How did people in ancient China change their luck? Most of them would take the exam, Keju, which began during the Sui Dynasty and lasted for 1,300 years before it was ended in the Qing Dynasty.
Keju, the early “gaokao”, played a very important role in choosing qualified persons to work for the king.
The Keju exams were mainly based on classical literature(文学) and philo- sophy. Poetry was very important in earlier Keju exams, and later Keju focused more on writing.
All candidates had to write an article explaining ideas from those books, which was called Eight Part Essay. Two sentences were required at the start of the article, about the main idea of the title, which was called “to clear the topic”. The exams also focused on more practical matters.
Most candidates in ancient China had to go a long way to the capital city for the exam. As transportation in ancient times was not developed, they usually went to the capital on foot, and some took several months to reach the capital.
The exam was held once every three years and it was made up of four levels: the county examination, provincial examination, academy examination and palace examination. Candidates had to first pass one level in order to take part in the next level. Each examination would take from one to three days to finish, and they were locked in a small room and received cold meals.
On the exam day, candidates had to first go through safety check. They had to let their hair loose so that it could be checked and their trouser legs, shoes and socks, even bottoms were also checked.
1.Keju was held for the kings to .
A. test people’s luck
B. focus more on writing
C. choose the best people in the country
D. write an article explaining ideas from those books
2. What does the underlined word “candidates” probably mean?
A. People who take the exam.
B. People who help choose the qualified persons.
C. People who are officials in the government.
D. People who have a better understanding of the exam.
3.Candidates used to walk to the capital because .
A. they were too poor
B. they didn’t have developed transportation
C. they wanted to build up their body
D. they had much time
4.What do the last two paragraphs tell us?
A. How Keju was organized.
B. Where Keju took place.
C. When people took Keju.
D. What Keju was made up of.
I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it when Mother sat doing letters. Looking at the ink bottle, pens and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, Mother kept different things for my sister and brother, “But the desk,” she said again, “is for Elizabeth.”
I never saw her get angry, and never saw her cry. I knew she loved me, and she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter. They never happened and a gulf opened between us. I was “ too emotional (易动感情的) ”, but she lived “on the surface”.
As years went by, I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know that she did forgive (原谅) me.
I posted the letter and waited for her answer, but it didn’t come. I wondered if the letter had even got to her. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
Now the present of her desk told me that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work, though she had never been able to. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside … a photo of my father and a one-paper letter, folded (折叠) and refolded many times.
Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose. Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.
1.The writer began to love her mother’s desk .
A. when she was a child
B. when mother gave it to her
C. after mother died
D. before she became a writer
2.The passage shows that .
A. the mother wrote to her daughter in careful words
B. the mother cared much about her daughter in words
C. the mother was cold on the surface but kind inside to her daughter
D. the mother was strict with her daughter
3. What did mother do with her daughter’s letter asking for forgiveness？
A. She often talked about the letter.
B. She had never received the letter.
C. She read the letter again and again until she died.
D. She didn’t forgive her daughter at all in her life.
4. What’s the best title for the passage？
A. My Letter to Mother
B. Talks Between Mother and Me
C. My Mother’s Desk
D. Mother and Children
Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, and the other gold.
This song expresses a nice rule: increasing friends. Sometimes things actually work out that way. I’ve met adults who’ve said, “We’ve been friends since kindergarten!” A friend who has known you forever is a treasure. But friendships don’t always last — especially for children.
When I was growing up, my family moved about every three years. The advantage of this was that I got to see different parts of the world, and it made my family very close. I also learned to be pretty good at making new friends, and, to keep in touch with old friends, I became a great letter writer. But I always admired those kids who stayed in one place and kept their friends for a long time. I didn’t learn that children’s friendships can disappear even when no one moves until I was much older, with children of my own.
Sometimes friendships end in quarrels and hurt feelings. But perhaps the most painful end to a friendship is the one-sided rejection — one friend turns away, or chooses someone else as a close friend, and the other child is left feeling sad and wondering why this thing happened. The end of a friendship is often sad, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Often the end of one friendship makes more room for other friendships to grow.
1.What does the children’s song really mean?
A. Friendships don’t last forever.
B. New friends are more important.
C. Only old friends are important.
D. Old friends are as important as new ones.
2.When his family moved often, the author couldn’t .
A. make friends easily
B. become a good letter writer
C. stay with his friends for a long time
D. see many different places
3.What is the most painful end to a friendship?
A. Friends quarrel with each other.
B. Friends each have grown up.
C. Friends stand apart.
D. One friend ends friendship himself.
If you choose a hot tourist spot for your holiday, you are likely to be drowned by a great number of tourists, noise and long lines. At this point you might wonder why you ever left home. Here are some tips to deal with crowds and avoid the trouble that might ruin your trip.
Book Tickets In Advance
Buy tickets online before you leave home, and skip the crowds and endless lines at your destination(目的地). Smart travelers can avoid the queue when visiting abroad with online ticket sales.
Talk To People
You can ask the travel agency and the hotel for help. Ask questions, get maps, ask about taxis, restaurants and the sites you wish to visit. These people are experts and can save you lots of time trying to find things out for yourself.
Sign Up For Special Tours
If there are any special events or tours being offered for your vacation, buy them in advance. Firstly they are usually cheaper bought in advance and secondly it makes sure you get booked in before they are sold out.
Visit During the Weekdays
We all know that most sites and events are less crowded during the week than on weekends when people are off work and the kids are out of school. Flights are also usually cheaper on weekdays than they are on weekends.
Watch The Weather
Mother nature controls a lot of what we do especially for outdoor activities. Check the weather forecasts and plan your indoor and outdoor activities according to the weather ahead of time.
1.How do you feel when you are drowned by a lot of tourists?
A. Happy. B. Excited. C. Cool. D. Upset.
2. Which of the followings is Not mentioned(提及) in the passage?
A. Book Tickets In Advance
B. Sign Up For Special Tours
C. Talk To People
D. Visit During the Weekends
3. What does “mother nature” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. Mother. B. Time.
C. Weather. D. Nature.
4.The text probably comes from .
A. a news report
B. a travel guide
C. a science fiction
D. a book review
《21世纪学生英语报》是一份广受师生欢迎的刊物，请根据以下内容介绍这份报纸。内容包括：
1. 出版地及周期：北京，每周一期；
2. 特色：内容丰富，图文并茂，版面设计新颖；
3. 办报宗旨：帮助同学们获得英语知识和技能，提高英语水平，拓宽视野；
4. 深受同学们的喜欢。
参考词汇：《21世纪英语报》21st Century Teens版面设计 page layout
注意：1. 写作内容不要超出规定区域，否则将视为无效；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
注意：
1、答案请写在答题卷上；
2、只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分；
3、每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
4、答题符号、格式要规范：
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
Li Hua is an English learner who want to improve his reading skills, and he rarely practices. Yesterday he came and asked us for advices. “Any good athlete,” I said, “who will tell you he practices hardly to get in shape and achieve high honors. Seldom we hear of any athlete becoming a champion without any effort. We consider training to be a part of the game. Once he is in shape, it is easier of an athlete to succeed. Reading skills develop the same way. Any person who reads a lot are bound to improve his reading comprehension.” Feeling ashamed, Li Hua made upon his mind to practice more in future.
