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 . People need to relax and enjoy themselves. One way they can have a good time is to watch a baseball game or another sports event. Even thousands of years ago, groups of people gathered to watch skilled athletes(运动员).
Over 2,000 years ago in Greece, some days in the year were festival days. These were holidays when people stopped their work and enjoyed themselves. During festivals, people liked to watch athletes take part in races and other games.
The most important festival was held every four years at the town of Olympia. It was held in honor of the Greek god Zeus. For five days, athletes from all corners of Greece took part in the Olympic Games.
At the Olympic Games, people could watch athletes run, jump and so on. They could also watch exciting races, which included a relay race between two teams in which a lighted torch(火炬) was passed from runner to runner.
The Olympic Games were thought to be so important that cities throughout Greece which were at war with one another had to stop fighting. During the time, people were allowed to travel to the Games safely.
Thousands of people came to the Olympic Games from cities in Greece and from its colonies(殖民地) in Africa, Asia, and Italy. They met as friends to cheer their favorite athletes and to enjoy themselves.
1. What did people do at the Olympic Games?| A．They fought for their freedom. | B．They just talked to friends. |
| C．They cheered good athletes. | D．They tried to find friends. |
| A．Greek cities. | B．Africa and Asia. | C．Italy. | D．All of the above. |
| A．couldn’t go to other cities freely | B．could see what each other do |
| C．win the right to join in the Olympics. | D．respect the Greek god Zeus |
| A．Greece at war | B．Together for the Olympic Games |
| C．Stop fighting | D．Greek people |
3 . Paper is one of the most important products ever invented by man. Wide spread use of written language would not have been possible without some cheap and practical material to write on. The invention of paper meant that more people could be educated because more books could be printed and distributed. Together with the printing press, paper provided an extremely important way to communicate knowledge.
How much paper do you use every year? Probably you cannot answer that question quickly. In 1900 the world's use of paper was about one kilogram for each person a year. Now some countries use as much as 50 kilograms of paper for each person a year. Countries like the United States, England and Sweden use more paper than other countries.
Paper, like many other things that we use today, was first made in China. In Egypt and the West, paper was not very commonly used before the year 1400. The Egyptians wrote on a kind of material made of a water plant. Europeans used parchment for many hundreds of years. Parchment was very strong; it was made from the skin of certain young animals. We have learnt of the most important facts of European history from records that were kept on parchment.
1. What's the meaning for the word 'parchment'? ________| A．The skin of young animals. |
| B．A kind of paper made from the skin of certain young animals. |
| C．The paper used by European countries. |
| D．The paper of Egypt. |
| A．More jobs could be provided than before. |
| B．More people could be educated than before. |
| C．More books could be printed and distributed. |
| D．More ways could be used to exchange knowledge. |
| A．Around 1400. | B．Around 1900. | C．Around 400. | D．Around 900. |
| A．China. | B．Sweden. | C．Egypt | D．Japan. |
4 . Whether you admit it or not, people's love for Christmas Jumper（毛衣）around Christmas has increased over recent years. And while you may be less willing to get involved in the Christmas jumper trend, Christmas Jumper Day now enables you to do more with your jumper than build up sweat in an incredibly warm office.
The origin of the Christmas jumper can date back to the late 19th century in the USA. Americans in the 1930s knitted（编织）for Christmas to create an item of clothing to keep them “warm” during the Great Depression（大萧条）when people led a poor and miserable life. They copied the jumpers they saw their favorite stars wearing on the big screen. From the 1950s, it was common to see American families wearing festive jumpers as they sat down to eat their Christmas dinner.
Now, alongside wearing a festive jumper for the fun of it, there are other positive outcomes. Christmas Jumper Day has been set up to stimulate people to make the world better and raise funds for save the Children by wearing a Christmas jumper and making a minimum donation of £1. Ladbrokes, a company in the UK, is running a competition in which all you have to do is to take a selfie（自拍）outside of one of their shops while wearing a jumper—the winner will win a good prize and for every submission（提交作品）, Ladbrokes will donate £5 to St. Luke's Hospice charity. For you, it's a win-win situation.
If you're still unconvinced that it's about time you bought yourself a Christmas jumper, then maybe the fact that Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Snoop Dogg have all been spotted wearing Christmas jumpers will raise your enthusiasm. Retailer（零售商）such as Topshop, Burberry and H&M have also become devoted to Christmas Jumper Day and have their very own types of Christmas jumpers.
1. Which statement is true according to paragraph 1?| A．Wearing Christmas jumpers in the office has been a trend. |
| B．Wearing Christmas jumpers can make you incredibly warm. |
| C．Christmas jumpers have gained huge popularity. |
| D．Christmas jumpers serve many functions. |
| A．To protect them from cold weather. | B．To lift their spirits. |
| C．To follow the stars. | D．To form a tradition. |
| A．demand | B．advise | C．encourage | D．persuade |
5 . Tourism probably started in Roman times, Rich Romans visited friends and family who were working in another part of the Roman Empire. But when the Empire broke down, this kind of tourism stopped.
In the early 17th century, the idea of the “Grand Tour” was born. Rich young English people sailed across the English Channel. They visited the most beautiful and important European cities of the time, including Paris in France, and Rome and Venice in Italy. Their tours lasted for two to four years, and the tourists stayed a few weeks or months in each city. The “Grand Tour” was an important part of young people’s education—but only for the rich.
In the 18th century, tourism began to change. For example, people in the UK started to visit some towns, such as Bath to “take the waters”. They believed that the water there was good for their health. So large and expensive hotels were built in these towns.
In the 19th century, travel became much more popular and faster. When the first railways were built in the 1820s, it was easier for people to travel between towns, so they started to go for holidays by the sea. And some started to have holidays in the countryside as cities became larger, noisier and dirtier.
Traveling by sea also became faster and safer when the first steamships were built. People began to travel more to far-away countries.
The 20th century saw cars become more and more popular among ordinary people. Planes were made larger, so ticket prices dropped and more people used them. Thus tourism grew. In 1949, Russian journalist Vladimir Raitz started a company called Horizon Holidays. The company organizes everything—plane tickets, hotel rooms, even food—and tourists pay for it all before they leave home. The package tour and modern tourist industry was born.
The first travel agency in China was set up as early as 1949. But tourism did not take off until 1978. In 2002, the industry was worth 500 billion yuan and became an important part of China’s social development.
1. Which of the following is true?| A．The young men learned little from Grand Tour. |
| B．Tourism became faster and safer when the first railways were built in the 18th century. |
| C．More people chose ships for its cheap price. |
| D．In 2002, tourism became a significant part of China’s social development. |
| A．transportation | B．education |
| C．money | D．people’s ideas |
| A．in 1978 | B．in Roman times |
| C．in the early 17th century | D．in 1949 |
| A．plane rising into the air | B．bring down the prices |
| C．remove hats and clothes | D．develop very fast |
6 . In 1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business .But he was not a good artist .So he invented a very simple camera (照相机).He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his garden .That was the first photo.
The next important date in the history of photography (摄影术) was in 1837. That year, Daguere, another Frenchman ,took a picture of his reading room .He used a new kind of camera in a different way. In his picture you could see everything very clearly ,even the smallest thing. This kind of photo was called a Daguerreotype.
Soon, other people began to use Daguerre’s way. Travelers brought back wonderful photos from all around the world .people took picture of famous buildings, cities and mountains.
In about 1840, photography was developed .Then photographers could take picture of people and moving things .That was not simple .The photographers had to carry a lot of film and other machines. But this did not stop them ,for example, some in the United States worked so hard.
Mathew Brady was a famous American photographers. He took many picture of great people .The picture were unusual because they were very lifelike(栩栩如生的)
Photographers also became one kind of art by the end of the 19th century .Some photos were nor just copies of the real world .They showed feelings,like other kinds of art.
1. The Daguerreotype was____________.
| A．a Frenchman | B．a kind of picture |
| C．a kind of camera | D．a photographer |
| A．watch lots of films | B．buy an expensive camera |
| C．stop in most cities | D．take many films and something else with him. |
| A．was very lifelike | B．was famous for his unusual pictures |
| C．was quite strong | D．took many pictures of moving people |
| A．how photography was developed | B．how to show your ideas and feelings in pictures |
| C．how to take pictures in the world | D．how to use different cameras |
| A．his business | B．his house |
| C．his garden | D．his window |
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. |
