“I will never marry，” the future Elizabeth I declared at the age of eight, and, to the terror of her people, the Great Queen kept her word.
For four centuries, historians have guessed why Elizabeth never married.In her own day, her decision to remain single was considered absurd and dangerous.A queen needed a husband to make political decisions for her and to organise and lead her military campaigns.More important, she needed male heirs to avoid a civil war after her death.
There was no shortage of suitors for the Queen, both English courtiers (朝臣) and foreign princes, and it was confidently expected for the best part of 30 years that Elizabeth would eventually marry one of them.Indeed, although she insisted that she preferred the single state, she kept these suitors in a state of permanent expectation.This was a deliberate policy on the Queen's part, since by keeping foreign princes in hope, sometimes for a decade, she kept them friendly when they might otherwise have made war on her kingdom.
There were, indeed, good political reasons for her avoiding marriage.The disastrous union of her sister Mary I to Philip II of Spain had had an unwelcome foreign influence upon English politics.The English were generally prejudiced against the Queen taking a foreign husband, particularly a Catholic one.Yet if she married an English, jealousy might lead to the separation of the court.
There were other, deeper reasons for Elizabeth's unwillingness to marry, chief of which, I believe, was her fear of losing her autonomy as Queen. In the 16th century, a queen was regarded as holding supreme dominion(统治权)over the state, while a husband was thought to hold supreme dominion over his wife.Elizabeth knew that marriage and motherhood would bring some harm to her power.
She once pointed out that marriage seemed too uncertain a state for her. She had seen several unions in her immediate family break down, including that of her own parents.
Some writers, based on very fragile evidence, have argued that Elizabeth was frightened or incapable of the sex act, but it is more likely that she feared childbirth. Two of her stepmothers, her grandmother and several acquaintances had died in childbed.
Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, had had her mother, Anne Boleyn, killed; her stepmother Catherine Howard later suffered the same fate. When Elizabeth was 14 she was all but attracted by Admiral Thomas Seymour, who also went to the prison within a year. Witnessing these terrible events at an early age, it has been argued, may have put Elizabeth off marriage.
Elizabeth had to decide her priorities. Marriage or being single? Elizabeth was far too intelligent.The choice she made was courageous and revolutionary, and, in the long run, the right one for England.
1.To the suitors including English courtiers and foreign princes，Elizabeth ________.
A．held back the truth
B．gave a definite answer “no”
C．kept them expecting deliberately
D．said she preferred the single state
2.If Elizabeth had married a foreign prince, there might have been ________.
A．prejudice against her
B．separation of the court
C．jealousy among English courtiers
D．a negative impact on English politics
3.Which of the following implications is right according to the passage?
A．Queen Elizabeth was not a Catholic.
B．Some foreign princes made war on Britain.
C．Catherine Howard was killed by Anne Boleyn.
D．Admiral Thomas Seymour was killed by Henry VIII.
4.What is the attitude of the author towards Queen Elizabeth never marrying in her life?
A．Pitiful. B．Approving.
C．Negative. D．Neutral.
Peter Wiggins grew up in a poor family. He worked diligently at his ____ job as teaching assistant in a private kindergarten and put in three more hours at night as a parttime cashier at a ___. By the time Peter walked home with slow and heavy steps every day，it was often close to ____.
Peter worked very hard in order to ____ his aged parents who had retired as restroom cleaners with ____ savings left after putting Peter and his sister through school. Peter was the only ___， for his sister, Beth, was often in poor health.
One day, as Peter was walking home from ACE Supermarket where he ____， he stumbled(绊脚) upon a small brown packet on the pavement. The package was slightly ____.
So he picked it up to examine it more closely. To his ____， it contained fiftydollar bills. Peter knew it was not his to keep and that the ____ might urgently need the money.
Without ____， Peter walked quickly to the nearest police station and handed it over to Mr. Roberts who was the police officer ____ for that night. Surprised to see someone hand in such a large amount of cash ____，the police officer said that Peter was indeed a role model others could ____.
“It's nothing really...I was doing what ____ would have done，” Peter's face turned red as the officer continued to ask for his name and contact number so that the owner could ____ thank him. The next day, Peter received a ____. The owner of the lost money was none other than Peter's ____ at the ACE Supermarket! He had found out about Peter from Roberts and had decided to ____ Peter to the position of manager with a handsome increase in salary. He had also decided to pay for Beth's ___.Peter was overjoyed.
1.A.anytime B．shorttime
C．daytime D．nighttime
2.A.supermarket B．night school
C．restaurant D．hotel
3.A.morning B．noon
C．evening D．midnight
4.A.settle B．impress
C．support D．treat
5.A.more B．some
C．little D．much
6.A.son B．breadwinner
C．one D．assistant
7.A.stayed B．shopped
C．worked D．visited
8.A.old B．torn
C．familiar D．heavy
9.A.joy B．disappointment
C．shock D．relief
10.A.leader B．assistant
C．boss D．owner
11.A.success B．fear
C．hesitation D．doubt
12.A.on behalf B．on duty
C．on watch D．on purpose
13.A.unfinished B．unused
C．untouched D．unexpected
14.A.look at B．look up to
C．look down on D．look forward to
15.A.few B．none
C．anybody D．policemen
16.A.independently B．personally
C．cautiously D．regularly
17.A.letter B．notice
C．call D．packet
18.A.colleague B．boss
C．consumer D．enemy
19.A.introduce B．expose
C．promote D．lead
20.A.university education B．travel costs
C．holiday parties D．medical treatment
There was great excitement on the planet of Venus (金星). Venusian scientists managed to land a satellite on the planet Earth, and it has been sending back signals as well as photographs ever since.
The satellite was directed into an area known as Manhattan, named after the great Venusian astronomer Professor. Manhattan, who first discovered it with his telescope 20000 light years ago.
Because of excellent weather conditions and extremely strong signals, Venusian scientists were able to get valuable information as to feasibility (可行性) of a manned flying saucer landing on Earth. A press conference was held at the Venus Institute of Technology.
“We have come to the conclusion, based on last week's satellite landing，” Prof. Zog said, “that there is no life on Earth.”
“How do you know this？” the science reporter of the Venus Evening Star asked.
“For one thing, Earth's surface in the area of Manhattan is made up of solid concrete and nothing can grow there. For another, the atmosphere is filled with carbon monoxide (一氧化碳) and other deadly gases and nobody could possibly breathe this air and survive.”
“What does this mean as far as our flying saucer program is concerned？”
“We shall have to take our own oxygen with us, which means a much heavier flying saucer than originally planned.”
“Are there any other dangers that you discovered in your studies？”
“Take a look at this photo. You see this dark black cloud hovering (盘旋) over the surface of Earth? We don't know what it is made of, but it could give us a lot of trouble and we shall have further tests before we send a Venus Being there.”
“Over here you will notice what seems to be a river, but the satellite findings indicates it is polluted and the water is unfit to drink. This means we shall have to carry our own water, which will add even greater weight to the saucer.”
“If all you say is true, won't this set back the flying saucer program several years？”
“Yes, but we shall continue as soon as the Grubstart gives us the added funds(资金)．” Profession. Zog replied.
1.According to the passage, the Venusian scientists succeeded in getting important information about ________.
A．the feasibility of landing a satellite on Earth
B．the possibility of making a firstrate flying saucer
C．the feasibility of sending a Venus Being to Earth
D．the possibility of directing a flying saucer into Manhattan
2.Why will the Venusian have to take their own oxygen with them when they carry out their flying saucer program because ________.
A．they need it in their way to the planet of Earth
B．the Earth's atmosphere is filled with deadly gases
C．there is a low level of oxygen for Venusians
D．there is no air on the planet of Earth
3.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A．landing a manned flying saucer on Earth will be carried out soon
B．Venusians will land on Earth to help to stop serious pollution
C．it's unnecessary to land a manned flying saucer on Earth at present
D．pollution on Earth makes it impossible for Venusians to survive there
4.Where can you probably read such a passage?
A．In a popular magazine.
B．In a fairy tale.
C．In an observation journal
D．In science fiction
This message is to inform all the children that Santa's post office in Himmelpfort, Germany, is open to receive your holiday wishes. That means you can mail your letters to Santa about 6 weeks sooner than that last year. Santa knows you've been good and wants to make sure he and his helpers receive your wish list earlier.
Eight post offices are organized across Germany to answer all letters children send. This year they plan to receive over 250,000 letters. Though the letters fly from over 80 different countries, Santa and his helpers can understand and make sure to answer all the letters.
In 1984, two children from Berlin sent their wish lists to Himmelpfort after spending vacation there. Their letters were answered by postal employees and later Himmelpfort increased its helpers to meet the needs of increased mail traffic. Year after year, Santa and his crew use an ecofriendly powered vehicle to collect the thousands of letters he receives from young boys and girls. The great news for this year is that if you come to the beautiful town of Himmelpfort, you can drop off your letter and visit Santa in person, from Tuesdays to Thursdays until Christmas Eve.
Santa does not currently have an email, Twitter or a Facebook account. He believes in oldfashioned communication. So get out your paper and write your wish list. Just make sure your letter is clear so you can receive an official response, send your letters to：
Santa
Christmas Post Office
Himmelpfort, Germany 16798
1.This year Santa and his helpers ________.
A．are eager to receive more wishes
B．keep traveling around 80 countries
C．are able to receive kids' letters earlier
D．answer most of the letters from kids
2.From the 3rd paragraph, we know that ________.
A．post offices send kids all the presents they ask for
B．children from Berlin like spending holidays in Himmelpfort
C．Santa uses a powered vehicle because of the heavy mail traffic
D．children can visit Santa in the flesh before Christmas Eve this year
3.Santa doesn't have social communications online probably because he ________.
A．is not sure about the online security
B．trusts traditional ways of communication
C．prefers official and formal letters
D．thinks written letters are clearer than emails
4.This text is intended for ________.
A．tourists coming to Himmelpfort
B．teenagers preferring writing letters
C．parents preparing for Christmas
D．children planning to write to Santa
(London)If it really is what's on the inside that counts, then a lot of thin people might be in trouble.
Some doctors now think that the internal fat surrounding important organs like the heart or liver could be as dangerous as the external fat which can be noticed more easily.
“Being thin doesn't surely mean you are not fat，” said Dr Jimmy Bell at Imperial College. Since 1994, Bell and his team have scanned nearly 800 people with MRI machines to create “fat maps” showing where people store fat.
According to the result, people who keep their weight through diet rather than exercise are likely to have major deposits of internal fat, even if they are slim.
Even people with normal Body Mass Index scores can have surprising levels of fat deposits inside. Of the women, as many as 45 percent of those with normal BMI scores (20 to 25) actually had too high levels of internal fat. Among men, the percentage was nearly 60 percent.
According to Bell, people who are fat on the inside are actually on the edge of being fat. They eat too many fatty and sugary foods, but they are not eating enough to be fat. Scientists believe we naturally store fat around the belly first, but at some point, the body may start storing it elsewhere.
Doctors are unsure about the exact dangers of internal fat, but some think it has something to do with heart disease and diabetes. They want to prove that internal fat damages the body's communication systems.
The good news is that internal fat can be easily burned off through exercise or even by improving your diet. “If you want to be healthy, there is no short cut. Exercise has to be an important part of your lifestyle，” Bell said.
1.What is this piece of news mainly about?
A．Thin people also have troubles.
B．Internal fat is of no importance.
C．Internal fat leads to many diseases.
D．Thin people may be fat inside.
2.Doctors have found ________.
A．being slim doesn't mean you are not fat inside
B．internal fat is the cause of heart disease and diabetes
C．being slim is not dangerous at all
D．the exact dangers of internal fat
3.According to the passage, which of the following is WRONG?
A．People with heart disease all have internal fat.
B．People can get rid of internal fat by improving diet.
C．Men are more likely to have too much internal fat.
D．Exercise can help to reduce the internal fat.
Sweetest Day in America is always the third Saturday in October. This holiday is much more important in some regions than in others (Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo being the biggest Sweetest Day cities). It is a holiday that is gaining in popularity every year throughout the country.
Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October as a day to make someone happy. It is an occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, aged, and orphaned, but also friends, relatives and associates whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.
Over 60 years ago, a man in Cleveland, believing that the city's orphans and shutins (卧病在床的人) too often felt forgotten and neglected, thought of the idea of showing them that they were remembered. He did this through the distribution of small gifts. With the help of his friends and neighbors, he distributed these small remembrances on a Saturday in October. During the years that followed, other Clevelanders began to participate in the celebration ceremony, which came to be called “Sweetest Day”. In time, the Sweetest Day idea of spreading cheer to the underprivileged was broadened to include everyone, and became an occasion for remembering others with a kind act or a small remembrance. And soon the idea spread to other cities all over the country.
Sweetest Day is not based on any single group's religious affection or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning.
Because for many people remembering takes the form of giftgiving, Sweetest Day offers us the opportunity to show others that we care, in a practical way.
1.We can learn from the first paragraph that Sweetest Day is ________.
A．sometimes the third Saturday in October
B．hardly celebrated in Detroit
C．of equal importance in every part of the USA
D．getting increasingly popular in the USA
2.Sweetest Day was intended to remember ________.
A．the young and disabled
B．friends and relatives
C．orphans and shutins
D．the sick and aged
3.We can infer from the passage that the birthplace of Sweetest Day is ________.
A．Detroit B．Cleveland
C．Buffalo D．Washington
4.Now on Sweetest Day gifts are given to those ________.
A．we care B．we admire
C．in need of help D．in trouble
