1 . King Tut, Egypt’s famous boy king, was buried with many valuable objects. A dagger (匕首)discovered in his tomb has recently attracted extra attention. Researchers have concluded that the dagger was probably made from a special material.
King Tut was only about nine years old when he became ruler of Egypt more than 3, 300 years ago. The young king died when he was just 19, His body was buried in a tomb filled with objects that people believed he would need in the afterlife.
In 1922, Howard Carter discovered Tut’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. Up to now, it was the best preserved ancient Egyptian tomb ever found. In 1925, Carter found the dagger which has a gold handle and an iron blade (刀片).The blade had confused experts because iron was hardly used at that time in ancient Egypt. In fact, it was so rare that it was considered more valuable than gold. Where did the iron for the blade come from?
Around the time of King Tut, ancient Egyptians started using a new word for iron that translates as “iron from the sky”. This led some experts to believe that the iron for the blade came from a meteorite (陨石).But studies of the dagger carried out in the 1970s and 1990s didn’t support that idea.
That’s where modern technology comes in. Researchers used a new technique to examine the blade. They discovered that it was made up of iron and other materials found in meteorites. After comparing it to several meteorites, they even found its possible match — a meteorite that landed in northern Egypt thousands of years ago.
Scientists hope the new study will lead to more discoveries about other ancient Egyptian relics, “It would be very interesting to analyze more Pre-iron Age objects and we could gain precious discoveries.” Daniela Comelli, who is a professor, said.
1. What do we know about Tut’s tomb?| A．It was perfectly kept when discovered. | B．It was built when he was 9. |
| C．It has a lot of iron objects in it. | D．It was the first tomb to be found. |
| A．it is King Tut’s favorite object | B．its blade is made of iron |
| C．it was more valuable than gold | D．it leads to more discoveries |
| A．The iron. | B．The material. | C．A meteorite. | D．The blade. |
| A．more valuable objects are hidden in the tombs |
| B．iron is widely used in ancient Egypt |
| C．Tut’s dagger was likely made from a meteorite |
| D．ancient Egyptian objects are excellent |
The Renaissance (from the 14th to the 17th century)
New ideas and values gradually replaced old ones from the Middle Ages. As a result, painters c
Another innovation was the use of oil paints. With their deep colors and realism, some of the best oil paintings look like photographs. While painters as early as Da Vinci had used oil, this technique reached its h
In subject matter, the emphasis increasingly s
3 . Columbus Day is on the second Monday of October, in the United States.
The holiday honors the first visit to America by the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. Columbus thought he could reach the Far East by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe. He was right, but he was also wrong. He thought the world was much smaller than it is.
Columbus and his crew arrived in October 1492 on an island they called San Salvador, in today's Bahamas. They explored that island and nearby islands now known as Cuba and Hispaniola.
Columbus made several other trips to what was called the New World. He saw the coast of South America and the island of Jamaica.
During his trips, Columbus explored islands and waterways, searching for a passage to the Indies. He never found it.
| A．It is a federal holiday |
| B．Columbus treated native people badly |
| C．He refused to accept he was wrong about the geography |
| D．Nor did he find spices or great amounts of gold as he had hoped |
| E．Other European explorers did land in what is now the United States |
| F．He did not imagine that another continent lay between Europe and East Asia |
| G．Columbus believed these were the coastal islands of East Asia, then called the Indies |
4 . 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. |
| A．Sussex | B．Wessex |
| C．Essex | D．East Anglia |
| 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. |
| 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. |
5 . The Double Seventh Festival, also known as the Qixi Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival. Here is a beautiful story
Long，long ago, there was a young man named Niulang(Cowherd), One day, he
| A．through | B．behind | C．with | D．after |
| A．met | B．told | C．thanked | D．missed |
| A．boring | B．interesting | C．same | D．different |
| A．looked forward to | B．parted with | C．turned down | D．fell in love with |
| A．knew | B．lived | C．stayed | D．gave |
| A．promised | B．waited | C．ordered | D．helped |
| A．yet | B．ever | C．quite . | D．still |
| A．angry | B．sorry | C．excited | D．satisfied |
| A．friends | B．lovers . | C．parents | D．children |
| A．back | B．away | C．halfway | D．apart |
| A．surprised | B．changed | C．touched | D．protected |
| A．so | B．but | C．though | D．because |
| A．him | B．her | C．us | D．them |
| A．how | B．when | C．what | D．where |
| A．day | B．way | C．lesson | D．habit |
6 . 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 |
7 . Beginning with Chinese efforts to explore and connect with Central Asia, the Silk Road consisted of massive small routes and was named after the silk cloth the Chinese produced.
The ancient silk routes witnessed the busy scenes of visits and trade over land and ships calling at ports. Along these major routes, capital, technology and people flowed freely.
Some regions along the ancient Silk Road used to be a land of milk and honey. Yet today, these places are often associated with conflict, crisis and challenge.
| A．More importantly ideas were also exchanged. |
| B．The ancient silk routes were not only for trade. |
| C．Goods, resources and benefits were widely shared. |
| D．Such state of affairs should not be allowed to continue. |
| E．However, silk was just one of many goods traded on these routes. |
| F．Large empires provided stability and protection for the trade routes. |
| G．The Silk Road was never an actual road, or even a single massive trade route. |
Cholera was a deadly disease of its day. Neither its cause nor its cure
He became interested in two theories
John Snow suspected that the second theory was correct but he needed evidence. So when another outbreak hit London in 1854, he was ready
9 . The “Chong Yang Festival” is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, which is also known as the Double Ninth Festival.
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.
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.
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.
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 |
