When were restaurants invented? Do you know about that? Actually, the first restaurants were invented thousands of years ago. However, they were very different from restaurants today.
The first restaurants were in ancient Greece and ancient Rome. These restaurants served food in large stone bowls. People didn’t order food from a menu. Everyone used to share the food from big bowls. People believe that these places were very popular because most homes in ancient Greece and Rome did not have kitchens. Also, people didn’t have to store food at home if they ate at these restaurants.
Later, restaurants began to open in China. In the early 1100s, more than one million people lived in the city of Hangzhou, China. It was a very busy city, and people had money. All of these people had to eat. Smart cooks started cooking and selling food along the Imperial Way, a very big street in the city. Unlike in ancient Greece and Rome, people in China could choose food from a menu. They didn’t have to eat the same food as everyone else.
For the next several centuries, there were restaurants all over the world. People could buy food on the street or at inns—small hotels. Then in the middle of the 1700s, restaurants started opening in Paris. These restaurants were more similar to restaurants we know today. There was a bigger variety of food, and eating in these restaurants was a more enjoyable experience. In the 19th century, trains made travel much faster and simpler. In the end, this kind of restaurants began to appear all over Europe and in other parts of the world.
Now, restaurants are everywhere. You can buy a variety of different kinds of food. You can have food sent to your door. But remember it wasn’t always like that.
1. How did the writer start the passage?The writer did it by asking a
2. Why were the first restaurants popular?
Because in ancient Greece and Rome
3. How were the restaurants in Hangzhou different from the first restaurants in ancient Greece and Rome?
Restaurants in Hangzhou
4. What does the underlined phrase “these restaurants” refer to in the fourth paragraph?
It refers to “the restaurants
5. What does the passage mainly talk about?
It mainly talks about the
2 . Can you imagine being able to learn about world history by looking at a coin with the head of Alexander the Great on it or a Chinese Ming dynasty banknote(钞票)? Or how about following mankind’s footsteps into modern culture by being able to see an Early Victorian tea set?
A History of the World in 100 Objects, a project by BBC and the British Museum, presents a history of the world through 100 items from the British Museum’s collection.
The objects, most of which are extremely valuable, have brought enjoyment to people all over the world. Those who are lucky enough to see the items in person are able to see the glory(辉煌) of history with their own eyes.
“These signals from the past speak of whole societies rather than single events, and tell of the world for which they were made, sometimes having meanings far beyond what their original(最初的)makers meant them to have,” Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, wrote in the project’s book I borrowed the book and read it. One item in particular stood out to me. It was a mechanical galleon(机械帆船)—a kind of clock. Its design is based on the great European ships that sailed across the sea in the 1500s. During that period of time, technology was developing at a fast pace, and owning a scientific product was fashionable. The clock, a combination of the growth of technology and the desire (欲望) to explore other lands, is a perfect symbol of that age.
1. Why does the writer mention the coin in Paragraph 1?| A．To show what ancient people used to buy things |
| B．To express why we should learn about world history. |
| C．To remind us that we can learn about history from old objects. |
| D．To compare it with a Chinese banknote. |
| A．What they were made for. | B．What society was like in the past. |
| C．How they were made. | D．How their meanings have changed. |
| A．World History Seen in Ancient Items | B．The British Museum’s Collection |
| C．A Book about British History | D．Valuable Objects of the World |
3 . Canberra is the capital of Australia.
Canberra is the eighth largest city in Australia. It is 238 kilometers from Sydney and 507 kilometers from Melbourne. Melbourne was once the capital of Australia. Sydney people also wished to make their city capital. It was difficult for the government to make the decision.
The new capital was between Sydney and Melbourne, the two largest cities in Australia. It took more than 12 years to build the city. In 1927, the city was set up completely.
With the development of Canberra, even though it is not the oldest city or the most famous city in Australia, more and more young people are going to live, work and study in Canberra.
| A．Canberra is well-known for its universities. |
| B．Became the capital and was named Canberra. |
| C．You can buy lots of traditional things in Canberra. |
| D．People like to ride bikes, walk or run around the lake. |
| E．Then in 1911, the government chose to build the new Capital. |
| F．Canberra is a beautiful city with trees and flowers everywhere. |
| G．It is a modern and lively city with a population of over 410, 300. |
4 . Is it possible to learn about the history of the world in just one day? Maybe — if you visit an exhibition called “A History of the World in 100 Objects.”
The objects are from the famous British Museum. “A History of the World in 100 Objects” is one of the museum’s greatest exhibitions. Now it comes to China for the very first time. The exhibition opened in the National Museum of China in Beijing on March 2 and will last until May 31.
The British Museum spent four years carefully choosing the 100 objects from its huge collection of eight million things. They had to stand for different times and cultures.
“The objects have to cover the whole world. They range (包括) from a cooking pot to a golden galleon (西班牙大型帆船), from a Stone Age tool to a credit card (信用卡),” Neil MacGregor, former director of the British Museum, wrote in a book. He was in charge of choosing the objects.
For example, there is a seal (印章) that people in the Indus Valley (印度河流域) used in around 2500 B.C.（公元前）. There is also a tablet (匾额) that people used in around 700 B.C. in the Middle East. But modern objects like a solar-powered lamp are also on display. They show the results of scientific development.
Of course, there is no lack (缺少) of objects from China. You will see a bronze (青铜) bell from the time of Confucius (孔子). There is also a banknote from the Ming dynasty, showing that China was the first country to use paper money.
1. “A History of the World in 100 Objects” is ________.| A．a history movie | B．a book by Neil MacGregor |
| C．an exhibition | D．a museum |
| A．a month | B．three months | C．half a year | D．a year |
| A．a banknote and a credit card |
| B．a tablet and a bronze bell |
| C．a seal and a solar-powered lamp |
| D．a credit card and a solar-powered lamp |
| A．the results of scientific development |
| B．the latest technology |
| C．the power of great countries |
| D．the wonderful life of modern times |
| A．They chose them to represent（代表） different times and cultures. |
| B．They are among the collections in the British Museum. |
| C．They are the most attractive（吸引人的）objects in the British Museum. |
| D．They are on display to the public in Beijing for the first time. |
5 . We all have our favourite music, films or books — but which are the most popular ever?
The most popular album (音乐专辑) Thriller by Michael Jackson At the time Jackson started writing his best-selling album Thriller, he hoped that his album would sell 50 million copies. He was wrong — it sold over ten million more than that. Even today around 130,000 copies are sold in the USA every year. |
The most popular classical music Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony When Beethoven was alive, his Fifth Symphony wasn’t his most popular piece of music. But now most people know the da da da dah introduction. In the 20th century, the first four notes (音符) were used by other musicians to make different types of music like hiphop and rock and roll. |
The most popular novel A Tale of Two Cities Many people think the best-selling book of all time is one of the Harry Potter books. It’s true that all the Harry Potter books together have sold about 450 million copies. But the most popular single novel is much older. A Tale of Two Cities was written by Charles Dickens in 1859 and has sold 250 million copies. |
The most popular ________ The Shawshank Redemption The Shawshank Redemption, directed by Frank Darabont in 1994, didn’t make much money at the cinema. It only became popular later on video, DVD and TV. It was based on a book by Stephen King. The writer sold the story for only a dollar. |
| A．painting | B．film | C．poem | D．sculpture |
| A．Thriller turned out to be more popular than Michael Jackson expected. |
| B．The Fifth Symphony was used in many other music forms by Beethoven. |
| C．A Tale of Two Cities has sold more copies than all the Harry Potter books. |
| D．The Shawshank Redemption made much money as soon as it came out. |
| A．Sports Time. | B．Science Study. | C．Culture World. | D．Nature Watch. |
6 . Long ago，as people got older，there was something wrong with their teeth and it would be very painful. To avoid a toothache，they had their teeth pulled out. Later people learned that cleaning their teeth was important，but they didn’t have toothpaste (牙膏) at that time. They used lemon juice，salt or other things to clean their teeth.
It was only about 100 years ago that someone finally created a mint (薄荷) cream to clean teeth. Not long after that，the toothpaste tube (管子) was invented，so people could squeeze (挤出) the toothpaste right onto the toothbrush! Tooth brushing became popular during the World War I. The U. S. Army gave brushes and toothpaste to all the soldiers，and they learned to brush teeth twice a day. Back then，toothpaste tubes were made of metal；today they’ re made of soft plastic and are much easier to use!
Today there are plenty of toothpaste choices：lots of colors and flavors (口味) to choose from，and some kinds of toothpaste are made just for children. When you’re choosing a kind of toothpaste，make sure it has fluoride (氟化物). Fluoride makes your teeth strong and healthy. When you brush，you don’t need a lot of toothpaste：just squeeze out a bit.
1. People used to to avoid a toothache.| A．pull out their teeth | B．take some medicine |
| C．drink more water | D．eat more vegetables |
| A．Salt. | B．Lemon juice. | C．Mint cream. | D．Tea. |
| A．There is no special toothpaste for children. |
| B．We should choose toothpaste with fluoride. |
| C．Toothpaste can’t be made into different flavors. |
| D．Squeeze out as much as toothpaste when you brush teeth. |
7 . A road is a bridge between two places. The Silk Road has been a bridge between East and West for more than 2,000 years.
But did you know that the Silk Road is not a single route? It is actually a series of trade and culture transmission（ 传送）routes. It started to take shape during the Western Han Dynasty. The trade route started from the city of Xi'an in Shaanxi Province and ended in Eastern Europe, near today's Turkey and the Mediterranean Sea. The Silk Road was about 6,500 kilometers long. It went across one-fourth of the planet. The Silk Road got its name because Chinese silk used to be carried along this road. In addition to silk, jade, tea and iron also went west to Rome. From the West came glass, gems, and foods like carrots and sesame.
The Silk Road was very important to both China and the rest of the world. In addition to trade, knowledge about science, arts and literature, as well as craftsmanship and technology, was shared across the Silk Road. In this way, languages and cultures developed and influenced each other. Today, various historical sites along the Silk Road are popular travel destinations, such as the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an and Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Gansu. A new train line, the New Orient Express, is running from Beijing across the Silk Road.
阅读短文，判断下列句子是否符合短文内容，符合的用“A”表示, 不符合的用“B”表示。
1. The Silk Road has been a bridge between East and West for nearly 2,000 years.2. The Silk Road has become very famous during the Western Han Dynasty.
3. Only silk used to be carried along the Silk Road.
4. With the help of the Silk Road, languages and cultures developed and influenced each other.
5. Both the Terracotta Warriors and Mogao Grottoes are popular travel destinations along the Silk Road.
Alpha Go, a computer program, has beaten Lee Se-dol, a world-famous Go player (围棋选手), 4-1 in a competition. Lee has won 18 world championships over the past 21 years. The win is seen as a landmark (里程碑式的) moment for artificial intelligence (人工智能). The Alpha Go system was developed by British Computer Company Deep Mind.
Lee expressed great confidence ahead of the competition. However, after losing the first game, he said, “I was very surprised because I did not think I would lose the game.” Lee said he felt “regrettable (令人遗憾的)” about the result of the game. At a press conference held after the final match, Lee said he did not think Alpha Go was necessarily superior to (优于) humans. But he admitted the matches had challenged some of his ideas about the Go game.
Go originated(起源于) more than 2,500 years ago in China. It is one of the oldest board games that is still played today. Go is considered one of the most complex games. It is played on a board made up of a grid (网格) of 19 by 19 squares. The game opens with players taking turns to place black and white pieces, known as “stones,” on the board. The aim, as its name shows, is to surround a larger total area of the board than your opponent (对手) by the end of the game.
The competition was held in Seoul. It attracted huge attention. The first match was broadcast online. It was watched by 60 million viewers in China alone, with an estimated global audience of 100 million. Alpha Go’s developer got US $1 million in prize money. The money was later donated to charities.
1. Lee Se-dol didn’t win over Alpha Go in the game, did he?2. Who developed the Alpha Go system?
3. How did Lee feel before the competition?
He had great
4. Where was the competition held?
It was held
5. When did the game of Go first appear?
The game first appeared
9 . The first chocolate was enjoyed by people in Central and South America many years ago. In those days, the coca bean (可可豆) was used to make a chocolate drink.
In 1824, Mr. Cadbury opened a small shop in the United Kingdom. He sold chocolate drinks. In 1831, he opened a factory to make chocolate drinks. Mr. Cadbury believed that the wine was bad and he wanted to encourage people to drink chocolate instead. A few years later, man invented a way to make chocolate bars (块), so people had the chance to eat chocolate instead of only drinking it.
At first, only dark chocolate was made. Milk chocolate came later and it was made by adding milk to the chocolate. Mr. Cadbury made their first milk chocolate bar in 1897. Their most famous chocolate, Cadbury Milk Bar, was made in 1905. It has been popular for over 100 years. The Cadbury factory still makes chocolate in the United Kingdom, and the chocolate is eaten all over the world. Every year, quite a few visitors go to the factory to see how chocolate is made.
1. Asian people were the first to eat chocolate.2. Mr. Cadbury expected people to drink chocolate instead of wine.
3. Milk chocolate came after dark chocolate.
4. People can still buy Cadbury chocolate.
5. The passage is mainly about the man who created chocolate.
10 . Roman numerals were invented over 2,500 years ago. They came from ancient Roman. The Romans were active in trade and business. They had a system of writing, but they needed a way to record numbers so they developed their own system of numbers. That was Roman numerals.
Around 500 AD, a new number system was born in India. It was later known as Arabic numbers because it was largely used by Arabian businessmen and people. Roman popes (教皇) stopped the use of Arabic numbers when the new system came to Europe. They said that Roman numerals were invented by God and were perfect to use. However, compared with Arabic numbers, Roman numerals didn't have a symbol for zero and were too complicated ( 复杂) to use. From the 14th century on, Roman numerals began to be taken place by the more convenient Arabic numbers.
Today, people still use Roman numerals, though not so often. You may find these numbers on some clocks or the front pages of books. You may also see them after the names of kings, queens or popes ( e. g. Elizabeth II ). Sometimes they are used on gravestones (墓碑) as well.
1. How long have Roman numerals been used?They have been used for
2. Why did the Romans want to develop their own system of numbers?
Because they needed a way to
3. What did Roman popes say about Roman numerals?
They said God
4. What were the disadvantages of Roman numerals?
They had
5. When did Roman numerals begin to be replaced by Arabic numbers?
Roman numerals began to be replaced by Arabic numbers from
