Maggie was very glad that James was not a frequent visitor to the house. So far as the children were concerned, they had a mystery about him that stirred their imagination. He stirred Maggie’s anger, however, so that she often said to her husband, “It’s mercy that brother of yours doesn’t come oftener.”

In fact James came once a year, unexpectedly, around eight o’clock in the evening, and he stayed for six hours of close discussion with his brother. His arrival was a signal to the children that their bedtime would be delayed. Not that he ever spoke to them or played with them. He took no notice of them, as if he was unable to see children, at least until the time came for him to go. Instead, after his first greeting and a careless kiss, James took no notice of Maggie either, except to add, “You’ll be getting on with the supper, Maggie.” Such was his regard for her.

Maggie paid him back in her own way. She kept the children up, the four of them, to keep her company, she said, but of course they sang and made a noise and broke the endless sound of James’s voice. Very late, they dropped off to sleep in their chairs. Then, when James was about to go, Maggie woke them up and so more or less forced him to part with four shillings before he left. That gave her some satisfaction, for James, though rich, was mean. He always went home by the last train, just after two o’clock.

Maggie’s children secretly stared at their uncle. They could not forget that he had, in their mother’s words, “lost two wives and taken a third, ” They wondered about those two unfortunate lost ladies. They asked each other what their fate had been, and if neither could ever be found again. James never brought his third wife with him nor ever mentioned her. The children decided that he must be so frightened of losing her that he never allowed her outside the door.

The underlined word “mercy” in the text most probably means _______.

A. loss      B. wonder

C. lucky thing D. terrible thing

Maggie never prepared anything special for James because _______.

A. he was a man difficult to please

B. she never knew when he was coming

C. she was too busy looking after her children

D. he never stayed long enough for a meal

What do we know about James’ behavior?

A. He was a kind man, with love for the family.

B. He was generous, especially towards his brother.

C. He was anxious to please the family, especially the kids.

D. He was rude to his sister-in-law.

Maggie felt pleased when _______.

A. she paid James the money that she owed him

B. James gave some money to the children

C. she had to wake James up to catch his train

D. James thanked her for the nice supper

The children did not realize that two of James’ wives _______.

A. had been dead    B. suffered from loss of memory

C. had run away from him    D. might appear again one day

Tea drinking was common in China for nearly one thousand years before anyone in Europe had ever heard about tea.People in Britain were much slower in finding out what tea was like, mainly because tea was very expensive. It could not be bought in shops and even those people who could afford to have it sent from Holland did so only because it was a fashionable curiosity. Some of them were not sure how to use it. They thought it was a vegetable and tried cooking the leaves. Then they served them mixed with butter and salt. They soon discovered their mistake but many people used to spread the used tea leaves on bread and give them to their children as sandwiches.
Tea remained scarce and very expensive in England until the ships of the East India Company began to bring it direct from China early in the seventeenth century. During the next few years so much tea came into the country that the price fell and many people could afford to buy it.
At the same time people on the Continent were becoming more and more fond of tea.Until then tea had been drunk without milk in it, but one day a famous French lady named Madame de Sevigne decided to see what tea tasted like when milk was added.She found it so pleasant that she would never again drink it without milk. Because she was such a great lady her friends thought they must copy everything she did, so they also drank their tea with milk in it. Slowly this habit spread until it reached England and today only very few Britons drink tea without milk.
At first, tea was usually drunk after dinner in the evening No one ever thought of drinking tea in the afternoon until a duchess (公爵夫人) found that a cup of tea and a piece of cake at three or four o’clock stopped her getting “a sinking feeling” as she called it. She invited her friends to have this new meal with her and so, tea-time was born.
【小题1】Which of the following is true of the introduction of tea into Britain?

A.The Britons got expensive tea from India.
B.Tea reached Britain from Holland.
C.The Britons were the first people in Europe who drank tea.
D.It was not until the 17th century that the Britons had tea.
【小题2】This passage mainly discusses_____________.
A.the history of tea drinking in Britain
B.how tea became a popular drink in Britain
C.how the Britons got the habit of drinking tea
D.how tea-time was born
【小题3】Tea became a popular drink in Britain_____________.
A.in eighteenth century B.in sixteenth century
C.in seventeenth centuryD.in the late seventeenth century
【小题4】People in Europe began to drink tea with milk because_____________.
A.it tasted like milk
B.it tasted more pleasant
C.it became a popular drink
D.Madame de Sevigne was such a lady with great social influence that people tried to copy the way she drank tea
【小题5】We may infer from the passage that the habit of drinking tea in Britain was mostly
due to the influence of  ________.
A.a famous French ladyB.the ancient Chinese
C.the upper social classD.people in Holland

The famous director of a big and expensive movie planned to film a beautiful sunset over the ocean, so that the audiences could see his hero and heroine in front of it at the end of the film as they said goodbye to each other for ever. He sent his camera crew out one evening to film the sunset for him.
The next morning he said to the men, “Have you provided me with that sunset?”
“No, sir,” the men answered.
The director was angry, “Why not?” he asked.
“Well, sir,” one of the men answered, “we are on the east coast here, and the sun sets in the west. We can get you a sunrise over the sea, if necessary, but not a sunset.”
“But I want a sunset!” the director shouted. “Go to the airport, take the next flight to the west coast, and get one”
But then a young secretary had an idea. “Why don’t you photograph a sunrise?” she suggested, “and then play it backwards? Then it’ll look like a sunset.”
“That’s a good idea!” the director said. Then he turned to the camera crew and said, “Tomorrow morning I want you to get me a beautiful sunrise over the sea.”
The camera crew went out early the next morning and filmed a bright sunrise over the beach in the middle of a beautiful bay. Then at nine o’clock they took it to the director. “Here it is, sir.” They said, and gave it to him. He was very pleased.
They all went into the studio. “All right,” the director explained, “now our hero and heroine are going to say goodbye. Run the film backwards so that we can see the ‘sunset’ behind them.”
The “sunset” began, but after a quarter of minute, the director suddenly put his face in the hands and shouted to the camera crew to stop.
The birds in the film were flying backwards, and the waves on the sea were going away from the beach.
【小题1】One evening, the director sent his camera crew out ______________.

A.to watch a beautiful sunsetB.to find an actor and an actress
C.to film a scene on the seaD.to meet the audience
【小题2】Why did the director want to send his crew to the west coast?
A.Because he changed his mind about getting a sunset.
B.Because he was angry with his crew.
C.Because it was his secretary’s suggestion.
D.Because he wanted to get a scene of sunset.
【小题3】The director wanted to film a sunset over the ocean because___________.
A.it went well with the separation of the hero and heroine
B.when they arrived at the beach it was already in the evening
C.it was more moving than a sunrise
D.the ocean looked more beautiful at sunset
【小题4】After the “sunset” began, the director suddenly put his face in his hands __________.
A.because he was moved to tears
B.as he saw everything in the film moving backwards
C.as the sunrise did not look as beautiful as he had imagined
D.because he was disappointed with the performance of the hero and heroine
【小题5】Which of the following is not true?
A.The crew had to follow the secretary’s advice.
B.If you want to see a sunrise, the east coast is the place to go to.
C.The camera crew wasn’t able to film the scene the first day.
D.The director ordered his crew to stop filming the sunrise.

Many psychologists in the early twentieth century believed that humans use only 10 percent of their brains, and even the great Albert Einstein once wrote that most people use only a small portion of the grey matter between their ears. It’s a theory that has often been put forward in television documentaries; magazines, advertisements and books over the past century.
But nearly all scientists now agree the 10 percent theory is completely unfounded. In fact, they question how this figure was ever arrived at in the first place and what areas of the brain are supposed to be unneeded. The theory supposes that if 90 percent of the brain were removed, a person would Still be able to function normally, while in reality it is known that damage to even a small area of the brain can result in extremely serious physical injury different activities and that many areas of the brain are used at the same time for some complex activities or thought processes.
Throughout the course of one day, most .areas of the brain are active at some time, even during sleep. The 10 percent theory suggests that certain areas o’ the brain are not used, but scans slow activities throughout the entire brain and not in any separate part. The final argument against the 10 percent theory is the fact that doctors carefully map the brain before removing brain cancers so that they don’t affect other essential areas.
From an evolutionary point of view, it’s highly unlikely butt our comparatively larger brains would have evolved from our ancestors if the extra areas were not needed. In fact, there is absolutely no evidence support the 10 percent theory.
【小题1】How did the 10 percent theory get such widespread popularity?

A.It was promoted in various types of copular media.
B.Albert Einstein argued strongly in support.
C.It was proven in scientific research.
D.Few people could prove it wrong.
【小题2】The underlined word "unfounded" is chest in meaning to _________.
A.undiscoveredB.unprovenC.unknownD.unnecessary
【小题3】Which of the following is true according to the writer?
A.We use less than 10% of our brains.
B.Most brain disorders affect the same part of the brain.
C.The brain is less active during times of sleep.
D.The 10 percent theory does not make evolutionary sense.
【小题4】What can we infer from the passage?
A.People today use more of their brain than in the past.
B.Scientific opinion about the topic of brain use is equally divided.
C.Our understanding of the brain has changed greatly in the past decades.
D.Modern scientists have a complete picture of how the brain works.
【小题5】What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To present two sides of brain theory.
B.To criticize the 10 percent theory.
C.To explain how brain works.
D.To describe the history of brain research.

阅读下面短文并回答问题,然后将答案写到答题卡相应的位置上(请注意问题后的字数要求)。

[1]Usually, when your teacher asks a question, there is only one correct answer. But there is one question that has millions of correct answers. That question is “What's your name?”. Everyone gives a different answer, but everyone is correct. Have you ever wondered about people's names? Where do they come from? What do they mean?

[2]People's first names, or given names, are chosen by their parents. Sometimes the name of a grandparent or other member of the family is used. Some parents ___________________. A boy could be named George Washington Smith;a girl could be named Helen Keller Jones.

[3]Some people give their children names that mean good things. Clara means “bright”; Beatrice means “one who gives happiness”;Donald means “world ruler”; Leonard means “as brave as a lion”.

[4]The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from place names. A family with the name Brook or Brooks probably lived near a brook (小溪); someone who was called Longstreet probably Lived on a long, paved road. The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest.

[5]Other early surnames came from people's occupations. The most common occupational name is Smith, which means a person who makes things with iron or other metals. In the past, smiths were very important  workers in every town and village. Some other occupational names are:Carter—a person who owned or drove a cart;Potter—a person who made pots and pans. The ancestors of the Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbours in their native village. The Carpenter's great­great­great­grandfather probably built houses and furniture.

[6]Sometimes_people_were_known_for_the_colour_of_their_hair_or_skinor_their_sizeor_their_special_abilities. When there were two men who were named John in the same village, the John with the gray hair probably became John Gray. Or the John who was very tall could call himself John Tallman. John Fish was probably an excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was probably a fast runner or a good dancer.

[7]Some family names were made by adding something to the father's name. English­speaking people added ­s or ­son. The Johnsons are descendants of John;  the Roberts family's ancestor was Robert. Irish and  Scottish people added Mac or Mc or O. Perhaps all of  the MacDonnells and the McDonneils and the O'Donnells are descendants of the same Donnell.

1.What is the best title of the passage? (no more than10 words)

_______________________________________________________

2.Please fill in the blank in the 2nd paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.(no more than 10 words)

_______________________________________________________

3.According to the passage, what job did the ancestors of the Potter family most probably do?

_______________________________________________________

4.List three aspects that the surnames cover in the passage.

(1)___________ (2)___________ (3)___________

5.Translate the underlined sentence in the 6th paragraph into Chinese.

_______________________________________________________

 

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