1 . The United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain, England-many people are confused by what these different names mean. So what is the difference between them, if any? Getting to know a little bit about British history will help you solve this puzzle.
In the 16th century, the nearby country of Wales was joined to the Kingdom of England. Later, in the 18th century, the country Scotland was joined to create the Kingdom of Great Britain. In the 19th century, the Kingdom of Ireland was added to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Finally, in the 20th century, the southern part of Ireland broke away from the UK, which resulted in the full name we have today: “the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Most people just use the shortened name: “the United Kingdom” or “the UK”. People from the UK are called “British”, which means the UK is also often referred to as Britain or Great Britain.
The four countries that belong to the United Kingdom work together in some areas. They use the same flag, known as the Union Jack, as well as share the same currency and military defence. However, they also have some differences. For example, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland all have different education systems and legal systems. They also have their own traditions, like their own national days and national dishes. And they even have their own football teams for competitions like the World Cup!
The United Kingdom has a long and interesting history to explore, which can help you understand much more about the country and its traditions. Almost everywhere you go in the UK, you will be surrounded by evidence of four different groups of people who took over at different times throughout history. The first group, the Romans, came in the first century. Some of their great achievements included building towns and roads. Next, the Anglo-Saxons arrived in the fifth century. They introduced the beginnings of the English language, and changed the way people built houses. The Vikings came in the eighth century, left behind lots of new vocabulary, and also the names of many locations across the UK. The last group were the Normans. They conquered England after the well-known Battle of Hastings in the 11th century. They had castles built all around England, and made changes to the legal system. The Normans were French, so many French words slowly entered into the English language.
1. What can help us find out the difference between some different names of the UK?| A．British languages. | B．British history. |
| C．British location. | D．British education. |
| A．Britain. | B．Scotland. | C．Wales. | D．Ireland. |
| A．The flag. | B．The currency. |
| C．The military defence. | D．The education system. |
| A．Building towns and roads. |
| B．Changing the way of building houses. |
| C．Leaving behind many new vocabulary. |
| D．Changing the legal system. |
2 . To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains, but actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain. Its first use was as a shade against the sun! Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese.
We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honour. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was commonly used in ancient Greece. But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans.
During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it was considered as a symbol of power. By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France and later in England.
By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe. Umbrellas did not change much in style during all this time, though they became much lighter in weight. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that women’s umbrellas began to be made in a whole variety of colours.
1. According to this passage, the umbrella was probably first used in ancient________.| A．China | B．Egypt | C．Greece | D．Rome |
| A．during the Middle Ages |
| B．by the eighteenth century |
| C．in ancient Rome |
| D．in ancient Greece |
| A．when and how the umbrella was invented |
| B．why the umbrella was so popular in Europe |
| C．the development of the umbrella |
| D．the history and use of the umbrella |
3 . Soccer, known as football in most of the world, is one of the most popular sports today. Let’s explore its history and how it developed and spread over the years.
It is said that the history of soccer dates back as far as 2500 B. C. in London. In China, the most relevant (相关的) is the Chinese game of Tsu’ Chu (Cuju) . Records of the game began during the Han Dynasty (206B. C. — 220A. D.) and it may have been a training exercise for soldiers. Players kicked a small ball into a net between two bamboo poles. The use of hands was not allowed, but a player could use his feet and other parts of his body.
The modern shape of soccer was formed at the beginning of the 19th century. In 1848, the “Cambridge Rules” were founded at Cambridge University. After they graduated, adult football clubs became more common, players could continue to play the ball.
The Football Association (FA) was created on October 26, 1863. Over the years, more clubs joined the FA until the number reached 128 by 1887. In 1872, the first Football Association Cup was played in London. Other associations were formed, including the Football League in1888 in the north and midlands of the country, and the first championship league games were played.
It did not take long for other European countries to accept the British love for soccer. Leagues began popping up throughout the world: the Netherlands and Denmark in 1889, Argentina in 1893, Chile in 1895, Switzerland and Belgium in 1895, Italy in 1898, Germany and Uruguay in 1900, Hungary in 1901, and Finland in 1907. It was not until 1903 that France formed their league.
In 1930, the first-ever FIFA World Cup was held in Uruguay. There were 41 members of FIFA at that time. Today it has over 200 members and the World Cup is one of the biggest events of the year.
1. What do we know about Chinese game of Tsu’ Chu?| A．It began as far as 2500 B. C. |
| B．English soccer developed from it. |
| C．It was probably a training exercise for soldiers. |
| D．Players couldn’t use other parts of their bodies. |
| A．In 1930. | B．In 1907. | C．In 1895. | D．In 1863. |
| A．Soccer spread worldwide. |
| B．Football clubs formed in America. |
| C．The whole world refused the British soccer. |
| D．200 members joined in the first-ever FIFA World Cup. |
| A．The Popularity of Football. | B．The Development of Football |
| C．An Ancient Sport in China. | D．Some Football Competitions. |
4 . The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of September 1666. In four days it destroyed more than three-quarters of the old city, where most of the houses were wooden and close together. One hundred thousand people became homeless, but only a few lost their lives.
The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King’s baker(面包师)in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window in the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery(面包房)into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.
By eight o’clock three hundred houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul’s and the Guildhall among them.
Samuel Pepys, the famous writer, wrote about the fire. People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment. Birds fell out of the air because of the heat.
The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire. With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.
After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect(建筑师), wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone. In fact, the streets are still narrow; but he did build more than fifty churches, among them new St Paul’s.
The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.
1. The underlined word “family” in the second paragraph means .| A．home | B．children |
| C．wife and husband | D．wife and children |
| A．some people lost their lives |
| B．the birds in the sky were killed by the fire |
| C．many famous buildings were destroyed |
| D．the King’s bakery was burned down |
| A．Because Pepys was among those putting out the fire. |
| B．Because Pepys also wrote about the fire. |
| C．To show that poor people suffered most. |
| D．To give the reader a clearer picture of the fire. |
a. There was a strong wind.
b. The streets were very narrow.
c. Many houses were made of wood.
d. There was not enough water in the city.
e. People did not discover the fire earlier.
| A．a and b | B．a, b and c |
| C．a, b, c and d | D．a, b, c, d and e |
| A．About 1, 500 years ago. | B．About 3, 500 years ago. | C．About 5, 000 years ago. |
Zhoukoudian is a small village lying about 50 kilometers to the southwest of Beijing City. In the 1920s, archaeologists discovered some prehistoric human bones there,
In 1929, a complete skull (颅骨)
Zhoukoudian was listed
The history of the Great Wall is said to start from the Spring and Autumn Periods. Many countries appeared at
In 221BC, Emperor QinShihuang set up the first unified kingdom in Chinese history. He ordered the previous wall sections of different states be linked together and extended. The Great Wall of Qin seemed like a dragon, which runs from Lintao in the west
In the Western Han Dynasty,the Huns(匈奴人)in the north became much more powerful. The Han court started to build more
The Ming Dynasty is the peak of wall building in Chinese history. The Ming suffered a lot by troubles from minority tribes. The Ming court, from
Owing to its long history, natural disasters and human activities, many parts of the Great Wall are
8 . The Chicago Fire of 1871 was the worst disaster of the 19th century.
The fire is said to have started one evening in Mrs. O’Leary’s barn (牲口棚) on the West Side of Chicago. Several hours after she milked her cow, it kicked over an oil lamp, and the cow started the fire. We do not know if the story is true, but we do know that the fire began in a barn on the West Side.
The fire spread quickly because of the wooden buildings, a strong wind, and a dry season. The fire lasted 27 hours and spread to all parts of the city. Other cities sent 25 fire companies to help put out the fire. Federal troops (联邦军队) were also used to help fight the fire and keep order, too. At last rain put out the fire.
There was a lot of damage. 90,000 people were homeless, and 18,000 buildings were destroyed. Property damage (财产损失) was almost 200 million dollars. In addition, about 300 people died.
People from all over the world helped Chicago by sending food and clothing. Within a month, 4,000 cottages (小屋) with two rooms had been built. In a few years, Chicago was completely rebuilt.
1. Which parts of the city were hurt by the fire?| A．The West Side. | B．The South Side and the East Side. |
| C．The North Side. | D．All sides. |
| A．90,000. | B．18,000. | C．almost 200. | D．about 300. |
| A．courage | B．fear | C．weakness | D．laziness |
| A．A cow. | B．Firemen. | C．The weather. | D．Carelessness. |
9 . Cities usually have a good reason for being where they are, like a nearby port or river. People settle in these places because they are easy to get to and naturally suited to communications and trade（贸易）. New York City, for example, is near a large harbour at the mouth of the Hudson River. Over 300 years its population grew gradually from 800 people to 8 million. But not all cities develop slowly over a long period of time. Boom towns grow from nothing almost overnight. In 1896, Dawson, Canada, was unmapped wilderness（荒野）. But gold was discovered there in 1897, and two years later, it was one of the largest cities in the West, with a population of 30,000.
Dawson did not have any of the natural conveniences of cities like London or Paris. People went there for gold. They travelled over snow-covered mountains and sailed hundreds of miles up icy rivers. The path to Dawson was covered with thirty feet of wet snow that could fall without warning. An avalanche（雪崩）once closed the path, killing 63 people. For many who made it to Dawson, however, the rewards were worth the difficult trip. Of the first 20,000 people who dug for gold, 4,000 got rich. About 100 of these stayed rich men for the rest of their lives.
But no matter how rich they were, Dawson was never comfortable. Necessities like food and wood were very expensive. But soon, the gold that Dawson depended on had all been found. The city was crowded with disappointed people with no interest in settling down, and when they heard there were new gold discoveries in Alaska, they left Dawson City as quickly as they had come. Today, people still come and go—to see where the Canadian gold rush happened. Tourism is now the chief industry of Dawson City—its present population is 762.
1. What do we know about those who first dug for gold in Dawson?| A．One out of five people got rich. | B．Half of them died. |
| C．Almost everyone gave up. | D．Two-thirds of them stayed there. |
| A．They found the city too crowded. | B．They wanted to try their luck elsewhere. |
| C．They were unable to stand the winter. | D．They were short of food. |
| A．Journeys into the wilderness. | B．The gold rush in Canada. |
| C．The rise and fall of a city. | D．Tourism in Dawson. |
10 . When another old cave is discovered in the south of France, it is not usually news. Rather, it is an ordinary: event. Such discoveries are so frequent these days that hardly anybody notices them. However, when the Lascaux Cave was discovered in 1940, the world was amazed. Painted directly on its walls were hundreds of scenes showing how people lived thousands of years ago. The scenes show people hunting animals, such as bison or wild cats. Other images depict birds and, most noticeably, horses, which appear in more than 300 wall images, by far outnumbering all other animals.
Early artists drawing these animals accomplished a monumental and difficult task. They did not limit themselves to the easily accessible walls but carried their painting materials to spaces that required climbing steep walls or crawling into narrow passages in the Lascaux Cave.
Unfortunately, the paintings have been exposed to the destructive action of water and temperature changes, which easily wear the images away. Because the Lascaux Cave have many entrances, air movement has also damaged the images inside.
Although they are not out in the open air, where natural light would have destroyed them long ago, many of the images have deteriorated and are barely recognizable. To prevent further damage, the site was closed to tourists in 1963, 23 years after it was discovered.
1. Which title best summarizes the main idea of the passage?| A．Wild animals in art | B．Hidden prehistoric paintings |
| C．Exploring caves respectfully | D．Determining the age of French caves |
| A．Show. | B．Hunt. | C．Count. | D．Draw. |
| A．It was completely dark inside. |
| B．The caves were full of wild animals. |
| C．Painting materials were hard to find. |
| D．Many painting spaces were difficult to reach. |
