1 . The Masai(马赛人) are continually trying to keep their own ways in an increasingly modern world. They live along the border of Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa, moving their homes from time to time to follow their cattle, the source of their livelihood. They rely on their cattle in many parts of their life. They like drinking the cows’ milk.
They don’t kill their cattle for food. But if a cow is killed, the parts of its body are used to make containers, shoes, clothin, ropes, bed coverings and so on. Not all of the men have cows. The more cattle a man owns, the richer he is considered to be. A man who owns 50 or fewer cattle is considered poor. Rich men have a thousand or more. The cattle, though owned by the man, are considered to belong to the man’s entire family. The family names the cattle and can recognize each animal’s special voice.
The Masai men have become known as warriors(勇士), protecting their cattle against other wild animals. They wear their red long hair. Most women often take care of their children, cook food, clean clothes and make clothing at home. They also make necklaces dresses and headdresses. A few women can also become authorities once they are powerful enough. They speak a language called Maa.
The houses of Masai made from sticks and grass, which are held together with a mixture of mud, are not very firm or safe. These plain houses with some basic supplies are built in a circle and make up a Masai village. They are not meant to last long since the migration(迁徙) of the cow population means that the Masai move as well. In the meantime, in order to prevent animals from entering, they also form a wall of branches. The whole setup is to protect the cattle, which sleep at night in the middle of the village. They seem to live a natural and self-sufficient life but lack modern civilisation.
1. What do we know about the Masai?| A．They don’t move in their lives. |
| B．They each have their own cows. |
| C．They don’t kill their cattle at all. |
| D．They are heavily dependent on cattle. |
| A．Designers. | B．Authorities. |
| C．Housewives. | D．Warriors. |
| A．Modern. | B．Lasting | C．Simple. | D．Safe. |
| A．Africans: Living a Moving life |
| B．Africans: Brave People in the World |
| C．The Masai: Rich People in East Africa |
| D．The Masai: Maintaining a Traditional Lifestyle |
2 . Abraham Lincoln is considered one of the greatest leaders of America by many Americans. Yet people alive when Lincoln was elected in 1860 would probably be surprised by modern-day opinions about him. He had little formal education or government experience. During the presidential campaign, people made fun of his appearance and his simple way of talking.
Born in a poor family, Lincoln taught himself by reading books and eventually became a lawyer. He was known for being tall and strong. And he was honest.
Due to his political beliefs, the support of anti-slavery northerners gave him the presidency.
The war involved the entire country. At least four million men fought in it. Among the soldiers were African-American and Native-American men. The conflict divided families.
| A．As promised, Lincoln sent the supply ships. |
| B．Brothers, fathers, and sons fought against each other. |
| C．The people he defended in the court called him “Honest Abe”. |
| D．But the southern, slave-holding states did not support him. |
| E．To everyone’s surprise, the American Civil War lasted more than four years. |
| F．Some of his opponents-—especially in southern states—had even bigger concerns. |
| G．They warned that he was not very intelligent and would harm the nation’s image. |
Tea drinking was common in China for nearly one thousand years before anyone in Europe had ever heard about tea. People in Britain were much slower in finding out what tea was like,
Tea remained scarce (稀缺的) and very expensive in England
At the same time people on the Continent
At the end of the 16th century, about five to seven million people spoke English. Nearly all of them lived in England.They were native
The English language has been changing quite a lot over the last four centuries. Old English sounded more or less like German for it was based on German, but
Two people had great effects on the English changes.One was Shakespeare, who
5 . If you travel to nearly any Chinese city in the summertime, you will see people, mostly men wearing T-shirts, sitting out on the sidewalks on low chairs in the shade, playing a game with large round disks of wood.
And, though it may look quite a bit different than Western chess, Xiangqi is actually quite similar in what the pieces can do and how the game is played. Like Western chess, the object of the game is to capture the other player’s “king”.
Unlike Western chess, instead of placing the pieces in squares, the pieces are placed on the intersections of lines. Another big difference between Western chess and Xiangqi is that there is a large empty space in the middle of the board, which the elephants cannot cross.
| A．Actually, in Xiangqi he is just a general. |
| B．During the Qing Dynasty its popularity grew. |
| C．It is called “the Chu River and the Han Boundary”. |
| D．The game is called Xiangqi, a game of ordinary people. |
| E．There are many differences between Xiangqi and Western chess. |
| F．An intense battle is about to take place on this small chessboard. |
| G．Several sayings related to Xiangqi are in common use in China today. |
