Today millions of people enjoy the game of bowling throughout the world, in which they roll the bowling ball down the wooden lane （通道） and try to knock down ten wooden pins （木瓶）．

　People have played and enjoyed bowling for thousands of years．It is believed that during the Stone Age the aboriginal (原来的) communities had already started to play a kind of bowling game．They rolled large rocks or pebbles (卵石) at bones or pointed stones and tried to knock them down．The ancient Egyptians played about 7,000 years ago．

　During the Middle Ages, bowling was the favorite game for many people in Germany．There, the players rolled or threw stones at the wooden clubs(棒)．The game became popular in village gatherings and on festivals．

　Bowling spread to England later．In the 1300s, it was so popular that King Edward III became worried．He was afraid that the game would keep men from practising archery (射箭术)，which was important in time of war．So it was outlawed(禁止)．But the sport did not die out．Instead, it was even played by the nobles．In 1530, King Henry VIII had bowling lanes built in one of his palaces．

　Through the years, different forms of bowling were played in different countries in Europe．In Holland, the Dutch played a kind of bowling called“skittles”, or ninepins．When Dutch settlers came to America, they began to play skittles there．It was the skittles that led to our modern game of bowling．

(1) Aboriginal men played a kind of bowling game______．

[　　]

A．with pebbles or rocks

B．together with their dear wives

C．with wooden bottle-like clubs

D．all the year round

(2) The story does not say so, but it makes you think that______．

[　　]

A．the Egyptians were the first to bowl

B．bowling game made some European kings and emperors deeply worried

C．no one knows exactly when bowling first began

D．King Edward III built bowling lanes in his palace

(3) On the whole, the story is about______．

[　　]

A．life in the Middle Ages

B．the long history of bowling

C．when and how the game spread to England

D．how bowling ball is played

(4) Edward III, the king of England, outlawed bowling because______．

[　　]

A．he himself was too old and weak to play it

B．he could hardly stand the noise made by the balls and pins

C．he thought his men were spending too much money on it

D．he was afraid that archery would be neglected

(5) Which statement does the story lead you to believe?

[　　]

A．The Germans are the first to play bowling．

B．Men in England did not like bowling at all．

C．The primitive men played a game called“ninepins”．

D．Bowling did not begin in America．

        When I was a boy every holiday that I had seemed perfect. My parents took me by train or by car to a hotel by the sea. All day, I seem to remember. I played on the sands with strange exciting children. We make sandcastles with huge yellow walls, and watched the incoming tide destroy them; we splashed each other in the water and shrieked with excitement. When the tide went out, we climbed over the slippery rocks and stared down at the fish and the seaweed in the rock-pools.

In those far-off days the sun seemed to shine constantly and the water was always warm. Sometimes we left the beach and walked in the country, exploring ruined houses and dark woods and climbing trees that overhung streams. There were always sweets in one’s pockets or convenient places where one could buy ice-creams. Each day seemed a life-time.

Although I am now an adult, my idea of a good holiday is much the same as it was. I still like the sun and the warm sand and the sound of waves breaking on the beach. I no longer wish to build sandcastles and I dislike sweets instantly, but I look forward to sitting down to a good meal and a bottle of wine in the evening.

I think, too, that I prefer spending my holiday abroad. I want to smell different smells; I want to see different kinds of trees, flowers and birds; and I also want to see people with different colored skins, wearing different kinds of clothes. Above all, I want to hear a different language spoken and listen to different musical rhythms from those I am used to.

But I still need my companions----not, of course, to play on the sands and eat ices with, but to drink with and talk to on warm moonlit nights.

Sometimes I wonder what my perfect holiday will be when I am old. All I shall want to do then, I expect, will be to lie in bed, reading books about children who make sandcastles with huge yellow walls, who watch the incoming tide, who make themselves sick on too many ices…

39.Where did the author mostly spend his holidays when he was young?

   A.In the countryside.   B.On the beach.   C.In the mountains.    D.On the sea.

40.What does the underlined word “shrieked” in Paragraph 1 mean?

   A.shouted    B.swam    C.struggled    D.surfed

41.What now interests the author as an adult is ____.

   A.to enjoy a nice dinner                     B.to spend his holiday sunbathing

   C.to chat with someone                     D.to experience a foreign culture

42.When the author grows old, he expects that ____.

   A.he will read more books about children

   B.he will lie in bed without worrying about anything

   C.he will bring back wonderful childhood memories from a book

   D.he will make sandcastles with his children

When I was a boy every holiday that I had seemed perfect. My parents took me by train or by car to a hotel by the sea. All day, I seem to remember. I played on the sands with strange exciting children. We make sandcastles with huge yellow walls, and watched the incoming tide destroy them; we splashed each other in the water and shrieked with excitement. When the tide went out, we climbed over the slippery rocks and stared down at the fish and the seaweed in the rock-pools.
In those far-off days the sun seemed to shine constantly and the water was always warm. Sometimes we left the beach and walked in the country, exploring ruined houses and dark woods and climbing trees that overhung streams. There were always sweets in one’s pockets or convenient places where one could buy ice-creams. Each day seemed a life-time.
Although I am now an adult, my idea of a good holiday is much the same as it was. I still like the sun and the warm sand and the sound of waves breaking on the beach. I no longer wish to build sandcastles and I dislike sweets instantly, but I look forward to sitting down to a good meal and a bottle of wine in the evening.
I think, too, that I prefer spending my holiday abroad. I want to smell different smells; I want to see different kinds of trees, flowers and birds; and I also want to see people with different colored skins, wearing different kinds of clothes. Above all, I want to hear a different language spoken and listen to different musical rhythms from those I am used to.
But I still need my companions----not, of course, to play on the sands and eat ices with, but to drink with and talk to on warm moonlit nights.
Sometimes I wonder what my perfect holiday will be when I am old. All I shall want to do then, I expect, will be to lie in bed, reading books about children who make sandcastles with huge yellow walls, who watch the incoming tide, who make themselves sick on too many ices…

1. 1.

   Where did the author mostly spend his holidays when he was young?
   

   1. A.
      In the countryside.  
   2. B.
      On the beach.  
   3. C.
      In the mountains.   
   4. D.
      On the sea.
2. 2.

   What does the underlined word “shrieked” in Paragraph 1 mean?
   

   1. A.
      shouted   
   2. B.
      swam   
   3. C.
      struggled   
   4. D.
      surfed
3. 3.

   What now interests the author as an adult is ____.
   

   1. A.
      to enjoy a nice dinner                   
   2. B.
      to spend his holiday sunbathing
   3. C.
      to chat with someone                   
   4. D.
      to experience a foreign culture
4. 4.

   When the author grows old, he expects that ____.
   

   1. A.
      he will read more books about children
   2. B.
      he will lie in bed without worrying about anything
   3. C.
      he will bring back wonderful childhood memories from a book
   4. D.
      he will make sandcastles with his children