Charms and Symbols
Well before the 15th century, an Anglo-Saxon custom required that a prospective bridegroom break some highly valued personal belonging. Half of the broken token was held by the father of the bride and the other half by the groom. A wealthy man was expected to split a piece of gold or silver.
The earliest engagement rings were also used as wedding rings, serving to seal an act of sale which transformed ownership of a daughter from father to husband. Such rings were usually of solid gold to prove the groom’s worth.
For Roman Catholics, the engagement ring became a required statement of Nuptial intent（结婚意向）, as decreed by Pope Nicholas I in 860 A.D. The engagement ring was to be of valued metal, preferably gold, which for the husband-to-be represented a financial sacrifice.
Signifying enduring love, and chosen for its durability, the diamond was chosen for the engagement ring. The diamond’s fire is also associated with “love’s clear flame,” given by Medieval(中世纪的) Italians because of their belief that the diamond was created from the flames of love.
The Venetians were the first to discover that the diamond is one of the hardest, most enduring substance in nature, and the fine cutting and polishing releases the brilliance. Rarity and cost limited their rapid proliferation（急增） throughout Europe but their intrinsic（内在的） appeal guaranteed them a future. By the 17th century, the diamond ring Had become the most sought after statement of European engagement.
1.Who kept the two halves of the engagement rings before marriage?
A. The bride’s father and the bridegroom’s mother.
B. The bride’s mother and the bridegroom.
C. The bride and the bridegroom.
D. The bridegroom and the bride’s father,
2.What’s TRUE about the early Anglo-Saxon custom before the 15th century ?
A. A will-be bridegroom should beat all this valuable belongs.
B. Every will-be bride should split a piece of gold.
C. The engagement rings were also used to prove the groom’s worth.
D. A rich bride should break one of her most valuable personal belongs.
3.Pope Nicholas made the engagement ring a required statement of nuptial intent ______.
A. in the 15th century B. around 3000 years ago
C .in the 1860s D. by the 17th century
4.What kind of engagement ring has been the most popular one in Europe ?
A. Rings made of gold B. Rings made of silver
C. Rings made of diamond D. Rings made of a unknown substance in nature.
The Touchstone
When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read a little, bought it for a few coppers.
The book wasn’t very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum（牛皮纸） on which was written the secret of the “Touchstone”!
The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold. The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold.
So the man sold his few belongs, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles.
He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold--throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea.
The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months and months into years. One day, however, about mid-afternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm .He threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along, he still threw it away.
So it is with opportunity. Unless we are vigilant(警惕的)，it is easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand and it’s just as easy to throw it away.
1.What’s unusual about the book mentioned in the passage ?
A. It is saved from a fire
B. It is from the library of Alexandria
C. It has a page with the secret of the “Touchstone”
D. It is worth only a few coppers
2.Which of the following is NOT true about the “Touchstone”?
A. It is a small pebble that could be made into gold.
B. It is a small pebble that looks as ordinary as others.
C. It looks like an ordinary pebble but it feels warm.
D. It is like a small pebble but it could turn any common metal into pure gold.
3.Why did he throw the Touchstone he wanted very much into the sea?
A. He hated it because it came along too late.
B. It didn’t feel warm at first.
C. He did it out of habitual behavior.
D. It hurt his hand so badly.
4.What lesson shall we draw from the story?
A. Be vigilant to an opportunity.
B. Practice makes perfect.
C. Don’t throw cold stone into the sea.
D. Don’t repeat the same action too often.
阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A person may have an idea about himself that will prevent him from doing good work. He may have the belief that he is not capable of it. A child may think he is 1because he doesn’t understand how to make the 2of his mental faculties(才能). Older people may be mistaken that they are incapable of learning things new because of their 3.
A person who believes that he is incapable will not make a real 4because he feels that it would be useless. He won’t go at a job with the confidence necessary for 5, and he won’t work his hardest way, even though he may think he is doing so. He is 6likely to fail, and the failure will 7his belief in his incompetence.
Alfred Alder, a famous doctor, had 8like this. When he was a small boy, he had a poor 9in math. His teacher told his parents he had no ability in math in order that they would not 10too much of him. In this way, they two 11the idea. He accepted 12mistaken thinking of his ability, felt that it was useless 13and was very poor at math, 14as they expected.
One day he worked at a problem which 15of the other students had been able to solve.
Alder 16in solving the problem. This gave him confidence. He now 17with interest, determination and purpose, and he soon became especially good at math. He not only 18that he could learn math well, but luckily he learnt 19in his life from his own experience that if a person goes at a job, with determination and purpose, he may 20himself as well as others by his ability.
1.A. clever B. shy C. useless D. stupid
2.A. biggest B. most C. highest D. deepest
3.A. ability B. age C. brain D. knowledge
4.A. decision B. success C. effort D. trouble
5.A. work B. study C. improvement D. success
6.A. truly B. really C. however D. therefore
7.A. lead to B. strengthen C. increase D. add to
8.A. an experience B. an example C. a thought D. a story
9.A. state B. mind C. start D. ending
10.A. blame B. expect C. get D. win
11.A. developed B. organized C. discovered D. found
12.A. his B. her C. its D. their
13.A. managing B. succeeding C. trying D. acting
14.A. only B. almost C. just D. then
15.A. none B. no C. No one D. nobody
16.A. gave B. succeeded C. failed D. believed
17.A. lived B. worked C. played D. graduated
18.A. made B. took C. expected D. proved
19.A. early B. deeply C. late D. simple
20.A. encourage B. love C. astonish D. disappoint
With nine months _______,we feel sad that our school life will be ending for we’ll have to say good-bye.
A. going B. gone C. goes D. to go
Most museums are just for looking. But today some of them have things for you to touch. The signs say, "________!"
A. Be touching B. To touch C. Do touch D. No touch
I spent the whole day repairing the motorbike. The work was ________easy.
A. nothing but B. anything but C. something D. all except
