From 1405 to 1433, Zheng He made seven historic voyages to Asia and Africa. Thanks to frequent friendly
Zheng He’s fleet traveled from the Western Pacific through the Indian Ocean to West Asia and the east coast of Africa,
Sadly, many of the official Chinese records of these voyages were destroyed
Ever since Neil Armstrong first set foot on the Moon back on 21st July, 1969,
3 . Wearing sports clothes, many Chinese people will go outdoors happily with their families or friends on March 12. They are just planting trees on this special day―China's Arbor Day （中国植 树节）.
When it comes to China's Arbor Day, we can't help thinking of Mr. Ling Daoyang. He was born in 1888. When he worked as an English teacher in Beijing, he got a chance to study forestry （林业）at Yale University. After graduating in 1914, he returned to China and became a famous expert in forestry science. In 1915, he advised that the Qingming Festival should also be China's Arbor Day. His suggestion was welcomed by most people. In 1929, National Arbor Day was moved to March 12, the day Mi. Sun Yat-sen passed away, who did much to support forestry.
In 1979, March 12 was officially announced as China's Arbor Day. Since then, thousands of trees have been planted all over China, making our country much more beautiful.
China's Arbor Day is educational for all of us. It reminds us that we should protect our earth and thank our old generations, who planted green, hope and joy for us.
1. According to the text, people often go outdoors on March 12 to_______________.| A．do sports | B．study English | C．find jobs | D．plant trees |
| A．A farmer. | B．A student. | C．A teacher. | D．A worker. |
| A．To show interest in the season. | B．To show respect to Sun Yat-sen. |
| C．To make use of people's free time. | D．To make progress in agriculture. |
| A．In 1888. | B．In 1914. | C．In 1915. | D．In 1979. |
| A．The studies of China's Arbor Day. | B．The activities of China's Arbor Day. |
| C．The demands of China's Arbor Day. | D．The meanings of China's Arbor Day. |
4 . Victor Hugo, 1802 -1885, was a celebrated French literary giant. After the British and French invaders(入侵者) bad burnt the Winter Palace(圆明园) in October, 1860, he wrote a reply to an officer named Bartlette one year later.
Sir, you ask me what I think of the expedition(远征) to China. You must feel that it was laudable. In your opinion, the expedition, performed under the joint banner(联合旗帜) of Queen Victoria and Emperor Napoleon, was nothing short of a British-French glory. Therefore, you would like to know to what extent I appreciate this glory. Since you ask, I will answer as follows:
In a corner of the world there existed a man-made miracle - the Winter Palace. Art has two sources: one, an ideal, from which has come European art; two, fancy, from which has come Easter art. The Winter Palace belongs in the art of fancy. The Winter Palace, indeed, was the fruit of all of the art that an almost superman race could have fancied.
For whom was the Winter Palace built, after all? Eventually, for the people. Because as time passes by, all that the people has made remains in the possession of mankind. Great artists, poets, philosophers - they all knew about the Winter Palace. Voltaire once talked about it. Many people at different times compared the Winter Palace to the Parthenon, the Pyramids, the Arena, the Notre Dame. If they could not see the Winter Palace with their own eyes, they could dream about it- as if in the distance they saw a breath-taking masterpiece of art as they had never known before – as if there above the horizon of European civilization was towering the outline of Asian civilization.
Now, the miracle is no more! One day, two pirates broke into it One of them robbed; the other set every building and everything in it on fire! Judging by what they did, we know that the victors could degenerate into robbers. The two of them fell to dividing between themselves the treasure. What great victories they had won! What a heaven-sent fortune! One stuffed his pockets full to overflowing; the other filled in his bags with treasure. Then, hand in hand they made of, laughing happily.
Incidentally, I must thank you for giving me the opportunity to accuse. The rulers commit crimes but the ruled do not. The government becomes a robber, but the people will never.
France has gained a large portion of the treasure. Now, she thinks herself the rightful owner of the property财物), and she is displaying the riches of the Winter Palace! I can only hope that there will come one day when France will disburden herself of the heavy load on her conscience and clean herself off the crime by returning to China all the treasure taken from the Winter Palace.
Sit, such is my praise of the expedition to China.
1. Mr. Hugo wrote this letter mainly to_________.| A．show his praise of the expedition to China in reply to Bartlette’s request |
| B．persuade French officers to return the treasure taken from the Winter Palace |
| C．prove people hold different attitudes towards the burning of the Winter Palace |
| D．express his anger and condemnation over the burning of the Summar Palace |
| A．praiseworthy | B．violent | C．unreasonable | D．abundant |
| A．compare different architectural styles |
| B．praise European and African civilization |
| C．introduce some more famous buildings to Bartlette |
| D．emphasize the civilizational value of the Winter Palace |
| A．Bartlette and his fellow | B．Bartlette and Great Britain |
| C．France and Great Britain | D．the rulers and the ruled |
| A．satisfied | B．proud | C．disappointed | D．frightened |
In September 1939, Britain declared war
6 . World War II began when the UK and France declared war on Germany, after German troops led by Adolf Hitler had invaded Poland on 1 September 1939 to claim land there as their own. Hitler had already invaded Austria and Czechoslovakia, so the war began over his plan to take more land for Germany.
The Siege of Leningrad is a famous event during World War II. For 900 days—from 8 September 1941 to 27 January 1944—the city of Leningrad in Russia was surrounded by German troops. That meant everyone inside the city had to stay there, and that there wasn't any way for food or other sources like medicine to get in. Many hundreds of thousands of people died during this time because there wasn't enough food or heating to go around, but the people who lived in Leningrad refused to surrender to the Germans.
In 1940, the French port of Dunkirk was the location of a big turning point for the Allie：in World War II. Hitler's armies bombed Dunkirk heavily, and many Allied troops were waiting on the beach to be rescued because they didn't have the resources they needed to fight back. From 26 May to 4 June, over 550, 000 troops were ferried to safety across the English Channel-the code name for this was 'Operation Dynamo'. Some British civilians（people who weren't in the army）even used their own boats to help save as many people as they could. The rescue operation helped to boost morale（士气）in Britain, where they really needed some good news. This helped in going into the next major event in World War II, the Battle of Britain.
June 6,1944 is also known as D-Day. On that day, the Allied forces launched a huge invasion of land that Adolf Hitler's Nazi troops had taken over. It all began with boats and boats full of Allied troops landing on beaches in the French region of Normandy. They broke through the German defences and carried on fighting them back through Europe for the next 11 months until they reached Berlin, where Hitler was then hiding.
1. What led to the outbreak of the second World War?| A．UK and France's declaring war on Germany. |
| B．German troops' invading Poland in 1939. |
| C．Hiter's starting an attack on Austria. |
| D．Hiter's plan for occupying more land. |
| A．This event lasted about two and a half years. |
| B．German troops cut all the supplies to Leningrad. |
| C．Many people were killed by German soldiers. |
| D．Leningrad was finally occupied by Germans. |
| A．The Siege of Leningrad. | B．Operation Dynamo. |
| C．The Battle of Britain. | D．The D-day Landings. |
| A．Causes of WWⅡ. | B．Hitler's Invasion. |
| C．Great Wars in WWⅡ. | D．War and Peace. |
A period of important agricultural development began in the early 1700s in Great Britain and the Low Countries(Belgium, Luxembourg. and the Netherlands, which lie below sea level).
One of the most important of these developments was an improved horse-drawn seed drill invented by Jethro Tull in England. Until that time，farmers sowed seeds by hand. Tull’s drill made rows of holes for the seeds. By the end of the 18th century, seed drilling was widely practiced in Europe. Many other machines were developed in the United States.
Along with new machines，there were several important advances in selective farming. By selectively breeding animals (breeding those with desirable traits), farmers increased the size and productivity of their livestock. Plants could also be selectively bred for certain qualities. In 1866, Gregor Mendel’s studies in heredity (遗传) were published in Austria.
New crop planting methods also evolved during this time. Many of these were adopted over the next century or so throughout Europe. For example，the Norfolk four-field system, developed in England，proved quite successful. It involved the yearly rotation (轮作) of several crops, including wheat, turnips, barley, clover, and ryegrass.
Not all parts of the world benefited from these developments instantly. However，farmers in other parts such as Australia and Africa continued to use old ways of agriculture for a long time.
| A．This could add desired nutrients to the soil thanks to the rich variety of crops. |
| B．Over centuries, the growth of agriculture contributed to the rise of civilizations. |
| C．In experiments with pea plants, he learned how traits were passed from one generation to another. |
| D．In the 1830s Cyrus McCormick’s harvesting machine helped modernize the grain-cutting process. |
| E．This helped to produce extra food to trade for other goods and allowed people to work at other tasks. |
| F．New agricultural inventions dramatically increased food production in Europe and European colonies. |
8 . The Railroad Builders
The Central Pacific Railroad is the first transcontinental railroad in North America, honored by BBC as one of the seven miracles after Industrial Revolution. It had made a great contribution to the US’s economy but it couldn’t be completed without Chinese labors hard work. In order to build the railroad, a lot of workers were imported from China. They had to bear the brunt of the work, deal with the dreadful environment and endure with littler pay. What challenges did they meet? And how did they cope with them?
Join us in the railroad builders to find the answers!
The first Transcontinental Railroad (known originally as the “Pacific Railroad” and later as the “Overland Route”) was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869. By linking with the existing railway network of the Eastern United States, the road thus connected the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States by rail for the first time. It was one of the crowning achievements in the crossing of plains and high mountains westward by the Union Pacific and eastward by the Central Pacific.
Watch Episodes | |
Part 1 The first transcontinental railroad at the time is the most ambitious engineering project ever attempted in the United States. When work started on the most challenging Western section. Chinese labors were brought in, and before long they became brunt of the work. But what did so many Chinese nationals do with the US in mid-19 Century? | Part 2 President Lincoln had a dream that one day a railroad would cross the United States from coast to coast. As the construction of the first transcontinental railroad got underway in the mid-19 Century, large numbers of Chinese labors headed to the US. But would it be the land of fortune they dreamed off? What really awaited them at the end of the long and often difficult voyage from China? |
Part 3 The first group of Chinese labor began to work on the first transcontinental railroad of the United States. To the delight of the new employers, they proved to be excellent workers. But the Sierra Nevada would be a test of their hardness and resolve. How did the Chinese labors cope with the dreadful rain and unfamiliar freezing weather? | Part 4 It was the coldest winter ever known in the American West and thousands of labors from China found themselves having to endure the unfamiliar snow and freezing cold. And yet they managed to build something that 150 years later is still regarded as an engineering marvel. What help did they get from the powerful and highly dangerous explosive? |
Part 5 The Summit Tunnel through Sierra Nevada, every inch of it was built at the cost of the blood of even the lives of Chinese labors. And yet in return, the Chinese labors faced discrimination. The rewards they received were pitiful. How did they respond and what did the Central Pacific Railroad Company do to address their grievances? | Part 6 Paid less, and yet bearing the brunt of the work, the Chinese labors building the Central Pacific Railroad demanded more money. How did the company respond? In Sierra Nevada, they broke through rock and endured harshest winter in their memory. Now in Utah, what fresh challenges awaited them? How did they finally earn the gratitude? |
1. Which of the following is Not true about the Central Pacific Railroad?
| A．It was built by more than one railroad company working together. |
| B．It was constructed by Chinese labors solely. |
| C．It is an engineering marvel recognized even today. |
| D．It was completed with blood, sweat and tears. |
| A．handle the difficulty | B．deserve the credit |
| C．suffer the main part | D．come under attack |
| A．Before the construction of Pacific Railroad began, there was no railroad in America |
| B．Pacific Railroad was intended to realize President Lincoln’s dream after he died |
| C．The Chinese labors earned a lot by building Pacific Railroad at the cost of their health and even |
| D．It took people much longer to travel from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast in America before 1869 |
| A．a television channel | B．a railroad company |
| C．BBC documentaries | D．a journal on rail building |
9 . America’s first transcontinental railroad, completed 150 years ago today at Promontory Summit in Utah, connected the vast United States and brought America into the modern age. Chinese immigrants contributed greatly to this notable achievement, but the historical accounts that followed often ignored their role.
Between 1863 and 1869, as many as 20,000 Chinese workers helped build the dangerous western part of the railroad, a winding ribbon of track known as the Central Pacific. At first, the Central Pacific Railroad’s directors wanted a whites-only workforce. When not enough white men signed up, the railroad began hiring Chinese men for the backbreaking labor. Company leaders were skeptical of the new recruits’ ability to do the work, but they proved themselves not only capable but even superior to the other workers.
Chinese workers cut through dense forests, filled deep narrow steep-sided valley, constructed long trestles(高架桥) and built enormous retaining walls(防护墙) -- some of which remain complete and undamaged today. All work was done by hand using carts, shovels and picks but no machinery. However, progress came at great cost: an estimated 1,200 Chinese laborers died along the Central Pacific route.
Despite these facts, Chinese workers were often left out of the official story because of their identity of foreigners. On the transcontinental railroad's 100th birthday, the Chinese workers were still not honored. It was another fifty years later that their role was gradually highlighted. To celebrate the railroad’s 150th anniversary in 2019, the California assembly passed a resolution in 2017 to recognize and honor the Chinese railroad workers by designating May 10, 2017, and every May 10 thereafter, as California Chinese Railroad Workers Memorial Day.
1. What might be the best title for the text?| A．The Birth of the Central Pacific Cost Dearly |
| B．May 10--A Special Day for Chinese Immigrants |
| C．Chinese Workers’ Contributions Gained Recognition |
| D．The 150th anniversary of the Central Pacific Railroad |
| A．Chinese laborers. | B．White workers. |
| C．Company leaders. | D．Railroad directors. |
| A．To prove Chinese workers’ superior skills. |
| B．To stress the danger and difficulty of the work. |
| C．To describe the grand scenery along the railroad. |
| D．To show notable achievements made by Chinese workers. |
| A．None so blind as those who won’t see. | B．No pains, no gains. |
| C．Truth will come to light sooner or later. | D．Doing is better than saying. |
A great
Edmund Hillary was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist, and Tenzing Norgay was a Nepali-Indian Sherpa mountaineer. Both of them were part of the
