1 . 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. |
2 . 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 |
3 . 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 |
Ball games are a big source of modern amusement. But they're nothing new. For instance, consider a 4,500-year-old ball
So far, researchers
＂We are quite sure they were used in some sort of bat-and-ball game."Patrick Wertmann is an expert at the University of Zurich
As for how this ancient ball-and-stick game
Since we don't have any textural evidence and we don't have any sticks from the same period, we don't really know
5 . Canada is a bilingual country with "co-official" languages. English and French enjoy equal status as the official languages of the country. This means that the public has the right to communicate with and receive services from federal(联邦的)government institutions in either English or French. Federal government employees have the right to work in the official language of their choice in bilingual regions.
Like the United States, Canada started as a colony. Beginning in the 1500s, it was part of New France but later became a British colony after the Seven Years' War. As a result, the Canadian government officially recognized the languages of both colonizers: France and England. The Constitution(宪法)Act of 1867 legally accepts the use of both languages in federal courts. Years later, Canada strengthened its commitment to bilingualism when it passed the Official Languages Act of 1969, which restated the constitutional origins of its co-official languages and set out the protections afforded by its dual-language status.
Recognition of both English and French protects the rights of all Canadians. Among other benefits, the 1969 Act recognized that Canadian citizens should be able to access federal laws and government documents, whether their native language was French or English. The general law also requires that consumer products feature bilingual packaging throughout the country.
The Canadian federal government is committed to advancing the equality of status and use of the English and French languages, within Canadian society. However, the reality is that some Canadians speak English, and of course, some Canadians speak the other language entirely.
Although the federal government theoretically guarantees bilingual services in all areas, there are many regions of Canada where English is the clear majority language, so the local government does not always seek services in French in those regions. Canadians use the phrase "where numbers warrant" to determine whether a local population's language usage requires bilingual services from the federal government.
While many Canadians are bilingual, they are not only speaking English or French. Statistics Canada finds that more than 200 languages that were not English or French, were reported as a language spoken by its people. About two-thirds of the respondents who spoke one of these languages also spoke either English or French.
1. The acceptance of two official languages in Canada is due to______________.| A．the language-using tradition caused by Canada's colonial history |
| B．the convenience for business dealings by using two languages in the country |
| C．the welcome attitude toward immigrates from all over the world. |
| D．the mastery of two languages of Canadians because of school education |
| A．the legal order from the federal government |
| B．the popularity of the language in the world |
| C．the number of schools teaching the language |
| D．the number of local people using the language |
| A．English has gained superior legal position to French because of bigger number of users in Canada. |
| B．The legal court usage of French and English was established in Canada in 1969. |
| C．Both French and English should be used on products in Canada according to federal law. |
| D．Canadian people speak either French or English in social communication. |
| A．The advantages of using multiple languages in Canada. |
| B．The history and current situation of two languages used in Canada. |
| C．The disadvantaged status of the French language used in Canada. |
| D．Canadians' advancement in balancing two languages in business world. |
6 . 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 |
7 . Magic (魔术) is believed to have begun with the Egyptians, in 1700 BC. A magician named Dedi of Dedsnefu was reported to have performed for the pharaoh (法老), or the king. He was also known to have entertained (使娱乐) the slaves who built the pyramids. The “Cups and Balls” trick that he was particularly good at is still performed by magicians all over the world today.
The ancient Greeks and Romans were also fascinated by the idea of magic. Actually, one of their main interests was the art of deception (欺骗). This explains why at that time the priests even built magic devices into their temples. These devices made it possible for doors to open by themselves and wine to flow magically out of statues’ mouths. This was done mainly to make people believe that the priests had unusual power.
Magic however, was not well accepted before the 1800s. Magicians were thought to be freaks(怪物) and, were only allowed to perform in a circus. It was in the 19th century that the magician Robert Houdin came along and changed people’s views and attitudes about magic. It was because of Robert Houdin that many magicians were able to add Dr. or MD to their names. Today magicians try hard to find new ways to show their practiced skills. Magic is now entertainment for families all over the world.
1. What is the best title for the passage?| A．Magical Tricks | B．A Great Magician |
| C．Magic as Entertainment | D．The History of Magic |
| A．amused | B．encouraged | C．attracted | D．moved |
| A．They performed magical tricks to entertain people. |
| B．They made the statues in the temples drink wine as they wished. |
| C．They treated the people with wine flowing down from statues’ mouths. |
| D．They built magic devices in the temples to make doors open by themselves. |
| A．Magic should be used only in temples. |
| B．Magic could only be performed in a circus. |
| C．Magic was performed by freaks and doctors. |
| D．Magic was the major daily activity for the pharaohs. |
| A．Magic began about 3,700 years ago. |
| B．Dedi of Dedsnefu performed magic for kings only. |
| C．Robert Houdin was the first magician to perform magic. |
| D．The “Cups and Balls” trick has been performed for about 1,700 years. |
