Runners in a relay race pass a stick in one direction．However, merchants passed silk, gold, fruit, and glass along the Silk Road in more than one direction．They earned their living by travelling the famous Silk Road．
The Silk Road was not a simple trading network．It passed through thousands of cities and towns．It started from eastern China, across Central Asia and the Middle East, and ended in the Mediterranean Sea．It was used from about 200B．C to about A．D．1300, when sea travel offered new routes．It was sometimes called the world's longest highway．However, Silk Road was made up of many routes, not one smooth path．They passed through what are now 18 countries．The routes crossed mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles．Only experienced traders could return safe．
The Silk Road got its name from its most prized product．Silk could be used as money to pay taxes or buy goods．But the traders carried more than just silk．Gold, silver, and glass from Europe were much found in the Middle East and Asia．Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China．Indian merchants traded salt and other valuable goods．Chinese merchants traded paper, which produced an immediate effect on the West．Apples traveled from central Asia to Rome．The Chinese had learned to graft(嫁接)different trees together to make new kinds of fruit．They passed this science on to others, including the Romans．The Romans used grafting to grow the apple．Trading along the Silk Road led to world-wide business 2,000 years before the World Wide Web．
The people along the Silk Road did not share just goods．They also share their beliefs．The Silk Road provided pathway for learning, diplomacy(外交), and religion．
(1)
It's probable that traders along the Silk Road needed ________
[ ]
A．
to remember the entire trade route
B．
to know the making of products
C．
to receive certain special training
D．
to deal with a lot of difficulties
(2)
The Silk Road became less important because ________．
[ ]
A．
it was made up of different routes
B．
silk trading became less popular
C．
sea travel provided easier routes
D．
people needed fewer foreign goods
(3)
New technologies could travel along the Silk Road because people ________．
“What If”questions can help you think about what to do in case something should happen．There are no right answers because every case is different．Use the questions with your parents or with friends and decide what you think might work?Think of your own solutions and make up new“What If”questions to answer．
1)You are walking to school and a gang of older bullies(person who uses his strength or power to frighten or hurt weaker people)demands your money
Do you：
a．Shout and run away?
b．Give them the money?
Give them the money(or other possessions)－your safety is more impoaant than money．
2)You are in the school toilet and an older student comes in, beats you and then tells you not to do anything or’you’ll get worse’．You know who the person is and you have never done anything to him/her．Do you：
a．Wait until the person leaves and then tell a teacher?
b．Get it a fight with him/her?
c．Accept what happened and don’t tell?
Tell the teacher－you didn’t deserve to be beaten and the bully was wrong to do it．If you don’t tell, the bully will just keep on beating up other kids．
3)A gang of bullies gets you alone and starts beating you．Do you：
a．Do nothing－just take it?
b．Fight back?
c．Shout to attract attention?
d．Watch for your chance and run away?
You must decide．but c．＆．d．together could work very well．It would be quite difficult to a whole gang of bullies and you might be hurt badly if you did．
4)Someone in your class always makes rude comments about you and says them loud enough for you(and others)to hear．It really upsets you．Do you：
a．Ignore the comments?
b．Face the bully and tell him/her off?
c．Tell the teacher?
d．Hit the bully on the nose?
You may feel like beating the bully, but you’ll probably be the one to get into trouble if you do．Try a first－ignoring comments is difficult, but can work if the bully gets tired of trying to get you to be angry or cry or show some reaction．Your teacher should be told about the comments because no one should make hurtful comments to others．If you are feeling brave, tell the bully off．Try practising in the mirror to get the right effect!
(1)
What is the passage mainly about?
[ ]
A．
The bully’s behaviors．
B．
The questions the students meet．
C．
The solutions to the students’questions．
D．
The advice on how to fight against the bully．
(2)
Using Situation 4, the author aims to tell the students that ________．
[ ]
A．
they should fight back immediately
B．
keeping calm is the first thing they should do
C．
only being brave can help them solve the problem
D．
they should practise boxing to defend themselves
(3)
We can conclude from the passage that ________．
[ ]
A．
all the older students like to bully the younger students
B．
if the students fight with the bullies, they will get hurt
C．
the teachers can help to solve the bullying problems
D．
the students’safety is more important than money
(4)
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
[ ]
A．
When the bullies ask for money, giving up the possessions is the right choice．
B．
When beaten by the bullies, the students should find a chance to run away．
C．
The bullies make rude comments to get the bullied students into anger．
D．
The students are most likely to be bullied in the school toilet
阅读理解
BELIEVE it or not, the color of the tie Barack Obama wore to the inauguration(就职典礼)is now a hotly debated topic．The level of public interest in Obama’s tie might seem strange but many people believe his choice will symbolize the type of government he plans to run, as the color of a politician’s tie is thought to convey ideas of power, trustworthiness and more．
Polities of ties．
It may be the least practical item of male dress, but it is arguably the most expressive．In the UK and many other coun－tries around the world, conservative(保守的)politicians may wear a blue tie and their liberal opponents a red one．In America, the colors go the other way round．The Republicans have in recent years become associated with the color red, and the Democrats with blue．But in spite of this, bush wears blue ties more often than any other color．
What they mean
According to Sharon Haver, editor of focusonstyle．com, in America the feelings associated with colors overrule their political significance．“a guy who want to be regarded as strong and in charge would wear red,” Haver says．Unsurprisingly, the business tycoon Donald Trump is known for wearing red ties．But what about blue? According to Haver, “Blue is a softer color… Look at the sky．It’s peaceful and calm and trustworthy．”
Selecting the right tie for the right occasion．
●Perfect job interview tie．
Perhaps no other tie －wearing occasion is as important as the job interview．Gilchrist, the fashion expert, advises playing it safe and choosing a conservative one．Best choices are solids, stripes or small patterns．An excellent color is burgundy(深红色)or another serious color．Avoid pink or yellow, which suggests that the wearer lacks gravity．
Pattern ties, Gilchrist suggests, should be limited to a maximum of three colors．A striped tie is a safe choice as this is acceptable to everyone．Last, Gilchrist recommends saving the expensive “hip” tie for those applying for glamorous creative jobs．
●Date－night tie
When picking out the right tie for taking a girl out on a date, spend more time considering color than pattern．According to studies, women are attracted to men wearing the color blue, because blue gives the image of a “stable, faithful, constant, always there” person．So what is the worst color to wear on a date? “Flattened caterpillar(毛虫)yellow－green,” according to Gilchrist, “it will repel both sexes equally．”
(1)
Why are people interested in the tie that Obama wore to the inauguration?
[ ]
A．
Because they think the tie he wore will enable them to know about his personalities and policies．
B．
Because they want to advise him how to select an appropriate tie for such a big occasion．
C．
Because they think the tie will tell if he is trustworthy as they expected when he assumes office．
D．
Because they believe the tie is an essential part of dressing to a mature politician like Obama．
(2)
What can we infer about Bush, the former president, from the passage?
[ ]
A．
He was probably liberal in his policies when he was in power．
B．
He was a Republican when he served as president．
C．
He wore only blue ties and had no ties of alternative colors．
D．
He wanted to make himself unique by the tie that he wore．
(3)
The example of “the business tycoon Donald Trump” is given to _________．
[ ]
A．
prove that color reflects people’s feelings to a certain degree
B．
show that Donald is so wealthy that he can afford expensive ties
C．
tell that Donald is physically strong and can handle everything
D．
explain that red is a popular color, especially with businessmen
(4)
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
[ ]
A．
Ties can be ignored by politicians since they are the least practical item of male dress．
B．
Do choose ties carefully before dating, because it is the most important occasion．
C．
Why to avoid pink or yellow ties in job interviews is that they don’t match the atmosphere．
D．
The more colorful the tie is, the more likely you’ll get the job you want．
