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The pencil is a very simple object. However, it took hundreds of people over centuries to make it what it’s like today.
The story of the pencil starts with graphite（石墨）.People cut it into small sticks and use them to write or draw. Around 1560, an Italian couple named Simonio and Lyndiana Bemacotti added wood holders to the graphite sticks. However, since the graphite is too soft, the pencils were easy to break. In 1795, in France, Nicolas-Jacques Conte worked out a method of mixing graphite powders with clay（黏土）. In this way, people made strong pencil cores（铅笔芯）. To this day, the method is still used in making pencils.
It was Henry David Thoreau who came up with the grading scale（分级量表）for different hardnesses of pencils. It was graded one through four, and grade two is the proper hardness for general use. The softer the pencil is, the more graphite it has in it, and the darker the line is. The harder the pencil is, the more clay it has, and the lighter the line is. Nowadays, pencils marked 2B are usually used in exams to mark answers. Pencils marked HB are usually used in daily writing. People usually use pencils of different hardness and blackness to draw different parts of a picture.
When pencils were handmade, they were made round. Then an American Joseph Dixon developed machines to make pencils. Later people found out it was easier and less wasteful to make a pencil which has six sides.
There is a pencil for everyone and every pencil has a story. The Blackwing 602 is famous for being used by a lot of writes. And then, you have the Dixon pencil company. It’s what people think of when they think of a pencil and what they most probably will buy when their children are about to learn to write.
In my opinion, there’s nothing that can be done to make the pencil better than it is.
1. Who improved the hardness of pencils?| A．Joseph Dia. | B．Nicolas-Jacquces Conte. |
| C．Henry David Thoreau. | D．Simonio and Lyndiana Bernacotti. |
| A．The grading scale. | B．The story of the pencil. |
| C．To make the pencil round. | D．To make a pencil which has six sides. |
| A．The development of pencils. | B．The main inventors of pencils. |
| C．What pencils are made out of. | D．Why pencils are widely used. |
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【推荐1】Paper is one of the most important products ever invented by man. The invention of paper meant that more people could be educated because more books could be printed. Paper provided an important way to communicate with knowledge.
Paper was first made in China about 2,000 years ago. In Egypt and the West, paper was not very commonly used before the year 1400. Paper was not made in southern Europe until about the year 1100. After that, the forest countries of Canada, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the United States became the most important in paper-making. Today Finland makes the best paper in the world.
When we think of paper, we think of newspapers, books, letters, envelopes, and writing paper. So paper plays an important role in our lives.
Paper is very good for keeping you warm. Houses are often insulated with paper. You have perhaps seen homeless men sleep on a large number of newspapers. They are insulating themselves from the cold. In Finland, in winter it is sometimes 40 degrees below zero. The farmers wear paper boots in the snow. Nothing could be warmer.
1. The invention of paper meant ___________.| A．more people could be educated |
| B．more books could be printed |
| C．paper is one of the most important products |
| D．paper was invented by man |
| A．Before 1100. | B．After 1400. | C．After 1100. | D．Before 1400. |
| A．Norway. | B．Canada. | C．The United States. | D．Finland. |
| A．远离 | B．隔离 | C．用……制成 | D．包围 |
The Indians went to America because the weather began to change. Northern Asia became very cold. Everything froze. They had to move or they would die. How did the first Indians go to America? They walked!
Later Columbus found the New World in 1492. At first, only a few Europeans followed. They traveled to America in boats. For the next 300 years, about 500,000 people went there. Then the number grew very quickly. From 1815 to 1915, over 32,000,000 Europeans left their countries for the United States. The biggest groups went from Germany and Italy. These Europeans spoke many different languages. Most of them took almost no money. They went to America so they could find a better life.
1. ________ went to America first.
| A．People from northern Asia |
| B．People from Italy |
| C．People from Germany |
| D．Columbus |
| A．northern Asia became very hot |
| B．northern Asia became very cold |
| C．they were interested in America |
| D．they liked traveling |
| A．Italy | B．northern Asia | C．Germany | D．America |
| A．didn’t speak the same language |
| B．spoke English |
| C．spoke German only |
| D．spoke both English and German |
| A．find the New world |
| B．find a better life |
| C．build more boats |
| D．learn English |
【推荐3】The Tower of London is in the north bank of the River Thames．According to the history，King Edward of England had promised to give the throne to William，Duke of Normandy．But at last he gave the throne to Harold Godwinson，his English brother in law．
William was quite angry that he was not the king．He sent his army to fight against England and on October 14，1066，the Duke’s Norman soldiers won，and later，William became the king．At the beginning，the new king thought the people of London did not obey rules．And the new king felt that he needed to protect himself and keep the wild people of London in line．So he built the Tower of London soon．
The tower was a changing project for the kings of England．King after king built upon the Tower adding walls and smaller towers around it．Around the year 1240 King Henry III made the Tower of London his home．He whitewashed the tower，widened the grounds to include a church，and added a great hall and other buildings．The Normans called the tower “La Tour Blanche（White tower）”．
As time went by，the addition of other smaller towers，extra buildings，walls and walkways，became the splendid example of castle，fortress，prison，palace and finally museum that we enjoy today．
根据材料内容选择最佳答案。
1. The underlined word“throne”probably means“ ”．
| A．the position of being a king | B．the position of being a soldier |
| C．the right to use the power | D．the right to lead the army |
| A．600 years | B．700 years | C．800 years | D．1，000 years |
| A．King Edward didn’t keep his promise． | B．William hated the people of London． |
| C．King Edward died in England． | D．William had the strongest army． |
| A．Kind Edward． | B．William | C．Harold Godwinson | D．King henry III． |
| A．It has been made bigger over the centuries． | B．It is the biggest prison in the world． |
| C．It is the tallest Building in the world． | D．It is in the north of London． |
【推荐1】Hi, I’m Tom ! This is a pencil box . It’s orange .It’s my pencil box .What’s in the pencil box ? A ruler is in it .It’s my ruler .The ruler is blue and red .That is a pencil .It is black and white .It is not my pencil .Look（看）！That girl is Anna. It is her pencil .That boy is John .I found his green pen in the school library. I call John at 862-5509 .It is his phone number .
1. What color is the pencil box ?| A．It’s orange. | B．It’s blue and red . | C．It’s green. | D．It’s white . |
| A．pencil | B．pen | C．ruler | D．eraser |
| A．Tom’s | B．Anna’s | C．John’s | D．David’s |
【推荐2】Hello, I am John. I come from England. This is my home in China. I’ve got a small room. It is clean(干净的) and bright(明亮的). There’s a desk, two chairs and a bed in the room. The door is here. The window is there. I have a computer on the desk. There are some books and a bag on the desk, too. The chairs are next to the desk. The bed is near the window. Under(在……下面) the bed there are shoes(鞋) and a ball.
1. John is from ________.| A．England | B．China | C．America | D．Japan. |
| A．a book | B．a television | C．a computer | D．a chair |
| A．on the desk | B．under the chairs | C．under the bed | D．in the bag |
| A．are two beds | B．is a chair | C．are two doors | D．is a desk |
| A．one home. It’s in China |
| B．one home. It’s in England. |
| C．two homes. One is in China, one is in America. |
| D．two homes. One is in China, one is in England |
This is John’ s room. It’s very nice. You can see a window（窗户） in the wall. Under the window you can see a green desk. A tape player is on the desk. You can see a white bed in the room, and you can see a clock on the bed. You can see two books on the floor. Can you see any pictures on the wall? Yes, you can see two. Where is John’s cat? Oh，It’s under his bed.
1. We can see a white desk in John’s room.2. A tape player is on the desk.
3. A clock is on the floor.
4. Two pictures are on the floor.
5. John’s cat is under his bed.
【推荐1】These days many students like to make friends online. Most of them think it’s interesting to know an unknown person through the Internet. So many students like to use computers to talk with those friends. And they spend too much time on it. Some of them can not do well in their school work. Their parents often don’t think the children are as good as before. So many teachers and parents are worried about their children.
In fact, only very few of them can get real good friends in this way. Most of them were cheated by those unseen friends. And some of the students did wrong things online. It’s terrible for students to use too much time to make friends and talk online. So we should be cautious about making friends online and should not spend too much time on it. We’d better spend more time on study. We will be happy when we do well in school and at home.
1. Many students like to make friends online because ________.| A．they are interested in it | B．they can learn better in this way |
| C．they always get real friends in this way | D．they are friendly to each other |
| A．All | B．Many | C．Some | D．Few |
| A．热衷 | B．谨慎 | C．拒绝 | D．鞭打 |
| A．We should never make friends online |
| B．Making online friends is more important than study |
| C．It’s really happy that we students do well in school and at home |
| D．It’s necessary for us to talk with our online friends every day |
【推荐2】When the air is polluted we wear masks to protect ourselves. What about bees and butterflies? They can’t wear masks (口罩）.
New Scientist magazine recently reported findings from James Ryalls and his team at the University of Reading, UK. Their study found that air pollution is harmful to pollinators (传花粉) —insects like bees and butterflies. They can’t smell flowers because of the pollution.
Pollinators are important.They spread pollen (花粉) among plants with flowers. This helps the flower produce seed and fruit. Without pollinators, farms cannot make food. We all need pollinators.
To do their study, Ryalls’ team built eight areas. Then, they piped (吹送) nitrogen oxide (氧化氮) and ozone (臭氧) into six of these areas. The other two areas had normal air. They were the control group.
“The results were much more serious than we thought,” said Ryalls. The levels of pollution in their tests were similar to “normal road traffic”. In such conditions, 70% fewer insects entered the area. Once they were there, they didn’t hang around. Visits to flowers decreased by up to 90%.
Scientists explained that gases like nitrogen oxide and ozone can break down the smell of flowers. This makes it hard for insects to find their food.
Maybe the most frightening thing is that the researchers created pollution levels that were legal (合法的) in the UK. Shannon Olsson, a scientist in India, called the results “important” because they show that “safe” levels of pollution keep pollinators away.
“Air pollution is another stress on insects,” said Ryalls. “That adds to all the other stresses ...causing their numbers to decline (减少).”
1. What problem may air pollution cause to pollinators-insects?| A．They may have less food to eat. | B．They may eat more fruit and vegetables. |
| C．They can't smell flowers, so they spread less pollen. | D．They may stop flowers giving out smell. |
| A．They recorded insects’ activities on farms next to busy roads. |
| B．They brought clean air to places with serious air pollution. |
| C．They piped nitrogen oxide and ozone into eight areas. |
| D．They compared insect behavior in areas with polluted air and normal air. |
| A．They found food more easily. | B．They could not find each other. |
| C．They hung out more often. | D．They visited flowers less. |
| A．Pollinators will only work in a “safe” environment. |
| B．Even “safe” levels of pollution affect pollinators badly. |
| C．The law will have less control over air pollution. |
| D．An environment that is safe for insects is not safe for humans. |
| A．Stresses that insects are facing. | B．Different levels of air pollution in the UK. |
| C．The effects of air pollution on pollinating insects. | D．Causes of air pollution in big cities. |
【推荐3】The year 2022 will be big year for sports in China. That's because it will hold not only the 24th Winter Olympics in Beijing, but also Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Hangzhou won the hosting right for the 2022 Asian Games in 2015. On August 6th, 2018, the official emblem for the Hangzhou Asian Games was released. And Hangzhou will be the third Chinese city to host the Asian Games after Beiiing and Guanghou in 1990 and 2010.
First held in 1951, the Asian Games is the largest sport event in Asia. It also means a lot to China. The Beijing Asian Games was the first large international sports event to be hosted by China, China News Service reported.
To make the Games a great success ,Chinese people worked hard to prepare. Beijing built a great number of roads and gyms, including the famous Beijing Olympic Sports Center and Asian Games village. The Games helped the world see China and its achievement. Since then, China has improved its global image, China Youth Daily reported.
For the 2022 Asian Games, Hangzhou has already started building 33 sports venues, according to China Youth Daily. The themes of the Hangzhou Asian Games are"green, smart, economical and civilised". All the Games' buildings will be environmentally friendly.
Word Bank Asian Games亚运会 hosting right主办权 emblem release徽章发布 gym体育馆 achievement成就 global image全球形象 venues场馆 economical节俭的 civilised文明的 |
根据材料内容选择最佳答案。
1. Which city will host the 2022 Asian Games?
| A．Hangzhou. | B．Guangzhou. | C．Shanghai. | D．Beijing |
| A．the Winter Olympics. | B．the Asian Games. |
| C．sport event. | D．Asia. |
| A．It improved the lives of Chinese people. | B．It helped China receive more tourists. |
| C．A lot of roads and gyms are built. | D．It helped the world see China and its achievements. |
| A．The first Asian Cames was held in 1951 |
| B．Beijing will hold the 24th Winter Olympics in 2022. |
| C．China has already hosted the Asian Games three times. |
| D．All the 19th Asian Games' buildings will be environmentally friendly |
| A．How to prepare for the Asian Games. |
| B．The development of the Asian Games in China. |
| C．Why China wants to host the 19th Asian Games. |
| D．How the 19th Asian Games emblem was released. |
Hello, I’m Peter. Mary is my uncle’s daughter. She’s a nice girl. She is in Maple Middle School. She has (有) four friends in the school. Her favorite (最喜欢的) color is yellow. She’s in a yellow jacket. She has a yellow schoolbag. And her pens, pencils and erasers are yellow, too. Her telephone number is 693-8749 and you can e-mail her at mary@126.com.
Bob is my aunt’s son. He’s in Maple Middle School, too. He’s welcome in the school and he has five friends. His favorite color is brown. His ID card, schoolbag and watch are brown. His telephone number is 687-3694 and you can e-mail him at bob@126.com.
1. Mary and Bob are Peter’s cousins.2. Bob’s favorite color is yellow.
3. Mary has five friends in the school.
4. We can call Bob at 687-3694.
5. Mary and Bob are in the same (相同的) school.
My son finished his last week of school. During that week, I became a school mom. They had a class party at a teacher’s house, so I volunteered (志愿) to drive some of the students and attend the party. That was the last week my son would be with them. So it was time for me to spend time with them. I had lunch with the class and then attended their meeting. I never had time to be with the class before. I found it very interesting and my son was happy to show off that.
1. To the writer, the best thing to do on her vacation is .
| A．to play with her child |
| B．to have a good rest |
| C．to work from day to night |
| D．to go to a new place |
| A．don’t like looking at others’ vacation pictures |
| B．often help their children’s teachers |
| C．often work for their children’s classes |
| D．like showing them off in the school |
| A．the teacher’s birthday |
| B．the teacher’s child’s birthday |
| C．the children’s graduation (毕业) |
| D．the finishing of their vacation |
| A．组织 | B．离开 | C．观赏 | D．参加 |
| TV PROGRAMMES | |
| Channel 1 | Channel 2 |
| 18:oo Around China 18:30 Children’s Program 19:00 News 19:30 Weather Report 19:40 Around the World 20:10 TV Play : Sister 21:00 English for Today 21:15 Popular Music 21:55 Talk Show | 17:45 Computer Study 18:10 Foreign Arts 18:30 English Classroom 19:00 Animal World 19:25 China Today 20:20 Sports 21:00 Film: Harry PorterⅠ 21:45 English News 22:05 On TV Next Week |
1. At what time can you probably watch a football match？
| A．20:10 | B．20:20 | C．19:00 | D．18:00 |
| A．Sisters | B．Around China | C．Around the World | D．China Today |
| A．TV play | B．Animal World | C．Foreign Arts | D．Talk Show |
| A．19:30 Channel 1. | B．17:45 Channel 2 |
| C．19:40 channel 1 | D．19:25 Channel 2 |
| A．News | B．People | C．Programs on next week | D．Sports |
