1 . November 11 is Veterans Day in the United States. A "veteran" is anyone who has served in the armed forces. The term "veteran" is not just for those who have served in wars. It describes anyone who has ever been in the army.

On November11, people hold ceremonies(仪式) and parades(游行) to mark Veterans Day. Public officials take part in the events. Army bands play. And soldiers fire guns into the air to remember those who died in service to their country.

The history of Veterans Day relates to World War I. Many people at the time called it "the war to end all wars." The United States entered the fighting in Europe in 1917. Over 13 million men and women were reported for duty in the army. World War I ended at 11 o'clock in the morning on November 11, 1918. The following year, President Woodrow Wilson signed an official statement to celebrate November 11th as Armistice Day in the United States. It would be a day to honor the men and women who had served in the U.S. armed forces during the war. In 1926, Congress made Armistice Day a national holiday.

But new problems were on the way. Soon, everyone knew that World War I would not be the war to end all wars. In all, more than 4,000,000 Americans served in the armed forces during the first World War. And 16 million would serve during the second one.

Armistice Day in 1945 was a special day in the United States. Germany had surrendered in May 1945 and Japan in August. Most men and women who had served in the war were home. So, instead of honoring just veterans of World War I, Americans also honored veterans of World War II. In 1954, Congress decided to change the name of Armistice Day. The holiday became Veterans Day.

1. Who does Veterans Day honour?

A．Those who lost their lives in wars.

B．Those who served in the wars.

C．Those who served in the army.

D．Those who served in the army in World War I.

2. Why was November 1l made Veterans Day?

A．Because World War I ended at 11: 00 on November 11.

B．Because Woodrow Wilson signed a statement to celebrate it.

C．Because the USA entered the war on November 11.

D．Because November 11 was once called Armistice Day.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Women were not included in the army in the wars.

B．Armistice Day was not a national holiday until 1954.

C．Armistice Day was at first to honor those who died in the war.

D．More people from the USA served in World War II than in World War I.

4. Which can be the best title of the passage?

A．Celebrations on Veterans Day

B．Meaning of Veterans Day

C．Veterans Day---a Day for the Army

D．Veterans Day in the U.S.

2 . 2015 was an extremely dangerous year for journalists. 69 media representatives lost their lives around the world. 28 of them were killed by Islamic terrorist groups close to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. 8 journalists were killed in January, when the office of the magazine Charlie Hebdo was attacked in Paris.
       The Committee to Protect Journalists(CPJ) has reported that Syria was the most dangerous place for journalists in 2015. 13 reporters were killed in a state that has been suffering from civil war. Sudan, Bangladesh and Brazil are among other countries in which journalists were killed. Many of them were sent to cover civil wars, corruption and human rights issues.
       In addition, several journalists were kidnapped(绑架) and are still being held in prison. The most typical is a Washington Post journalist who has been imprisoned in Iran for over one and a half years On Wednesday he will spend his 527th day in prison, taken away not only freedom but also justice. At the end of 2015, 199 journalists were held in prison in 28 countries around the world, including Egypt and Turkey.
       Media experts believe that criminals and militant(激进的) organizations are becoming more and more threatening towards journalists. In the past vehicles that were marked with a PRESS sign got more protection and were not targeted. Although western countries are strongly against it when something happens to journalists, there is often nothing they can do about it. Warring sides sometimes use kidnapped journalists to get media attention.
1. How many journalists died during the attack on Charlie Hebdo?

A．8.

B．13.

C．69.

D．119.

2. Which of the following is True according to the text?

A．Most journalists were killed in Sudan.

B．A committee has been found to protect journalists.

C．The Washington Post journalist was kidnapped three years ago.

D．Western countries work well in protecting journalists.

3. Why did people mark a PRESS sign on their cars?

A．To be better protected.	B．To draw media attention.
C．To show their anger.	D．To call for help.

4. What may be the best title for the text?

A．Fighting for Terrorist Groups	B．Keeping off the Killings
C．A Dangerous Year for Journalists	D．Dangerous Places for Journalists

3 . At present time, roller skating (滑旱冰) is easy and fun. But many years ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, people never tried skating on wheels. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making instruments (工具). In his free time he liked to play the violin. Merlin was a man with many ideas and many dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to go to an important party. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think. He wanted to find a way to make a wonderful entrance at the party. Merlin had an idea. He thought that he would attract a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll (滚动). Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skate shoes. Merlin was very proud of them. He dreamed of arriving at the party and skating into the room while playing the violin. He was sure that everyone would be very surprised.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room, playing his violin. Everyone was really surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skating. He rolled on, playing the violin. Then, with all eyes on him, Merlin hit into a huge mirror on the wall. The mirror broke into many pieces with a very loud noise.
Nobody forgot Merlin’s wonderful entrance after that.
1. The first paragraph tells us that people began to skate on wheels from 1750 because _______.

A．it is very easy

B．it is very exciting

C．Joseph Merlin’s instruments

D．it is very popular

2. People called Merlin a dreamer because ___________.               .

A．he slept and dreamed a lot

B．he was full of different ideas and dreams

C．he invented the first roller skates

D．he always made people’s dreams come true

3. ___________ made Merlin think of skating on wheels.

A．Merlin’s work	B．Merlin’s violin
C．A huge mirror	D．An important party

4. What was Merlin’s problem after he rolled into the room?

A．He couldn’t stop his roller-skating.

B．He couldn’t attract a lot of attention.

C．Everyone was surprised at him.

D．He couldn’t play the violin while rolling.

5. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Joseph Merlin’s Story

B．How Roller Skating Was Invented

C．A Surprising Entrance to the Party

D．Violin and roller skating