阅读理解

阅读下面短文，根据短文内容回答问题。

（一）

Country music is very old. It came from the United States， Canada， Ireland and Great Britain. It is a mixture[混合物] of music from all of these places.

In the west of America， cowboys had to take care of the cattle[牛]. They had to watch them all day and all night because the cattle were nervous and sometimes ran away. A cowboys life was lonely and dangerous. When he was alone in the desert with the cattle， he drank strong coffee to make himself clear-headed. He sang about the stars and the moon， about his family and his friends to make them quiet. The cattle listened to the cowboy and went to sleep. They would not run away if he sang beautiful and peaceful songs.

In the south of America， many people came from Ireland， Scotland and England. Other people came from France and Canada. They enjoyed their own kind of music. They used guitars， violins and other musical instruments， too. They also added instruments from their homes， like bottles and plates. When they visited their friends and families on holidays， they usually sang and played country music.

1.Which of the statements about country music is TRUE according to the passage？[     ]

A.Country music has a long history.

B.Country music is a mixture of music from the United States， China， Ireland and Great Britain.

C.Country music is a kind of music that comes from a certain country.

D.Country music can be heard only in the country.

2.What was a cowboys life like？[     ]

A.It was very interesting.

B.It was rich and colorful.

C.It was nervous.

D.It was lonely and dangerous.

3.What did cowboys do to make the cattle quiet？[     ]

A.They drank strong coffee.

B.They sang songs to the cattle.

C.They took care of the cattle.

D.They watched the cattle all day and all night.

4.When did the people in the south of America sing and play country music？[     ]

A.When they had parties.

B.When they celebrated Christmas.

C.When they visited their friends and families on holidays.

D.When they took of the cattle.

5.Whats the best title of the passage？[     ]

A.Cowboys

B.Country Music

C.A Cowboys Life

D.The Cattle

（二）

Do you have festivals in China？ Maybe youll say Spring Festival. Mid-Autumn Festival， and so on. But have you heard of Dragon-Boat Festival[龍舟节]？

In China， there is an interesting and exciting festival in the year of dragon. It is said that the Dragon King， the God of Rain， will make fine weather to help the farmers to make crops[农作物] grow well and everything will go on well， too. Of course， we hope it is a lucky year for all the people.

In order to remember a great poet[诗人] in ancient China， Qu Yuan， for ever， we have the Dragon-Boat Festival. Over 2200 years ago， Qu Yuan was born in Zigui of Hubei， during the Warring States Period[战国时代]. He was wise[博学的] and he wrote many excellent[优秀的] poems[诗] in his life time. Among his poems， the most famous is “Li Sao”. It was about the life of his own. And his other poems were full of his deep love for his motherland.

We have our big Dragon-Boat Festival on the 5th of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar[阴历]. The most important thing during the festival is the dragon-boat race. When the race begins， the players are boating hard in the river， and other people are acclaiming[为……喝彩] warmly for them.

There is another kind of food to memorize[紀念] Qu Yuan. It is called “zong-zi”.

1. When is the Dragon-Boat Festival？[     ]

A. On the sixth of the sixth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.

B. On the fifth of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.

C. On May 5th.

D. On June 6th

2. Qu Yuan was from _______， and he was a _______.[     ]

A. China; worker

B. England; farmer

C. China; poem

D. China; poet

3. The famous poem “Li Sao” was written by _______， its about _______.[     ]

A. Qu Yuan; his own life

B. Lu Xun; his love to the country

C. Li Bai; his own life

D. Qu Yuan; his love to the country

4. Which of the following is the activity during the Dragon-Boat Festival？[     ]

A. 100-metre-race.

B. Swimming.

C. Dragon-boat race.

D. Relay race.

5. What is another kind of food to memorize Qu Yuan？[     ]

A. Bread.

B. Pizza.

C. Rice.

D. “zong-zi”.

（三）

Baseball is Americas national sport. So it is not unusual that many popular expressions come from baseball. But first， let me explain a little about the game.

Each baseball team has nine players. The pitcher of one team throws the ball to a batter from the other team. The batter attempts to hit the ball. If he misses， it is called a strike. If a batter gets three strikes， he loses his turn at bat and is called out. The batter also is out if he hits the ball in the air and an opposing player catches it. But if the batter hits the ball and it is not caught， the batter tries to run to one or more of the four bases on the field. The batter can run to all four bases if he hits the ball over the fence or out of the ballpark. Such a hit is called a homerun.

Now， here are some common expressions from baseball. Someone who is “in the ball” is intelligent and able to do a good job. But a person who “threw a curve ball” did something unexpected. Someone who “steps up to the plate” is ready to do his or her job. A “pinch hitter” takes the place of someone else at a job or activity.

Sometimes I have to give information quickly， without time to think it over. Then I would say something “right off the bat.” If someone is doing an extremely good job and is very successful， you might say he or she is“batting one thousand.”

If I say I want to “touch base” with you， I will talk to you from time to time about something we plan to do. I might say I“touched all the bases” if I did what is necessary to complete a job or activity. And if I “covered my bases” I was well prepared. However， someone who is “way off base” did something wrong or maybe even dishonest or immoral. A person with strange ideas might be described as “out in left field.” Finally， when a situation changes completely， we say “that is a whole new ballgame.”

1. The writers purpose is ________.[     ]

A. to explain the rules of a sport game-baseball

B. to tell you more about Americas national sports

C. to introduce some useful expressions from baseball

D. to show the connection between expressions and sports

2. The underlined sentence “The batter also is out” means ________.[     ]

A. the batter will run to one of the four bases

B. the batter will not continue the game

C. the match will be over immediately

D. the batter will change his position

3. Which of the following expressions means that someone is able to do a good job？[     ]

A. to be on the ball

B. to step up the plate

C. to throw a curve ball

D. to touch all the bases

（四）

Located[位于] in Changle Road on the side of Shanghai Jinjiang Hotel， the “Tang-style Costume Street” has been enjoying high popularity for its traditional Chinese attire[服裝] following the costume pattern of Tang Dynasty （618-907）. Its fame[名声] soared[猛增] higher after the APEC[亚太经济合作组织] meeting in Shanghai at which Tang-style costumes were offered for APEC leaders.

On the street are custume shops of various grades and features. Some sell modern costumes with traditional touch， such as cloth-knotted[用布打结的] buttons and round flower patterns. Others offer 100 percent traditional attire.

Most shops sell costumes， so you can enjoy the Chinese costumes. Why are the Chinese costumes so popular now？ Its in touch with the high development of our country. The getting-in-fashion was also owned to APEC leaders. They all wore Tang-style costumes at Shanghai meeting. This has proved an old saying that only things of a national touch can prevail[流行] in the world.

1. Does the Tang-style Costume Street locate in Shanghai？

2. Where did APEC leaders wear the Tang-style costumes？

3. Are the modern costumes with traditional touch in fashion？

4. Most shops sell Tang-style costumes， do they？

5. Whats the old saying for the fashion？

（五）

This August， well welcome guests from all over the world. Some of them follow their own special culture traditions. Its important for us to know about them.

* Some westerners may be offended if you touch them or their personal things — even by accident. If this happens， say sorry politely.

* Some elderly westerners may be offended if you try to help them without their agreement.

* People think numbers can be lucky or unlucky. Some westerners avoid the number 13 because they believe it is unlucky.

* Muslims[穆斯林] do not eat pork， and words like pigs are not considered proper.

* People from Brazil， Italy and Pakistan dont give handkerchiefs[手帕] as gifts. They believe a handkerchief is closely connected with unhappy feelings.

* Wine is not sent as a gift in many parts of western and middle Asia， where most Muslims live.

1. Indians dont have food with the left hand because they consider it _______.

A. unclean B. useless

C. valueless D. unimportant

2. The word “offend” in the second paragraph[段落] might mean “_______”.

A. honor B. help

C. hate D. hurt

3. Muslims do not _______.

A. send gifts B. eat pork

C. drink milk D. use handkerchiefs

4. Which of the following is true according to the passage？[     ]

A. People from Pakistan like to send handkerchiefs as gifts

B. All the elderly people in the west like being helped by others

C. The mummer 13 is thought to be unlucky by some westerners.

D. Westerners do not mind their personal things being touched

5. What does the passage mainly talk about ________.[     ]

A. Lucky numbers

B. Traditional food

C. Culture differences

D. Hands and handkerchiefs

（六）

Paris is the capital of France. Its subway[地鐵] is also very special. You can enjoy its culture when you are in this city. First you can see many people reading books in the subway. Whenever they are in the subway or at the station， there is always a book in the hand.

The subway station in Paris is not big， but each of them has its special acts. Some stations look like ships. Some stations have clothes， caps and shoes. And every station has a big advertisement picture. But many of them are for selling clothes and cosmetics[化妆品].

You can meet some beggars[乞丐] in the subway. But the beggars in the Pairs subway are also very special. They often play the violin or guitar in the train. They dont feel shy at all. Instead they think it is natural. After playing， they will go around the train and ask you to give them some money.

If you want to learn more about Paris， go to the subway and enjoy its culture by yourself.

1. Which city is the capital of France？

2. What do people usually do when they are in the subway？

3. Is the subway station very big in Paris？

4. What can you buy in some subway stations？

5. How do the beggars get money from people in the subway？

（七）

There were 12 bronze[青铜] animal heads at the European style[风格] in Old Summer Palace （Yuanmingyuan）-Rat， Ox， Tiger， Rabbit， Dragon， Snake， Horse， Sheep， Monkey， Rooster， Dog， and Pig. They were made into fountain[喷泉] and would take turns spouting water every two hours to tell time.

But the heads were looted[抢] by French and British soldiers in 1860 during the Second Opium War[鸦片战争].

Until now， Pig， Ox， Monkey， Tiger and Horse have returned to China. But Rat and Rabbit beads were auctioned[拍卖] for $17.92 million each. Luckily， Cat Mingchao， a Chinese collector won the auction， but he said he would not pay the money. Why？ He said they were looted from China and he is a Chinese. “We will use international and Chinese laws to get the two beads to return to China in all necessary ways，” said Ouyang. However， there are still five bronze heads （Dragon， Snake， Sheep， Rooster， Dog） are unknown now.

An online survey， by Le Figaro newspaper， showed that more than 80 percent people said the bronze heads should be returned to China， the Europe Daily reported on Wednesday. We should understand why they want the two bronzes back…Just think about how they came to France.

1.______ people think that the bronze heads should be returned to China in the online survey.[     ]

A.Most B.Few

C.Half of people D.All

2.What does the word “spouting” mean in Chinese？[     ]

A.喷 B.鸣唱

C.制造 D.凝固

3.How did the Rat and Rabbit heads go to France？[     ]

A.They were looted by Americans.

B.They were sold to France by an auction in 1860.

C.The Qing Dynasty gave them as presents.

D.They were looted by French and British soldiers in the Second Opium War.

4.Cai Mingchao is a Chinese who ________.[     ]

A.won the auction that the Rat and Rabbit heads were auctioned

B.made the 12 bronze animal heads

C.bought the heads to China

D.made the online survey

（八）

My parents taught me not to waste food. My mum always found ways to make leftovers[剩余食物] taste good. I went to Iran to learn about some of their special food. As I was three， I learned about the food and the history of the area. I learned that they dont waste food， either， and they use leftovers！

Many years ago， there was not enough food for everyone. People learned to cook and eat almost everything. They had to think of ways to make special dishes. One of these dishes is kao zha. Its made with leftovers like meat， soup， oil and fat. That might not sound very good， but it does taste good. Today， kao zha is a special dish at big banquets[宴會].

Another famous dish is called zao bing. Its made with fruit， meat and other things. I really liked it！ But I didnt want to eat too much. It has a lot of fat in it.

I smelled something burning and I saw smoke， so I found another special food of the Iran area-duck meat. The duck meat is put in a big oven[炉子] to cook it. Smoke keeps the meat fresh. I dont usually eat meat， but this duck meat was delicious！ It tasted sweet.

Iran is a great place with delicious food. I hope I can come back again！

1. The writer learns from her parents ________.[     ]

A. not to eat leftovers

B. to eat good food

C. not to waste food

D. to make good food

2. She finds that people in Iran ________.[     ]

A. always waste food

B. dont use leftovers

C. dont have enough food

D. can cook special food

3. Kao zha is a good dish that is made with ________.[     ]

A. fruit， meat and other things

B. fresh and sweet duck meat

C. some different leftovers

D. meat， soup and fruit

4. There are ________ kinds of special foods mentioned in the passage.[     ]

A. two

B. three

C. four

D. five

参考答案

（一）1-5： ADBCB

（二）1-5： BDACD

（三）1-5： CBA

（四）1. Yes， it does. 2. At APEC Meeting.

3. Yes， they are. 4. Yes， they do.

5. Only things of a national touch can prevail in the world.

（五） 1-5： ADBCC

（六） 1. Paris.

2. People usually read books when they are in the subway.

3. No， it isnt.

4. We can buy clothes， caps and shoes.

5. They often play the violin or guitar in the train.

（七）1-4： AADA

（八）1-4： CDCB