选择最佳答案。Who picked up the horseshoe at last?
| A．The son. | B．The father. |
| C．Both the father and the son. | D．Neither the father nor the son. |
The farmer bought ___ with the money after he sold the horseshoe.
| A．some bread | B．some water |
| C．some cherries | D．some pennies |
When the son refused to pick up the horseshoe, the father___ .
| A．beat the son | B．said nothing |
| C．felt vary happy | D．became very angry |
The father dropped the cherries one by one, because___ .
| A．he wanted to teach his son a lesson |
| B．he wanted his son to do more exercise |
| C．he wanted his son to eat them all |
| D．he wanted to laugh at his son |
From the story, we can learn that___ .
| A．cherries are so delicious that most of us like to eat them |
| B．a horseshoe is so expensive that it can bring us a lot of money |
| C．if we want to eat cherries ,we must pick up a horseshoe |
| D．if we don't worry about the little things, we cannot do the great things |
That was my grandmother's first Christmas without Grandfather. When my parents and I arrived at her little house ,we found she had waited up all night for us.
Grandfather had always said that the Christmas tree was the most important decoration (装饰物) of all. So first we took out the beautiful tree that was stored in the closet (贮藏室). But the star was missing. It was my grandmother's favorite part of the tree.
"Why? It must be somewhere in the closet," my grandmother said.
As we opened up boxes one by one and found no star, my grandmother's eyes were full of tears. Grandfather had given it to her some fifty years ago, on their first Christmas together. But on her first Christmas without him, the star was gone.
The next morning, my family sat down together to open the presents.
"The last gift is to Grandmother from Grandfather," Father said, in a strange voice.
"From whom?" There was surprise in my grandmother's voice.
"I found this gift in Grandfather's closet when we got the tree down," Mother explained.
My grandmother opened the box. There was a shinning (发亮的) golden star and a note in it:
Don't be angry with me, dear. I broke your star while putting away the decorations, and I couldn't bear to tell you. I hope it brings you as much happiness as the first one. Merry Christmas!
Love, Bryant
根据短文内容，从题中所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选择最佳答案。 The family couldn't find the star on the Christmas tree because _____.
| A．the grandfather had taken it away with him |
| B．the grandfather put it in a box |
| C．the grandfather had broken it |
| D．the family didn't look carefully enough for it |
Which of the following is TRUE about the grandmother?
| A．She lived with the author's family. |
| B．She felt sad when the star was missing. |
| C．She had never got a Christmas present from her husband. |
| D．She couldn't believe her husband's death. |
What would probably happen to the grandmother after she read the note?
| A．She would ask her children to buy a new star. |
| B．She would get angry with her husband. |
| C．She would be greatly moved (感动). |
| D．She would throw away the new star. |
What does the underlined word "missing" mean in Chinese?
| A．褪色的 | B．错过的 |
| C．想念的 | D．找不到的 |
What can we know from the story?
| A．The grandfather was afraid of his wife. |
| B．The grandfather loved his wife very much. |
| C．The grandmother didn't know how to spend Christmas Day. |
| D．The grandfather left home on Christmas Day. |
Finland is a great country to visit, especially for relaxing. You can easily find peace and quiet there because much of the country is covered with forests. It also has lots of hills and thousands of lakes and islands. Depending on the season, visitors can enjoy themselves in bird-watching, hiking, fishing and other outdoor activities. There is even a part of Finland where people can see the beautiful Northern lights.
If you are a nature lover, you will discover plenty to enjoy in Finland. You will also find that the people of Finland are easy-going. This might be because they spend a lot of time having a sauna（桑拿）to relax themselves together. Finland even has a competition that is about spending time in one sauna. In the Sauna World Championships, people try to stay as long as they can in a sauna. This is really a hot competition! Finland is always considered as one of the best places in the world to live in, from its capital, Helsinki, to its great number of lakes and forests.
Finland is truly one of the world’s greatest treasures. Forests much of Finland.
Depending on the season, visitors can in bird-watching, hiking, fishing and other outdoor activities.
The people of Finland are relaxing and .
is a popular way for people to relax themselves in Finland.
Because of the capital of Finland and its lakes and forests, Finland is considered as one of
in the world to live in .
A sunflower is a sunflower. A mobile phone is a mobile phone. But can you combine the two to do something for your local environment? As early as next year it may well be possible. When you have finished with your mobile phone you will be able to bury (埋葬) it in the garden and wait for it to flower（开花）. A biodegradable (生物可降解的) mobile phone was, this month, introduced by scientists. It is hoped that the new type of phone will encourage users to recycle. Scientists have come up with a new material over the last five years. It looks like any other plastic and can be hard or soft, and able to change shape. Overtime it can also break down into the soil without giving out any poisonous（有毒的）chemicals. British researchers used the new material to develop a phone cover that includes a sunflower seed .When this new type of cover turns into waste, it forms nitrates (硝酸盐). These feed the seed and help the flower grow. Engineers have designed a small transparent (透明的) window to hold the seed. They have made sure it only grows when the phone is thrown away. “We’ve only put sunflower seeds into the cover so far. But we are working with scientists to find out which flowers would perform best. Maybe we could put roses in next time.” said one scientist.
As phone technology is developing so quickly, people are constantly（不断）throwing their mobiles away. This means producers are under pressure to find ways of recycling them. Some 650 million mobile phones have been sold this year. Most of them will be thrown away within two years, adding plastic, heavy metal and chemical waste to the environment. A biodegradable cover can change this, according to the scientists.
根据短文内容，从题中所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选择最佳答案。 After you have finished using the new type of mobile phone, _______.
| A．the phone will do harm to the environment |
| B．the phone cover will break down easily in the soil you bury it |
| C．it will be recycled by the producers |
| D．it can be sent back to the shops. |
Which of the following is wrong about the cover of the new type of phone?
| A．It can help the sunflower seed after the mobile phone breaks down. |
| B．It looks like normal plastics but it can break down. |
| C．It includes a sunflower seed. |
| D．It makes sure the seed only grows after the phone is thrown away. |
The new type of phone can reduce the harm to the environment mainly ______.
| A．because of the material of its cover |
| B．because of the sunflower seed |
| C．because it’s made of no poisonous chemicals |
| D．because you bury it in the soil after you finish with it |
This type of research is done because ________.
| A．the technology that produces mobile phones is changing quickly |
| B．users are constantly throwing their mobiles away |
| C．nobody has ever thought of recycling mobile phones |
| D．producing mobile phones uses a lot of energy, so this has become a very big problem for the environment |
We can guess from the story ________.
| A．the new type of mobile phones is already on the market |
| B．the new type of mobile phones will sell very well |
| C．recycling mobile phones is not useful to the environment |
| D．other flowers may be used in the new type of mobile phones |
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