In early November of 1503, during Christopher Columbus’ fourth and final trip to America, his ship was seriously damaged in a storm. Columbus and his men had to live on a small island for several months while they tried to repair their ship and return to Spain.
At first, the local people on the island were very kind to the European visitors, giving them all the food and clothes they needed to survive. However, as the months passed, the local people became more and more unhappy with their guests, who were tricking and stealing from them. Finally the locals decided to stop helping. Without food or any way to leave the island, Columbus’ group was soon in serious trouble.
Luckily for Columbus, he had a book about the stars and planets on his ship. It described the movements of all the objects in the night sky. The book, written by a well-known German scientist, said there would be a total lunar eclipse (月食) on the evening of February 29, 1504 and how long it would last.
Columbus worked out the difference in time between Germany and North America. He then had a meeting with the local leaders just before the eclipse would take place. In this meeting, Columbus told them his god was angry because the local people were no longer giving food. So his god would take away the moon to punish them. At the moment Columbus finished talking, just as he had planned, the moon began disappearing.
The local leaders grew frightened and quickly agreed to provide Columbus with food and anything else he wanted. But first, Columbus’ god had to return the moon. Columbus told them he would have to discuss the idea with his god on his ship. Knowing the moon would stay completely hidden for about 48 minutes, Columbus returned just before the moon began to reappear. From that day on, until they finally
left, Columbus and his men no longer had any trouble getting the food they needed.
1.At first, the local people helped Columbus and his men by__________.
A. giving them food
B. building a house for them
C. repairing their ship
D. providing them with a book
2.The local people became angry because the Europeans__________.
A. looked very different
B. had nothing to trade
C. were cheats and thieves
D. wanted to take their land
3.What did Columbus do after returning to his ship on the night of the meeting?
A. He discussed the problem with his god.
B. He waited for the eclipse to finish.
C. He read about the stars and planets.
D. He told his men what happened.
4.What can we learn about the Europeans from the passage?
A. They all believed in god.
B. They never returned to Spain.
C. They admired the local people.
D. They caused their own problems.
In March 2014, Australia opened junior high education to Chinese students, allowing them to study in Australian schools from the seventh grade.
“When more Chinese students are going to study abroad at a younger age, the opening of Australian junior high schools offers Chinese students and their parents one more good choice,” Tian Litie, director of the Australian Department of Chivast Education International, said at the China International Education Exhibition Tour over the weekend.
Australia will see a rise in the number of Chinese junior and senior high school students studying in the country. Tian showed the reasons for it： lower admission (入学许可) requirements and low-cost education because of a favorable exchange rate (费率). According to Tian, in public schools in Australia a student should pay A$13,000 to A$15,000 ($10,000 to $12,000) a year.
“Now the exchange rate of the Australian dollar to renminbi is below five, which means the cost is lower than that of Chinese students studying at junior and senior high schools in many other hot places, such as Britain and the US,” said Tian.
Lin Lina from Beijing plans to send her daughter to a senior high school in Australia, was among them.
“My daughter is good at English and would like to study abroad early,” said Lin, whose daughter is now a ninth-grader in Beijing. “We came for more information after we learned that the environment and education in Australia are good.”
Eliza Chui, education officer for North Asia at the Australian Consulate-General in Shanghai, said that Australia is attractive not only because it provides an environment for learning English, but also because students are trained to have critical (批判性的) thinking and be independent.
1.According to Tian Litie, we know that ______.
A. more and more Chinese students study abroad at a younger age
B. more and more Australian universities are open to Chinese students
C. Chinese students are only allowed to study in Australia from senior high school
D. a student should pay A$10,000 to A$12,000 a year in public schools in Australia
2.What does the word “it” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. Australia allows Chinese students to study in its schools.
B. More and more Chinese students go abroad at a younger age.
C. More Chinese junior and senior high school students will study in Australia.
D. Australian schools offer Chinese students and their parents one more good choice.
3.According to the article, which of the following is TRUE?
A. The cost of studying in American schools is lower than in Australia.
B. The exchange rate of the Australian dollar is of advantage to Chinese students.
C. It’s more difficult for Chinese students to enter Australian junior high schools.
D. Few students choose to study in Britain or the US because of too much money.[
One day while driving from my home to work. I noticed a car in front of me had a wobbly(不稳定的)wheel. It was clear that the wheel had been changed recently and had not been fixed correctly. On a slow road this would not show much of a problem but I knew a highway was coming soon. There the traffic would move much faster and the driver would be in danger as the wheel could come off at that speed.
I was driving a large jeep at the time and the car in front was a small one driven by a young lady on her own. So as I tried to flash(闪)my lights and wave her to pull over, I was worried that she wouldn’ t pull over on the road side when she found in her mirror a single man chasing(追) her down in a jeep and waving for her to pull over.
Thankfully. she trusted more in the good nature of people and pulled over where I could explain the problem. She said the wheel was changed only the night before and that she would pull into the nearest garage(修车间)where the repairman had tools to fix the wheel correctly.
My belief is that the act of kindness was hers and not mine. How so? Well, it was she who chose to believe in the possibility that people are good over the belief that bad things would come from being waved over to the side of the road by strangers.
I am glad I was able to wave her down in time and so a serious accident might have been avoided. But I am even happier that she believed in a stranger.
1.The writer worried about the lady because .
A. she was driving a second-hand car
B. a traffic accident might happen to her
C. a single man was chasing her down
D. she drove faster than any other car
2.Why did the lady pull over on the side road ?
A. Because she found something wrong.
B. Because she thought the road not safe.
C. Because the writer shouted at her.
D. Because the writer gave her some signs.
3.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Trusting in the Kindness of Strangers
B. A Wobbly Wheel of a Car
C. A Lady Who Was Saved
D. Accident That Didn’ t Happen
SIDE A No. 293083
Student Bus Card Name： Lilian College： University of Chichester From： April 1st, 2014 To： June 30th, 2014 Price： $180 Not valid (有效的)for travel unless it’s used in the bus companies of Stagecoacn, Season, Goldrider and Busabout in the UK |
SIDE B No. 293083
Thank you for travelling with Stagecoach If the card is found, please return to any Stagecoach driver. |
1.The card is used for________.
A. taking a taxi B. travelling by train
C. taking a bus D. entering the college
2.What does Lilian do according to the card?
A. A bus driver B. A university student
C. A college teacher D. A middle school student
3.You can NOT find _________in the card.
A. Lilian’s age B. the price
C. the card number D. the time limit
完形填空,先通读下面的短文，掌握其大意，然后在每小题所给的四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
The situation seemed hopeless.
From the first day he entered my junior-high classroom, Willard P. Franklin lived in his own ________ , shutting out his classmates and me, his teacher. I tried to build a ________ relationship with him but he showed no interest. Even a “Good Morning Willar” received only a grunt(咕哝) that couldn’t be ________ . Willard was a loner(孤独的人) who seemed to have no hope or need to break silence.
Shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday, we received the news of the annual(每年的) Christmas collection of money for the less ________ people in our school district.“Christmas is a season of giving ,” I told my students. “There are a few students in the school who might not have a happy holiday season. ________ donating our Christmas collection, you will help buy food, clothing and toys for these needy people. We start the collection tomorrow.”
When I called for the donations the next day, I discovered that ________ everyone had forgotten, except Willard P. Franklin. The boy dug deep into his pants pockets ________ he walked up to my desk. Carefully, he ________ two coins into the small box.
“I don’t need milk for lunch,” he said quietly . For a moment, just a moment, he smiled . Then he turned and walked back to his desk.
That night, after school, I took our donations to the school principal. I couldn’t ________ sharing the incident(事件) that had taken place.
“I may be wrong, but I believe Willard might be getting ready to become a part of the world around him,” I told the principal.
“Yes, I believe it is hopeful for him to get out of his own world,” he nodded. “And I think we can do something to have him ________ a bit of his world with us. I just received a list of the poor families in our school who most need help through the Christmas collection. Here, take a look at it.”
As I read, I discovered Willard P. Franklin and his family were the top names on the list.
1.A. class B. school C. world D.home
2.A. equal B. simple C. friendly D. common
3.A. seen B. heard C. found D. discovered
4.A. poor B. good C. sad D. rich
5.A. By B. With C. For D. On
6.A. mostly B. hardly C. almost D. simply
7.A. while B. after C. before D.as
8.A. threw B. dropped C. brought D. changed
9.A. keep B. enjoy C. stop D. finish
10.A. compare B. begin C. mix D. share
--- Would you please bring me the menu?
--- Sure, here you are. ____________ , I will come back for your order.
A. Take your time B. Enjoy yourselves
C. Take it easy D. That’s all right
