阅读理解
Is it possible that the sinking of the Titanic was caused by a ghost? A plot of the story below is true ... but did it really happen quite like this?
Our story begins not in the icy cold waters of the North Atlantic, but rather thousands of miles away in Egypt. It is here, perhaps, that we can find the start of the mystery (谜) of the Titanic, in the year 1910, in the great city of Cairo.
One day, a famous professor of Egyptian history called Douglas Murray was staying in Cairo, when he was contacted by an American adventurer.
The American had something unusual to offer Murray, something that was certain to thrill him: a beautiful ancient Egyptian mummy case, containing the mummy of an Egyptian queen. It was over 3,000 years old, but in beautiful condition — gold, with bright paintings on it. Murray was delighted with both the object and the askingprice. He gave the man a cheque immediately.
The cheque was never cashed. That evening the American adventurer died. For his part, Murray arranged to have the treasure sent back to Britain. However, it was not long before he learnt more about the beautiful mummy case: On the walls of the tomb in which it had been discovered, there were messages which warned of terrible consequences to anyone who broke into the tomb. Murray was disbelieving of these warnings until a few days later, when a gun he was holding exploded in his hand, shattering his arm. The arm had to be cut off.
After the accident, Murray decided to return to his homeland. On the return journey, two of his companions died mysteriously, and two servants who had handled the mummy also passed away. The nowterrified Murray decided he would get rid of the cursed case as soon as he arrived in London. A lady he knew named Janet Jones said she would like it, so he gave it to her. Shortly afterwards, Jones' mother died, and she herself caught a strange disease. She tried returning the mummy, but naturally Murray refused it. In the end, it was presented to the British Museum.
Even in the museum, the mummy apparently continued to cause strange events. A museum photographer died shortly after taking pictures of the new exhibit, and a manager also died for no apparent reason. In the end, the British Museum decided to get rid of the mummy too. They sold it to a collector in New York.
At the start of April 1912, arrangements for the transfer were complete, and the mummy began the journey to its new home. But the New Yorker never received the mummy or its case. For when the Titanic sank, one of the objects in its strongroom was the mummy case. Or so they say.
1.In Paragraph 5, the underlined word “cursed” is closest in meaning to ________.
A．forgotten B．uncommon
C．expensive D．unlucky
2.In what order did the following events occur?
a．The case was given to the British Museum.
b．Janet Jones caught a mysterious illness.
c．Murray's arm was cut off.
d．The mummy case was sold to an American.
e．A man who took a picture of the case died.
f．Warnings were written on the tomb's walls.
A．f，c，b，a，e，d B．c，f，b，a，e，d
C．d，f，b，c，a，e D．f，a，c，b，e，d
3.According to the passage, where is the Egyptian mummy now?
A．At the British Museum. B．In New York.
C．In Egypt. D．Under the sea.
4.What is the main purpose of this passage?
A．To entertain readers with a story of mystery.
B．To introduce an important historical event to readers.
C．To warn readers about the dangers of mummies' curses.
D．To inform readers about the true cause of the Titanic's sinking.
语法填空
I was visiting the Cape Verde Islands with some friends. Although it was a 1. (wind) day, the water was clear and my friends were out on the reef. Going out to snorkel (潜泳), I 2. (notice) that an ocean current had spread to the bay, pushing me towards rocks 3. (cover) in sea urchins (海胆). Since I wasn't close to the shore, 4. would have been a tiring exercise to swim against it, so, using the current, I made it back to shore in about an hour.
5. (lie) on the beach and out of breath, I heard a voice. A man, 6.was one of the guys I had just met, was getting pushed past the rocks and would be quickly carried out to sea. No one else was close, 7. I jumped into the water. Keeping a mark on all of the submerged rocks and sand bars (沙洲), I swam out to him.
“Get hold of my arm and when you reach a sand bar, grip it with your feet，” I said over the roar of the waves.
With one hand, I held onto the man, and with 8. other, I was using all of my remaining 9. (strong) to reach the sand bars. Again, I used the current to get across the bay, towards the shallows. 10. (final), we crawled up the sand and lay there watching the sun.
短文改错
Beijing has lots of famous tourist attractions. Every year many tourist come here to enjoy its beautiful scenery and rich culture. But several years ago, visitors behave badly. Some talked loudly in public and threw litter everywhere. Some picked flowers, cutting down trees and hurt animals. And even better, some painted on the walls and smoked in the woods.
Luckily, things has changed. Rubbish is always put into dustbins. People are friendly at animals. Everybody smokes in the woods. All these changes make us happily. As student, I think we should know it's our duty to protect the environment. Let's to change our behavior when we travel.
语法填空
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg 1. (recent) surprised Chinese students when he spoke to 2. in Chinese. In a talk at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Zuckerberg spoke Chinese for about 30 minutes. 3.his Chinese was far from perfect, students and faculty cheered his effort.
Clayton Dube is the head of the U．S.China Institute at the University of Southern California. He praises Zuckerberg's effort and thinks more American CEOs should learn foreign 4. (language)．
“To speak Chinese 5. (mean) you begin to think as Chinese people do. You begin to understand how Chinese speakers have the world _6. (organize), and how they understand things. And that is a vital step if you're going to be culturally qualified.”
Zuckerberg's talk raises a larger question: Is Chinese the language of the future? Could it replace English 7. the world's international language? Chinese already has the most native speakers of any language. And, China may soon pass the United States as the world's 8. (large) economy.
The study of 9. Chinese language is increasing in the United States and around the world. In 2009, about 60,000 _10. (America) college students were studying Chinese. That is three times as many as in 1990.
完形填空
A crowd gathered recently to hear a popular jazz band. The music was good, and the _______ were very talented. But everyone had come to see one player _______，the 9yearold boy, Jose Andre Montano.
Why were so many musiclovers interested in _______ this young man perform? It is because he is a jazz _______， and he is blind.
Jose's life began in Totora, Bolivia, ________ he was born blind. Yet _______ his lack of sight, the boy began playing the drums at the age of 4. He showed a(n) _______ ability, and before long, he was playing the _______， too. By the age of 5 he had formed his own jazz trio (三重奏). His parents, along with everyone else, are _______ surprised by his wonderful talent. “I didn't know ________ before; he got me into it，” said his father, Roberto. “I don't know how to explain how it _______. It's like jazz was _______ inside him.”
Many professional musicians are equally ________ and welcome the chance to ________ with Jose. They have noticed his deep understanding of this unique form of music. Singer Vero Perez says the exceptional thing about Jose isn't his age or even his _______. According to Perez, “He shows other musicians how jazz music really is to be played.”
As Jose's fame _______， he has more chances to tour and perform. He has traveled throughout Bolivia and into Brazil and Peru.
When Jose is at home with his family, he is a _______ little boy. He goes to school and does his homework. _______ when he begins playing the piano or drums, his musical genius becomes obvious. Jose has proved that nothing will keep him from doing what he loves best. His positive _______ towards life encourages others to look past their own obstacles and _______ their dreams.
1.A.singers B．actors C．musicians D．dancers
2.A.in person B．in particular C．by mistake D．by chance
3.A.celebrating B．encouraging C．noticing D．watching
4.A.genius B．fool C．inventor D．conductor
5.A.what B．where C．when D．which
6.A.through B．for C．although D．despite
7.A.amusing B．frightening C．amazing D．interesting
8.A.drum B．computer C．song D．piano
9.A.continuously B．normally C．strangely D．suddenly
10.A.rock B．folk C．jazz D．blues
11.A.came about B．came back C．turned up D．turned off
12.A.only B．already C．never D．hardly
13.A.depressed B．confused C．impressed D．worried
14.A.live B．chat C．fight D．perform
15.A.carelessness B．blindness C．deafness D．loneliness
16.A.promises B．appears C．lifts D．spreads
17.A.lazy B．happy C．normal D．funny
18.A.But B．So C．Because D．Since
19.．A.success B．attitude C．dream D．performance
20.A.reach for B．call for C．ask for D．send for
阅读理解
The Verizon Innovative App Challenge gives kids a chance to create apps (计算机应用程序) that can solve problems in their community.
Do you want to make a difference in your community? The Verizon Innovative App Challenge can get you started. The first step is to think of a problem in your community. The next step is to create an app that can solve the problem.
Groups of five to seven students in middle school or high school, led by a teacher, can enter the contest. First, teams compete on a local level. Teams that make it to the next round receive D|S5,000 for their schools. Finalists present their app ideas to judges in a live webinar (网络研讨会)．
Next, the judges pick national winners. The top eight teams receive an additional D|S15,000 for their schools, and each team member receives a Samsung tablet. Plus, the winning teams get the chance to bring their app to life.
A group of six girls from Los Fresnos, Texas, won the second annual Verizon Innovative App Challenge. They came up with the Hello Navi app concept, short for “hello navigation”. The app was designed to help visuallyimpaired students navigate their school by using an internal compass and voiceover technology. Read more about the team in September 19, 2016 issue of TIME For Kids: Edition 3－4.
Do you have an app idea that could help solve a local issue? The deadline to register is November 24, 2016. Find more information and register your team at www. verizonfoundation. org/appchallenge.
Here are some tips from the Verizon Foundation to get you started：
•Get your team together for a brainstorming meeting. Write out all the ideas that come to mind.
• Don't ignore challenges. Think of the problems that exist in your community.
•Ask family, friends, and people in your community to share their thoughts about problems that they want to see solved.
1.The Verizon Innovative App Challenge was launched to ________.
A．let students create apps to solve problems
B．call on students to put their ideas into practice
C．inspire students to focus on social problems
D．encourage students to cooperate with teachers
2.In which order should one follow to enter the Verizon Innovative App Challenge?
①You think of a problem in your community.
②Your team compete against others in your city.
③You invent an app with your partners and teachers.
④Winning teams can compete to become national winners.
A．①②③④ B．①③②④
C．①④②③ D．④①③②
3.What does the 5th paragraph mainly talk about?
A．The winning team and their app of the second Verizon Innovative App Challenge.
B．An app designed to help the disabled to work on the computer.
C．An app concept that navigates blind students to explore nature.
D．Six girls from Los Fresnos, Texas who signed up for the contest.
4.What's the purpose of the passage?
A．To tell readers how to solve a local issue.
B．To invite kids to join in the Verizon Innovative App Challenge.
C．To offer readers information about a talent show.
D．To appeal to adults to make contributions to society.
