In 1933 an unknown American called Clarence Nash went to see the film-maker Walter Disney. He had an unusual voice and he wanted to work in Disney’s cartoon film for children. When Walter Disney heard Nash’s voice, he said, “Stop! That’s our duck!”
The duck was the now-famous Donald Duck, who first appeared in 1934 in the film, The Wise Little Hen. Donald lived in an old houseboat and worn his sailor jacket and hat. Later that year he became a star after an eight minute Mickey Mouse film. The cinema audiences liked him because he was lazy and greedy, and because he lost his temper very easily. And they loved his voice when he became angry with Mickey’s eight nephews. Soon Donald was more popular than Mickey Mouse himself, probably because he wasn’t a goody-goody, like Mickey.
In the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, Donald and his friends Mickey, Goofy and Pluto made hundreds of Disney cartoons. He also made educational film about the place of the USA in the world, and safety in the home. Then in 1966 Donald Duck and his voice disappeared—there were no more new cartoons.
Clarence Nash died in February, 1985. But today’s children can still see the old cartoons on the television and hear that famous voice.
1.
Who made Donald Duck cartoons?
A. Mickey Mouse. B. Clarence Nash.
C. Walter Disney. D. Pluto.
2.
When did the first Donald Duck film appear?
A. In 1933 B. In 1934 C. In 1966 D. In 1965
3.
Who was Clarence Nash?
A. A cartoonist. B. A writer.
C. A film maker. D. The man who made the voice for Donald Duck.
4.
Why did people like Donald better than Mickey Mouse?
A. Probably because he was lazy and greedy. B. Probably because he wasn’t a goody—goody like Mickey.
C. Probably because he lost his temper very easily.
D. Probably because he became angry with Mickey’s eight nephews.
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 India 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 Britons 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 Britons got expensive tea from India.
B. Tea reached Britain from Holland.
C. The Britons were the first people in Europe who drank tea.
D. It was not until the 17th century that the Britons had tea.
2.
This passage mainly discusses_____________.
A. the history of tea drinking in Britain
B. how tea became a popular drink in Britain
C. how the Britons got the habit of drinking tea
D. how tea-time was born
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 Sevinge 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
As we all know, it was Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of the Independence. He wrote it in two weeks, and after a few changes, it was accepted by the Congress. As a result, he became famous.
Born in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, a brilliant student at school and almost talented lawyer later, was much interested in politics.
Jefferson was elected Governor of Virginia in 1779, and he was sent to France as the representative of the American government in 1784. Sixteen years later, at the age of 57, he was elected president after Washington and Adams.
Far from a handsome man, he was tall with long arms and big hands. Jefferson, who was an amusing talker in conversation but a poor speaker, was generally good-natured.
Jefferson was regarded as a defender of freedom on America. As a president, he protected the right of free speech. Interestingly enough, in his eight years as President, Jefferson never vetoed a bill which Congress had passed. He did a lot in organizing the new University of Virginia.
Thomas Jefferson died on July the fourth, 1826, the 50th anniversary of American Independence.
1.
From the passage we can infer that America won its independence in ___.
A. 1786 B. 1776 C. 1842 D. 1800
2.
How old was Thomas Jefferson when he became Governor of Virginia?
A. He was 26. B. He was in his forties.
C. He was 36. D. We don’t know.
3.
Which of the following statements is true?
A. Jefferson was not only very talented but also very handsome.
B. Jefferson was not an easy person to get along with.
C. Jefferson was an amusing talker, but not good at speaking in public.
D. Not being politically-minded, Jefferson never vetoed a bill passed by the Congress.
4.
Jefferson’s greatest contribution in American history should be that ___.
A. he did a lot in organizing the new University of Virginia
B. he was strongly against the slavery
C. he was for the right of free speech
D. he wrote the Declaration of Independence
Research shows that humans switch from selfish to unselfish behavior when they are watched. Do you?
A picture of a set of eyes on a computer screen can cause a change in the way people act. Even images of eyes on a charity donation, collection box encourage people to be unselfish, because people put more money in a
collection box that has a picture of eyes on it than they do when a flower symbol is on the box.
Manfred Milinski from the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Germany and Bettina Rockenbach of the University of Berlin, the authors of a new study, found that people act better when they are being watched because they feel they will be rewarded for good behavior. Their report also referred to other research showing that this response of behaving well when watched is somehow coded into humans and people respond this way unconsciously, or without realizing it.
It is not just humans that act unselfishly when they are being watched. A fish called the grooming fish cleans other fish. When other fish are around, it is gentler. When no other fish are around, however, the grooming fish bites chunks from the fish it is supposed to be cleaning.
The researchers suggest that the best way to get people to behave in the correct way is to make them feel watched. This could be the reason for the success of a famous American army poster. On it was a picture of an elderly man staring fiercely and pointing, it appeared, to the person who was looking at the poster. Under the picture was the caption 'I Want You' It encouraged hundreds of thousands of young American men to join the army during the Second World War to fight the Germans and Japanese.
1..
According to the report, why does a person behave better when he feels he is being watched?
A．He does not want to be shamed by others.
B．He needs to show he is a good person.
C．He desires others to like him more.
D．He feels he will receive some social reward.
2..
．What is the text mainly about?
A．It describes changed behavior when observed.
B．It details ways to control people's behavior.
C．It tells how to make people work harder.
D．It discusses different advertising methods.
3..
According to the text, which of the following statements is true?
A．People pretend to behave better when they are watched.
B．Fish bite other fish in a fish tank when they are alone. C．People donate more money when they feel they are watched.
D．Soldiers fought better during World War II because of a poster.
4..
．Where would the study described in the text most likely be found?
A．In a newspaper. B．In a scientific journal.
C．In an advertising magazine. D．In a science textbook.
What’s your dream vacation? Watching wildlife in Kenya? Boating down the Amazon? Sunbathing in Malaysia? New chances are opening up all the time to explore the world. So we visit travel agents, compare packages and prices, and pay our money.
We know what our vacation costs us. But do we know what it might cost someone else? It’s true that many poorer countries now depend on tourism for foreign income. Unfortunately, though, tourism often harms the local people more than it helps them.
It might cost their homes and lands. In Myanmar, 5,200 people were forced to leave their homes among the pagodas（佛塔）in Bagan so that tourists could visit the pagodas.
Tourism might also cost the local people their livelihood and dignity. Local workers often find only menial（卑微的）jobs in the tourist industry. And most of the profits do not help the local economy. Instead, profits return to the tour operators in wealthier countries. When the Maasai people in Tanzania were driven from their lands, some moved to city slums. Others now make a little money selling souvenirs or posing for photos.
Problems like these were observed more than 20 years ago. But now some non-government organizations, tour operators and local governments are working together to begin correcting them. Tourists, too, are putting on the pressure.
The result is responsible tourism, or“ethical tourism.”Ethical tourism has people at its heart. New international agreements and codes of conduct can help protect the people’s lands, homes, economies and cultures. The beginnings are small, though, and the problems are complex.
But take heart. The good news is that everyone, including us, can play a part to help the local people in the places we visit. Tour operators and companies can help by making sure that local people work in good conditions and earn reasonable wages.
They can make it a point to use only locally owned hotels, restaurants and guide services. They can share profits fairly to help the local economy. And they can involve the local people in planning and managing tourism.
What can tourists do? First, we can ask tour companies to provide information about the conditions of local citizens. We can then make our choices and tell them why. And while we’re abroad, we can:
★Buy local foods and products, not imported ones.
★Pay a fair price for goods and services and not bargain for the cheapest price.
★Avoid flaunting(炫耀) wealth.
★Ask before taking photographs of people. They are not just part of the landscape! Let’s enjoy our vacation and make sure others do, too.
1..
．What is probably the best title for the article?
A．Tourism Causes Bad Effects B．Tourism Calls for Good Behavior
C．Vacations Bring a Lot of Fun D．Vacations Cost More Than You Think
2..
The underlined phrase“take heart”means“ ”.
A．pay attention B．take care C．cheer up D．calm down
3..
According to the passage, the writer thinks .
A．tourism is not a promising industry.
B．dream vacations should be spent abroad
C．the problems caused by tourism are easy to settle.
D．tourists should respect local customs and culture
When the shooting of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was complete, it was much more than a movie wrap-up (结束).
Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley, told The Sunday Times that he’s happy to have the time for romance now filming is over. Emma Watson, who is Hermione Granger in the movies, said she looked forward to “finally being free, being my own person” – a change signaled by her new haircut.
Daniel Radcliffe, who has been the face of the boy wizard since 2001, said that he “did cry like a little girl” when the last movie finished.
“It’s like the ending of a relationship,” he told The Vancouver Sun. “There’s a sense of, ‘God, what am I going to do now?’” He said he was eager to see “what life holds for him beyond Hogwarts”.
Along with the three actors, Harry Potter fans, now in their late teens, came of age with J.K. Rowling’s characters. For them, the last film isn’t just a goodbye to a decade of magic, but the close of their childhoods.
“We are the Harry Potter generation,” Canadian Andrea Hill, 19, told The Vancouver Sun. “We started in elementary school, reading about a boy our age who was going through the same things we were going through. We grew up, so did he.”
For Emily Chahal, an 18-year-old student, the series has been an inspiring journey. “That first book was what started my love of literature. It was the inspiration for everything – really teaching me to appreciate my friends, and to face difficulties with a sense of courage,” she said. “I have a sense of sadness. The end of the movies is kind of the end of my childhood, too.”
Fortunately, to the delight of die-hard fans, there are many things that keep the boy wizard alive. For example, in June this year, a Harry Potter theme park opened in Florida, US.
Some schools in the US and UK also have Quidditch teams – players ride broomsticks. “We’re not waiting anymore to see what happens to Harry next,” Hill told The Vancouver Sun. She founded a Quidditch club at Carleton University in Canada. “We’re still engaged in that magical world.”
1..
How did Emma Watson feel when she finished the shooting of the Harry Potter series?
A. She cried like a little girl.
B. She was ready to move onto something new.
C. She was happy to have the time for romance.
D. She felt it was like the end of a relationship.
2..
. What did Daniel Radcliffe mean by saying he was eager to see “what life holds for him beyond Hogwarts”?
A. He was bored with life in Hogwarts.
B. He couldn’t wait to graduate from Hogwarts.
C. He missed life in Hogwarts now he had left.
D. He was looking forward to new life out of Hogwarts.
3..
. The series has brought Emily Chahal all the following EXCEPT _______.
A. the chance to live in a magical world
B. the courage to face difficulties
C. the appreciation of her friends
D. encouragement to love literature
4..
What is the main focus of the article?
A. Celebration of the close of childhood.
B. Fans’ love for the Harry Potter series.
C. Mixed feelings about the end of the series.
D. Excited anticipation of the opening of the Harry Potter theme park.
