People have been painting pictures for at least 30,000 years. The earliest pictures were painted by people who hunted animals.They used to paint pictures of the animals they wanted to catch and kill.Pictures of this kind have been found on the walls of caves in France and Spain.No one knows why they were painted there.Perhaps the painters thought that their pictures would help them to catch these animals.Or perhaps human beings have always wanted to tell stories in pictures.

    About 5,000 years ago,the Egyptians and other people in the Near East began to use pictures as kind of writing. They drew simple pictures or signs to represent things and ideas, and also to represrnt the sounds of their language. The signs these people used became a kind of alphabet.

    The Egyptians used to record information and to tell stories by putting picture-writing and pictures together. When an important person died ,scenes and stories from his life were painted and carved on the walls of the place where he  was buried. Some of these pictures are like modern comic strip stories.It has been said that Egypt is the home of the comic strip .But , for the Egyptians, pictures still had magic power. So they did not try to make their way of writing simple.The ordinary people could not understand it.

    By the year 1,000 BC,people who lived in the area around the Mediterranean Sea had developed a simpler system of writing . The signs they used were very easy to write, and there were fewer of them than in the Egyptian system . This was because each sign , or letter, represented only one sound in their language.The Greeks developed this system and formed the letters of the Greek alphabet. The Romans copied the idea, and the Roman alphabet is now used all over the world.

   These days ,we can write down a story ,or record information, without using pictures.But we still need pictures of all kinds: drawing , photographs, signs and diagrams. We find them everywhere: in books and newspapers, in the street, and on the walls of the places where we live and work. Pictures help us to understand and remember things more easily ,and they can make a story much more interesting.

1.Pictures of animals were painted on the walls of caves in France and Spain because_________.

   A. the hunters wanted to see the pictures

   B. the painters were animal lovers

   C. the painters wanted to show imagination

   D. the pictures were thought to be helpful

2. The Greek alphabed was simpler than the Egyptian system for all the following reasons EXCEPT that__________.

   A. the former was easy to write

   B. there were fewer signs in the former

   C. the former was easy to pronounce

   D.each sign stood for only one sound

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

   A. The Egyptian signs later became a particular alphabet.

   B. The Egyptians liked to write comic-strip stories.

   C. The Roman alphabet was developed from the Egyptian one.

   D. The Greeks copied their writing system from the Egyptians.

4. In the last paragraph, the author thinks that pictures_______.

   A. should be made comprehensible.

   B. should be made interesting.

   C. are of much use in our life.

   D. have disappeared from our life.

 

One day I was doing an experiment in front of the classroom, wearing my favorite shirt. A voice came, “Nice shirt”. Then another   1   said, “That shirt belonged to my dad. Jimmy’s mother works for my family. We meant to throw the shirt away, but gave   2   to her instead.” Hearing the words, I was embarrassed. It was Mike. Mom worked for his family.

In the evening, I told my mom what had happened. She was silent for a while and then called her employer, “I will   3   work for your family.” That night, she knew her life’s   4   was something greater. She decided to find a more meaningful job.

The next day she   5   with the headmaster of a local public school. She was told that she could not teach without a proper education. So Mom decided to   6   a university.

A year later, she went back to the headmaster. He said, “You are serious, aren’t you? I think I have a   7   for you as a teacher’s assistant. This opportunity deals with some mentally disabled children with little or   8   chance of learning.” Mom accepted the opportunity very   9  .

For almost three years, she saw many teachers give up on the children and   0  , feeling   upset. Then one day, the headmaster   11   in her classroom, saying, “We have watched how you  12   the children over the last three years and admire your hard-working spirit. We all agree that you should be the   13   of this class.”

My mom spent over 20 years there. I was proud of her   14   she never gave up and also showed me how to deal with   15   situations. During her career, she was chosen as “Teacher of the Year”.

1.

 A. shout         B. noise            C. sound        D. voice

2.

A. it            B. them             C. one          D. this

3.

A. even so        B. in reality           C. no longer    D. more than

4.

 A. goal         B. trick               C. problem      D. routine

5.

 A. ran           B. met              C. stayed           D. worked

6.

A. visit          B. design              C. attend       D. start

7.

A. condition      B. function         C. promotion        D. position

8.

A. no             B. much             C. big              D. great

9.

 A. angrily       B. bitterly        C. eagerly          D. strangely

10.

A. come           B. leave                C. return       D. succeed

11.

 A. went up       B. took up          C. handed up        D. turned up

12.

A. accuse         B. blame                C. treat        D. cheat

13.

A. monitor        B. teacher         C. headmaster       D. librarian

14.

A. because       B. once             C. unless           D. if

15.

A. pleasing       B. challenging      C. exciting        D. amazing

 

People have been painting pictures for at least 30,000 years. The earliest pictures were painted by people who hunted animals. They used to paint pictures of the animals they wanted to catch and kill. Pictures of this kind have been found on the walls of caves in France and Spain. No one knows why they were painted there. Perhaps the painters thought that their pictures would help them to catch these animals. Or perhaps human beings have always wanted to tell stories in pictures.

About 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians and other people in the Near East began to use pictures as kind of writing. They drew simple pictures or signs to represent things and ideas, and also to represent the sounds of their language. The signs these people used became a kind of alphabet.

The Egyptians used to record information and to tell stories by putting picture-writing and pictures together. When an important person died, scenes and stories from his life were painted and carved on the walls of the place where he was buried. Some of these pictures are like modern comic strip stories. It has been said that Egypt is the home of the comic strip. But, for the Egyptians, pictures still had magic power. So they did not try to make their way of writing simple. The ordinary people could not understand it.

By the year 1,000 BC, people who lived in the area around the Mediterranean Sea had developed a simpler system of writing. The signs they used were very easy to write, and there were fewer of them than in the Egyptian system. This was because each sign, or letter, represented only one sound in their language. The Greeks developed this system and formed the letters of the Greek alphabet. The Romans copied the idea, and the Roman alphabet is now used all over the world.

These days, we can write down a story, or record information, without using pictures. But we still need pictures of all kinds: drawing, photographs, signs and diagrams. We find them everywhere: in books and newspapers, in the street, and on the walls of the places where we live and work. Pictures help us to understand and remember things more easily, and they can make a story much more interesting.

Pictures of animals were painted on the walls of caves in France and Spain because ______.

A. the hunters wanted to see the pictures    

B. the painters were animal lovers

C. the painters wanted to show imagination

D. the pictures were thought to be helpful

The Greek alphabet was simpler than the Egyptian system for all the following reasons      EXCEPT that _______.

   A. the former was easy to write    

B. there were fewer signs in the former    

C. the former was easy to pronounce

D. each sign stood for only one sound

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. The Egyptian signs later became a particular alphabet.

B. The Egyptians liked to write comic-strip stories.

C. The Roman alphabet was developed from the Egyptian one.    

D. The Greeks copied their writing system from the Egyptians.

In the last paragraph, the author thinks that pictures ___________.

A. should be made comprehensible

B. should be made interesting

C. are of much use in our life     

D. have disappeared from our life

On September 22, 2007, 108 Chinese cities took part in Car-Free Day, a global event held every year, for the first time.

   China became the world’s second-largest auto market and third-largest car-maker in 2006. It has also become the second-largest greenhouse gas producer in the world, and is rapidly catching up with the United States. In this sense, China’s participation will greatly promote the Car-Free Day movement.

   The number of cars on the road is going up rapidly in China. In Beijing, about 1,000 new cars are added to the streets on an average day.

   Cars certainly offer people plenty of freedom to move around. But in many Chinese cities, appearance of too many cars has turned into a major problem. Getting stuck in traffic jams is an everyday experience for drivers.

   Even worse is the environmental impact（影響）caused by cars. According to a national report, on a “smog day”, 79 percent of the air pollution is caused by cars.

   The growing number of traffic accidents is another problem. Over 100,000 people die from traffic accidents every year in China, which is by far the highest number of road deaths in the world.

   108 cities’ participation in Car-Free Day shows growing public concern about the traffic and environmental problems caused by cars.

   On this day, all cars were banned from running in selected areas of the participating cities. People were encouraged to walk, cycle and use public transport. According to experts, the carbon monoxide in the atmosphere produced by cars was reduced by 3,000 tons on Car-Free Day.

   With cleaner air and smoother traffic flow on the day, more cities will hopefully want to join the event next year. And more people might share the hope that Car-Free Day is not just on September 22, but a possibility 365 days of the year.

1.From the passage, we can know that China ______.

A. has the world’s highest number of road deaths

B. has the world’s largest auto market

C. is the world’s largest greenhouse gas producer

D. is the world’s second-largest car-maker

2.Which of the following is discussed in the passage?

A. The causes of car growth in China.  

B. The effects of car growth in China.

C. The history of World Car-Free Day. 

D. The popularity of World Car-Free Day.

3.On Car-Free Day in 2007, 108 cities in China ______.

A. didn’t allow people to drive   

B. didn’t have air pollution

C. called on people to drive less  

D. called on people to drive freely

4. Car-Free Day in China will ______.

A. be held all the year round

B. stop air pollution and traffic jams

C. attract more people to join in

D. reduce the production of cars

 

The time of year a baby is born can shape what profession they will embark on (從事) in later life, a new study has suggested. Being born in a certain month appears to indicate the statistical likelihood of what job a person will end up with, the study by the Office for National Statistics found. Researchers have uncovered that the month in which babies are born could also affect everything from intelligence to length of life.

A child born December is more likely to become a dentist while someone whose birthday falls in January will tend to a debt collector, they found. A February birth appears to increase the chances of being an artist while March babies appear to go on to become pilots. Meanwhile, April and May are said to have a fairly even spread of professions, births in the summer months mean a much lower chance of becoming a high-earning football player, doctor or dentist.

The study was derived (推導出) by researchers who analyzed the birth months of people in 19 separate occupations using information from the last census, the Daily Mail reported. Although these trends may be difficult to explain, correlations (關(guān)聯(lián)) between birth months and specific health problems have a scientific basis. Spring babies are at greater risks of illnesses including schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, asthma and autism. They may also be less clever than classmates born in other parts of the year.

1.What is the main idea of this passage?

A．The year when a baby is born may not be associated with the job he or she will end up with.

B．Researchers have found the birth month could affect both intelligence and length of life.

C．The birth time can give signs of future development of what professions people will start.

D．The study indicates there are correlations between birth months and some terrible risks.

2.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．A child born in December is more likely to become an artist while someone born in January will tend to be a dentist.

B．A February birth appears to have the possibilities of being an artist while March babies appear to become pilots.

C．Children born in April and May are said to have equally balanced chances in their future professions.

D．Births in the summer months mean they have few chances to earn a lot of money as a football player, doctor or dentist.

3.What do the researchers also study besides the analyses of the trends between birth months and professions?

A．Some serious diseases from births of many children.

B．A lot of mental illnesses caused by giving birth to children.

C．The secret of births and healthy problems.

D．The relationship between birth months and certain health problems.