1 . Language and Power (权力): Cameroon’s Story
By Elisa Grant, 2 Oct
In the modern world, being able to speak English is often a way to get power. However, this is not true for English speakers in Cameroon in Africa (非洲), To know why things are different in this African country, we need to go back one hundred years.
In 1919, Kamerun (the name of Cameroon at the time) was cut into two parts: one belonged to (属于) France, and the other belonged to the UK. In 1960, the French Cameroon became the Republic of Cameroon, and the UK’s part joined it in 1961. The new country changed it name to the Federal Republic of Cameroon. Both French and English are Cameroon’s official languages, but only around 20％ of its people speak English. Also, the government (政府) has been in French speakers’ hands since (自从) the two parts became one country.
For a long time, Cameroon’s English speakers feel they are not welcome in their own country. For example, it is very difficult for them to find jobs in the government, and they are often asked to speak French in companies and at official events (事件). They are more resentful at the government and decided to fight for themselves. A few years ago, the English speakers started to try to build their own country. In October, 2017, they said in a meeting that they were not part of Cameroon any more. They are now a new country, “Ambazonia”. When the police tried to stop the meeting, at least eight people were killed. Read more
1. What happened in Cameroon in 1961?| A．Cameroon changed its name to the Republic of Cameroon. |
| B．The two parts of Cameroon became one. |
| C．The English part had an important meeting. |
| D．English became an official language of the country. |
| A．Excited | B．Angry | C．Careful | D．Surprised |
| A．It plans to treat Ambazonia as a new country. |
| B．It needs Ambazonia for money and help. |
| C．It does not want to be part of Ambazonia. |
| D．It does not agree that Ambazonia is a country. |
| A．Why speaking English is a way to get power. |
| B．Why English speakers in Cameroon have less power. |
| C．Why the two parts of Cameroon became one country. |
| D．Why only 20% of the people in Cameroon speak English. |
2 . The Silk Road was an ancient trade route(古代贸易路线) that connected(连接) the East and the West together. It is more than six thousand miles from Asia to Europe. The Silk Road got its name from the silk.
Few traders went along the Silk Road. The route was too long. There were also difficulties along the way. In some places, people along the road didn’t think the traders were right. Some countries would not let traders from other countries go through their countries.
Traders thought of an idea. They made staging points (中转站) on the Silk Road. They put their goods at one point. Then they traveled to another point. There, they would give the goods to the next group of drivers.
Traders from the East brought silk, gold and other useful things to the West. People wanted to have treasures from far-off lands very much.
More goods were moved along the Silk Road. Ideas from other lands were moved, too. They heard new languages. Knowledge about science was passed along.
1. It is more than from Asia to Europe.| A．5, 000 miles | B．6, 000 miles | C．6, 000 kilometers |
| A．there were difficulties on the road and the road was too long |
| B．they didn’t know its length |
| C．it was ended in Europe |
| A．the Asian | B．the European | C．the traders |
| A．many countries were kind to traders |
| B．clothes were brought from the west to the east by traders |
| C．some traders left their hometowns and lived in the staging points |
3 . The Silk Road is the name of different roads that long ago connected Europe, Africa and Asia. People reached these different places along these roads. Scientists believe people began to travel the Silk Road about 3,000 years ago. By the time the Chinese silk trade became important in the world, the Silk Road covered almost 6,500 kilometers. It spread(扩散) from Rome to China, which is from the West to the Far East.
Traders travelling along the Silk Road carried silk, of course. They also carried traded spices(香料), cloth, valuable stones and gold. There is a famous old story along the old road. It is said that Roman soldiers travelled through Central Asia. They started to live somewhere near the ancient Chinese village of Liqian. Some of these Romans married local Chinese women and the story of blue-eyed villages of China was started.
During its busiest period, the Silk Road allowed people from many different cultures and countries to meet each other and mix. The Silk Road allowed the sharing of valuable goods(货物) and new ideas. These included people and trading goods from the Mediterranean, Persian, Magyar, Armenian, Bactrian, Indian and Chinese areas. All these peoples travelled the Silk Road, and they shared goods, stories, languages and cultures.
In modern times, the old Silk Road routes(路线) are still used but now they are crossed by trains instead of camels and horses. There is even a Silk Route Museum in Jiuquan in China. It has over 35,000 objects from all along the Silk Road. In this way, China protects the history of many countries and peoples.
1. How many kilometers did the Silk Road cover?| A．Almost 2,000. | B．About 3,000. | C．Nearly 6,500. | D．Over 35,000. |
| A．Valuable things could not be sold along the Silk Road. |
| B．People from different countries in the Silk Road were difficult to mix. |
| C．The old Silk Road routes still can be used by camels and horses. |
| D．Ancient people along the Silk Road shared the languages and cultures. |
| A．History and Geography. | B．Sports World. |
| C．Man and Animals. | D．Popular Science. |
4 .
It was very cold that night. At about 11:40, a few passengers were talking and playing cards, but most people were getting ready for bed or were already asleep. For Frederick Fleet, he had something more important to do than sleep. High up in the “crow’s nest (桅杆瞭望台)”, he was watching the sea. It was quiet and the stars were shining (闪耀).
The Titanic changed direction (改变方向) right away, but it was moving too fast. The ship was still turning when it hit the iceberg.
Lots of people lost their lives that night.
选择恰当的选项，补全对话。
| A．Then Frederick saw something. |
| B．There were over 2, 200 people on it. |
| C．Unluckily, a long hole opened along its side under the water. |
| D．Frederick was one of the 705 lucky people who survived (幸存). |
| E．The Titanic was the largest and most expensive ship of its time. |
5 . By December of 1914, Britain and Germany had been fighting against each other in World War I for five months. On Christmas Day, something amazing happened. Soldiers of both sides temporarily(临时的) stopped fighting and enjoyed a day of peace.
It all started on the morning of December 25th when the German soldiers climbed out of their deep trenches and crossed the battlefield. “Merry Christmas!” they shouted towards the British. Although the British soldiers did not trust the Germans at first, they did not shoot. Slowly, the British understood that the Germans wanted a short truce(停战) to celebrate Christmas in peace. After a short talk, the British soldiers agreed to it and put down their guns.
Both sides exchanged small presents and cigarettes with their enemies. The Germans and British agreed to let each other collect their dead from the area. A German soldier who was a barber(理发师) before the war gave a British soldier a trim(理发). One of the British soldiers took out a soccer ball and both sides kicked it around.
The Germans and British stopped fighting for most of the day. Some people got very unhappy about this. The leaders of both sides were especially furious. They wanted the men to keep fighting, even on Christmas. Newspapers did not report on the truce until a week later. The Christmas Truce of 1914 is still remembered today. It is an example of how people can stop fighting and come together in peace.
1. According to the article, what happened on Christmas Day in 1914?| A．The British and Germans fought a war. |
| B．World War I began. |
| C．The British and Germans stopped fighting. |
| D．The British and Germans went back home. |
| A．attacked the Germans |
| B．followed their leaders |
| C．didn’t agree with the Germans |
| D．exchanged small presents with them |
| A．Buy cigarettes. | B．Post presents. | C．Shoot their guns. | D．Collect their dead. |
| A．dangerous | B．angry | C．energetic | D．excited |
| A．British and German soldiers had fought with each other for 5 months in World War I. |
| B．British soldiers shouted “Merry Christmas” to the Germans. |
| C．The newspapers reported the truce the next day. |
| D．People with the same value might come together in peace, though they might have disagreement. |
Up, up, and away! How could a superhero fly through the sky and take down bad guys without a cape? But superheroes aren’t the first to wear this fashionable (时尚的) clothing. People have worn capes for a long time.
With most closing at the neck, any outer covering without sleeves (衣袖) can usually be called a cape. Cape styles have changed quite a lot, starting with those worn by the ancient Romans. They were fastened (扎着) or tied at the front. Or they were fixed at the shoulder with a small piece of metal. The ancient Romans wore capes for protecting the clothes from bad weather, providing warmth, and showing social position. As time went on, capes became more important in social position. For example, capes made with fur were worn by kings. Capes were also seen as part of senior soldiers’ uniforms. Once women began wearing them in the 1800s, however, the cape became more about fashion. The cape remained a favorite in women’s fashion until the 1950s.
When Superman came on the scene in the 1930s, his red cape was seen as a superhero’s uniform. It was always connected with bravery and physical power. Capes had another interesting reason for appearing on superheroes. Since most superheroes first appeared in comic (漫画) books, comic book artists could use a cape to show which way and how quickly a character was moving. When you saw a superhero’s cape sticking straight, you knew he was flying as fast as he could to save the day.
1. Picture _______ shows the meaning of the underlined sentence.A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．marking the social position | B．keeping warm in cold days |
| C．protecting the clothes inside | D．showing the physical power |
| A．superman is the first to wear the cape in the history |
| B．people wear capes inside clothes to provide warmth |
| C．capes used to be worn by senior soldiers as well |
| D．capes were popular with women before the 1800s |
| A．how much the superhero has changed in style |
| B．how fashionable the superhero’s clothing was |
| C．how important the superhero was in social position |
| D．how fast the superhero flew and moved in the sky |
| A．the history of capes | B．the wearers of capes |
| C．the styles of capes | D．the importance of capes |
7 . The Silk Road is the name of different roads that long ago connected Europe, Africa and Asia. People reached these different places along these roads. Scientists believe people began to travel the Silk Road about 3, 000 years ago. By the time the Chinese silk trade became important in the world, the Silk Road covered almost 6, 500 kilometers. It spread from Rome to China, which is from the West to the Far East.
Traders traveling along the Silk Road carried silk, of course. They also carried and traded spices (香料), cloth, valuable stones and gold.
There is a famous old story along the old road. It is said that Roman soldiers traveled through central Asia. They started to live somewhere near the ancient Chinese village of Liqian. Some of these Romans married local Chinese women and the story of blue-eyed villages of China was started.
During its busiest period, the Silk Road allowed people from many different cultures and countries to meet each other and mix. The Silk Road allowed the sharing of valuable goods and new ideas. These included people and trading goods from the Mediterranean, Persian, Magyar, Armenian, Bactrian, Indian and Chinese areas. All these people traveled the Silk Road, and they shared goods, stories, languages and cultures.
In modern times, the old Silk Road routes (路线) are still used, but now they are crossed by trains instead of camels and horses. There is even a Silk Route Museum in Jiuquan in China. It has over 35, 000 objects from all along the Silk Road. In this way, China protects the history of many countries and peoples.
1. Which of the following goods is not mentioned in the passage?| A．Silk. | B．Cloth. | C．Gold. | D．Tea. |
| A．About 3, 000. | B．Nearly 6, 500. | C．Almost 2, 000. | D．Over 3, 500. |
| A．Valuable things could not be sold along the Silk Road. |
| B．The Silk Road was only good for Chinese people. |
| C．Ancient Chinese along the Silk Road may be able to speak different languages. |
| D．The objects in the museum in Jiuquan in China are from all along the Silk Road. |
| A．History and Geography. | B．Man and Animals. |
| C．Sports World. | D．Popular Science. |
8 . People often remember what they were doing when they
Robert Allen is now over 50, but he was a school pupil at that time. “I was at home with my parents,” Robert remembers. “We were eating dinner in the kitchen when we heard the news on the radio. The news reporter said, ‘Dr. King died just 10 minutes ago.’ My parents were
More recently, most Americans remember what they were doing when the World Trade Center in New York was taken down by
This was a day Kate Smith will never forget. She remembers
You’re probably used to getting a takeaway（外卖）delivered（递送）to your home these days. But the
In 1878, Margherita became the queen of Italy. Gradually, the queen got tired of eating “fancy” meals and wanted
The queen had never eaten pizza before and said it was one of the best things
Today, pizza is still popular with people around
| A．one | B．first | C．ones |
| A．to eat | B．eat | C．eating |
| A．asked | B．asking | C．was asked |
| A．While | B．As soon as | C．If |
| A．that | B．whose | C．who |
| A．an | B．a | C．the |
| A．would be | B．was | C．is |
| A．it | B．it’s | C．its |
| A．so as to | B．so that | C．in order to |
| A．will walk | B．walk | C．would walk |
10 . Who “discovered” America? And who managed the first successful sail around the world in history?
Well, our textbooks have the answers: they are Italian sailor Christopher Columbus and Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
However, China’s great explorer, Zheng He（1371-1435）, may well have beaten the European explorers and sailed around the world first. The life and achievements of the great sailor are shown in a 59-episode TV drama.
Zheng was an officer of the Ming Dynasty’s Yongle Emperor. In 1405, the emperor asked Zheng to visit the “Western Seas”, which referred to the seas and lands west of the South China Sea.
Zheng traveled with 62 ships filled with silk, porcelain and 27, 800 men. The biggest ship was 126 meters long and could take the weight of 7. 000 tons. In the following 28 years, Zheng made another six successful journeys. He visited over 30 countries.
Since most of the records of Zheng’s voyages have been lost many historians（历史学家）believe Zheng’s achievements have been underestimated（低估）. British writer Gavin Menzies, who spent 14 researching the movements of the Chinese fleet, explained it was Zheng who first sailed around the world, in his book, 1421, The Year China Discovered America.
While Menzies was doing the research, he said he was shown a map, dated 1459, which included southern Africa and the Cape of Good Hope. Yet the Cape was not “discovered” by da Gama until 1497. On the map was a note about a voyage round the Cape in 1420——and a picture of a Chinese ship.
“What nobody has explained is why the European explorers had maps. Who drew the maps?” he asks in his book. “There are millions of square miles of ocean. It required huge fleets to chart them. If you say it wasn’t the Chinese, then who was it?”
1. What did Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan and Zheng He have in common?| A．They were all great explorers. |
| B．They were born in the same period. |
| C．They were all the officers of the Ming Dynasty. |
| D．Their life and achievement were featured on CCTV 8. |
①He saw a map with southern Africa and the Cape of Good Hope.
②Records of Zheng’s voyage have been lost.
③The European explorers had maps before exploration.
④The map was dated in 1459.
⑤A picture of a Chinese ship on the map.
| A．①②③⑤ | B．①③④⑤ | C．①②③④ | D．②③④⑤ |
| A．the European explorers drew the map |
| B．the European explorers gave their maps to the Chinese |
| C．the huge European fleets charted the map |
| D．the Chinese are most likely to discover America |
| A．Great European Explorers | B．Successful Journey |
| C．Who Discovered America | D．A Research on Western Seas |
