It was Sunday, December 7, 1941. It looked like it was going to be a normal day
The surprise attack came as
2 . There were many battles that took place during the American Revolutionary War (1775—1783), but perhaps so ne of the worst battles involved. the American Continental Army versus(对抗) the winter at Valley Forge in 1777 and 1778. Here many people believe was where the American Army was born. Valley Forge is located about 25 miles northwest of Philadelphia in the southeastern corner of Pennsylvania.
General George Washington was the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and he decided to setup winter camp at Valley Forge. It was close to Philadelphia, which was where the British had been camping out for the winter. This allowed him to keep a watchful eye on their movements. There were high areas in Mount Joy and Mount Misery where the army could make fortifications(防御工事). Nearby was also the Schuylkill River, which was used as a barrier to the North.
The army's stay at Valley Forge turned into a time of training. Besides Washington, two other leaders included General Friedrich von Steuben and General Marquis de Lafayette.
Steuben was born in Prussia and arrived at Valley Forge with a recommendation letter from statesman and scientist Benjamin Franklin. He trained the Continental Army using the daily drill(操练), even in the extremely cold weather. In fact, he was responsible for writing the army's Revolutionary War Drill Manual, which served as the standard United States drill manual(手册) until the War of 1812.
Lafayette was a French military leader, working for no pay, and asking for no special treatment. He later became an important commander in several key battles during the war.
Besides the freezing weather, it was consistently cold, wet, and snowy at Valley Forge. In addition, food was lacking, and there were very few warm clothes, shoes, or blankets. The log cabins they lived in were crowded, cold and damp, and allowed diseases to easily spread. Of the 10,000 men at Valley Forge, 2,500 died before the break of spring mostly from diseases.
Following the winter at Valley Forge, under Washington's leadership, a better-disciplined, trained, and more powerful army, in high spirits, left on June 19, 1778. Nine days later, their first victory against the British occurred at the Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey.
1. Why was Valley Forge chosen as the site of a winter camp?A.It was key to the effective conduct of war. | B.It was an ideal place for military training. |
C.It was very far from the British camp. | D.It was an area with adequate supplies. |
A.Benjamin Franklin. | B.George Washington. |
C.Marquis de Lafayette. | D.Friedrich von Steuben. |
A.Strange. | B.Tough. | C.Favorable. | D.Relaxing. |
A.It was taken over by the American Army. | B.It won more support from the people. |
C.It had many more soldiers. | D.It became a stronger army. |
In an afternoon of 1929, a farmer and his son in a village of China’s Sichuan Province accidentally discovered a true wonder of civilization when
Sichuan Province and its capital Chengdu are a focal point for
Treasures
4 . 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 |
5 . The native Americans, the people we call the “Indians”, had been in America for many thousands of years before Columbus arrived in 1492. Columbus thought he had arrived in India, so he called the native people “Indians”.
The Indians were kind to the early settlers. They were not afraid of them and they wanted to help them. They showed the settlers the new world around them. They taught them about the local crops like sweet potatoes, corn and peanuts. They introduced the Europeans to chocolate and to the turkey and the Europeans did business with the Indians.
But soon the settlers wanted bigger farms and more land for themselves and their families. More and more immigrants were coming from Europe and all these people needed land. So the Europeans started to take the land from the Indians. Naturally, when the whites started taking all the Indians’ land, the Indians started fighting back.
But the whites were stronger and cleverer. Slowly they pushed the Indians into those parts of the continent that the whites didn’t want- the parts where it was too cold or too dry or too mountainous to live comfortably. By 1875 the Indians were living in special places called “reservations”. But even here the whites took land from them- perhaps the whites wanted the wood, or perhaps the land had important minerals in it, or they even wanted to make national parks there. So even on their reservations the Indians were not safe from the whites.
There are many Hollywood films about the fight between the Indians and the whites. Usually in these films the Indians are bad and the whites are good and brave. But was it really like that? What do you think? Do you think the Indians were right or wrong to fight against the whites?
1. Why did Columbus call the native people “Indians”?A.Because he thought he had arrived in India. |
B.Because he liked Indian culture very much. |
C.Because he knew they were from India. |
D.Because he was an Indian himself. |
A.The Indians gave up their land willingly. |
B.The settlers wanted to buy land from the Indians. |
C.The whites even wanted more land on Indians’ reservations. |
D.The Indians were stronger and cleverer than the white settlers. |
A.the Indians are usually beautified in the films |
B.the author is doubtful about what the films show to us |
C.films about fights are the most popular ones in the market |
D.films about the fight between the Indians and the whites are very limited |
A.entertainment | B.history | C.economy | D.industry |
Mount Vesuvius is an active volcano located just east of Naples, Italy. It is the only volcano on the continent of Europe that
7 . 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 |
It seems inhuman to care more about a building than about people. That the sight of the Notre Dame's
It is not just the economy that is
However, the emotions are less about the building itself than about
And it will be rebuilt. It will never be the same, but that is as it should be.
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