Compass

It was a great gift to the world from ancient China. Before it was invented, Sailors had to depend on the stars to find direction. After it was invented, the oceans were open to travel. And many new discoveries were made with the help of it.

Gunpowder

It was one of the greatest inventions. It is said that in the 3rd century a Chinese man wrote about how to make it. At first, it was used for making fireworks. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, people began to use it in wars. The method of making it was brought to the Arab world and Europe in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Paper-making

China was the first country in the world to make paper. During the Western Han Dynasty, paper was made in some places in China. It was developed in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 AD- 220 AD) by Cai Lun. He made paper with bark, ropes, rags and so on. Before it was invented, the ancient Chinese carved characters on animal bones and stones. They also wrote them on bamboo and wooden sticks.

Printing

It was developed in 1041-1048 in the Song Dynasty. A man named Bi Sheng carved characters on pieces of clay and wood. Then he put ink on them. After the characters were printed on paper, the pieces of clay or wood could be used again. This technology then spread to Korea, Japan and Europe. It was the basic method at that time.

1.After the ________ was invented, the oceans were open to travel.

A.paper-making B.printing C.gunpowder D.compass

2.At first, gunpowder was used for ________.

A.finding direction B.making paper C.carving characters D.making fireworks

3.From the passage we know ________ developed paper-making in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

A.some sailors B.Bi Sheng C.Cai Lun D.a Korean man

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

A.Printing was developed in the Song Dynasty.

B.People use gunpowder in war at first.

C.Paper was made from bark, ropes, rags and so on.

D.Printing technology spread to other countries from China.

5.The best title for the reading material is ________.

A.The Four Dynasties of Ancient China

B.The Four Great Inventors of Ancient China

C.The Four Characters in the Ancient China

D.The Four Great Inventions of Ancient China

The Vieira family moved to the United States in 1981.At that time, they decided to stop speaking Spanish at home and only communicate in English. This was because they were now living in an English?speaking country.

Now the Vieira children are adults, and they sometimes travel to Spain to visit their family and friends. But they can't communicate with them. Unfortunately this is common. When people move to new countries, they often leave their own customs and mother language behind. This is a mistake because there are many benefits to knowing more than one language.

One advantage of speaking more than one language is that you can communicate with more people around the world. You don't have to depend on others to talk for you, so you are more independent. People who know only one language must use others to help them communicate.

Furthermore, speaking the second language also allows people to experience other cultures and customs more effectively .Local expressions, vocabulary, and even jokes can have a powerful effect on a person's understanding of other culture. So knowing more than one language increases your knowledge of other cultures.

Finally, having more multi?language speakers improves relationships between countries. If people from different countries can communicate well, the world can become closer. Countries will then have more respect for each other and better understand each other's problems.

The benefits of knowing more than one language are clear. In fact, there are no disadvantages. It is very sad that many people don't try to learn another language. It's even worse when people let themselves forget their mother language and become silenced.

1.What's the passage mainly about?

A.The benefits of learning other languages. B.The reasons why people come to America.

C.The importance of learning English. D.How to learn another language.

2.The passage begins with the experience of Vieira family in order to ________.

A.discuss the need of teaching a new language

B.introduce the passage's main characters to the readers

C.describe the advantages of moving to another country

D.show the problem of speaking only one language

3.The underlined phrase “multi?language speakers” (paragraph 5) means “people who know ________.”

A.their mother language B.a new language

C.more than one language D.baby language

4.According to the passage, if you can speak more than one language, you can ________

A.find a better job B.make more friends

C.better understand history D.communicate more independently

5.Based on the last paragraph, which of the following is the worst?

A.Not knowing another language. B.Forgetting one's language.

C.Refusing to learn another language. D.Failing to communicate with others.

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网