I went home one Saturday afternoon in the autumn of 1993 to get some work done in the garden. While sweeping leaves on the ground, my five-year-old son Nick came over and asked me to write something on a piece of paper to make a sign for him.
"What for?" I asked.
" I’m going to sell some of my stones, " he answered.
Nick was fascinated with stones and had collected many stones from all over.
" I’m too busy to do that for you. Go and ask your mum for help," I said.
A short time later, Nick, returned with a sign, reading, " Stones, One Dollar Each". He took the sign, a small chair and 4 of his best stones and walked to the road in front of our garden. There he put the stones in a line and sat down on the chair.
After half an hour, nobody passed by. I walked to him and asked him to go back, but he didn’t.
Another half hour later, a small car came down the road. I watched as Nick stood up, holding his sign up. A woman rolled down a window and read the sign. I couldn’t hear their talk, but I saw the woman turn to the driver and the man reach for his pocket.
I sat in the yard, as Nick ran to me. Waving the dollar, he shouted, "I told you I could sell one stone for a dollar -- if you believe in yourself, you can do anything. "
【小题1】Why didn’t the writer help his son?

A．Because his wife is better at making a sign.

B．Because he didn’t know what to write.

C．Because he was busy sweeping leaves.

D．Because he didn’t want his son to sell the stones.

【小题2】The underlined words "was fascinated with" mean _________.

A．was far from	B．was afraid of
C．was famous for	D．was interested in

【小题3】Nick was a boy ___________.

A．who was kind	B．who had a strong mind
C．who was honest	D．who had many hobbies

【小题4】Which is the best title(题目) of the story?

A．My son’s first sale.

B．Let’s collect stones.

C．How to sell a stone.

D．A hobby that can make you rich.

【小题5】From the passage we know______________.

A．the story happened in spring

B．the car was driven by a woman

C．Nick spent half an hour selling one stone

D．the writer might be moved(感动)by his son

Marco Polo(马可波罗) was born in Venice in 1254. He was the most famous foreigner to visit Asia（亚洲）during the Middle Ages. He wrote a book about his travels. In his book he wrote all the things he saw and heard. Many people in the west read the book, but few believed what Marco Polo said in the book. He told stories about a lot of strange people and places. But at that time nobody knew these places and the people.

When Marco Polo was still very young, he decided to travel together with his father. It took them more than three years to travel to China, later he became a friend of the Chinese emperor (皇帝) . He learned to speak Chinese when he traveled around, and he talked to many people in Chinese. The emperor liked him and made him a Chinese Official(官员). At that time Marco Polo was only thirty years old. After nearly seventeen years’ travel in the east, Marco and his father wanted to go back home.

When Marco and his father arrived in Venice many years later, their family and friends saw them again. They couldn’t believe their eyes because Marco and his farther were quite old. Marco Polo and his father had been away for almost 25 years.

1.Marco Polo was                             foreigner           the Middle Ages.

2.Marco Polo wrote a famous book ___________ “The Travels of Marco Polo”. He wrote __________           _ he saw and heard in the book.

3.Many people in the west read the book, but ____  _____ believed ________    ____.

4.It took Marco Polo and                  over three years to ________  __________.

5.Marco Polo and his father had been away ____                            .

 

The scientists from the Lockheed Space Company (公司) work in Felton, California, with the help of a computer. But the computer is placed in Sunnyside, about 80 kilometers away. What the scientists input is sent by telephone lines to the computer, and after a time, copies of the designs are needed back in Felton as possible. Lockheed people have tried several ways of sending the prints (印刷品), but the most effective seems to be by pigeon (鸽子). Are pigeons really used to carry messages in these days? They are, and they send the prints faster and cheaper than any other way.

Human (人类的) messengers (persons carrying messages) are much more expensive and slower than the pigeons. The road to Felton goes through the mountains, and the driving is not easy. An electronic printout system(电子印刷系统) could do the work in Felton, but at a cost of 10 dollars a print. Pigeons carry the designs for about 1 dollar each.

Now Lockheed people have ten pigeon messengers. The pigeons do the work, and they have made Lockheed more famous. You can often read the news about the pigeons in the newspapers around the world.

1.The story is mainly about     .

A．Felton, California	B．the scientists
C．how to work with computers	D．sending prints by pigeon

2.This story is unusual because pigeons       .

A．don’t like carrying things

B．are often cheap to keep

C．seem out of place in the space age

D．aren’t friendly to the scientists

3.Something that’s effective（有效的）      .

A．usually costs more

B．is something that works

C．is often unhappy

D．is often don by animals

4.Which happened first?

A．Pigeons were used as messengers.

B．Human messengers were used.

C．What the scientists input was sent to the computer.

D．Scientists got their designs.

5.Lockheed likes the pigeons because they      .

A．do the work at low cost

B．get their pictures on television

C．understand the computer

D．make the scientists pleased

 

阅读短文，根据短文内容，从短文后的五个选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余选项。（共8分，每小题2分）
____【小题1】____. A blind man climbed Mt.Qomolangma! Can you believe it? I’m still surprised at this.
Eric Weihenmeyer has been blind since he was 13. ____【小题2】____. After he became blind, he started mountain climbing.
Most mountain climbers need to use their eyes to climb mountains. How can Eric do this without the use of his eyes? Well, Eric climbs by feeling with his hands and listening to the sounds around him. Eric also always climbs with friends. They wear special jackets with bells and he follows this sound, too.
_____【小题3】____, Eric decided to climb Mt.Qomolangma. Mountain climbing experts were very shocked when they heard this. Mt.Qomolangma is a very difficult mountain to climb. Many people try but don’t succeed. The experts said he couldn’t do it, but Eric wasn’t worried.
_____【小题4】___. They started the challenging climb. They climbed for 48 tiring days. On the last day of the climb, they didn’t start until 9 p.m. Climbing in the dark was challenging for Eric’s friends, but it wasn’t for Eric. Due to his blindness, he has been climbing that way his whole life. In the end, they reached the top of Mt.Qomolangma. Though they were completely exhausted, they were very proud of themselves. Instead of feeling tired, they were happy.
237words

A．After training hard for many years B．His friends weren’t worried about Eric, either C．Eric often played football with his friends after school D．I read something surprising that I want to tell you about E. However, that has never stopped him from doing amazing things

 

Different countries have different customs. When you travel to another country, please follow their customs, just as the saying goes, “           . ”

Very often people who travel to the United States forget to tip (付小费). It is usual to tip porters who help carry your bags, taxi drivers and waiters. Waiters expect to get a 15% tip on the cost of your meal. Taxi drivers expect about the same amount.

In England, make sure to stand in line even if there are only two of you. It’s important to respect lines there. It’s a good idea to talk about the weather. It’s a favourite subject of conversation with the British.

In Spain, it’s a good idea to have a light meal in the afternoon if someone invites you for dinner. People have dinner very late, and restaurants do not generally open until after 9 pm.

In Arab countries, men kiss one another on the cheek. Your host may welcome you with a kiss on both cheeks. It is polite for you to do the same.

In Japan, people usually give personal or business cards to each other when they meet for the first time. When a person gives you a card, don’t put it into your pocket right away. The person expects you to read it.

Don’t forget to be careful of your body language to express something in a conversation. A kind of body language that is used in one culture may be impolite in another.

1.When you travel to the USA, you don’t need to tip _________.

A．porters           B．waiters           C．actors            D．taxi drivers

2.The missing sentences in the first paragraph should be “           . ”

A．Love me, love my dog.

B．He who laughs last laughs best.

C．When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

D．Where there is a will, there is a way.

3.The underline work “porters” in the passage means _________.

A．搬运工           B．清洁工           C．接线员           D．售票员

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．In Spain, people usually have dinner very early.

B．In England, it’s not polite to talk about the weather.

C．In Arab countries, men kiss one another on the cheek.

D．In Japan you should not read the business card as soon as you get it.

5.What’s the best title of the passage?

A．How to tip.

B．Body Language.

C．When to Have Dinner.

D．Advice to International Travellers.