1 . 阅读下列材料，根据其内容完成阅读任务。

What’s the Silk Road? In history, it was an important international trade route（贸易路线）between China and the Mediterranean Sea（地中海）. The Silk Road began in the Western Han Dynasty and has a history of more than 2,000 years.

In the past, the road started in Chang’an（now Xi’an）and ended in Eastern Europe near the Mediterranean Sea. It was about 6,500 kilometers long and went across 1/4 of the world.

The Silk Road got its name in the 19th century because Chinese silk was famous, and traders carried it to other places along this road. Traders also carried porcelain and other things to the West. And glass, gems and food like carrots from the West came to China.

The Silk Road was very important to both China and the rest of the world. It was more than an international trade route. Lots of arts and science of other countries came to China across the Silk Road. In this way, languages and cultures influenced each other.

Today, China is trying to make the dream of the Belt and Road come true.

1. How long was the Silk Road in the past?
2. The Silk Road got its name because traders ____________ to other places along this road.
3. What does the underlined word “traders” mean in English?
4. Across the Silk Road, ____________ and _____________ in both China and the rest of the world influenced each other.
5. What is the passage mainly about?
________________________________________________________

3 .

Contents Introduction……………………….1 Chinese Calendar………………….3 Emperors…………………………..8 Great Inventions………………….15 Art ……………………………….19 Great Wall………………………..24 Paper Money …………………….31 Society …………………………..42 Trade …………………………….60

Yongle, third emperor of China’s Ming Dynasty (1368—1644), stayed in power for 22 years. He moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing and had the Forbidden City (紫禁城) built there. It is listed by UNESCO (联合国教科文组织) as the largest collection of ancient wooden structures in the world and attracts millions of tourists each year from home and abroad.

1. What's the purpose of this book？________

A．To be used as a history textbook.

B．To tell about the Yongle Emperor.

C．To teach English to Chinese students.

D．To help foreigners learn about China.

2. Where can you find the page on the right？________

A．Between Pages 1﹣2.

B．Between Pages 3﹣7.

C．Between Pages 8﹣14.

D．Between Pages 15﹣18.

3. Which of the following is TRUE？________

A．The Ming Dynasty had 3 emperors in all.

B．Yongle became emperor at the age of 22.

C．Nanjing was the capital of Ming Dynasty before Yongle.

D．Yongle built the Forbidden City for tourists to visit.

4 .

In China, writing brushes, ink sticks, paper and ink stones are called the Four Treasures of Study. Among the high-quality (质量)treasures, the writing brush produced in Huzhou, the ink stick produced in Huizhou, the xuan paper made in Xuancheng and the ink stone made in Duanxi are the best-known.

The writing brushes can be used to draw the pictures on painted potteries (陶器). They are mainly made of the hair of animals. Those made of wool are called yanghao and those made of the weasel's(鼬) tail hair are called langhao. Their artistic effects (效果)in writing and painting cannot be copied by any other pens.

The ink stick is the pigment(颜料)used in writing and painting. The ink stick produced in Huizhou is of high quality. A story goes like this: Two famous skilled men Xi Chao and his son produced a kind of high-quality ink stick. As a result, the Emperor Li Yu in the Southern Tang Dynasty agreed to give them the family name "Li". From then on, the fame of the Li Ink Stick was widespread. In the Song Dynasty, its producing area was changed into Huizhou, and it was then called the Hui Ink Stick.

Paper is among the four great inventions in ancient China. The famous xuan paper appeared in the Sui and Tang dynasties. In Xuanzhou, Anhui Province where the xuan paper is produced, it's said that Cai Lun's pupil Kong Dan took the job of producing paper but failed to make perfect white paper. Later he happened to see the ebony (檀木)in the rivers. It was wet with the water and turned white. Then he used the bark (树皮)to produce the world-famous xuan paper.

The ink stone was already very popular in the Han Dynasty. The Ming and Qing dynasties saw the appearance of the Four Famous Ink Stones - Duan Ink Stone, She Ink Stone, Tao Ink Stone and Chengni Ink Stone. They can not only be used in writing and painting but also for admiration.

1. What are the writing brushes mainly made of?
_______________________________________
2. Why did Xi Chao and his son get the family name from the Emperor Li Yu?
_______________________________________
3. What does it in paragraph 3 refer to (指的是)?
_______________________________________
4. How did Kong Dan find the way to make the famous xuan paper by accident?
_______________________________________
5. When did the Four Famous Ink Stones appear?
_______________________________________
6. What's the title (标题) for the passage? (不超过10个词)
_______________________________________

5 . There are long rivers, and there are famous rivers. The Nile is the world’s longest and most famous river. It runs 6, 650 kilometers. Crocodiles and hippos live in its waters. Pyramids built by ancient Egyptians rise along its banks.

The main branch of the Nile, the White Nile, starts just above Lake Victoria, the world’s second largest fresh — water lake, in east central Africa. Then it flows to the north. At Sudan’s capital, another great river called the Blue Nile joins the White Nile. Together, they form one very powerful river. Then it goes through Egypt’s famous Nile Valley before reaching the Mediterranean Sea.

Ancient Egypt, the first great African civilization(文明), started along the banks of the Nile more than 5,000 years ago. Ancient Egypt ruled the Nile Valley for thousands of years. Great pyramids and temples were built on the banks and we can still visit them today.

阅读短文，填表格，每空一词。

The Nile — the longest and most famous river in the world
Where does the Nile flow?	The White Nile is the main branch of the Nile. It starts above Lake Victoria and then     1    to the north. The Blue Nile joins the White Nile at the     2     of Sudan. They form a powerful river. Then the Nile goes through the Nile Valley. Finally it     3    the Mediterranean Sea.
The Nile's long and rich banks.	Ancient Egypt started along the banks of the Nile more than 5,000 years ago. Its people built pyramids and temples we can still visit today. Every year the Nile flooded its banks. The floodwaters covered the banks with a rich soil. Rich farmland    4     this ancient civilization great. The Nile made a perfect highway for boats. To go south, boaters put up sails to catch the wind. To go north, they took the sails down. Ancient people     5     and sold goods along the river for hundreds of miles.

6 . You might think the largest library in the world would be in Europe. But it isn't. It's in Washington, D. C. It's called the Library of Congress.

President John Adams started the library in 1800 for members of Congress. He wanted them to be able to read books about law. The first 740 books were bought in England. They were simply set up in the room where Congress met. Then Thomas Jefferson sold Congress may of his own books. He felt Congress should have books on all subjects, not just on law. This idea changed the library fundamentally.

The library grew and grew. Now it covers acres of land. It has 20 million books as well as scores of pictures, movies, globes and machines. Experts in every field work there. Hundreds of people call every day with all kinds of questions. Many of them get answers right over the phone.

The library is a huge storehouse. Thomas Edison's first movie and Harry Houdini's magic books reside there. And it is the proud owner of the world's best collection of comic books.

The     1     Library in the World
Location of the library	The largest library in the world is not in     2     . In fact, It's in Washington, D.C. of the USA.
Purpose of the library	The library was started by President John Adams in 1800. He wanted the members of Congress to be able to read books about     3    .
Area of the library	The library has     4     larger and larger. Now it covers acres of land.
5    of the library	It has 20 million books as well as scores of pictures, movies, globes and machines. Thomas Edison's first movie and Harry Houdini's magic books are also collected there.

7 .

A.with        B.teaching        C.walls        D.deep        E.warm     F.bring        G.often        H.animals   I.quite       J.found

Thousands of years ago, people had to hunt(打猎)for food. They lived in caves(洞穴)and needed fire to keep     1    .Some of them drew pictures on the walls of their caves.

We don't know why they drew the pictures. They had to go     2    into the cave to do it, so they must have had a plan. They probably took a light    3    them, which was made of animal fat. Maybe they drew the pictures to    4    good luck when they hunted. Others think the spears(矛)in the pictures mean that they were    5    other people to hunt.

For paint, they mixed animal fat with some different things like dirt or berries. They used sticks to brush the paint onto the     6    of their caves. Some of the drawings are colorful and others are black from the burned end of a stick.

These people drew what they saw around them    7    such as tigers, deer, horses, and sometimes birds and fish. They also drew people, but not very    8    .

The pictures are    9    good most of the time. The tigers look strong and powerful. Many of the horses and deer look graceful.

These drawings have been     10    in more than 130 caves- mostly in England and France. Maybe there are more that we haven't found yet. It is interesting to look at such old drawings.

8 . 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.

1. The best word for the blank is ________.

A．painting

B．film

C．poem

D．sculpture

2. Which of the following is true?

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.

3. Which section of a magazine is the passage probably from?

A．Sports Time.

B．Science Study.

C．Culture World.

D．Nature Watch.

9 . Traffic lights are red, yellow and green. They are very important signals (信号). Traffic lights are usually placed at busy street corners to help control traffic. Sometimes, they are on streets near schools and shops, too. Most young children are taught what each of the colored lights means, so everybody can stay safe.

The first traffic signals were used for trains. The signals were put alongside railway tracks   (轨道). The color red was used to mean “stop” because it warned people of danger. A red light was also the easiest color to see from a distance. Train drivers could see the red “stop” light ahead and had enough time to slow down and stop their trains. A green light was used to mean “take care” and a white light meant “go”.

However, there were many dangerous accidents on the train tracks. Some train drivers thought a star shining in the night sky was a white light that meant “go”. So the signals were swapped. The “go” light was changed to green and the “take care” light was changed to white.

During these times, people travelled by train or in carts pulled by horses. Years later, when cars were built, people began to drive them because they could travel much faster than horses. However, the road rules for drivers were not very clear and many people were hurt crossing the roads. Yellow warning signs had to be placed beside the roads to remind drivers to take care and allow people to cross safely.

Today, towns and cities all over the world have traffic lights. Red and green lights match the signals used on the railways. Yellow lights are easy to see, so they are used to warn drivers that they should slow down and prepare to stop.

1. Why was the color red used to mean “stop”?

A．It reminded people of traffic rules.

B．It helped trains run smoothly.

C．It gave people a warning of danger.

D．It was the first color people thought of.

2. What does the underlined word “swapped” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Designed.

B．Exchanged.

C．Suggested.

D．Compared.

3. In which order did the “take care” light develop?
a. A white light               b. A green light.                      c. A yellow light.

A．a一c一b

B．b一c一a

C．a一b一c

D．b一a一c

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The advantages of traffic lights.	B．The history of traffic lights.
C．The importance of traffic lights.	D．The meanings of traffic lights.

10 . 根据短文内容完成短文后的思维导图，并将答案写在答题卡的相应位置。

Did you know that tea ,the most popular drink in the world（after water）was invented by accident？Many people believe that tea was first drunk about 5 ,000 years ago．It is said that a   Chinese ruler called Shen Nong was the first to discover tea as a drink． One day Shen Nong was boiling drinking water over an open fire．Some leaves from a tea plant fell into the water and remained there for some time．It produced a nice smell so he tasted the brown water．It was quite delicious ,and so ,one of the world's favorite drinks was invented．

A few thousand years later ,Lu Yu ,"the saint of tea" ,mentioned Shen Nong in his book Cha Jing．The book describes how tea plants were grown and used to make tea．It also discusses where the finest tea leaves were produced and what kinds of water were used．

It is believed that tea was brought to Korea and Japan during the 6th and 7th centuries．In England ,tea didn't appear until around 1660 ,but in less than 100 years ,it had become the national drink．The tea trade from China to Western countries took place in the 19th century．This helped to spread the popularity of tea and the tea plant to more places around the world．Even though many people now know about tea culture ,the Chinese are without doubt the ones who best understand the nature of tea．

An accidental   invention--tea
Invent tea	Cha Jing	1
*Tea leaves fell into the water that Shen Nong    2    . *Shen Nong drank tea     3    about 5000 years ago.	Describe how to grow tea plants and    4    . *Discuss the producer(产地)of the finest tea leaves and the water to be used.	*The English regarded tea as the national drink    5     century. *The tea trade helped to spread the popularity of tea and the tea plant.