Long long ago, there was a queen who lived in a palace. She felt bored and said to her advisor(顾问), “All the things around me are too boring. I need a different kind of beauty. Let everyone know that I will hold a competition for the most beautiful thing in the world.”
Several days later, lots of people came to the competition and showed their things. The queen was not satisfied with what she saw. The advisor suggested, “You can try to look for it by yourself. What about a journey?”
The queen was interested in the idea, so she started immediately. As she was on the top of the hill near her palace, she looked down and suddenly something cried in her heart, “Why have I never found my palace so beautiful?”
The queen spent one year travelling. She saw beauty on the farm, in the forest and even in the stars twinkling (闪烁) at night during her journey. Suddenly, she understood beauty was everywhere. She should learn to enjoy the world. The most beautiful thing was the world!
1. The queen wanted to hold a competition to look for the most beautiful thing in the world.2. Many people came to the competition and brought the things that made the queen satisfied.
3. On the top of the hill near her palace, the queen suddenly found her palace so beautiful.
4. The queen saw beauty on the farm, in the river and even in the night sky during her journey.
5. The passage tells us that beauty is everywhere if we learn to enjoy the world.
2 . In Chinese tradition, it is said that getting a haircut during the first lunar month would cause one’s mother’s brothers to die. Although this is not true, some people still choose not to cut their hair during this time. They wait until Dragon Head-Raising Day（龙抬头）, the second day of the second lunar month, to get a haircut.
Nobody knows why haircuts have anything to do with one’s uncles. One popular theory（理论）says the tradition might have started during the early years of the Qing Dynasty（清朝）. At the time, as new rulers, the Manchu people forced the Han people to cut their hair in the Manchu style. Many Han people refused to do it. They decided not to cut their hair during the first lunar month, saying it was to “remember the former dynasty”, or in Chinese, “思旧”. Since “思旧” sounds very similar to “dead uncle”, there may have been a misunderstanding and thus the “no haircut” tradition.
Ancient（古代的）Chinese people thought that the human body, including one’s skin and hair, was naturally given by one’s parents and should not be changed. Therefore, they cherished their hair very much and considered cutting hair to be a great insult（侮辱）to one’s parents.
But this doesn’t mean they never took care of their hair. They would wash, comb and trim（修整）their hair and beards regularly.
1. Some Chinese people refuse to cut their hair during the first lunar month.2. According to one popular theory, the “no haircut” tradition started in Qing Dynasty.
3. During the early years of the Qing Dynasty, Manchu and Han people had the same hair style.
4. Ancient Chinese people didn’t cut their hair regularly.
5. The writer mainly talks about how Dragon Head-Raising Day started in this passage.
Long long ago in a quiet village, there was a place named the House of 1,000 Mirrors. A happy little dog heard of this place and decided to visit it. When he arrived, he jumped up and down and looked everywhere. To his surprise, he found himself looking at 1,000 other happy little dogs. He smiled a great smile, and saw 1,000 little dogs smiling in the mirrors. As he left the house, he thought, “This is a wonderful place. I will come back often.” He lost himself in the feeling.
Another little dog decided to visit the house, he was not as happy as the first one. He slowly walked into the house and looked around. He was surprised to see 1,000 little unhappy dogs looking at him. He shouted angrily at them, and was very afraid to see them shouting back at him. As he ran away from the house, he thought, “ This is a terrible place. I will never come back again.”
All the faces in the world are mirrors. What do you see in the faces of the people when you meet them?
1. The two little dogs visited the same house.2. There lived 1,000 little dogs in the house.
3. The two little dogs saw themselves in the mirrors.
4. The second little dog enjoyed his stay in the house.
5. The story tells us that the world is like a mirror; you smile, and it smiles, too.
I am an Inuit boy named Kayla. Inuit are the people who live in cold Arctic (北极的) lands. In my language, Inuit means “the people”. Some people used to call my people Eskimos. We wish to be called Inuit.
I live with my mother, father and two brothers. We live at the most northern part of the world. It is made up of the Arctic Ocean and the land all around it. For months the sea is covered with thick ice. The land is covered with snow and ice most of the year, too.
Winter is long and very cold. It lasts from October to March. It is dark twenty-four hours a day. The sun does not come up to warm the water and land. When the north winds blow, it is even colder. There are days when the temperature is 50°F below zero. My family is prepared. We wear watertight (防水鞋). We put on many layers (层) of clothes. Outside we always wear a thick warm jacket that has fur inside. I’m not afraid of the cold winters. I guess I’m just used to them.
My family and I look forward to each summer. So much happens in a short time. The temperature usually stays around 50°F. During the summer the sun shines all day and night. This is why the Arctic is called the “land of the midnight sun”.
1. Kayla is a boy who lives in cold Arctic lands, the most northern part of the world.2. There are four people in Kayla’s family.
3. In Kayla’s hometown, winter lasts from October to March without sunshine.
4. Kayla is afraid of the cold winters when the temperature is 50°F below zero.
5. The passage mainly tells us something about Kayla’s family life.
5 . Shopping used to mean going to shops, but nowadays, you can shop without even leaving your home. Just sit in front of your computer, click(点击) your mouse and your things will be sent to your house in several days. You can also use your mobile phone to buy things you want. Nov. 11 was a big day for many people who like shopping online. On that day, many stores offer a big sale. The biggest Chinese online shopping sites are Taobao. com and Tmall. com.
Goods(商品) online are often much cheaper. Shopping online also saves you a lot of time. And you often have more kinds of goods online than in shopping centers. Another big advantage of online shopping is that it helps you get things easily from different cities, even different countries.
While enjoying online shopping, many people also have worries, especially for middle school student buyers. They often buy things that they don’t need. “Middle school students should pay more attention to their study. Searching for things to buy online wastes their time.” said teachers.
1. Nowadays, shopping becomes easier than before.2. Many people like shopping online on November 11.
3. Shopping online can’t save time and money.
4. Teacher think middle school students should pay more attention to their study.
5. This article is about disadvantages of shopping online.
6 . There are 24 solar terms（节气）in year in China. Summer Solstice（夏至）, the 10th solar term of the year, usually begins on June 22.
On the summer Solstice itself, daylight is the longest for the whole year in the northern hemisphere（北半球）. After this day, daylight hours get shorter and shorter. The temperatures become higher in the northern hemisphere.
Summer Solstice was an important festival in ancient China. As early as the Han Dynasty, people have already begun to celebrate the Summer Solstice. Women gave colorful bags with good smell to each other on that day.
Hani is a small town of Mojiang in the southwest China’s Yunnan province. It lies in the northern part. Every year on the Summer Solstice, the sun sits directly over the Tropic of Cancer（北回归线）and returns from north to south. Then, the amazing event known as “upright pole with no shadows（立杆无影）” happens.
There is a saying which goes, “Eat dumplings on the Winter Solstice and eat noodles on Summer Solstice.” People in different areas of northern provinces eat cooled noodles on this day.
1. Summer Solstice is the eleventh solar term in a year.2. The underlined word “sits” in Paragraph 4 probably means shines.
3. Women were given gifts by their parents on Summer Solstice.
4. The sun returns from north to south on Summer Solstice.
5. The passage tells us information about 24 solar terms.
7 . Long ago, Mother Nature gave each tree a different purpose. However, she did not share her reasons with the trees.
Fir Tree（杉树）had many tree friends. In summer, they watched Bird and Squirrel（松鼠）play in the field. Then autumn arrived. The leaves on other trees turned colorful. Fir Tree's leaves stayed green. Fir Tree told Mother Nature that he wanted his leaves to change colors too.
"Be patient," Mother Nature said. “You will learn your purpose."
So Fir Tree waited. The temperature dropped. Bird flew south, and Squirrel was nowhere around. All the trees lost their leaves except Fir Tree. Soon it snowed. Fir Tree cried, "Why don't I change like my friends?"
"Be patient," Mother Nature replied. “Soon you will get to know your purpose."
Just then, Squirrel appeared. She was cold. She asked if she could build a warm home in branches（树枝）.Other trees said no because they had no leaves. But Fir Tree said yes. Squirrel ran up Fir Tree's branches. Soon, she was warm, comfortable and asleep.
Fir Tree was happy that his green leaves provided a warm home for animals in winter. He finally understood his purpose.
根据短文内容，判断正误。正确“T”，错误“F”，并将所选答案涂到答题卡的相应位置上。
1. Mother Nature didn't tell trees her reasons at the beginning.
2. In autumn, the leaves on Fir Tree changed colors like other trees.
3. All the trees lost their leaves in winter.
4. Squirrel built a warm home in Fir Tree's branches.
5. This passage tells us everybody is special and will find his or her place.
8 . Do you know that the “Happy Birthday to You” song is the first song sung in outer space? Apollo IX astronauts sang it on March 8, 1969. It is one of the most popular English songs of all time. Here's the story behind it.
The song was written by two sisters from Kentucky, Mildred and Patty Smith Hill. It was first published under the title of “Good Morning to All” in 1893. It was used as a classroom greeting. Teachers sang it each day to welcome their students to the classroom.
The composer, Mildred Hill, was a concert pianist. Her sister Patty Smith Hill wrote the original （最初的）lyrics for the song while she was a teacher in a kindergarten （幼儿园）in Louisville, Kentucky, where Mildred also taught.
The Hill sisters copyrighted （取得版权）their song on October 16, 1893. However, it appeared without their agreement in Robert H. Coleman's songbook on March 4, 1924. The song was then published several times over the next ten years, often with small changes in the lyrics. In 1934, when the song was sung every night in a Broadway Musical, another Hill sister, Jessica, went to court （法院）over the copyright problem of the song. She was angry about the theft （剽窃）of the song and the failure to pay to her sisters. She won her case. The Hill family owned the rights to the melody （旋律）and had to be paid every time the song was part of a commercial （商业的）production.
The Hill sisters, who devoted their lives to educating children, could never imagine that the simple little song would continue to earn about $2 million every year.
根据短文内容，判断正误。正确“T”，错误“F”，并将所选答案涂到答题卡的相应位置上。
1. “Happy Birthday to You” song was sung in outer space on March 8,1969.
2. The song was called “Good Morning to You” when it was first published.
3. “Good Morning to All” was first used as a party greeting.
4. The Hill family won and they could get money from it from then on.
5. The passage mainly tells us about the stories of the “Happy Birthday to You” song.
9 . Beijing opera is one of the oldest operas in the world. It started hundreds of years ago. In Beijing opera, people sing, act, dance and even use acrobatics（杂技）to tell stories. Everything the actors wear, say and do has special meanings.
Costurnes（服装）are important in Beijing opera. The colors and style of each costurne tell a story. Who are the good and the bad people in the story? Who are rich and who are poor? The costurnes will tell you a lot about the characters.
In the past, all Beijing opera roles were played by men. Men who played women’s roles wore special shoes to help them walk like ladies. Today, women perform in Beijing opera, but they still practice wearing the shoes.
A character’ s make-up（化妆）also tells us about him or her. Red, yellow, white, black, purple, green and silver are the main colors used for make-up. Red shows that a character is brave. Black shows that a character gets angry easily.
As a traditional form of Chinese culture, Beijing opera has become more and more popular all over the world.
1. People sing, act, dance and even use acrobatics to tell stories in Beijing opera.2. In Beijing opera, the colors and style of each costurne are not important.
3. Men usually wear special shoes to walk like ladies when they played women’s roles.
4. Black and red show that a character gets angry easily.
5. From the passage, we can learn more about Beijing Opera.
10 . During the Western Jin Dynasty (265-316) , there was a man named Zhou Chu. He was very strong 一 stronger than any other man in the village.
People were scared of him because he had a bad temper (脾气) and often bullied (欺负) villagers. At the time, there was a man-eating tiger and a deepwater monster living nearby. They often caused trouble for the village. People called them, along with Zhou, the “three evils”(三害).
One day, some villagers asked Zhou to help them kill the tiger and the monster. After three days of fighting, Zhou finally killed them and came back. But the villagers thought he was dead. They celebrated his death. After seeing this, Zhou realized how much he was hated and decided to make a change.
He visited a famous scholar (学者) named Lu Yun. Lu told him, “If one realizes what is good in the morning, he can change his behavior in the evening. Just do what you think is right.”
From then on, Zhou became a good person and stopped bullying other people. Later he became a great soldier and died protecting his country.
In fact, it’s not easy for us to recognize our own mistakes, even when they are obvious to others. It was good that Zhou was able to look at himself and make changes. As The Analects of Confucius (《论语》) says, the mistakes of a Junzi (man of virtue) are like eclipses of the sun or moon. They can be seen by all 一 but when they are corrected, everyone looks up in admiration. We all make mistakes. But it’s never too late to correct them. All you need is the courage to accept your mistakes and an effort to fix them.
On the other hand, we should also be tolerant (宽容的) of people when they make mistakes. President Xi Jinping told this story when talking about promoting (提拔) government officials. He said we should promote men of ability and be tolerant of those who have returned to the right path.
1. ________ is NOT one of the three evils.| A．The tiger | B．The monster | C．Zhou Chu | D．Lu Yun |
| A．Because they wanted to give their appreciation to Zhou Chu. |
| B．Because they believed Zhou Chu was killed by the two monsters. |
| C．Because they thought Zhou Chu became the hero. |
| D．Because they were happy to see Zhou Chu killed the two scary animals. |
| A．We need to be brave to accept and correct the mistakes. |
| B．It's easy for us to make mistakes. |
| C．The mistakes are too obvious to find. |
| D．Everyone looks up the people with mistakes in admiration. |
| A．never say a word to him or her |
| B．be understanding and forgive him or her |
| C．help him or her to return to the right path |
| D．treat him or her like what the villagers did to Zhou Chu |
| A．A traditional folk story tells us it is important to be kind. |
| B．Junzi should avoid making mistakes in their life. |
| C．Everyone makes mistakes and they are difficult to be found. |
| D．Taking mistakes wisely makes us improve ourselves. |
