My destination is the River Walk, one of the most popular places in all of Texas. In the first half of 20th century, to control flooding, the city fathers began redirecting the San Antonio River. They built a network of canals that pass through the downtown area. At nearly every street corner, stairs lead down to walkways on both sides of the canals.

The River Walk is linked with cafes, bars, shops --- and, of course, plenty of bridges. You can easily cross over to the other side without having to return to the street. It’s a constant party along the River Walk, with music and festivals throughout the year. The Mud Festival, for example, takes place each January, when the city empties this section of the river to clean it out. That’s when the Mud King and Mud Queen are crowned.

No visit to Texas would be complete without seeing a rodeo --- another aspect of this part of the country that is completely foreign to someone from New England. The announcer walks on stage and gets the crowd excited with talk about the courageous cowboys who’ll be performing. While he’s talking, a band plays sad songs about love gone wrong.

Suddenly the announcer calls for silence. He takes off his tall hat and asks us to join him in prayer. We pray for the cowboys who are, we are told, risking their lives to entertain us, as well as for the bulls and other animals taking part in the shows. We pray for the tourists who are visiting. The rodeo gets going and the fun begins.

Our prayers for the cowboys and animals are answered, and nobody gets hurt. But as we walk over to the cowboy dance hall after the show to enjoy a Texas-size barbecue, it’s clear that not enough prayers were said for the bulls’ less athletic relatives --- the ones not chosen for rodeo work. They’ll be our meal. It seems that moving too slowly has its disadvantages, too.

What do you know about the River Walk from the article?

A. People hold parties to celebrate festivals here every day.

B. It refers to the sidewalks on either side of this section of the San Antonio River.

C. There are many bridges that connect the River Walk and the Main Street.

D. Stairs link the River Walk to cafes, bars and shops in the street.

Which of the following statements about Mud festival is NOT true?

A. Mud Festival dates back to the first half of 20th century.

B. Mud Festival is held in January every year.

C. Mud King and Mud Queen are chosen in the festival

D. Mud Festival is celebrated to clear the mud of the San Antonio River.

What does the underlined word “rodeo” refer to?

A. One aspect of the American country life. B. The concert given by a band.

C. The cowboys’ performance. D. The grand Texas-size barbecue.

Why do some bulls become the visitors’ meal?

A. Because they do not run as fast as those taking part in the shows.

B. Because the visitors do not pray enough for them before the shows.

C. Because they lose the competition to their relatives in the shows.

D. Because they are only beef cattle intended as people’s food.

Which of the following words can NOT be used to describe the writer’s mood?

A. light-hearted       B. excited          C. anxious        D. humorous

My friend Jim and I finally decided to spend our 14 days off in the eastern country.We were arranged to stay with a local family, which made it possible for us to share a real life experience with the locals and in return bring ourselves a richer experience of the native culture and tradition.
In the company of one of our well-informed local tour leaders, we started one of the trips to the nearby town . As we were passing elephants, we stopped , confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by a small rope tied to their front legs . No chains, no cages. It was obvious that these elephants could, at any time, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for some reason, they did not . My friend went up to the trainer and asked why these beautiful animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,”he said , “When they were young and much smaller we used the same size rope to tie them and at that age, it was enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are accustomed to believing that they can not break away. They believe that the rope can hold them, so they never try to break free. We were amazed . These animals could at any time break away from their ropes but just because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.
Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we can not do something , simply because we failed at it once before ? How many of us are being held by outdated belief that no longer serves us ? How many of us have avoided trying something new because of a limited belief? Worse still , how many of us are being held back by someone else’s limiting beliefs? Your attempt may fail but never fail to make an attempt.
【小题1】What was the author most interested in during his visit?

A.The local people and elephants
B.The local culture and tradition
C.The history of the eastern country
D.The local food and scenery
【小题2】What amazed them was to see__________.
A.the trainer playing skillfully with the huge animals
B.the trainer attracting the visitors’s attention in such a way
C.the huge elephants tied only by a small rope
D.the elephants being trained with small ropes
【小题3】The elephants never tried to get away because_______.
A.they believed they couldn’t break away from the small ropes
B.they got used to being raised and controlled by human beings
C.they had a very close relationship with their trainers
D.it was hard to break away from the strong and powerful ropes
【小题4】The author holds the view that _______.
A.people should never fail to make an attempt or get held by false beliefs
B.people should travel around and try new things
C.animals should be trained to obey their masters
D.it’s necessary to train creatures when they are young

A murder will occur this weekend in the peaceful seaside town of Langley, Washington. In fact, a murder has occurred there every February for the past 25 years. But don’t panic! It’s all part of the town’s yearly Mystery Weekend.

What began as a local event in 1984 now attracts visitors from over the U.S. and even abroad. Would-be detectives(侦探)arrive on Saturday. There, they receive a packet, including a newspaper with details about the crime and information telling where to find clues(线索). Visitors then travel to various shops, restaurants and other places, searching for clues as they go. Along the way, they meet and interview suspects (疑犯) played by local people. The visitors need turn in their guesses on Sunday at 4:00 p.m.. Then as everyone gathers, the murderer is found, and prizes are awarded for correct answers.

For visitors, Mystery Weekend is not only fun but also a great introduction to the charms of Langley. It’s a very attractive place with historic buildings, exciting ocean views and above all, friendly people. Since Langley is on an island, a fun way to get there is by taking a ship to the nearby town of Clinton and then driving the rest of the way. Langley has a delightful selection of hotels with bed and breakfasts that are open all year round. And activities in Langley aren’t limited to Mystery Weekend. There is also great hiking, biking, golfing and diving to enjoy. And for a special adventure, visitors can book on one of the whale–watching ships that leave nearby harbors each day. 

1. The second paragraph mainly tells us__________.

A. where visitors can pick up the clues

B. what people do during Mystery Weekend

C. when Mystery Weekend came into being

D. how the detectives try to clear up the case

2.According to the passage, visitors in Langley can Not__________.

A. watch whales performing

B. take a ship to Clinton.

C. enjoy a wide variety of activities like dancing and singing

D. stay in hotels opened throughout the year

3.We learn from the text that Mystery Weekend  ______.

A. is an event which happens once a year.

B. aims to decrease crime rate

C. is intended for detectives

D. offers visitors a chance to make money

4. What would be the best title for the passage

A. Langley    B. Mystery Weekend    C. Would-be detectives    D. A murder

 

It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.

    Then one day, some visitors from the city arrived. They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog’s legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places.

This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a better future. But the dream didn’t last long.

The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.

The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides (杀虫剂)and medicines. Soon there was no money left.

Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn’t been useless. They had been doing an important job — eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.

Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.

1..

. From Paragraph 1 we learn that the villagers       .

   A. worked very hard for centuries          B. dreamed of having a better life

   C. were poor but somewhat content         D. lived a different life from their forefathers

2..

 Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?

   A. The frogs were easy money.             B. They needed money to buy medicine.

   C. They wanted to please the visitors.        D. The frogs made too much noise.

3..

. What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?

   A. The crops didn’t do well.               B. There were too many insects.

   C. The visitors brought in diseases.          D. The pesticides were overused.

4..

 What can we infer from the last sentence of the text?

   A. Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country.

   B. Health is more important than money.

C. The harmony between man and nature is important.

D. Good old days will never be forgotten.

 

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