September 28, 2006

Dear Jenny,

　　We have been talking to each other mostly through e-mails. This time, I choose to write a letter instead, as I feel like writing English with a pen. When I write with a pen, it seems easier for me to express my thoughts and feelings.

　　It is almost a month since school started. I really like being in high school. It's exciting. There are so many new things to do and so many new friends to meet.

　　High school students in China live a busy but colourful life. We have to work hard for the National College Entrance Examinations, which will take place in less than three years.

　　Now I have a large group of friends. We take all of our classes together in the same classroom. It's good to have friends to study with because we can help each other. I'm pretty good at English, so many guys ask me for help with their English. I don't mind. After school we usually go to play sports for a little while. Sometimes we take a walk down the river or visit some bookstores. We have to be back for evening class by 7:30.

　　Among my classmates, there is one guy named Dazhi, whom I like most. I met him on the sports ground one afternoon. He was sitting alone, deep in thought. I went up to him and introduced myself. I learned from our talk that he is from the countryside some two hundred kilometers away from Shijiazhuang. Dazhi's fascinating life attracts me very much, because it has been very different from mine. As time goes on, I find we have many similar interests and hobbies. I think I can learn a lot from him. Being friends means learning from each other. Don't you think so?

　　I have invited Dazhi to come to my home for dinner this Sunday. I think we will have a good time together. We will have lots of things to share（分享）with each other. I am quite happy with this growing friendship. It has opened a door to many new experiences.

　　I must go back to class now.

　　Best wishes!

Yours friendly,

Li Ming

(1)In the passage, the author mainly wants to tell _________.

[　　]

A．the new things he has learned in high school

B．why he writes this letter with a pen

C．friends should learn from each other

D．his school life and how he developed a friendship with Dazhi

(2)Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

[　　]

A．The writer can express his ideas more freely with a pen than through e-mails.

B．The writer is willing to help others with their English.

C．The writer shares some interests and hobbies with Dazhi.

D．The writer got to know Dazhi through e-mails.

(3)The underlined word“fascinating”(in Paragraph 5) probably means _________.

[　　]

(4)From the passage we can know that the author __________.

[　　]

A．is sure to pass the National College Entrance Examinations

B．will experience a lot of new things in this school

C．is quite used to the life in the countryside

D．only works hard at his lessons all day long

For years I wanted a flower garden．But then we had Matthew．And Marvin．And the twins, Alisa and Alan．And then Helen．Five children．I was too busy raising them to grow a garden．

Money was tight, as well as time．Often when my children were little, one of them would want something that cost too much, and I' d have to say, “Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn't grow on trees, you now．”

Finally, all five got through high school and college and were off on their own．

One spring morning, on Mother's Day, I was working in my kitchen．Suddenly, I realized that cars were tooting their horns as they drove by．I looked out the window and there was a new tree, planted right in my yard．I thought it must be a weeping willow, because I saw things blowing around on all its branches．Then I put my glasses on－and I couldn't believe what I saw．

There was a money tree in my yard!

I went outside to look．It was true! There were dollar bills, one hundred of them, taped all over that tree．Think of' all the garden flowers I could buy with one hundred dollars! There was also a note attached: ‘‘IOU eight hours of digging time．Love, Marvin．"

Marvin kept his promise, too．He dug up a nice ten－by－fifteen foot bed for me And my other children bought me tools, ornaments , a trellis（格架）, a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books．

That was three years ago．My garden's now very pretty, just like I wanted．When I go out and tend my flowers, I don't seem to miss my children as much as I once did．I feel like they're right there with me．

I'm still not sure that money grows on trees．But I know love does!

1.Why did the mother say "Money doesn't grow on trees"?       .

A．She wanted them not to spend extra money

B．She was too sad to say anything else

C．She told them a truth on money

D．she just played a joke with them

2.What do we know about the mother according to the text?       ．

A．She is a bad-tempered woman

B．She believes money can grow on a tree now

C．She is a writer

D．She is hard-working in housekeeping

3.What can be inferred from the text?      ．

A．The author raised five children

B．The money tree was a Mother Day's gift

C．It cost Marvin eight hours to dug up the bed

D．Children planted a weeping willow in the yard

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?  ___    ．

A．My Money Tree                        B．The Garden of My Children

C．Mother's Love                          D．Marvin's Promise

There are many theories about the beginning of drama in ancient Greece. The one most widely accepted today is based on the assumption that drama evolved (演化) from ceremony. The argument for this view goes as follows.

       In the beginning, human beings viewed the natural forces of the world -even the seasonal changes - as unpredictable, and they sought through various means to control these unknown and feared powers. Those measures which appeared to bring the desired results were then kept and repeated until they hardened into fixed ceremonies. Eventually stories arose which explained the mysteries of the ceremonies. As time passed some ceremonies were abandoned, but the stories, later called myths, remained and provided material for art and drama.

       Those who believe that drama evolved out of ceremony also argue that those ceremonies contained the seed of theater because music, dance, masks, and costumes were almost always used. Furthermore, a suitable site had to be provided for performances and when the entire community did not participate, a clear division was usually made between the "acting area" and the "auditorium " . In addition, there were performers, and, since considerable importance was attached to avoiding mistakes in the performing of ceremonies, religious leaders usually took that task.. Wearing masks and costumes, they often acted other people, animals, or supernatural beings, and imitated the desired effect -- success in hunt or battle, the coming rain, etc. as an actor might. Eventually such dramatic representations were separated from religious activities.

      Another theory traces(追溯) the theater's origin from the human interest in storytelling. According to this view, tales (about the hunt, war, etc) are gradually developed, at first through the use of action and dialogue, and then through the assumption of each of the roles by a different person. A closely related theory traces theater to those dances that are primarily rhythmical and gymnastic or that are imitations of animal movements and sounds.

Which is the best title of the passage?

        A. Religious activities in ancient Greece.        B. The ceremonies in ancient Greece.

        C. Drama theories.                          D. The origin of Greek Drama.

According to the passage, drama_______________.

        A. was played in memory of ancient Greek ceremonies

        B. was a form of ceremony played by ancient Greeks to control unknown powers

        C. evolved out of ancient Greek ceremonies with time passing by

        D. is one of the measures Ancient Greeks took to view natural forces

What do drama and ancient ceremonies have in common according to the passage?

        A. Both of them were performed in theaters.

        B. Music, dance, masks, costumes and so on were contained in both of them.

        C. Religious leaders were in charge of both of them.

        D. Both of them were concerned about natural power.

In tracing the beginning of drama, which of the following is not mentioned?

        A. Planting.                         B. Religious ceremonies.

        C. Gymnastic.                       D. Storytelling.

It can be inferred from the passage that____________________.

        A. human beings loved to tell stories

        B. people could do nothing about nature

        C. religious leaders tried to develop the effective form of drama

        D. religious activities played a very important role in the evolvement of drama

As time went by, he began making films. He grew more and more popular as his charming character, the little tramp, became known _1._____________ the world. The tramp, a poor, homeless man with a ___2.__________, wore large trousers, ____3.________ shoes and a small round black hat. He walked around stiffly carrying a walking stick. This character was a social ___4.________ but was loved for his __5.___________ and determination to overcome all difficulties.

The first person to arrive was Tony Garcia from Colombia, closely followed by Julia Smith from Britain. After I met them and then ___6.________ them to each other, I was very surprised. Tony___7._______ Julia, touched her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek! She stepped back ____8.________ surprised and put up her hands, as if in___9.________. I guessed that there was probably a major ___10.____________.

What will man be like in the future－in 5,000 or even 50,000 years from now? We can only make guesses, of course, but we can be sure that he will be different from what he is today. For man is slowly changing all the time.

Let us take an obvious example. Man, even five hundred years ago, was shorter than he is today. Now, on average, men are about three inches taller. Five hundred years is relatively short period of time, so we may assume that man will continue to grow taller. Again, in the modern world we use our brains a great deal. Even so, we still make use of only about 20% of the brain's capacity. As time goes on, however, we shall have to use our brains more and more, and eventually we shall need larger ones! This is likely to bring about a physical change to the head, in particular the forehead, will grow larger.

Nowadays our eyes are in constant use. In fact, we use them so much that very often they become weaker and we have to wear glasses. But over very long period of time it is likely that man's eyes will grow stronger.

On the other hand, we tend to make less use of our arms and legs. These, as a result, are likely to grow weaker. At the same time, however, our fingers will grow more sensitive because they are used a great deal in modern life.

But what about hair? This will probably disappear from the body altogether in course of time because it does not serve a useful purpose any longer. In the future, then, both sexes are likely to be bald.

Perhaps all this gives the impression that future man will not be a very attractive creature to look at! This may well be true. All the same, in spite of all these changes, future man will still have a lot in common with us. He will still be a human being, with thoughts and emotions similar to our own.

1. The passage mainly tells us that ________.

A. man's life will be different in the future          

B. future man will look quite different from us

C. man is growing taller and uglier as time passes

D. man's organs' functions will be on the wane

2. What serves as the evidence that man is changing?

A. Man has got stronger eyes now than he ever had.

B. Man's hair is getting thinner and thinner.

C. Man's arms and legs have become lighter and weaker.

D. Man has been growing taller over the past 500 years.

3. The change in man's size of forehead is probably because ________.

A. he makes use only 20% of the brain's capacity

B. his brain has grown larger over the past centuries

C. the other 80% of his brain will grow in due time

D. he will use his brain more and more as time goes on

4. What is true about a human being in the future?

A. He is hairless because hair is no longer useful.

B. He has smaller eyes and wears better glasses.

C. His fingers grow weaker because he doesn't have to make use of them.

D. He thinks and feels in different way.

5. It is implied that ________.

A. human beings will become less attractive in the future

B. less use of a bodily organ may lead to its degeneration   

C. human beings hope for a change in the future life

D. future life is always predictable