Tea drinking was common in China for nearly one thousand years before anyone in Europe had ever heard about tea.People in Britain were much slower in finding out what tea was like, mainly because tea was very expensive. It could not be bought in shops and even those people who could afford to have it sent from Holland did so only because it was a fashionable curiosity. Some of them were not sure how to use it. They thought it was a vegetable and tried cooking the leaves. Then they served them mixed with butter and salt. They soon discovered their mistake but many people used to spread the used tea leaves on bread and give them to their children as sandwiches.
Tea remained scarce and very expensive in England until the ships of the East Indian Company began to bring it direct from China early in the seventeenth century. During the next few years so much tea came into the country that the price fell and many people could afford to buy it.
At the same time people on the Continent were becoming more and more fond of tea.Until then tea had been drunk without milk in it, but one day a famous French lady named Madame de Sevigne decided to see what tea tasted like when milk was added.She found it so pleasant that she would never again drink it without milk. Because she was such a great lady her friends thought they must copy everything she did, so they also drank their tea with milk in it. Slowly this habit spread until it reached England and today only very few British drink tea without milk.
At first, tea was usually drunk after dinner in the evening. No one ever thought of drinking tea in the afternoon until a duchess (公爵夫人) found that a cup of tea and a piece of cake at three or four o’clock stopped her getting “a sinking feeling” as she called it. She invited her friends to have this new meal with her and so, tea-time was born.
1.Which of the following is true of the introduction of tea into Britain?
A. The British got expensive tea from India.
B. Tea reached Britain from Holland.
C.The British were the first people in Europe who drank tea.
D.It was not until the 17th century that the British had tea.
2.Tea became a popular drink in Britain_____________.
A.in eighteenth century B.in sixteenth century
C.in seventeenth century D.in the late seventeenth century
3.People in Europe began to drink tea with milk because_____________.
A.it tasted like milk
B.it tasted more pleasant
C.it became a popular drink
D.Madame de Sevigne was such a lady with great social influence that people tried
to copy the way she drank tea
4.We may infer from the passage that the habit of drinking tea in Britain was mostly
due to the influence of ________.
A.a famous French lady B.the ancient Chinese
C.the upper social class D.people in Holland
5.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.The history of tea drinking in Britain B.How tea became a popular drink in Britain
C.How the British got the habit of drinking tea D.How tea-time was born
In the 1880s, Mark Twain established and operated his own publishing firm. He also became interested in various investments, especially an elaborate typesetting machine. He lost almost $200,000 in investments in the machine between 1881 and 1894. Also, his publishing company declared bankruptcy (破产) in April 1894. Thus, in January 1895, Mark Twain found himself publicly shamed by his inability to pay his debts.
Mark Twain eventually recovered from his financial difficulties, through his continued writing and a successful lecture tour in 1895 and 1896. During this much-publicized tour, Twain lectured in such places as India, South Africa and Australia. By the time he returned, he had become an international hero. Twain enjoyed this attention, and his habits of smoking cigars or a pipe and wearing unconventional white suits contributed to his showy image. He also made use of his position as a public figure to criticize the US foreign policy.
Although he was recovering from his financial problems by 1898, Mark Twain had begun to experience tragedy in his personal life. Suzy, his oldest daughter, died of meningitis (脑膜炎) in 1896, while her parents and sister Clara were abroad. In 1903, Mark Twain sold the beloved house in Hartford, which had become too closely associated with Suzy’s death. His wife, Olivia, who had developed a heart condition, died on June 5, 1904. His youngest daughter, Jean, died on Dec. 24, 1909.
1.Which is not the reason why Mark Twain found himself in debt?
A. Because he devoted all his energy to his writings.
B. Because his publishing firm bankruptcy.
C. He lost almost $ 200 000 in investments in the machine between 1881 and 1894
D. Because he lost a large quantity of money in various investments.
2.How did Mark Twain pay off his debts?
A. By borrowing money from the bank.
B. By investing in foreign countries.
C. By writing articles and a successful lecture tour.
D. By printing his own articles and selling them for money.
3.It can be inferred that Mark Twain ________________.
A. hated smoking cigars
B. liked wearing black clothes
C. hated the US foreign policy at that time
D. hated giving lectures in the foreign countries
Festival activities program
TIME AND PLACE
October 24~30: 9:00 a.m. ~4:00p.m
Oct.25~29: 12:00 p.m~9:00 p.m.
At Kerry Centre Hotel
Classroom area
1) English Taster Lesson
2) Food health-keeping method presentation Computer area
3) E-Photography and Techno Music
4) Education Software Demonstration
Internet Training area
SINA and Capital on- Line will provide Internet training for the public. The focus(焦点) will be on browsing the Internet; how to find useful information on the web and how to design an elementary Web page
Foyer activity area
5) The students from Beijing TV University for the Aged will provide calligraphy (handwriting demonstration)
6) Children activities Lectures
21st Century, the educational weekly of China Daily, will invite experts from English- speaking countries to hold lectures from 18:30 to 20:30 on Oct. 27 to 29 and in the daytime on Oct. 30.
1.A 70 -year- old teacher wants to see how to use writing brush well. He should go to ________.
A. Classroom area B. Computer area
C. Internet Training area D. Foyer Activity area
2.A person who is interested in internet can go to ____________.
A. Computer area at 9 .m. Oct. 30
B. Internet Training area at 11 a. m. Oct. 24
C. Classroom area at 8:00 p. M. Oct. 26
D. Lectures at 9:00 p. m. Oct. 29
3.The students of English Department have a chance to learn English at __________.
A. 9:00~9:45 a .m. Oct. 27 B. 15:00~15:45 Oct. 30
C. 17:15~18:00 Oct. 28 D. 12:00~12:45 Oct. 25
4.The underlined word "browsing" in the passage probably means ____________.
A. seeing everywhere
B. going here and there
C. staring everywhere
D. reading here and there in book, etc
Canada is a very large country. It is the second largest country in the world. By contrast it has a very small population. There are slightly over 30 million people there. Most Canadians are of British or French origin, and French is an official language of Canada as well as English. About 45% of the people are of British origin, that is, they or their parents or grandparents, etc., come from Britain. Nearly 30% are of French origin. Most of the French-Canadians live in the province of Quebec.
Over the years, people have come to live in Canada from many countries in the world. They are from most European countries and also from China, besides other Asian countries.
However, Canada was not an empty country when the Europeans began to arrive. Canadian Indians lived along the coast, by the rivers and lakes and in forests. Today there are only about 350 000 Indians in the whole country, with their own languages. In the far north live the Inuit. There are only 27 000 Canadian-Inuit. Their life is hard in such a difficult climate.
1.About live in Quebec.
A. 30% of the French-Canadians
B. 45% of the Canadians
C. 29 000 000 people
D. 9 000 000 French-Canadians
2.The underlined word “origin” in Paragraph One means .
A. 血统 B. 后裔
C. 先驱 D. 猿人
3.About 23% of people came from .
A. China B. England C. France
D. some other countries except France and Britain
4.Which of the following is true according to this passage?
A. There are 27 000 Canadian-Indians in Canada.
B. More than 13 million people have come from Britain and France in recent years.
C. There are nearly 30% of the populations whose parents or grandparents come from France.
D. There are no people when the Europeans began to arrive in Canada.
阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
Many years ago, a salesman opened a bag of things from Scotland and found a card at the top. It 1, “Expect a Miracle(奇迹).” “What does that mean?” he thought, and then 2it into his pocket.
That night he showed it to his wife. “Look at this, dear. What do you think it means?”
“Maybe this is what we need,” she said. “Our 3are so great that they are too much for us. If we start 4great things instead of the worst, miracle may 5.” They decided to try changing their thinking for a few days, starting with their 6problems. Then something changed. Not only did they find their problems 7be worked out, but they also started 8a lot of money.
To make miracles happen, you have to start by expecting them. That way your 9can become focused in positive (积极的) ways. There are 10coincidences(巧合), and all kinds of happy experiences 11one after another.
One becomes hopeful and optimistic(乐观的). Little problems began 12, while the big ones become much easier to work out. Success is not 13you thought it was.
A positive thinker first sets clear and proper goals(目标). Then he goes to work, and 14working. He never gives up. His dreams are sure to come true, and 15they do, a miracle happens.
Miracles come in all 16: big, medium-sized, and small. Start expecting the small ones, and work your way 17to the big. Think positively, 18yourself and work hard. You’ll find yourself 19by how meaningful and 20your life has become.
1.A. wrote B. read C. told D. expressed
2.A. set B. sent C. spent D. put
3.A. problems B. questions C. suggestions D. advice
4.A. imagining B. realizing C. suggesting D. expecting
5.A. take in B. take up C. take place D. take over
6.A. smallest B. biggest C. difficult D. easy
7.A. would B. could C. should D. might
8.A. making B. taking C. finding D. doing
9.A. suggestion B. money C. ability D. trust
10.A. harmful B. strange C. useful D. embarrassing
11.A. live B. stop C. work D. follow
12.A. losing B. disappearing C. growing D. displaying
13.A. as soon as B. as long as C. as far as D. as well as
14.A. keeps on B. keeps up C. keeps out D. keeps from
15.A. while B. before C. until D. when
16.A. shapes B. types C. sizes D. kinds
17.A. up B. out C. off D. for
18.A. think of B. take care of C. speak out D. believe in
19.A. bored B. surprised C. upset D. puzzled
20.A. dull B. careful C. lively D. unloving
-------- I am thinking of the test of tomorrow. I’m afraid I can’t pass this time.
--------- ________________! I am sure you’ll make it.
A. Go ahead B. Good luck C. No problem D. Cheer up