The flag, the most common symbol(象征)of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. With a clear symbolic meaning. the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country.

The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive(原始的)artifact. It is , rather, the product of thousands of years’ development. Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.

Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers. People’s food supplies were similarly vulnerable. Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.

Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection

 

of the flag with heavenly power was  therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems(图腾) before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves.

These flags developed very slowly into modern flags. The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked: The king of China around 1000 B.C. was known to have a white flag carried ahead of him. This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routs through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe, where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag.

71.The best title for the passage would be             .

       A.Development of the National Flag.

       B.Power of the National Flag.

       C.Types of  Flags

       D.Uses of Flags

72.The underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 3 means              .

       A.impossible to make sure of

       B.likely to be protected

       C.easy to damage

       D.difficult to find

73.The earliest flags were connected with heavenly power because              .

       A.they could tell wind direction

       B.they could bring good luck to fighters

       C.they were handed down by the ancestors

       D.they were believed to stand for natural forces

74.What does the author know of the first national flag?

       A.He knows when it was sent to Europe.

       B.He believes it was made in Egypt.

       C.He thinks it came from China.

       D.He doubts where it started.

75.What will the author most probably talk about next?

       A.The role of China in the spread of the national flag.

       B.The second ancestor of the national flag

       C.The use of modern flags in Europe.

       D.The importance of modern flags.

John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn’t, the girl with the rose.

His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner’s name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II.

????????????? During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was starting Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn’t matter what she looked like.

When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting —7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station in New York. “You’ll recognize me,” she wrote, “by the red rose I’ll be wearing on my lapel.” So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he’d never seen.

????????????? I’ll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened: A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive. I stared at her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, attractive smile curved her lips. “Going my way , sailor?” she murmured.

????????????? Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own.

????????????? And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her.

????????????? This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful. I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment.  "I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?"
  The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile. "I don't know what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!"
? ????????????? It's not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell's wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive. "Tell me whom you love," Houssaye wrote, "And I will tell you who you are"

1.How did John Blanchard get to know Miss Hollis Maynell?

A. They lived in the same city.????????????????

B. They were both interested in literature

C. John knew Hollis's name from a library book.??

D. John came across Hollis in a Florida library

2.Hollis refused to send Blanchard a photo because ?????????? .

A. she was only a middle - aged woman??????????

B. she wasn't confident about her appearance

C. she thought true love is beyond appearance?????

D. she had never taken any photo before they knew

3.How could Blanchard recognize Hollis?

A. She would be wearing a rose on her coat.?????

B. She would be holding a book in her hand

C. She would be standing behind a young girl.???

D. She would be wearing a scarf around her neck

4.What was the real Miss Hollis Maynell like?

A. She was a plump woman with graying hair.???

B. She was a slightly fat girl, with blonde hair

C. She was a middle - aged woman in her forties.??

D. She was a young, pretty girl wearing a green suit

5.When Blanchard went over to greet the woman, he was?????????

A. satisfied and confident

B. disappointed but well - behaved

C. annoyed and bad - mannered

D. shocked but inspired

6.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. A Test of Love??? ????????????? ????????????? B. The Symbol of Rose

C. Love is blind??? ????????????? ????????????? D. Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

 

Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy. After all, you probably sing when you are happy.

Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy. However, they sing most of the time for a very different reason. Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory.

Do you know what a “territory” is? A territory is an area that an animal, usually the male, claims (声称) as its own. Only he and his family are welcome there. No other families of the same species are welcome. Your house is your territory where only your family and friends are welcome. If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you, you might shout. Probably this would be enough to frighten him away.

If so, you have actually frightened the stranger away without having to fight him. A bird does the same thing. But he expects an outsider almost any time, especially at nesting (筑巢) season. So he is screaming all the time, whether he can see an outsider or not. This screaming is what we call a bird’s song, and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.

1.Some scientists believe that most of the time bird’s singing is actually ________.

A.an expression of happiness                B. a way of warning

C.an expression of anger                   D. a way of greeting

2.What is a bird’s “territory”?

A.A place where families of other species are not accepted.

B.A place where a bird may shout at the top of its voice.

C.An area for which birds fight against each other.

D.An area which a bird considers to be its own.

3.Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season?

A.Because they want to invite more friends.

B.Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away.

C.Because they want to find outsiders around.

D.Because their singing helps get rid of their fears.

4.How does the writer explain birds’ singing?

A.By comparing birds with human beings.

B.By reporting experiment results.

C.By describing birds’ daily life.

D.By telling a bird’s story.

5.What does the underline word “screaming” in paragraph 4 mean?

A.哭喊声           B.令人惊愕的        C.尖叫声           D.尖叫的

 

Dana Cummings was in his thirties before he first went surfing. But, even more interesting is that Dana Cummings chose to learn the sport after losing a leg in a car accident. Now, nine years later, he helps other disabled (伤残的) people learn how to ride the waves in AmpSurf.

On the coast of Maine, he is working with 27-year-old Matthew Fish, who is partly blind. Cummings takes hold of Fish and leads him into the ocean. The surfboard floats next to them. Fish lies on the surfboard. He tries to stand up on it. After a few attempts (尝试) he is up and riding all the way back to land. “That was exciting,” Fish says.

A car accident in 2002 took Dana Cummings’ leg. He says the crash changed him more than just physically. “Losing my leg made me realize how precious (珍贵的) life is and get off the couch and start living. I do more things now than I ever did before. Next week I am going to compete in a contest in Hawaii,” Dana says.

One year later Dana Cummings formed AmpSurf. AmpSurf is a group that volunteers to hold surfing classes and events for people with all kinds of disabilities.

Recently, AmpSurf took its training programs to the East Coast. Eleven students attended the class in Maine. They came from all over the northeastern United States.

Dana Cummings thinks AmpSurf can change the way a disabled person thinks. “Most people with disabilities consider himself or herself unlucky and useless, but we want them to see what they can do. Who cares you lose your leg or you are blind, whatever? Have fun. Just enjoy life. Take the most advantage of it you can,” Dana says.

1.Matthew Fish thinks learning to ride the waves is _____.

A.boring            B.easy              C.interesting         D.difficult

2.When did Dana Cummings set up AmpSurf according to the text?

A.In 2002.          B.In 2003.           C.In 2008.           D.In 2011.

3.According to Dana Cummings, AmpSurf can _____.

A.ease the physical pain of the disabled

B.help the disabled learn to get used to their life

C.change the attitude of the disabled towards life

D.make the disabled pay more attention to their disabilities

4.What is the best title for the text?

A.Dana Cummings — a great surfer

B.AmpSurf — a training group

C.How to learn to live with disabilities

D.Disabled surfers ride the waves

 

根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

What is a big dream? (1)           Or, is a big dream something that provides only entertainment? Children dream big dreams, but there are three barriers to realizing dreams. They often kill them before they ever have a chance to grow.

The Self

Immediately following the birth of a big dream, a negative self-talk takes over and gives all the reasons why it cannot happen. This inside voice is the ego(自我). It’s there for protecting and should be listened to. (2)           Most people are influenced by the inside voice. That’s why only a handful of people make their dream come true.

(3)         

Family and friends are a lot like the ego. They want to protect those they love, so they will often list all the reasons why the big dreams won’t come true. Sometimes, family and friends destroy dreams of those they love most, out of their own fear of being left behind.

The World

If one gets past the first two barriers, one has to face the world. (4)           In the past, big dreamers were locked up and sometimes even killed when they were shown to the world. Fortunately, in most of the world today, big dreamers just get laughed at.

The way to realize a big dream is with confidence and action. When children have confidence and then take action, they will be ready to accept any failure. The truth is that every great dreamer whose dreams have never seen the light of success knows failure well. (5)          

A.Family and Friends

B.How Big Dreams Die

C.Does a big dream show one’s future?

D.They simply fail until they succeed.

E.It is the last and the most terrible barrier.

F.Sometimes it is right, but more often it is wrong

G.And their big dream is to be a rock star or a famous artist.

 

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