阅读理解

　　We send our children to school to prepare them for the time when they will be big and will have to work for themselves. They learn their own language so that they will be able to tell others clearly what they want and what they know, and understand what others tell them. They learn foreign languages in order to be able to understand the people from other countries and make themselves understood. They learn history to know something about human beings they meet every day. What they learn at school is, of course, quite useful, but is that the only reason why they go to school?

　　No. There is more in education than just learning facts. We go to school, above all, to learn how to learn, so that when we have left school, we can continue to learn. A man who really knows how to learn will always be successful, because whenever he has to do something new, he will quickly teach himself how to do it in the best way. The uneducated person, on the other hand, is either unable to do something new, or does it badly. So the purpose (目的) of school is not just to teach the students these useful subjects but teach the way to learn.

(1) Children are sent to school because ________.

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A. they can grow fast at school

B. they have to work for themselves at the moment

C. the parents have to prepare them for their future

D. they are able to learn facts

(2) Why do they learn languages? Because they will ________.

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A. make friends with others

B. be able to speak to and hear others clearly

C. be able to understand others

D. make themselves understood

(3) The sentence“There is more in education than just learning facts”means ________.

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A. learning facts isn't the only thing in education

B. there are more facts to learn in education

C. education is just learning facts

D. learning facts is more important in education

(4) What does an educated person do when he meets something new? He will ________.

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(5) The main idea of the text is that ________.

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A. children must go to school

B. the subjects at school are useful

C. parents should send their children to school

D. children should be taught not only to learn but how to learn

　　Big Ben's story starts in 1834. In that year the old Parliament building burned down. Its clock tower (塔) crashed (倒下) to the ground. There had to be a new building－and a new clock.

　　Plans were made. They called for a “king of clocks, the biggest and best in the world. ” So the clock had to be big. And it had to keep very good time.

　　Some people said, “No one can make such a clock. ”They were wrong. The big clock was made in two years. But it couldn't be put in the tower. The tower wasn't even built!

　　Five more years went by before the clock tower was finished. Then the four bells for the chimes (钟声) were brought into the tower. And at last the giant (巨大) hour bell (铃) was put in place. It rang out for the first time on July 11, 1859.

　　This great bell had to have a name. A meeting of Parliament was called to pick one. “The clock is the king of clocks. ” one man said, “Let's call the bell the queen of Bells. ”

　　“Then why not Victoria?” said another. (Victoria was the British queen at that time. )

　　The talk about names went on and on. Then Benjamin Hall got up to speak. He was a big man that the others liked. By this time they were all tired. Someone shouted, “Why not call it Big Ben and be done with it?”

　　Everybody laughed, and the meeting broke up. But Big Ben it was from then on. Not just the bell, but the whole clock.

1．The old clock tower crashed to the ground because of ________ in 1834.

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2．The new clock should be ________ .

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3．It took ________ years to make the big clock.

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4．On ________ Big Ben rang out for the first time.

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5．The name of Big Ben comes from ________ .

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