Since the end of World War I (WWI) in 1918，Canadians, and millions of others around the world have paused at the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month to honour the sacrifices our soldiers have made in different wars, fighting for the freedoms that we all enjoy today.
Known as Remembrance Day, the day originated as a tribute to the soldiers of WWI， a dark period for our young country, which claimed the lives of over 60,000 military personnel and civilians and over 16 million dead worldwide.
As there are no more surviving soldiers of WWI，today we rely on the wisdom and words of those soldiers who fought in the wars that followed，and this day now also recognizes their heroic contribution.
They tell us to always remember what those brave souls fought for, and all they ask in return is that we never forget.
That’s why we wear the red poppy (罂粟花);that’s why when we see a soldier in uniform we should stop him or her and say “Thank you” ; that’s why we take a pause from our busy lives for two short minutes today to honor that request.
Yet this message is fading away, year after year.
Take for example the terrible decision to allow parents to excuse students from Remembrance Day ceremonies at school.
Not only is this disrespectful, it distances the student from his or her classmates.
It is difficult to understand why any Canadian parent would want to remove their child from the time-honored tradition of reading the poem In Flanders Fields, while a wreath of poppies is laid.
It is more important than ever to teach school-aged children about our history，no matter how violent it was. Sheltering them from the realities of war is a great disservice.
Understanding why conflicts happened, or happen today, can help shape choices and decisions they make as adults.
Of course, because we live in a free society, we cannot force an individual to do something. It is unfortunate, but some parents now have their child “opt-out” of the services. These people should be reminded they are free to make such choices only because of the men and women the rest of us are remembering.
【小题1】Which of the following is true about Remembrance Day?

A． It’s only held in Canada.

B．Its ceremony lasts 11 hours.

C．It falls on November 11th each year.

D．It’s to celebrate the country’s independence.

【小题2】Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a Remembrance Day activity today?

A．Stopping at 11a.m. to remember the war dead.

B．Listening to stories told by WWI soldiers.

C．Wearing a red poppy to show respect.

D．Showing gratitude to soldiers in uniform.

【小题3】What can we learn from the passage?

A．War history is too violent for school children.

B．The writer was once a soldier in the Canadian army.

C．Few students are willing to take part in Remembrance Day ceremonies.

D．More parents are keeping their children away from frightening war stories.

【小题4】The underlined word “It” in the last paragraph probably refers to _____

A．the death of so many soldiers in wars

B．the fact that there were so many wars after WWI

C．people’s ungratefulness for the freedom they have

D．removing children from Remembrance Day events

【小题5】The writer believes that_____

A．the sacrifice of the soldiers should always be remembered

B．Remembrance Day is becoming less important for soldiers

C．schools - no longer think Remembrance Day is necessary

D．people should be forced to learn about the realities of war

Since the end of World War I (WWI) in 1918，Canadians, and millions of others around the world have paused at the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month to honour the sacrifices our soldiers have made in different wars, fighting for the freedoms that we all enjoy today.

Known as Remembrance Day, the day originated as a tribute to the soldiers of WWI， a dark period for our young country, which claimed the lives of over 60,000 military personnel and civilians and over 16 million dead worldwide.

As there are no more surviving soldiers of WWI，today we rely on the wisdom and words of those soldiers who fought in the wars that followed，and this day now also recognizes their heroic contribution.

They tell us to always remember what those brave souls fought for, and all they ask in return is that we never forget.

That’s why we wear the red poppy (罂粟花);that’s why when we see a soldier in uniform we should stop him or her and say “Thank you” ; that’s why we take a pause from our busy lives for two short minutes today to honor that request.

Yet this message is fading away, year after year.

Take for example the terrible decision to allow parents to excuse students from Remembrance Day ceremonies at school.

Not only is this disrespectful, it distances the student from his or her classmates.

It is difficult to understand why any Canadian parent would want to remove their child from the time-honored tradition of reading the poem In Flanders Fields, while a wreath of poppies is laid.

It is more important than ever to teach school-aged children about our history，no matter how violent it was. Sheltering them from the realities of war is a great disservice.

Understanding why conflicts happened, or happen today, can help shape choices and decisions they make as adults.

Of course, because we live in a free society, we cannot force an individual to do something. It is unfortunate, but some parents now have their child “opt-out” of the services. These people should be reminded they are free to make such choices only because of the men and women the rest of us are remembering.

1.Which of the following is true about Remembrance Day?

A． It’s only held in Canada.

B．Its ceremony lasts 11 hours.

C．It falls on November 11^th each year.

D．It’s to celebrate the country’s independence.

2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a Remembrance Day activity today?

A．Stopping at 11a.m. to remember the war dead.

B．Listening to stories told by WWI soldiers.

C．Wearing a red poppy to show respect.

D．Showing gratitude to soldiers in uniform.

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A．War history is too violent for school children.

B．The writer was once a soldier in the Canadian army.

C．Few students are willing to take part in Remembrance Day ceremonies.

D．More parents are keeping their children away from frightening war stories.

4.The underlined word “It” in the last paragraph probably refers to _____

A．the death of so many soldiers in wars

B．the fact that there were so many wars after WWI

C．people’s ungratefulness for the freedom they have

D．removing children from Remembrance Day events

5.The writer believes that_____

A．the sacrifice of the soldiers should always be remembered

B．Remembrance Day is becoming less important for soldiers

C．schools - no longer think Remembrance Day is necessary

D．people should be forced to learn about the realities of war

 

I live in the land of Disney, Hollywood and year - round sun．You may think People , such an attractive, fun - filled place are happier than others．If so you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness．

Many intelligent people still think fun equals happiness．The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common．Fun is what we experience during an act．Happiness is what we experience after an act．It is a deep, long-lasting emotion．

Going to an amusement park or a ball game, watching a movie or television are fun activities that help us relax, temporally forget our problems and maybe even laugh．But they do not bring happiness, because their positive effects end when the fun ends．

I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play, it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun．They have constant access to exciting parties, fancy cars, expensive homes, everything that spells "happiness" But in memoir（回忆录） after memoir, they expose Ac unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun: depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, broken marriages and loneliness．

Ask a bachelor why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying．If he is honest, he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment．For commitment is in fact quite painful．The single life is filled with fun, adventure and excitement．Man-iage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features．

Similarly, couples that choose not to have children are deciding in favor of painless fun over painful happiness．They can dine out whenever they want and sleep as late as they want．Couples with babies are lucky to get a whole night' s sleep．I don't know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children．

Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations we can ever come to．It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can truly increase our happiness．It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless．And it frees us from envy: we now understand that all those rich and famous people we were so sure are happy because they are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all．

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A．Fun and happiness．	B．Success and satisfaction．
C．Marriage and commitment．	D．Entertainment and responsibility．

2.The author probably agrees that ____．

A．fun creates long - lasting satisfaction

B．long - standing fun may lead to happiness

C．fun is short-lived while happiness is long-lasting

D．fun provides enjoyment while pain leads to happiness

3.What does the author think of marriage?

A．It ends in pain．	B．It means commitment．
C．It affords greater fun．	D．It leads to raising children．

4.If one gets the real meaning of happiness, he ____．

A．will start a business          B  won' t place too much value on money

C．will seek for freedom           D．won't devote himself to his family

 

Nuclear weapons（核武器）were first developed in the United States during the Second World War to be used against Germany．However, by the time the first bombs were ready for use, the war with Germany had ended and, as a result, the decision was made to use the weapons against Japan instead． Hiroshima and Nagasaki have suffered the consequences of the decision to the present day.

The real reasons why bombs were dropped on two heavily populated cities are not altogether clear． number of people in 1944 and early 1945 argued that the use of nuclear weapons would be A unnecessary, since American Intelligence was aware that some of the most powerful and influential people in Japan had already realised that the war was lost, and wanted to discuss a Japanese surrender （投降） It was also argued that, since Japan has few natural resources, a blockade （封锁） by the American navy would force it to surrender within a few Weeks, and the use of nuclear weapons would prove unnecessary．If a demonstration of force was required to end the war, a bomb could be dropped over an unpopulated area like a desert, in front of Japanese observers, or over an area of low population inside Japan, such as a forest．Choosing this course of action might decrease the loss of further lives on all sides, while the power of nuclear weapons would still be adequately demonstrated（展示） ．

All of these arguments were turned down, however, and the general agreement was that the quickest way to end the fighting would be to use nuclear weapons against the centres of population inside Japan．In fact, two of the more likely reasons why the decision was reached seem quite shocking to us now． .

68．The meaning of the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 is that

A．the two cities were badly damaged after they were bombed

B．the two cities suffered because Japan would not agree to end the war

C．the terrible effects of dropping nuclear weapons on these cities can still be felt

D．the end of the war with Germany meant Hiroshima and Nagasaki, would suffer

69．According to Paragraph 2, a blockade would have been successful because

A．Japan had to import most of its natural resources

B．Japan would not be powerful enough to beat a blockade

C．an attack would probably destroy Japanese resources within a few weeks

D．the Americans could defeat Japan's navy since it was short of resources

70．The last paragraph tells that .

A．the writer probably expects us hot to argue with his opinion

B．the nuclear bombs must have been dropped on Tokyo, too

C．the real reasons for' the decision may never have been made clear

D．the writer has not done much research on this subject to establish the facts

71．What would probably be discussed in the paragraphs that follow?

A．The reasons why Japan chose to surrender．

B．The writer's attitudes towards the Japan's surrender.

C．People's different opinions about dropping nuclear weapons onto the cities．

D．Some of the possible reasons for dropping nuclear weapons onto the cities．

       History books tell us that the city of Rome was set up in 152 B.C..It’s a fact, however, that by

100 A.D., Rome was the center of a big empire（帝国）.It was from Syria in the east to Spain in the west, from Britain in the north to Africa in the south. All or part of 27 of today’s countries were included in the Roman Empire. All of their people were ruled by one government, that of Rome. All educated people spoke the same language, Latin. And one of the empire’s outposts（前哨）was called Londinium. This unimportant town would later become London, England, and the center of another empire.

The Roman Empire came to an end about 1500 years ago. Yet in some ways it is still with us. Take the letters you are reading, for example, English, like many other languages, uses the Roman alphabet（字母）while also borrowing many words. The laws of many European countries are based on ancient Roman laws. Roman ruins are seen throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. In some places, Roman roads and water courses are still in use. To this day, and European in North Africa is likely to be called“Roumi”—Roman. Even modern place names are often after Ancient Rome. Both Greece and Germany have the names given by the Romans rather than the names that their own people first called them.

67．The most northern part of the Roman Empire was       .

A．Spain       B．Africa      C．Syria D．Britain

68．The main idea of paragraph 2 is that Roman culture is       .

A．dead and gone         B．based completely on language

C．still part of the present    D．unimportant to history

69．In the days of the Empire, the Roman government was probably       .

A．strong      B．divided     C．weak D．poor

70．What happened first?

A．Londinium was an outpost      B．The Roman Empire fell apart

C．The city of Rome was founded       D．London became the center of an empire

71．Which of the following is not true?

A．In Europe people still use Roman names in some places.

B．Londinium became the center of an empire after Roman Empire fell apart.

C．We may see some remaining parts of Roman Empire in North Africa.

D．In Europe 27 countries had the same laws.