Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English rulers fried to conquer (征服) Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally, in 1921, the British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two “Irelands”. Northern Ireland, in the north, is part of the United Kingdom. The republic of Ireland, in the south, is an independent country.

In the 1840s ,the main crop, potatoes was affected by disease and about 750, 000 people died of hunger. This, and a shortage (短缺) of work, forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.

For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.

The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly, Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Greeks”. Since independence, Ireland has revived (复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish songs which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc.

1.What does the author tell us in Paragraph 1?

A. How the Irish fought against the English.

B. How Ireland gained independence.

C. How two “Irelands” came into being.

D. How English rulers tried to conquer Ireland.

2.The last paragraph is mainly about____.

A. the Irish character                B. Irish culture

C. Irish musical instruments          D. a famous Irish writer

3.We learn from the text that in Ireland _____.

A. different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments

B. people are moving to the cities for lack of work in the countryside

C. it is harder to make a living as a farmer than as a factory worker

D. food shortages in the 1840s led to a decline in population

4.What can be the best title for the text?

A. Life in Ireland

B. Ireland, Past and Present

C. A Very Difficult History

D. The Independence of Ireland

The church seems cold this morning, even after all the people, friends and family, fill the benches. I sit here in silence, in shock and denial. This was not supposed to happen. What about our dreams, or our plans? We were going to raise our children, travel the world, and grow old together. I’m only 37, a typical housewife. I don’t know if I can do all this alone—two children, no father. What do I do or say?

The faces of so many people confuse me as they come to pay their last respects. Some have real sorrow; I can see it in their eyes. The others seem to just say, “I told you so.” Those famous last words: I-told-you-so. How I can’t stand them. And the pointing fingers as so-called family and so-called friends pick me out of the crowd for others to see. I want to scream and wake up but I can’t do anything but sit there. How can they be so blind? I fell in love with a man. Love knows no boundaries .

He was a good man, hardworking, caring and kind. He was retired from the Navy and a gentleman. He was sensitive to others’ needs, the kind of man that knew what to do or say, how to humor any situation and calm everyone’s fears. I remember our first child was a big surprise to both of us. I remember when I told him the news. He fell off his chair, saying over and over in disbelief, “But I’m almost sixty.” After a few months he started planning our next and even doing his famous little dance whenever he discussed the idea.

A man, thirty years older than I, lies in a coffin. Flowers, the American flag and his VFW comrades surround him, paying tribute（颂词）to him as the man he really was. And I sit alone here, with our two children, in silence, praying that this cold morning at church is only a nightmare and I will awake to his loving arms again.

1.What can we know from the passage about the writer?

A. She married a man much older than she. 

B. She is going to give birth to their second child.

C. She lost her husband, who was as old as she.

D. She lost her father, whom she loved deeply.

2.From Paragraph Two, we can see ______.

A. the writer didn’t really love the man

B. some of her family members didn’t understand her

C. some of her family members and friends were blind

D. she thought her marriage to the man was a mistake

3. Which of the following can best replace the underlined words “But I’m almost sixty”?

A. I can’t believe it.

B. That’s a lot of trouble.

C. That should have happened long ago.

D. It can’t be my child.

4.Which of the following can’t be used to describe the writer’s feelings for the man?

A. Sad.         B. Loving.        C. Inseparable        D. Complaining.

GET YOUR DEGREE AT HOME!
Have you ever wondered what a Degree might be worth to you in your job or career(事业)? It means a lot of Americans with an Associate Degree average nearly $10,000 more in yearly earnings than those with just a High School Diploma(毕业证).
Harcourt Learning Direct offers you a way to get a Specialized Associate Degree in 11 of today’s growing fields-without having to go to college full time. With Harcourt, you study at home, in your spare time__so you don’t have to give up your present job while you train for a better one. Choose from exciting majors like Business Management, Accounting, Dressmaking ＆Design, Bookkeeping, Photography, Computer Science, Engineering, and more! Your training includes everything you need! Books, lessons, learning aids__even professional-quality tools and equipment__everything you need to master your training and more ahead to a new career is included in the low tuition(学费) price you pay. Your education is nationally recognized! Nearly 2,000 American companies__including General Electric, IBM, Mobile, General Motors, Ford, and many others__have used our training for their employees. If companies like these recognize the value of our training, you can be sure that employees in your area will, too!
Earn your degree in as little as two years! Get a career diploma in just six months! The career of your dreams is closer than you think! Even if you have no experience before, you can get valuable job skills in today’s hottest fields! Step-by-step lessons make learning easy. Prepare for promotions(提升), pay raises, even start a business of your own! Send today for FREE information about Harcourt at home training!
Simply fill in your name and address on the coupon(票券) above. Then write in the name and number of the one program you’re most interested in, and mail it today. We’ll rush your free information about how you can take advantage of the opportunities(机会) in the field you’ve chosen. Act today!
Mail coupon today!
or call the number below
1-800-372-1589 Call anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
www. harcourt-learning.com
E-mail: harcourt@learning.com
1.This advertisement aims at calling on people to ________.

A．attend full-time universities

B．work part time to further their education

C．improve their education at home to get better jobs

D．earn their degrees in different ways that suit them

2.Which of the following is NOT clearly mentioned in this advertisement? 

A．The way how you will get your degree.

B．Tuition price.

C．The hot fields you will be preparing yourself for.

D．The length of time it will take you to get a degree.

3.What does the writer of this ad intend to say by naming General Electric, IBM, Ford, etc.?

A．To show that their training is widely used in the country.

B．To show that the training program is fully supported by famous companies in the U. S.

C．To prove the value of their training in every area.

D．To show the importance of getting recognized by the most famous companies.

4.It seems to the writer that the greatest attraction for people to take their training is______.

A．its convenience

B．the degree’s nation-wide recognition

C．the economic benefit it will bring about

D．the hot fields the training will help people to enter

Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English rulers fried to conquer (征服) Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally, in 1921, the British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two “Irelands”. Northern Ireland, in the north, is part of the United Kingdom. The republic of Ireland, in the south, is an independent country.

In the 1840s ,the main crop, potatoes was affected by disease and about 750, 000 people died of hunger. This, and a shortage (短缺) of work, forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.

For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.

The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly, Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Greeks”. Since independence, Ireland has revived (复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish songs which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc.

1.What does the author tell us in Paragraph 1?

A. How the Irish fought against the English.

B. How Ireland gained independence.

C. How two “Irelands” came into being.

D. How English rulers tried to conquer Ireland.

2.The last paragraph is mainly about____.

A. the Irish character                B. Irish culture

C. Irish musical instruments          D. a famous Irish writer

3.We learn from the text that in Ireland _____.

A. different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments

B. people are moving to the cities for lack of work in the countryside

C. it is harder to make a living as a farmer than as a factory worker

D. food shortages in the 1840s led to a decline in population

4.What can be the best title for the text?

A. Life in Ireland

B. Ireland, Past and Present

C. A Very Difficult History

D. The Independence of Ireland

Perhaps the famous football star won’t play ______ football any longer.

A. a   B. an    C. the   D. /