The Water Road
      In October 1825, the Seneca Chief traveled from Buffalo to New York City. It was the first time a boat
went all the way from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
     In the early 19th century, transportation had become important to America. Companies needed to send their
goods to distant markets. Farmers needed to send their crops to people in the cities. Pioneers wanted to travel
west to find farm land. It was hard to build roads through the wilderness (荒無人煙的地區(qū)), so waterways
were often used for transportation. But people still had to travel over land to get from one waterway to another.
      Canals (運(yùn)河) were one way to solve the problem. The Erie Canal connected the Hudson River( near New
York City) with the Great Lakes. It made the Seneca Chief' s journey possible.
     It took two years and cost $ 7 million to build the Erie Canal. But it was worth the price. Before the canal
opened, it cost $ 100 a ton to ship goods between Buffalo and New York City. After it was built, the cost was
$ 10 a ton. Before the canal, the journey between Buffalo and New York City took 20 days. With the canal, it
took eight days.
      Today we can go from Buffalo to New York City in a matter of hours. Back in 1825, though, there were
no cars or highways or airplanes.

1. How many days would be saved if one took a trip from Buffalo to New York City after the
    Erie Canal was built?

A. 8 days.
B. 10 days.
C. 12 days.
D. 20 days.

2. What can we know from the passage?

A. The Hudson River connects New York City with Buffalo.
B. Most waterways are connected with others.
C. The Seneca Chief's journey would fail without the Eric Canal.
D. The Hudson River flows into the Pacific Ocean.

3. The second paragraph is mainly about _____.

A. the American people in the 19th century
B. how the Erie Canal was built
C. the reason to build a canal
D. how the waterway was connected to another

     From the earliest times, man has been interested in art. People have often worked together to collect and
save the world's art treasures.
     Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre in Paris, France. The
works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries. The Louvre has not always
been a museum. The first building was a fort (炮臺). In 1190, it was the king's castle with high walls and a
round tower. It had a moat to prevent his enemies from walking in.
     Over the years, the number of buildings around the castle grew. By 1350, the castle was no longer needed
as a fort. The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens.
     During times of peace, new treasures were brought in. During days of war, many treasures were stolen,
and the buildings were damaged.
     When Francis I became king of France in 1515, he brought in artists from many countries. One of the
artists was Leonardo da Vinci from Italy. Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" is the best known painting in the museum
today.
     In 1793, the Louvre became a public museum, just as it is now. It is a place where art treasures have been
saved for everyone to enjoy.

1. How long has the Louvre been a museum?

A. For over 800 years.
B. Since 1350.
C. Since 1515.
D. For over 200 years.

2. Most of the works of art in the Louvre have been collected probably_____.

A. by the French people
B. by Francis I
C. by Leonardo Da Vinci
D. by people of the world

3. From the passage we can learn that _____.

A. the Louvre was once a church as well as a palace
B. Mona Lisa is kept in Italy
C. Da VinCi once stayed in France
D. the Louvre is only a place of interest to the French people

4. Why is it good for the works of art to be kept in public museums?

A. In public museums works of art will not be stolen.
B. In public museums works of art will not be damaged.
C. In public museums artists can study the works of art.
D. In public museums everyone can enjoy the works of art.

     Although most people know there are Seven Wonders in the Ancient World, only few people can name
them. This is because most of them are no longer there except the pyramids. However, there is a growing
list of wonders of the world today. About nine years ago, UNESCO's World Cultural and Nature Heritage
( things that have come down to us from the past) List had 411 places and 136 countries were responsible
to protect them, and the list keeps on growing.
     Usually it is the task of a group of 21 experts to decide which places go on the list. The experts are
chosen to work for six years. Their work is to examine and discuss the suggestions from different countries.
They also manage the World Heritage Fund and have the right to decide what help to give to countries for
protection work.
     Over the past centuries, a lot of cultural or historic places have been destroyed by man or nature.
Protecting our natural and cultural heritage is a long and difficult task. Earthquakes, floods, pollution, wars,
or even tourism are some of the dangers that harm this heritage.
     When a historic place is in great danger, it is put on the World Heritage in Danger List and necessary
things will be done to protect it. Places which are on the danger list include Historic Bridges. of Indiana, St.
Elizabeth's Hospital, Rosenwald School in Southern US, etc.

1. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World include ____ .

A. Golden Gate Bridge
B. Sydney Opera House
C. the Great Wall
D. the pyramids

2.Why does the World Cultural and Natural Heritage List keep on growing?

A. There are more cultural heritages beginning to appear.
B. More countries begin to build cultural heritages.
C. A lot of cultural or historic places have disappeared.
D. More and more cultural heritages are in great danger.

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. People can still visit the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World today.
B. Rosenwald School is a newly-built school in Southern US.
C. More places will be added to the UNESCO list.
D. The list is decided mainly by the governments of different countries.

4. What would be the best title for this passage?

A. Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
B. Experts Play an Important Role.
C. The Growing List of Wonders of the World
D. Some Historic Places in Danger

     The year before the first modern Olympic Games, Greece invited China to send a team. But the Qing
government (政府) didn't send any athletes to the games.
     China did not take part in the Olympics until the 10th games, held in Los Angeles in 1932. There, Liu
Changchun took part in the men's 100-metre and 200-metre races. He did not win any medals. China won
her first gold medal at the 23th Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984,when Xu Haifeng won the men's free
shooting event. China came in fourth with 15 gold medals in all.
     At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, China won 28 gold medals, entering the top three of the medal
chart for the first time. September 22nd,2000 was named China Day because China won six gold, three silve
r and one bronze medals on that day.
      In 2004,the 28th Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece. Two hundred and two countries took part
in them. China got the second place with thirty-two gold, seventeen silver and fourteen bronze medals.
     We all know that in 2008,the 29th Olympic Games were held in Beijing, where China won the first place.

1. When was China first invited to the Olympics?

A. Tang Dynasty.
B. Song Dynasty.
C. Ming Dynasty.
D. Qing Dynasty.

2. Which Olympics did China take part in?

A. The tenth Olympics.
B. The eighth Olympics.
C. The fifth Olympics.
D. The first Olympics.

3. Who won the first gold medal for China in the Olympics?

A. Liu Changchun.
B. Xu Haifeng.
C. Zhuang Yong.
D. Liu Xiang.

4. How many medals did China win at the 28th Olympics?

A. Thirty-two.
B. Seventeen.
C. Fourteen.
D. Sixty-three.

     It is true that the first Olympic Games of the modern times in 1896 were not open to women. Baron Pierre
de Coubertin, who gave new life to the Games, was very much a man of his time. He didn't like women
showing up for the Games. But since this time, things have changed. History shows that the number of
women participating in the Olympic Games has been increasing over the years, since their first participation in
the 1900 Olympic Games and especially in the last 30 years. This development is of social, political and cultural
significance (意義).
     The progress is the result of the cooperation (合作)of the entire Olympic Movement and of proper measures
that the International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Sports Federations (IFs), and National Olympic
Committees( NOCs) have taken. Especially in the last 20 years, the IOC has enlarged the women's program at
the Olympic Games, in cooperation with IFs and the Organizing Committees for the Olympic Games
( OCOGs ). This development was further strengthened (鞏固) by the IOC's decision that all sports must have women's events. The IOC also started to work on increasing the number of women at leadership level in sports
in 1981. Former President Juan Antonio Samaranch, who wanted to have women as IOC members, made a
great contribution. (貢獻(xiàn)).
     Many sports volunteers have worked to increase the number of women joining in the Olympic Games. This
progress has been made also thanks to the strong determination of women from different countries of the world who have worked to make sure women are fully represented in all sports.

1. The underlined part "participating in" in the first paragraph can be replaced by " _____"

A. getting close to
B. taking part in
C. calling for
D. taking over

2. According to the first paragraph, all of the following are true EXCEPT that _____.

A. women were not allowed to join in the 1896 Olympic Games
B. Baron Pierre de Coubertin was very famous when he was alive
C. many women have competed in the Olympic Games in the last 30 years
D. Baron Pierre de Coubertin tried his best to let women join in the Olympic Games

3. What are the last twQ paragraphs mainly about?

A. Why women were not allowed to join in the Olympic Games.
B. How more and more women were able to join in the Olympic Games.
C. What some organizations have done for women's rights.
D. What sports volunteers have done to enable women to join in the Olympic Games. 

4. According to the passage, which of the following organizations decided that all sports must
    have women's events?

A. IOC.
B. IFs.
C. NOCs.
D. OCOGs.

     Imagine looking for your lost dog. You step into a cave. But instead of the dog, you find beautiful cave
paintings. You see paintings of horses, deer, and bison (野牛) that are drawn in black, brown, red and yellow.
Your first question would probably be"Who did this?"
      This is what happened to four French boys in 1940. They found the Lascaux caves. The paintings the
boys discovered in those caves are 17,000 years old. They were drawn by the ancient people called
Cro-Magnons.
     Cro-Magnons looked much like people of today. They used tools, such as fishing nets that look familiar
too. But their art was extremely good. The main cave at Lascaux is called the Great Hall of Bulls (公牛 ),
which has a picture of bulls and horses in many colors. The largest animal is 18 feet long. There are smaller
animals, such as bison, stags (牡鹿) and a bear. There is also a strange spotted two-horned (兩只角的) animal.
     To the left of the main cave are the most famous paintings that are the drawings of multicolored animals.
One painting is called Little Horses. On the ceiling are horses and cows. The most unusual sight may be in the
Shaft of the Dead Man where there is a thinoceros (犀牛), a carefully drawn dead man, a wounded bison and
a bird.
     Why did Cro-Magnon artists do these beautiful drawings on cave walls? Did the drawings call upon some
magical power? Did the Cro-Magnon people hope that the drawings would bring luck? There is one thing the
paintings seem to tell us. The Cro- Magnons had a sense of wonder about the world. They looked at beauty
and they understood it. 

1. The author uses the word "you" in the first paragraph to _____.

A. pull the reader into the story
B. make it clear that this is a true story
C. give the reader good directions to find the caves
D. compare present-day readers with the Cro-Magnon people

2. Most of the drawings in the caves are about _____.

A. boys
B. tools
C. dead men
D. animals

3. It can be learned from the passage that ______.

A. anyone can find cave art
B. the Cro-Magnon people are a mystery
C. the Cro-Magnon people knew magic
D. the cave paintings of Lascaux are excellent

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Cave paintings are beautiful.
B. Who found the beautiful cave paintings?
C. The Lascanx caves hold ancient colorful paintings.
D. Drawings of horses are on the walls of the Lascaux caves.

     Long ago, children played like children do today. They got dirty from running around. Older people got
dirty from working all day. But then there was no soap. What did people do to get clean?
     At first, people just went into a lake. They washed in the water. But then learned to use other things with
the water. They put plants in a fire until they turned black. In this way,they made ashes. People used the ashes
like soap. They also used oil like soap. But these were not very good.
     The first soaps were hard to make. First water was put in a pot. Then fat was added. Oil and ash were
mixed in the pot, too. Then it was put on a fire. Everything got very hot. Salt was added. After a while the
fat came to the top. When the cooked fat was taken out, it got hard. This was the first soap.
     The soap we use today is very different. Things were put in to make it smell good. Something is added
to give it a nice color. Some soaps are white. Others are yellow, green, or blue. Soap is also cut in different
ways. It can be round or square.
     What is soap used for? We all know that it is needed to wash things. But did you know that a kind of
soap is used to oil machines? This makes them work well. Another kind of soap is put in oil to make your
car run better.

1. What's the passage mainly about? ( answer the question briefly)
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. What's the meaning of the word" but then" in the first paragraph?
     ( answer the question briefly)
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
     People used the ashes to take over soap.
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. Fill in the blank with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.
     People put pot on fire in order to ____________________________________________________.
5. Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
___________________________________________________________________________________

     America's first zoo opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1859. Today about fifty million people visit
zoos in this country each year."Let's go to the zoo!" is an expression people know very well. 
     What visitors find when they arrive has changed over the years. At one time, zoo animals lived in small,
box-like cages. There was nothing except the animal, its food and its waste. The Bronx Zoo in New York
City led the way to better conditions. It designed places to provide more freedom (自由) for its animals.
     The idea to create settings more like nature has spread to other zoos in America. For example, some-like
the Saint Louis Zoo in Missouri-allow birds to fly freely, although inside buildings.
     Out West, one of the leading American zoos is the one in San Diego, in Southern California. Three giant
pandas live there, including Hua Mei-one of the few born at a zoo in the United States.
     The San Diego Zoo is also known for its koalas. These brown, furry animals from Australia are much
smaller than the pandas but also highly popular.
     Yet, back home, some Australian states fear that koalas may die out. Several years ago, the San Diego
Zoo started a program to protect endangered animals and their natural areas. Other parks and wildlife groups
also took part in this project. More than 2,000 animals share about 730 hectares (公頃) of land at the San
Diego Wild Animal Park. Experts have praised the park as a center for protection of rare animals.
     For example, the Wild Animal Park has helped save the California condor (加州兀鷲). With its wings
spread, this huge bird measures three meters across. In 1987, researchers caught the last known California
condors in the wild and took them to the Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo.
     Today, more than 150 California condors are alive. Some have been freed into the wild.

1. The passage mainly talks about ______.

A. the first American zoo
B. several American zoos
C. the development of American zoos
D. different animals in American zoos

2. The first zoo trying to improve the living conditions of animals is in _____.

A. Philadelphia
B. New York City
C. Missoun
D. Southern California

3. From the passage, we know the San Diego Zoo_____ .

A. has four giant pandas
B. is not a good place for koalas
C. has been a center for rare animals
D. protects natural areas of endangered animals

4. What do we know about the California condor?

A. It has been saved by the Wild Animal Park.
B. Over 150 condors are kept in American zoos.
C. A lot of condors lived in the wild in 1987.
D. A common condor is three meters long.

     Rock music in one form or another is the most popular type of music all over the world. But where did it
come from?
     Rock began in the USA in the early 1950s. At that time, rhythm and blue music was very popular with
black Americans. "R&B" was a mixture of black religious (宗教) music and jazz. It had strong rhythms (節(jié)奏)
that you could dance to and simple, fast words.
     Noticing the success of R&B music, white musicians started to copy the same style. By the mid 1950s, this
new white R&B music, called rock 'n' roll, had become very popular. Singers like Elvis Presley and Bill Haley
attracted millions of teenage fans (愛好者). Their music was fast and loud. Many older people thought that
rock ' n' roll was very dangerous.
     By the early 1960s, even rock ' n' roll had become old fashioned. Many of the songs had begun to sound
the same. It was at that time that a new group from England became popular-The Beatles.
      The Beatles first started by singing American style songs, but they soon developed their own style, with
more complicated (復(fù)雜的 ) tunes (曲調(diào) ). They also introduced different instruments. Groups like The
Beatles had a very important influence on the style of popular music.
     By the early 1970s,rock ' n' roll had developed into a new form of music. Electronics (電子) had replaced
the amplified (增大的) guitars and drums of rock 'n' roll."Rock" had arrived.
     Rock music has continued to change and develop. It has combined with music from different parts of the
world. Today, there are hundreds of different types of rock music, and almost every country has its own form
of rock.

1. What is the best title for the text?

A. Popular Music
B. The History of Rock Music
C. Different Forms of Music in America
D. The Beatles

2. It can be inferred from the text that Elvis Presley and Bill Haley____.

A. were singers of Jazz
B. were singers in the mid 1950s
C. were members of The Beatles
D. were popular with old people

3. It is clear tha t "R&B" ______ .

A. is not popular now
B. had a lot of words
C. was very popular' in the USA in the early 1950s
D. was very dangerous

     Music is an international language. The songs that are sung or played by instruments are beautiful to all
people everywhere.
     Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and
listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the
music loudly as they drive on the streets.
     Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about
sports, the weather, politics, and activities of the American people. Most of the radio broadcast is music.
     Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in
every state. Once the pop singer is heard throughout the country, young people buy his or her tapes. Some
of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to
meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.
     There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk music. It tells stories
about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by
cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country life and
the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.
     Serious music for the concert halls is called classical music. Music for instrument is called orchestra
music (管弦樂),such as the symphonies (交響樂) of Beethoven. There is opera (歌劇 ) for singers. There is
ballet (芭蕾舞劇 ) for dancers like Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai in China.

1. In what sense can music be regarded as an international language? 

A. Popular music is what everyone enjoys.
B. The songs that are sung or played by instruments are so beautiful and
    understandable that everyone can enjoy them.
C. When music is played, it seems as if it were speaking to us.
D. Music is so popular throughout the world that everyone can play it.

2. What can we know about music and people in America?

A. Student drivers carry small radios with earphones when they drive on the streets.
B. Students always listen to music before class, in class and after class.
C. Adult drivers listen to news as well as music when they drive to work.
D. Adult drivers never listen to music when they drive to work.

3. How many kinds of music are mentioned in the passage?

A. Six.
B. Eight.
C. Five.
D. Seven.

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. All people in America like pop music.
B. Pop singers can get all the money from the tapes.
C. Now, western or country music is a little different from its beginning.
D. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai is a kind of pop music.