People have used pigeons to carry messages to one another for hundreds of years. In the 12th century, the royal palaces of Iraq and Syria included pigeon houses so the kings could be kept informed of their generals’ victories and defeats on the battlefield. In fact, pigeons were a common way to send messages right up through World War II.
Many countries, such as the United States, England, France, Germany, and Italy, in both World War I and World War II, used carrier pigeons. Not only were the birds often the fastest, most reliable way to send messages, they could also be used to reach soldiers far behind enemy lines, where radios and field telephone lines were useless. Since they could easily be released (释放) from airplanes or ships, every branch of the armed services used the birds. In World War II, more than 3,000 soldiers and 150 officers were needed to care for and train the tens of thousands of birds in the U.S. Pigeon Service.
Carrying messages could be a dangerous job. Some pigeons performed with such bravery that they became famous and were even awarded medals, such as England’s Dicken Medal of Gallantry. In a few cases, pigeons even became prisoners of war. In 1918 American forces captured a pigeon named Kaiser, which had been trained to fly special missions for Germany during battle. He was taken to America, where he lived to the age of 32. The most famous pigeon of all may have been Cher Ami. Stationed in France during World War I, he carried twelve important messages for American forces. On his last mission, though wounded, he carried a message that saved the lives of 194 American soldiers. For his extraordinary service, he was awarded the French “Croix de Guerre.”
Carrier pigeons are a slightly different breed (品种) from the kind of pigeons you see on city streets. They are much thinner and taller, with longer legs. Many people find carrier pigeons ugly because of their big wattle, a bent buildup of skin on the beak（鸟嘴）; however, people who raise pigeons often enjoy this strange appearance and consider carriers the best of their breed.
Today, modern communication methods can carry information from one place to another hundreds of times faster than a pigeon could do. However, few people would argue with the fact that carrier pigeons—especially those that served in the military—have earned their place in history. Stories about brave pigeons such as Cher Ami, President Wilson, and Colonel’s Lady have the power to inspire us as no fax machine or high-speed Internet connection could ever do.
【小题1】Many countries used carrier pigeons in the war because_______.

A．they could be believed in

B．they were easily raised

C．they could reach the enemy lines

D．they could hardly be found by airplanes

【小题2】Which is the best example to show the bravery of carrier pigeons?

A．Carrier pigeons could fly to places where radios and telephone lines were useless.

B．For his extraordinary service, Cher Ami was awarded the French “Croix de Guerre”.

C．In World War II, more than 3,000 soldiers were needed to care for and train the pigeons.

D．In the 12th century, kings in Iraq were kept informed of the victories and defeats by pigeons.

【小题3】From the passage, we can learn _________.

A．how carrier pigeons developed in history

B．how to train carrier pigeons to get victory

C．carrier pigeons played an important role in the wars in the old days

D．pigeons inspired soldiers to fight before high-speed Internet invented

I remember the first time I met Alfred after years. He was sitting on a bench in the park. He looked very sad and cold. He hadn’t got a coat on and it started to rain. Usually, I don’t like to stop to speak to a stranger who looked like that. His shoes were well-cleaned and his clothes were quite smart, but he did not have an umbrella with him and he was getting wet in the rain. I stopped walking and said to him in a nice voice. “ Are you OK?” he looked up, and was surprised to see me. He cried out. “ Are you …” he couldn’t remember my name. I was also surprised. He was Alfred! “ I’m Tom, Alfred, what are you doing here?” I asked. He did not explain to me, but caught my hand, and asked how my life was like. I told him that I was out of job. I suggested that we go somewhere warm and dry.
So we found a café nearby and continued our conversation. I learned that he married with two children, and his wife was Sherry. I could not believe my ears. Twenty years ago his best friend was Linda, and Sherry was his worst enemy! They often had quarrels ( 争吵) and fights in the play.
Alfred told me that he became a businessman when he graduated from the school and owned two companies in the city. I asked him why he was sitting in the rain in the park. He said that he had just had a quarrel with Sherry, and acting in the same way as when she was young, threw him out of the door and locked him　out. He was young, threw him out of the door and locked him out. He was waiting for her to be calm and let him in again.
【小题1】What did Alfred look like?

A．Pleasant

B．Smart

C．Hungry

D．Well-dressed

【小题2】Alfred was ___ them.
A married B. nice C. weak D. strong
【小题3】 How was Alfred when he was Tom?

A．Happy

B．Surprised

C．Glad

D．Angry

【小题4】The writer ________

A．liked to speak to a stranger	B．met Alfred in a café
C．thought Alfred’s wife was Sherry	D．hadn’t met Alfred twenty years.

【小题5】What happened to Alfred?

A．He lost his wife	B．He lost his job
C．His wife didn’t let him go home	D．His friend didn’t want to see him.

When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings. Sometimes she said I was thin. Sometimes she said I was lazy. Sometimes she said I wasn’t a good student. Sometimes she said I talked too much, and so on. I tried to put up with(忍受) her as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.

He listened to me quietly, and then he asked, “Are the things she said true or not? Mary, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like? Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.” I did as he told me and to my surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true.

I brought the list back to my dad. He refused to take it. “That’s just for you,” he said. “You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be helpful to you. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you think is right.”

Many years have passed. The situation often appears in my mind. In our life we often meet with some trouble and we often go to someone and ask for advice. For some advice you will treasure(珍惜) all your life!

1.What did the writer’s father do after he heard her complaints(抱怨)?

A．He agreed with her “enemy”.

B．he let her continue to put up with her “enemy”.

C．He told her to write down all her “enemy” had said about her.

D．He told her not to pay attention to what her “enemy” had said.

2.The writer felt ____ when she did the things as her father had told her.

A．surprised

B．angry

C．disappointed

D．sad

3.Which of the following can we know from the passage?

A．The “enemy” thought the writer was pretty.

B．The “enemy” thought the writer studied hard.

C．The writer and her “enemy” became best friends at last.

D．The writer is grateful to her father.

4.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．My Parents

B．A Serious Criticism(批评)

C．What People Say About You Is Always Right

D．The Best Advice I Ever Had

 

“You know,Ann,” my friend Nick said, “Lisa and Anita were just talking about you.”  I immediately got 11.  “They said that you join the Students Union just because the teacher likes you, not because you are excellent.”

I 12 to keep myself from crying, getting down to my knees. After Nick told me everything my supposed best friends said about me, I felt I was 13 .

Lisa and Anita came in, acting as if(好像) 14  had happened.Lisa was still my deskmate and Anita was still my partner for our history project. I was 15 that they were able to pretend we had the perfect friendship. 16 they’d said such hurtful things.

I felt like I didn’t have a friend in the world, all because of rumor(谣言).

The tongue can be our worst 17 . Rumors do harm to friendship. They are like sharp knives, breaking one’s dignity(尊严) into pieces. When we say 18 things abut others, we’re hurting their hearts.

So how was I to act next? I thought of 19 them back. But instead, I told them directly they had hurt me. Lisa started 20 and Anita was speechless. I knew they were both sorry for what they had said. They said sorry to me, and I forgave them 21 I was still unhappy. Sure, things were a little embarrassing (尴尬的) at first, but soon enough everything was back to the way it had been before. I still 22  rumors from time to time. Talking about others is a part of our life, but the more I learn about the friendship, the more I realize the importance of tolerating others.

1.A.relaxed  B. nervous  C. scared  D. energetic

2.A.struggled  B. decided  C. continued  D. preferred

3.A.different  B. wrong  C. sick  D. alone

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

5.A.surprised  B. satisfied C. frightened  D. worried

6.A.simply  B. especially  C. obviously  D. probably

7.A.criminal  B. victim  C. suspect  D. enemy

8.A.unpopular  B. unlucky  C. unkind  D. unusual

9.A. attacking  B. arguing  C. bringing  D. pulling

10.A. shouting  B. keeping  C. fighting  D. crying

11.A. because   B. although  C. after  D. unless

12.A. play with  B. agree with   C. deal with  D. help with

 

I remember the first time I met Alfred after years. He was sitting on a bench in the park. He looked very sad and cold. He hadn’t got a coat on and it started to rain. Usually, I don’t like to stop to speak to a stranger who looked like that. His shoes were well-cleaned and his clothes were quite smart, but he did not have an umbrella with him and he was getting wet in the rain. I stopped walking and said to him in a nice voice. “ Are you OK?” he looked up, and was surprised to see me. He cried out. “ Are you …” he couldn’t remember my name. I was also surprised. He was Alfred! “ I’m Tom, Alfred, what are you doing here?” I asked. He did not explain to me, but caught my hand, and asked how my life was like. I told him that I was out of job. I suggested that we go somewhere warm and dry.
So we found a café nearby and continued our conversation. I learned that he married with two children, and his wife was Sherry. I could not believe my ears. Twenty years ago his best friend was Linda, and Sherry was his worst enemy! They often had quarrels ( 争吵) and fights in the play.
Alfred told me that he became a businessman when he graduated from the school and owned two companies in the city. I asked him why he was sitting in the rain in the park. He said that he had just had a quarrel with Sherry, and acting in the same way as when she was young, threw him out of the door and locked him　out. He was young, threw him out of the door and locked him out. He was waiting for her to be calm and let him in again.
【小题1】What did Alfred look like?

A．Pleasant

B．Smart

C．Hungry

D．Well-dressed

【小题2】Alfred was ___ them.
A married B. nice C. weak D. strong
【小题3】 How was Alfred when he was Tom?

A．Happy

B．Surprised

C．Glad

D．Angry

【小题4】The writer ________

A．liked to speak to a stranger	B．met Alfred in a café
C．thought Alfred’s wife was Sherry	D．hadn’t met Alfred twenty years.

【小题5】What happened to Alfred?

A．He lost his wife	B．He lost his job
C．His wife didn’t let him go home	D．His friend didn’t want to see him.