初中英语阅读理解

Celebrating New Year’s Day is one of the oldest and most exciting traditions around the world. Since this festival marks the beginning of the year， New Year’s Day is thought of as a perfect time for a “clean start”. People in the world decide to act better in the year just beginning than the year just ended.
No day has ever been celebrated in so many different ways. All over the world， countries have their own special beliefs about what the New Year means to them.
In Scotland， the New Year is called Hogmanay. In the villages of Scotland， barrels of tar (沥青) are set on fire. It represents that the old year is burned up and the new one is allowed to enter.
New Year’s Day is also the Festival of Saint Basil in Canada. Children leave their shoes by the fireside on New Year’s Day with the hope that Saint Basil， who is famous for his kindness， will come and fill their shoes with gifts.
The Jewish New Year is called Rosh Hashanah. It is an important time when Jews promise to do better in the future. Special services are held in the church， children are given new clothes and New Year bread is cooked to remind people of harvest time.
On New Year’s Day in Japan， everyone gets dressed in their new clothes and homes are decorated (装饰) with bamboos—symbols of long life.
In European countries such as Germany， France and Belgium， families start the New Year by first attending church services. Afterwards， they visit friends and relatives. In France， boys and girls receive gifts of money on New Year’s Day.
New Year celebrations around the    

Country/people	Celebration activities	Special beliefs
Scotland	People     barrels of tar.	The old year is burned up and the new one is allowed to enter.
Canada	Children leave their     by the fireside.	Their shoes will be    with gifts by Saint Basil.
Jews	It is a time for people to     to do better in the future. People      New Year Bread to remind of harvest time.
Japan	People      their new clothes. Homes are decorated with bamboos.	Symbols of     life
European	People attend church services    visiting friends and relatives.

Mr father woke me up early one summer morning when I was fourteen and announced(宣布): “Get up， you’re going with me to cut the grass in the garden.”
The idea that my father thought I was old enough to help him in his business made me feel proud and excited. From sunup to sundown， my father， my younger brother and I worked in the large garden. By the end of the day I was too tired to say a word but I felt good. This was my first time to help my father in his business. I got $ 6 for my work that day.
One day my father found some leaves I had missed and pulled me aside. “Take away these leaves!” he said， “and don’t make me have to tell you to do it again.” The message was clear. Today I value(珍视) the importance of doing a job well the first time. It will never fail to impress(给……留下印象) the person you are working for.
After two years， my father told me and my brother that he felt we were old enough to cut the grass by ourselves. Every Saturday during my last two years of high school， we set off early in the morning with the same strong wish we had gained while working under our father.
Looking after the garden was neither exciting nor high paying， but that didn’t matter. It taught me that any job was a good job and that whatever I was paid was more than I had before.
A newspaper reporter once asked me how someone could possibly live with hard work and low pay. “If you’re only thinking about hard work and money， you probably don’t want to do any better than you are doing.” I answered. In every job， from cutting the grass to washing dishes， I’ve learned much. I’ve learned something that helps me in my next job.
If you work hard enough， you can learn from any job you do.
The writer felt proud and cited when he was asked to cut the grass because he thought __________.

A．he could cut the grass himself

B．he could make much money

C．he could enjoy sunup and sundown

D．he could help his family

The word “message” in the passage probably refers to(指) __________.

A．not leaving leaves behind

B．giving no excuse for your mistakes

C．doing a good job at the very beginning

D．missing things which can be found out

When the writer finished high school， maybe he was __________ years old.

A．fourteen

B．eighteen

C．twenty

D．twenty-two

Which of the following does the writer probably think is the most important?

A．Keeping learning from any job you had.

B．Asking no money for work.

C．Finishing work as quickly as possible.

D．Keeping looking for different jobs.

The writer probably thinks his father is __________.

A．lazy

B．helpful

C．careless

D．funny

                              House For Sale
Red Rose Garden， Pudong
3-story home， 509 sqm total (总的) land area， 428.8 sqm built-in， 312.2 sqm garden. Asking RMB 13 million (USD 1.57 million).
MP: 13761973547     Tel: [phone]    Fax: [phone]
Job Wanted
Cherry， 24， a shining girl， good at oral English and Putonghua. Now I am working at an international trade (国际贸易) company in Guangzhou. I am kind-hearted， hard-working and healthy， and would like part-time weekend work offering Putonghua lessons to foreign friends. If you are interested， please email me at [e-mail].
Beijing Snow World Ski Park
Price: 18 yuan (ticket)， 50 yuan/hour on weekdays and 70 yuan/hour on weekends， 120 yuan/four hours on weekdays and 190 yuan/four hours on weekends.
Tel : [phone]
If an Australian student wants to learn Chinese， he or she can __________.

A．call 021-58609228	B．fax [phone]
C．email [e-mail]	D．telephone [phone]

How many square meters is the garden of the house for sale?

A．509 sqm.

B．428.8 sqm.

C．312.2 sqm.

D．80.2 sqm.

Where is Cherry working now?

A．Shanghai.

B．Guangzhou.

C．Beijing.

D．Pudong.

If he goes skiing on __________ in Beijing Snow World Ski Park， Nick has to pay more money than on Tuesday.

A．Sunday

B．Friday

C．Wednesday

D．Monday

If you want to ski for four hours on weekdays， how much money will you pay at least?

A．138 yuan

B．200 yuan

C．208 yuan

D．280 yuan

Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated (附属) islands, which are made up of Diaoyu Dao, Huangwei Yu, Chiwei Yu, Nanxiao Dao, Beixiao Dao, Nan Yu, Bei Yu, Fei Yu and other islands, are in the northeast of China’s Taiwan Island, in the waters between 123°20′---124°40′E (东经) and 25°40′---26°00′N (北纬). They belong to the Taiwan Island. The total area of these islands is about 5.69 square kilometers.
Diaoyu Dao, in the western tip of the area, covers an area of about 3.91 square kilometers and is the largest island in the area. The highest part on the island stands 362 meters above the sea level. Huangwei Yu, which is about 27 kilometers to the northeast of Diaoyu Dao, is the second largest island in the area, with a total area of about 0.91 square kilometers and a highest height of 117 meters. Chiwei Yu, about 110 kilometers to the northeast of Diaoyu Dao, is the most eastern island in the area. It covers an area of about 0.065 square kilometers and stands 75 meters above the sea level.
Ancient ancestors (远古祖先) in China first discovered and named Diaoyu Dao through their fishing activities on the sea. In China’s historical books, Diaoyu Dao is also called Diaoyu Yu or Diaoyu Tai. The earliest historical record of the names of Diaoyu Dao, Chiwei Yu and other places can be found in the book Voyage with a Tail Wind published in 1403. It shows that China had already discovered and named Diaoyu Dao by the 14th and 15th centuries.
These historical reports clearly show that Diaoyu Dao and Chiwei Yu belong to China. The sea waters around Diaoyu Dao is traditionally（传统）Chinese fishing ground. Chinese fishermen have been involved in fishing activities in these waters for generations(世代).
Where is Diaoyu Dao?

A．In the northeast of China.

B．25°40′---26°00′E.

C．In the northwest of Taiwan Island.

D．123°20′----124°40′E .

The largest island of Diaoyu Dao is ___________ square kilometers.

A．5.69

B．3.91

C．0.91

D．0.065

The largest island of Diaoyu Dao is _______ meters taller than the second largest one.

A．245 meters	B．117 meters
C．75 meters	D．362 meters

How did ancient Chinese people find Diaoyu Island?

A．They grew up there.

B．They wrote historical books there.

C．They worked and fished on the sea there.

D．They drank water there.

Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Diaoyu Dao has more than 8 islands.

B．Huangwei Yu is about 110 kilometers to the northeast of Diaoyu Dao.

C．China had already named Diaoyu Dao by the 14th and 15th centuries.

D．The sea waters around Diaoyu Dao is traditionally Chinese fishing ground.

Are you looking for something fun and would you like to help others in your free time? Then join us to be a volunteer(志愿者)! We're a non-profit (非营利的) organization(组织). We have volunteer jobs of all ages. Anyone, from twelve-year-old children to people about seventy years old can become a volunteer.
You can help people in many ways. Schools need help with taking care of children while parents are working. Hospitals need volunteers to look after children while their parents are seeing a doctor. Animal lovers can help take care of those dogs and cats without homes. There is something for everyone.
"As a volunteer. I don't want to get anything. Seeing the children's happy faces, I'm happy, too." said Carlos Domingo. an old woman of 62. "I often played computer games in my- free time before. Now I help older people learn how to use computers," said another volunteer at the age of 18.
When do the volunteers help others?

A．In their free time.	B．At the weekend.
C．On weekdays.	D．At any time.

Who can be a volunteer?

A．Children.	B．Old women.
C．Anyone aged 12-70.	D．Parents.

What do volunteers want to get when they help others?

A．Money.	B．Computers.
C．Everything.	D．Nothing.

Carlos Domingo does volunteer work with_______.

A．animal lovers	B．children
C．her parents	D．older people

This April is a busy month in Shanghai. There’s a lot to do. Here is some information.
Live Music - Late Night Jazz
Enjoy real American jazz from Herbie Davis, the famous trumpet (小号) player. This is Herbie’s third visit to Shanghai. The first two were sold out, so get your tickets quickly.

Scottish Dancing
Take your partners and get ready to dance. Scottish dancing is fun and easy to learn.

Exhibitions - Shanghai Museum
There are 120,000 pieces on show here. You can see the whole of Chinese history there.

Dining - Sushi(寿司) in town
Sushi is getting really big in Shanghai. In Japan, it’s become an art form. The most famous Sushi ‘artist’ is Yuki Kamura. She’ll be at Sushi Restaurant all of this month.

For a full listing of events, see our website.
Suppose you are going to attend an activity at 8: 00p. m. on Saturday, which one can you choose?

A．Live Music - Late Night Jazz

B．Scottish dancing

C．Exhibitions - Shanghai Museum

D．Dining - Sushi in town

Which of the following is TRUE according to the advertisements?

A．Scottish dancing is so interesting and easy that you will never get bored.

B．The performance given by the American jazz will last for over two weeks.

C．Sushi is not popular in Shanghai as it is a kind of Japanese traditional food.

D．It is more interesting to visit Shanghai Museum for Japanese history.

From the text we may learn that Kamura is _________.

A．a cook	B．a waitress
C．an actress	D．an artist

Height is just one of the features your genes (基因) decide. In fact, because
you have two parents, your genes provide you a height that usually lands somewhere
between the height of each parent. If both your parents are tall, then most probably
you will be tall, too. But if you have questions about how tall you’re going to be,
ask your doctor if he or she can help you find them out.
But genes don’t decide everything. For example, eating an unhealthy diet can keep you from growing to your full potential (潜力). Getting plenty of sleep and enough exercise will help you grow to the expected height.
It’s natural that you’re wondering how fast you should grow. There’s no perfect or right answer. Generally speaking, kids grow about 6 cm a year between age 3 and the time when they start puberty.
Your doctor will know how your growth has been going over the years. 2 cm here and 3 cm there make a little difference to the height you’re at now. How have you been growing up to this height? What other changes may your body be going through?
Don’t be amazed if you seem to have grown a lot in a very short time. Everyone has a growth spurt (高峰) during puberty. The age for starting puberty is about 10 for girls and about 11 for boys. But it can be earlier or later — between 7 and 13 for girls and 9 and 15 for boys.
You’ll usually begin to notice that you’re growing faster about a year after your body starts to show the first changes of puberty.

If you want to know how tall you should grow, _______.

A．you should have enough exercise

B．you can record your growth during puberty

C．you should take some special medicine

D．you can ask doctors for help

The Chinese for the word “puberty” is _______.

A．童年时期	B．婴幼儿时期
C．生长发育期	D．习惯养成期

This passage is mainly about ______.

A．how the genes work in your body

B．how your parents’ height influence you

C．how you look like your parents

D．how you grow to a certain height

After reading this passage, we can explain ______.

A．how good it is to be a doctor

B．how much sleep time we need

C．why genes can’t decide everything

D．what healthy diet is

Which is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Girls’ age for starting puberty is usually earlier than that for boys’.

B．Your height most probably depends on how tall your parents are.

C．The features showing the first changes of puberty between boys and girls are different.

D．You may be amazed sometimes when you grow too fast.

Yesterday the police were joined by more than 20 volunteers in the continuing search for the two missing teenagers, Vicky Gray and Tom Hunter, and their guide, Gavin Jones. The police said that they had disappeared during an adventure tour of Cape York Peninsula.
This was the second day of the search and the police were now very worried about the safety of the three missing people.
The police said that the search had covered a wide area, but the rain forest was thick and their work was made harder by the recent rain. Later on Chief Inspector(警官) Roger Fleet said, “The travelers had a radio with them. If they had been in trouble, they would have called us.”
The three travelers left Cooktown very early on Saturday morning in a Toyota car. They took a small dirt road that runs down to the Daintree River, a dangerous river full of crocodiles. Chief Inspector Roger Fleet said the tourists wouldn’t have got into trouble if they had stayed on the main road.
A photo of Vicky and Tom was found by a policeman under the “Be careful about Crocodiles” sign near the river. Why was the photo left behind? This is just one of the unanswered questions. Other questions are: Why was the Toyota parked and locked at the edge of the rain forest? The police said that the travelers had left a map of the area behind. Why? Why had someone drawn a cross on the point where the car is? Is this a sign? What does it mean? If anyone can give information or has seen these three young people, contact the local police in Cooktown.
This article is probably taken from _____.

A．a newspaper	B．a magazine
C．a story book	D．a guide book

Which word best describes the search of the three missing people?

A．Helpless	B．Hard
C．Delightful	D．Successful

Which of the following things wasn’t found by the police?

A．A touring map	B．A photo of the travelers
C．The traveler’s radio	D．The traveler’s car

All the following are unanswered questions except __

A．Why they left a photo behind

B．Why they came to this area

C．Why their Toyota was parked in the place

D．Why a cross was drawn on the map

The article asks people to ____

A．join the police in searching for the missing people

B．tell the police about the travelers’ ages and their appearance

C．learn the lesson and stop taking adventure tours

D．provide information about the missing people

Does technology influence the purity of Chinese language? Yes!
Many Chinese use messenger tools such as MSN or QQ, listen to music on MP3 players and blog on the Internet using ADSL ,but most people don’t know the Chinese meanings of the abbreviations, as many English letters have become part of the local lexicon（专门词汇）. some parents are so crazy about English letters that a couple tried to name their baby "@", they say the character used in email addresses reflects their love for the child.
While the "@" is obviously familiar to Chinese e-mail users, they often use the English word "at" to pronounce it , which sounds like ai ta, or "love him", to Putonghua speakers.
“Nowadays, more and more English abbreviations are being used in Chinese, making them an important part of the modern language," said Hou Min, a professor at Communication University of China. "The abbreviations are very popular because they can be used easily," Hou said. "As more Chinese people learn foreign languages, especially English, in recent years, using abbreviations has become a trend（趋势）among some educated people," she said.
Some language scholars fear such usage will influence the purity of Chinese and cause confusion（混乱） in communication.
Which of the following is Not True according to the passage?

A．Only a few people know the Chinese meanings of the abbreviations.

B．People often use the English word " love him " to pronounce"@".

C．Many English letters are popular and have become part of the local lexicon.

D．Using abbreviations has become a trend among educated people in recent years.

Why do some parents name their baby"@"?

A．Because some parents feel "@"is very interesting.

B．Because some parents think "@"is a lucky word.

C．Because some parents want to show their love.

D．Because it is easy for children to write"@".

The underlined word “such usage ” in the passage refers to _______.

A．More and more Chinese abbreviations are being used in English

B．Chinese students can use Chinese in English correctly.

C．Many Chinese use messenger tools such as MSN or QQ, listen to music on MP3 players.

D．More and more English abbreviations are being used in Chinese

This passage mainly talks about_______.

A．English abbreviations isn’t used in Chinese widely.

B．Technology influences the purity of Chinese language.

C．Some parents think it important to name their baby "@".

D．Using abbreviations has become a trend among some educated people.

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: “I am blind, please help.” There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps(脚步) and asked: “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?” The man said: “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.” What he had written was: “Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it.”
Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing? Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply told people to help by putting some money in the hat. The second sign told people that they were able to enjoy the day, but the boy could not enjoy it because he was blind. The first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign reminded people they were lucky that they were not blind.
There are at least two lessons we can learn from this simple story. The first is: Be thankful for what you have. Someone else has less. Help where you can. The second is: Be creative. Think differently. There is always a better way!
What did the boy do on the street?

A．He sold his old hat.

B．He begged (乞讨) for money.

C．He was busy collecting coins.

D．He showed his good handwriting.

How did the man help the blind boy?

A．He took the boy’s sign away.

B．He gave the boy a lot of money.

C．He changed the words on the sign.

D．He asked other people to help the blind boy.

What does the underlined word "recognized" mean?

A．辨认出

B．看到

C．承认

D．注意到

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The man did nothing to help the blind boy except changing the words on the sign.

B．Before the man changed the words, the hat had been full.

C．Without the man’s help, the blind boy couldn’t get so much money.

D．The kind man was very thankful to the blind boy.

Which is the best title for the passage?

A．A kind and clever man.

B．A blind boy in the street.

C．Let’s help the disabled people.

D．Different words make a difference.

A few months ago I was at a bus stop in town in the evening. The bus came on time and I took the window seat. The bus was running by the seashore and I was enjoying the wind while watching the sea waves. After a few minutes the bus made its next stop. A young boy and a girl got on. They were standing on my left when the bus pulled off. I looked at them curiously and realized that all the window seats were taken up. They could sit but not together. Suddenly a different wave passed through my body and my mind gave me the advice to get up. I got up and gave them my seat. The young lady smiled kindly and said thanks. I took another seat. I don’t remember whether I got off the bus before them or not.
Months passed by. Suddenly one day while I was standing at the same bus stop waiting some time for the bus to arrive I heard a voice.
“Excuse me, Uncle.” I looked in the direction of the voice. It was a beautiful young lady.
Puzzled, I said, “I do not recognize you.”
She said, “Do you remember you gave us your window seat?”
Puzzled, I said, “Maybe, but what is so great in that?”
She said, “If you had not given your seat that day, perhaps I would have not sat with my friend. By sitting together it helped us break up a misunderstanding that had been between us for a long time. Do you know we are getting married next month?”
“Good! God bless both of you,” I replied.
The young lady again said thank you and went on her journey. I realized the importance of giving that day.
What does the underlined word “curiously” mean?

A．生气地

B．好奇地

C．惊喜地

D．失望地

Why were the young boy and the girl standing on the bus?

A．Because they wanted to enjoy the sea view.

B．Because they couldn’t sit together.

C．Because there were no empty seats.

D．Because they preferred to stand.

The author’s act of kindness helped the young boy and the girl ______.

A．begin to talk to each other again after a quarrel

B．sit together and become friends very soon

C．clear up a misunderstanding between them

D．know each other and get married

From the story, we can conclude（推断）that ______.

A．small things can create great happenings in life

B．it is giving rather than receiving that is important

C．offering one’s seat to others may win respect

D．we sometimes forget what happened in the past

Alice is a white dog. She is two.Bob is a brown dog. Bob and Alice are good friends. Look at the two dogs.
Bob:Good morning!
Alice: Good morning!
Bob:What’s this?
Alice: It’s a jacket. It’s my sister’s. Oh, my sister is Grace.
Bob:What’s that?
Alice:It’s a book. It’s Miss Miller’s book. She is an English teacher.
Bob:Well,dogs don’t like books.
Alice and Bob meet in the            .

A．morning

B．afternoon

C．evening

D．night

Grace is Alice’s             .

A．brother

B．teacher

C．sister

D．friend

Miss Miller is an            teacher.

A．Chinese

B．English

C．math

D．science

Alice and Grace are             .

A．jackets

B．teachers

C．books

D．dogs

Oxford University, said that time spent on homework showed the influence of the school—if children were expected to do homework and if they enjoy their subjects. “That’s one of the reasons Indian and Chinese children do better. They put more time in it.” he added.
It’s also reported that students who enjoyed school got better results. It is suggested that children aged 5 to 7 should be given one-hour homework a week, half an hour a night for 7 to 11-year-olds, two hours a night for 14 to 16-year-olds.
“Headteachers should make their own homework policy (规定),” the government says.
Idian and Chinese children do better in their lessons. Why?

A．Because they put more time in it.

B．Because they live in school all day.

C．Because they have little homework.

D．Because they like school better than homework.

It is suggested that 5 to 7-year-old children should be given ______.

A．one-hour homework a night	B．half an hour homework a night
C．Two- hour homework a week	D．one-hour homework a week

From the passage, we can know that ______.

A．Students should become interested in their results.

B．Headteachers should make their own homework policy.

C．Parents should encourage their children to do more homework.

D．Students should do homework as much as possible.

Mr Brown is one of my friends. He can run very fast and likes to show people how fast he can run. One day, a thief（小偷）got into his house, took some of his things and ran out of  the house fast. Mr Brown found it and ran after him, and shouted, “Hey! Don’t you know you can’t get away from me.”But the thief ran much faster, Mr Brown got angry and ran faster, too. He was soon a few kilometers away from his house, he was running hard when he met me. “Why are you running so fast?” I asked. “I want to catch a thief,” said Mr Brown. “But where is the thief?” I asked. “Kilometers and kilometers behind,” said Mr Brown proudly, “He thought he could run faster than me, but you see he is wrong.”
Did the thief steal（偷）anything from Brown’s house?

A．Yes, he has.	B．No, he wasn’t.
C．Yes, he did.	D．No, he didn’t.

Who ran faster, Mr Brown or the thief?

A．No one.

B．The writer.

C．Mr Brown.

D．The thief.

Did Mr Brown catch the thief?

A．Yes, he did.	B．No, he didn’t.
C．Yes, but he let him go away.	D．No, but his friend did.

What did Mr Brown do when he found the thief?

A．He ran after him.	B．He was angry with him.
C．He caught him.	D．He stayed far behind him.

What does the underlined word “proudly” mean? It means __________.

A．自豪地

B．难过地

C．兴奋地

D．不慌不忙地

Once, a king had a great highway built for his people. Just before it was opened to the public, the king decided to have a contest(竞赛). He invited his people to take part in the contest. Their challenge was to see who could travel the highway the best.
On the day of the contest, some people came to the highway in fine clothing; some had fancy hairstyles or brought great food. Some young men came in their sports clothes and ran along the highway. People raveled(使错综复杂) the highway all day. But each one, when he or she completed the trip, complained(抱怨) to the king that there was a large pile of stones in the way that had blocked his or her travels.
At the end of the day, a lonely traveler crossed the finishing line and walked over to the king. He was tired and dirty, but he showed the king great respect and handed him a bag of gold. He explained: "I stopped along the way to clear a pile of stones that was blocking the road. This bag of gold was under it all. I want you to return it to its rightful owner."
The king replied: "You are the rightful owner. You've earned(赚) this gold, for you won my contest."
The man won the contest just because he was the only one who stopped to make the road smoother(平整). Sometimes, the greatest prize comes not from helping yourself, but from helping others.
What did the man do during the contest?

A．He complained as the other people had.

B．He gave up before he got to the stones.

C．He cleared the pile of stones.

D．He blocked the road with stones.

What does the underlined word "blocking" mean?

A．街区

B．一块

C．砖头

D．阻塞

Why could the man win the contest?

A．Because he was willing to help others.

B．Because he gave the king some gold.

C．Because he traveled the fastest.

D．Because he showed the king respect.