1 . On 30 January, thousands gathered in Derry, in Northern Ireland, to mark the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when 13 people were killed and at least 14 were hurt by the British Army.
Bloody Sunday took place on Sunday 30 January, 1972. Over 10, 000 people had gathered in Derry for a civil rights march to give everyone equal treatment. People were marching because the UK Government wanted to introduce a law that would mean people could be held in prison for a long time without the reason being tested by a court to see if it was true. The change was meant to stop violence at the time.
The whole of Ireland used to be part of the UK. However, in 1921, an agreement between the Irish and UK governments led to Ireland splitting into two regions. The south became the Republic of Ireland, while Northern Ireland stayed in the UK. In Northern Ireland there was unrest because some people wanted to be part of the UK, while some wanted to join Ireland. This led to a period of violence from 1968 to 1998 known as the Troubles, when around 3, 700 people died. For much of the Troubles, the British Army had lots of soldiers based in Northern Ireland.
The march started peacefully that day but later skirmishes broke out between demonstrators and the army. Some people started throwing stones at soldiers. The army moved in to arrest them and soldiers fired their guns, killing 13 people and injuring 14 people.
Thousands of people marched through Derry. The Irish prime minister Micheal Martin laid a wreath (花圈) at a memorial in Derry and spoke to relatives of the victims. At a special event at the city’s Millennium Forum Theatre, the victims’ names were read out and a silence was held at the moment the first person was shot 50 years ago. The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, said, “Derry stands as a guiding light of hope and justice.”
1. Why did the UK government want to introduce a new law?| A．To stop ongoing conflicts. | B．To offer equal rights. |
| C．To put people in prison. | D．To test people in court. |
| A．How Bloody Sunday was marked. | B．What happened on Bloody Sunday. |
| C．Why people marked Bloody Sunday. | D．Why there was a period of violence. |
| A．Fierce wars. | B．Great celebrations. |
| C．Small fights. | D．Huge demonstrations. |
| A．To stress the power of the march. |
| B．To show the importance of Bloody Sunday. |
| C．To emphasize the cruelty of the Bloody Sunday. |
| D．To show people’s determination for independence. |
1. When was the first reconstruction(重建)of Tokyo completed?
| A．In 1923. | B．In 1930. | C．In 1945. |
| A．The war. | B．An earthquake. | C．A fire disaster. |
| A．Air pollution. | B．Waste treatment. | C．Housing shortages. |
3 . Traffic lights are red, yellow and green. They are very important signals (信号). Traffic lights are usually placed at busy street corners to help control traffic. Sometimes, they are on streets near schools and shops, too. Most young children are taught what each of the colored lights means, so everybody can stay safe.
The first traffic signals were used for trains. The signals were put alongside railway tracks (轨道). The color red was used to mean “stop” because it warned people of danger. A red light was also the easiest color to see from a distance. Train drivers could see the red “stop” light ahead and had enough time to slow down and stop their trains. A green light was used to mean “take care” and a white light meant “go”.
However, there were many dangerous accidents on the train tracks. Some train drivers thought a star shining in the night sky was a white light that meant “go”. So the signals were swapped. The “go” light was changed to green and the “take care” light was changed to white.
During these times, people travelled by train or in carts pulled by horses. Years later, when cars were built, people began to drive them because they could travel much faster than horses. However, the road rules for drivers were not very clear and many people were hurt crossing the roads. Yellow warning signs had to be placed beside the roads to remind drivers to take care and allow people to cross safely.
Today, towns and cities all over the world have traffic lights. Red and green lights match the signals used on the railways. Yellow lights are easy to see, so they are used to warn drivers that they should slow down and prepare to stop.
1. Why was the color red used to mean “stop”?| A．It gave people a warning of danger. |
| B．It was the first color people thought of. |
| C．It reminded people of traffic rules. |
| D．It helped trains run smoothly. |
| A．Designed. | B．Suggested. | C．Compared. | D．Exchanged. |
a. A white light. b. A green light. c. A yellow light.
| A．a—b—c | B．b—c—a |
| C．b—a—c | D．a—c—b |
| A．The importance of traffic lights. | B．The meanings of traffic lights. |
| C．The advantages of traffic lights. | D．The history of traffic lights. |
4 . The FIFA World Cup Trophy (奖杯) is arguably one of the most iconic prizes in the sporting world. So far, two different trophies have been used in the history of the FIFA World Cups.
The Jules Rimet Trophy was the first trophy awarded to the winners of the FIFA World Cups. Initially, the old trophy was originally named “Victory”. However, this trophy was renamed “the Jules Rimet Trophy” in 1946. This change was made to honor former FIFA president Jules Rimet, who voted to organize the first FIFA World Cup in 1930. French sculptor Abel Lafleur designed the trophy in 1930. The trophy was 14 inches in height and weighed 8.4 pounds. It was comprised of a winged representation of Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory and was inspired by the Nike of Samothrace statue.
Uruguay became the first champion and kept the trophy in 1930. The trophy was eventually retired when Brazil won the World Cup final for the third time in 1970. Following their success in Mexico, Brazil was allowed to keep the trophy permanently. However, the original trophy was stolen for a second time in 1983. It was never recovered, and it was claimed that it had been melted down into gold bars. Following the retirement of the Jules Rimet Trophy, FIFA needed a new cup. Eventually, Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga’s design was selected as the new World Cup trophy.
The modern FIFA World Cup trophy describes two human figures holding the earth on top of their heads. The base of the trophy has “FIFA World Cup” engraved (刻). Furthermore, following every World Cup, the name of the winning team and the winning year is also engraved at the base. The trophy weighs 13.61 pounds. Unlike the Jules Rimet Trophy, the winning nations and future winners don’t get to hold the original trophy anymore. The new regulations state that it remains in FIFA’s possession. Instead, winners are given a gold-plated bronze replica (青铜复制品) provided by FIFA. West Germany was the first nation to lift the modern World Cup trophy in 1974.
The new trophy can hold up to seventeen names and years and is likely to be retired following the 2038 World Cup.
1. Why was the first World Cup trophy renamed?| A．To remember the designer of the cup. | B．To welcome a new global soccer event. |
| C．To expand the popularity of the World Cup. | D．To show great respect for the former FIFA president. |
| A．Italy. | B．Mexico. | C．Brazil. | D．Uruguay. |
| A．It is made of gold and bronze. | B．It is owned by FIFA instead of the winners. |
| C．It bears the word “Victory” at the bottom. | D．It varies the design every seventeen years. |
| A．The rules of the World Cup. | B．The history of the World Cup trophy. |
| C．The growing trend of watching the World Cup. | D．The inspiration for creating the World Cup trophy. |
The early 1400s was a glorious era in Chinese history. During this time, the Yongle Emperor wanted to develop
In 1405, on behalf of the emperor, Zheng He sailed the oceans
Macao, located on the Pearl River Delta on the southeast coast of China, is a scenic city. Small
Today, the city is classical and modern at the same time. It is a harmonious
As a world-famous tourist destination, Macao attracts nearly 40 million inbound tourists every year. It is said to be a place
7 . Discoveries at the famous Sanxingdui ruins in Southwest China show that the region’s ancient Shu Kingdom Civilization shared similarities with the Maya.
The Sanxingdui ruins belonged to the Shu Kingdom that existed at least 4,800 years ago and lasted more than 2,000 years, while the Mayan civilization built its city-states around 200 AD.
The bronze-made remains of tress unearthed at the ruins of the Shu Kingdom resemble the sacred ceiba tree, which symbolized the union of heaven, earth and the underworld in the Mayan civilization. “They are very important similarities,” says Santos, a Mexican archaeologist (考古学家) stressing that “the representations of tress in both cultures provide a symbolism that is very similar”.
The findings at the Sanxingdui ruins, considered one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, also show a new aspect of Bronze Age culture, indicating the ancient civilization already had technologies that were thought to have been developed much later.
While the lime span between the Shu kingdom and the Mayan culture is great, the findings highlight the closeness between the two civilizations. They developed in areas with comparable climates and reflected their worldview through related symbols. “In the end, man is still man, independent of time and space. What we have is that, at this latitude (纬度), both the Shu people and the Mayans looked at the same sky and had the same stars on the horizon,” the expert says.
One notable feature of the recent discoveries at Sanxingdui was the cross-subject work and technology applied by teams of Chinese archaeologists, which allowed the unearthing of artifacts as fragile as silk remains, which other types of less careful digging methods would not have been able to register.
Cooperation between Chinese and Mexican archaeologists could benefit projects in the Mayan world, where the rainy climate and humidity are problematic for the conservation of ruins.
“Every time our cultural knowledge increases, regardless of whether we speak one language or another, what it shows us is that we continue to be sister cultures and, therefore, the exchange of such knowledge is fundamental,” says Santos.
1. What is a similarity between the Shu Kingdom and Maya civilization?| A．Their starting time. |
| B．Their historical origins. |
| C．Their cultural symbols. |
| D．Their ceremony traditions. |
| A．silk was a common clothing material then |
| B．some technologies were developed much earlier |
| C．the Bronze Age started earlier than previously assumed |
| D．the Shu Kingdom and the Mayan world had close contact |
| A．Damp weather. | B．Positioning of ruins. |
| C．High latitude. | D．Language barriers. |
| A．The future of the China-Mexico cooperation. |
| B．The benefits of speaking a different language. |
| C．The importance of the exchange of cultural knowledge. |
| D．The increasing sisterhood in culture between China and Mexico. |
Scientists have found fossilized bones from an extinct penguin that was the size of an adult human. It
The findings of scientists who studied the penguin bones were published last week in a scientific journal. Professor Paul Scofield says the
The monster penguin would have been about twice the weight and 30 cm
“It wasn't
9 . Balmoral Castle
Balmoral Castle, which started in the late 1300s. is the private residence of the Queen. It has remained a favourite residence for the Queen and her family during August and September.
Some 85,000 people visit Balmoral each year, and the estate maintains and restores footpaths throughout the property for visiting hikers.
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is an official residence of The Queen and the largest occupied castle in the world. The castle was the inspiration for the Royal family’s surname.
William the Conqueror built the castle in 1080 and it has remained a royal palace for over 900 years. Windsor is the oldest royal home in Britain and, covering 13 acres, it’s the largest castle in the world that is still lived in.
Each year, the Order of the Garter ceremony is held at Windsor Castle, and the Queen occasionally hosts a “dine and sleeps”, for politicians and public figures.
The Palace of Holyroodhouse
Founded as a monastery (修道院）in 1128, the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh is The Queen’s official residence in Scotland. It was also the home of many Scottish royals.
The Queen holds receptions, state functions, and investitures(授职仪式）within its walls, and each year during Holyrood Week Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip invite 8» 000 Scottish guests to the Garden Party.
St. James Palace
St. James’s Palace was built between 1531 and 1536 and was home of kings and queens of England for over 300 years. The palace was built by Henry VU on the site of the Hospital of St. James, Westminster. After the destruction by fire of the Palace of Whitehall in 1698, all monarchs until William W lived at St. James's for part of the time.
1. Where do the Queen and her family like to stay during the summer holiday period?| A．Windsor Castle. |
| B．Balmoral Castle. |
| C．The Palace of Holyroodhouse. |
| D．St. James Palace. |
| A．is visited by the largest number of tourists |
| B．is intended for officials |
| C．has the longest history |
| D．is the most beautiful |
| A．was rebuilt by Henry Ⅶ |
| B．was built on the site where a hospital used to be |
| C．was pulled down by King IV |
| D．was destroyed by fire |
10 . Tea drinking was common in China for nearly one thousand years before anyone in Europe had ever heard about tea. People in Britain were much slower in finding out what tea was like, mainly because tea was very expensive. It could not be bought in shops and even those people who could afford to have it sent from Holland did so only because it was a fashionable curiosity. Some of them were not sure how to use it. They thought it was a vegetable and tried cooking the leaves. Then they served them mixed with butter and salt. They soon discovered their mistake but many people used to spread the used tea leaves on bread and give them to their children as sandwiches.
Tea remained rare and very expensive in England until the ships of the East India Company began to bring it direct from China early in the seventeenth century. During the next few years so much tea came into the country that the price fell and many people could afford to buy it.
At the same time people on the Continent were becoming more and more fond of tea. Until then tea had been drunk without milk in it, but one day a famous French lady named Madame de Sevigne decided to see what tea tasted like when milk was added. She found it so pleasant that she would never again drink it without milk. Because she was such a great lady her friends thought they must copy everything she did, so they also drank their tea with milk in it. Slowly this habit spread until it reached England and today only very few Britons drink tea without milk.
At first, tea was usually drunk after dinner in the evening. No one ever thought of drinking tea in the afternoon until a duchess found that a cup of tea and a piece of cake at three or four o'clock stopped her getting “a sinking feeling” as she called it. She invited her friends to have this new meal with her, and so tea-time was born.
1. Which of the following is true of the introduction of tea into Britain?| A．The Britons got expensive tea from India. |
| B．Tea reached Britain from Holland. |
| C．The Britons were the first people in Europe who drank tea. |
| D．It was not until the 17th century that the Britons had tea. |
| A．How tea-time was born in Holland. |
| B．The history of tea drinking in Britain. |
| C．How tea became a popular drink in France. |
| D．How the Britons got the habit of drinking afternoon tea. |
| A．In the eighteenth century. | B．In the sixteenth century. |
| C．In the seventeenth century. | D．In the late seventeenth century. |
| A．It tasted like milk. |
| B．It was good for health. |
| C．It became a popular drink. |
| D．They tried to copy the way Madame de Sevigne drank tea. |
