1 . Along with silk and paper,gunpowder is another invention by Chinese and the Silk Road helped it spread to the West. The dating of gunpowder is as early as 850 AD. The Chinese used gunpowder to make fireworks and for signal flares. Gunpowder was also thought to have been used in medicine and in alchemy(炼金术). This invention seems to have been discovered in China by accident —by alchemists when doing experiments.
The gunpowder used for military purpose was first recorded in 919 AD. By the 11th century,explosive bombs filled with gunpowder were introduced and used in China. The words “fire cannon” “rocket” and “fireball” appeared time and again in the official Song history as well as two other books written during the same period.
The first detailed description of using the “fire cannon” in warfare was in connection with a battle fought in 1126 when the Song army used it against the invading enemy. The so-called “ fire cannon” was a tube made of bamboo filled with gunpowder which, when fired, threw a flaming missile towards the enemy. According to a description of a battle scene in 1132, it took two persons to carry a “fire cannon”, and the cannons were fired from a moving platform. And this platform had to be moved close to the wall of the besieged(被围攻的) city.
Gunpowder reached Japan, the Islamic countries and then Europe in the 13th century, and the Arabs improved gunpowder for military use. The early account of gunpowder in Europe was recorded by English philosopher Roger Bacon in the 13th century. One century later the Arabs used it to attack the Spanish town Baza and the next year in 1326 Florence ordered the manufacturing of cannon and cannon balls. From Italy the making of gunpowder soon spread to other European countries, and by the 1350s it had become an effective weapon on the battlefield.
1. Gunpowder was discovered _________.| A．by alchemists when they had an accident |
| B．by alchemists after studying it for a long time |
| C．accidentally by alchemists |
| D．experimentally by alchemists |
| A．Convenient. | B．Heavy. |
| C．Useless. | D．Simple. |
| A．“fire cannons” at early times would be less helpful if they were far away from the object |
| B．alchemists devoted themselves to the study of gunpowder |
| C．the Silk Road spread to the West because of the invention of gunpowder |
| D．the first detailed description of using “fire cannons” in warfare was in 1132 |
| A．Powerful Fire Cannons | B．Four Inventions of Ancient China |
| C．The Discovery of the Alchemy | D．Gunpowder |
2 . Did you see snow in your hometown last winter? Did you feel it was warmer than before?
“There have been 21 warm winters in China since 1986,” said scientists. They also said that in the past 100 years, as the global (全球的) temperatures went up by 0.74 °C , the temperature in North China has climbed 1.4°C in only 50 years.
China needs to take quick action to cut carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) emission (排放), because it’s the main reason for global warming. The good news is that China has seen the importance of going green. China set the goal of cutting energy use by 20 and pollution emission by 10 in the 11th Five-Year Plan.
Can you slow global warming? Sure! You and your family can take steps to cut the amount of carbon dioxide that is sent out into the air.
Here are some pieces of advice to help you save the earth.
Wear used clothes. Wearing your brother's, sister's or dad’s old T-shirt means you save the energy.
Change your light bulbs (灯泡). Use energy-saving light bulbs. And don’t forget to turn off the lights when you leave a room and turn off your television and computer when they are not in use!
Ride the bus. Taking a bus saves a lot of oil every year.
Say no to plastic bags. The next time your parents go to the market, ask them to use baskets.
Open a window. Don’t use the air conditioner (空调), and let some fresh air in. When you have to use the conditioner, set the temperature higher in the summer and lower in the winter to save energy.
Make small changes in your daily life. Don’t use paper cups, bags and boxes.
It's time for all of us to do something to save the earth.
1. The main reason for global warming is ____.| A．the oil | B．carbon dioxide | C．paper cups, bags and boxes | D．televisions and computers |
| A．活力 | B．干劲 | C．精力 | D．能源 |
| A．It’s a pity to wear your dad's old T-shirts. |
| B．Using air conditioners may be a waste of energy. |
| C．Taking a bus wastes a lot of oil every year. |
| D．Using paper bags saves energy a lot. |
3 . Nothing could stop Dad. After he was put on disability for a bad back, he bought a small farm in the country, just enough to grow food for the family. He planted vegetables, fruit trees and even kept bees for honey.
And every week he cleaned Old Man McColgin's chicken house in exchange for manure(肥料). The smell really burned the inside of your nose. When we complained about the terrible smell, Dad said the stronger the manure, the healthier the crops, and he was right. For example, just one of his cantaloupes filled the entire house with its sweet smell, and the taste was even sweeter.
As the vegetables started coming in, Dad threw himself into cooking. One day, armed with a basket of vegetables, he announced he was going to make stew(炖菜).Dad pulled out a pressure cooker and filled it up with cabbages, eggplants, potatoes, corns, onions and carrots. For about half an hour, the pressure built and the vegetables cooked. Finally, Dad turned off the stove, the pot began to cool and the pressure relief valve sprayed out a cloud of steam. If we thought Dad's pile of chicken manure was bad, this was 10 times worse. When Dad took off the lid, the smell nearly knocked us out.
Dad carried the pot out and we opened doors and windows to air out the house. Just how bad was it? The neighbors came out of their houses to see if we had a gas leak!
Determined, Dad filled our plates with steaming stew and passed them around. It didn’t look that bad, and after the first wave had shut down my ability to smell, it didn’t offend the nose so much, either. I took a taste. It would never win a prize in a cooking competition, but it was surprisingly edible, and we drank up every last drop of soup!
1. Why did Dad clean Old Man Mocolgin’s chicken house regularly?| A．To earn some money for the family. | B．To collect manure for his crops. |
| C．To get rid of the terrible smell. | D．To set a good example to us. |
| A．It is popular among the neighbors. | B．It contains honey and vegetables. |
| C．It looks very wonderful. | D．It tastes quite delicious. |
| A．To attract. | B．To upset. | C．To air. | D．To shut. |
| A．He is an experienced cook. | B．He is a troublesome father. |
| C．He has a positive attitude to life. | D．He suffers a lot from his disability. |
