1 . 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 along the Silk Road about 3,000 years ago. When the Chinese silk trade became important in the world, the Silk Road covered almost 6,500 kilometers. It spread from Rome to China, that is to say from the Western Europe 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, gold and so on.
There is a famous old story along the old road. It is said that Roman soldiers who lost a war traveled through Central Asia. They decided 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 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 sharing valuable goods（货物）and new ideas. These included people and trading goods from the Mediterranean（地中海的）, Persian（波斯的）, Magyar（马扎尔的）, Armenian（亚美尼亚的）, Bactrian（大夏的）, Indian and Chinese areas. All these peoples traveled along 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（骆驼）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.
根据文章内容，判断句子正（T）、误（F）。
1. The Silk Road has a history of about 3,000 years.
2. Some Roman soldiers lost the war because they married local Chinese women.
3. Nowadays, the Silk Road routes are still crossed by camels and horses.
4. According to the passage, we can infer（推断）ancient Chinese along the Silk Road might be able to speak different languages.
5. All the objects in the museum in Jiuquan in China are from our country.
History is important to study because it is essential for all of us in understanding ourselves and the world around us. And in my opinion, studying history benefits beyond history itself, because it helps develop and improve our skills through studying history.
We can improve our reading skills by reading texts from different periods. Language has changed and developed over time and so has the way people write and express themselves. We can also improve our writing skills through learning not to just repeat what someone else said, but to analyze information from multiple sources and come up with our own conclusions. It’s two birds with one stone—better writing and critical thinking!
There are so many sources of information out in the world. Finding a decisive truth for many topics just doesn’t exist. What was a victory for one group was a great loss for another—we get to create our own opinions of these events.
History gives us the opportunity to learn from others’ past mistakes. It helps us understand many reasons why people may behave the way they do. As a result, it helps us become smarter as decision-makers.
In the study of history we will need to conduct research. This gives us the opportunity to look at two kinds of sources—primary (written at the time) and secondary sources (written about a time period, after the fact). This practice can teach us how to decipher between reliable and unreliable sources.
There are numbers and data to be learned from history. In terms of patterns: patterns in population, disappearances during times of war, and even in environmental factors. These patterns that are found help clarify why things happened as they did.
It’s incredibly important to learn to question the quality of the information and “history” we are learning. Keep these two questions in mind as we read through information: How do I know what I’m reading are facts and accurate information? Could they be the writer’s opinions?
1. The author thinks history helps make good decisions because ________.| A．we can learn from others’ past mistakes |
| B．we can meet many sources of information |
| C．we can look at primary and secondary sources |
| D．we can create our own opinions of the past events |
| A．put out | B．break out | C．make out | D．try out |
| A．To remind readers to read historical novels carefully. |
| B．To warn readers not to read too many history books. |
| C．To emphasize the quality of the information on history. |
| D．To make readers doubt about the reality of history. |
| A．How to study history | B．Why is history important |
| C．Reliable data of history | D．Value of studying history |
A castle was the fortress (堡垒) and home of a king or nobleman.
Most of the castles we think of today were built in Europe. They were built from about 1, 000 AD to about 1, 500 AD, during a period known as the Middle Ages.
Castles played an important role after the fall of the Roman Empire. When a king granted land to nobles, the nobles promised in return to serve the king and provide him with soldiers. Nobles built castles on the lands given to them. But some nobles simply claimed land as their own and built a castle on it. That was asking for trouble. There were many power struggles between nobles and kings, and among the nobles themselves.
A typical stone castle had several main parts. At the centre of the castle was a tall and very strong building called the keep. This is where people in the castle made their last stand if the outer defences (防御) failed. The keep was set in a courtyard, where there were workshops, stables, and a kitchen.
High, thick walls surrounded the keep and the courtyard. Strong, round defensive towers stood at the corners of the walls. Guards walked along the tops of the walls and towers.
Many stone castles were surrounded by a wide ditch called a moat (护城河). Some moats were filled with water, but many were not. The only way into the castle was across a wooden drawbridge over the moat. If enemies attacked, the defenders raised the bridge. Then they lowered a heavy iron-and-wood barrier called a portcullis to block the entrance to the castle.
A well-built castle was a pretty safe place to be. Attackers had a hard time getting in. But they still had some options. They could go over the walls using ladders. They could smash (撞碎) through the walls or doors. Or they could dig under the walls and try to get part of the wall to fall down. If none of those things worked, they could just camp outside until the defenders ran out of food.
Attackers sometimes brought large machines called siege engines with them to break through castle doors or walls. This was a heavy wooden beam with a metal cap. In the early 1500s, cannons entered wide use in warfare. Cannonballs could dig into the base of stone walls and weaken them. The walls then fell under their own weight. As a result, castles were no longer needed.
1. The underlined word “That” refers to the fact that ________.| A．nobles built castles on the lands given to them | B．the nobles promised to serve the king in return |
| C．some nobles simply claimed land as their own | D．the nobles provided the king with soldiers |
| A．3 | B．4 | C．5 | D．6 |
| A．Some castles were built to attract more visitors. |
| B．Kings in ancient Europe were more generous. |
| C．Portcullises were used to break through castle doors. |
| D．Warfare must be common from 1, 000 AD to about 1, 500 AD. |
| A．Attacking a castle | B．Visiting a castle | C．A pretty safe place | D．Weakness of a castle |
4 . In ancient Egypt, women did not go to work. They stayed and worked at home. Many Egyptian men were farmers. Some men were builders or fishermen. Other men worked as artists. Some other important persons did not do any farming.
The weather in Egypt was very hot. Ancient Egyptians did not wear many clothes. Men, women and children often wore simple robes made of thin cloth. On their feet they wore light open shoes. People including women, shaved hair from their heads to keep cool.
Children in ancient Egypt grew up to do the same jobs as their parents. Girls stayed at home with their mothers. They learned to look after the home. Boys worked with their fathers. They learned to do jobs their fathers did. They only went to school to learn to write if they wanted to become a scribe.
Many of the games played by ancient Egyptians are similar to games we still play today. Children played racing and jumping games. They also played ball games and with wooden toys. Older children played a game like chess.
The king of Egypt (the pharaohs) hand enough power to master their country. The people thought that pharaoh was a god. He owned everything. Everyone had to do what he told them to do. The pharaohs built huge tombs. When a pharaoh dies, he was buried in the tomb. The tombs were often in the shape of pyramids. When a pharaoh was buried, he was surrounded by treasure and by things to help him in the next world, such as food, clothes, furniture and weapons.
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An almost complete gold mask was found at the Sanxingdui Ruins（遗址）in Guanghan, Sichuan province recently. The discovery was along with more than 500 other cultural relics（文物）from the site, including some gold pieces in the shape of birds, ivory, some bone arts and silk as well. A. Some of them dated back over 3200 years. Without doubt, the gold mask is very important. As thin as a piece of paper, the mask is 37.2 cm wide and 16.5 cm high. It is the biggest complete gold mask found so far at Sanxingdui Ruins.
B. The Sanxingdui Ruins were first discovered in 1929.As one of the world’s greatest discoveries of the 20th century, they are believed to be the remains of the ancient Shui Kingdom.
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6 . If you love all things about ancient Egypt (埃及), there is good news. Egyptologists (埃及古物学者) have discovered the lost golden city.
A team of archaeologists (考古学家)have discovered a 3000-year-old city under the sands. The city, Aten, is the largest ancient Egyptian city ever found.
Archaeologists first found Aten back in the summer of 2020. It lies near Luxor, which is famous for the Valley of the Kings (帝王谷).
Dr Zahi Hawass is one of the leading Egyptologists. He said, “Many foreign teams searched for this city and never found it.”
When the team uncovered Aten, they were surprised to discover that it was in such good condition. The city had walls that were 3 meters high!
After several months of careful work, the team has found many exciting things.
Betsy Bryan is a professor of Egyptology at Johns Hopkins University. She said the city was the “second most important archaeological discovery since the tomb of Tutankhamun (图坦卡蒙墓).” This is because she believes it will help us learn about what Egyptian life was like during one of its wealthiest periods (时期).
Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamun tomb near the Valley of the Kings in 1922, nearly a century ago. The team hopes that in the future they will discover more tombs with treasure.
So, who knows what people could discover next?
1. What does the underlined word “uncovered” mean in Chinese?| A．到达 | B．游览 | C．标注 | D．发现 |
| A．It will help to learn about the history of ancient Egypt. |
| B．It is the most important discovery. |
| C．It will help to discover more treasure. |
| D．It will help to bring more visitors. |
| A．A Huge City | B．Ancient Egyptian City Discovered |
| C．Egyptian History | D．Life in Egypt |
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
8 . 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 |
Thousands of years ago, people had to hunt for food. They lived in caves and needed fire to keep w
Actually we don’t know why they drew the pictures. Maybe they drew the pictures to bring good l
For paint, they m
These people drew what they saw a
Most people today use coins, paper money, or credit cards to buy things. However, shopping wasn’t always as easy
About 10,000 years ago, people farmed and
About 3,000 years ago, people started to use other things as money. Shells from the ocean were
It wasn’t until about 2,000 years ago that the first coins appeared. China was probably the first place to use metal coins. People made
But it’s not convenient to carry around a lot of heavy coins,
