According to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, we officially welcome the Year of the Horse better than others.
The horse has played an important role throughout human history all over the world. Horses were used for thousands of years as a means of transportation, a weapon of war and a plougher of fields(犁地农具), but "the horse was more than just a vehicle - it had more character than a car, a tank or a tractor," Clare Balding wrote for The Telegraph.

In the Middle Ages in Western societies, the horse was a symbol of chivalry（骑士神）and nobility(贵族). In fact, the word "chivalry" comes from "cheval" in Old French, which meant horse. The idea of chivalry helped to fashion the 19th-century "gentleman", which was about good manners, courage and honesty to friends.
Nowadays, because of economic(经济) development, people in Western societies are less likely to see or ride horses. People living in cities, in particular, hardly ever experience horses except through movies, paintings or books. But horse racing, and betting .money on horse races, is still popular. The Kentucky Derby is one of the most popular sporting events every year in the US.
In the UK, the royal police still go around the city on horseback and the Queen rides in a traditional horse-drawn carriage on "ceremonial occasions (正式场合)”．
Some sayings about horses are still used in English today. For example, people still say "hold your horses" to mean “slow down". If someone seems too proud, people might tell him or her to "get off his or her high horse". And since horses are strong and energetic, there are expressions such as "as strong as a horse", "workhorse" and "horsing around".   .
Interestingly, the horse also appears in many Chinese sayings, such as Qianlima, which means a talented person. Other Chinese horse sayings include Madaochenggong (instant success) and Baimawangzi (prince charming).
Besides their physical strengths, horses are smart and have "excellent memories", according to Discovery News. Maybe that's why Chinese people say, "An old horse never gets lost".
Since the horse is honored as a symbol of many great qualities, people born in the Year of the Horse are said to share them.
【小题1】According to Chinese tradition, which year is welcomed best officially?

A．the Year of the Snake	B．the Year of the Tiger
C．the Year of the Mouse	D．the Year of the Horse

【小题2】According to the passage, which is NOT the role of the horse nowadays?

A．A weapon of war.

B．The royal police's transportation to go around in the UK.

C．Race horses.

D．Animal actors in movies.

【小题3】If a friend of yours is overconfident, what are you supposed to tell him or her?

A．Hold your horses.	B．Get off your high horse.
C．Be as strong as a horse	D．An old horse never gets lost

【小题4】According to the passage, which is NOT the reason why people like horses?

A．The horse has played an important role throughout human history all over the world

B．The horse was a symbol of chivalry and nobility in the Middle Ages in Western societies.

C．Besides their physical strengths, horses are smart and have “excellent memories".

D．Horses are only used as a means of transportation like a car, a tank or a tractor.

【小题5】From the passage we know that                     .

A．Economy develops a lot, so people in Western societies hardly see or ride horses nowadays.

B．The Kentucky Derby is one of the most popular betting events every year in the US.

C．Qianlima in Chinese means a person who can run one thousand kilometers a day.

D．Since the horse is honored as a symbol of many great qualities, people born in the Year of the Horse are said to be as strong as a horse.

根据短文内容，填入适当的单词，每空一词。

An elephant wants to have some friends. He sees a monkey in a tree. “Can you be my friend?” asks the elephant.

“You are too big. You can’t swing (摇荡) in the trees like me.”

Then the elephant meets a rabbit. “Please be my friend,” he says.

“How can I? Sorry, sir. You are too strong.”

The elephant is very sad. Then he goes home.

The next day, he sees all the animals running(跑). He doesn’t know why. The monkey says a tiger is near(在……附近)here. He will come to eat the animals.

The elephant goes to the tiger. “Please, Mr Tiger. Don’t eat the animals.”

“Go away（走开）!” says the tiger.

The elephant is not happy and kicks (踢) the tiger. Then the tiger goes away. At last, all the animals want the elephant to be their friend.

1. The monkey is in the          when the elephant sees him.

2.The elephant is too         , so the monkey and the rabbit don’t want the elephant to be their friend.

3. The elephant isn’t afraid (害怕) of the tiger because (因为) he is big and         .

4.All the animals are          when they see the tiger go away.

5. There are          kinds of（种类）animals in the story (故事).

 

阅读理解

　　“Katy, get your books. It's time to go to school,”said Mum.

　　“But I don't like to,”Katy said.

　　“Well, go and have fun,”Mum told her.

　　When Katy got to school, some children asked her to play with them. She really wanted to, but she was too shy to say yes.

　　That night when Katy got home she wasn't happy, so she went straight to her room to play with her friend Jimmy the Tiger. She told Jimmy about her shyness and Jimmy told her,“Tomorrow at school, I will help you, and you will feel good about talking to other children.”

　　The next morning, after breakfast, she left home to catch a bus as usual, but this time with Jimmy. On the bus, Jimmy started telling Katy how he was going to help her to talk to other children. When the bus arrived at school, Katy jumped off and ran to her classroom to put her books away. Then she ran outside. But suddenly she stopped.

　　“I can't go over and ask to play with them!!!”

　　“Go !”said Jimmy.

　　As she was walking over to the children, a girl said to her,“Hey, Katy, do you want to play with us?”Katy said,“Yes, I would love to.”She was so happy. From that day on she loved going to school. And now she is happy to go to school alone, without Jimmy the Tiger.

(1) Katy usually went to school _______.

[　　]

(2) Katy did not like school at first because she was a ________ girl.

[　　]

(3) Katy's classmates asked her to ________ with them.

[　　]

(4) Who said“I can't go over and ask to play with them!”?

[　　]

(5) The story tells us ________

[　　]

A. Jimmy was a school boy

B. Katy went to school once a week

C. Jimmy helped Katy become confident

D. Katy's mum took her to school every day

阅读短文，根据短文内容补全所给的五个残缺的句子。每空只能填一词。

There is a big zoo in our city. There are lots of animals in it. The tiger is from India. Its favourite food is meal. The giraffe is very tall. It comes from Africa. There are three pandas in the zoo. They come from China . They like eating bamboo very much. Each panda eats fifteen likos of bamboo every day . We like animals very much. They are our friends.

1.There are a lot of ________________ in the zoo.

2.The tiger is from _______________.

3.The giraffe is very ______________.

4.The three pandas like eating ________________ very much.

5.The three pandas eat ______________ kilos of bamboo a day.