The Sahara Festival is a celebration of the very recent past. The three-day event is not fixed to the same dates each year, but generally takes place in November or December. It is well attended by tourists, but even better attended by locals.

    During the opening ceremonies(仪式), after the official greetings from the government leaders, people who attend the festival begin to march smartly before the viewing stands, and white camels (骆驼)transport their riders across the sands. Horsemen from different nations display their beautiful clothes and their fine horsemanship. One following another, groups of musicians and dancers from all over the Sahara take their turn to show off their wonderful traditional culture. Groups of men in blue and yellow play horns and beat drums as they dance in different designs(传统文化). On their knees in the sand, a group of women in long dark dresses dance with their hair: their long, dark, shiny hair is thrown back and forth in the wind to the rhythm of their dance.

    The local and visiting Italian dogs are anxious to run after hares. The crowd is on its feet for the camel races. Camels and riders run far into the distance, and then return to the finish Line in front of the cheering people.

    Towards the evening, there comes the grand finale of the opening day, an extremely exciting horserace. All the riders run very fast on horseback. Some riders hang off the side of their saddles. Some even ride upside down -- their legs and feet straight up in the air -- all at full speed. Others rush down the course together, men arm in arm, on different horses. On and on they went. So fast and so wonderful!

64. The Sahara Festival is a festival which________.

A. has a very long history in North Africa          

B. is held in the same place on the same day

C. is attended mainly by the people in the Sahara

D. is celebrated mostly by travelers from different countries

65. Before the races begin, ________ take part in the activities during the opening ceremonies.

A. musicians, dancers, horses and hares                  B. camel riders, musicians, dogs and hares

C. horsemen, dancers, camels and dogs               D. musicians, officials, camels and horses

66. The underlined word "finale" in the fourth paragraph most probably means the ________of the opening day.

A. first part         B. middle          C. last part          D. whole

67. This passage mainly tells readers_______.

A. what happens on the opening day of the Sahara Festival

B. how people celebrate during the three-day Sahara Festival

C. what takes place at the closing ceremonies of the Sahara Festival

D. how animals race on the first and the last days of the Sahara Festival

Global financial big dogs are no match for China's "Da Ma", or housewives, who have crowded into gold stores across China, buying up 300 tons of gold over the past two weeks. No wonder gold prices have steadied after taking a dive.

During the May Day holiday, gold stores were crowded with mostly female customers. Most of them are middle-aged "Chinese housewives". This group of buyers has risen to fame recently. They are big spenders and are desperate to get their hands on a bargain. "I bought some gold jewellery and kept them as a gift for my son when he gets married," said a buyer from Shanghai.

The gold business is skyrocketing. "Our sales are growing by the day. Yesterday we sold more than ten million yuan of gold products," a gold store salesperson said. The gold rush in China started about two weeks ago thanks to a decline in global gold prices. Media reports suggest that Chinese housewives have spent about 100 billion yuan, or about 16 billion US dollars, purchasing 300 tons of gold since mid-April. That has helped support gold prices.

"Gold prices depressed since the middle of last month but have risen gradually. That is mainly due to the strong demand from Asian markets," said foreign trader Zhang Chen from Industrial & Commercial Bank of China. "Some people even joked that Chinese housewives have beaten Wall Street analysts." For Chinese people, with limited investment options, the only thing better than buying gold is buying gold at discount prices.

1.What does the author indicate(表明;预示)in the first sentence of the first paragraph?

A. The global big dogs can’t match with Chinese housewives.

B. Chinese housewives spend a great deal of money on gold

C. China's "Da Ma" help a lot to support the global economic crisis

D. Chinese housewives have a better consumption idea than global financial big dogs .

2.We can infer from the passage that_______________

A. China’s "Da Ma" become the largest gold buyers due to a decline in global gold prices.

B. China's "Da Ma" crowded into stores to get gold as the best gifts for sons when they get married.

C. China's "Da Ma" are bigger spenders and cleverer than global financial big dogs.

D. Chinese housewives are most willing to spend money in buying gold .

3.In the writer’s view, Chinese housewives are desperate to get their hands on a bargain because_____.

A. it is worthy to buy gold.

B .they have a strong demand

C. it is at discount prices.

D they have unlimited investment options

4.The author’s description about the passage is ______.

A. doubtful   B. subjective    C. objective    D. Negative

 

Almost every child is scared of something, from monsters in the cupboard to dogs in the park. But the fact that such fears are common and normal doesn’t mean they can be taken lightly. Kids experience fears and phobias(恐惧症) much more strongly than adults. And the influence of the fear can be physical as well as psychological (心理的). It can build up so they almost seem scared of everything--a kind of childhood anxiety. Dr. Creswell says: “Your child may always seem to expect the worst to happen and lack confidence in his or her ability to deal with any challenge.” So don’t make the same old mistake of treating them as if they’re silly for being a“scaredy cat”. Handling the fears is essential.

Children can be born nervous and, if you have such a baby, you’ll tend to prevent them from getting worried. So if they fear dogs, you’ll keep them away from dogs, but in fact that can just confirm to the child that dogs are scary. What is worse, keeping your child away from what they fear can turn that feeling into a phobia. Instead, you should encourage them to get in touch with the thing they fear, in a safe and supportive environment. Dr. Andy Field, a researcher of childhood fears, says: “You shouldn’t force, for example, a dog anxious child to go up to a dog. But you can approach it yourself, show them there is nothing to be afraid of, stroke( 抚摸) it, and talk about the dog being friendly. Once your child dares to stroke a dog-one that’s good with children, of course---then you should encourage them to carry on until they feel calmer, and reward them for‘being brave’.”

1.Children’s fears are usually taken lightly because    .

A.they will not develop into phobias

B.their influence is psychological

C.they exist widely in the world

D.they will disappear gradually

2.If we fail to help children to overcome fears, they will   .

A.make the same old mistake

B.overcome them by themselves

C.experience the worst of things

D.grow up lacking self-confidence

3.According to Dr. Andy Field, if a child is afraid of a cat, parents should    .

A.tell the child not to be afraid of it

B.show the child how to approach it

C.keep the child away from it

D.ask the child to stroke it

 

A butcher watching over his shop was really surprised when he saw a dog coming inside the shop. He went over to the dog and noticed it had a note in its mouth. He took the note and it read “Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please. The dog has money in his mouth, as well.”

The butcher looked carefully and was surprised to find that there was really a ten-dollar note there. So he took the money and put the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog’s mouth. The butcher was so impressed, and since it was about closing time, he decided to shut up shop and follow the dog.

So off he went. He followed the dog to a bus stop. The dog stopped and started looking at the timetable. The dog checked out the time, and then sat on one of the seats provided. Along came a bus. The dog walked around to the front, looked at the number, and went back to its seat. Another bus came. Again the dog went around to the front, looked at the number and climbed on. The butcher, by now, open-mouthed, followed it onto the bus.

The bus traveled through the town and out into the suburbs. Eventually the dog got up, and moved to the front of the bus. It stood on two back paws and pushed the button to stop the bus. Then it got off with groceries still in its mouth.

Well, the dog and the butcher were walking along the road, and then the dog turned into a house. It walked up the path, and dropped the groceries on the step. Then it walked back down the path, took a big run, and threw itself against the door. Then again, it threw himself against it. There’s no answer at the house. so the dog waited at the door.

The butcher watched as a big guy opened the door, and started shouting at it. The butcher ran up, and stopped the guy. “Why do you shout at the dog? It is really a genius.” The guy responded, “You call this clever? This is the second time this week that this stupid dog’s forgotten its key.”

1.Which may be the best title of the passage?

A.A clever dog.                          B.A curious butcher.

C.A cruel owner.                         D.A second lost key.

2.Why was the butcher surprised when he saw the dog?

A.Because there was a note in the dog’s mouth.

B.Because a dog was not supposed to come into his shop alone.

C.Because the dog was not afraid of being butchered.

D.Because the dog could read.

3.The passage implies that _________.

A.dogs are cleverer than man

B.dogs are our best friend

C.the butcher is a cruel person

D.some people are never satisfied with what they have got

4.The dog threw itself against the door, because _________.

A.it wanted to force the door open

B.it wanted its owner to open the door

C.it wanted to punish itself for forgetting the key

D.it wanted to get the butcher’s help

5.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A.The butcher was curious so he followed the dog.

B.The dog didn’t get on the first bus because it was the wrong number.

C.To get off the bus, you should let the driver know by pressing the button.

D.The dog would be driven away by the big guy.

 

Most children, even the youngest of children, are delighted to be around cats and dogs. But these pets carry plenty of germs and allergens(过敏原),prompting researchers to ask: Are cats and dogs really safe for children?

A study finds that, contrary to many parents' fears, owning cats or dogs does not increase a child's risk of developing allergies, and in fact, may actually protect them. The study's lead author, Dr. Dennic Ownby of the Medical College of Georgia, says that even he was "very surprised" by the results. Ownby and colleagues followed more than 470 children from birth to age 6 or 7, comparing those exposed to cats and dogs during their first year of life to those who were not.

By using skin-prick tests for detecting common allergies, the researchers found that, contrary to what many doctors had been taught for years, children who had lived with a pet were not at greater risk.

Even more remarkable, children who had two or more dogs or cats had an even greater reduction, up to 77 percent, in risk of allergies. Researchers suggest this protective effect may be the result of early exposure to lots of bacteria that are carried by dogs and cats. Exposing young children to these bacteria helps" exercise" their immune systems early in life so that they're better able to resist allergic diseases later.

There's something very important in that first year of life when the immune system is developing that we can retrain it away from an allergic response, said Dr. William Davis.

    And while researchers are not encouraging parents to buy dogs or cats just to reduce a child's allergy risk, they say if a family already has one or more animals, there's no need to get rid of them.

1.Why do the researchers feel “very surprised” by the results of the study?

A.Because the results are contrary to their expectation.

B.Because so many children are playing with cats and dogs.

C.Because parents are so much worried about their children.

D.Because children with animals may develop allergies easily.

2.Compared with children who have pets,those who haven’t  ______.

A.will lose the chance to develop immune system

B.may suffer allergic diseases more often

C.will reduce the harm from bacteria

D.can keep doctors away

3.It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A.pets are ill-treated by their owners

B.less families would like to own cats and dogs

C.keeping pets is a good way to keep children healthy

D.the results of the study can make families with pets feel at ease

4.The underlined word “it” in the fifth paragraph refers to________.

A.the early life                      

B.an allergic disease

C.immune system                   

D.something important

5.What may be the best title of the passage?

A.How to protect your kids from allergies

B.Your pets may be helping your kids

C.Bacteria do good to your kids

D.Advantages of owning pets

 

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