When Sir Ector saw Arthur pulled the sword out of the stone and then pushed it back, he rubbed his eyes. “I can’t believe it!” he cried. Then he fell on his knees before Arthur. “Father, please do not kneel before me. Tell me what you mean!” Arthur said with great confusion.
“Listen, then,” said Sir Ector. “Years ago the wise magician, Merlin, carried a baby in his arms. That baby was you. Merlin told me to bring you up as my own son. Now I can guess. You must be the late king ⸺ King Uther’s son. Who else could have pulled out the sword? Arthur, we must let all England know you are qualified to be the new king.”
“I would rather be your son than be a king!” cried Arthur.
“On Christmas the Bishop(主教) will give everyone a chance to pull the sword. You must take your turn and show everyone that you are the only person who can pull the sword out.”
On Christmas Day the great crowd of knights(骑士) and lords gathered before the church. They pulled and pushed, but no one could make the sword move.
Down the street came Merlin. Behind him came Sir Ector with Arthur. “Who are these men?” asked the Bishop. “Here is one who will try the sword,” said Merlin. He laid his hand on Arthur’s shoulder. “Here, lords of England, is the true son of King Uther!” Arthur stepped upon the stone and laid his hand on the sword. Smoothly and easily he pulled it out. He held it high so all could see.
So Arthur became King of all England. Some of the lords did not want him, and he had to fight them. As the years went by, he became stronger and greater. Knights came from all lands to be in his court. At Camelot Arthur started the famous Knights of the Round Table. These were the greatest of all the knights. They made their names famous for all time.
1.Sir Ector fell on his knees before Arthur because ______.
A. Sir Ector wanted to ask for forgiveness from the new king
B. Merlin told Sir Ector to respect Arthur as if he were the King
C. Arthur pulled the sword out and Sir Ector knew who he was
D. Arthur was so powerful that Sir Ector admired him very much
2.Arthur found it ______ when Sir Ector said he was qualified to be the new king.
A. believable B. unacceptable
C. enjoyable D. unchangeable
3.What did Arthur do as King of all England according to the passage?
A. Fighting the foreign countries. B. Making the famous table.
C. Developing the national economy. D. Gathering the greatest knights.
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. Arthur Becomes King B. Arthur Trains Knights
C. Arthur Defeats Enemies D. Arthur Loves Swords
Through your childhood and, let’s be honest, most of your adult life, you may have wondered ⸺ how do you get to Sesame Street? After 50 years, the answer has finally been revealed.
New York City’s Official Sesame Street
In the past, there was guessing about the true location of the street, like Harlem or Alphabet City since both neighborhoods resembled Sesame Street in appearance and population makeup. Recently, in honor of the children’s television show’s 50th anniversary, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared that West 63rd Street between Central Park West and Broadway will now officially be known as Sesame Street, close to the Sesame Workshop office.
A Year-long Celebration for the 50th Anniversary
Since 1969, the children’s television show Sesame Street has been a pioneering force in media and education, dealing with issues like racism, loss, poverty and living with a disability. With a mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder, Sesame Street has brought the life-changing benefits of early learning to children across the globe for 50 years. Today, we reach kids in 150 countries and 70 languages and we’re celebrating our landmark anniversary with fans and families all year long!
Events and Activities Throughout 2019
Fans and families around the world can join their favorite furry friends in celebrating Sesame Street’s past, present, and future, with:
A 50th television season which focuses on the power of possibilities, empowering kids to take safe risks and learn from their mistakes.
A nationwide road trip where Sesame Street characters and friends host community events in ten cities around the country.
A research report that will explore an important issue facing kids and families today.
Celebrity and fan-fueled social media campaigns showcasing favorite Sesame Street memories.
New corporations across fashion, lifestyle, and themed entertainment for fans of all ages.
A November star-studded prime-time special, whose contents include new takes on classic scenes and visits from Sesame Street icons.
1.Where is the official Sesame Street?
A. In Harlem or Alphabet City. B. Around the corner of the West 63rd Street.
C. At the Sesame Workshop office. D. Between Central Park West and Broadway.
2.What benefits are children able to get from the television show?
A. They can learn to solve all life problems in the childhood.
B. They will definitely become smarter, stronger and kinder.
C. They may get positive help meaning much to their later life.
D. They are likely to make friends with kids from 150 countries.
3.Which of the following is not an event or activity to celebrate the 50th anniversary?
A. A new season of the television show . B. A 10-city journey for lucky fans.
C. A special TV program in November. D. A report good for kids and families.
假如你是晨光中学的李津。最近，你得知你的外国朋友Tom每天都用快餐作为午餐，你觉得这不是个好习惯，请你给他写一封信，建议他尽量少吃快餐。
文中应包括：
1. 常吃快餐的危害
2. 提出建议
参考词汇：营养nutrition
注意：
1. 词数不少于100；
2. 可以适当增加细节，使内容充实、行文连贯；
3. 开头和结尾已给出，但不计入总词数。
Dear Tom，
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Best Wishes
阅读短文，按照题目要求用英语回答问题。
I have some gray hairs. Do l dare to count them？Just the fact that I have enough to count scares me，and turns getting old into a reality. I'm certainly getting older. We all are. But why does it have to happen so quickly？
We just celebrated my birthday. I say "celebrated" because we had cake and ice cream. For my kids，any excuse for ice cream and cake is a celebration. I'm not sure if to me it was a thing to celebrate，though. I like the special attention that birthday bring，but I don't wait for them 364 days of the year like my children do. For them，another number means more privileges and more things that they get to do. For an adult，another number means fewer things. that you can do，like “I can't run as fast as I used to…etc. ”
I went with my children to the old-age home near my apartment building. We walked inside the door. The contrast between my preschoolers full of energy and the old women siting in the wheelchair by the door made me lost in thought. Not so long ago，I was a bouncing preschool like my children. Not so long ago，there women were the mothers of small children. Fifty years ago，they were me，and in fifty years，I could be them，The visit，like my birthday，served as a reality check. “Life is so short and it goes by so quickly. Enjoy the moment that you are in，because you will never get it back，"I told myself.
This is also what I want to leave behind to my children. I decide to try to start just by not complaining. In any difficult situation，I will try to find the good things about it，no matter how small the good things might be.
1.What does the author like about birthdays？（no more than 10 words）
__________________________________________________________________________________
2.Besides having an excuse for ice cream and cake，why do the author's children like birthday？（no more than 12 words. ）
__________________________________________________________________________________
3.What does the underlined word “bouncing” in Paragraph 3 mean？（I word）
__________________________________________________________________________________
4.What is the main idea of the last paragraph？（no more than 10 words）
__________________________________________________________________________________
5.What does birthday mean to you？Please explain why. （no more than 2 words. ）
__________________________________________________________________________________
In 2011，Amy Chua put out the book，Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother，which is her memoir（回忆录）about the challenges of being a parent and trying to keep to the strict upbringing（养）she knew as a child. Controversy over the book arose because many readers did not get the impression that Chua was trying to be humorous about her parenting methods. There was also miscommunication about the purpose of the book. Many received it as a guide for other parents on how to use strict methods to punish and motivate their children. However，Chua has always claimed the aim of her book was only to share her successes and failures as a parent in a culturally diverse world.
In the book，Chua compares Western and Chinese beliefs and methods of parenting. In general，Chinese parents believe a child's academic success is directly linked to parenting skills. It is common for such parents to take severe measures to make their children do exactly what they say. In contrast，Western parents worry more about their children's self-esteem（自尊），which drives their parenting methods. As a result，parenting methods have become less strict and children are not held to the high standards they were in the past.
Interestingly，in the West，many people agree that Western parenting methods could use improvement. Some even say that the laid-back Western methods can be just as damaging as the overly strict ones Chua connects with Chinese culture because more and more children are not learning how to face and overcome challenges. However，experts also say that being too strict with children can cause rebellion（反叛），low self-esteem and poor parent-child relationships.
What everyone can agree on is that there is no perfect way to parent. What's more a method that works with one child will not necessarily work with another. Parents are challenged with finding the best method that helps each child learn to be a responsible and confident person.
1.What do we know about Amy Chua's book?
A. It amused readers greatly.
B. It caused a serious debate.
C. It's about a tiger and its mother.
D. It's popular with both parents and kids.
2.Why did Amy Chua write the book?
A. To share her experience as a mom.
B. To tell interesting stories to children.
C. To introduce her research on parenting.
D. To help other parents educate their children.
3.What's the maid idea of Paragraph 2?
A. What is most important for children.
B. How to help children to succeed in school.
C. The importance of mastering parenting skills.
D. Differences between upbringing in China and the West.
4.What result might the Western parenting method bring about?
A. Children's academic success.
B. More positive attitudes toward life.
C. Bad relationships between parents and children.
D. Children's lack of experience in dealing with difficulties.
5.Which of the following may the author agree on?
A. One parenting method doesn't work with all children.
B. A perfect way to parent is easy to find as long as parents work hard.
C. Western parenting methods are better than those in China.
D. Chinese parents are more worried about their children's self-esteem.
While learning the science lessons， I used to get a doubt-why ears，nose，tongue and eyes should be called as special senses？The basic reason is that these are the channels through which we maintain contact with the surroundings. Though apparently it may feel like these are individual sensory organs，they do show some connectivity. Interestingly，our hearing is less sharp after we eat a heavy food. Isn't it good for a sound nap after a stomach-full meal？That does not mean we go deaf after a meal，but the hearing pitch（强度）does change after a heavy meal.
We usually give credit of the taste to our tongue，but do you know that unless saliva（唾液）dissolves something，our tongue cannot recognize the taste of the food eaten. Taste is nothing but the food chemicals dissolved in the saliva being sensed by the taste buds present on the tongue. Try to dry off your tongue and mouth with a tissue paper and then taste something.
Women are much better smellers than men. They are born with this characteristic ability and can correctly pinpoint the exact fragrance of the sample. We all can store almost 50，000 different scents（气味），which are strongly tied to the memories.
Pupils（瞳孔）do not respond to light alone，but to the slightest bit of noise around too. Thus surgeons，watchmakers and those professionals who have to perform a much delicate job do prefer to have a sound-free environment. Even a small noise can dilate（扩大）their pupils change the focus and blur（使模糊）their vision. If you do not wear glasses or contact lens due to having a 6/6 vision，you are just among the one third of the human population. It is now statistically proved that only one third of the population has perfect vision，rest all are either wearing glasses or are trying to read with a compromised vision.
Each and every one of us has a particular or individualistic or characteristic smell，which is unique to us，except for the identical twins. This smell is very subtle（微妙的）yet can be sensed even by a newborn. It may be due to this scent that the newborn recognizes the presence of his parents around. Many of us can pinpoint the smell of our significant friends and colleagues. A significant part of this phenomenon is guided by genetics but it is also modified by the environment，diet and personal hygiene. This all together creates the unique chemistry that is individualistic for each person.
1.We can learn from Paragraph I that ______________.
A. our hearing is as good as before we have a full meal
B. all sensory organs are connected and can be exchanged
C. sensory organs' functions can never be changed for their particular character
D. we feel and learn about the world around us through our sensory organs
2.What may happen after you have had a rich lunch?
A. Your eyes become dim.
B. You may feel energetic and fresh.
C. Your hearing pitch may decrease.
D. Your tongue may lose the function of taste.
3.What does the author mean by the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?
A. Our tongues can't be dried while eating something.
B. If your tongue is dried without any saliva on it, it will not work.
C. A tissue paper is the only thing that can be used to dry our tongues.
D. If your tongue is dried with a tissue paper, it may work as well as before.
4.What makes each person different from anyone else except twins？
A. The number of sensory organs.
B. The sensitivity of sensory organs.
C. The particular smell of a person.
D. The style of one's behavior.
5.What is the text mainly about？
A. The functions of sensory organs.
B. The connectivity of sensory organs.
C. A newborn's senses of the sensory organs.
D. The differences of senses between women and men.
