India is an ancient civilization with rich cultural heritage (遗产), and its cultural heritage has something to do with all major religions of the world. Here we take a look at some of the top heritage destinations in India.

Sun Temple, Konark

As the name suggests this temple is all about the power of the sun God. A huge chariot (二轮战车) drawn by seven horses and twelve pairs of wheels reflect the importance which ancient people placed on the power of the sun. The pictures of animals and humans give this place a special look.

Churches Goa

Goa is the only Indian state which was under the Portuguese (葡萄牙人), so the scene in Goa is dotted with (点缀着) Portuguese style churches. Some of the famous churches include the church of Saint Catherine, church of Saint Augustine and church of saint Francis of Assisi. These churches exhibit beautiful paintings and flower designs which make them a must visit.

Ajanta and Ellora Caves

These caves contain well designed paintings which are widely regarded as the most outstanding works of Buddhist religious art.

Taj Mahal, Agra

Built on the bank of the Yamuna River, it is an excellent building. The writing and paintings on the outside structure provide the finest examples of the outstanding style of buildings.

Sanchi

Sanchi is a UNESCO world heritage site with numerous Buddhist temples dating back to the seventh and eighth centuries.

On your visit to India, be sure to visit some of these heritage destinations. An Indian journey is not wonderful without experiencing the beauty of these heritage destinations.

1.What can we learn from the passage?

A．Ellora Caves only have statues of animals.

B．The Portuguese controlled the whole India two centuries ago.

C．Indian cultural heritage is related to religions.

D．The church of Saint Catherine is the earliest one in the world.

2.The ancient people in India attached importance to      .

A．animals           B．the sun’s power   C．ancient temples     D．ancient civilization

3.What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Several top heritage destinations in India.

B．The great effect that Indian religion has on culture.

C．India has rich cultural heritage in the world.

D．India is famous for its cultural heritage.

There was a boy in India who was sent by his parents to a boarding school. Before being sent away this boy was the brightest student in his class. He was at the top in every competition. He was a champion.
But the boy changed after leaving home and attending the boarding school. His grades started dropping. He hated being in a group. He was lonely all the time. And there were especially dark times when he felt like killing himself. All of this was because he felt worthless and that no one loved him.
His parents started worrying about the boy. But even they did not know what was wrong with him. So his dad decided to travel to the boarding school and talk with him.
They sat on the bank of the lake near the school. The father started asking him casual questions about his classes, teachers and sports. After some time his dad said, “Do you know son, why I am here today?”
The boy answered back, “to check my grades?”
“No, no” his dad replied, “I am here to tell you that you are the most important person for me. I want to see you happy. I don’t care about grades. I care about you. I care about your happiness. YOU ARE MY LIFE.”
These words caused the boy’s eyes to fill with tears. He hugged his dad. They didn’t say anything to each other for a long time.
Now the boy had everything he wanted. He knew there was someone on this earth who cared for him deeply. He meant the world to someone. And today this young man is in college at the top of his class and no one has ever seen him sad!
Thanks a lot, dad. YOU ARE MY LIFE.
【小题1】The boy changed after he went to the boarding school because________.

As a boy, Mark Twain caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play practical jokes on all his friends and neighbors. The nature of his jokes often led to violence (暴力). He hated to go to school and he constantly ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi. He liked to sit on the bank of the river for hours at a time and just gaze at the mysterious island and the passing boats. He learned many things about the river during those days. He learned all about its history and unusual people. He later made them part of the history of America in the book Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
Mark Twain received his genius (天才) from his mother. Obviously he didn’t get it from his father. He once stated that he had never seen a smile on his father’s face. On the other hand, his mother had the ability to say humorous things. The same ability made Mark Twain an extremely humorous public speaker.
【小题1】According to the passage, Mark Twain was a _______ boy.

I knew I was all right now.  Nobody else would come a­hunting after me. I got my traps out of the canoe and made me a nice camp in the thick woods. I made a tent out of my blankets to put my things under so the rain couldn't get at them. I caught a catfish and towards sundown I started my camp fire and had supper.

         When it was dark I sat by my camp fire, feeling pretty satisfied; but by and by it got sort of lonesome, so I went and sat on the bank and listened to the current crashing along, and counted the stars and drift logs and rafts that came down, and then went to bed; there was no better way to put in time when you are lonesome; you can't stay so, and you soon get it over.

         And so for three days and nights. No difference—just the same thing. But the next day I went exploring around the island.  I was boss of it; it all belonged to me, and I wanted to know all about it; but mainly I wanted to spend the time. I found plenty of strawberries and green summer grapes; and the green blackberries were just beginning to show.

         Well, I went fooling along in the deep woods till I judged I wasn't far from the foot of the island. I had my gun along, but I had shot nothing; it was for protection. About this time I almost stepped on a good­sized snake, and it moved quietly and smoothly through the grass and flowers, and I was after it, trying to get a shot at it. I clipped(疾驰) along, and all of a sudden I bounded(跳) right on to the ashes of a camp fire that was still smoking.

         My heart jumped up among my lungs. I never waited to look further, but unlocked my gun and went sneaking back on my tiptoes as fast as I could. Every now and then I stopped a second among the thick leaves and listened, but my breath came so hard that I couldn't hear anything else. I moved quietly along another piece further, then listened again; and so on, and so on. If I saw a stump(树桩), I took it for a man; if I stepped on a stick and broke it, it made me feel that a person had cut one of my breaths in two and I only got half, and the short half, too.

         There was no time to be fooling around. When getting to the camp, I got all my traps into my canoe again to have them out of sight. I put out the fire and threw the ashes around to look like an old last year's camp, and then climbed a tree.

         I suppose I was up for two hours; but I didn’t see or hear anything—I only thought I heard and saw as much as a thousand things. Well, I couldn’t stay up there forever, so at last I got down, but I kept in the thick woods and on the lookout all the time. All I could get to eat was berries and what was left over from breakfast.

1.The underlined part “put in time” in the second paragraph probably means _____.

A. kill the time            B. take the time

C. employ the time    D. waste the time

2.Why did the boy always carry his gun with him wherever he went?

A. To show off his gun.

B. To hunt some animals for food.

C. To protect himself.

D. To play with it for fun.

3.How did the boy feel when he saw the ashes of a camp fire that was still smoking?

A. Surprised.                       B. Excited.                            C. Frightened.         D. Puzzled.

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The boy brought with himself a tent

B. The boy felt a bit lonely on the island.

C. The boy was surely the only person on the island at that time.

D. The boy might be bitten by some animal when the story happened.

Narcissus was a beautiful looking boy. He had long, flowing, blond hair, beautiful, bright, blue eyes and even, white teeth. Many young ladies fell in love with him including the nymph（女神）: Echo.

Nymphs were lively spirits who lived near streams and lakes and protected trees in the forest. Echo had upset the Queen of the Gods; Hera. As a punishment Hera made Echo unable to speak except to repeat the last three words of the person she was talking to.

Poor Echo fell in love with Narcissus but could never tell him how she felt. Narcissus teased her and she ran away with tears pouring down her face. Aphrodite, the goddess of love saw what happened and decided to punish Narcissus. As he came to a pool of water Narcissus saw his reflection (影子)and fell in love with the vision he saw. It was of course his own reflection.

Poor Narcissus watched his own reflection, every time he tried to touch the face of the vision he loved it broke up on the shimmering surface of the water. Narcissus stopped eating, lost his beautiful looks and desired to get his love. In the end he anguished gradually and died.

Aphrodite took pity on him and made a flower grow in his place on the bank of the lake. Narcissus flowers (水仙花) can be found to this day growing wherever you can find water and trees.  

Echo fell in love with Narcissus because_________.

A. Narcissus was good-looking.

B. Echo was a lively spirit

C. Narcissus loved her, too.

D. Echo took pity on Narcissus

Why did Aphrodite, the goddess of love, punish Narcissus?

A. Aphrodite envied Echo because she loved Narcissus

B. She thought Narcissus didn’t respect and made Echo sad.

C. Narcissus fell in love with the vision, not Echo.

D. Echo was trapped in love and didn’t protect trees in the forest any longer.

What does the underlined word “anguished” in the fourth paragraph mean?

A. become increasingly thin and weak

B. become very hungry

C. become very fat

D. become out of mind

What is the main purpose of writing the passage?

A. To tell people a sad love story

B. To tell people how Narcissus flowers came

C. To tell the true meaning of beauty and ugliness

D. To tell people not affect others’ love