1 . The Silk Road is the name of different roads that long ago connected Europe, Africa and Asia. People reached these different places along these roads. Scientists believe people began to travel the Silk Road about 3000 years ago. By the time the Chinese silk trade became important in the world, the Silk Road covered almost 6500 kilometers. It spread from Rome to China, which is from the West to the Far East.
Traders travelling along the Silk Road carried silk, of course. They also carried and traded spices (香料), cloth, valuable stones and gold.
There is a famous old story along the old road. It is said that Roman soldiers travelled through central Asia. They started to live somewhere near the ancient Chinese village of Liqian. Sortie of these Romans married local Chinese women and the story of blue-eyed villages of China was started.
During its busiest period, the Silk Road allowed people from many different cultures and countries to meet each other and mix. The Silk Road allowed the sharing of valuable goods and new ideas. These included people and trading goods from the Mediterranean, Persian, Magyar, Armenian, Bactrian, Indian and Chinese areas. All these peoples travelled the Silk Road, and they shared goods, stories, languages, and cultures.
In modern times, the old Silk Road routes (路线) are still used, but now they are crossed by trains instead of camels and horses. There is even a Silk Route Museum in Jiuquan in China. It has over 35,000, objects from all along the Silk Road. In this way, China protects the history of many countries and peoples.
1. How many kilometers did the Silk Road cover?| A．About 3000. | B．Nearly 6500. | C．Almost 2000. | D．Over 35,000. |
| A．Silk. | B．Cloth. | C．Gold. | D．Tea. |
| A．Valuable things could not be sold along the Silk Road. |
| B．The Silk Road allowed people from different countries to mix. |
| C．Ancient Chinese along the Silk Road maybe able to speak different languages. |
| D．The objects in the museum in Jiuquan in China are from all along the Silk Road. |
| A．History and Geography. | B．Sports World. |
| C．Man and Animals. | D．Popular Science. |
2 . Genghis Khan（成吉思汗）remains to this day one of the most successful men to have walked the Earth. Rising from an outcast to be the ruler of the largest land empire to have ever existed, he introduced an alphabet and an official form of money, united a kingdom of tribes at war with each other, and conquered most of the known world. His empire spread from Poland to Japan. It is estimated that one in every 200 men on the planet today is related to Genghis Khan. But there are no accounts of the events that surrounded his death and burial; only a mystery focused around an area known as the Forbidden Zone.
From the time of the Khan's death in 1227 up until 1991 the Forbidden Zone was as off-limits as any place in the world. Shortly after he died, the surviving Mongol leaders ordered a group of 50 fierce families, known as the Uryangqai of the Woods, to occupy this land and kill anyone who entered without permission.
They made exceptions only for the funeral processions（队伍）of the Khan's direct descendants, who were also allowed to be buried there. This extreme degree of secrecy has led many to the conclusion that the body of Genghis Khan himself lies in a tomb somewhere in this zone, along with some of the treasures of an empire vaster than those of Napoleon and Alexander the Great combined. When the U.S.S. R.（前苏联）took over Mongolia in 1924; they killed all the Uryangqai of the Woods just as they tried to erase the memory of the great Khan. The Forbidden Zone -still remained off-limits, however. It wasn't until the fall of the U.S.S.R. in 1991 that entering the Forbidden Zone became possible for scientists and historians. Even today, eight centuries after it quietly rested, the Forbidden Zone has been visited by very few.
1. Which of the following statements about Genghis Khan is TRUE?| A．He was the ruler of the largest empire in history. |
| B．He united and occupied many parts of the world. |
| C．An exact number of 200 people are related to him today. |
| D．He was buried in what is known as the Forbidden Zone. |
| A．They buried Genghis Khan's body in secret. |
| B．They were ordered to occupy the Forbidden Zone. |
| C．They were killed because they hated Genghis Khan. |
| D．They forbade everyone from entering the Forbidden Zone. |
| A．Who visited the Forbidden Zone. |
| B．When the Forbidden Zone was discovered. |
| C．Why the U.S.S.R. killed all the Uryangqai. |
| D．How the great Khan conquered the known world. |
| A．Genghis Khan, a Great Emperor |
| B．The Forbidden Zone, a Remaining Mystery |
| C．The Discovery of Genghis Khan's Tomb |
| D．The Bravery of the Uryangqai of the Woods |
3 . Baron Pierre de Coubertin was a Frenchman. At his time sports were not taught in French schools. De Coubertin believed that sports should go hand in hand with studies. He had an idea. His idea was to begin the Olympics all over again.
Sports teachers of other countries liked De Coubertin ideas. So in 1896, the modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece. Since then the Olympics have been held once every four years, except three times, when there were wars.
The modern Olympic games have many foot races and field sports programs. The longest race in the games is called marathon.
Before the start of the Olympic Games, runners carry lighted torch( 火炬 ) through many nations towards the stadium where the games will be held. These sportsmen are from different countries. Yet they work together to carry the Olympic torch. It is passed from runner to runner, When the last runner enters the stadium, he or she places the torch in a special basin filled with oil. It catches fire. It is then, only then, that the Olympic Games can begin.
The Olympic flame burns throughout the games. It is the flame of peace.
1. Before 1896 French schools didn't teach ______.| A．match | B．history |
| C．sports | D．physics |
| A．In Athens,Greece | B．In German |
| C．In French | D．In Russia |
| A．1896 | B．1904 |
| C．1915 | D．1924 |
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
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 . Last year, Donald Trump made history when he took the oath（宣誓）of office as the 45th president of the United States. At 70 years old, he became the oldest elected president. Before Trump, Ronald Reagan was the oldest person to take office. He was 69 years old when he became president in 1981.
As the first billionaire president, Trump also replaced John F. Kennedy, the 35th president, as the richest president. Kennedy still holds the record for the youngest person to be elected president. He was 43 when he took office（就职）. Kennedy is also the youngest president to die in office. He was assassinated(暗杀）） in 1963 in Dallas, Texas. He was only 46 years old.
Another president assassination actually made a young person hold office as the youngest president. In 1901, Theodore Roosevelt, then the vice president, became president at the age of 42. He took office after William McKinley, the 25th president, was shot and killed in Buffalo, New York.
The first president to die in office, though, was William Henry Harrison. The country's 9th president only served for 32 days, the shortest time of any president. Another Roosevelt holds the record for the longest time in office. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president, held office for 4,422 days. After his death, the 22nd amendment（修正案）was passed. It limited a person to two four-year terms（任期）as the president.
The two Roosevelts were not the first relatives to both serve as the president. That title belongs to the Adams. John Adams was America!s second president. His son, John Quincy Adams was elected as the nation's 6th president. The Bushes are the other father-son presidential pair. George Herbert Walker Bush was elected as the 41st president. His son, George W. Bush, was the country's 43rd president.
1. According to the passage, Ronald Reagan was_______ .| A．the richest man to be elected president | B．the youngest man to take office |
| C．the second oldest person to take office | D．the oldest president to die in office |
| A．John Quincy Adams. | B．Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
| C．John F. Kennedy. | D．George Herbert Walker Bush. |
| A．His father also took office in the White House. |
| B．He was another billionaire president. |
| C．He became president at the age of 42. |
| D．He followed Franklin Delano Roosevelt to take office. |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Health. |
| C．Fashion. | D．History. |
9 . In many countries of the world, people can confidently tell you the meaning of their town or city, but most people who live in Manchester, Oxford or Birmingham would not be able to explain what the name of their city means. The name of every British town and city, however, has a long history.
Two thousand years ago, most people living in Britain were Celts. Even the word “Britain" is Celtic (凯尔特语).Then the Romans arrived and built camps which became cities called “castra". This is why there are so many place names in England which end in "-chester" or “-caster" Manchester, for example.
The Romans never reached Wales or Scotland, and many place names there are Celtic. For example,Welsh place names that begin with “Llan" come from the Celtic word for "church".
After the Romans left Britain, it was attacked by the Anglo-Saxons who were from the area of Europe that is now Germany and Holland. The names of their villages often ended in “-ham" or “-ton". Some got their names from the leader of the village.So Birmingham for example, means "Beormund's village”
The Anglo-Saxons were farmers and the landscape was very important to them, so we have villages called Upton (village on a hill)——a good place to build a village and Moreton (“village by a lake”)where floods could make life hard. Place names that end in “-ford" (a place where you could cross a river) also describe the location of Anglo-Saxon villages.
Finally, in 1066 England became Norman—the Normans gave us the place name "grange", which means farm.
And how about London? Experts cannot agree. The Romans called the city Londinium, but they were not the first inhabitants (居民). People once believed that the United Kingdom’s capital city got its name from the castle of a King called Lud but this is very unlikely. Our best guess today is that the name comes from a Celtic word meaning a fast-flowing river. Like a number of British place names, its history is lost in time.
1. The origin of British place names is unfamiliar to many local people because of| A．the death of local languages |
| B．the long lost history of the names |
| C．their lack of interest in it |
| D．the frequent changes to the names |
| A．on a hill | B．near a castle |
| C．beside a river | D．with a church |
| A．The Celts—The Romans—The Normans—The Anglo Saxons |
| B．The Celts—The Romans—The Anglo Saxons—The Normans |
| C．The Romans—The Celts—The Anglo Saxons—The Normans |
| D．The Romans―The Anglo Saxons—The Celts—The Normans |
| A．River | B．Londinium |
| C．Lud | D．Castle |
10 . Your mobile phone vibrates in your pocket. ‘Need to see you,’ reads the screen. Nothing new, considering that texting is currently the most common form of long-distance communication. But how were messages conveyed in the past?
One of the first methods was the smoke signal. This practice was used by Chinese soldiers guarding the Great Wall to warn of the enemy’s approach. The Greeks invented a whole alphabet of smoke signals for sending messages. But it was Native Americans who made the system mobile by carrying small bunches of dried grasses around with them. These could be lit quickly from any place at any time.
Moving on to messages transmitted by sound, an early technique was the drum. Drums are still used today in the rainforests of Africa, Papua New Guinea and Central and South America for broadcasting news. The instrument is made from a piece of wood, which is empty inside, and this is hit with a stick. On receiving the message, each village passes it on to the next, which means that news can travel at up to 150 km an hour.
In some parts of the world, humans are able to convey messages over long distances without using instruments. On La Gomera, one of the Canary Islands, people use Silbo, or the ‘whistling language’ to communicate across the valleys. The language involves the use of the tongue, lips and hands to make sounds, which can travel up to 5 km. To ensure its continuation, Silbo is currently a compulsory subject in primary and secondary schools on the island.
A look at long-distance communication would not be complete without mentioning the art of yodelling. This is a form of singing, in which the voice changes sound levels very quickly, making it easily heard over long distances. It is believed that the technique was developed in the Swiss Alps, but it is also found in other places such as Central Africa. At one time, yodelling was popular in theatres and music halls, but this is no longer so.
1. What was most remarkable about the Greeks’ system of smoke signals?| A．It could communicate words. |
| B．It could be used instantly. |
| C．It could mislead the enemy. |
| D．It could stop wars from breaking out. |
| A．The length of the message. |
| B．The simplicity of the instrument. |
| C．The speed of the transmission. |
| D．The volume of the sound. |
| A．Moving frequently between high and low notes. |
| B．Singing a recognizable tune in harmony. |
| C．Using music with a really strong beat. |
| D．Shouting in a loud voice. |
| A．Is That Strange? |
| B．Get the Message? |
| C．The Old Technology |
| D．The History of Information |
