The Taj Mahal (泰姬陵) is considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and the finest example of the late style of Indian architecture (建筑). It is at Agra in northern India. It lies beside the River Jumna in the middle of gardens with quiet pools.
The Taj Mahal was built by the Mogul emperor (皇帝) Shah Jehan, who ruled India in the seventeenth century. It is in memory of his favorite wife, Arjumand Banu Bagam, known as Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631. The building, which was completed between 1632 and 1638, was designed by a local Muslim architect (建筑师), Ustad Ahmad Lahori. The whole building, with gardens and gateway structures, was completed in 1643. The Taj Mahal stands at one end of the garden tomb with marble (大理石) path. The room is softly lighted by the light that passes through double screens of carved marble set high in the walls. The building now is kept in good condition.
The Taj Mahal took 22 years to build. Shah Jehan planned a similar building, but in black instead of white, to lie on the other side of the river. But before it could be built, Shah Jehan was imprisoned (监禁) by his son and buried next to his wife in the Taj Mahal.
1.Why do you think Shah Jehan was buried next to his wife?
A.His own tomb hadn't been built. B.He hoped to be buried there.
C.King and Queen should be buried together. D.He liked Mumtaz all his life.
2.The passage mainly tells us____ .
A.why the Taj Mahal was built B.the love story between Shah and Mumtaz
C.some information about the Taj Mahal D.the Taj Mahal—the pride of Indians
3.Form the passage we can learn that____ .
A.the Taj Mahal looks more beautiful than before.
B.the Taj Mahal doesn't exist now.
C.the Taj Mahal has completely changed.
D.the Taj Mahal has become a place of interest.
4.Which of the statements is right according to the passage.
A.Shah Jehan's son built a similar building as the Taj Mahal.
B.Shah Jehan was killed by his son.
C.Shah Jehan's wife died before him.
D.After Shah Jehan died, the Taj Mahal was completed.
People around the world used their computers to buy goods, communicate with others, listen to music, see pictures and learn about different places and ideas. In 2006, more people around the world used new ways to communicate and connect with each other through the Internet.
The blog is one form of communication that enjoys growing popularity. Blog is a short way of saying Web log. Through these personal Web sites(网址), people can share their experiences, ideas and opinions with anyone on the Internet.
People of all ages have their own blogs(博客). For young people, they are a way to show their writings and other forms of self – expression.
Many Web sites offer free services to create personal Web pages and fill them with writings and pictures. These sites include ''MySpace'', used mainly by teenagers and young adults. MySpace is an online community that lets people share messages and pictures with an increasing number of friends. It is the most popular social networking site on the Web.
YouTube is another Internet site that became more popular this year. This Web site lets anyone create, share and watch short videos. People can watch almost anything on YouTube: news, sports and entertainment events. There are music videos, and videos made by people in their own homes. These include videos of people singing or dancing, or animals doing funny things. Three young men created YouTube almost two years ago as a personal video sharing service. They recently sold it to Google for more than one and one half billion dollars.
Games and entertainment(娱乐) also became a larger part of the Internet this year. One Internet social site is called Second Life. It is an online world in which computer users create a new self and live a different life. They get married, build homes, operate businesses, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school.
1.People all around the world use blogs to
A.buy goods B.express themselves
C.listen to music D.watch videos
2.MySpace is one of the most popular on the Internet.
A.Web pages B.blogs
C.space stations D.web sites
3.People visit YouTube and there.
A.create and share videos B.sing and dance to music
C.get personal information D.raise animals
It was a rainy day and I was walking down the street feeling comfortable and happy. I wanted to do something kind for someone else without any reason and purpose, almost as if I was just trying to spread the abundance (充足) of love I was receiving. It was then that I saw a teenage girl dressed in tattered clothes, getting soaked(湿透). She wasn't wearing any shoes or socks. The rain wet her skin through the holes in her clothes and she was making her way through the garbage, trying to find something that would be of use to her.
I walked towards her and told her to wait for me there while I ran home to get her something. On getting home, I took off my shoes, which I really loved, wrapped them up in a plastic cover and ran to give them to the teenage girl on the street.
The girl looked surprised as if she was not used to this kind of kindness. She thanked me in a trembling (颤抖的) voice.
A famous musician who lives down the street corner stopped his car and smiled when he saw what happened. The two watchmen who saw me do this talked and gave me friendly looks.
Although I had to wear my dad's shoes, I was satisfied even if they were a bit large for my feet, because I knew the girl would walk comfortably wearing the shoes. That day I learned that letting go off the little things we own can be a big help to others.
1.What does the underlined word ''tattered'' in the first paragraph probably mean?
A.Old and torn. B.Large and new.
C.Colorless and small. D.Thick and old.
2.In the passage, we are told that _______.
A.the author liked going down streets on rainy days
B.the author liked walking in her father's shoes
C.nobody wanted to help the poor girl
D.the author was very kind-hearted
3.What did the musician's and the watchmen's reactions to the author’s behavior mean?
A.They were laughing at the author. B.They thought what the author did was right.
C.They also wanted to help the poor girl. D.They were curious about what the author did.
4.What can we learn from the passage?
A.It is important to get others' praise. B.It is no use giving things to others.
C.It is a pity to lose favorite things. D.It is good to help others.
Animal moms are great moms. You might be surprised at some of these moms.
Octopuses(章鱼)
The octopus mother lays(下蛋) about 50,000 eggs. For about 300 days, she stays with the eggs, cleans them and protects them. She does not leave to feed. However, this animal mom dies as soon as the eggs are hatched(孵化).
Crocodiles (鳄鱼)
A crocodile mother puts a lot of time and effort(努力) into raising her babies.
She starts by building a nest(巢)which she guards for over two months! When the eggs are ready to hatch, the young crocs call out to their mother, who digs them out and helps them hatch. She then carries them in her mouth down to the water, where she will guard them for several more weeks or months until thy learn to hunt on their own.
Bats(蝠)
Bats become moms by hanging head up in a cave, giving birth. Catching the youngsters before it can fall to the ground below, she puts it in a pouch (育儿袋) .Bat moms may carry babies with them when feeding for the first few days. As the little bats get bigger and heavier, moms help them hang on the wall of their caves and return to feed them. It continues for about three weeks, until the babies are grown up and able to fly on their own.
Koalas(考拉)
The animal mom gives birth after pregnancy(怀孕期)of only 35 days. The hairless baby climbs into its mother’s pouch and lives there for another five months. When the little koala is between five and eight months old, it leaves the pouch for short periods of time but returns for safety. Once it is too big to return to the pouch, it will climb onto its mother’s back and ride there until it is about 12 moths old.
1.Which animal moms die when their babies are born?
A.Octopuses B.Crocodiles C.Bats D.Koalas
2.A crocodile mother usually carries her baby to the water__________
A.inhermouth B.onherback C.inherpouch D.byhertail
3.A bat mom__________.
A.givesbirthbylyinginthenest
B.givesbirthbyhanginginacave
C.leavesitsbabiesinthepouchformonths
D.letsitsbabiesliveontheirown(独自) aftermonths
4.How long does a young koala usually stay in its mother’s pouch at least?
A.35days B.5months C.8months D.12months
假设你是晨光中学的学生李津。你所喜爱的英语杂志 Teens’ Spacec 创刊五周年，在此之际, 该杂志向读者征集对杂志的意见或给出建议，请你根据以下内容给杂志主编写一封信。
内容：① 说明你是该杂志的忠实读者；
② 说明你喜欢该杂志的原因；
③ 提出你的建议。注意：① 词数不少于 100；
② 可适当加入细节，使内容充实、行文连贯;
③ 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Editor-in-chief,
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Jin
阅读短文，按照题目要求用英语回答问题。
In June 2011, my life changed and so did my family’s. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I came downstairs all ready for the family swim. Right before I got into the pool, my mom called me inside. She sat me down and waited for my dad and brothers to come to join us. Then, our parents told us the worst news imaginable-- my dad had been diagnosed with Stage III Colon Cancer(结肠癌).
The news hit hard of course. However, in my head, my dad was a superman. As his daughter, I knew that cancer wasn’t going to beat him. I just went out and swam.
As weeks went on, life didn’t change much within our house. My mom still went to work; my brothers and I still went to school; and my dad still worked while also meeting his doctor. However, I didn’t realized how much this new diagnosis was going to change my life.
As treatment progressed with my dad’s cancer, I couldn’t depend on him for things he usually did. And with my brothers being away at college, I had to take on a lot more responsibility. But that was not the hardest part of this new journey. It was the fear. The fear that I could lose my Dad. The fear that I could get a call saying that he was in bad condition. The fear that I could never talk to him again. Yet with all these fears, there was never a doubt in my mind that my dad would beat this cancer. He was a superman.
The day of my dad’s surgery finally came. It was Father’s Day and I had my soccer game that day. I won my battle on the field and my dad won his in the hospital.
May 2013, my dad was completely cancer free. Though this journey proved to be a few of the hardest years of my life, it also proved to me how wonderful my dad really is.
1.What happened to the author’s family in June 2011? (no more than 10 words)
2.How did the author behave after hearing the news from her mother? (no more than 10 words)
3.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “surgery” in Paragraph 6? (no more than 5 words)
4.When did the author’s father completely recover from cancer? (no more than 5 words)
5.What’s your father like? Please explain. (no more than 25 words)
