Say you are a 17th century construction worker who’s worked long and hard to build a splendid tower for the dead wife of your emperor.

       Now say that the emperor orders your fingertips cut off so you can never build another one. Yes, that is the Taj Mahal, one of the most famous buildings in the world. And the tale behind the construction is just as impressive(印象深刻的)as the building itself.

       First, there’s the emperor of northern India, Shah Jehan, also called the King of the World. In 1612, Shah Jehan married Mumtaz Mahal. Madly in love, they had 14 children over the next 20 years. But then sadness came. As Mumtaz was about to give birth to child number 14, she said she had heard her unborn baby cry out. It was a sign of death. And as Mumtaz lay dying, she asked Jehan to build a lasting memorial(纪念物) to celebrate their love.

       When the heartbroken Jehan appeared eight days after his wife’s death, his people were shocked to see that his coal-black hair had turned snow-white.

Putting away his sadness, Jehan ordered his wife’s dying wish carried out. More than 20,000 workers labored nearly 22 years to complete the construction. In 1653, Jehan placed Mumtaz’s remains in the center under the building.

       And then, son number five, Aurangzeb, murdered his brothers and took over the power from his aging father. Hehan lived the rest of his days-eight years, to be exact - imprisoned not far from the Taj Mahal. Jehan was only allowed to climb onto the top of his prison to see the timeless treasure from a distance. But never again would he be allowed to visit it-until he was buried next to his wife.

       Today 25,000 people visit the Taj Mahal each day. Though the reason for building the tower was a strange, sad story, those who see its breath-taking beauty are reminded of the happiness that inspired(激发……的灵感) its construction.

59.The first two paragraphs were written to show that _____.

       A.the Taj Mahal is an unusual historic building

       B. ancient Indian emperors were cruel

       C. construction workers led a hard life in ancient India

       D. India has some of the most famous buildings in the world

60.The Taj Mahal was first built as _____.

       A. a prison           B. a gift to Mumtaz     

       C. a memorial building        D. a tourist attraction

61.We learn from the text that Mumtaz probably died in _____.

       A. 1626           B. 1632            C. 1634            D. 1653

62.The underlined word “happiness” in the last sentence refers to _____.

       A. the married happiness of the emperor and his wife

       B. the great pleasure Jehan once found in exercising his power

       C. the happiness Jehan felt on completing the Taj Mahal

       D. the pleasure tourists experience when visiting the Taj Mahal

President Bush’s dogs often play on the White House lawn(草坪), but did you know that he also has cows and a cat? His cat is named India. India, also called “Willie”, has lived with the Bush family for more than ten years! On his farm in Crawford, Texas, he keeps a cow called Ofelia named after a person who worked with him when he worked in Texas.
Past Presidents brought many interesting animals to the White House. The wife of John Quincy Adams, the sixth President, had silkworms. Herbert Hoover, the 31st President, had an opossum(负鼠). And Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President, had a raccoon(浣熊)named Rebecca.
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President, was famous for his many pets. His six kids had snakes, dogs, cats, a badger, birds, guinea pigs, and more. Once, Roosevelt’s son Quentin borrowed some snakes from a pet store. Running to show his father, Quentin interrupted an important meeting and dropped the snakes all over his father’s desk!
During World WarⅠ, Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President, kept some sheep on the White House lawn. He did this so the First Family would appear to be supporting the war effort. The sheep’s help was great. They ate the lawn and the sheep’s wool was auctioned (拍卖)to raise money for the American Red Cross.
Some of the more unusual U.S. Presidents’ pets have been gifts from other world leaders. James Buchanan received some elephants from Thailand. The Sultan of Oman gave Martin Van Buren a pair of tigers.
But even the more common pets have had an unusual time at the White House. Warren Harding, the 29th President, and his family had a birthday party for their dog Laddie Boy. They invited other dogs and served a dog biscuit cake.
What’s next? A White House zoo?
60. 【小题1】What do we know about President Bush’s pets?

A.A horse is his favorite pet.
B.Willie was named after a person.
C.India has lived with him for a long time.
D.Ofelia was raised on the White House lawn.
61. 【小题2】Who raised an interesting animal called Rebecca in the White House?
A.Herbert HooverB.Woodrow Wilson
C.Calvin CoolidgeD.James Buchanan
62. 【小题3】According to the passage, what happened to President Theodore Roosevelt?
A.His pets were a great help to the American Red Cross.
B.He was once disturbed by his son when he was working
C.His wife once sent him an opossum in order to please him.
D.He received a pair of tigers as a gift from Oman’s leader.
63. 【小题4】 According to the passage, who held a party for his pet dog?
A.The 6th PresidentB.The 31st President
C.The 26th President.D.The 29th President.

When I was going home to India last year, I called up my mother to ask if she wanted anything from china, 
When India had not opened up its markers to the world, I carried suitcase loads of dark glasses and jeans. Thankfully, we can get all these anywhere in India now, 
Still ,her answer surprised me: “Green tea,” 
As long as I can remember she didn’t even drink    Indian tea.  
I dutifully bought a big packet of Longjing and headed home to hear the story. My mother and her brother, both regular newspaper readers, believed that Chinese green tea was the wonder drug for all illnesses 
At the turn of the century, China was not really familiar to the average Indian, It was a strange country 
How things change [And how soon] 
Now every town of any size seems to have a “China Market”. And everyone is talking about China 
The government of India has planned to send a team to China to see how things are done A minister once said that India must open the doors for more foreign investment(投资)and such a step would “work wonders as it did for China”.  
But it’s a two-way street, I just heard about a thousand Shenzhen office workers who have gone to Rangalore to train in software. Meanwhile, all the IT majors are setting up a strong presence in China, 
No wonder that trade, which was only in the millions just ten years ago, is expected to his about us$15 billion for last year and us$20 billion by 2008, a goal set by both governments, 
No wonder, my colleague wrote some weeks ago about this being the Sino-Indian(中印)century as the two countries started on January I the Sino-Indian Friendship Year, 
【小题1】But what is still a wonder to me is my mother drinking Chinese tea.
Why did the mother ask for Chinese green tea? 

A.she was tired of Indian tea
B.she had a son working in China.
C.she believed it had a curing effect
D.she was fond of Chinese products,
【小题2】What does the author mean by “it’s a two-way street’ in paragraph 10? 
A.China and India have different traffic rules
B.Tea trade works wonders in both India and China
C.Chinese products are popular in both China and India,
D.The exchanges between India and China benefit both
【小题3】hat do we know about the Indian IT industry? 
A.It will move its head office to Shenzhen
B.It is seeking further development in China
C.It has attracted an investment of US$15 billion
D.It caught up with the US IT industry in2008.
【小题4】In the text the author expresses_____, 
A.his concern for his mother’s health
B.his support for drinking Chinese green tea
C.his surprise at China’s recent development
D.his wonder at the growth of India’s IT industry

A baby born in India has been declared the world's seven billionth person by child rights group Plan International. Baby Nargis was born at 07:25 local time (01:55GMT) in Mall village in India's Uttar Pradesh state. Plan International says Nargis has been chosen symbolically as it is not possible to know where exactly the seven billionth baby is born. In addition to baby Nargis in India, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Cambodia have all identified seven billionth babies. The United Nations estimated that on Monday 31 October, the world's population would reach seven billion.

  Populations are growing faster than economies in many poor countries in Africa and some in Asia. At the same time, low birth rates in Japan and many European nations have raised concerns about labor shortages.

  Population experts at the United Nations estimated that the world reached six billion in October 1999. They predict nine billion by 2050 and ten billion by the end of the century. China's population of one and a third billion is currently the world's largest. India is second at 1.2 billion. But India is expected to pass China and reach one and a half billion people around 2025.

  India will also have one of the world's youngest populations. Economists say this is a chance for a so-called demographic dividend. India could gain from the skills of young people in a growing economy at a time when other countries have aging populations. But economists say current rates of growth, although high, may not create enough jobs. Also, the public education system is failing to meet demand and schooling is often of poor quality. Another concern is health care. Nearly half of India's children under the age of five are malnourished(营养不良).

  Michal Rutkowski, the director of human development in South Asia at the World Bank, says reaching seven billion people in the world is a good time for a call to action. He says, “I think the bottom line of the story is that the public policy needs to become really, really serious about sex equality and about access to services—to fight against malnutrition, and to provide for access to health services, water and schooling.”

1.What is true about the world's seven billionth person?

A. Baby Nargis is not the only child chosen as the seven billionth baby.

B. Baby Nargis has been chosen carefully so it is exactly the seven billionth baby.

C. Three countries have all declared Baby Nargis as the seven billi011th baby.

D. The United Nations declared Baby Nargis as the world's seven billionth person.

2.Which of the following problems do many European countries worry about?

A. Labor shortage.                B. Poor health care.

C. Not enough jobs.            D. Schooling of poor quality.

3.According to population experts, how long will it take for population to grow from six billion to nine billion?

A. About 12 years.    B. About 40 years.   C. About 50 years.   D. About 110 years.

4.What does the underlined phrase “demographic dividend” in the fourth paragraph refer to?

A. Possibility of lower birth rate.

B. Benefit gained by working young people.

C. Chances for more employment.

D. Disadvantages caused by aging population.

5.Which of the following public policies does Michal Rutkowski call on?

A. To encourage late marriage.       B. To reduce world's population.

C. To gain economic equality.             D. To improve health and education.

 

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