China celebrates the Chinese National Day on October 1st every year. The celebration marks the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
For centuries, a succession of different dynasties ruled China,
On October 1st, 1949,
Since 1950, October 1st
No discussion about Chinese culture is complete without mentioning of the Great Wall. It is one of the most amazing
The hardships involved in building the Great Wall are beyond
Over the centuries, the Great Wall
The well-preserved sections we see today were mainly built during the Ming Dynasty (1368
—1644), among
3 . A huge fire broke out on 2 September 1666 in London. The fire, known as the Great Fire of London, was the worst fire in the history of London. It burned down more than three quarters of the old city.
The fire started in the very early hours of Sunday morning in the house of the king’s baker. A strong wind blew the fire from the baker’s house into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.
At that time, most of the buildings in London were made of wood, so it was easy for the fire to spread quickly. By eight o’clock, three hundred houses were on fire. By Monday, nearly a kilometre of the city was burning along the Thames River. On Tuesday, which was considered the worst day, the fire destroyed many well-known buildings, including the old St Paul’s Cathedral.
The fire burned until finally hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire were destroyed to create a firebreak. The fire then died out eventually with nothing left to burn.
1. Why is the fire of 1666 called the Great Fire of London?A.The fire broke out in the capital of England. |
B.The fire was the worst fire in the history of London. |
C.People in England will never forget the fire. |
D.The fire spread fast into Thames Street. |
A.In the house of the king’s baker. |
B.In Thames Street. |
C.In the house of the baker’s neighbour. |
D.In St Paul’s Cathedral. |
A.It started in a baker’s house. |
B.It broke out on a Sunday morning. |
C.A hotel was next to the baker’s house. |
D.Most of the buildings in London were wooden. |
A.The old St Paul’s Cathedral. |
B.Hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire. |
C.Hundreds of wooden houses. |
D.All of the above. |
The European Union is
The idea of the European Union
In 2004, the European Union increased to 25 members. The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia, plus the Mediterranean islands of Cyprus and Malta all became members. The
5 . Zheng He was one of China's most famous explorers. Towards the end of the fourteenth century, his fleet (舰队) sailed to countries far away.
Zheng He had over 300 ships, some of which were over 150 meters long, and could carry up to 1 ,000 people. Besides, the ships carried gold, silver, silk, china and other treasures to give as gifts to the rulers of other countries. Some ships even had earth on board so that the sailors could grow their crops for food.
On Zheng He's first voyage(航海), he set sail across the Indian Ocean. His fleet travelled many days far away from land. One day, they were hit by a storm. All the sailors thought the fleet was going to sink. Then a strange light appeared and after that,the storm passed. The strange light was probably electricity from the thunderstorm (雷雨),but the sailors in Zheng He's fleet believed it was a sign of protection from the gods. With the belief, they were happy to follow Zheng He wherever he led them.
Zheng He completed seven famous voyages between 1405 and 1433. He visited many countries in Asia and Africa. He brought back many gifts from the countries he visited, such as medicines, pearls (珍珠) and strange animals. The most famous of them were a giraffe and a zebra.
In 28 years of travelling, Zheng He had managed to share the glory of China with many different countries. When he died in 1435,the stories of his travels made him one of China's most famous sailors.
1. On Zheng He's first voyage, he set sail across ________ Ocean.A.the Atlantic | B.the Indian |
C.the Pacific | D.the Arctic |
A.use it as a gift |
B.use it for exchange |
C.plant trees for shade |
D.grow their own crops for food |
A.his leadership | B.his fame |
C.the belief in gods' protecting them | D.a heavy storm |
A.a monkey and a tiger |
B.a giraffe and a zebra |
C.gold and silver |
D.medicines and pearls |
A.The Glory of China |
B.Zheng He's Life |
C.Zheng He and His Voyages |
D.China's Most Famous Explorers |
6 . The Union Jack is the national flag of the United Kingdom. It is so called because it combines the emblems (象征) of three countries — England, Scotland and Ireland (although since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom).
The term “Union Jack” possibly dates from Queen Anne's time, but its origin is uncertain. It may come from the “Jacket” of the English or Scottish soldiers; or from the name of James Ⅰ who originated the first union in 1603, in either its Latin or French form “Jacobus” or “Jacques”; or as “jack” once meant small, the name may come from a royal proclamation (声明) issued by Charles Ⅱ that the flag should be flown only by ships of the Royal Navy as a jack, a small flag at the bowsprit (船首).
The Union Jack was originally a royal flag (when the present design was made official in 1801, it was ordered to be flown on all the King's forts and castles, but not elsewhere); today it is flown above Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle when the Queen is not in residence. On news of a royal death, the Union Jack will be flown at half-mast (下半旗).
The flying of the Union Jack on public buildings is decided by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport at the Queen's command. The Union Jack is flown on government buildings on days marking the birthdays of members of the royal family, such as the Queen's official birthday, and on the days of the State Opening and prorogation (休会) of Parliament; it is also flown on St David's Day, St George's Day, St Andrew's Day, and St Patrick's Day.
Although the Union Jack originated as a royal flag, it is now also flown by many people and organizations elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Its use as an emblem has extended beyond the form of a flag and the Union Jack is frequently shown on other objects.
1. The reason why the national flag of the United Kingdom is called the Union Jack is that ________.A.the flag is made of jacket |
B.the flag combines the emblems of three countries |
C.the flag shows the symbol of unity |
D.the flag originated from the existence of the United Kingdom |
A.the origin of the national flag |
B.the history of the national flag |
C.the reason why the Union Jack has become the national flag |
D.the way how the Union Jack has become the national flag |
A.The Union Jack Everywhere |
B.The Union Jack at Anytime |
C.National Flag, the Union Jack |
D.The History of the Union Jack |
7 . Thousands of years ago, people didn't live in cold places because they didn't know how to keep themselves warm. Later they learned to make clothes. When an animal was killed, they made use of its skins to cover their bodies. The skins kept them warm. Nature is people's good friend. It once helped people find fire, when lightning(闪电) hit a forest and started a fire. People took some of this fire to their homes. The fire kept them warm, and also frightened wild animals. Soon people found the food cooked tasted much better, so they began to use the fire to cook food. But people still didn't know how to make a fire. When they got a fire from the forest they tried to keep it burning. If it went out, they had to wait for years. But later they found different ways to make fire. For example, they made fire by burning wood or knocking two pieces of stones.
Today it's easy for people to make fire because they have matches, lighters and different kinds of heaters. They can make fire at any time they need.
1. Once people lived only in hot places because they did not know how to _____.A.kill animals | B.take fire from forest |
C.keep themselves warm | D.make matches |
A.for food | B.to make fire | C.for burning | D.to warm themselves |
A.cook food | B.kill animals | C.cut off an animal’s skin | D.burn wood |
A.stones | B.wood | C.dry leaves | D.animal skins |
8 . Baron Pierre de Coubertin was a Frenchman. At his time sports were not taught in French schools. De Coubertin believed that sports should go hand in hand with studies. He had an idea. His idea was to begin the Olympics all over again.
Sports teachers of other countries liked De Coubertin ideas. So in 1896, the modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece. Since then the Olympics have been held once every four years, except three times, when there were wars.
The modern Olympic games have many foot races and field sports programs. The longest race in the games is called marathon.
Before the start of the Olympic Games, runners carry lighted torch( 火炬 ) through many nations towards the stadium where the games will be held. These sportsmen are from different countries. Yet they work together to carry the Olympic torch. It is passed from runner to runner, When the last runner enters the stadium, he or she places the torch in a special basin filled with oil. It catches fire. It is then, only then, that the Olympic Games can begin.
The Olympic flame burns throughout the games. It is the flame of peace.
1. Before 1896 French schools didn't teach ______.A.match | B.history |
C.sports | D.physics |
A.In Athens,Greece | B.In German |
C.In French | D.In Russia |
A.1896 | B.1904 |
C.1915 | D.1924 |
Napoleon, as a character in Tolstoy’sWar and Peace, is more than once described as having “fat little hands.’’ Nor does he “sit well or firmly on the horse.’’ He is said to be “undersized.’’ with“short legs’’ and a “round stomach”. The issue here is not the accuracy of Tolstoy’s description--it seems not that far off from historical accounts but his choice of facts:other things that could be said of the man are not said. We are meant to understand the difference of a warring commander in the body of a fat little Frenchman. Tolstoy’s Napoleon could be any man wandering in the streets and putting a little of powdered tobacco up his nose—and that is the point.
It is a way the novelist uses to show the moral nature of a character. And it turns out that, as Tolstoy has it, Napoleon is a crazy man. In a scene in Book Three ofWar and Peace, the wars having reached the critical year of 1812,Napoleon receives a representative from the Tsar(沙皇), who has come with peace terms. Napoleon is very angry:doesn’t he have more army? He, not the Tsar, is the one to make the terms. He will destroy all of Europe if his army is stopped. “That is what you will have gained by engaging me in the war!” he shouts. And then, Tolstoy writes, Napoleon “walked silently several times up and down the room, his fat shoulders moving quickly.’’
Still later, after reviewing his army amid cheering crowds, Napoleon invites the shaken Russian to dinner. “He raised his hand to the Russian’s…face,” Tolstoy writes, and “taking him by the ear pulled it gently….” To have one’s ear pulled by the Emperor was considered the greatest honor and mark of favor at the French court. “Well, well, why don’t you say anything?’’ said he, as if it was ridiculous in his presence to respect any one but himself, Napoleon.
Tolstoy did his research, but the composition is his own.
1. Tolstoy’s description of Napoleon in War and Peaceis _________.
A.far from the historical facts | B.based on the Russian history |
C.based on his selection of facts | D.not related to historical details |
A.he thought he should be the one to make the peace terms |
B.the Tsar's peace terms were hard to accept |
C.the Russians stopped his military movement |
D.he didn’t have any more army to fight with |
A.To walk out of the room in anger. | B.To show agreement with him. |
C.To say something about the Tsar. | D.To express his admiration. |
A.ill-mannered in dealing with foreign guests | B.fond of showing off his iron will |
C.determined in destroying all of Europe | D.crazy for power and respect |
A.A writer doesn’t have to be faithful to his findings. |
B.A writer may write about a hero in his own way. |
C.A writer may not be responsible for what he writes. |
D.A writer has hardly any freedom to show his feelings. |
The Chinese kept their secret of how to make paper until a war with Muslims in the ninth century. The art of papermaking soon spread throughout the Muslim world.
The Mayan Indians in Central America and Pacific Islanders also discovered how to make paper, but their knowledge never spread to the rest of the world.
For centuries, all paper was made by hand. Rags were the main material. Then a French scientist discovered that people could make paper from wood, too. Finally, in the eighteenth century. a Frenchman invented a machine to make paper from wood.
1. Who discovered how to make paper?
A.The Chinese. | B.The Pacific Islanders. |
C.The Mayan Indians. | D.All of the above. |
A.About 1 ,800 years ago. |
B.About 1, 900 years ago. |
C.About 2, 000 years ago. |
D.About 2, 100 years ago. |
A.Through wars. |
B.Through the Muslims. |
C.Through the Mayan Indians. |
D.Through the Pacific Islanders. |
A.The Invention of Paper. |
B.The History of Papermaking. |
C.Different Ways of Making Paper. |
D.The Invention of a Papermaking Machine. |