Those who make great discoveries must often overcome many challenges along the way — as was the case with the explorer Christopher Columbus.
Columbus insisted
It was Sunday, December 7, 1941.
The surprise attack came as a great shock to
3 . It was December 25, 1914, only 5 months into World War Ⅰ. German, British, and French soldiers already sick and tired of the senseless killing, disobeyed their superiors and fraternized (打得火热) with “the enemy” along two-thirds of the Western Front. German troops held Christmas trees up out of the trenches (战壕) with signs, “Merry Christmas.”
“You no shoot, we no shoot.” Thousands of troops streamed across a no-man’s land filled with dead bodies. They sang Christmas carols, exchanged photographs of loved ones back home, shared rations, played football, and even roasted some pigs. Soldiers embraced (拥抱) men they had been trying to kill a few short hours before. They agreed to warn each other if the Generals (将军) forced them to fire their weapons, and to aim high.
It shocked the high command on either side. Here was disaster in the making: soldiers declaring their brotherhood with each other and refusing to fight. Generals on both sides declared this peacemaking to be wrong. Fifteen million would be killed.
Not many people have heard the story of the Christmas Truce. On Christmas Day, 1988, a story in the Boston Globe mentioned that a local FM radio host played “Christmas in the Trenches” several times and was surprised by the effect. The song became the most requested recording during the holidays in Boston on several FM stations. “Some callers even telephone the host deeply moved, sometimes in tears, asking, ‘What the hell did I just hear?’”
You can probably guess why the callers were in tears. The Christmas Truce story goes against most of what we have been taught about people. It gives us a glimpse of the world as we wish it could be and says, “This really happened once.” It reminds us of those thoughts we keep hidden away, ou of range of the TV and newspaper stories that tell us how trivial (微不足道的) and mean human life is. It is like hearing that our deepest wishes really are true: the world really could be different.
1. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?| A．Troops celebrated their victories. | B．Generals forced their army to fight back. |
| C．Soldiers made peace with their enemies. | D．Soldiers decided to give in to their enemies. |
| A．A fierce war. | B．Many deaths. | C．A peaceful world. | D．Many heroes. |
| A．They experienced the war. | B．They lost loved ones in the war. |
| C．They valued the life in peace. | D．They desired to protect their motherland. |
| A．Being against wars. | B．Cherishing today’s happiness. |
| C．Remembering heroes. | D．Showing no respect for life. |
When the Titanic was built, people assumed it would never sink. So,
The Titanic set sail on 10 April 1912. “I had wanted to set foot on the Titanic ever since it was built,” said Molly Brown, a Titanic
Explorer Robert Ballard
5 . Did Tea and Beer Bring About Industrialization?
Professor Macfarlane has spent decades trying to understand the mystery of the Industrial Revolution. Why did it happen in Britain at the end of the 18th century?
Macfarlane compares the question as a puzzle. He
Historians had noticed one interesting factor around the mid-18th century that required the
Macfarlane looked to Japan, which was also developing large cities at the same time. Waterborne diseases were far fewer in Japan than in Britain. Could it be the
| A．claims | B．rejects | C．proposes | D．suspects |
| A．objections | B．arguments | C．complaints | D．conditions |
| A．take off | B．keep up | C．look over | D．knock out |
| A．task-based | B．self-centered | C．market-driven | D．man-made |
| A．inferred | B．convinced | C．concerned | D．impressed |
| A．intention | B．discussion | C．attention | D．explanation |
| A．temporarily | B．deliberately | C．economically | D．doubtfully |
| A．predicted | B．revealed | C．concluded | D．reviewed |
| A．spreading | B．catching | C．discovering | D．controlling |
| A．introduced | B．reduced | C．uncovered | D．avoided |
| A．sacrifice | B．variety | C．quality | D．popularity |
| A．arrangement | B．expectation | C．coincidence | D．suspension |
| A．guesses | B．declares | C．boasts | D．modifies |
| A．entitled | B．deleted | C．described | D．simplified |
| A．guidance | B．observation | C．impression | D．logic |
6 . Crazy Horse grew up riding horses and hunting buffalo (野牛). But it was his being brave in the battle that earned him the name “Crazy Horse”. This was also his father’s name.Crazy Horse was one of the greatest Native American chiefs. When the United States government tried to force Native Americans to live on reservations, Crazy Horse fiercely defended his people’s land and their way of life.
Today, Crazy Horse is remembered mostly for a victory over United States Army troops. The loser in that battle was even more famous. His name was George Armstrong Custer. The battle in which Crazy Horse defeated Custer is often called “Custer’s Last Stand”. A monument to Crazy Horse is being carved out of a mountain in South Dakota. The statue of this hero will be 600 feet (180 metres) high. The head is finished. It alone is as tall as a nine-story building.
Crazy Horse was born in a Sioux Indian camp near present-day Rapid City, South Dakota, in about 1849. Even as a child, he was known as a hunter and fighter. Before he turned 12, he killed his first buffalo. Soon after, he made his first raid (袭击) on a Crow Indian Camp. In 1874, gold was discovered on Sioux land in South Dakota. People flooded in, despite a treaty that kept white settlers off this sacred Sioux land. Crazy Horse and another Sioux chief, Sitting Bull, decided to fight. On 25 June 1876, Lieutenant Colonel Custer and his troops advanced on Sitting Bull’s camp on the Little Bighorn River in Montana. Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse led their fighters in a fierce attack. Custer and his men were quickly wiped out in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. After the battle, government officials were determined to force the Sioux onto reservations. Most of the Sioux surrendered. However, Crazy Horse refused to abandon his independent way of life.
During the winter of 1876 and 1877, the Army chased Crazy Horse and his people over the Great Plains. By then, very few buffalo were left, and Crazy Horse could not feed his people. On 6 May 1877, he and his followers gave up their weapons and horses at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. Crazy Horse was promised that his people could have their own reservation in Wyoming. This promise was broken. The enemy was afraid that Crazy Horse might try to fight again. Crazy Horse was arrested (逮捕). When he protested, a soldier killed him. Crazy Horse died shortly afterwards, on 5 September 1877.
1. The “loser” from the second paragraph refers to________.| A．Crazy Horse | B．George Armstrong Custer | C．Last Stand | D．Sitting Bull |
| A．bravery in the battle against the government | B．hardship in the battle against his enemy |
| C．contributions to the government | D．his independent way of life |
| A．He and his men had found no food to eat. | B．He was unwilling to keep his promise. |
| C．His enemy thought he might make trouble. | D．He protested against the government. |
| A．places officially offered in big cities | B．places of the whites’ native home |
| C．new places kept as Indians’ schools | D．limited places left for the Native Americans |
7 . Looking around your city, it may be hard to imagine that there might be a time when it will disappear. But that's exactly what happened to these communities.
Hashima Island, Japan
Hashima Island was formerly one of the most populated cities in the world. The 6 hectare island provided jobs to more than 5000 people, many of whom made their living at the island's underwater coal mines. When the mines were closed, Hashima Island was abandoned.
Consonno, Italy
Consonno was a tiny town with a population of less than 300 and roots dating back to the middle ages. Then Mario Bagno came along and decided to turn the area into the Las Vegas of Italy. He knocked down nearly every building. Then landslide struck, burying the access road and the project was never finished. Today, Consonno has been abandoned.
Eastern Settlement, Greenland
Eastern Settlement in Greenland isn't just an abandoned city, it's also a mystery. Once the most populated area in Greenland, the area was abandoned and no one knows why. The last known writings from the area applied to a wedding in 1408 and offered no clues. It remains one of many ancient mysteries researchers can,t explain.
Troy, Turkey
Troy was regarded immortal （不朽的）in Homer's epic poem, The Iliad. For many years, the Troy of Ancient Greece was merely the stuff of legend but in the 1800s its location was discovered in what is now Turkey. The site contains layers of ruins archaeologists are still studying.
1. What do the four communities have in common?| A．They were deserted. | B．They were capital cities. |
| C．They were tourist spots. | D．They were thickly populated. |
| A．Hashima Island. | B．Consonno. |
| C．Eastern Settlement. | D．Troy. |
| A．It disappeared for no obvious reason. |
| B．It's a place where weddings were held. |
| C．It's a place for visitors to experience history. |
| D．It existed as one of the oldest towns in Greenland. |
8 . Tired from a full day’s work, Rosa Parks got on a Montgomery bus on December 1, 1955 and forever became one of the inspirational people who
At a later stop, after Parks had
It seemed a
While the other three black passengers
This
Parks lived to the age of 92, dying in 2005. She was
| A．respected | B．changed | C．accepted | D．broke |
| A．other | B．rest | C．ugly | D．poor |
| A．got down | B．occupied with | C．came along | D．settled into |
| A．drove | B．avoided | C．found | D．boarded |
| A．legally | B．finally | C．originally | D．classically |
| A．crying | B．standing | C．quarreling | D．drinking |
| A．routine | B．proper | C．ordinary | D．reasonable |
| A．took | B．fought | C．made | D．wound |
| A．door | B．window | C．wheel | D．seat |
| A．action | B．behavior | C．intention | D．hope |
| A．back | B．outside | C．center | D．front |
| A．scolded | B．obeyed | C．beat | D．pleased |
| A．clever | B．national | C．local | D．strict |
| A．affair | B．accident | C．conflict | D．incident |
| A．sparked | B．sent | C．promoted | D．heated |
| A．moved | B．found | C．held | D．led |
| A．forever | B．deeply | C．either | D．just |
| A．offered | B．rewarded | C．presented | D．passed |
| A．fame | B．honor | C．name | D．title |
| A．well-known | B．private | C．special | D．amazing |
9 . In Europe many people died during the Second World War. As a result, at the end of the war there were many orphans (孤儿) there. A man called Hermann Gmeiner wanted to help these children. His idea was simple. He wanted orphans to have a home, and he wanted them to have the care and kindness of parents. Gmeiner asked people to give him some money. With this money he built the first SOS Children's Village at Imst, in Austria. It opened in1949. This is how the SOS stand for “Save Our Souls.” This means, “Please help us!” An SOS Children’ village gives help to orphans. Hermann Gmeiner’s idea for helping orphans soon spread all over the world. By 1983 there were 170 SOS Children's Villages in the world. People in many countries give money to help the villages.
Today the children from the first village have grown up. Now some of them work in other SOS Children’s Villages. In SOS Villages orphans live in family groups. There are several houses in each village. The biggest village has 40 or 50 houses! Between seven and ten children live in a house. A woman lives with each group of children and looks after them. She gives the children a lot of love and kindness. She cooks meals for them and makes comfortable, happy home for them.
Of course, the children don’t spend all their time in the village. They go to school; they go out with their friends. But the village gives them a home—sometimes for the first time in their lives.
1. The SOS Children’s Villages are built for________ first.| A．the children who are poor | B．the orphans in Europe |
| C．the kind women | D．people who died in the war. |
| A．governments | B．special organization |
| C．people in different countries | D．the orphans themselves |
| A．She lives with the children and looks after them. |
| B．She gives the children a lot of love and kindness. |
| C．She cooks meals for children. |
| D．She teaches the children how to use the computer. |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧）并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词。
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
This morning we attended a lecture about Pompeii, that was founded in the 8th century BC. In 89 BC, the Romans took over Pompeii. It then became the rich and busy city. In 24 August AD 79, the volcano erupted. Many people buried alive, and so was the city. What unfortunate! I saw streets just as it had been, with stepping stones along the road so you did not have to step in the mud on rainy days! I saw several house which were decorated with wall paintings. I also saw the people who had been buried alive. It turns out that after the trash covered the people who they failed to flee the city, their bodies nearly completely break down and disappeared, leaving empty spaces in the disaster. It’s hard to imagine how this peacefully volcano destroyed the whole city.
