The Cowboy without a Horse A cowboy rides into a town and stops at a café for a drink. 1 he finishes his drink, he finds his horse is stolen. He 2 back into the café, holds his gun up into the air a 题目和参考答案——青夏教育精英家教网—

任务型阅读（共6小题；每小题1分，满分6分）
Some birthday customs are quite similar in many parts of the world---- birthday candles(蜡烛), birthday games，and birthday cakes. But some customs are more specific to certain countries. Here are some children talking about their customs.
Linda---I am fourteen. I come from Aruba. In our country,Children take something special to school for their classmates and all teachers. Each teacher gives the birthday child a small gift like a pencil, an eraser or a postcard. The birthday child is also allowed to wear special clothes instead of the school uniform.
Lucy---I am one year older than Linda. Denmark is my country. A flag is flown outside a window to show that someone who lives in that house is having a birthday. Presents are placed around the child's bed while they are sleeping so they will see them at once when they wake up.
Tom---I am as old as Linda. I am from Brazil. The birthday child receives a pull on the earlobe(耳垂) for each year in my country. The birthday person also gives the first slice of cake to his/her most special friend or relative, usually mom or dad.
根据短文，完成下面表格，每空不超过4个单词，并将其答案写在答题卡中相应题号的横线上。

Names	Countries	Ages	Special customs
Linda	Aruba	Fourteen	Each teacher receives something special from 小题1:._________ and gives him or her a small gift.
Lucy	Denmark	小题2:________	If you see 小题3:________ flying outside a window, you may know someone in that house is having a birthday
Tom	小题4:______	Fourteen	小题5:_________ of the birthday cake is usually given to Mom or Dad.

Two brothers worked together on a farm. One was married and had a large 51 . The other had no wife yet. Although they lived in different houses, they shared everything they got from their farm.
One day, the single brother said to himself, “It’s not 52 that we share all the rice. I’m 53 and I need less than my brother.” So, every night he took a bag of rice from his store-room and 54 across the field 55 their houses, putting it into his brother’s store-room.
At the same time, the married brother thought, “It’s not fair to share all the rice. I’m married and I have my wife and children to 56 me when I am 57 . However, my brother has no one to take care of his 58 .” So, each night he also took a bag of rice and put it into his brother’s store-room.
Several months passed by. They found 59 strange that their rice never became less. Then, one dark night the two brothers ran into each other. Slowly they began to understand what was happening. Their bags fell onto the ground and tears 60 their eyes at once.

小题1:

Panda Express is a fast food restaurant chain(连锁店)in the United States. It sells Chinese food. When you go to 31 malls, supermarkets, airports, train stations, parks, stadiums, college campuses and 32 other places, you can see Panda Express. It is 33 chain of Chinese fast food restaurants in the United States. Panda Express 34 in 1983 by Andrew Cherng, Peggy Cherng and Ming Tsai Cherng. They were from Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China. Now Panda Express has 1,321 restaurants in 38 states and Puerto Rico，and the top-selling food of Panda Express 35 Orange Chicken and Beijing Beef.

When kids at Archisha Singh’s school in Loudoun County have a birthday, no parents buy them birthday cakes.
Some schools are worried that children might become fat or eat unhealthy food, so they have banned(禁止) cupcakes altogether.
What do kids do? Birthday kids can donate a book. The headmaster of their school will then read it to their class. The headmaster also hands out birthday certificates(证书), special pencils, and makes sure the kids’ names are read out in the school’s morning news.
Parents can send stickers(贴纸), pencils and other things to students. None of the things can be food. If a child donates jump ropes or other sports equipment, that child may get his or her name on a certificate. It will then be displayed at school.
Archisha really misses cupcakes, especially those her mother used to make for her kindergarten class, but her school’s way is fun, too. “I like both ways,” she said.
The headmaster says it’s important that the school should be not only teaching, but offering healthy choices to kids. “There is a better life without cupcakes. If you eat a cupcake, then it’s gone in two seconds, but a book lasts a lifetime. The sports equipment lasts, and the kids can use it day after day.”
小题1:Some schools have banned cupcakes because ________.

A．they don’t like them

B．they are not delicious

C．they are unhealthy food

D．they are too expensive

小题2:What do birthday kids do?

A．They can borrow a book.

B．They get birthday certificates.

C．They get special pens.

D．They eat birthday cakes.

小题3:Which can not be sent to students?

小题4:The headmaster thinks the school should ________.

A．offer healthy choices to kids

B．offer a better life to kids

C．teach students how to be healthy

D．give kids sports equipment

Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa. It is also the second largest lake in the world. It is an important lake because it is one of the sources(源头) for the longest river in the world, the Nile River. Lake Victoria provides a source of water, food, and power(电力) for several African countries. Lake Victoria is a big part of African life.
Unfortunately, Lake Victoria has a problem. It is shrinking. There are several power stations at Lake Victoria in Uganda. These are on the Nile River, and besides producing power, they keep the water of the lake at a certain level. For the past forty years, that level has been 11.9 meters. Over the last several years, the water level has dropped by about 2.5 meters. There seem to be several reasons for this drop.
One possible reason is drought(干旱). Drought has been very bad in the area since 2000. Lake Victoria gets all of its water from rain, so the drought means less water in the lake.
However, some environmentalists believe that the real problem is the power plants(工厂) on Lake Victoria. Uganda depends on those power plants for most of its power, and they made the power plants larger in 2000. Many people believe the power plants have been taking too much water off Lake Victoria. As a result, they have been asked to use less water until Lake Victoria goes back to its old level.
Whether the low water level is caused by drought or power plants, the result is the same. This is already a poor area of Africa, where many people live a really hard life. People, animals and plants around Lake Victoria will suffer even more from low water levels on the lake. Many people need Lake Victoria for fishing or growing food. Fish need the water to live, and animals need it for water. Plants around the lake will die without the water, and then more animals and people will suffer. Unless the lake fills soon, many people will suffer and die.
小题1:Lake Victoria is __________.

A．an important lake in Africa

B．the largest lake in the world

C．the source of water, food and power for America

D．the only source for the Nile River

小题2:What does “It is shrinking” most probably mean?

A．It is becoming larger.

B．It is becoming more beautiful.

C．It is becoming smaller.

D．It is becoming more useful.

小题3:The water level of Lake Victoria is now __________.

小题4:Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Rain water is the only source for the lake.
B. There has been little rain in the lake area since 2000.
C. The power plants in Uganda provide water for the lake.
D The power plants in Uganda were made larger in 2000.
小题5:According to the passage, how can we solve the problems around Lake Victoria?

A．People must build more power plants.

B．More sources of water must be found.

C．Every country should offer some money to Africa.

D．All the people living in the area should move to another place.

Reader’s Digest is a monthly magazine. Before the 1980s, it belonged to a privately held company, which was started in 1922 by Lila Bell Wallace and Dewitt Wallace. This magazine is small and easy to carry, just half the size of most American magazines, which caused a phrase in 2005, “America in your pocket.” It is the best selling magazine in the USA. At present, its circulation(发行量） in the USA has reached 10 million copies and the number of the readers there is 38 million. Its global circulation outside the USA has reached 40 million people throughout more than 70 countries in 21 languages.
This magazine’s focus(焦点） is not news but more of cultural views because the editors think people now can get timely news from somewhere else. They hope this magazine can give readers something that is about special personal experiences, something the readers can share with their families. In different countries, this magazine provides a window to the world for the local readers. Some parts of the magazine are about the local customs and interests of the local readers. The other parts give the local readers information from all over the world.
This magazine actually used to be a family business until the Wallaces died in the 1980s. Because they had no children, there was no one to take over the company. Sixteen years ago, this company went public and became a public company.
小题1:How often does Reader’s Digest come out in the USA?

小题2:What’s the number of the readers of this magazine all over the world?

小题3:This magazine’s focus includes the following topics except _________.

A．something about the timely news

B．some special personal experiences

C．some information from all over the world

D．the local customs and interests of the local readers

Street Markets Around the World
There are many ways of shopping. You can shop by telephone, by post or through your home computer, but for many people, the most exciting way to shop is also the most traditional—at a street market. You can find markets anywhere in the world. Here are four of them:
There are many “floating markets” in Asia; perhaps the most unusual is in Thailand(泰国), at a place called Damned Saduak. It’s open from six in the morning to the noon every day. People sell fresh fruit from their boats.
Many Belgians(比利时人) say that the Grand Place is the most beautiful square in the world. It’s the home of a colourful flower market. It’s open every day except Monday. On Monday, instead of flowers, there’s a wonderful bird market.
One of the world’s famous markets is in Mexico City(墨西哥城)—the Sonora Market. You can buy toys, birds, herbs and medicine. There’re all kinds of things. It’s open every day from early in the morning till late at night.
In England, every weekend, thousands of young people from all over London travel to the Camden Market—it’s the place to go for street fashion, CDs and tapes. Many people also go there for fun.
根据以上内容，完成下列表格，每空一词

Names	小题1:_______	Feature(特征)	Things to Sell	Open Time
the Damned Saduak	Thailand	小题2:______	fresh 小题3:_____	every day
the Grand 小题4:_______	Belgium(比利时)	beautiful	小题5:________	every day except 小题6:________
the Grand 小题4:_______	Belgium(比利时)	beautiful	birds	Monday
the Sonora Market	Mexico	小题7:______	all kinds of 小题8:_______	every day
the Camden Market	小题9:________	fashionable	fashion things	Every 小题10:______