1 . The name England comes from the words “Angle land”. The Angles were people who came from northern Germany in the 5th and 6th centuries, after the Romans had left. The French name for England is Angleterre, which also means “Angle land”. There were also invasions (侵略) of southern England by Saxons and Jutes (people from another part of northern Germany). English people are sometimes called Anglo－Saxons. The Celts who used to live in this area were forced to move back into Scotland, Ireland, Cornwall and into Western France (the area known as Brittany).

England at first became a series of kingdoms, the strongest of which was Wessex (the name comes from West－Saxon). The names of many of the areas in England come from this period—for example, the name Sussex comes from South－Saxon, Essex from East－Saxon, and East Anglia from East－Angle. The Vikings then came from Denmark, and later the Normans invaded from France. Eventually England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland were united, forming the United Kingdom.

The English language is the main language spoken throughout England, although there are many different accents. It can be difficult to know how to spell or to pronounce some English words, because the language has been influenced by Latin and Greek (languages used at the time of the Romans, and used in religion and education until recent times), German (the language of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes), French(the language of the Normans), Gaelic/Scots (Celtic languages) and Danish (the language of the Vikings).

There are now many people throughout the United Kingdom who speak a foreign language either as their first or second language, mainly due to immigration (移民) from Europe or the Commonwealth (countries which used to be part of the British Empire).

1. What's the first paragraph mainly about?

A．The origin of the name England.

B．The Celts used to live in England but left for some reason.

C．Southern England once was attacked by Saxons and Jutes.

D．Angles and Saxons came from different parts of northern Germany.

2. In the history of England, ________ once was the strongest kingdom.

A．Sussex	B．Wessex
C．Essex	D．East Anglia

3. What can we learn from the third paragraph?

A．English words are hard to spell and to pronounce.

B．England had been invaded by most of the countries of Europe.

C．The English language was influenced by several foreign languages.

D．It's hard for people who have different English accents to communicate.

4. Why do many people in the UK speak a foreign language nowadays?

A．Because they are required to learn a foreign language at school.

B．Because they plan to live outside the UK in the future.

C．Because they have moved from other countries.

D．Because they have worked in other countries.

2 . Bicycles are very popular around the world nowadays. People ride their bicycles for exercise and enjoyment. In some places, people use bicycles to get to work. In other places, bicycle riding is a very popular exercise to people who live in cities. But who invented the first bicycle?

In 1791, a Frenchman named Comte de Sivrac invented and owned the first bicycle. Mrs. Sivrac rode the bicycle in Paris. The handles and the seat were wooden. This bicycle was very difficult to move. A rider even had to pick up the front wheel to change direction. What's worse, the bicycle had no brakes for stopping or pedals for the feet! Riding a bicycle took great risk.

In 1817, a German named Baron von Drais de Sauerbrun made the first bicycle better. The seat became more comfortable. The wheel could now change direction. His ride in the forest took only one hour instead of three hours on foot, which surprised people at that time.

Sauerbrun brought this kind of bicycle from Germany to France. Then Denis Johnson, an Englishman, made a bicycle for women. It had space for their dresses to hang down. But these bicycles still had no brakes or pedals, and riders often got hurt. These bicycles and the people who rode them were not very popular.

It took another forty-five years for the bicycle to become popular. More than 100 years later, bicycle riding is more popular than ever. In fact, in India and China, there are still many more bicycles than cars.

1. According to the passage, people ride bicycles in order to ____ .

A．find good jobs	B．take exercise
C．be liked by others	D．live in cities

2. The first bicycle was ____.

A．difficult to move	B．popular with women
C．comfortable to ride	D．easy to change direction

3. The bicycle first became popular around ____.

A．1817	B．1836
C．1852	D．1862

4. What's the passage mainly about?

A．The reasons for riding a bike.	B．The inventor of the bicycle.
C．The history of the bicycle.	D．A very popular exercise.

3 . Up in the air—a history of ballooning

The first kind of air transportation was the balloon. People traveled by balloon one hundred years before there were planes or jet aircraft. Those early days of ballooning were exciting, but they were also risky.     1     However, the danger did not stop the balloonists.

The first real balloon flight was in France in 1783. Two French brothers made a balloon.     2    Hot air is lighter than cold air, so it goes up. The hot air balloon went up 1,000 feet in the sky.

    3    They built a fire under the balloon to make the air hot. This made the balloon stay up in the air for a few hours. But their balloon was tied to the ground. So it could not go anywhere.

Soon balloonists tried longer flights. In 1785, an American and a Frenchman flew over the English Channel. They left England on a cold, clear January day. Halfway across, their balloon began to drop toward the water. They threw out some equipment and food to make the balloon lighter. The balloon continued to fall, so they threw out almost everything in the basket -even some of their clothes.     4    

During the nineteenth century, ballooning became a popular sport and balloons were also used by scientists to study the air and by armies in war time. After the airplane was invented, however, interest in balloons decreased dramatically. But some people today still like to go up in balloons.     5    What’s more, they have a wonderful view of the world below.

A．They filled a very large paper bag with hot air.

B．High up in the balloon basket, they find quiet.

C．Sometimes the balloons fell suddenly and sometimes they burned.

D．Back then, few people understood how they were able to fly so far.

E．Finally, after about three hours, they landed in France, cold but safe.

F．Balloon races and displays remain popular all over the world to this very day.

G．Later that same year, two other Frenchmen ascended in a basket under a balloon.

4 . Children's Games in Ancient China Unlike the children nowadays, the children during ancient times didn't have smart phone, iPad or computer to entertain themselves.    1    Let's take a look.

Kicking stone balls

During the Qing Dynasty, kicking a stone ball around was a popular sport in the northern part of China, and it was often played in the winter to keep warm. Stones were carved into small balls and kicked along with feet.

Flying kites

Kites have quite a long history. The earliest kites were made of wood, instead of paper. Nowadays, the three most famous kites are the Beijing kite, Tianjin kite and Weifang kite.     2    . For example, the swallow-shaped kite is a well-known Beijing style.

Playing hide-and-seek

Hide-and-seek is a traditional game for children, popular around the nation. Even nowadays, many children like playing it. There are two ways to play. One way is covering a child's eyes while other kids run around to tease him.     3    

    4    

The closest thing to watching a film or television for entertainment during ancient times was going to see a shadow play. Folk artists manipulate puppets behind the screen, narrating stories and accompanied by music.

Setting off firecrackers

Firecrackers have a history of more than 2,000 years. It is said that there was a beast named Nian in ancient China.    5    After gunpowder was invented, it gradually replaced the bamboo joint cracker. Crackers are still set off during Spring Festival to symbolize auspiciousness.

A．Watching shadow plays.

B．Each of them has distinctive features.

C．Different materials are used to make the kite.

D．Shadow plays were the popular entertaining form in ancient times.

E．And to scare off the beast, people burnt bamboo joints to make it blast.

F．More commonly, participants hide and one child must try to find them.

G．Instead, they came up with interesting games to play in their childhood.

5 . “The Lion King” is one of Disney’s highest earners. But behind “The Lion King”, a true story of Sundiata Keita is still largely invisible outside his own country.

Known as the Lion of Mali, Sundiata was the founder of the Malian Empire, the largest kingdom in West Africa. His empire expanded more than 1,000 miles from the Atlantic coast all the way to the Niger River. Sundiata ruled from 1235 to 1255.

Sundiata’s father, King Naré Maghann Konaté, was told by fortune tellers that if he married an ugly woman she would give birth to a son who would become a mighty and magnificent king. He already had a wife named Sassouma Bereté and a son named Dankaran Tourman. However, Konate took Sogolon Kedjou as his second wife. She gave birth to Sundiata, who was born disabled. Though the king favored him, both Sogolon and Sundiata were unfairly teased for his disability.

Sundiata became a great leader among his people, sparking resentment from his half-brother Tourman who wanted the throne for himself. When Konaté died, many suspected that he had been murdered. Fearful of an attack on their lives. Sogolon took Sundiata and the rest of her children and fled. The Mandinka people were taken over by the cruel and unfair King Soumaoro Kante of the Sosso people.

In need of their true leader, the people sent word for Sundiata to return and take his rightful place as the king. Outside of the country, Sundiata built alliances with the king of Mema and other local rulers. He gathered an army to free the Mandinka people and defeat the Sosso king. Upon his victorious return, he adopted a new title for himself. “Mansa,” which means king or emperor in Mandinka. Sundiata’s kingdom became one of the most wealthy and powerful empires in history.

1. Why is the movie “The Lion King” mentioned in paragraph 1?

A．To show us one of Disney’s achievements.

B．To encourage a view of the movie.

C．To introduce a true story.

D．To tell us its popularity among the public.

2. Why did Konaté get married to Sogolon Kedjou?

A．Because she was a recognized beauty.

B．Because he expected her to produce a great successor.

C．Because she adored him for his immense power.

D．Because he was not content with his first wife.

3. What does the underlined word “resentment” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Inspiration.	B．Anger.
C．Admiration.	D．Guilt.

4. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A magazine.	B．A diary.
C．A guidebook.	D．A novel.

6 . Miep Gies, the woman who hid the Dutch girl Anne Frank’s diary from the Nazis to become one of the world’s most-read books, died after a brief illness at the age of 100.

It was Gies who guarded Anne’s diary, and presented it to the girl’s father, Otto, when he returned from the Auschwitz concentration camp(奥斯威辛集中营) at the end of World War Ⅱ—the only one of his family to survive.

In her diary, Anne Frank wrote about her teenage life hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam from 1942 to 1944, when the Nazi police discovered her and her family’s hiding place. The diary, first published in 1947, has been translated into 70 languages.

Anne Frank expressed a great wish to live on after her death. Miep Gies saw it as her duty to help in making this happen.

Born in Vienna in 1909, Gies moved to the Netherlands at the age of 11. In 1933, she began working for Otto Frank at his trading company. At great risk to her own safety, she and four other helpers brought food and supplies to the Frank family hiding in a secret office building for more than two years.

When she turned 100, Gies tried to play down her own role. “I’m not a hero,” she said. “It wasn’t something I planned in advance. I simply did what I could to help.”

Every day she received letters from all over the world with questions about her relationship with Anne Frank and her role as a helper. Gies received many honors for her role, including from the Netherlands, Germany and Israel.

1. When did Miep Gies move to the Netherlands?

A．In 1909.	B．In 1947.
C．In 1920.	D．In 1933.

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Only Miep Gies helped the Frank family.

B．Anne’s father Otto survived World War Ⅱ.

C．Anne’s hiding place was discovered in 1943.

D．Miep Gies wasn’t highly honored until her death.

3. By saying “Gies tried to play down her own role”, the writer means Gies ________.

A．didn’t play a role in saving the diary.	B．regretted saving the diary.
C．was proud of what she had done.	D．thought she was overpraised.

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

A．Woman who saved Anne’s diary dies at 100.

B．Anne Frank’s diary.

C．Survivors of World War Ⅱ.

D．The story of Miep Gies and Anne Frank.

7 . To an outsider，any culture can seem confusing.And the UK's got a thing or two that raises a few eyebrows.However，understand the why and things might be less puzzling.    1    .

In a world where 61％of nations drive on the right，Brits drive on the left.Why? Most people think it goes back to Medieval，maybe even Roman times.    2     when you remember that right-handed people wear a sword on their left hip.Travelling on the left allowed you to   keep your weapon arm toward your opponent，who would be on your right.This practice continued until the 18th century when a law was passed requiring all traffic crossing London Bridge to keep to the left.

Visitors to the UK that have just washed their hands in an old-fashioned sink might be wondering why one tap is only for hot water，the other cold.    3    .So，why this oddity? It relates to a time when hot and cold water were kept separate to prevent pollution.Drinkable cold water came from a mains supply，but hot water came from attic tanks and was not considered suitable for consumption.So they were kept apart.

Millions of people drink tea worldwide，but the odd Brits put milk in theirs.Why? This mysterious practice relates to the quality of china cup used in the 18th century when tea was first imposed.For the majority of Brits，the cups available couldn’t stand the heat of the boiling water and would break，so milk was added first.    4    .And this practical tweak soon became a national habit.

    5    .As you can see，these odd Brits have perfectly clear reasons for left-hand driving，two-tap sinks and tea with milk.Even if they still seem strange，at least now you’re in the know.

A．This makes it difficult to improve

B．There is a method to the madness

C．This unusual behavior makes sense

D．You can know the origins of the practices

E．Either can make washing very uncomfortable

F．This cooled the cup enough to resist the boiling water

G．Here are the reasons for three of Britain’s more puzzling practices

8 . The “Chong Yang Festival” is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, which is also known as the Double Ninth Festival.     1    

Climbing Mountains

People like to climb mountains on this festival, so Double Ninth Festival is also called “Mountain-climbing Festival”.

The 9th lunar month, with clear autumn sky and bracing air, is a good time for sightseeing.     2    . It is really refreshing to climb mountains and enjoy the beauty of nature at this bright and clear time in autumn.

Climbing mounting also indicates “climbing to a higher position”. Another reason why climbing mountains are valued by people, especially by the elderly is that it has a meaning of “climbing to ligneous life”. Climbing mountains on Double Ninth Festival was already popular in the Tang Dynasty.    3    

Drinking Chrysanthemum Flower(菊花) Wine

The chrysanthemum flower wine is unique in brewing. In ancient times, people usually picked fresh chrysanthemum flowers and leaves on the 9th of the 9th lunar month, and brewed the mixture of them and grains into the wine.     4    . The wine is said to have wholesome effects on sharpness of the eye, drop of high blood pressure, reduction of weight and removal of stomach trouble, thus contributing to longevity.

    5    

The Double Ninth cake is also known as “flower cake”. It dates back to the Zhou Dynasty. It is said that the cake was originally prepared after autumn harvests for farmers to have a taste of what was just in season, and it gradually grew into the present cake for people to eat on the Double Ninth Day.

A．Eating Double Ninth Cake

B．Making “flower cake” with friends

C．A lot of poems were devoted to this custom

D．So people love to go sightseeing this month

E．It would not be drunk until the same day next year

F．Here are some traditional customs of the Double Ninth Festival

G．But few Chinese people are aware of the importance of the festival

9 . When you think of a typical American, who do you picture? A pretty blond white American like Taylor Swift? Or a handsome black American like basketball star Kobe Bryant? In fact, there was a time when the average American looked like neither of these people.

Back in the year 1500, the average American was a brown-skinned hunter-gatherer who probably rode a horse and wore clothing made from animal skins. Today, these people－who usually identify themselves based on their individual tribes such as Iriquois, Apache and Navajo－are broadly referred to as “Native Americans”, “American Indians” or simply “Indians”.

There’s a chance that you’ve never even heard of American Indians. That‟s because there aren’t very many left. When the European settlement of North America began, there were fierce conflicts between the settlers from overseas and these native peoples. After the British government and military were expelled (驱逐) in the Revolutionary War, conflicts with natives continued as the states were created that would later make up the US. In these conflicts, millions of natives were killed.

In 1830, president Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act. This act required all Indians to migrate to the west of the Mississippi River to allow for the expansion of the US. American Indians were treated as a military “enemy” until 1924, when the few Indians still alive at that point were granted （准予）US citizenship. That was the first time that the US government formally recognized the rights of Indians.

While the story of the American Indians has been a sad one, these peoples’ legacies (遗产) are still felt every day in the US. Many US geographical names come from Indian languages, such as Ohio, Topeka, Kansas, and the Potomac River. At the same time, there are numerous successful academics and other important US leaders who are descended（是……的后裔）from Indians. And nowadays, more and more history classes in US public schools are educating students about how Indians suffered during the settlement of the US.

Although what happened cannot be undone, we can learn at least one thing from the sad history of the Indians: If we want a better future, we must look carefully and honestly at the past.

1. What is the article mainly about?

A．The history of the settement of the US.

B．What a typical American is like.

C．The sad story of American Indians.

D．American Indians‟ economic impact on the US.

2. It can be inferred from the article that in the middle of the 19th century, American Indians______.

A．were driven from the US by the British government

B．were regarded as a military “enemy” of the US

C．were finally granted US citizenship

D．were required to live along the Mississippi River.

3. What can learn about American Indians from the article?

A．There are few influential American Indians in US history.

B．Some of their languages are still used today.

C．The majority of them lived in the states of Ohio and Kansas.

D．American youths are becoming more informed of the suffering of the Indians.

4. What is the author’s attitude toward the history of American Indians?

A．It’s miserable to be reminded of it.

B．It’s important to learn from it.

C．He doesn’t have much interest in it.

D．Every school should teach classes about it.

10 . Decades before the first unaccompanied child was put on a plane to grandma’s in the care of a flight attendant, a few resourceful parents accomplished the same end by simply dropping their kids in the mail.

This was in the earliest days of the parcel post service, which launched in 1913. Before that, U.S. Postal Service packages were capped at four pounds, which limited the goofy things people tried to send by post.

But when the parcel service began, all kinds of cargo showed up in the mail stream, including coffins, eggs, dogs and, in a few cases, human young.

According to National Postal Museum historian Nancy Pope, the first known case of a mailed baby was in 1913 when Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Beauge of Glen Este, Ohio, shipped their 10-pound infant son to his grandmother’s home about a mile away, paying 15 cents in postage and springing for $50 in insurance (because they were worriers).

But some children were mailed much farther, Pope said. Edna Neff of Pensacola, Fla., was 6 when she was packed off — or packaged off — to her father’s home in Christiansburg, Va., 720 miles away.

The precious parcels weren’t truly parcels in the brown-paper. Instead they were more like companions in the arms of their carriers or walked along the route(路线). But the most famous mailed child, May Pierstorff, was indeed sent by an Idaho railway mail car in 1914 with the appropriate stamps stuck to her traveling coat. May’s picture survives, but no physical evidence of her trip. “We would sure love to have that coat,” Pope said.

In 1914, the postmaster general instituted a rule about the mail that stands to this day: no humans. But that didn’t stop an ambitious thief from crating himself up and shipping himself airmail. When William DeLucia, packed in a trunk labeled “Musical Instruments” along with food and an oxygen tank, was airborne, he climbed out, pilfered thousands of dollars’ worth of goods from the registered mail and sealed himself back up. He was arrested at the Atlanta airport in 1980 after his trunk popped open as it was being unloaded.

“We have his oxygen tank” at the Postal Museum, Pope noted with pride.

1. What did U.S Postal Service put a limit to before 1913?

A．The value of the mail.

B．The weight of parcels.

C．The content in the mail.

D．The postage for packages.

2. How was Jesse Beauge’s son mailed?

A．Packed in a mailbox.

B．Walked along the route.

C．Sent by a railway mail car.

D．Carried in the arms of the postman.

3. What does Nancy Pope wish to be exhibited most in the Postal Museum?

A．May’s picture.

B．The brown-paper.

C．May’s traveling coat.

D．Idaho railway mail car.

4. Who discovered William DeLucia at last?

A．The airport porter.

B．The airport police.

C．The passenger victims.

D．The postmaster general.