Australia is famous for its beautiful beaches. And Australian people love swimming and going to the beach. But it wasn’t always that way.
Different Climate, Different Habits
When Europeans first invaded Australia, the only people here who were good at swimming were the Aboriginal people. The Europeans came from climates where it was too cold to swim. However the warm climate of Australia soon changed their attitude to swimming. At first, only men swam. They swam without any clothes on—there were no women to see them.
Cover up!
By the 1880 and 1890s visiting the beach was very fashionable. People wore everyday street clothes—much more than people wear at the beach today.
In those days people believed they should cover their most body so it would not be seen by the opposite sex. Special bathing costumes were designed for women. This costumes used a lot of cloth and were very heavy when wet, making it difficult to swim.
Laws Made and Laws Changed
The government decided to stop men swimming naked. It passed a law which forbade bathing between 6 am and 7 am. But in 1903, the laws changed; people could swim in the daytime, but they had to wear neck-to-knee costumes.
The Shrinking Costume
As time passed, swimming costumes became smaller and more convenient.
At first men and women were covered from neck to knee. Then arms became bare. Then more of the legs were uncovered. Each new change was regarded by many as shocking and rude and people wrote letters to the newspapers complaining about the new costume. Nowadays some people go to special “nude beaches” to swim naked.
However, most people cover their bodies more than they did ten years ago—not because they think bare skin is shocking—but to protect their skin from the harmful rays of the sun.
1.Which of the following statements about the climate of Australia is TRUE?
A. It made European settlers think differently about swimming.
B. It changed European settlers’ swimming costume.
C. It made European settlers feel much hotter.
D. It made European settlers have to swim naked.
2. What should swimmers do during the late 19th century?
A. They should hide when they meet a person of the opposite sex.
B. They should cover their body to avoid being seen by the opposite sex.
C. They should wear many heavy clothes on beaches.
D. They should wear special wet costumes designed for them.
3.What does the underlined sentence mean?
A. People were surprised by each new change and criticized it.
B. People were amazed by each new change and praise it.
C. Only newspapers were in favor of each new change.
D. Only newspapers thought poorly of each new change.
4. What can we conclude from the last paragraph?
A. People worry about getting skin cancer from too much sun.
B. People protected their swimming costumes from too much sun.
C. People are greatly shocked by the nude beaches.
D. People think it rude to swim with the smaller costumes.
An ancient Egyptian mummy thought to be that of Pharaoh Ramses I(法老一世)has returned home after more than 140 years in North American museums. The body was carried off the plane in Cairo in a box covered in Egypt’s flag.
The Michael Carlos Museum gave it back after tests showed it was probably that of the man who ruled 3,000 years ago. The US museum acquired it three years ago from a Canadian museum, which in turn is thought to have bought it from Egyptian garve robbers in 1860. The mummy was welcomed back home with songs and military band music during a ceremony at the national museum in Cairo.
Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities(文物最高委员会), traveled from the US with the body and said it would be moved next year to the Luxor Museum in southern Egypt. “We are not 100% sure that mummy is that of Ramses I,” said Mr. Hawass. “But we are 100% sure that it is of a king.”
Atlanta’s Michael Carlos Museum acquired the mummy in 1999, but offered to return it after hi-tech scanning equipment indicated it was likely to be that of Ramses I. The museum website said it had been acquired from the Niagara Falls Museum. It is thought a Canadian collector bought the mummy for the Niagara Falls Museum around 1860 from an Egyptian family which had came across a tomb filled with royal mummies at a site near Luxor.
Mr. Hawass praised the handover as “a great, civilized gesture”. And he appealed to other world museums to return Egypt’s antiquities, particularly the Rosetta Stone in the Britain Museum and the Bust of Nefertiti in the Berlin Museum.
1. Where was Ramses mummy kept in just before the handover?
A. the Luxor Museum
B. the Michael Carlos Museum
C. the Niagara Falls Museum
D. a Canadian Museum
2.Which is the correct order of the following events according to the passage?
a. The mummy returned home.
b. The mummy was kept in the Niagara Falls Museum.
c. Egyptian grave robber sold he mummy.
d. A Canadian collector bought the mummy.
e. The mummy was kept in the Michael Carlos Museum.
A. c-d-e-b-a
B. c-b-e-d-a
C. a-d-c-b-e
D. c-d-b-e-a
3. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. All the Egypt’s antiquities have returned home after the handover.
B. Niagara Falls Museum is an American museum.
C. Buying the mummy from the Egyptian family was a civilized gesture.
D. Ramses Mummy had been kept in Canada for more than a century.
4. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. The history of Ramses mummy.
B. The handover ceremony of Ramses mummy from Canada.
C. The returning of Ramses mummy to its homeland Egypt.
D. The history of the royal family of Ramses.
On a hot summer day, a soft drink can really take away your thirst. At home, at school, in the park or at the movies—you can find one almost anywhere.
Carbonated(碳酸的)
You can see bubbles in these! Of all soft drinks sold, about 75 percent are carbonated. But be careful, carbonated soft drinks have lots of sugar and caffeine. Caffeine is not very good for you in the summer, because it takes water out of your body. And the sugar can make you overweight if you drink too much.
Fruit juice
There are different kinds of juice. One kind is made only from fresh fruit. This kind of fruit juice may not taste sweet enough for some people, but it is nutritious. Another kind of fruit juice tastes good but has lots of sugar in it. Many young people buy this kind because the advertisements are good. It is bad for your teeth and bones to drink lots of this.
Energy drinks
These kinds of drinks have caffeine and things that make people get excited in them. They are sometimes called “party drinks”. Doctors say that if you drink too much of this kind, you may have a heart attack.
Bottled water
We have lots of different kinds of bottled water, such as mineral water, purified water and distilled(蒸馏的) water. They are clean and easy to drink. But it is best not to drink very cold water. It may make your stomach feel bad.
Sports drinks
Most of these have funny names like “Scream” and “G-Vital”. They have lots of vitamins and minerals in them. After you play sports, you may want to drink one of these.
But if you just spend your summer holiday sitting around watching TV, you won’t need them at all!
1.Which of the following is NOT suitable for you to take if you go climbing?
A. Carbonated soft drinks.
B. Fruit juice.
C. Bottled water.
D. Sports drink.
2. If you have to stay up late, what kind of water may help you?
A. Fruit juice.
B. Energy drinks.
C. Bottled water.
D. Sports drink.
3. What’s the probable reason for you to drink sports drinks after sport?
A. They have funny names that sound very exciting.
B. They can recover the minerals lost in your sweat.
C. They can effectively get rid of your thirst.
D. They can take away your vitamins and minerals.
4.What’s the main purpose of the author writing this article?
A. To advise us to keep away from unhealthy soft drinks.
B. To teach us some useful ways of keeping healthy.
C. To make advertisements for the soft drink companies.
D. To tell us how to choose a suitable one from different drinks.
It was black in the evening. Jason, a 12-year-old boy didn’t want to go outside. But his mother, Branda, was worried about his father and 36 he go.
That evening the man had to 37 his car, a Buick outside their house in the driveway.
38 enough, the wife hadn’t heard a single 39 for at least one hour. “Go and find him,” she told Jason.
The kid stepped outside in the darkness and called into the shadows “Dad?”
“Jason?” 40 was his father, but his voice sounded 41 . He spoke slowly, in a strange way.
That evening, when the man had to get 42 the car to fix it, he used a forklift to lift the car. 43 , the man didn’t place the blocks in front of the car’ s front tires to keep it from 44 forward off the forks, which was exactly 45 it did afterwards.
Little Jason saw his dad’s feet 46 out from beneath the car. 47 to take a full breath, Old Jason sank into a sleepy, half-alive 48 .
“Calm down. It will be OK.” The boy 49 his mother. Now he couldn’t afford to be scared.
He climbed on and started up, the Buick started to come off the ground and 50 in the air.
Minutes later, 911 policemen arrived. Old Jason 51 beneath the car, still breathing.
It wasn’t 52 his dad was loaded into an ambulance that the little boy 53 and sobbed.
Little Jason says one happy change has come out of the 54 : he gets to spend more time with his dad. Old Jason, who hasn’t touched a car 55 the Buick fell on him often spends evenings with his son playing.
1.A. claimed B. demanded C. declared D. announced
2.A. clean B. buy C. fix D. sell
3.A. Strangely B. Interestingly C. Fortunately D. Dangerously
4.A. word B. sentence C. noise D. sound
5.A. He B. This C. There D. It
6.A. usual B. different C. calm D. unhappy
7.A. into B. onto C. beneath D. above
8.A. Somehow B. Anyhow C. Somewhat D. Anyway
9.A. sinking B. rolling C. driving D. running
10.A. what B. how C. why D. when
11.A. bringing B. moving C. sticking D. taking
12.A. Unable B. Unlikely C. Likely D. Able
13.A. environment B. circumstance C. state D. position
14.A. inspired B. comforted C. required D. persuaded
15.A. moved B. drove C. bent D. suspended
16.A. slept B. sat C. stood D. lay
17.A. until B. unless C. when D. while
18.A. broke out B. broke down C. broke up D. broke off
19.A. matter B. affair C. accident D. event
20.A. after B. till C. when D. since
–Do you suppose you could do it without help, Jack?
—______. This is not the first time for me.
A. Not likely. B. Not exactly C. Don’t worry. D. I’m afraid not.
–How is your trip to Canada?
—Good, but the hotel we stayed in is ______but satisfactory.
A. something B. anything C. nothing D. everything
