The flag, the most common symbol of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. With a clear symbolic meaning, the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country.

The national flag as we know today is no way a primitive（原始的）artifact. It is, rather, the product of thousands of years’ development. Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.

Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers. People’s food supplies were similarly vulnerable. Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure（保证）good harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.

Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection of the flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable（合理的）. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems（图腾）before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors（祖先）represented by the totems themselves.

These flags developed very slowly into modern flags. The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked. The king of China around 1000 B.C. was known to have a white flag carried ahead of him. This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routes through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe, where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag.

46．The best title of the passage would be “                ”.

A．Development of the National Flag        B．Power of the National Flag

C．Types of Flags                        D．Uses of Flags

47．The underlined word “vulnerable ” in paragraph 3 means “                ”

A．impossible to make sure of            B．likely to be protected

C．easy to damage                     D．difficult to find

48．The earliest flags were connected with heavenly power because                .

A．they could tell wind directions

B．they could bring good luck to fighters

C．they were handed down by the ancestors

D．they were believed to stand for natural forces

49．What does the author know of the first national flag?

A．He knows when it was sent to Europe.    B．He believes it was made in Egypt.

C．He thinks it came from China.          D．He doubts where it started.

50．What will the author most probably write in the following paragraph?

A．The role of China in the spread of the national flag.

B．The second ancestor of the national flag.

C．The use of modern flags in Europe.

D．The importance of modern flags.

English is the most widely used language in the history of our planet. One in every seven human beings can speak it. More than half of the world’s books and three quarters of international mail are in English. Of all languages, English has the largest vocabulary — perhaps as many as two million words.

However, let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. Sweet-meats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes（探讨它的矛盾）, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,  public bathrooms have no baths in them.

And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? One goose, two geese — so one moose, two meese?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects（反映）the creativity of human beings. That’s why, when stars are out, they are visible（能看见的）; but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it.

51．According to the passage                .

A．sweet-meats and sweetbreads are different things

B．there should be egg in an eggplant

C．pineapples are the apples on the pine tree

D．boxing rings should be round

52．Which of the following is the correct plural?

A．Beeth.     B．Geese.     C．Meese.     D．Tooth.

53．Which of the following includes two items which have the similar meaning?

A．A wise man and a wise guy.            B．Overlook and oversee.

C．Quite a lot and quite a few.             D．Hot as hell and cold as hell.

54．The underlined words “wind up” in the last paragraph probably mean “                ”.

A．blow            B．roll up            C．get hurt            D．finish

55．Through the many paradoxes in the English language, the writer wants to show that human beings are                .

A．clever            B．crazy            C．lazy            D．dull

Before India gained independence (独立), a few young men from the villages wanted to free India from the foreign rule; they wanted the British to quit India. They needed material wealth to  36  the British out of India, so they started collecting  37  in the Indian villages.

One day, they got encouraged to collect  38   things as well. They went from door to door carrying a huge bag, which gradually was  39  with money and gifts. As they went, a one-legged beggar kept  40  them. The young men did not mind.

At the  41  of the day, they entered a house to see  42  they had collected. The beggar also wanted to enter, but since he was not a member of the group, they did not  43  him in. The beggar said to them: “I walked such a  44  distance right behind you. You want freedom; I also want freedom. India is not only your motherland. It is also my motherland.”

 45 , the young men got mad and told the beggar to go away. Then one of the men felt  46  for him, so they decided to  47  him the things they had collected.  48  the beggar was looking at the gifts in their bag, most of them were showing no  49  for him. Then suddenly the beggar opened up the bag that he had been carrying. It  50  a few coins and some rice. He threw all the contents into their bag at once.

At the  51  of this, immediately all the members of the revolutionary group started dropping  52  of gratitude (感激), because he had  53  all that he had to their cause. On that day, they had gone to visit so many rich families, who had given them next to  54 ; but this beggar had given them everything that he had! They were deeply  55  by the beggar’s contribution.

36. A. drive                  B. grow                 C. help                  D. pick

37. A. food                   B. money                     C. papers               D. seeds

38. A. military                     B. material            C. mysterious         D. cultural

39. A. tired                   B. satisfied            C. filled                D. covered

40. A. following           B. cheating            C. calling                     D. beating

41. A. beginning           B. end                   C. front                 D. middle

42. A. how                   B. what                 C. where               D. when

43. A. stop                   B. drop                 C. allow                D. promise

44. A. short                  B. near                  C. long                  D. little

45. A. At last                B. At first              C. At a time           D. In that case

46. A. necessary            B. patient                     C. thankful            D. sorry

47. A. trouble               B. serve                 C. show                 D. excite

48. A. Since                 B. While               C. If                            D. Although

49. A. interest               B. courage             C. respect                     D. disappointment

50. A. included             B. consisted           C. held                  D. contained

51. A. thought                     B. sight                 C. sound                D. moment

52. A. laughter                     B. difference          C. truth                 D. tears

53. A. taken                  B. given                C. wasted                     D. lost

54. A. something           B. nothing             C. everything         D. anything

55. A. moved                B. removed            C. excited              D. surprised

Mr. Jackson was tired of living in his old house in the countryside and wanted to sell it and buy a better one. He tried to sell it for a long time, but was not successful, so at last he decided to go to an estate agent（房产经纪人）.

The agent advertised(登广告) the house straight away, and a few days later, the owner saw a very beautiful photograph of his house, with a wonderful description of his garden in an expensive magazine.

Having read the advertisement through, the house owner hurried to phone the estate agent, saying, “I'm sorry, Mr. Jones, but I've decided not to sell my house after all.” “Why?” the agent asked in a surprised voice. “Because from the advertisement in that magazine I can see it's just the kind of house I've wanted to live in all my life.”

60. Mr. Jackson wanted to sell his house because _____.

A. he needed some money to support his family   B. his house was too old to live in

C. he wanted some money to buy a new one      D. he didn't want to live in the house any longer

61. The reason why Mr. Jackson went to the estate agent was  that _____.

A. he had failed in selling his house by himself

B. he wanted the estate agent to help him to get a good price

C. he was sure that the estate agent could help him

D. he wanted the estate to advertise his house in the magazine

62. At last Mr. Jones _____.

A. was successful in selling the house

B. felt sorry to have lost a sale by his doing too good a job

C. was satisfied with what he had done in the advertisement

D. didn’t understand why Mr. Jackson had changed his mind

63. What do you think of the advertisement in magazines?

A. They are worth reading. 

B. They usually make things far better than they really are.

C. They are a great help to those who want to buy something.

D. They describe things as they really are.

It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night．The morning after the storm, though, was beautiful: blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently．

       My father realised it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him．I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same．I' m so glad I did．

       On the way to the harbour we could see the terrible destruction on the coast, but the harbour itself was in fairly good shape．After all, it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea．As we got on board, we noticed two big humps （脊背） in the distance．

       On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby．We couldn't believe it — there aren't any whales along the coast here．The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badly polluted that nothing could survive．

       The little baby whale —actually as big as our boat — was obviously stuck and could not move．The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools （漩涡） and waves．"She's trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side," my father said．At this point, my father moved our boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gently．With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappeared under water．Then it swam up right beside its mum．They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction．We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel．Slowly, they let us lead them, sometimes rising from the water right beside us to breathe -- and to give us a trusting look with those huge eyes．Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off they swam into the distance．

       In the excitement it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half．That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day．Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea．

56．The author says "I' m so glad I did．" （ in Para．2） because _________．

       A．he witnessed the whole process of fishing

       B．he enjoyed the beauty of the calm sea

       C．he experienced the rescue of the whales

       D．he spent the weekend with his family

57．The mother whale failed to help her baby because __________．

       A．she had stayed in the polluted water for too long

       B．the whirlpools she had made were not big enough

       C．she had no other whales around to turn to for help

       D．the waves pushed her baby in the wrong direction

58．What is the theme of the story?

       A．Saving lives brings people a sense of happiness．

       B．Fishing provides excitement for children．

       C．It's necessary to live in harmony with animals．

       D．It's vital to protect the whale in the ocean．

江苏省江都中学2010-2011学年高二期中（英语）.doc

	I remember vividly that first English class in the last term of high school. We boys (there were no girls in the school) were   36  expectantly for the new teacher to appear. Before long, through the door came a tall ordinary-looking man  37   about 40. He said shyly,  “Good afternoon, gentlemen.” His  38  had a surprising tone (语气) of respect, almost  39  he were addressing （向---讲话）the Supreme Court (最高法院) 40   a group of youngsters. He wrote his  41  on the blackboard---Wilmer T. Stone-- ,and  42  sat on the front of his desk.. “Gentlemen,” he began, “We are now this   43   ---your last---to continue your study of  44  . I know we shall   45   learning with and from one another. We are going to learn  46  about journalism and how to write your weekly school paper. And   47  we are going to try to   48  the joy of good literature (文学). Maybe some of us will be really   49   in reading and writing. A man who reads 50  a happy life. A man who doesn’t read  51  on the earth with a blindfold(眼罩). If I have to put all my   52  into a single word, it would be: ‘browse(广泛浏览)’”. Mr. Stone went on like that,  53  in a friendly and understanding tone. The  54  of the class came much too soon. And we boys had to 55  the classroom with an unexpected feeling of excitement. 36. A. waiting              B. looking            C. asking          D. calling 37. A. for            B. of               C. at                 D. on 38. A. sound        B. voice           C. appearance          D. look 39. A. as      B. if                C. as if                D. after 40. A. besides      B. except for         C. instead               D. instead of 41. A. address      B. telephone         C. name                 D. word 42. A. then         B. but             C. so                D. suddenly 43. A. feel           B. season                C. year                D. term 44. A. math         B. chemistry C. English               D. physics 45. A. begin        B. enjoy                 C. practice           D. suggest 46. A. something          B. anything     C. nothing               D. all 47. A. Really             B. Especially          C. Truly                  D. Possibly 48. A. feel           B. write            C. memorize            D. accept 49. A. moved             B. excited                  C. interested            D. used 50. A. knows       B. says             C. has                     D. lives 51. A. runs          B. visits            C. walks             D. chooses 52. A. praise        B. trust             C. advice            D. promise 53. A. speaking           B. singing                C. telling            D. shouting 54. A. beginning         B. end              C. middle           D. time 55. A. keep                 B. enter               C. leave            D. reach       查看答案和解析>> 科目： 来源： 题型：阅读理解
江苏省常州市横山桥高级中学10-11学年高二上学期期中考试（英语
I have been teaching in the United States for three semesters. During this time, I have been very impressed with the hardworking American students. Tuition fee (学费) in American universities are pretty expensive. Most American students receive little, if any, financial support. As a result, they have to work hard to pay for their tuition and other basic expenses. Tertiary (高等) education is a necessity in today’s workforce. Young people with higher education are rewarded with a good career and better salary. So how do American students support themselves? All my American students have to work to pay for their tuition. For this reason, most universities provide limited jobs for students who need economic help. They also help students search for jobs in the community. I have been touched to see some students are so worn out from their jobs that they doze in my classroom. In addition to taking part-time jobs, students are also expected to take part in various social and sporting activities and, in fact, those who do not take part in are often looked down upon by their peers. A number of American university students are married with families, or are single parents. These students are faced with the additional burden of raising a family. They have to spend much time, money and energy caring for their children and family. Most American university professors are strict. They test students on every unit in their course, in addition to mid-term and final exams in each semester. A lack of preparation by students may result in their failure. This means the loss of a lot of money and possibly future employment opportunities for these students. For this reason, many American students will study or stay up all night before an exam, in an effort to pass. In contrast, Chinese students have a much easier time, because most Chinese parents pay for their kids’ tertiary education. Moreover, Chinese students do not need to worry about raising children or maintaining a family. So, Chinese students have no reason for not studying hard and achieving good marks. 64. Which of the following is not the difficulty American students have to face? A. They have to work hard to pay for the high tuition fee. B. Many American students have a burden of a family. C. They need a better education to get a best job. D. They have to pass strict tests to complete their education. 65. Which of the following statement is NOT TRUE according to the passage? A. American students have no time to think of physical exercise. B. Sporting activities are popular among American students. C. American students should take part in various social activities. D. Those who don’t participate in social and sporting activities are usually unpopular with their peers. 66. Compared with American students, Chinese university students __________. A. have no difficulty in raising a family             B. live an easy life in universities C. don’t have to take full-time jobs                    D. have more duty to make greater progress 67. This passage mainly deals with __________. A. part-time jobs chosen by American students    B. the high fees of American universities C. difficult lives American students have to face        D. different opinions on American universities 查看答案和解析>> 科目： 来源： 题型：阅读理解 江苏省盐城中学10-11学年高一第一学期期中考试（英语）.doc   What exactly is a lie ?Is it anything we say which we know is untrue ?Or is it something more than that ?For example, suppose a friend wants to borrow some money from you. You say “I wish I could help you, but I am short of money myself.” In fact , you are not short of money but your friend is in the habit of not paying his debts and you don’t want to hurt his feelings by reminding him of this. Is this really a lie ? Professor Jerald Jellison of the University of southern California has made a scientific study of lying. According to him, women are better liars than men, particularly when telling a “white lie”, such as when a woman at a party tells another woman that she likes her dress when she really thinks it’s terrible. However, this is only one side of the story. Other researchers say that men are more likely to tell more serious lies, such as making a promise that they have no intention of carrying out. This is the kind of lie politicians and businessmen are supposed to be particularly skilled at :the lie from which the liar hopes to profit or gain in some way. Research has been done into the way people’s behavior changes in a number of small, unimportant ways when they lie. It has been found that if they are sitting down at the time, they tend to move about in their chairs more than usual. To the trained observer they are saying “I wish I were somewhere else now”. They also tend to touch certain parts of the face, particularly the nose. One explanation of this may be that lying causes a slight increase in blood pressure. The tip of the nose  is very sensitive to changes and the increased pressure makes it itch. Another gesture that gives liars away is what the writer Decmond Morris in his book Man Watching calls the “mouth cover”. He says that there are several typical forms of this ,such as covering part of the mouth with the fingers, touching the upper lip or putting a finger of the hand at one side off the mouth. Such a gesture can be understood as an unconscious(未察觉的) attempt on the part of the liar to stop himself from lying. Of course, such gestures as rubbing the nose or covering the mouth , moving about in a chair can not be taken as proof that the speaker is lying. They simply tend to happen more often in this situation. It is one gesture alone that gives the liar away but a whole number of things , and in particular the context(上下文) which the lie is told. 66.According to the passage, a white lie seems to be a lie ______. A. that other people believe    B. that other people don’t believe C. told in order not to hurt someone’s feelings D. told in order to take advantage of someone 67.Research suggests that women _____. A. are better at telling less serious lies than men B. generally lie for more than men do C. often make promises they intend to break D. lie at parties more often than men do 68.Researchers find that when a person tells lies _____. A. his blood pressure increases measurably B. he looks very serious C. he is likely to make some small changes in his behavior D. he uses his unconscious mind 69.The writer of the passage______. A. hates lying      B. enjoys lying           C. often tells a lie        D. tries to study about lying 70. Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage as a sign of lying ? A. Touching one’s ears                                    B. Rubbing the nose  C. Moving in a chair                               D. Covering the mouth 查看答案和解析>> 科目： 来源： 题型：阅读理解 One night I was sitting in my room half – listening as my 15 year – old brother fought with my 12 year – old brother Kevin．I didn’t pay attention when Kevin rushed up the stairs with the hurt on his face． About 20 minutes later, as I was walking upstairs I heard Kevin crying inside the bathroom．I knocked on the door and asked, “Hi, Kevin, do you want to talk?” No response(无应答)．I tried again, “Why don’t you come out of there?” Again, no response． So, joking around, I grabbed a stack of index cards and a pencil and wrote, “If you don’t want to talk, we can write notes to each other．” An hour later I was still sitting on the floor outside the bathroom with two stacks of index cards in front of me．One was blank and one was cars from Kevin on which he had translated all his yucky feelings into words for me．As I read one of Kevin’s notes, tears came to my eyes．It said, “Nobody in this family cares about me．I’m not the youngest, and I’m not the oldest, and I’m not talented．Tommy thinks I’m stupid and Dad wishes he had the other Kevin as a kid because he’s better at basketball．And you’re never around to even notice me．” Tears came to my eyes again as I wrote back to him．“You know Kevin, I really do love you and I’m sorry I don’t always show it．I am here for you and you are loved in this family．” There was no response for a while, but then I heard a tearing sound coming from inside the bathroom．Kevin, who had run out of index cards wrote on a torn – up paper cup, “Thanks．” I wrote back “For what?” It returned to me with “Loving me” written on it．Since then, I try my best never to half – notice my family members anymore．Kevin and I have closer relationship now, and sometimes when one of us notices that the other is upset we’ll smile and say “Write it on a paper cup．” 60．Why did Kevin stay inside the bathroom alone crying? A．Because he lost in the fight with Tommy． B．Because the author didn’t help him win Tommy． C．Because he felt no love from the family members． D．Because he hurt him when rushing up the stairs． 61．The underlined word “yucky” (Para．6) most probably means “           ”． A．unpleasant              B．exciting    C．doubtful   D．frightening 62．What could be the reason that Kevin’s Dad doesn’t like him? A．Kevin likes fighting with others．   B．Kevin is not good at playing basketball． C．Kevin doesn’t want to talk to others． D．Kevin is not talented as his brother． 63．What did the author learn from the incident? A．It’s hard to comfort young brothers at home． B．It’s dangerous to half – notice someone in the family． C．It’s important for family members to show their love． D．The best way to communicate with family members is by writing． 查看答案和解析>> 科目： 来源： 题型：阅读理解 The whole morning we just checked our own things. We were looking for items to give away. We thought of blankets, food and clothing. Our aim was not to find things we no longer wanted, but things we use every day and would be useful to others.   We made up boxes with the things and added some small toys. Inside the boxes a simple letter was placed, reading:   “Please take these items and know that your life is important. Times are difficult but they will pass. We share what we have, believing it will matter. Use the blanket to stay warm. Be safe and know that the human spirit can overcome anything. Don’t hold your head down. Someday please do the same when you can. How you do it and when, your heart will tell you.   This kind act was not because the phone rang or for any reason. It was simply because it was the right time to do. We have often seen homeless people at the park where we left the belongings. The city would say that it isn’t a problem but I see the lives walking to and from it.   I noticed that my wife had put her favorite green coat into one of the boxes. I asked if she was sure about it and she simply replied that it had a hood (风帽). She liked the coat but knew the hood could shelter (遮挡)someone from the rain.   We don’t know where these gifts of compassion（同情）will go. We never go back and see what happens. It’s unimportant. The right things will find the right people and that is all that counts. On the way my wife started to cry. When I asked why, she said because some things felt so right. 70. What can we learn from the first paragraph about the couple？ They had deep feelings of their work They often threw the useless daily items away They liked helping others by sharing their things They often gave away the daily items they didn’t use 71.The couple placed the letter inside the box mainly to_______________. help the poor go through the difficulties let the poor know who gave away the things tell the poor how to use the items correctly tell the poor to pass on the spirit to others 72.The couple liked this kind act because _______. they thought it was the right thing to do they had a good habit of saving things they often received telephone calls for help they hated being troubled by homeless people 73.What’s the best title for this passage? Boxes filled with compassion Good behavior leading to happiness The most important thing in our life Happiness coming from sharing things 查看答案和解析>> 同步练习册答案 全品作业本答案 同步测控优化设计答案 长江作业本同步练习册答案 同步导学案课时练答案 仁爱英语同步练习册答案 一课一练创新练习答案 时代新课程答案 新编基础训练答案 能力培养与测试答案 更多练习册答案 百度致信 - 练习册列表 - 试题列表 湖北省互联网违法和不良信息举报平台 | 网上有害信息举报专区 | 电信诈骗举报专区 | 涉历史虚无主义有害信息举报专区 | 涉企侵权举报专区 违法和不良信息举报电话：027-86699610 举报邮箱：58377363@163.com 版权声明：本站所有文章，图片来源于网络，著作权及版权归原作者所有，转载无意侵犯版权，如有侵权，请作者速来函告知，我们将尽快处理，联系qq：3310059649。 ICP备案序号: 沪ICP备07509807号-10 鄂公网安备42018502000812号