Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English rulers fried to conquer (征服) Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally, in 1921, the British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two “Irelands”. Northern Ireland, in the north, is part of the United Kingdom. The republic of Ireland, in the south, is an independent country.
In the 1840s ,the main crop, potatoes was affected by disease and about 750, 000 people died of hunger. This, and a shortage (短缺) of work, forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.
For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.
The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly, Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Greeks”. Since independence, Ireland has revived (复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish songs which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc.
1.What does the author tell us in Paragraph 1?
A. How the Irish fought against the English.
B. How Ireland gained independence.
C. How two “Irelands” came into being.
D. How English rulers tried to conquer Ireland.
2.The last paragraph is mainly about____.
A. the Irish character B. Irish culture
C. Irish musical instruments D. a famous Irish writer
3.We learn from the text that in Ireland _____.
A. different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments
B. people are moving to the cities for lack of work in the countryside
C. it is harder to make a living as a farmer than as a factory worker
D. food shortages in the 1840s led to a decline in population
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A. Life in Ireland B. Ireland, Past and Present
C. A Very Difficult History D. The Independence of Ireland
If you planning to study in the United States, you need to consider several factors （因素）. Everyone has different opinions about where is the best place to live in. Also, the best places to live in are not always home to the best schools. What’s more, many schools specialize in different areas of study. They Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, is a great school for computer science. And if you want to study oceanography, your interests may be better served by attending school in a place which is near the ocean.
Now I will tell you about which states I believe are the best to live in. California is a nice state. Northern California especially has very good weather. As for me, I enjoyed the time I spent in Massachusetts, Virginia and Mary land. These states have a lot of history and culture. The weather is not so perfect as that in California, but is still quite nice. My favourite of America is the Midwest. Middle America, I think, is home to the true American sense of values. Besides, there are many good universities, too.
Also you need to think about your likes and dislikes and then research the different areas. You like sunshine and hate snow? Then you probably won’t like the Midwest or even the Northeast. Open space, nature, peace and quiet? Then you’d better stay away from America’s larger cities. Are you interested in government? Then Washington D.C. is the only place for you. Whatever you decide, put some thought into it.
1.From the first paragraph we can infer that in the USA .
A. all colleges and universities lie in big cities
B. all colleges and universities lie in beautiful places
C. famous colleges and universities lie in nice places
D. famous colleges and universities may not lie in nice places
2.____ should be considered first if you want to study in the USA.
A. The climate
B. The scenery
C. The study condition
D. The living condition
3.The writer likes Middle America best because .
A. he feels the real character of the nation here
B. the weather is fine here
C. the life is full of excitement
D. he likes sunshine and hates snow
4.The passage mainly .
A. tells us something about American universities
B. gives us some advice on studying in America
C. lets us know about America
D. describes the scenery of America
Last Friday, after doing all the family shopping in town I wanted a rest before catching the train, so I bought a newspaper and some chocolate and went into the station coffee shop. It was a cheap self-service place with long table to keep a place and went to get a cup of coffee.
When I came back with the coffee, there was someone in the next seat. It was one of those wild-looking boys, with dark glasses and old clothes, and his hair was colored bright red at the front. What did surprise me was that he’d started to eat my chocolate.
I was rather uneasy about him, but I didn’t want to make more trouble. I just looked down at the front page of the newspaper, tasted my coffee and took a bit of chocolate. The boy looked at me closely. Then he took a second piece of chocolate. I could hardly believe it. Still I didn’t say anything to him. When he took a third piece, I felt angrier. I thought, well, I shall have the last piece. “And I got it.”
The boy gave me a strange look, and then stood up. As he left he shouted out, “There is something wrong with the woman,” Everybody looked at me, but it was worse then I finished my coffee and got ready to leave. My face turned red when I knew I’d made a mistake. I wasn’t my chocolate that I had eaten. There was mine, just under my newspaper.
1.In which order did the writer do the following things?
a. Went into a coffee shop. b. Got a cup of coffee,
c. Started to eat some chocolate. d. Did some shopping.
e. Found a seat in the shop. f. Bought some chocolate.
A. a, e, f, b, c, dB. a, d, f, b, e, cC. d, f, a, e, b, cD. d, a, f, c, b, e
2.The writer went into the station coffee shop to______.
A. buy a newspaperB. meet a boy with dark glasses
C. put her heavy bagD. take a short rest
3.When the writer came back to the table, she was surprised because______.
A. her chocolate had been eaten up
B. the boy was eating her chocolate
C. there was a boy sitting next to her
D. what the boy did seemed quite rude
4.How do you think the writer felt at last?
A. She felt disappointedB. She felt ashamed
C. She became angrier. D. She thought it very funny.
I will never forget the year I was about twelve years old. My mother told us that we would not be Christmas gifts because there was not enough money. I felt sad and thought，“What would I say when the other kids asked what I'd ？” Just when I started to that there would not be a Christmas that year，three women at our house with gifts for all of us. For me they brought a doll. I felt such a sense of that I would no longer have to be embarrassed when I returned to school. I wasn't .Somebody had thought of me to bring me a gift. Years later, when I stood in the kitchen of my new house, thinking how I wanted to make my . Christmas there special and memorable, I _ remembered the woman’s visit. I decided that I wanted to create that same feeling of for as many children as I could possibly.
So I a plan and gathered forty people from my company to help. We gathered about 125 orphans (孤儿)at the Christmas party. For every child，we wrapped colorful packages filled with toys，clothes，and school supplies， with a child's name. We wanted all of them to know they were .Before I called out their names and handed them their gifts，I them that they couldn't open their presents every child had come forward. Finally the they had been waiting for came as I called out，“One，two，three. Open your presents！” As the children opened their packages，their faces beamed and their bright smiles up the room. The in the room was obvious，and wasn't just about toys. It was a feeling —the feeling I knew that Christmas so long ago when the women came to visit. I wasn't forgotten. Somebody thought of me. I matter.
1.A. sendingB．receiving C．makingD．exchanging
2.A. FoundB．preparedC．gotD．expected
3.A. doubtB．hope C．suggestD．accept
4.A. broke inB．settled downC．turned up D．showed off
5.A. reliefB．loss C．achievementD．justice
6.A. blamedB．loved C．forgotten D．affected
7.A. highlyB．little C．poorlyD．enough
8.A. present B．firstC．recentD．previous
9.A. hardlyB．instantlyC．regularly D. occasionally
10.A. strengthB．independence C．importanceD．safety
11.A. kept up withB．caught up with C．came up with D．put up with
12.A. noneB．fewC．some D．each
13.A. fineB．specialC．helpfulD．normal
14.A. remindedB．guaranteedC．convinced D．promised
15.A. afterB．until C．when D．since
16.A. chanceB．giftC．momentD．reward
17.A. litB．tookC．burnedD．cheered
18.A. atmosphereB．sympathy C．calmness D．joy
19.A. itB．such C．something D．everybody
20.A. byB．till C．forD．From
--- We need three single rooms for the first week in June.
--- .The hotel’s not busy then.
A． It doesn’t matter . B．Don’t bother. C．Never mind . D．No problem.
What surprised me was not what he said but _________ he said it.
A．the way B．in the way that C．in the way D．the way which
