three days to cerebrate each of the festivals.
2. The seats in the Maglev trains are more comfortable than t__________ in the Underground. 1. t__________; 1__________ 2. t__________
B. Read the following passage and fill in the blanks with proper words.
Beijing Opera
At the end of the eighteenth century there were many kinds of local operas in China. People who were rich and educated considered (认为) Kunqu Opera (昆曲) the best, because (1) i__________ singing and performance were refined (精致的) and serious.
However, other local operas had ways to attract (2) o__________ people. Their stories were more interesting. Their singing was clear, beautiful, and easy to understand and remember. The ugly duckling became so popular that even Kunqu Opera troupes (剧团) tried to learn their skills in order to keep the audience (观众).
Among these troupes the most famous (3) o__________ were from Anhui. Their singing combined the music from the local operas of Hubei, Beijing, and Shanxi with the music of Kunqu Opera. As a result, these troupes had rich and colorful music as well as many interesting plays. Their actors had (4) d__________ many performing skills.
In 1790, one of the Anhui troupes came to Beijing to take part in performances in celebration of the birthday of Emperor Qianlong. It was soon followed by three other troupes from Anhui. Their performance was a hit and then they stayed in Beijing. By this time Beijing Opera was born.
The (5) n__________ opera became very popular in the capital. Beijing Opera soon became the most important form of entertainment for the Emperor, his families, and the people in the street. It quickly spread all over the country.
In 1919, Mei Lanfang, a Beijing Opera genius (6) a__________, went to Japan to perform Beijing Opera. For the first time in history, Chinese performing art was (7) i__________ to other parts of the world. Since then people have considered Beijing Opera to be the most important opera form in China. 1. i__________ 2. o__________ 3. o__________ 4. d__________ 5. n__________ 6. a__________ 7. i__________
美言金句 你喜欢中国的国剧——京剧吗？你知道京剧发展的历史吗？
Do you like Chinese traditional opera — Beijing Opera? Do you know its history?
C. Answer the following questions according to the above passage.
1. What does “their” mean in the sentence “The ugly duckling became so popular that even
Kunqu Opera troupes tried to learn their skills in order to keep the audience.”? ______________________________________________________________ 2. What were the major characteristics of the local operas in the late 1800s? ______________________________________________________________
3. When did people begin to consider Beijing Opera the most important opera form in China? ______________________________________________________________
Text 11 这样做值吗？
A. Warming up exercise: Fill in the blanks with a proper word and its part of speech.
1. Schools should provide a good e__________ for students and teachers should also help
students d__________ an “attitude of gratitude” (感恩的心) and a sense of responsibility from childhood.
2. The Shanghai Expo is located b__________ the Nanpu and Lupu bridges that cross the banks
of the Huang River.
1. e__________; d__________ 2. b__________
B. Read the following passage and fill in the blanks with proper words.
Is It Worth It?
It was a few weeks before Christmas 1917. The beautiful snowy landscapes of Europe were blackened by war.
The trenches (战壕) on one side were held by the Germans and on the other side the trenches were filled with Americans. It was World War I. The ___1___ of gunshots were intense (激烈的). Separating them was a narrow strip of no-man’s-land (狭窄的无人地带). A young German soldier attempting to cross that no-man’s-land had been shot and had become entangled in the barbed wire (被有倒钩的铁丝网钩住). He cried out in ___2____.
Between the shells all the Americans in that sector could hear him shout. When one American soldier could stand (忍受) it no longer, he climbed out of the American trenches and on his stomach crawled (匍匐前进) to that German soldier.
When the Americans realized what he was doing, they stopped firing, ___3___ the Germans continued. Then a German officer realized what the young American was doing and he ordered his men to stop firing. Now there was a ___4___ silence across the no-man’s-land. On his stomach, the American made his way to that German soldier and disentangled (解开) him. He stood up with the German in his arms, walked ___5___ to the German trenches and placed him in the waiting arms of his comrades, and then he turned around and started back to the American trenches.
Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder that spun him around. There stood a German officer who had won the Iron Cross, the highest German honor for bravery. He jerked (猛扯) it from his own ___6___ and placed it on the American, who walked back to the American trenches. When he came ___7___ back to the trenches, they started firing again! 1. A) amount B) exchange C) centre D) light 2. A) trouble B) difficulties C) pain D) danger 3. A) but B) though C) however D) so 4. A) crazy B) gentle C) attractive D) strange 5. A) straight B) finally C) around D) exactly 6. A) clothes B) uniform C) shirt D) skirt 7. A) quietly B) immediately C) safely D) suddenly
美言金句 一个令人震撼的故事，一个让人内心充满矛盾的故事。这位美国士兵这样做值吗？对吗？他会受表彰还是会被上军事法庭。我们只能说，尽人事，听天命。
It’s a very moving story that tears at the heart. Should the American save the German soldier entangled in the barbed wire or should he leave him die? Will he be awarded or sent to the military court? Do what is right, come what may.
C. Answer the following questions according to the above passage. 1. With whom were the American soldiers fighting?
______________________________________________________________
2. The Germans didn’t stop firing after they realized what the American soldier wanted to do,
did they?
______________________________________________________________ 3. What do you think of the American soldier?
______________________________________________________________
Text 12 地中海圣地
A. Warming up exercise: Fill in the blanks with a proper word and its part of speech.
1. Bill Gates is a s__________ businessman as well as a philanthropist (慈善家). He always
gives enough care to the poor.
2. The South China Sea issue (南中国海问题) is a complicated (复杂的) matter concerning (涉
及) a n__________ of countries.
3. Chen Ning Yang is a Chinese-born American. He shared the Nobel Prize in P__________
with his colleague Tsung Dao Lee in 1957. 1. __________ 2. __________ 3. __________
B. Read the following passage and fill in the blanks with proper words.
The Mediterranean Resorts
People travel for a lot of reasons. Some tourists go to see battlefields (战场) or religious shrines (宗教圣殿). Others are looking for culture, or simply want to have their pictures taken in front of famous places. But most European tourists are looking for a sunny beach to ___1___.
Northern Europeans are willing to pay a lot of money and put up with a lot of inconveniences (不便) for the sun because they have so little of it. Residents (居民) of cities like London, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam spend a lot of their winters in the dark because the days are so short, and much of the rest of the year ___2___. This is the reason why the Mediterranean (地中海) has always attracted them. Every summer, more than 25 million people travel to Mediterranean resorts (胜地) and beaches for their holidays. They all come for the same reason: ___3___!
The huge crowds mean lots of money for the economies (经济) of ___4___ countries. Italy’s 30,000 hotels are fully booked every summer. And 13 million people camp out on French beaches, parks, and roadsides. Spain’s long sandy coastline (海岸线) attracts more people than anywhere else. 37 million tourists visit yearly, or one tourist for every person living in Spain.
But there are signs that the area is getting more tourism than it can handle. The Mediterranean is already one of the most polluted seas on earth. And with increased tourism, it’s getting worse. The French can’t figure out (想出) what to ___5___ all the litter left by campers around St. Tropez. And in many places, swimming is ___6___ because of pollution.
None of this, however, is spoiling (破坏) anyone’s fun. The Mediterranean gets ___7___ every year with tourists. Obviously, they don’t go there for clean water. They tolerate (忍受) traffic jams and seem to like crowded beaches. They don’t even mind the pollution. No matter how dirty the water is, the coastline still looks beautiful. And as long as the sun shines, it’s still better than sitting in the cold rain in Berlin, London, or Oslo. 1. A) lie on B) lay on C) live in D) play with 2. A) in the snow B) in the sun C) in the rain D) in the dark 3. A) fun B) pleasure C) rest D) sun 4. A) Mediterranean B) Northern European C) European D) Asian 5. A) deal with B) do with C) depend on D) throw away 6. A) fun B) safe C) dangerous D) exciting 7. A) more beautiful B) more attractive C) more popular D) less popular
美言金句 地中海——令人向往的度假胜地，正面临着过度开发带来的恶果——污染。
The Mediterranean — an attractive resort is faced with the disastrous effect —pollution, caused by excessive development.
C. Answer the following questions according to the above passage. 1. Why do so many Europeans travel to the Mediterranean?
______________________________________________________________
2. In terms of (就……而言) geography and climate, cities like London, Copenhagen and
Amsterdam are not good cities, aren’t they?
______________________________________________________________
3. According to the passage, which of the following countries attracts more tourists than the
others, Italy, Spain, France or Greece?
______________________________________________________________
Text 13 文艺复兴
A. Warming up exercise: Fill in the blanks with a proper word and its part of speech.
1. Now, some scientists say, it's very possible that the Yellowstone volcano will soon erupt in r 1
life for the fourth time in history, after about 640,000 years.
2. According to the Daily Mail, the volcano in the Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, US,
has been rising at a record rate since 2004. Its magma (岩浆) surface has gone u___2___ inches (7.6 centimeters) per year over the last three years alone. This rise is one of the main s 3 that a volcano is about to erupt. However, scientists are not certain when the eruption will happen or what it will cause.
1. r_________ 2. u________ 3.s_________
B. Read the following passage and fill in the blanks with proper words.
Renaissance
In the Renaissance Period (文艺复兴时期) (1500-1650), people became interested in higher
education. They wanted to learn the a____1_______ languages such as Greek and Latin- languages that were used in the old times, and study mathematics, science, and so on. Many universities were set up during the 16th century.
University education was a privilege (特权) of the rich. Girls were not allowed to attend and poor people could not a______2______ to go. A member of a wealthy family could attend university at the age of ten. He might study in different universities and since the teaching was all d_____3_____ in Latin, it didn’t matter which country he studied in. It was not unusual for a young boy study one year in Italy and another in France without speaking either French or Italian.
It was p____4_____ in the 16th century to complete university without learning how to read or write. Since books were handwritten, there was not enough to give o____5_______ to each student. Often, only the teacher had a book. He would read to the students who would memorize what he said. Tests were oral, not written, In fact, many students finished school without even writing a word.
For those not so wealthy, grammar schools were built in towns. They learned basic grammar and mathematics, and took part in Bible study, At home, girls learned washing, cooking, dancing, and the basics of taking care of a household. Poor children r______6_____ attended school.
The Renaissance was a time when learners did not simply accept what they were told. They did scientific experiments themselves to search for a______7____ to the mysteries (神秘) of the space. Copernicus calculated that the Earth turned around the sun but was afraid to publish his works for fear that the Church would punish (惩罚) him. Galileo later supported this. The watch, the telescope and some others were some inventions of this period.
1.a__________ 2. a________ 3.d __________ 4. p_________ 5. o_________ 6. r________ 7.a_________
美言金句 世上每次文艺复兴都伴随着对于人类精神与自由的歌泣。
Every renaissance comes to the world with a cry, the cry of the human spirit to be free. ——Anne Sullivan
C. Answer the following questions according to the above passage. 1. What time was many universities set up?
______________________________________________________. 2. Why could the rich study in different universities at that time?
___________________________________________________. 3. For the not so wealthy, what kind of school can they attend?
____________________________________________________.