Valentine’s Day is named for Saint Valentine, an early Christmas churchman who helped young lovers. Valentine was killed for his Christian beliefs on February 14 more than 1700 years ago, but the day which is named after him is even earlier than that.
More than 2,000 years ago, the ancient Romans celebrated a holiday for lovers. As part of the celebration, girls wrote their names on pieces of paper and put them in a large container. Boys reached into the container and pulled one out. The girl whose name was written on the paper became his lover or sweet heart for a year.
Now, lovers still put their names on pieces of paper and they sent each other Valentine’s Day cards that tell of their love. Sometimes they also send gifts, like flowers or chocolate candies. Americans usually send these gifts and cards through the mail system. But some use another way to send this message. They have it printed in a newspaper. The cost is usually a few dollars. Some of the messages are simple and short, “Jane, I love you very much”. Others say more. This one, for example, “Dan, Roses are red. Violets are blue. I hope you love me as much as I love you. Forever, May.”
Most of the newspapers that print such messages are local, but USA Today is sold throughout the United States and 90 other countries. This means someone can send a Valentine message to the lover in a far-away place almost anywhere in the world. These messages cost 80 dollars and more. An employee of USA Today says readers can have a small heart or rose printed along with their messages this year. Will this kind of Valentine’s Day message reach the one you love? Well, just make sure he or she reads the newspaper.
【小题1】When was the day named after Valentine?

A.More than 1700 years ago before Valentine’s death.B.More than 2, 000 years ago.
C.On February 14.D.It is not mentioned in the passage.
【小题2】 Which of the following is Wrong about the ancient Romans holiday in the text?
A.Girls put paper with their names into a container.
B.Boys and girls became sweet hearts by chance.
C.Girls and boys chose life lovers in the holiday.
D.It was celebrated as a holiday for lovers.
【小题3】Now lovers celebrate Valentine’s Day _________.
A.like what the ancient Romans didB.by sending gifts to each other
C.by printing newspapersD.by spending lots of money
【小题4】 What can we learn from the text?
A.The ancient Roman girls were more easy-going.
B.Valentine was killed for not helping the government.
C.USA Today helps readers to send roses with printed messages.
D.Valentine was honored for his Christian belief and warm heart.
【小题5】The text is written to _________.
A.tell us something about Valentine’s Day B.advertise for USA Today
C.tell us that Americans are open to express loveD.sell roses on Valentine’s Day

Between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago, some humans discontinued their wandering hunting and gathering and settled down to farm. Grain was the first domesticated crop that started that farming process.
The oldest proven records of brewing are about 6,000 years old and refer to the Sumerians. Sumeria lay between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers including Southern Mesopotamia. It is said that the Sumerians discovered the fermentation (发酵) process by chance. No one knows today exactly how this occurred, but it could be that a piece of bread or grain became wet and a short time later, it began to ferment.
The Sumerians were able to repeat this process and are assumed to be the first civilized culture to brew beer. They had discovered a “divine drink” which certainly was a gift from the gods. The word beer comes from the Latin word bibere, meaning “to drink”, and the Spanish word cerveza originates from the Greek goddess of agriculture, Ceres.
A vitamin-rich porridge, used daily, beer is reported to have increased health and longevity and reduced disease and malnutrition (营养不良). The self-medicating properties of alcohol-rich beer also eased the tensions and stresses of daily living in a hostile world. The use of yeast (酵母) was not yet known at that time. The success of the fermentation process was left to chance, as the brewers unknowingly relied on yeast particles in the air.
Considerable scientific research took place in breweries (酿酒厂) in the 19th century. A famous work from 1876 by Louis Pasteur was Studies Concerning Beer where he revealed his knowledge of micro-organisms. By establishing that yeast is a living microorganism, Pasteur opened the gates for accurately controlling the conversion (转换) of sugar to alcohol.
Another discovery in beer brewing was the work of Christian Hansen, a Danish scientist, who successfully isolated a single yeast cell and induced it to reproduce on an artificial culture medium. With the resulting yeast multiplication (繁殖) methods, the purity of the fermenting process has been improved.
【小题1】According to the passage, who was the first to brew beer?

A.The Greeks.B.Christian Hansen.
C.Louis Pasteur.D.The Sumerians.
【小题2】The last two paragraphs mainly talk about        .
A.the function of micro-organisms
B.the success of the fermentation process
C.two scientific discoveries about brewing
D.the results of yeast multiplication methods
【小题3】According to the text, which of the following is NOT true?
A.Grain was the first crop used to brew beer.
B.There are some yeast particles in the air.
C.The word “beer” originates from Latin.
D.Modern beer contains more alcoholic.
【小题4】Which would be the best title for the text?
A.The beer culture.B.The history of beer.
C.The earliest brewery.D.Methods of brewing beer.

America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while — then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us develop more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending(延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.

Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality(好客) easily.

Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.

For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!

1.The writer of this passage must be ______.

A.an American       B.a Chinese          C.a professor        D.a student

2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A.Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives.

B.Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy.

C.Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break.

D.Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families.

3.From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be ______.

A.warmly welcomed at the airport            B.offered a ride to his/her home

C.treated hospitably at his/her home          D.treated to dinner in a restaurant

4.The underlined words “generous with our time” in Paragraph 3 probably mean ______.

A.strict with time                         B.serious with time

C.careful with time                        D.willing to spend time

 

I live in a very over populated beach area in the Los Angeles, and I love the beautiful scenery! But because of many people, lots of things are easy to be out of order, and sometimes it’s also easy to lose your cool. Today was a day I wish I did not get out of bed. I mean that if I did not have to wake up and deal with all the things that I deal with on a daily basis, it would have been wonderful.

I had a cup of coffee this morning and that was my meal for breakfast, not healthy I know. Anyway, my stomach was sounding like a truck. So, I jumped in my car and decided to buy some food.

I was in line at Taco Bell (一家墨西哥速食店) and the line was like a long snake! Finally I got to place my order, but a young girl in nice clothes pulled in and was stuck in such a way that unless I moved for her, she wouldn’t be able to get out. So I backed up and waved her into my place in the front of the line.

To my surprise, this young girl did not say thanks. I was cool with it because I thought that I had done something nice for a change. After the girl received her food and pulled away, I pulled into the ordering spot, not mad, but hungry, and the employee said, “Hi, that girl just paid for your food.”

That food was the most satisfying nourishment (营养品) my body had ever taken! If just by chance you are that person who bought my food, I should say “Thank you!”

1.The underlined part in the first paragraph probably means “_____”.

A.be friendly to others                     B.become angry

C.get warmer                            D.remain calm

2.What happened to the author according to the passage?

A.He remained lying in bed all the morning.

B.He didn’t feel well after drinking a cup of coffee.

C.He made room for a girl who jumped the queue.

D.He had a quarrel with a girl who didn’t stand in line.

3.How did the young girl show her thanks to the author?

A.She got out of her car and said thanks.

B.She drove away with her own food.

C.She received her food and waved goodbye.

D.She paid for the author’s food without him knowing.

4.The best title for the passage might be _____.

A.Kindness is spreading

B.Being patient wins respect

C.Being calm is important in accidents

D.Being polite can change the world

 

The Colors of Friendship

Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel. Green said, “Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would __31__ ."

Blue interrupted, “You only think about the   32  , but consider the sky and the sea.   33__ the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. Without my peace, you would all be   34  .

Yellow laughed, “ You are all so serious. I bring laughter, fun, and  35   into the world.”

Orange started next to blow her trumpet, “ I am the color of health and strength. I may be  _36  , but I am priceless for I serve the needs of human life. When I fill the sky at sunrise or   _37  , my beauty is so striking that no one gives another  38  to any of you.

Red could stand it  39   and he shouted out, “I am the ruler of all of you. I am the color of danger and bravery. I am willing to   40_  truth. I am also the color of passion and of love.”

Then came Purple and Indigo.

The colors went on boasting(自夸), each convinced of his or her won superiority(优越). Their _41   became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightning thunder. Rain started to pour down   42  . The colors crouched (蜷缩)down   43  , drawing close to one another for comfort.

In the midst of the shout, rain began to speak, “You foolish colors, fight  44   yourselves, each trying to dominate(统治)  45  . Don’t you know that you were each made for a special purpose,   46   and different? Join hands with one  47   and come to me.”

Doing as they were told, the colors   48   and joined hands. They formed a colorful rainbow. From then on, whenever a good  49   washes the world, a rainbow appears in the sky. They remember to___50__ one another.

1.                A.stay           B.leave           C.go out    D.die

 

2.                A.earth          B.moon          C.star  D.sun

 

3.                A.That is          B.I am            C.It is  D.This is

 

4.                A.anything        B.nothing         C.something D.everything

 

5.                A.warmth         B.sadness         C.depression(抑郁)   D.anxiety(焦虑)

 

6.                A.usual          B.normal         C.common  D.scarce(稀少)

 

7.                A.midnight        B.noon           C.sunset    D.the day

 

8.                A.gift            B.honor          C.thought   D.respect

 

9.                A.for more        B.any more       C.very much D.no longer

 

10.               A.turn to         B.fight for        C.struggle with   D.bend over(弯腰)

 

11.               A.quarrel         B.discussion       C.laughter   D.talk

 

12.               A.gently          B.quietly         C.violently   D.peacefully

 

13.               A.with care       B.in fear(害怕地)   C.by chance D.on purpose

 

14.               A.among         B.by             C.for   D.against

 

15.               A.others         B.themselves      C.the other  D.the rest

 

16.               A.equal          B.ordinary        C.similar D.unique

 

17.               A.other          B.the other       C.another   D.others

 

18.               A.combined       B.separated       C.united D.divided

 

19.               A.snow          B.rain           C.wind  D.fog

 

20.               A.appreciate      B.quarrel with     C.ignore D.praise

 

 

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