The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of 2 September 1666. In four days it destroyed more than three-quarters of the old city, where most of the houses were wooden and close together. One hundred thousand people became homeless, but only a few lost their lives.
The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the king’s baker (面包师) in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window in the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery (面包房) into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.
By eight o’clock three hundr ed houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was t he worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St. Paul’s and the Guildhall among them.
Samuel Pepys, the famous writer, wrote about the fire. People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment. Birds fell out of the air because of the heat.
The fire stopped only when the king finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire. With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.
After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect (建筑师), wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone. In fact, the streets are still narrow; but he did build more than fifty churches, among them new St. Paul’s.
The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.
1.It seems that the writer of the text was most sorry for the fact that__________.
A. some people lost their lives
B. the birds in the sky were killed by the fire
C. many famous buildings were destroyed
D. the king’s bakery was burned down
2.Why did the writer cite (引用) Samuel Pepys?
A. Because Pepys was among those putting out the fire.
B. Because Pepys also wrote about the fire.
C. To show that poor people suffered most.
D. To give the reader a clearer picture of the fire.
3.How was the fire put out according to the text?
A. The king and his soldiers came to help.
B. All the wooden houses in the city were destroyed.
C. People managed to get enough water from the river.
D. Houses standing in the direction of the fire were pulled down.
Having returned from her round trip (往返旅程), the angry woman stood outside the ticket office of the station. “The railway owes (应给予) me￡12,” she said to Harry Jenks, the young man working at the office, “you sold me a ticket for May 22nd, but there was no ship from Jersey that night. So my daughter and I had to stay in a hotel. It cost me ￡12.”
Harry was worried. He remembered selling the woman a return ticket. “Come into the office, madam,” he said politely, “I’ll just check the Jersey timetable for May 22nd.”
The woman and her little girl followed him inside. She was quite right, as Harry soon discovered. There was no sailing on May 22nd. How could he have made such a careless mistake? He shouldn’t have sold her a ticket for that day. Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child. “You look sunburnt,” he said to her. “Did you have a nice holiday in Jersey?”
“Yes,” She answered, shyly. “The beach was lovely. And I can swim too!”
“That’s fine,” said Harry. “My little girl can’t swim a bit yet. Of course, she’s only three…”
“I’m four,” the child said proudly. “I’ll be four and a half.” Harry turned to the mother. “I remember your ticket, madam,” he said. “But you didn’t get one for your daughter, did you?”
“Err, well…” the woman looked at the child. “I mean… she hasn’t started school yet. She’s only four.”
“A four-year-old child must have a ticket, madam. A child’s return ticket to Jersey costs… let me see…￡13.50. So if the railway pays your hotel, you will owe ￡1.50. The law is the law, but since the fault was mine…”
The woman stood up, took the child’s hand and left the office.
1.The woman was angry because__________.
A. she couldn’t use the ticket for her round trip
B. she had to return home a day earlier than she had planned
C. she spent more money than she had expected
D. Harry had sold her a ticket to Jersey where there was no sailing
2.Harry started talking to the little girl________.
A. because he was in difficulty and did not know what to do
B. because he had a little girl about the same age as this girl
C. because he wanted to be friendly to the little girl who looked so nice
D. when he suddenly realized that he could find a way out from the little girl
3.The woman left the office without saying anything because _______.
A. she wanted to go home and get money for the child’s ticket
B. she was so angry that she didn’t want to have anything more to do with the young man
C. she was moved by Harry’s kindness
D. she knew she would have to pay the railway if she insisted
How can a small stamp be worth ＄16,800?
Any mistake made in the printing of a stamp raises its value to stamp collectors. A mistake on a two-penny stamp has made it worth a million and a half times its face value.
Do you think it impossible? Well, it is true. And this is how it happened.
The mistake was made more than a hundred years ago in the former British colony (前英国殖民地) of M auritius (毛里求斯岛), a small island in the Indian Ocean. In 1847 an order for stamps was sent to London. Mauritius was about to become the fourth country in the world to put out stamps.
Before the order was filled and the stamps arrived from England, a big dance was planned by the commander-in-chief (总司令) of all the armed forces on the island. The dance would be held in his house and letters of invitation would be sent to all the important people in Mauritius. Stamps were badly needed to post the letters. Therefore, an islander, who was a good printer, was told to copy the pattern of the stamps. He carelessly put the words “Post Office” instead of “Post Paid”, two words seen on stamps at that time, on the several hundred that he printed.
Today, there are only twenty-six of these misprinted stamps left--- fourteen One-penny Reds and twelve Two-penny Blues. Because there are so few Two-Penny Blues and because of their age, collectors have paid as much as ＄16,800 for one of them.
1.When a mistake is made in the printing of the stamp, the stamp___________.
A. will be thrown away
B. increases in value
C. is not worth buying
D. is worth no more than its face value
2.Why did Mauritius print some stamps too? Because__________.
A. London stamps were not well printed
B. London would not print them
C. invitations to a big dance had to be posted quickly
D. Mauritius had a very good printer
3.“Post Paid” means___________.
A. the same as “Post Office”
B. the Post Office is the place to buy stamps
C. money has been paid for the stamp
D. the letter must be posted
When you sit down with your family to eat a meal, do you ever wonder when and where the of using chopsticks (筷子) began?
People say that the first chopsticks were used in China 5,000 years ago. The practice became widespread in Korea, Vietnam and Japan. Today they are a symbol of culture.
Of Asian co untries, Japan highlights the importance of chopsticks a day to celebrate them. August 4 is as Chopsticks Day in Japan.
The different traditions of Asia lead to different kinds of chopsticks. For example the Japanese use sharp chopsticks they eat a lot of fish. Sharp chopsticks are good for picking the fish from the bones.
Chopsticks are made from different kinds of material. Bamboo chopsticks are because the material is easy to break apart and doesn’t burn easily. People also use wood and bone for chopsticks. Some rich people had theirs from valuable metals. Many emperors used silver chopsticks, for it was believed that they would turn if there was poison in the food.
There are also many table manners with chopsticks. For instance, never stick your chopsticks upright in your rice bowl or tap on your bowl with your chopsticks. People believe this is impolite to the host.
1.A. advantageB. traditionC. instru ction D. time
2.A. European B. AmericanC. Asian D. Chinese
3.A. with B. through C. on D. over
4.A. picked B. made C. used D. set
5.A. homing B. producingC. cooking D. gardening
6.A. because B. so C. once D. unless
7.A. usual B. commonC. general D. strong
8.A. to make B. making C. made D. being made
9.A. black B. gray C. dark D. red
10.A. popular B. filled C. compared D. connected
---What hot weather! Would you mind opening the windows?
---________
A.No.I won’t do it. B. Yes, please.
C.Yes,I’ll do it. D. No.Not at all.
Batteship is________film I have ever watched.I have never watched________one.
A.the most exciting; a more exciting
B. the most excited; a more excited
C. the most exciting;the more exciting
D. the most excited; the more excited
