【推荐1】

Pliny the Elder (老普林尼) wrote the first encyclopaedia with the help of his nephew. This work was made up of 37 books and had many subjects such as anthropology(人类学) and painting. Through the following few centuries, encyclopaedias were connected to religion (宗教). The first Christian edition appeared in 560 AD, and the first Muslim volume came to light soon after.

    One of the longest encyclopaedias ever was produced in 1403 when The Yongle Encyclopaedia《永乐大典》appeared in China. It had 11,095 volumes. Most of the original work has been lost. Through the centuries, and people can see less than 400 volumes today. The word “encyclopaedia” coming from Greek means “a general knowledge”. It has been in use for at least 500 years.
    In the 20th century, the Encyclopaedia Britannica became the most well known western work of this type. At the same time, topical encyclopaedias became the most popular, covering different topics. At the end of the century, many publishers began to publish them in digital formats such as Compact Discs (CDs) and Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs).
1. How many books did the first encyclopaedia have?

A．Thirty-seven.

B．Twenty-seven.

C．Thirty-eight.

D．Seventeen.

2. When did The first Christian edition appear?

A．In 37 AD

B．In 560 AD

C．Before 37 AD

D．Before 560 AD

3. Where was the word “encyclopaedia” from?

A．Chinese.

B．English.

C．German.

D．Greek.

4. Which of the encyclopaedias began to be the most popular in the 20th century?

A．The Yongle Encyclopaedia.	B．Topical encyclopaedias.
C．The Encyclopaedia Britannica.	D．The first Christian edition.

5. The passage is about_______.

A．the history of encyclopaedias

B．the kinds of encyclopaedias

C．one of the longest encyclopaedias

D．the most popular encyclopaedia

【推荐2】Stanford is a world famous university on the west coast of the US.     1    , because the poor boy died of a strange disease.

Tourists are often surprised at the beauty of Stanford. Among the green trees, buildings with yellow walls and red tops make up a beautiful picture.     2    . That's because they were the favorites of Mrs. Stanford.

    3    . It stands at the center. It was built by Mrs. Stanford to remember her husband who devoted himself to the university. There, students and teachers can communicate with God, and they can also hold great activities, such as concerts and celebrations.

    4    . It is the landmark of the university. A man named Hoover had done a lot for the university. The things he once used can be seen on the first floor. On the top of the tower, tourists can have a good look at the whole campus.

As one of the world top universities, Stanford has many subjects that stand among the top ones in the world.     5    . If you want to study computer in a university abroad, maybe it is your best choice.

A. And computer science has been the first for many years B. The tallest building in Stanford is Hoover Tower C. Many tourists wonder why yellow and red were chosen D. The Big Church is the most important building in Stanford E. It was built by Stanford and his wife in memory of their only son

【推荐3】If you grow up in America, you must know this little foodie (美食家）rhyme, “You scream! I scream! We all scream for ice cream!” For most Americans, the phrase “ice cream” brings out memories of summer. Ice cream is the oldest fashioned treat, and it has an ancient history.

The emperors of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD) are believed to have been the first to eat "a frozen milk-like dessert", which was made with milk heated with flour. Later, camphor(樟脑)was added to improve the taste.

In Medieval Times, Arabs enjoyed an icy drink called sherbet(冰冻果子露）). This cold drink often went with fruits. Over time, the drink became popular with the European upper class. Italians are said to have learned this drink-making skill, with the French following soon after.

The 17th century saw ice drinks made into frozen desserts. With sugar added, sorbet (雪酪)was created, Antonio Latini (1642-1692) is the first person to create a milk-based sorbet, which is considered as the first “official” ice cream.

It is impossible to say how exactly ice cream reached America, but it probably arrived with Europeans in the early 1700's. In 1790, the first ice cream store opened in New York. During the summer of the same year, our first president, George Washington, is said to have spent $200 to satisfy (满足)his thirst for the lovely treat. The Lincolns had a taste for the cold stuff. Abraham Lincoln's wife Mary Todd often hosted "strawberry parties" for friends to celebrate berry season. Fresh strawberries were served with cake and ice cream.

Ice cream has become one of the most popular desserts in America. Apple pie might be the most traditional American dessert, but what is served as its most popular close friend? Vanilla (香草）ice cream, of course! This creamy iced treat has strongly planted itself in the hearts of foodies across America.

1. Why does the writer mention the rhyme at the beginning of the passage?

A．To explain why ice cream is popular.	B．To support his view.
C．To introduce the topic.	D．To advertise ice cream.

2. In which order did ice cream develop?
a. milk-based sorbet        b. frozen milk-like dessert        c. Vanilla ice cream        d. cold drinks with fruits

A．b→d→a→c	B．d→a→c→b
C．c→a→d→b	D．b→a→d→c

3. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．Camphor brought a better taste to the milk-like dessert.

B．Sherbet was often mixed with fruits.

C．Sugar was added to frozen dessert in the 17th century.

D．In America, apple pies are usually served with strawberry ice cream.

4. According to Paragraph 5, we can infer that ________.

A．it must be Europeans who introduced ice cream to America

B．ice cream was so expensive that only American presidents could afford it

C．when he was thirsty, George Washington usually bought ice cream

D．the writer is an American

【推荐1】Tom was ten years old, and he was a very lazy boy, He didn't like doing any work. He had to go to school of course, but he didn't study hard there and tried to do as little work as possible. His father and mother were both doctors and they hoped that their son would become one, too, when he grew up. But one day Tom said to his mother, "When I finish school, I want to be a dustman." "A dustman?" his mother asked, she was very surprised. "That's not a very pleasant job, why do you want to become a dustman?" "Because then I would only have to work one day a week." Tom answered at once. "Only one day a week?" his mother said, "What do you mean? and how do you know?" "Well", Tom replied, "I know that the dustmen who come to our house on work on Thursday, because I only see them on that day."
1. What kind of boy was Tom?

A．Tom was a clever boy.

B．Tom was a boy who didn't like to work.

C．Tom was a boy who worked very hard.

2. What did Tom say he wanted to be?

A．Tom said that he wanted to be a person who collected rubbish and emptied the dustbins.

B．Tom said that he wanted to be a person who taught the children at school.

C．Tom said that he wanted to be a person who worked in a hospital.

3. Why did Tom think that dustmen only worked one day a week?

A．Because Tom heard of this.

B．Because one of the dustmen had told him before.

C．Because Tom had seen the dustmen only on Thursday at his house.

【推荐2】Long ago, there was a man going from the State of Wei to the State of Chu. He took much money and food, found a good wheeler (车夫) and a horse, and then began his trip.

Chu was to the south of Wei, but this man couldn’t tell the difference when the wheeler rode away to the north. On the way, he met a traveler. When the traveler knew that he was going to Chu, he asked, “Chu is in the south. When can you arrive there if you go north?” The man didn’t care, because his horse was the best and could run quickly. The traveler said, “Your horse is fast, but it will be farther and farther away from Chu in this direction. You will never reach Chu.”

The man still didn’t worry about that, because he took enough money and food. So the traveler said, “But you’re still going the wrong way.” The man said, “It doesn’t matter. My wheeler is very skilled!” After hearing that, the traveler didn’t say anything and watched helplessly as the man went away.

1. Where did the man come from?

A．The State of Wei.	B．The State of Chu.
C．The State of Yan.	D．The State of Qi.

2. Which is the right way the man should go?

A．

B．

C．

D．

3. What does the underlined word “direction” mean in Paragraph 2?

A．时期

B．态度

C．方向

D．速度

4. Which of the following words can best describe the traveler?

A．Lazy.	B．Warm-hearted.
C．Careless.	D．Funny.

5. What’s the purpose (目的) of the passage?

A．To teach us not to travel alone.

B．To tell us to follow our own ideas.

C．To tell us not to believe in strangers.

D．To tell us to know our way to success clearly (清晰的).

【推荐3】

Maybe cars are one of the most important inventions. It is convenient to travel for people especially for American. Cars were widely used by American thanks to Henry Ford. He produced a simple car called the Model T. He sold the car at a low price that many Americans could afford. The car was easy to operate and became part of everyday life in the United States, Henry Ford put America on wheels.

Henry Ford was born July 30, 1863. He grew up on a farm, but he disliked farm work. He liked machines. At the age of 16, Ford got a job in a machine shop. In his spare time, he built engines. After years of experiments, Ford produced his first car in 1896.

Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903. Ford wanted to produce large numbers of cars at low cost. He brought out the first Model T in 1908.

Ford set up factories that could make cars fast. As cars were being built on a line, each worker along the line did one set of tasks, on car after car.

Workers often found their work boring. Many of them left after a short time. To keep his workers, Ford doubled the pay for his workers.

Ford started a charity, the Ford Foundation in 1936. When Ford died in 1947, he left most of his money to the Ford Foundation. The Ford Foundation is still giving money to help poor countries and poor areas.

1. How old was Henry Ford when he produced the first car?

A．33.

B．45.

C．36.

D．47.

2. What is the meaning of the underlined sentence "Henry Ford put America on wheels"?

A．Henry Ford gave Americans wheels.

B．Henry Ford let many Americans have cars.

C．Henry Ford set up factories that produced wheels.

D．Henry Ford bought many wheels.

3. Why did the workers leave the factory after a short time?

A．Because they didn't get enough money.

B．Because their jobs were dangerous.

C．Because they found their work boring.

D．Because there was too much noise.

4. Who did Henry Ford give most of this money to _________?

A．His family.

B．His country.

C．His friends.

D．The Ford Foundation.

5. What is the passage mainly about _________?

A．Cars called the Model	B．Henry Ford
C．The Ford Foundation	D．The Ford Motor Company