初中英语社会文化类阅读试题

In ancient times，the phoenix（凤凰）was a small bird．Its feathers（羽毛）were very common but it was very hard﹣working，unlike other birds flying around for fun when they were full．It kept working，picking fruits and storing them in a cave（洞穴）．

Other birds looked down on what the phoenix did because they believed there was enough food in the forest．They thought it stupid to make efforts to collect food every day．The phoenix didn't care what others thought．It went on working hard day and night．

One year，a serious drought（旱灾）happened．All the grass and woods dried up and died．There were no fruits left on the trees．Birds flew around for food but could find nothing．As the birds were dying of hunger，the phoenix hurried there and led them to the cave．It shared the

dry fruits with all the other birds，helping them go through the drought．All of them were happy and moved．

After the drought，to thank the phoenix，all the other birds pulled their most beautiful feathers and made shining clothes for it．They all made it the king of the birds．From then on，the phoenix had the most beautiful feathers in the world，and the birds flew together to celebrate its birthday．They flew around the phoenix，singing and dancing，making the best wishes for it．This is the story of A Hundred Birds Paying Homage（致敬）to the Phoenix．

31．The phoenix was 　　while other birds were flying around for fun．

A．	having a party
B．	storing feathers
C．	picking fruits
D．	making clothes

32．Other birds didn't 　　the phoenix at first．

A．	understand
B．	know
C．	notice
D．	doubt

33．When the drought happened，the phoenix 　　．

A．flew around for food

B．was dying of hunger

C．was happy and moved

D．shared food with others a

34．On the phoenix's birthday，the birds 　　while making the best wishes for it．

A．	brought presents
B．	ate delicious food
C．	sang and danced
D．	made shining clothes

35．The story tells us people will pay homage to the person who is 　　

A．	smart，patient and beautiful
B．	common，healthy and strong
C．	wise，kind and hard﹣working
D．	polite，happy and successful

Habits in Russia

There is an old saying that says when in Rome， do as the Romans do． I learned the meaning of this when I stayed in Russia as a visiting scholar（学者）．

One day I invited some of my Chinese friends to a famous local restaurant in Moscow． My guests and I were excited about our meeting． We had a lively talk until the waiter told me that we were too loud． We lowered（降低）our voices．（38） 　　The waiter came over to us two more times with the same message．

How bad an impression（印象）we must have left on the local people! In China，it's natural and important for a host（主人）to make a lively atmosphere（气氛）． However， in Russia and Western countries， having a meal in a public place means you must keep your voice low． You need to be polite to others．

I felt bad about this．（39） 　　

（40） 　　    My Russian friend Andrey always looks around and thinks for a while before leaving home． I asked him why he did this． "Aha，" Andrey said， "In Russia， people always spend about a minute going over things and plans in their minds before leaving home．（41） 　　   "

Finding the differences between cultures is so much fun． I like to keep my eyes and mind open．

A．	But this didn't last long．
B．	Russians have their own special habits， too．
C．	Russian people are usually careful and polite．
D．	So they won't leave anything necessary behind．
E．	Luckily， people usually do not pay much attention to that in Russia．

F． Even though we tried our best， it's very difficult to fight against habits．

Sixteen is a special age in the United States． There's often a special celebration for a girl's 16th birthday﹣﹣﹣a big party called Sweet﹣16． It is like a wedding reception（结婚晚宴） in the number of guests and gifts handed out．

About a month before the party， the girl's family sends out invitations to the guests． They must buy a special present for the birthday girl and the girl guests find good dresses to wear． A sweet﹣16present usually costs ﹩40 to ﹩60． This is about ﹩20 more than the usual﹣cost of a birthday present．

The party itself is not held at someone's house． The hostess rents（租赁） a reception hall for the event． Food， cake and a DJ are provided． Around 6 o'clock， guests arrive and meet the birthday girl． Then the girl and her father have a special father﹣daughter dance． After that， guests dance for about 30 to 45 minutes．

Then there is the most important part of the Sweet﹣16 party， the candle﹣lighting ceremony．

The sweet﹣16 hostess stands behind 16unlit（未点燃的） candles and dedicates（献给） each candle to her friends， family， and anything that she feels is important to her． A lot of crying and hugging goes on at this time．

Afterwards， people sit and eat． Most guests begin leaving around 11 o'clock．

This school year， I have been to two Sweet﹣16s． I am one of the youngest students in my grade （My birthday is in December）． I'll have to wait another year before I can have my own special Sweet﹣16 party． I can't wait for it!

（1）Why is sixteen a special age for an American girl？

　 　

（2）How much does a usual birthday present for a teenager cost in the USA？

　 　

（3）What is the most important part of the Sweet﹣16 party？

　 　

（4）How old is the writer？

　 　

（5）What do you think of the Sweet﹣16party in the USA？（请自拟一句话作答）

　 　

Beijing Opera is our national opera．It came into being after 1790 and has a history of over 200 years．Its music and singing came from Xipi and erhuang in Anhui and Hubei．There are four main roles in Beijing Opera：Sheng，Dan，Jing and Chou．Beijing Opera is full of famous stories，beautiful facial paintings，wonderful gestures and fighting．Some of the stories are from history books，but most are from famous novels．The people in the stories usually can't agree with each other．They become angry，unhappy，sad and lonely．Sometimes they are frightened and worried．Then they find a way to make peace with each other．Everyone is usually happy in the end．

Beijing Opera is an important part of Chinese culture．In China it used to be popular with old people while young people didn't like it very much．However，more young people are becoming interested in it nowadays．And more people around the world are learning about Beijing Opera's special singing，acting and facial paintings．

61．How many years does Beijing Opera have in 2017？ 　　

A．	207
B．	217
C．	227
D．	237

62．Beijing Opera's came from Xipi and erhuang in Anhui and Hubei． 　　

A．	music and singing
B．	acting and fighting
C．	music and acting
D．	singing and fighting

63．What's the end of each story in Beijing Opera？ 　　

A．	angry
B．	sad
C．	happy
D．	frightened and worried

64．Which of the following is TRUE？ 　　

A．	Beijing Opera used to be popular with old people and young people．
B．	More people at home and abroad are interested in Beijing Opera nowadays．
C．	Beijing Opera isn't a part of Chinese culture．
D．	There are five main roles in Beijing Opera．

65．What's the best title of the passage？ 　　

A．	The History of Beijing Opera
B．	Beijing Opera
C．	The Roles of Beijing Opera
D．	The Changes of Beijing Opera．

There are many kinds of music in the word，pop music，classical music，folk music and so on．Do you know country music？I's a traditional kind of music from the southern states of America．I like it very much!It will take me away for a while after I am tired．The guitars and songs will take me to mountains and fields．

Country music usually talks of everyday life and feelings．It's the spirit of America，easy to understand，slow and simple．

Country music developed in the Southern United Sates．It was the folk music of American countryside．Many of songs tell about the lives of famers．They talk about love，crops or death．The life of the countryside can be hard，so the words in country music are often sad．At first，people played the music only at family parties．But it became more popular later．In the 1920s，people played country songs on the radio，and they made them into records．

When people in the countryside moved to towns and cities to look for work，they look their music with them．Country music continued to change and became popular across America．

John Denver was one of Ameria's most famous country singer s in the 1970s．His song"Take Me home，Country Roads"is well﹣known and people still play it today．

61．Country music developed 　　

A．	in John Denver's city
B．	in the Northern United States
C．	in the Southern United States
D．	D，in the Western United States

62．Country music is usually about 　　

A．	everyday life and felings
B．	workers'feelings
C．	the lives of workers
D．	farmer's feelings

63．People began to make country song records 　　

A．	in 1920
B．	in the 1920s
C．	in the 1970s
D．	in 1970

64．Why did country music become popular in America？ 　　

A．	Because city prople liked the music．
B．	Because farmers moved to cities with their music and iy continued to change．
C．	Because country music talked about city people's lives．
D．	Because city people liked the country．

65．Who is famous for the song "Take Me Home，Country Roads"？

A．	A farmer in the countiyside．
B．	A farmer who moved to towns．
C．	Denver John．
D．	D，John Denver．

In different countries around the world，most children must start schooling at early ages．And they become"adults"at different ages．Being an adult means having the rightto do certain things，such as getting a part﹣time job，voting（投票），getting married，or getting a driving license It also means accepting the responsibilities that go along with these rights．

In many countries，sixteen or eighteen is the age when a person becomes an adult．Young men and women at this age can get a part﹣time job，and begin to receive an income of their own．They no longer have to depend on their parents for money all the time．In Canada and America，sixteen is the age when one can get a driving license； in England，it is seventeen．There are responsibilities that go along with both of these rights．Getting a part﹣time job means that you have to pay income tax．Driving a car demands that you follow certain rules like buying car insurance．

Voting is another right that young people enjoy when they become adults．In the United States，Canada and Britain，young people have the right to vote at the age of eighteen．With this right also comes responsibility．For young people to use their right to vote wisely，they must have an understanding of the needs of society，and they must also learn how politics work．

76．The underlined word"right"in Paragraph One means 　　in Chinese．

A．

正确

B．

右边

C．

权利

77．In America and Canada，young people who are 　　can get their driving licenses．

A．

at the age of 16

B．

at the age of 15

C．

at the age of 14

78．If you drive a car，you have to 　　．

A．

get a part﹣time job

B．

follow certain rules

C．

understand society

79．Tom is a 17﹣year﹣old English boy and he has the rights to 　　．

A．

drive and learn

B．

vote and marry

C．

drive and vote

80．From the passage，we can know that 　　．

A．

sixteen﹣year﹣olds have all kinds of rights

B．

responsibilities need to go along with rights

C．

the rules are the same in the UK and the USA．

The Duanwu Festival in China，also called Dragon﹣Boat Festival，is celebrated on day 5 of the fifth month every year according to the Chinese lunar calendar．For thousands of years，this festival has been marked by people's eating Zongzi and racing dragon boats．（A） To hold the dragon ﹣ boat races is in memory of Qu Yuan．He was one of the greatest poets in ancient China．

Qu Yuan was born in Zigui of Hubei Province over 2，200years ago．Qu Yuan was an honest minister（大臣）of the State of Chu during the Warring States Period （475﹣221BC）．He was upright，patriotic（爱国的）and wise．（B） 屈原想给自己的祖国带来和平并让它变得更强大．But the country was in the hands of bad officials，he could do nothing to change it and failed．（C） He was very discouraged ．At last，Qu Yuan ended his life by throwing himself into the Miluo River．It is said that people tried to save him by jumping into the river．But it was too late and all their efforts were in vain．Also，they were so sad and they threw rice into the water to feed Qu Yuan's spirit．

Now we read his poem Li Sao which was filled with deep love for his country．We can seethe dragon﹣boat races and have a kind of Chinese food named Zongzi to eat during the Dragon﹣boat Festival．

96．请将下划线（A）部分的英文句子译为中文： 　　

97．请将下划线（B）部分的巾文句子译为英文： 　　

98．How has the Duanwu Festival been marked by Chinese people over thousands of years？ 　　

99请将下划线（C）部分的句子变为由how引导的感叹句： 　　

100．What is the reason why Qu Yuan killed himself in the Miluo River？ 　　．

Many people，especially the old people hold the idea that we should not break with the traditions of our country．The traditions like kong fu，paper cutting．clay ant and soon should be passed from father sons．In their eyes，we are different from other countries because we keep our traditions．They think we will lose our special character（特征）．

But many others are strongly against it．They think some traditions influence the development of our society．We don't need to follow the traditions．Some of the them even think we should give up the old traditions．

Traditions are the soul（ 灵魂） of our nation． ① 我认为保持我们的传统是很有必要的．On the other hand，traditions can be improved by international communication．So we should be brave enough to learn traditions in other countries．In this way； our society can be more developed； ② in this way ， our Chinese traditions can be kept for long ．

66．Are many old people against traditions in China？ 　　

67．In old people's eyes，what will lose if we don't keep our traditions？ 　　

68．How can traditions be improved？ 　　

69．将划线句子①译成英语： 　　.

70．将划线句子②译成汉语： 　　．

Now，I'm studying in the US．I find there are some differences between schools in the US and in Vietnam．

One big difference is the clothes students wear at school and how they look．In my country，all the students should wear uniforms when they go to school．Boys aren't allowed to have long hair．Girls aren't allowed to have long or colored nails（指甲）．

Another difference is about the rules for parents．In Vietnam，when we begin a new school year，our parents have to go to a meeting in our class．If they don't go to that meeting，their children won't have a grade or a report card from school．However，in the US，there aren't such strict rules above．

In Vietnam，a class is only 45minutes and we have only five classes each weekday．When the bell rings，the students just sit in their own classroom．They can't move to a different one，but students can in the US．In Vietnam，students can't go to work because they can't find a job if they're

under18．But in the US，many students work after school．This helps them make money．More importantly，this helps them become more independent．They're able to do things by themselves in their own way，withoutasking other people for help．

46．Where does the writer come from？ 　　

A．	China
B．	Japan
C．	America
D．	Vietnam

47．What are the girl students allowed to do in the writer's country？ 　　

A．	To keep their hair long．
B．	To have long nails．
C．	To color their hair．
D．	To color their nails．

48．What's the meaning of the underlined word"independent"？ 　　

A．	勇敢的
B．	独立的
C．	依赖的
D．	自信的

49．Which is not true about the Vietnamese students according to the passage？ 　　

A．	They have five classes a weekday．
B．	They can go to work under eighteen．
C．	They should wear uniforms at school．
D．	When the bell rings，they can't move to a different classroom．

50．We can learn that 　　from the passage．

A．	In the US，students don't have such strict rules as the Vietnamese students．
B．	The students in Vietnam can move to a different classroom for classes．
C．	At the end of a school year，parents in Vietnam have to go to a parents'meeting．
D．	In America，all students go to work after school．

There are a lot of Chinese cultures about fish．In Chinese，"fish"sounds like"surplus"（余），Chinese people always like to have a surplus at the end of the year．They think if they save something at the end of the year，then they can make more in the next year．That's why Chinese people like to eat fish for the New Year．Do you know what kind of fish Chinese people like to eat for the New Year？

•Crucian carp

The first kind of fish is crucian carp．It sounds like the Chinese word"吉"．The Chinese word mean"good luck"．Chinese people think that eating crucian carp can bring good luck for the next year．

•Chinese mud carp

The second kind of fish is Chinese mud cap．It sounds like the Chinese word"礼"．It means gifts or presents．So，Chinese people choose to eat Chinese mud carp during the Chinese New Year．It means"good future"．

•Catfish

The third kind of fish is catfish．It sounds like two Chinese words"年余"．So eating catfish is a wish for a surplus in the New Year．

76．Why do Chinese people like to eat fish for the New Year？ 　　

77．How many kinds of fish are mentioned in the passage？ 　　

78．What does it mean to eat Chinese mud carp？ 　　

79．What kind of fish can bring good luck？ 　　

80．What's the main idea about the passage？ 　　．

（C）

The government in China plans to end its one﹣child policy and let families have two children instead．

The plan was announced on Thursday after high﹣level political meetings in Beijing．A Chinese Communist Party statement gave a number of reasons for the change in policy．The statement said the change is meant to balance population development，stop a falling birth rate（出生率） and strengthen the country's labor force（劳动力）．

China，with the largest population in the world，started the one﹣child policy in 1980．But the government allowed only a small number of couples to have two children．For example，some families in the countryside could have two children，if the first﹣born child is a girl．

In 2013，the Chinese government gave other couples a chance to have two children if one of them was an only child．

Jiang Quanbao，a teacher and population expert，explained how Chinese families react to the newest policy．"Too many young people in the cities are no longer interested in having a second child，"he said．"People in the countryside are more interested．But some of them are already allowed to have two children．"

At the end of 2014，China had a population of 1.37billion people．A total of 800million of them have jobs．But the labor market population will drop in 35years．That is to say，the country will be in great need of labor by the year 2050．With the two﹣child policy，an increase in births can solve this problem．

Boys and girls，what do you think of the two﹣child policy？Do you want to have a new﹣born brother or a sister？

（1）Why does the government plan to end the one﹣child policy？ 　　

A．	Because we need a larger population．
B．	Because millions of people have jobs．
C．	Because most families want to have a second child．
D．	Because a falling birth rate must be stopped．

（2）How do most young people in the cities react to the two﹣child policy？ 　　

A．	They support the policy．
B．	They don't think it is good．
C．	They're very interested．
D．	They're not interested any more．

（3）When will our country be seriously short of labor if the one﹣child policy continues？ 　　

A．	In 2015．
B．	In 2035．
C．	In 2050．
D．	In 2070

（4）The Two﹣Children Policy mainly 　　．

A．	helps solve the problems of aging population and labor shortages．
B．	doesn't allow one couple to have two children．
C．	has a bad influence on one's mental health．
D．	encourages one couple to have more than two children．

（5）More couples 　　the Two﹣Children Policy according to the passage．

A．	disagree with
B．	agree with
C．	don't know
D．	hate．

China is famous for tea．Drinking tea is very popular in China and even around the world．It's said that a Chinese ruler called Shen Nong was the first to discover tea as a drink．A few thousand years later，Lu Yu，"the saint of tea"， mentioned Shen Nong in his book Cha Jing． The book describes how tea plants were grown and used to make tea．

Nowadays， according to different processing ways， there are mainly four kinds of Chinese tea．They are green tea，black tea，Oolong tea and scented （有香味的）tea．Without fermentation（发酵），green tea keeps the original color of the tea． If the green tea is fermented before baking，it will be black tea．Oolong tea is partially （部分地） fermented． And if fragrantflowers are mixed in the tea during the processing， the scented tea will be made．

Tea is produced in many different areas in China． For example， Anxi and Hangzhou are widely known for their tea． Tea plants are grown on the sides of mountains．When the leaves are ready，they are picked by hand and then are sent for processing． Later， the tea is packed and sent to many different countries and places around China．

It's believed that tea was brought to Korea and Japan during the 6 ^thand 7 ^thcenturies．In England，tea didn't appear until around 1660． The tea trade from China to Western countries took place in the 19 ^thcentury．

Tea is good for people's health and plays an important role in Chinese social life．

根据短文内容，选择正确答案．

（1）Who discovered tea as a drink first according to the passage？ 　　

A．	Shen Nong．
B．	Lu Yu．
C．	Hou Yi．
D．	Yu Gong．

（2）How many kinds of Chinese tea are there according to different processing ways in general？ 　　

A．	Two．
B．	Three．
C．	Four．
D．	Five．

（3）What does the underlined word "fragrant" mean？ 　　

A．	悦耳的
B．	难闻的
C．	难看的
D．	芳香的

（4）Which is the right order to produce tea？ 　　

①Later， the tea is packed．

②When the leaves are ready， they are picked by hand and then are sent for processing．

③Then it is sent to many different countries and places around China．

④Tea plants are grown on the sides of mountains．

A．	④③②①
B．	④②①③
C．	④③①②
D．	②④①③

（5）When did the tea trade from China to Western countries take place？ 　　

A．	During the 6 ^thand 7 ^thcenturies．
B．	Around 1660．
C．	In the 19 ^thcentury．
D．	In the 1990s．

Looking for Crafts（手艺）is a documentary about the story of 199 Chinese Craftsmen．We can watch it online． Although it doesn't show beautiful pictures or exciting scenes， it quietly tells the story of traditional Chinese Crafts and their special skills． After watching the film， the warmth and faith（信念） of the traditional culture may deeply touch you．

Zhang Jin， the director of the documentary is from the countryside of Hunan． After living in a moden and busy city for many years， he became to miss the traditional crafts of his hometown，so he made a decision to record them． He sold his apartment and invited two friends to join him and travelled all over China．The film was made without professional filming machines or much money． Yet its narration （带有口音的旁白）made people feel at home．

In the film you can see an 80﹣year old man who makes paper umbrellas with bamboo for the Dai people．Making umbrellas is a long process that includes six steps． but he has continued with his hobby for 60 years．After watching the film， many people wanted to buy such an umbrella，but the old man was dead．

It's easy to notice that the hands of these craftsmen are full of wrinkles（皱纹）﹣ these craftsmen are using their lives to protect our culture heritage（遗产）． From making a piece of clay to crating a musical instrument， these crafts are hard work．

True artists give up their own comfortable lives to produce what's in their heart， which is believed to be the real meaning and the purpose of making this documentary． The film reminds people the importance of the crafts． And it has also caught a lot of attention．

I hope these ancient and wonderful skills will still be alive forever．

（1）What can we know about Looking for Grafts？ 　　

A．	It's an action movie．
B．	It tells the story of Chinese directors．
C．	It has lots of nice pictures in it．
D．	It can be watched on the internet．

（2）Why did Zhang Jin decide to make the documentary？ 　　

A．	Because he wanted to be famous．
B．	Because he needed much money．
C．	Because he hoped to work with his friends
D．	Because he missed the traditional crafts of his hometown．

（3）The old man started to make paper umbrellas at the age of 　　．

A．	20
B．	40
C．	60
D．	80

（4）What does the writer advise us to do？ 　　

A．	To make more documentaries．
B．	To protect our culture heritage．
C．	To make things by hand．
D．	To give up our comfortable life．

（1） 　　The most unusual museum in London is the Science Museum．In most museums，there's no shouting and no running，and people aren't allowed to touch the exhibits（陈设品）．But the Science Museum is different．It's noisy！People can talk about what they will see and do there，and some of the machines are noisy as well．

（2） 　　When I visit the Science Museum，I go to the launch pad（发射台）．This is the most popular room because there are lots of physics tests．We can also learn how astronauts travel into space and back again here．I'm really interested in those kinds of things，so it is my favorite room．

（3） 　　On the second floor there is Human and Nature room．We can compare our speed with animals there．If we aren't quick enough，the lion will catch us！There are also rooms on transport，the environment and space technology，as well as math，physics and chemistry．

（4） 　　We can do a lot of things in this museum，but we have to obey some rules as well．

For example，we mustn't take photos of the exhibits in the museum．But we can buy postcards of them in the museum shops．

（5） 　　Most important of all，the Science Museum is free．That means we can drop by for a few minutes or we can stay as long as we like﹣﹣it's open from 10：00 a．m．to 6：00 p．m．

every day except Monday．So if you go to London，make sure you visit the Science Museum．It's my favorite museum in the whole world．

（a）根据短文内容，从方框中选出每段的主旨大意．（5分）

A． The museum rules B． The most popular room C． A noisy museum D． Many different rooms E．A free museum

（b）根据短文内容，完成博物馆游客须知．（每空不超过两个词）（5分）

The Science Museum in （1） 　 　 Opening times：10：00 a．m．﹣﹣6：00p．m．every day except （2） 　　． Fees（费用）：It's （3） 　　！ Stay inside as long as you like！ Rules：Don't （4） 　　of the exhibits．You can buy postcards of them． You can （5） 　　what you see and do．Don't worry about making noises．

People send birthday greetings by using cards in both eastern and western countries．It is not known when and where exactly the tradition of sending birthday cards began．It is believed that it began in England in the early nineteenth century．In those days people sent birthday cards when they couldn't wish somebody a happy birthday in person．

In 1840 the first stamp was used in Britain and sending birthday cards became easier，cheaper and more popular．The development of color printing processes（工艺流程） in the 1930s also helped to increase sales of birthday cards．

Today cards are often given with a present， even when people can express their wishes face to face． In recent times e﹣cards have also become popular． Many people are starting to use e﹣cards instead of traditional cards because they are free， environmentally friendly and easy to arrive． So will e﹣cards take place of paper cards completely in ten or twenty years？ Probably not． For example， for kids and old people， they don't use e﹣cads very often．

If our birthday is coming soon， do you wish that at least one person could congratulate you with a beautiful card then？

根据短文内容，判断下列各句正（T）、误（F）．（5分）

（1）People send birthday cards in different counties． 　　（判断对错）

（2）The tradition of sending birthday cards began in France in the early 18 ^thcentury． 　　（判断对错）

（3）Sending birthday cards became more popular after the stamps were used． 　　（判断对错）

（4）We are sure that e﹣cards will take paper cards' place completely in twenty years． 　　（判断对错）

（5）Kids and old people often use e﹣cards． 　　（判断对错）