1 .
The Great Sphinx of Giza.
Most scientists agree the Great Sphinx of Giza(吉萨狮身人面像) was built around 2,500 B.C. But John Anthony West says that it's much older. If he's right,“everything anybody has learned about ancient civilizations(文明) would have to be completely revised. ” he told a magazine.
West, a writer and filmmaker, first got interested in ancient history after studying the work of a French researcher. The researcher said Egyptian civilization could have developed as early as 30,000 years ago, rather than 4,500 years ago, as most experts believe.
West joined a scientist to do research together.Their research suggested that the Sphinx had been worn down(磨损) over the years by water, rather than by sand and wind.
Wait a minute? Water? How could that be? The Sphinx is in the Sahara Desert, which has been dry for 12, 000 years! However, before that time, it was very green. If it's true that water wore down the Sphinx, West thinks that it must have been built centuries earlier.
Whether West is right or wrong, it's important to challenge accepted ideas. That's how science progresses.
West gave some advice for kids: If you are interested in a topic, read everything you can on it. Do your own research. Don’t always believe everything your teachers tell you. Ask lots of questions, and find your own answers.
1. What does the underlined word “revised” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Connected. | B．Created. |
| C．Changed. | D．Controlled. |
| A．4,500 years ago | B．6,000 years ago |
| C．12,000 years ago | D．30,000 years ago |
| A．sand | B．water | C．wind | D．heat |
| A．The place where West did his research. |
| B．The period when the Sphinx was built. |
| C．The reason why West holds his opinion. |
| D．The technology which was used to build the Sphinx. |
| A．Science progresses through giving different opinions. |
| B．Egyptian civilization should be earlier than we thought. |
| C．One should do some research before giving their opinions. |
| D．Kids should ask lots of questions and believe what their teachers say. |
2 . Every morning my father buys a newspaper on his way to work. Every evening my mother looks through magazines at home. And every night, I look at the posters with photos of Lee MinHo on my bedroom wall before I go to sleep. Can we imagine life without paper or print?
Paper was first created about 2,000 years ago, and has been made from silk, cotton, bamboo, and since the 19th century from wood. People leaned to write words on paper to make a book. But in those days, books could only be produced one at a time by hand, As a result, they were expensive and rare (稀有的), And because there weren't many books, few people learned to read.
Then printing was invented in China. When printing was developed greatly at the beginning of the 11th century, books could be produced more quickly and cheaply. As a result, more people learned to read. After that, knowledge and ideas spread quickly.
Today information can be received online, downloaded from the Internet rather than found in books, and information can be kept on CDROMs or machines such as MP3 players.
Computers are already used in classrooms, and newspapers and magazines can already be read online. So will books be replaced(替代) by computers one day? No, I don't think the Lee MinHo poster on my bedroom wall will ever be replaced by a computer two meters high!
1. What does the writer do before he goes to sleep?| A．He reads books. | B．He reads newspaper. |
| C．He looks through magazines. | D．He looks at the posters on the wall. |
| A．About 2000 years ago. | B．In the 19th century. |
| C．About 1000 years ago. | D．In the 11th century. |
| A．People could not read. | B．People could not write words on paper. |
| C．People could not find silk, cotton or bamboo. | D．People could only produce books one at a time by hand. |
| A．People didn’t want to buy books. | B．Printing was invented in China. |
| C．Knowledge and ideas spread quickly. | D．The Internet was introduced to people soon. |
| A．People won’t need books any more. | B．Books won’t be replaced by computers. |
| C．People prefer to find information in books. | D．Computers have already replaced books. |
3 . As an autistic(自闭的)teen, Niam Jain doesn't speak much. But ever since the 13yearold picked up a paintbrush last summer, he's found a way to express himself, and the art world is listening. Niam, who lives in Toronto, was diagnosed(诊断)with autism at the age of two. Niam is in special education class and loves school. Last summer Nina Jain bought her son some art supplies to give him something to do.
She never thought it would lead to a passion(酷爱)and a career, but soon after she posted Niam's first paintings online, a lot of people started buying them.Some were from family and friends. But most came from sharpeyed collectors.
Niam has already sold 46 paintings across Canada and the US. He's made nearly $20, 000, and the number keeps growing.
“I don't know how he can do this because this is the work of a kind of successful midcareer painter, ” says a gallery owner after he pointed out Niam's mastery(精通)of the technique of mixing and layering(分层堆积)colours.
“Since he has paintings and he loves to do what he does, he has a reason to get up in the morning and that's really, really important, ” Nina says.
Morning and night, Niam can be found in his studio, sometimes painting for hours at a time, on more than one canvas at a time.
For this artist, there's no way of knowing what his next creation will be or what will encourage him next. The future is a canvas for his imagination.
1. How old is Niam?| A．Two. | B．Thirteen. |
| C．Fourteen. | D．Fifteen. |
| A．Nina wanted Niam to have a career in art |
| B．Nina hoped painting would cure Niam's autism |
| C．Nina thought painting would become Niam's greatest passion |
| D．Nina wanted to find a way for Niam to spend his time |
| A．A large number of people are expecting to buy Niam's paintings. |
| B．Niam posted his first paintings online by himself. |
| C．Niam is still learning to master the technique of mixing and layering colours. |
| D．Niam is unable to paint for several hours at a time. |
| A．Niam is a poor victim of autism |
| B．Niam's story is sad |
| C．Niam is wasting his life on painting |
| D．Niam's story is inspiring(激励的)and encouraging |
“You have no flying skills at all!” he said to the swans. “All you can do is to move your wings. Can you turn over in the air? No, that’s beyond you. Let’s have a flying competition. I’ll show you what real flying is!”
One of the swans, a strong young male, took up the challenge (挑战). The crow flew up and began to show his skills. He flew in circles, performed other flying tricks, and then came down and looked proudly at the swan.
Now it was the swan’s turn. He flew up, and began flying over the sea. The crow flew after him, making all kinds of comments (评价) about his flying. They flew on and on till they couldn’t see the land and there was nothing but water on all sides. The crow was making fewer and fewer comments. He was now so exhausted that he found it hard to stay in the air, and had to struggle to keep himself from falling into the water.
The swan pretended (假装) not to notice, and said, “Why do you keep touching the water, brother? Is that another trick? “
“No,” said the crow. He knew he had lost the competition. “I’m in trouble because of my pride (自大) ! If you don’t help me, I’ll lose my life...”
The swan took pity on him, and took him on his shoulders and flew back to the beach.
1. What’s the correct order of the following events?
a. The crow followed the swan and got into trouble.
b. The swan felt pity for the crow and saved it.
c. The crow had to ask the swan for help.
d. The swan accepted a challenge of performing flying tricks.
| A．a, d, b, c | B．a, b, d, c | C．d, a, c, b | D．d, c, a, b |
| A．Tired. | B．Bored. | C．Nervous. | D．Frightened. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．The early bird catches the worm. |
| C．No pains, no gains. | D．Pride goes before a fall. |
