The origin of “holiday” is easy to see, coming from “holy day”, a day of particular religious significance, often celebrating the life of a saint (圣徒), during which no work was to be done. As far back as the 11th century, “holidays”, especially the major feast days, were times of “celebration and amusement”, as the Oxford English Dictionary puts it.
The number of holidays steadily increased during the Middle Ages, until a medieval Englishman would have had the luxury of 40 to 50 days a year off work, depending on where he lived, in addition to a free day on Sundays.
During the Reformation, Henry VIII abolished most of the holidays partly because of the Protestant (新教徒的) suspicion of saints, but more practically, because, according to historian Eamon Duffy, “A large number of holidays were making the people poor by limiting agriculture.” The people took a different view and organized a protest march—the Pilgrimage of Grace—partly to protect their days off.
Though at first the religious and festive senses of holiday were combined, the word gradually came to be used for any kind of relaxing break from work. As the word was drawing away from a religious society, the number of authorized holidays was reduced, until by 1834 most workers had only four official days off a year, in addition to Sundays. Many factory workers amplified this time by staying home on “Saint Monday” to recover from what they had gotten up to the day before.
By the late 19th century, employers were compromising and offering half-day Saturdays, the beginning of the “weekend”, a term first used in 1879. In 1908, an innovative mill in New England gave its employees all of Saturday off, and the practice spread widely during the Great Depression as a way to keep employment up. It took 400 years, but finally workers could enjoy as many holidays as they had in the 15th century.
1.What was the word “holiday” originally intended for?
A. Economy. B. Religion.
C. Entertainment. D. Politics.
2.What’s the main reason for Henry VIII’s ending most holidays according to Eamon Duffy?
A. His people required a thorough reformation.
B. He didn’t believe in God and the saints.
C. People took no interest in the agriculture due to them.
D. Too many holidays stood in the way of the agriculture.
3.Which can best replace the underlined word “amplified” in paragraph 4?
A. lengthened B. wasted
C. shortened D. guaranteed
4.When did most employees get the whole Saturday off?
A. In 1879. B. In 1908.
C. During the Great Depression. D. In the 15th century.
Life in the summertime is often full of pests. Like most Long Island homeowners, I want to ensure my suburban life with pest-free living. So it was with wide-eyed wonder that I greeted the smiling exterminator (灭虫者) who rang my bell.
“We’ll be serving your neighbors, Mike and Sarah (I’m not familiar with either one by name),” he waved in the other direction. “Since we’ll have a team here tomorrow, we’re offering a discount.” He came out with numbers beginning from $299 then in seconds to $89.
“You’ve probably been seeing the ant hills around.” he moved toward my front walkway and lawn. “And have you seen the bees that dig nests in the ground?” he continued with his head shaking up and down pushing me to do the same.
“What we do is spray three feet out from your foundation and three feet up.” As he was talking, and without breaking eye contact, he opened his iPad cover and began operating at the screen to show me frightening images. “It also kills other pests, like spiders. It is the best pesticide (杀虫剂),” he said, pausing for effect.
He then went into soft talk to close the deal, correctly foreseeing that I would be concerned about safety and the environmental impact on my vegetable garden, plants and our little patch of planet here on Long Island. “The products are environmentally responsible, safe with children and pets,” he said.
I’m unkind when it comes to unwanted visitors entering on my out-of-doors moments. Any insect found in my house or on my deck is bound to be poisoned or pancaked.
Unfortunately for the exterminator, just as I was considering making an appointment, Billy, my fearless husband, pulled into our driveway, which made me ask for a business card out of politeness instead.
1.How did the author feel at the sight of the exterminator?
A. Frightened. B. Disappointed.
C. Puzzled. D. Surprised.
2.What did the exterminator offer the author if she accepted his service?
A. A discount. B. A group rate.
C. An iPad for free. D. A free pesticide.
3.Why was the author worried about the pesticide?
A. It might cause frightening images.
B. It might harm her family and surroundings.
C. It might be too expensive for her to afford.
D. It might have no effect on unwanted visitors.
4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. Billy saw his neighbors cheated by the exterminator.
B. The author is sure to phone the salesman later.
C. The author had planned to buy the pesticide before Billy appeared.
D. Billy made up his mind to purchase the pesticide.
The New York See It All Tour is exactly what it sounds like: an all-inclusive guided tour of New York City.
Central Park
One of the most famous parks in the world, Central Park is a man-made wonder. Not only is it the first public park built in America, but it is also one of the most frequently visited parks, with over 25 million guests per year. Set in the middle of busy Manhattan, its grounds serve as a safe harbor, not only for athletes, and musicians but also for lots of migratory birds each year. One can spend an entire peaceful day wandering its grounds, gazing upon nearly 50 fountains, monuments, and sculptures or admiring its 36 bridges.
Hudson River Park
Hudson River Park is a waterside park on the Hudson River that extends from 59th Street south to Battery Park in the New York City district of Manhattan. Bicycle and pedestrian paths, including the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, span the park north to south, opening up the waterfront for the public to relax. The park includes tennis and soccer fields, children’s playground, dog run, and many other features.
Washington Square Park
Washington Square, located in the heart of Greenwich Village, is a very popular and often crowded square. People from all backgrounds gather to this large square dotted with trees.
Central Park Zoo
The Central Park Zoo is a small 6.5-acre zoo located on Central Park in New York City. The zoo began in the 1860s, making it the first official zoo to open in New York. The zoo was improved in 1934, with the addition of many new buildings ranged in a quadrangle around the sea lion pool. Finally, the zoo was repaired in the mid-1980s and reopened in 1988, replacing the old-fashioned cages with naturalistic environments.
1.Which park is set in the heart of Greenwich Village?
A. Central Park.
B. Hudson River Park.
C. Central Park Zoo.
D. Washington Square Park.
2.What can we learn about Central Park?
A. It is primarily an artificial park.
B. It is the first public park built in the world.
C. It was the most crowded park when first built.
D. It especially attracts pedestrian and artists.
3.When was the first official zoo in New York repaired for the first time?
A. In the 1860s. B. In 1934.
C. In the mid-1980s. D. In 1988.
假定你是李华，你的英国朋友David来信询问你大学选择什么专业。请你用英语给他回信，内容包括:
1.你感兴趣的专业；
2.该专业的重要性；
3:该专业就业前景。
注意:
1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头、结尾己给出，不计入总词数。
Dear David,
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(八)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:
1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Before Christmas our school hold a winter sports meeting. As it was the last one at school; we did what we could perform well in an opening ceremony. Greatly to our happiness, our show was very much successful. My classmates took part in various events, or our head teacher even joined us in the relay race. Except Wang Lin; several other athletes also ranked Top 5. Some brought cameras to record the excited moments. It was quite a wonderful experience and that we obtained was great fun. Those out-of-class activity in deed helped us relieve the pressure from learning, and promoted us enthusiasm for future study.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
A Shanghai policeman took on the role of son to help comfort an elderly couple, 1. had lost their own son in a deadly accident.
In 2003, Liang Qiaoying and her son 2.(expose) to poison gas during an accident. The woman survived, but her young son was 3.(lucky). And Liang was left mentally-disabled. Her husband, Xia Zhanhai, couldn't bear to tell her the 4.(true) about their son. Instead, whenever his wife asked to see the son, he kept 5.(say) that their son had gone to work in another city.
In 2010, while watching a television show, Xia Zhanhai was amazed to see an officer that looked 6.(exact) like his son. He immediately knew that the young man was the answer to making his wife smile again.
With 7. help of the television station and the police station, the couple were able to meet the very policeman on a TV show.
The young policeman was touched by 8. (they) loss and sadness, and said that he was more than willing 9.(act) as the son. Although he still hesitated to call another woman "mum", his mother was happy to support his action.
Their "reunion" lasted just a few minutes on the show, but it had a lasting influence 10.the sick "mother".
