Before Alaska became part of the U.S., it had been owned by Russia. Trading posts and small settlements were scattered along the coast. The rest of land was left unexplored. The Russians were mainly interested in the wealth of furs from the vast herds of seals they found there.
By the mid-1800’s, most of the seal herds had been wiped out, and Russia no longer wanted to keep Alaska. William Seward, Secretary of State for President Johnson, believed the United States should buy Alaska from Russia. President Johnson wasn’t so sure it was a wise way to spend U.S. money, but he agreed to let Seward discuss it with the Russians. Acting quickly, Seward made a deal. On March 30, 1867, he signed an agreement for the U.S. to pay seven million dollars for the land.
Many people thought it was a foolish waste of America’s money. They called the deal “Seward’s folly”. Then gold was discovered in Alaska and public opinion changed quickly.
Seward did not live to see the true value of Alaska. He died in 1872, five years after making the purchase (购买). Each year, Alaska’s natural resources(资源) have brought in many times the $7,000,000 paid for it. Natural gas, coal, oil, lumber, seafood and other minerals, besides the gold first found, have made it a valuable addition to the United States. In 1959, Alaska be-came the 49th state of the United States.
1.The Russians wanted to sell Alaska because ______.
A. they thought it wasn’t a good place
B. they thought it didn’t belong to Russia
C. they couldn’t find enough seals there
D. they wanted to earn more money from the U.S.
2.When Seward signed the agreement, many people thought ______.
A. it was a successful deal B. it had its true value
C. he wasted U.S. money D. he was clever
3.Which of the following things was found first in Alaska?
A. Gas. B. Coal. C. Oil. D. Gold.
4.The best title for this passage would probably be ______.
A. Alaska, a beautiful place B. Alaska with natural resources
C. Alaska, the 49th state of the U.S. D. Alaska, home to seals
The Winter Olympics is also called the White Olympics. At this time, many colorful stamps are published to mark the great Games. The first stamps marking the opening came out on January 25,1932 in the United States for the 3rd White Olympics. From then on, publishing stamps during the White Olympics became a rule. During the 4th Winter Olympics Games a group of stamps were published in Germany in November 1936. The five rings of Olympics were drawn on the front of sportswear. It was the first time that the rings appeared on the stamps of the White Olympics.
In the 1950’s, the stamps of this kind became more colorful. When the White Olympics came, the host countries as well as the non-host countries published stamps to mark those Games. China also published four stamps in February 1980, when the Chinese sportsmen began to take part in the White Olympics.
Japan is the only Asian country that has ever held the White Olympics. Altogether 14 500 million stamps were sold to raise money for this sports meeting.
Different kinds of sports were drawn on these small stamps. People can enjoy the beauty of the wonderful movements of some sportsmen.
1.The White Olympics and the Winter Olympics__________.
A. are the same thing B. are different games
C. are not held in winter D. are held in summer
2.The world made it a rule to publish stamps to mark the great world games _______.
A. after the year 1936 B. during the 3rd White Olympics
C. during the 2nd White D. before the year 1932
3.Which of the following is true?
A. Only the host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games.
B. Only the non-host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games.
C. All countries can publish stamps to mark those Games
D. Japan can’t publish stamps to mark those Games.
4.What may appear on the stamps of the White Olympics?
A. Basketball B. Table tennis C .Football D. Skating
It has always been said that women are not good drivers, because they simply don't have very good driving ability. On the other hand, most car accidents happen to men; very few happen to women.
From this, we can see that women are much more careful while driving. Another very interesting fact that we should point out is that in the past, women preferred to let their husbands be the only driver in the family rather than have a driving license. Somehow they were prevented from making this step in their lives, but nowadays there are many women that want to pass their driving tests from an early age.
However, we have to admit that men are more skillful drivers than women, but this does not mean that a woman cannot become a good driver by accumulating (积累) experience. So more and more teenagers and women around the age of thirty now want to pass their driving tests. While taking their driving lessons, they also have a number of special lessons with their parents or somebody in the family that has a driving license, this is just to improve their driving abilities and help them to pass the tests more easily.
To conclude, we can say that women are not such bad drivers. They just need more experience than men in order to be able to drive well. And on the other hand, there are a number of women that show better driving skills than the men around them.
1. Compared with the past, nowadays many women___.
A. prefer to have a driving license
B. have more accidents while driving
C. are somehow prevented from driving
D. are the only driver in the family
2.What advantage do women have over men in driving?
A. They have more skills.
B. They are much more careful
C. They know more traffic rules
D. They have more driving experience
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A. Teenage girls cannot take driving tests.
B. Men didn't allow women to drive in the past.
C. With enough experience, women can become good drivers.
D. Women can easily pass their tests by taking driving lessons.
4.The passage mainly talks about___.
A. women and their driving ability.
B. men and their driving ability.
C. why men are better drivers than women.
D. why more women like to have a driving license
Shane Thomas is a 10-year-old pianist from England. He’s being called the next Mozart because of his amazing abilities.
He has only been having piano lessons for four months, and practices four hours a week, but he has already played difficult classical pieces. He was just seven when he sat down at the piano, and could play at once. He also says he never gets nervous.
When Shane was three years old, he said that he could play the piano, but nobody took him seriously. At school, he could listen to the teacher and do his work while composing (作曲) in his head. Shame remembers all the melodies（旋律）,and when he gets home he plays them on the piano, while his father records them. Shane loves playing the piano, and when he grows up he wants to be a composer.
His tutor, Richard Goffin-Lecar, says he is like Amadeus Mozart, who lived during the 18th century in Salzburg, Austria, and was one of the most famous composers ever. Mr. Goffin-lecar says, “I don’t teach Shane very much. I just give him directions, then sit back and watch.”
His father, a single parent with two other children, says that although he has little money, he wants to send Shane to a good music school. “I’m a single father, but I have this gifted child. I don’t have much money, but I want to give him the best teachers, and also take him into a studio to record.”
1.When did Shane tell others that he could play the piano?
A. At age three. B. At age ten. C. At age seven. D. At age four.
2.Which of the following is TRUE about Shane?
A. He feels nervous while playing the piano
B. He can compose in his head while doing his work.
C. He wants to be a piano tutor when he grows up.
D. He doesn’t like to listen to the teacher at school.
3.What do we learn about Shane’s father?
A. He also plays the piano well.
B. He’s a single father with two children.
C. He believes in Shane’s talent for music and will support him.
D. Not having enough money, he will ask the teachers for help
据调查，现在不少中学生存在不吃早餐、睡眠不足和缺乏锻炼等不良生活习惯。请你以Forming healthy habits为题，用英语写一篇短文，谈谈你的看法。短文主要包括以下内容：
1．简介不良生活习惯行为；
2．摒弃不良习惯，养成健康的习惯的重要性
3．如何养成健康的习惯：
※吃健康早餐，多吃水果蔬菜；
※充足睡眠，早睡早起；
※经常锻炼。
注意：1.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
2．文章开头已给出，但不计入总词数；
3．词数：100左右；
4．参考词汇：维生素vitamin。
Forming healthy habits
A recent survey shows that many students have got into some bad living habits，which do great harm to their health.
课文原文填空（每空1分，共5分）
The train was wonderful and the food was great. We ate great meals cooked by 91 ! For the first few hundred kilometres of the journey, the 92 was very colourful. There were 93 and the soil was dark red. After that, it was desert. The sun 94 , there was no wind and there were no clouds in the sky. Suddenly, it looked like a place from another time. We saw 95 farms which were built more than a hundred years ago.
