( B )
Thousands of years ago, the ancient people of Babylon and Egypt studied the stars in the sky and created the zodiac（黄道十二宫图）. It was first used to count time. Later, many people used the stars to describe a person’s character （性格）and to foretell（预言）what would happen in the future.
A person’s zodiacal sign is connected to his or her birth date. Some believe this sign can tell us about a person’s character. For example, some think that a person born under the sign of Cancer (between June 22 and July 23) is kind and home-loving.
In many countries in Asia, people believe the Chinese horoscope can describe character and foretell future events. In the Chinese horoscope, there are future events. In the Chinese horoscope（ 占星术）, there are twelve animals. A person’s animal sign is connected to his or her birth year. Each animal has a different type of character. People born in the Year of the Rat are friendly, but careful. Those born in the Year of the Monkey are smart and good at making money.
In Asia, a person’s blood type is also used to describe character. People with the blood type A are calm and serious, but they may be selfish. People with the blood B are independent（独立的）but may be lazy. People with the blood type AB are honest, and people with the blood type O are talkative.（健谈的）
Not everyone believes that star signs or blood types can be describe character. But reading the horoscope can still be a lot of fun.
41. The ancient people first used the zodiacal signs to___________. A. count time
B. describe a person’s character C. count numbers
D. to foretell what would happen to a person in the future
42. Your zodiacal sign is connected to________ and can describe______. A. your birth date, your appearance B. your birth year, your character C. your birth year, your appearance D. your birth date, your character 43. What does the underlined word “ home-loving” mean in Chinese? A. 想家的 B. 爱家的 C. 离家的 D. 无家可归的
44. According to the passage, if Simon was born in the Year of the Monkey, he may be___________.
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A. foolish and often does everything carelessly B. friendly and often does everything carefully C. smart but not good at making money
D. clever and can have many ways to make money
45. According to the passage, reading your horoscope can be_________. A. difficult B. dangerous C. interesting D. boring ( C )
Sleeping Problem
How much sleep do we need? We are all different. Some people need only three hours of sleep a night. Others need ten hours of sleep a night. Most Americans sleep an average（平均值）of seven to eight hours a night. After the age of fifty, the average sleep time goes down to 6.5 hours a night.
Most people have a night off when they cannot sleep. About one in three Americans has a problem with sleep. Many of these people cannot fall sleep. This problem is called insomnia.
This is not a new problem. Many famous people in history have insomnia. Some of these people had special ideas to make them sleep. Benjamin Franklin, the famous statement（政治家）and inventor, had four beds. The King Louis XIV of France had 413 beds and hoped he could fall asleep in one of them. Mark Twain, the famous American writer, had a different way. He lay on his side across the end of the bed!
46. Most people need ________hours of sleep a night. A. 3 B. 10 C. 7-8 D. 5-6 47. People need ________sleep as they got older. A. more B. less C. no D. little
48. The name of this problem is insomnia. Here insomnia means____ A. going to sleep easily B. sleeping at daytime
C. the ways of sleep D. not being able to go to sleep
49. Mark Twain lay on his side across the end of the bed because he_______. A. was an old man B. thought it was easy to go to sleep C. was a famous writer D. didn’t have much room to sleep in 50. The passage is mainly talking about___________. A. sleep B. insomnia
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C. how to get to sleep D. the famous person’s beds ( C )
Baseball is one of the favorite sports in the USA . Children play basketball in sports fields or parks.
In summer picnics, there is often an informal（非正式的）baseball game. Boys and girls, young and old take turns to bat. Each team has nine players.
The baseball season goes from April to September . During this time, baseball matches are shown on TV and members of the important baseball teams become America’s heroes. At the end of the season, the two top teams play against each other. Many baseball fans watch the game. Millions listen to the radio and watch television. People seem to talk only about the result and the players. The football season begins when the baseball season ends. People are also interested in football. When there is an important game, thousands of people sit beside the radio or in front of the television set waiting for the result.
46. According to the short passage , which of the following is WRONG? A. Boys and girls like baseball very much B. Baseball is played in the open air C. A baseball match has nine players D. Children sometimes play baseball in parks 47. American people play baseball most___________. A. from April to September B. before April C. after September
D. from September to April
48. What happens at the end of the baseball season? A. People talk only about football games.
B. Many baseball fans become members of the top teams C. A lot of people join the games D. Two top teams play against each other
49. ____________follow the baseball season in the USA. A. The baseball season B. The football season
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C. A baseball match D. A football match 50. This passage mainly tells us something about___________. A. the football season in the USA
B. football is more interesting than baseball in the USA C. the difference between baseball and football D. the baseball season in the USA
( D)
Chinese children are very obedient. In China, children are taught to obey and respect (尊敬) their parents, teachers and elders. But children in Western countries do not obey every time. Most parents and teachers in the West expect some bad behavior in children. They see it as a stage(阶段) that children must go through. They expect to see it in teenagers as they are becoming adults.
In China students stand respectfully when they answer questions from the teacher. In the West they don’t stand and often several students answer the teacher’s questions at the same time. This sometimes makes the classroom noisy and hard to control. But students in these classrooms can also have good talks about interesting ideas. Not all the ideas come from the teacher.
Is it good to be an obedient child at all times? Do you sometimes feel that your parents are being unfair(不公平) when they ask you to do something? Perhaps the answer is somewhere between the two ways----the Western way and the Chinese way. If you disagree sometimes, it might be a good way to speak about your ideas politely. That way your parents or teachers can listen and perhaps learn to see your point of view. So you can disagree sometimes as long as you do so politely and with respect.
根据上下文判断正（T）误（F）
51.The underlined word “obedient” in the passage means “听话的” in Chinese. 53. Compared with Chinese children, Western children are more obedient. 53. Western parents and teachers are afraid to see children make mistakes.
54. If you disagree with your parents, you can speak about your opinion in a polite way. 55. Western children learn not only from their teachers but also from their classmates. (E) 日常实际用语
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