Do you know what the world’s highest waterfall is? You may say that they are Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls are really beautiful, but in terms of the height, the most fantastic one in the world are Angel Falls. They are deep in the jungles(丛林) of Venezuela.
Few people have ever seen Angel Falls. It’s very hard to get there. If you go there on foot, you have to travel for weeks through thick jungles. If you go by plane from Caracas, a city on the southern coast, it will take about four hours.
One of the most interesting facts about Angel Falls is how they were found. They were named after an American pilot. His name was Jimmy Angel. In 1937, his plane crashed(坠毁) near the top of the falls. That’s how he found them.
Angel Falls drop nearly a kilometer from a table-top mountain. The water seems to be dropping straight out of the clouds. The height of the falls is very great. By the time the water reaches the ground it has already turned into fog(雾).
1. Niagara Falls are very ________ according to the passage.| A．small | B．big | C．dangerous | D．beautiful |
| A．the tickets are very expensive | B．it isn’t easy to get there |
| C．there aren’t enough hotels to live in | D．visitors can only get there on foot |
| A．four hours | B．forty hours | C．several days | D．several weeks |
| A．A pilot from Caracas. | B．A man in Venezuela. |
| C．An American pilot. | D．An American visitor. |
| A．The Most Interesting Place | B．How to Visit Angel Falls |
| C．Who Found Angel Falls | D．The World’s Highest Waterfall |
Antarctica Desert | Antarctica is a continent (大陆) of ice. There is hardly any rain in Antarctica, so the Antarctic Desert becomes the driest desert in the world. It is also the world’s largest desert by area. |
Sahara Desert | The Sahara Desert is the hottest of all the deserts on the earth. It covers most parts of North Africa and is similar in size to the land area of the USA. The word “sahara” in Arabic mean s “desert”. |
Arabian Desert | The Arabian Desert is in Asia on the Arabian peninsula. It covers almost the entire Arabian Peninsula. The sand here has a red-orange color and the surface of the Arabian Desert is covered mainly by sand hills, some gravel plains (砾石平原) and rocky plains. |
Mojave Desert | The Mojave Desert is in the USA. It is the driest desert on the North American continent. Death Valley, one of the hottest areas in the world, is in the Mojave Desert. Mojave comes from the Spanish word for “beside the water”. |
| A．The Antarctica Desert. |
| B．The Sahara Desert. |
| C．The Arabian Desert. |
| D．The Mojave Desert. |
| A．It is the hottest desert in the world. |
| B．It is the largest desert in the world. |
| C．It is the coldest desert in the world. |
| D．It is the driest desert on the North American continent. |
| A．Red. | B．Orange. | C．Red-orange. | D．Red-yellow. |
3 . There are many modern ways of shopping in America today. Do you know all of them?
One popular way is catalogue shopping (目录购物). There are catalogues for almost anything you need—like clothes, toys, computers, things to cook with and so on.
Another ways is shopping by TV. It began around 1986. About 5% to 8% of the Americans now shop by TV. People say that it is easy. TV shopping is late at night, so people can go shopping happily after a day’s work.
Online shopping is interesting to more and more people. Is online shopping the way tomorrow? Now people can use their computers to buy many different things, such as computers flowers, food and clothes. Soon people may be able to shop for anything, anytime and anywhere the world.
根据短文选择正确答案。
1. How many ways of shopping are mentioned (提及) in the passage?
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. |
| A．1986 | B．1998 | C．2000 |
| A．Boring. | B．Easy. | C．Difficult. |
| A．Some | B．Few | C．More and more |
| A．Catalogue shopping | B．TV shopping | C．Modern shopping |
4 . The Old Man and the Sea is a short novel（小说）by the famous American writer Ernest Hemingway. He wrote it in 1951 when he was 52 years old and it is one of his best-known works. Three years later, Hemingway won the Nobel Prize in Literature（诺贝尔文学奖）for it.
The book tells a story of an old fisherman called Santiago. After 84 days without catching a fish out in the sea, he is hungry, poor and alone. The other villagers keep away from him because they think his bad luck might make them unlucky too. Finally, his luck changes and he hooks（钓）a huge fish. With much difficulty, he brings it onto his boat. But his troubles are not over. Some sharks（鲨鱼）try to take away his catch. He succeeds in fighting off the sharks with the help of a boy named Manolin. Unluckily, he loses the fish. He is still hopeful about his life and develops a good friendship with Manolin in the end.
I like the book because the story is interesting. I like the character of Santiago because he shows a lot of courage and perseverance（勇气和毅力）. The story makes me think a lot and its language is simple and beautiful. I will surely tell my friends about it. I think they will like it too.
根据短文内容，从下面各小题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
1. Hemingway won the Nobel Prize in Literature in ________.
| A．1951 | B．1954 | C．1956 | D．1960 |
| A．lazy | B．strict | C．unlucky | D．unfriendly |
| A．A boy | B．A villager | C．A policeman | D．A fisherman |
| A．sad | B．happy | C．excited | D．hopeful |
| A．easy and difficult | B．difficult but moving |
| C．easy and interesting | D．difficult but interesting |
5 . Lanterns have been part of Chinese culture for centuries, there were mainly three kinds of lanterns:
Palace lantern (宫灯) They were mainly used in palaces in ancient times. When making palace lanterns, fine wood was used. The palace lanterns were covered with silk or glass. These lanterns were not only used as lights but also as decorations (装饰) in palaces.
Gauze lantern (纱灯) Red gauze was used when making gauze lanterns. In Chinese culture, red lanterns are symbols of happiness and good wishes. So red lanterns are always hung on important festivals such as Lantern Festival, Spring Festival and National Day. In some famous Chinatowns abroad, you can see red lanterns all the year round. They have become a symbol of Chinese culture worldwide.
Shadow—picture lantern (走马灯) The shape of shadow—picture lantern was much like that of the palace lantern. There were two layers (层) of covers. Pictures were drawn on the inside layer and appeared on the outside cover when they were moving.
Nowadays, more modern technology is used to make lanterns. The shapes of the modern lanterns have changed a lot, too.
根据短文内容，判断下列句子意思与原文是否相符，相符的选T，不相符的选F。
1. In ancient times, fine wood was used to make palace lanterns.
2. Red lanterns are symbols of happiness and good wishes in Chinese culture.
3. You can see red lanterns in some famous Chinatowns abroad only in Spring Festival.
4. The shape of shadow—picture lantern was much like that of the gauze lantern.
5. Modern technology is used when making lanterns.
6 . It’s often said, “You can’t live only on air.” But now the Chinese scientists can tell you: Maybe you can.
Recently, some Chinese scientists have made a big breakthrough (突破). They turned CO2 into starch (淀粉).
Starch is the main part of rice and corn that we eat every day. Usually, it’s created by plants with CO2, water and sunlight. According to the team’s director Ma Yanhe, it takes the plants nearly sixty steps to produce starch. But now, the team, after six years of hard work, has found a simpler way to do this, with only eleven steps.
“Our study shows that creating something like starch is possible in a laboratory, and this technology may be helpful in many areas,” said Ma.
The scientists first turned CO2 and hydrogen (氢气) into methanol (甲醇). Then they made these methanol molecules (分子) into bigger and more complex (复杂的) molecules. Finally the starch came out.
This method makes it possible to produce food in factories instead of traditional farming. This will not only help make plenty of food, but also save water and land. It may also help recycle CO2 to deal with climate (气候) change, according to China Daily.
The study can be helpful in space, too. Astronauts may no longer need to worry about their food as they travel in space. They may simply turn the CO2 they breathe out into the food they eat!
1. What achievement have the Chinese scientists made recently?| A．They created starch with CO2. |
| B．They grew corn in space. |
| C．They turned O2 into starch. |
| D．They improved traditional farming. |
| A．3. | B．6. | C．11. | D．60. |
| A．They recycled CO2 in space. |
| B．They produced rice and corn on the farm. |
| C．They turned CO2 and hydrogen into methanol. |
| D．They made methanol molecules into bigger and more complex ones. |
| A．making food |
| B．putting sunlight to good use |
| C．saving water and land |
| D．dealing with climate change |
| A．How to Deal with CO2 |
| B．The Advantages of Making Starch |
| C．How to Make Food in Space |
| D．China’s First Step in Man-made Food |
7 . A Chinese knot (中国结) is woven (编织) with a single rope (绳). It has different shapes. Each shape has its own meaning. People can use ropes of different colors to weave a Chinese knot, but they usually use red because it means good luck.
The Chinese knot, a folk art, has a long history. People first made them to record information and send messages before they started to use words. The knots were used for decoration (装饰) and to express thoughts and feelings in the Tang Dynasty. They were later popular in the Ming and Qing dynasties. But this art wasn’t really accepted by the common people until the Qing Dynasty.
Even today, Chinese knots still hold the value of feelings when they are sent as gifts. For example, lovers may give a knot to show their love. The “double happiness knot” is given and used at weddings (婚礼) to express each other’s love and wishes for growing old together.
Knots are also used when people make traditional clothes in China. They can play the role of buttons (纽扣) and now silk is widely used to make these clothing knots.
Many tourists including foreigners like to buy Chinese knots as gifts during their trips. There are many shopping streets for people to buy Chinese knots. Yiwu Commodity Market in Zhejiang Province is a good place for that. There are many different kinds of beautiful Chinese knots there. They are popular with customers.
1. ________ of a Chinese knot can show its own meaning.| A．The size | B．The weight | C．The color | D．The shape |
| A．Because they look nice. |
| B．Because they mean good luck. |
| C．Because they show love. |
| D．Because they mean growing old together. |
| A．In the Tang Dynasty. | B．In the Song Dynasty. |
| C．In the Ming Dynasty. | D．In the Qing Dynasty. |
| A．Wood. | B．Metal. | C．Silk. | D．Plastic. |
| A．Only Chinese people like to buy the Chinese knots. |
| B．Today people use a “double happiness knot” to express love to their lovers. |
| C．Tourists can buy many different kinds of Chinese knots in Yiwu Commodity Market. |
| D．People used Chinese knots to record information and send messages before using words. |
8 . How time flies! What will our life be like in 2035? Can you guess?
In 2035, medical technology is better than ever. Many people can live to be 150.
In 2035, people will wear magic clothes. When you say to your clothes, “Turn red.” It changes from blue to red. Looking into the mirror, you will find you are younger and more beautiful.
In 2035, each family will have a robot. You can ask it to do everything for us at home, so you will be free all day. The robot will look like a person. It can talk with you when you are alone. You won’t know it is a person or a robot when you meet it in the street.
In 2035, you will have a better environment. What a nice city we live in! The air is fresh. The city is smart and clean. More people will be educated. The gap between the rich and the poor will be smaller than before. And everyone is trying their best to make our country better.
In 2035, People will have less time to work and more time to travel around the world. World communication will be more convenient (便利的) and you will have a group of friends from all over the world.
No matter what progress China has made, we should continue to move forward. I think our dream will come true.
根据短文内容，从A、B、C三个选项中，选出最佳的选项。
1. In 2035, we will have ________ than before.
| A．smaller cities | B．more money | C．a better environment |
| A．more | B．a lot of | C．few |
| A．缺口 | B．差距 | C．隔阂 |
| A．few changes will take place in 2035 |
| B．each family will have a robot |
| C．world communication will be less convenient |
| A．Life in 2035 | B．Our daily life | C．The Great changes |
9 . During ancient times in China, children didn’t have any smartphones, iPads or computers to have fun. Instead, they came up with interesting games to play in their childhood. Let’s take a look.
Stone balls During the Qing Dynasty, kicking a stone ball around was a popular sport in the northern part of China, and it was often played in winter to keep warm. Stones were carved (雕刻) into small balls and kicked along with feet.
Flying kites Kites have quite a long history. The earliest kites were made of wood, instead of paper. Nowadays, the three most famous kites are the Beijing kite, Tianjin kite, and Weifang kite. And they are quite different from each other. For example, the swallow-shaped kite is a well-known Beijing style.
Hide-and-seek Hide-and-seek is a traditional game for children, popular around the nation. There are two ways to play: covering a child’s eyes while other kids run around to enjoy themselves or, more commonly, one child must try to find other players who hide.
Watching shadow plays The closest thing to watching a film or television for fun during ancient times was going to see a shadow play. Folk artists use puppets (木偶) behind the screen to show all kinds of shadows, telling stories with music. During the Qing Dynasty, shadow play art reached its top, and was shown for each important occasion.
根据短文内容，选择最佳选项。
1. What were the earliest kites made of according to the passage?
| A．Paper. | B．Stone. | C．Bamboo. | D．Wood. |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．海洋 | B．场合 | C．机会 | D．目标 |
| A．Children’s Games in Ancient China. |
| B．Children’s Games in Smart Phones, iPads or Computers. |
| C．Kicking Stone Balls in Ancient China. |
| D．Playing Hide-and-Seek in Ancient China. |
10 . Teenagers these days have a lot of worries. Sometimes you have problems with your schoolwork, and sometimes with your friends. This may let you feel unhappy. When you are feeling unhappy or forget how great you are, here are six ways to make you feel good about yourself.
◆Look in the mirror and say to yourself, “I am a special person and there’s no one in the world like me. I can do anything!” It may not sound so good, but it really works!
◆Do something nice for someone. Helping others always makes you feel good.
◆Smile! Be friendly to people you meet. Look for the good things in your friends and family.
◆Learn something new! Have you always wanted to decorate (装饰) your own room or learn how to swim? Go for it! New challenges (挑战) are fun and give you a sense of accomplishment when you have finished.
◆Read and start a diary. Turn off the TV and let your imagination fly! Write down your thoughts, dreams or anything you want! Writing always helps to express (表达) your feelings.
◆Stay with your family. We all need our family time. Talk with your mom or dad or even your cousin.
根据短文内容，选出最佳选项。
1. This passage may be taken from ________.
| A．a science book | B．a storybook | C．a magazine | D．school rules |
| A．feel special | B．be sure | C．feel nice | D．be remembered |
| A．成就感 | B．忧伤感 | C．挫败感 | D．信任感 |
| A．You should always look for the good things of others. | B．Stay alone at home as much as possible. |
| C．Learn something new and go for it! | D．Keep a diary to express your feelings. |
| A．Do your best | B．Ways to feel good about yourself |
| C．It’s never too late to learn | D．Always smile to your life |
