When 7-year-old Warren Buffett said,“I will be the richest man one day,” his friends made fun of his “daydreaming”. But ever since then the little boy has set about learning how to make money by selling drinks, delivering newspapers and buying stocks. The American had already earned $9,000 (equal to $90,000 today) by the time he graduated from high school.

   And this month the 78-year-old man, who earned his fortune by making a lot of sound investment in the stock market, took the place of Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, as the world’s richest man. Gates’ worth declined $1.5 billion to $55.5 billion in 33 days after the recent financial storm, according to Forbes Magazine.

   Buffett, the only son of a stockbroker, was ready to think outside the box to develop his business from a very early age. At 8, he went to golf courses collecting and selling the used balls. At 11 when he sold soda pop door-to-door with a friend, the pair collected lids on streets to judge which flavor was the most popular.

   As a paper boy during high school, Buffett delivered two competitor papers, so that even when customers canceled one of the subscriptions, he could still make a profit from the other. With his paper delivery savings, Buffett bought 162,000 square meters of farmland and collected rent. Young Buffett stepped into the stock market at 11 but earned only $5. The experience taught him one of the virtues in investing, patience.

   After graduating from university, Buffett started his venture with stocks with his childhood earnings and money from friends. He researched the stocks and just bought those of solid companies that were undervalued and inexpensive at the time. By sticking to companies such as American Express and Coca-Cola, Buffett has become rich.

   “Learning is important to Buffett’s success. He is a learning machine who can spend his entire day reading. He keeps learning from books, street smarts and investigation, from both success and failure. In this way, he over-achieved his aptitude (能力).” said Charlie Munger, his longtime business partner. 

16. The passage is mainly about ___________.

A. why Buffett took the place of Bill Gates as the world’s richest man

B. what effect Buffett’s childhood experiences had on his success

C. how Buffett earned his fortune and achieved his aptitude

D. what Buffett dreamt about when he was a child

17. Which of the following is true about Buffett?

A. His worth is more than $ 55.5 billion now.

B. He is next to Bill Gates in wealth at the present time.

C He achieved great success on stepping into the stock market.

D He bought 162,000 square meters of farmland by selling soda pop.

18. How did Buffett behave at the stock market?

A. He often prefers some inexpensive stocks.

B. He will buy the stock whose price is lower than its value.

C. He always borrows money from his friends to buy stocks.

D. He will sell the stock if its price doesn’t go up.

19. Which is the main factor that determines Buffett’s success?

A.  His education.                   B. His family background.

C.  His desire to learn.                D. His cooperation with his partner.

20. What can we infer from the passage?

A. Buffett is an immediate success in the stock market.

B. Buffett and Gates are business partners.

C. His father helped him a lot in his business.

D. Buffett has a good sense of business.

Bedfordshire had its fair share of royal visits from the early stages of the 10th Century onwards and the importance that the county placed on this is evident in the monuments, country houses, churches and any number of other structures that are still present there to this day. Bedford Castle is one of those structures and, although it is nowhere near its former glory today, it is an essential attraction to visit if you really want to grasp what its heritage means to the county!

Bedford Castle was built initially as a fortress to help protect Bedfordshire on the south of the River Ouse after the people in the local towns and villages had already been subdued. It was erected in 919 on the orders of King Edward the Elder, although it was destroyed by a Danish invasion years later. This was when it was rebuilt as the castle, of which the ruins exist today!

There is a long history behind the castle that involves several kings as a result of the Duke of Bedford being an ardent royalist. Bedford Castle repeatedly offered the kings of England refuge against various storms in the form of onslaughts from abroad and various domestic threats against them, and this is where much of its fame lies, even though the castle itself is no longer there. There are various tours of the ruins that you can take when you visit though and all of the guides are extremely knowledgeable. They will happily tell you tales of the mound and the castle that preceded it.

The mound is open to the public all year round and is a proud part of the area’s heritage. It is recommended by the majority of people that visit Bedfordshire because it tells you much about why the county is currently how it is. You can view the river from the mound and the surrounding settlements as well as the remains of the castle, and every moment spent there is worth it so enjoy the history and the very nature of the county itself!

1.What do we know from the first paragraph?

A．The royals pay regular visits to Bedfordshire.

B．Bedfordshire had it fair share of royal visit.

C．Most of the ancient buildings are in use today.

D．Bedford Castle represents the history of the county.

2. The underlined word “initially” in Paragraph 2 probably means _______ .

A．first of all

B．at the beginning

C．for one particular purpose

D．for a short time

3.The kings of England came to Bedford Castle ______.

A．to seek temporary protection

B．to visit the Duke of Bedford

C．to enjoy the beauty of nature

D．to escape from the bad weather

4.Why are visitors recommended to visit Bedfordshire？

A．It is the major heritage in that region

B．It reflects the history of Bedfordshire

C．The ancient castle is well worth visiting

D．The castle is still in good condition

5.The purpose of writing the text is _______.

A．to introduce Bedford Castle

B．to tell the history of Bedfordshire

C．to attract tourists to Bedfordshire

D．to show where the kings used to go

 

Pat O’Burke was a poor Irishman with a large family, and one morning, waking up very early from cold and hunger, he decided to go shooting in a wood near his cottage. The wood belonged to Lord Northwood, a rich gentleman, Pat had no right to go there, but in it there were swarms of rabbits and flocks of birds that were good to eat, and Pat determined to take the risk. Suddenly he saw the owner, with a group of friends, coming towards him in the wood. There was a look of anger on Lord Northwood's face as he caught sight of the gun in Pat's hands. Pat's heart sank with fear, but he saw there was no hope of escape, so he walked boldly (大胆) up to the group and said to Lord Northwood, “Good morning, sir, and what has brought you out so early this morning?” Lord Northwood, rather surprised, said he and his friends were taking a little exercise to get an appetite(食欲) for their breakfast. Then, looking at Pat with suspicion(怀疑), he said, “but why are you out so early in the morning?” “Well, sir” said Pat, “I just came out to see if I could get a breakfast for my appetite.” The whole crowed burst into laughter at Pat's ready wit(机智，风趣), and with a smile Lord Northwood walked on, leaving Pat to try his luck with the rabbits.

1.This is a story about _____.

A．a rich man who owned a big wood

B．a poor Irishman who lived all by himself

C．a clever man who tried to get something to eat

D．an Irish hunter with a large family

2. There was a look of anger on Lord Northwood's face. Why?

A．He was not expecting Pat at this early hour.

B．He knew Pat was coming for shooting.

C．He didn't like the poor Irishman at all.

D．Pat had not told him he would come.

3.Why was Lord Northwood surprised?

A．He had not expected such a bold question from Pat.

B．He wondered why Pat didn't run away.

C．Pat wasn't afraid of him.

D．Pat had a gun in his hands.

4. What made the whole crowd burst into laughter?

A．Pat's funny looks	B．Pat's interesting remarks
C．Pat's quick and humorous response	D．Pat's promise to leave fight away

5. Guess the meaning of the underlined word “right”.

A．对的

B．右边

C．正好

D．权利

 

Bedfordshire had its fair share of royal visits from the early stages of the 10th Century onwards and the importance that the county placed on this is evident in the monuments, country houses, churches and any number of other structures that are still present there to this day. Bedford Castle is one of those structures and, although it is nowhere near its former glory today, it is an essential attraction to visit if you really want to grasp what its heritage means to the county!

Bedford Castle was built initially as a fortress to help protect Bedfordshire on the south of the River Ouse after the people in the local towns and villages had already been subdued. It was erected in 919 on the orders of King Edward the Elder, although it was destroyed by a Danish invasion years later. This was when it was rebuilt as the castle, of which the ruins exist today!

There is a long history behind the castle that involves several kings as a result of the Duke of Bedford being an ardent royalist. Bedford Castle repeatedly offered the kings of England refuge against various storms in the form of onslaughts from abroad and various domestic threats against them, and this is where much of its fame lies, even though the castle itself is no longer there. There are various tours of the ruins that you can take when you visit though and all of the guides are extremely knowledgeable. They will happily tell you tales of the mound and the castle that preceded it.

The mound is open to the public all year round and is a proud part of the area’s heritage. It is recommended by the majority of people that visit Bedfordshire because it tells you much about why the county is currently how it is. You can view the river from the mound and the surrounding settlements as well as the remains of the castle, and every moment spent there is worth it so enjoy the history and the very nature of the county itself!

1.What do we know from the first paragraph?

A．The royals pay regular visits to Bedfordshire

B．Bedford Castle represents the heritage of the county

C．Most of the ancient buildings are in use today

D．Bedfordshire had its fair share of royal visits

2.The underlined word “initially” in Paragraph 2 probably means _______.

A．at first                                B．since the beginning

C．for one particular purpose                D．for a short time

3.The kings of England came to Bedford Castle ______.

A．to escape from the bad weather            B．to visit the Duke of Bedford

C．to enjoy the beauty of nature              D．to seek temporary protection

4.Why are visitors recommended to visit Bedfordshire? ______

A．It reflects the history of the country

B．It is the major heritage in that region

C．The ancient castle is well worth visiting

D．The castle is still in good condition

5.The purpose of writing the text is _______.

A．to attract tourists to Bedfordshire           B．to tell the history of Bedfordshire

C．to introduce Bedford Castle               D．to show where the kings used to go

 

Domestic (驯养的) horses now pull ploughs, race in the Kentucky Derby, and carry police. But early horses weren’t tame (驯服的) enough to perform these kinds of tasks. Scientists think the first interactions humans had with horses were far different from those today.
Thousands of years ago, people killed the wild horses that lived around them for food. Over time, people began to catch the animals and raise them. This was the first step in domestication.
As people began to tame and ride horses, they chose to keep those animals that had more desirable characteristics. For example, people may have chosen to keep horses that had a gentle personality so they could be ridden more easily. People who used horses to pull heavy loads would have chosen to keep stronger animals. Characteristics like strength are partly controlled by the animals’ genes. So as the domesticated horses reproduced, they passed the characteristics on to their young. Each new generation of horses would show more of these chosen characteristics.
Modern-day horse breeds（种类） come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. This variety didn’t exist in the horse population before domestication. The Shetland horse is one of the smallest breeds— typically reaching only one meter tall. With short, strong legs, the animals were bred to pull coal out of mine shafts (矿井) with low ceilings. Huge horses like the Clydesdale came on the scene around 1700. People bred these heavy, tall horses to pull large vehicles used for carrying heavy loads.
The domestication of horses has had great effects on societies. For example, horses were important tools in the advancement of modern agriculture. Using them to pull ploughs and carry heavy loads allowed people to farm more efficiently. Before they were able to ride horses, humans had to cross land on foot. Riding horses allowed people to travel far greater distance in much less time. That encouraged populations living in different areas to interact with one another. The new form of rapid transportation helped cultures spread around the world.
【小题1】Before domestication horses were ______.

A．caught for sports	B．hunted for food
C．made to pull ploughs	D．used to carry people

【小题2】The author uses the Shetland horse as an example to show ______.

A．it is smaller than the Clydesdale horse

B．horses used to have gentle personalities

C．some horses have better shapes than others

D．horses were of less variety before domestication

【小题3】Horses contributed to the spread of culture by ______.

A．carrying heavy loads	B．changing farming methods
C．serving as a means of transport	D．advancing agriculture in different areas

【小题4】The passage is mainly about _______.

A．why humans domesticated horses

B．how humans and horses needed each other

C．why horses came in different shapes and sizes

D．how human societies and horses influenced each other