Alice Thompson is a girl from Sydney, Australia. She had her first long
Why is the train
2 . When it comes to the history of snow skiing, there is the early history and the modern history. The modern history is tied to the Scandinavian countries. Scandinavian farmers and hunters used skis regularly during the Middle Ages. By the 17th century, the Swedish Amy was competing (竞争) on skis and using them for battle purposes as well.
The history of skiing is complicated (复杂的), and there’s no telling no how many people had their hands in the development of skis over the years. Interestingly enough, skis were used in the Sierra Nevada Mountains during the gold rush, and downhill races were organized by mining camps. By the late 1800s, people all over the world were experimenting with skis and using them for all kinds of purposes.
In 1888, for example, a Norwegian man named Frigidity Nansen crossed Greenland on skis. Nansen kept a journal of this trip, and when this journal was published in 1890, it brought great interest in skiing in both Europe and the United States. This is one of the most important moments in the history of snow skiing.
The history of skiing sees the activity, or sport if you prefer, really taking off around the tur of the 20th century. People started taking on all kinds of skiing challenges in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and the technology continued to get better. The first package ski vacations were offered in and around 1903.
The Winter Olympics only helped the sport become popular. In 1932, both ski jumping and cross-country skiing were events that were featured in the Winter Olympics at Lake Placid. After first featuring as a demonstration (演示) sport a the 1988 Calgary Games, freestyle skiing was introduced to the Winter Olympic programme in 1992. There were 13 events in freestyle skiing at Beijing 2022.
1. Why are the Scandinavian countries mentioned in Paragraph 1?| A．To give an example. | B．To explain the sports. |
| C．To introduce the topic. | D．To put forward an argument. |
| A．The development of skis. | B．The experiment with gold. |
| C．The history of Greenland. | D．The story of a mining camp. |
| A．A long battle. | B．A Norwegian’s wisdom. |
| C．The gold rush. | D．The publication of a journal. |
| A．In 1888. | B．In the 1600s |
| C．In and around 1903. | D．In the 1800s. |
| A．Freestyle skiing | B．Ski jumping |
| C．Cross-county skiing | D．Downhill races. |
3 . The Taj Mahal(泰姬陵)is a love story, a sad and beautiful one. If it didn’t exist, we would easily imagine that the story of its construction was simply a fairy tale. Three hundred years ago, there lived an Indian emperor called Shah Jahan. His wife was a beautiful and bright woman whom he loved greatly. Her title was Mumtazl
Mahal: its shortened form Taj Mahal, means “pride of the palace”. In the year 1630 this beloved wife of the emperor died. He was so brokenhearted that he thought of giving up his throne(王位). He decided out of his love for his wife, to build her the most beautiful tomb that he had ever seen.
He summoned the best artists and architects from India, Turkey, Persia and Arabia and finally, the design was completed. It took more than twenty thousand men working over a period of 18 years to build the Taj Mahal, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.
The building itself stands on a marble platform 29 meters square and 6—7 meters high. Towers rise from each of the four comers. The Taj Mahal itself soars another 61 meters into the air. It is an eight-sided building made of white marble.
The emperor planned to build an identical(相同的)tomb of black marble for himself on the other side of the river connected by a silver bridge. However, his son put him into a prison in the palace before he could finish, and for the rest of his life, he could only gaze across river at the tomb of his beloved wife.
1. Why was the Taj Mahal built according to the passage? Because________.| A．Shah Jahan was heartbroken after the death of his wife |
| B．Shah Jahan loved his wife greatly |
| C．his wife was a beautiful and bright woman |
| D．his wife was the “pride of the palace” |
| A．the Taj Mahal was completed quickly owing to the efforts of the best artists and workers |
| B．a lot of people took part in the building of the Taj Mahal |
| C．the Taj Mahal and Shah Jahan’s own tomb were built at the same time |
| D．the Taj Mahal is the most beautiful tomb in the world |
| A．four-sided | B．eight-cornered | C．black-colored | D．white-colored |
| A．he died soon after his wife’s death | B．he was killed by his son |
| C．he gave up his throne | D．he was put into prison by his son |
| A．the story of the Taj Mahal |
| B．a beautiful fairy tale |
| C．white and black marble tombs made for two emperors |
| D．the love story of Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife |
4 . Sugarcane（甘蔗）was first used around 8000 BC. In the early 19th century，factories began to produce sweets in large numbers. They were able to do this because sugar had become less expensive. Before long，machines helped with the production. Sweets no longer had to be made by hand.
In 1823，a sweet shop opened in a small town in the north of England. It was called The Oldest Sweet Shop in England. In 2013，Guinness World Records confirmed（证实）that it is the longest running sweet shop in the world. And it continues to sell many kinds of sweets that our parents，grandparents and even our great grandparents enjoyed when they were small.
Some of the sweets are still made within the shop and heated in 100–year–old pans. The shop also looks as if it came directly from an old storybook. Some large old bottles filled with all kinds of sweets are in the show box. Old-fashioned scales（老式的秤）are on the table. When it's time to pay，a till（放钱的抽屉）as old as the shop is still used.
The shop is owned by Keith and Gloria Tordoff，who bought it in 1993. Keith says he always likes to try all the sweets. He tells everyone that he does this to examine if the sweets are good. Perhaps he just has the best job in the world. Keith says，“To me，sweets are all about remembering. You remember sweets from your childhood，just like you remember a song. You remember the sweets your grandparents gave you，or the sweets you gave to your favorite girl. ”
1. What does the underlined word “They” in Paragraph 1 refer to？| A．Sweets. | B．Numbers. | C．Factories. | D．Machines. |
| A．Fashionable. | B．Traditional. | C．Ugly. | D．Crowded. |
| A．enjoy the happy time | B．advertise the sweets |
| C．check if the sweets are good | D．remember his favorite girl |
| A．It has a history of nearly 200 years. |
| B．It came directly from an old storybook. |
| C．It was opened in 1993. |
| D．It only sells sweets to children. |
In the summer of 1405, Zheng He set sail from Taicang on his first voyage. His ships
Columbus was born in a port city of Italy in 1451. As a teenager, he loved sailing, and he showed great interest in geography,
6 . Hell comes to Pearl Harbor
It was Sunday, December 7,1941. As usual, the wakeup call came at 5:45 a.m. The men aboard the warship USS Arizona stretched and rubbed their eyes. Seaman Russell Warriner was awakened by Quartermaster Louis Conter. Russell made his bed and helped clean the huge, shared room. The men went to the washroom, dressed in their uniforms and sat down to breakfast. It looked like it would be a normal day on board the ship.
But nobody ate their breakfast: at that moment, there was a huge crashing sound from above. The ship shook violently and the men looked at each other in horror. Above their heads, hundreds of Japanese planes circled like eagles. They were diving down to drop bombs on Pearl Harbor. The scream of their engines was deafening. As bombs thundered all around, clouds of black smoke rose into the sky and hung over the sea. Russell felt his blood freeze, but he quickly came to himself and rushed up to the deck. Moments later, a bomb hit the USS Arizona and Russell was thrown more than 100 meters across the ship. He suffered serious burns on his hands, arms and legs, and watched many of his friends die.
Louis, meanwhile, also standing on the deck, was lucky not to be thrown into the sea. With only minor injuries, he was able to help others who were severely burnt and in terrible pain. After receiving the order to abandon ship, Louis saved more men from the water, dragging them into the lifeboat. In the chaos and confusion after the attack, the US Navy sent a message to his family that Louis had been killed in the attack. Luckily, he was able to get in touch with them before the message arrived. Despite his remarkable actions, Louis did not think that he was a hero. “The heroes are the ones that gave their lives that day,” he said.
Russell was saved from the water, but he was badly burnt, bleeding heavily. Fortunately, he was taken to hospital and survived. For many years, Russell refused to talk about what happened that morning, describing it simply as “hell”. His wife Elsa said, “When he opened up later on, he always mentioned the horror of it.”
Louis and Russell would never forget the terrible scene of the attack, but they were fortunate enough to be among the few survivors from the Arizona. Nobody had expected the bombing. Japan had hatched a plot to launch a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, so the attack began without warning and without declaring war on the United States. The attack destroyed nearly 20 American ships and over 180 airplanes. In total, more than 2,000 American people were killed and over 1,000 others were wounded that day. More than 1,000 people aboard the Arizona lost their lives. Out of 37 sets of brothers, Russell and his brother were the only full pair to survive the attack．
The surprise attack came as a great shock to the whole nation. The next day, President Roosevelt delivered his famous Pearl Harbor Speech, in which he described December 7 as “a date which will live in infamy” and asked that the US Congress declare war on Japan. In response to the attack and the president’s address, the United States joined the Second World War.
Today, the USS Arizona lies where it sank: in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Its location is marked with a memorial shaped like a bridge, which crosses the ship’s sunken remains . Each year, more than two million people visit the memorial. They come to see the shadow of the ship at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, to learn about the attack, to show respect for those who had lost their lives in the attack and to pray for world peace. Although about eight decades has passed, the attack on Pearl Harbor, one of the darkest episodes in American history, will never be forgotten.
1. When did Japanese planes attack Pearl Harbor?| A．In the morning. | B．At noon. |
| C．In the afternoon. | D．At midnight. |
| A．Russell lost his hands, arms and legs in the attack. |
| B．Russell was seriously burned in the attack. |
| C．Louis’s family were sad to hear that he was killed. |
| D．Louis was proud of his remarkable actions. |
| A．Kind and skilled. |
| B．Helpful and clever. |
| C．Brave and clever. |
| D．Brave and modest. |
| A．Many American ships and airplanes were destroyed in the attack. |
| B．More than 1,000 people aboard the Arizona were killed. |
| C．2,000 Americans were killed and 1,000 others were wounded in the war. |
| D．Both Russell and his brother survived the attack. |
7 . Wearing sports clothes, many Chinese people will go outdoors happily with their families or friends on March 12. They are just planting trees on this special day―China's Arbor Day （中国植 树节）.
When it comes to China's Arbor Day, we can't help thinking of Mr. Ling Daoyang. He was born in 1888. When he worked as an English teacher in Beijing, he got a chance to study forestry （林业）at Yale University. After graduating in 1914, he returned to China and became a famous expert in forestry science. In 1915, he advised that the Qingming Festival should also be China's Arbor Day. His suggestion was welcomed by most people. In 1929, National Arbor Day was moved to March 12, the day Mi. Sun Yat-sen passed away, who did much to support forestry.
In 1979, March 12 was officially announced as China's Arbor Day. Since then, thousands of trees have been planted all over China, making our country much more beautiful.
China's Arbor Day is educational for all of us. It reminds us that we should protect our earth and thank our old generations, who planted green, hope and joy for us.
1. According to the text, people often go outdoors on March 12 to_______________.| A．do sports | B．study English | C．find jobs | D．plant trees |
| A．A farmer. | B．A student. | C．A teacher. | D．A worker. |
| A．To show interest in the season. | B．To show respect to Sun Yat-sen. |
| C．To make use of people's free time. | D．To make progress in agriculture. |
| A．In 1888. | B．In 1914. | C．In 1915. | D．In 1979. |
| A．The studies of China's Arbor Day. | B．The activities of China's Arbor Day. |
| C．The demands of China's Arbor Day. | D．The meanings of China's Arbor Day. |
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