Happy Birthday to You is a happy song,
Thirty-one years later, a gentleman by the name of Robert H. Coleman published the song without the sisters
Mr. Coleman's addition of the second verse
After Mildred died in 1916, Patty took Mr. Coleman to court. In court, she proved that she and her sister owned the melody. Because the family
2 . 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.
The first real balloon flight was in France in 1783. Two French brothers made a balloon.
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.
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.
| 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. |
3 . There are hundreds of types of birthday cake in the world. You are likely to enjoy one during at least one of your birthday parties. But have you ever stopped and wondered, “Why am I eating this? What makes this dessert fit to celebrate the day of my birth?”
It’s because you are as important and beloved as the gods.
The ancient Egyptians are thought to have “invented” the celebration of birthdays. They believed when pharaohs (法老) were crowned, they became gods, so their coronation (加冕) day was their “birth” as a god.
Ancient Greeks borrowed the tradition, but realized that a dessert would make the celebration more meaningful. So they baked moon-shaped cakes to offer up to the goddess of the moon. They decorated them with lighted candles to make the cakes shine like the moon. It is the reason why we light our birthday cakes on fire.
Modern birthday parties are said to get their roots from an 18th century German celebration. On the morning of a child’s birthday, he or she would receive a cake with lighted candles that added up to the kid’s age, plus one. This extra candle was called the “light of life,” representing the hope of another full year lived.
And then, torture — because no one could eat the cake until after dinner. The family replaced the candles as they burned out throughout the day. Finally, when the moment came, the birthday child would make a wish, try to blow out all the candles in one breath, and dig in.
Since the ingredients (原料) to make cakes were pretty expensive, this birthday custom didn’t become popular until the Industrial Revolution. More ingredients were available, which made them cheaper, and bakeries even started selling pre-baked cakes.
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．The origin of birthday cakes. | B．The significance of birthday cakes. |
| C．The history of birthday parties. | D．The introduction of cake production. |
| A．Germans. | B．Pharaohs. |
| C．Ancient Greeks. | D．Ancient Egyptians. |
| A．pleasure | B．replacement |
| C．sharing | D．suffering |
| A．The transport was inconvenient. |
| B．The ingredients of cakes were expensive. |
| C．The cake could not be eaten before dinner. |
| D．The bakeries would not sell pre-baked cakes. |
4 . The idea that history is an outdated course of study that will lead to limited career options has spread.
Understanding where people come from is key in understanding who we are.
Learning from the past prevents future mistakes.
| A．You will understand the world much better. |
| B．History degrees can lead to well-paying careers. |
| C．Many people don’t know well about themselves. |
| D．Learning history can change how you think. |
| E．But the truth is that studying history is still important. |
| F．The idea that history repeats itself is rooted in truth. |
| G．History has shaped cultures, attitudes, and social structures. |
5 . History tells us that footwear was one of the first things ancient people learned to make. Footwear helped them across rocky paths or hot sands without injuring themselves. The earliest footwear we know of was simply a piece of plaited (编织的) grass or leather tied to the feet.
The ancient Egyptians seem to have invented the first footwear with a firm sole (鞋底) — sandals. Egyptian royalty usually wore sandals that had a different style from those with lower status (身份), while slaves were not allowed to wear anything on their feet. The sandal is still the basic form of footwear in many countries, particularly those with a hot climate, whereas in cold climates, an entirely different type of shoe appeared — the moccasin — a slipper-shaped shoe made of soft but strong leather.
The Greeks were the first to develop shoes with heels (鞋跟). Then, in the Middle Ages, shoes with long points at the toe became very chic for the nobility. These shoes were often very difficult to wear. Other trends followed, with square-toed shoes, wide shoes, and even shoes that could make a woman stand two feet taller. Not surprisingly, these sometimes led to accidents. Even today, fashion rather than comfort often leads to the kind of shoes women wear.
Mechanical shoemaking appeared in the 1800s in North America. Until then, shoes had been made with the same kinds of hand tools used by the ancient Egyptians. And in 1858, a machine was invented that could stitch (缝合) the sole of a shoe to the upper part. Now it was possible to make shoes that were shaped to fit either the left or right foot. Toward the end of the 1800s came a new type of shoe that was specifically designed for sports — the sneaker — and it soon become an all-time favorite.
1. What did shoes often show in ancient times?| A．The rich resources. | B．People's different beliefs. |
| C．People's status in society. | D．The changeable climates. |
| A．Valuable. | B．Convenient. |
| C．Fashionable. | D．Comfortable. |
| A．shoes were often very difficult for people to wear. |
| B．all the shoe patterns made by the Greeks were the same. |
| C．the only function of footwear was to protect people's feet. |
| D．people wore the same-shaped shoes on their two feet |
| A．By providing examples. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By following the order of time. | D．By following the order of importance. |
The 600-year-old Forbidden City is the world’s largest palace. It
It was when all
The lives of the royal families were
In 1987, the Forbidden City was
| A．relieves | B．receives | C．guides | D．sells |
| A．visitors | B．students | C．teachers | D．citizens |
| A．red | B．small | C．green | D．huge |
| A．dream | B．hope | C．wonder | D．mystery |
| A．museums | B．rooms | C．buildings | D．houses |
| A．towers | B．walls | C．trees | D．hills |
| A．looking at | B．giving up | C．setting down | D．jumping at |
| A．tell | B．think | C．imagine | D．admire |
| A．Owning | B．Covering | C．Having | D．Taking |
| A．emperor | B．designer | C．painter | D．soldier |
| A．altitude | B．power | C．figure | D．position |
| A．studied | B．worked | C．gathered | D．died |
| A．happy | B．sad | C．historical | D．national |
| A．above | B．best | C．worst | D．ups |
| A．finally | B．quickly | C．gradually | D．suddenly |
| A．recorded | B．settled | C．connected | D．copied |
| A．grasp | B．ignore | C．write | D．provide |
| A．background | B．research | C．exam | D．survey |
| A．treated | B．remembered | C．listed | D．honored |
| A．palace | B．scenery | C．attraction | D．place |
7 . I'm a survivor of atomic bombing (原子弹轰炸)of Nagasaki, Japan. I was born on December 25, 1944, so when the bombs fell on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, I was only nine months old. My family were not even in the city of Nagasaki. We were outside.
There are three ways that atomic bombs can kill you. One is the blast (冲击波). That knocks down all the buildings nearby. The second is the fireball.
I remember both my mother and my sister were sick in bed. And when I was six, they died.
When my sister died, I heard her doctor tell my father that I wouldn't live to see my tenth birthday. So I knew that I was not going to live long.
I also felt that it was wrong for me to stay alive. Why did my sister and my mother, who were
wonderful people, had to die? And yet L, who am not worthy, am still alive?
If the United States is attacked with radioactive weapons, millions of people will die. If North
Korea is attacked, Korea, Japan, part of China and even Russia will be affected I want all nations to come together and start finding a way of getting rid of nuclear weapons altogether.
| A．But I always took good care of myself. |
| B．There was a huge fireball in both cities. |
| C．Therefore, I was always worried about my health. |
| D．The radioactive dust was what started killing our family. |
| E．It always does much more harm than good to human being. |
| F．This feeling is the kind of weapon that shouldn’t be allowed on the earth |
| G．However, radiation from the bombing went far beyond the city limits and harmed us. |
8 . 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.
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.
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.
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.
| 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. |
The Great Pyramid was built nearly 5,000 years ago for a king
The Great Pyramid is over 450 feet high today. Each of the
10 . “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. |
| 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. |
| A．Inspiration. | B．Anger. |
| C．Admiration. | D．Guilt. |
| A．A magazine. | B．A diary. |
| C．A guidebook. | D．A novel. |
