Once upon a time there was a precious sword. Now, this sword belonged to a great King, and for as long as anyone could remember, the King spent all his time in his place, enjoying its shows and competitions with other swords. One day a great dispute（争端）arouse between this King and the King of a neighbouring country. It ended with both declaring war.

The sword was greatly excited at the prospect of taking part in its first real battle. It would show everyone how truly brave and special it was, and would become well-known throughout the kingdom. On the way to the front line, the sword imagined itself the winner of many battles. However, when it arrived, the first battle had already broken out, and the sword got to see the results of the war. What it saw had nothing in common with what the sword had imagined. No elegant shining knights, successful, with their weapons shining in the sunlight. Instead, all the sword saw was broken weapons, and a large crowd of hungry and thirsty men. There was hardly any food left. Everything was covered in dirt and disgusting smell. Many were half dead and scattered on the ground, bleeding from multiple wounds.

Seeing this, the sword realized it liked neither wars nor battles. It decided it preferred to live in peace and spend its time taking part in tournaments and competitions. So, on the night before what was going to be the big final battle, the sword tried to find a way to prevent it from taking place. After a while, the sword started to vibrate（颤抖）. First it gave out a low buzz, and then this gradually got louder, until it became an annoying metallic noise. The swords and armour（盔甲）of the soldiers asked the King’s sword what it was doing. It told them, “I don’t want there to be a battle tomorrow. I don’t like war.”

One answered, “No one likes it, but what can we do?”

“Make yourself vibrate, just like what I’m doing,” said the King’s sword. “If we make enough noise, no one will sleep.”

So the weapons started vibrating, and the noise became deafening. It was so loud that it reached the enemy camp, and the weapons there, which were equally sick of war, joined the protest.

The next morning, when the battle should have begun, not a single soldier was ready to fight. No one had managed to get even a wink of sleep, not even the King or the Generals. So they spent the whole day catching up on sleep. During the evening they started to wake up, and decided to put off the battle until the next day.

However, the weapons, led by the King’s sword, spent the night repeating their peace song, and again no soldier could rest. The battle had to be postponed yet again, and this carried on for the next seven days. On the evening of the seventh day, the Kings of the two armies met to see what they could do about the situation. Both were very angry at their previous disputes, but after being together for a while they started to discuss their sleepless nights, the surprise on their soldiers’ faces, the confusion between day and night, and the amusing situations all this had created. It wasn’t long before both were laughing, like friends, at these little stories. Fortunately, they forgot their old disputes and they put an end to the war, each returning to their own land with the double joy.

1. From the first paragraph, we can infer that _________.

A．the great King was fond of his precious sword

B．a disagreement led to a war between Kings

C．the two Kings were once good friends before the war

D．the precious sword was used to entertain the great King

2. What is the best word to describe the mood of the sword when it heard about the war?

A．Worried          B．Fearful            C．Eager             D．peaceful

3. When did the sword change its attitude to war?

A．When it fought at the first battle

B．After it realized that it was not powerful

C．When it was on the way to the front line

D．After it saw the terrible results of the first battle

4. What is the right order of the following events?

a. The noise was loud enough to reach the other side

b. The battle had to be postponed because the soldiers in both armies lacked sleep.

c. It let out continuous low noise

d. It persuaded other swords to join in.

e. All the weapons in both side confused day with night

A．a, b, c, d, e                            B．b, a, c, e, d

C．c, d, a, e, b                             D．d, b, a, e, c

5. According to the passage, how many times was the battle put off?

A．Seven            B．Eight             C．Nine             D．Ten

6.What do the underlined words in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Both King’s sleepless nights

B．The end of war and being friends

C．The surprise on the soldiers’ faces

D．The confusion of day with night

Once upon a time there was a precious sword. Now, this sword belonged to a great King, and for as long as anyone could remember, the King spent all his time in his place, enjoying its shows and competitions with other swords. One day a great dispute（争端）arouse between this King and the King of a neighbouring country. It ended with both declaring war.
The sword was greatly excited at the prospect of taking part in its first real battle. It would show everyone how truly brave and special it was, and would become well-known throughout the kingdom. On the way to the front line, the sword imagined itself the winner of many battles. However, when it arrived, the first battle had already broken out, and the sword got to see the results of the war. What it saw had nothing in common with what the sword had imagined. No elegant shining knights, successful, with their weapons shining in the sunlight. Instead, all the sword saw was broken weapons, and a large crowd of hungry and thirsty men. There was hardly any food left. Everything was covered in dirt and disgusting smell. Many were half dead and scattered on the ground, bleeding from multiple wounds.
Seeing this, the sword realized it liked neither wars nor battles. It decided it preferred to live in peace and spend its time taking part in tournaments and competitions. So, on the night before what was going to be the big final battle, the sword tried to find a way to prevent it from taking place. After a while, the sword started to vibrate（颤抖）. First it gave out a low buzz, and then this gradually got louder, until it became an annoying metallic noise. The swords and armour（盔甲）of the soldiers asked the King’s sword what it was doing. It told them, “I don’t want there to be a battle tomorrow. I don’t like war.”
One answered, “No one likes it, but what can we do?”
“Make yourself vibrate, just like what I’m doing,” said the King’s sword. “If we make enough noise, no one will sleep.”
So the weapons started vibrating, and the noise became deafening. It was so loud that it reached the enemy camp, and the weapons there, which were equally sick of war, joined the protest.
The next morning, when the battle should have begun, not a single soldier was ready to fight. No one had managed to get even a wink of sleep, not even the King or the Generals. So they spent the whole day catching up on sleep. During the evening they started to wake up, and decided to put off the battle until the next day.
However, the weapons, led by the King’s sword, spent the night repeating their peace song, and again no soldier could rest. The battle had to be postponed yet again, and this carried on for the next seven days. On the evening of the seventh day, the Kings of the two armies met to see what they could do about the situation. Both were very angry at their previous disputes, but after being together for a while they started to discuss their sleepless nights, the surprise on their soldiers’ faces, the confusion between day and night, and the amusing situations all this had created. It wasn’t long before both were laughing, like friends, at these little stories. Fortunately, they forgot their old disputes and they put an end to the war, each returning to their own land with the double joy.
【小题1】 From the first paragraph, we can infer that _________.

Once upon a time there was a precious sword. Now, this sword belonged to a great King, and for as long as anyone could remember, the King spent all his time in his place, enjoying its shows and competitions with other swords. One day a great dispute（争端）arouse between this King and the King of a neighbouring country. It ended with both declaring war.
The sword was greatly excited at the prospect of taking part in its first real battle. It would show everyone how truly brave and special it was, and would become well-known throughout the kingdom. On the way to the front line, the sword imagined itself the winner of many battles. However, when it arrived, the first battle had already broken out, and the sword got to see the results of the war. What it saw had nothing in common with what the sword had imagined. No elegant shining knights, successful, with their weapons shining in the sunlight. Instead, all the sword saw was broken weapons, and a large crowd of hungry and thirsty men. There was hardly any food left. Everything was covered in dirt and disgusting smell. Many were half dead and scattered on the ground, bleeding from multiple wounds.
Seeing this, the sword realized it liked neither wars nor battles. It decided it preferred to live in peace and spend its time taking part in tournaments and competitions. So, on the night before what was going to be the big final battle, the sword tried to find a way to prevent it from taking place. After a while, the sword started to vibrate（颤抖）. First it gave out a low buzz, and then this gradually got louder, until it became an annoying metallic noise. The swords and armour（盔甲）of the soldiers asked the King’s sword what it was doing. It told them, “I don’t want there to be a battle tomorrow. I don’t like war.”
One answered, “No one likes it, but what can we do?”
“Make yourself vibrate, just like what I’m doing,” said the King’s sword. “If we make enough noise, no one will sleep.”
So the weapons started vibrating, and the noise became deafening. It was so loud that it reached the enemy camp, and the weapons there, which were equally sick of war, joined the protest.
The next morning, when the battle should have begun, not a single soldier was ready to fight. No one had managed to get even a wink of sleep, not even the King or the Generals. So they spent the whole day catching up on sleep. During the evening they started to wake up, and decided to put off the battle until the next day.
However, the weapons, led by the King’s sword, spent the night repeating their peace song, and again no soldier could rest. The battle had to be postponed yet again, and this carried on for the next seven days. On the evening of the seventh day, the Kings of the two armies met to see what they could do about the situation. Both were very angry at their previous disputes, but after being together for a while they started to discuss their sleepless nights, the surprise on their soldiers’ faces, the confusion between day and night, and the amusing situations all this had created. It wasn’t long before both were laughing, like friends, at these little stories. Fortunately, they forgot their old disputes and they put an end to the war, each returning to their own land with the double joy

1. 1.

   From the first paragraph, we can infer that _________

   1. A.
      the great King was fond of his precious sword
   2. B.
      a disagreement led to a war between Kings
   3. C.
      the two Kings were once good friends before the war
   4. D.
      the precious sword was used to entertain the great King
2. 2.

   What is the best word to describe the mood of the sword when it heard about the war?

   1. A.
      Worried
   2. B.
      Fearful
   3. C.
      Eager
   4. D.
      peaceful
3. 3.

   When did the sword change its attitude to war?

   1. A.
      When it fought at the first battle
   2. B.
      After it realized that it was not powerful
   3. C.
      When it was on the way to the front line
   4. D.
      After it saw the terrible results of the first battle
4. 4.

   What is the right order of the following events?
   a. The noise was loud enough to reach the other side
   b. The battle had to be postponed because the soldiers in both armies lacked sleep.
   c. It let out continuous low noise
   d. It persuaded other swords to join in.
   e. All the weapons in both side confused day with night

   1. A.
      a, b, c, d, e
   2. B.
      b, a, c, e, d
   3. C.
      c, d, a, e, b
   4. D.
      d, b, a, e, c
5. 5.

   According to the passage, how many times was the battle put off?

   1. A.
      Seven
   2. B.
      Eight
   3. C.
      Nine
   4. D.
      Ten
6. 6.

   What do the underlined words in the last paragraph refer to?

   1. A.
      Both King’s sleepless nights
   2. B.
      The end of war and being friends
   3. C.
      The surprise on the soldiers’ faces
   4. D.
      The confusion of day with night

       阅读下面短文，掌握其中大意，然后从36－56各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

       I still don’t believe in ghosts even after my experience at the Rose Inn．41 I have never seen one．But stories have made me feel 42  since then．I arrived at the inn late at night and asked the landlord for a room．

       “There is nothing left,” he said, “ 43 you’d like to sleep in Number 7．”

       “Why not?” I said．“What’s 44 it? I am  45 that I would sleep 46 ．”

       “Nothing,” he said slowly, “but something happened there a few months ago．”

       Every old inn has its own strange stories, so I thought that 47 he told me about it, the better．I was willing to listen to anything for a room to 48 ．

       “A man came here late at night 49 you．” the landlord said, “I thought there was something strange about him because he kept 50 while he was signing his name in the book．He asked me 51 room he could have and I offered him No．7 ．‘ 52   a man who has said he’ll 53 me,’ he said suddenly, ‘with a knife．’ He looked so frightened that I thought I had better 54 him to his room．I closed the door and left him 55．The next day we found him dead, with a knife beside him．He had cut his throat．” The landlord said, “Or 56 had done it．Do you 57 sleeping there now you know the story?”

       “Well,” I said, “no one is 58 me．But I wish you had told me the story 59 ．As it is, I’ll sleep here on the floor in the bar if you have a couple of  60 ．”

41．A．Because         B．Of course  C．At all       D．Though

42．A．natural    B．unsafe      C．brave D．uncomfortable

43．A．unless     B．if     C．since        D．whether

44．A．the price B．wrong with     C．the matter D．strange for

45．A．so tired  B．so hurt      C．very weak       D．too worried

46．A．somewhere      B．anywhere  C．nowhere   D．everywhere

47．A．the later       B．the quicker     C．the sooner      D．the slower

48．A．rest   B．live in     C．lie down         D．go to

49．A．like        B．with        C．behind      D．because of

50．A．looking after   B．looking into    C．looking over   D．looking back

51．A．what       B．which     C．whose     D．whether

52．A．There’s  B．He’s        C．It’s         D．That’s

53．A．harm      B．punish     C．frighten  D．kill

54．A．invite          B．take        C．bring D．allow

55．A．by himself           B．for himself     C．at himself       D．to himself

56．A．whoever             B．nobody  C．anybody         D．someone else

57．A．like        B．mind      C．permit     D．promise

58．A．tricking      B．following       C．killing     D．frightening

59．A．at night      B．at once    C．in time    D．in the morning

60．A．chairs         B．blankets         C．books      D．swords

It is hardly surprising that clothing manufacturers(生产商) follow certain uniform standards for various features(特征) of clothes. What seems strange, however, is that the standard adopted for women is the opposite of the one for men. Take a look at the way your clothes button. Men’s clothes tend to button from the right, and women’s from the left. Considering most of the world’s population----men and women----are right-handed, the men’s standard would appear to make more sense for women. So why do women’s clothes button from the left?

History really seems to matter here. Buttons first appeared only on the clothes of the rich in the 17th century, when rich women were dressed by servants. For the mostly right-handed servants, having women’s shirts button from the left would be easier. On the other hand, having men’s shirts button from the right made sense, too. Most men dressed themselves, and a sword drawn from the left with the right hand would be less likely to get caught in the shirt.

Today women are seldom dressed by servants, but buttoning from the left is still the standard for them. Is it interesting? Actually, a standard, once set, resists change. At a time when all women’s shirts buttoned from the left, it would have been risky for any single manufacturer to offer women’s shirts that buttoned from the right. After all, women had grown so used to shirts which buttoned from the left and would have to develop new habits and skills to switch. Besides, some women might have found it socially awkward to appear in public wearing shirts that buttoned from the right, since anyone who noticed that would believe they were wearing men’s shirts.

1.What is surprising about the standard of the clothing industry?

A. It has been followed by the industry for over 400 years.

B. It is different for men’s clothing and women’s.

C. It woks better with men than with women.

D. It fails to consider right-handed people.

2.What do we know about the rich men in the 17th century?

A. They tended to wear clothes without buttons.

B. They were interested in the historical matters.

C. They were mostly dressed by servants.

D. They drew their swords from the left.

3.Women’s clothes still button from the left today because         .

A. adopting men’s style is improper for women

B. manufacturers should follow standards

C. modern women dress themselves

D. customs are hard to change

4.The passage is mainly developed by          .

A. analyzing causes                     B. making comparisons

C. examining differences                 D. following the time order