Passage 3

Uncle Li and Uncle Wang are good friends. They live next to each other and their farms are both at the foot of the mountain. So they can help each other. But neither of them likes to use his head. They're both poor though they work hard. Most villagers have built new houses, but they still live in the low and broken houses. They never find out why.

Once Uncle Li went to town to buy some medicine for his wife. In the town he heard the apples in a city were expensive. He told Uncle Wang about it as soon as he went back. They decided to carry some apples to the city. They borrowed some money from their friends and bought nearly 1,000 kilograms of apples in the villages and carried them to the city on a tractor. Bad luck! A lot of apples has already been carried there when they arrived. A few days later they had to sell them at a low price (价格)。They felt unhappy and returned to their village.

"I can't understand why we sustained (蒙受) losses in business while others always profit (盈利)" Uncle Li asked one day.

"The tractor was too small " Uncle Wang said without thinking. "We'll carry more apples on a truck next time!"

"I agree!" said Uncle Li. "How foolish (傻的) we were !"

1. Uncle Li and Uncle Wang live in the low and broken houses because __________.

A. they hope to save money

B. they're both poor

C. their farms are at the foot of the mountain

D. they're not far from their farms

2.The two farmers carried the apples to the city to _________.

A. make a journey       B. visit some places of interest

C. meet their friends        D. make a profit

3.The two farmers had to sell their apples at a low price because ________.

A. theirs weren't as good as the others'

B. theirs were much less than the others'

C. a lot of apples had been already carried to the city

D. they forgot to carry them on a truck

4.Uncle Li and Uncle Wang were unhappy because _________.

A. they had sustained losses in business

B. they had lost some money in the city

C. something was wrong with the tractor

D. other people profited in the city

5.Which of the following is true?

A. The two farmers found out why they were poor.

B. The two farmers will soon get rich.

C. Neither of the farmers is clever.

D. The two farmers decided to buy a truck.

According to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, we officially welcome the Year of the Horse better than others.
The horse has played an important role throughout human history all over the world. Horses were used for thousands of years as a means of transportation, a weapon of war and a plougher of fields(犁地农具), but "the horse was more than just a vehicle - it had more character than a car, a tank or a tractor," Clare Balding wrote for The Telegraph.

In the Middle Ages in Western societies, the horse was a symbol of chivalry（骑士神）and nobility(贵族). In fact, the word "chivalry" comes from "cheval" in Old French, which meant horse. The idea of chivalry helped to fashion the 19th-century "gentleman", which was about good manners, courage and honesty to friends.
Nowadays, because of economic(经济) development, people in Western societies are less likely to see or ride horses. People living in cities, in particular, hardly ever experience horses except through movies, paintings or books. But horse racing, and betting .money on horse races, is still popular. The Kentucky Derby is one of the most popular sporting events every year in the US.
In the UK, the royal police still go around the city on horseback and the Queen rides in a traditional horse-drawn carriage on "ceremonial occasions (正式场合)”．
Some sayings about horses are still used in English today. For example, people still say "hold your horses" to mean “slow down". If someone seems too proud, people might tell him or her to "get off his or her high horse". And since horses are strong and energetic, there are expressions such as "as strong as a horse", "workhorse" and "horsing around".   .
Interestingly, the horse also appears in many Chinese sayings, such as Qianlima, which means a talented person. Other Chinese horse sayings include Madaochenggong (instant success) and Baimawangzi (prince charming).
Besides their physical strengths, horses are smart and have "excellent memories", according to Discovery News. Maybe that's why Chinese people say, "An old horse never gets lost".
Since the horse is honored as a symbol of many great qualities, people born in the Year of the Horse are said to share them.
【小题1】According to Chinese tradition, which year is welcomed best officially?

A Policeman and a Thief  
One day a policeman was taking a thief to the city . On the way , they saw a shop . The thief said . “ Let me go into the shop to buy some bread . We can eat it in the train . ”
The policeman agreed . The thief went into the shop and ran out of the back door . When the policeman knew that , he began to look for the thief everywhere . At last the policeman caught(抓获) thief again . They went on to the city . On the way they came to the same shop . The thief wanted to buy some bread again . “Oh , no . ” said the policeman , “You did that before , and you ran away . This time I^’ll go into the shop and buy bread . You must wait here for me . ”
【小题1】What was the policeman doing one day ?

According to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, we officially welcome the Year of the Horse better than others.
The horse has played an important role throughout human history all over the world. Horses were used for thousands of years as a means of transportation, a weapon of war and a plougher of fields(犁地农具), but “the horse was more than just a vehicle – it had more character than a car, a tank or a tractor,” Clare Balding wrote for The Telegraph.
In the Middle Ages in Western societies, the horse was a symbol of chivalry (骑士精神) and nobility(贵族). In fact, the word “chivalry” comes from “cheval” in Old French, which meant horse. The idea of chivalry helped to fashion the 19th-century “gentleman”, which was about good manners, courage and honesty to friends.
Nowadays, because of economic(经济) development, people in Western societies are less likely to see or ride horses. People living in cities, in particular, hardly ever experience horses except through movies, paintings or  books. But horse racing, and betting money on horse races, is still popular. The Kentucky Derby is one of the most popular sporting events every year in the US.
In the UK, the royal police still go around the city on horseback and the Queen rides in a traditional horse-drawn carriage on “ceremonial occasions (正式场合)”.
Some sayings about horses are still used in English today. For example, people still say “hold your horses” to mean “slow down”. If someone seems too proud, people might tell him or her to “get off his or her high horse”. And since horses are strong and energetic, there are expressions such as “as strong as a horse”, “workhorse” and “horsing around”.
Interestingly, the horse also appears in many Chinese sayings, such as Qianlima, which means a talented person. Other Chinese horse sayings include Madaochenggong (instant success) and Baimawangzi (prince charming).
Besides their physical strengths, horses are smart and have “excellent memories”, according to Discovery News. Maybe that’s why Chinese people say, “An old horse never gets lost”.
Since the horse is honored as a symbol of many great qualities, people born in the Year of the Horse are said to share them.

【小题1】 According to Chinese tradition, which year is welcomed best officially?

New York is a very large city with 8 million people. How do so many people move about the city on their way to work and school? So, we should know something about its transportation.
In New York you can travel about the city by subway, bus, taxi and car. The subway runs on the railroad lines under the city. It crosses the city at different points and goes all parts of the city. Traveling by subway is the fastest way to get around the city.
The second way to travel around the city is by public bus. It’s a slower way to travel. This is because the bus moves in road traffic which is often heavy.
You can also travel around the city by taxi. This is the most expensive way, but the taxi will take you to the very place you wish to go to. If traffic is heavy, the taxi will be slow. During the mornings and afternoons, this is the “rush hour”. This is the time when the traffic is very heavy with people going to and from work.
The last way to get around New York is using your own car. However（但是）, it’s not easy for you to drive, especially（尤其是）when you are driving in the “rush hour”. If there is an accident（交通事故）on the road, you will have to wait for a long time.
The best time to travel around the city is from 9am to 4 pm. This is the time after the morning “rush hour” and before the evening “rush hour”. Traffic will be less crowded because most people are already at school or at work.
【小题1】 This passage is mainly（主要）about _____.