Many of us read news every day is probably because we’d like to know what’s happening in the world. Today we can get news from TV or the Internet, but how did ancient people get news?
At the very beginning, information spread by word of mouth. People living in tribes (部落), got news from neighbors or travelers. Ancient Romans changed the way people knew about their communities. They posted a list of daily happenings at public squares in the cities. Ancient Chinese people did it in another way. The government had news sheets sent to officials in the whole country so people could know what was going on in the capital.
The fifteenth century saw big progress in printing technology in the west. The progress brought a sudden rise of news business. Printers sold whatever people loved to read. In the sixteenth century, the first real newspaper appeared. People started to form the habit of reading newspapers. They liked to share their opinions on newspapers. The invention of telegraph (电报) machines led to another big step in history. News stories were sent to the papers in minutes instead of weeks.
Now we get news in seconds from all over the world. We can become some kind of reporters by posting online what happens around us.
1. From whom did people living in tribes get news?2. Where did ancient Romans post a list of daily happenings?
3. What brought a sudden rise of news business in the 15th century?
4. When did the first real newspapers appear?
5. How can we become some kind of reporters now?
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
3. What does the underlined word “traders” mean in English?
4. Across the Silk Road,
5. What is the passage mainly about?
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)
On Easter Day 1722, some European explorers found an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. They surprisingly found that there were around 800 big stone statues（石像）called Moai, just like human heads. They weigh up to 270 tons and the tallest one is over 11 meters.
Since their discovery, these stone men have created one of the greatest mysteries of all time. Who built them? Why did they do it?
Some experts say the stone statues were created by people of Peruvian descent（秘鲁人后代）. Others believe that they came from other space. However, the latest information suggests that it is a kind of wasting in human history.
It is said that a small group of Asians lived on Easter Island sometime between 400 and 700 AD. At the top of their civilization（文明）. The Asians began to build the stone men. Why they did this is still unknown, but it is believed that they do this to worship（祭拜）their gods or ancestors.
As the statues grew larger, the people’s lifestyles became more and more wasteful. The forest began to disappear and animals died out. The people had food shortage and they had to eat other humans to live. From then on, the society began to break down and the stone men were finally destroyed by the islanders themselves.
1. Where did European explorers find the big stone statues?2. How high is the tallest Moai?
3. Is it believed by some people that Moai were created by aliens?
4. Why did Asians in the island build Moai?
5. What did the islanders do when they couldn’t get enough food?
5 . Just like many other parts in Australia, the Lake Tyers region（泰尔斯湖地区）has long suffered from wildfires. (A)______ this region is different from others because of its fire brigade（消防队）— the firefighters are all women. ①
Charmaine is the leader of the team. About twenty years ago, a house in Lake Tyers caught fire. It was burned down because there was no fire brigade nearby. ② They started knocking on their neighbor’s doors to look for teammates. (B) 五名妇女加入了她们。 Together they asked the government to give them firefighter training.
③ Since their fire brigade was set up, this well-trained group has put up many fires. Their job is not only to protect people and houses, but also to save their own history. (C) They have helped to find hundreds of ancient artifacts（文物）on their land.
“When we first set up the team, some people called us the Banana Women,” Charmaine said, “Because we wore bright yellow uniforms.” They liked the name (D) ______ much that they kept calling themselves this name. They are the bravest “Banana Women” in Australia!
1. 在文中(A)和(D)的空白处填入适当的单词：(A)2. 将文中划线部分(B)译成英语：(B)
3. 将文中划线部分(C)改写为：
4. 在文中①②③选出能够填入 “Charmaine and her two friends decided to protect their own land by themselves.” 的位置：
5. 从文中找出能说明本文主旨大意的短语：
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 | |
Location of the library | The largest library in the world is not in |
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 |
Area of the library | The library has |
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. | |
Long time ago, the monster Nian lived in the mountains. It ate animals. But in winter, it could not find food. So it came to villages and ate a lot of people. People were so afraid of Nian that they locked their doors before evening came during the winter. One day, an old man came to a village. He told people there that Nian was afraid of three things——the color red, fire and noise. He told people to play drums and gongs, make big fires and set off fireworks(放鞭炮)to make Nian go away.
On a moonless, cold night, Nian went to the village again. As soon as it opened its big mouth, people made loud noises and made fires. Nian was really afraid and ran away. wherever it went, there was noise and fire. When Nian was tired and could not run anymore, people killed the monster.
After that, on the coldest day of winter, people beat drums and gongs, and set off fireworks to celebrate the death of the monster of Nian. They put up red lanterns and have a big dinner without sleeping during the night.
In the morning people greet each other happily. So now we have the Spring Festival.
1. What was Nian?
2. Why did the monster eat people in winter?
3. What was Nian afraid of?
4. When did people kill the monster?
5. Who have the Spring Festival according to the story?
8 . Two Thanksgivings
“Why are we visiting Uncle Ed now? Thanksgiving is next month,” Curtis said. “In the United States, Thanksgiving is in November,” his dad replied. “In Canada, it’s in October.” “Why?” Curtis asked. “Ask Uncle Ed. He used to teach history. You could learn a lot from him,” his dad said.
When Curtis met Uncle Ed, he asked, “Why is Canada’s Thanksgiving so early?” “Thanksgiving is when we give thanks for the harvest (收获),” Uncle Ed said. “Canada gets colder before the United States, so its harvest and Thanksgiving come earlier.”
The next day, Curtis’s dad helped Uncle Ed cook Thanksgiving dinner. “What are we having?” Curtis asked. “You’ll find out soon,” his dad said. “Why don’t you watch TV?” “We watch football on Thanksgiving, too,” Uncle Ed said. “I’m sure there’s a game on.” On his way out of the kitchen, Curtis saw a cornucopia. It looked like one Mom used for their Thanksgiving. Football...cornucopia... was Canada copying the United States?
At dinner, Curtis sat down to turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. He said suddenly, “Your Thanksgiving is just like ours!” Uncle Ed laughed and said, “We do celebrate in similar ways. In the 1700s, many Americans moved to Canada. They brought their Thanksgiving traditions with them.” “We probably gave you our holiday, too,” Curtis said. “Actually, we celebrated Thanksgiving before you,” Uncle Ed replied. “However, Thanksgiving is much older than both Canada and the United States.’ “Really?” Curtis said, surprised.
“The First Nations people were giving thanks for the harvest long before settlers (殖民者) arrived. Also, Spanish settlers in the southern part of North America celebrated Thanksgiving even before Canada.”
“So when did Thanksgiving start in Canada?” Curtis asked. “An explorer named Martin Frobisher celebrated the first Canadian Thanksgiving in 1578. He gave thanks because he had stayed alive the long trip across the ocean from England to Canada.” Uncle Ed said.
“But now Canada gives thanks for the harvest?” Curtis asked. “Yes. In 1957, Canada made its Thanksgiving official (官方的). Since then, we have always given thanks on the second Monday in October,” Uncle Ed said.
After dinner, Curtis and his dad thanked Uncle Ed. “Come to our house for Thanksgiving next month,” Curtis said. “I’ll teach you about our holiday.” “Sure,” Uncle Ed said. “By then, I’ll ask for more pumpkin pie!”
1. Is Thanksgiving in October in Canada?2. Why does Canada’s Thanksgiving come earlier than the United States’ ?
3. What did they have for Thanksgiving dinner?
4. When did Thanksgiving start in Canada?
5. What is the passage mainly about?
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
Fan Shenghua, 59, is one of the inheritors (传承人) of the Longjing tea roasting technique. His palms tell you everything — they’re thick, rough, and full of calluses (老茧); a reminder of more than 40 years of hard work. “You have to touch the leaves with your hands to see how much water should be removed,” Fan said. “If too much is removed, the leaves will break into pieces; if not enough is removed, the tea will taste bitter.”
This traditional technique dates back to the Ming and Qing dynasty. It not only ensures the quality of the tea, but is also an important part of Chinese tea culture. “Longjing tea leaves are famous for their color, taste and shape. Only by hand can we make the best of them. It’s like making a work of art.” Fan said.
These days, however, more people are using machines to do the job. “It’s easier, but the quality is not as good,” Fan said. “Machine-made tea floats (漂浮) longer in water and tastes bitter.”
In March this year, when President Xi Jinping visited Hangzhou, he watched Fan roast tea leaves. Fan changed the strength and movement of his hands as he felt the tea leaves roast. Xi later said, “The things made by two palms cannot be replaced by modern technology.”
Fan is now taking apprentices (学徒). His son, a 27-year-old college graduate, is one of them. “It’s a tradition. We need to pass it down,” said the father.
1. What will happen if the tea leaves have too much water?2. When does the traditional tea roasting technique date back to?
3. What are Longjing tea leaves famous for?
4. Is machine-made tea as good as man-made tea according to Fan Shenghua?
5. Why is Fan taking apprentices?
