初中英语阅读理解

Chopsticks originated from(起源于) China. Though simple and little, they are a great invention in the history of humans. There are many legends about Chopsticks, Da Yu and Chopsticks is one of them.

It is said that during Yao and Shun times, Shun ordered Yu to control the flood. One day, Yu took a boat to an island, he was so hungry that he used an earth pot to cook meat. After the meat was well-done in boiled water, he didn’t want to waste time to wait for it to cool, so he took two branches to pick up the meat from the soup. After, to save time, he always took small branches to take out food from the hot pot. For a long time, he was skilled at picking up food with small sticks. In this way, the first types of chopsticks were born.

The chopsticks are made of different kinds of materials including bamboo, wood, animal bone, beautiful stone, and some other materials. There are more than 200 types of chopsticks now, among them, the bamboo chopsticks are most widely used.

“A chopstick can be broken easily, ten pairs of chopsticks hold each other tightly(紧紧地)...”The song is popular with many people, and it always encourages people to work together.

(1). What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．

Chopsticks.

B．

Humans.

C．

Legends.

D．

Branches.

(2). How did Da Yu go to an island?

A．

On foot.

B．

By boat.

C．

By bike.

D．

By bus.

(3). Why did Da Yu always take out food with small branches?

A．	To save time.	B．	To save food.
C．	To save chopsticks.	D．	to save money.

(4). Which of the following is right?

A．	Chopsticks aren’t a great invention.
B．	Yu ordered Shun to control the flood.
C．	Ten pairs of chopsticks are easy to break.
D．	The song encourages people to unite as one.

Terry from Kenya, 62 years old, has spent 20 years in the city he now calls home. Having lived in Beijing for more than 20 years, Terry has finally made his Chinese dream come true—becoming a volunteer.

He is often seen giving tourists directions, getting water for a baby and even helping a neighbor sell cold drinks.

“I like helping other people.” he said,“This is where I live, where my friends are and where I call home.”

Terry became interested in Chinese culture as a teenager when he read the Tao Te Ching by Laozi.

In 1981, he went to Shanghai. His first visit to Beijing was six years later on business. Terry and his family moved to Beijing in 1997, since then he has lived and worked in Beijing. Now Terry can make traditional Beijing bean-paste noodles, and when he goes to a restaurant, he usually orders dumplings and some traditional Beijing dishes.

He likes chatting with local people, especially taxi drivers.

“I am more familiar with the lives of taxi drivers than most Beijingers,” he said,“when I see their license numbers, I can tell how many years they have worked.”

“They are so knowledgeable,” he said, “I learned many Chinese from them.”Terry does not want to leave Beijing. He said. “Your home is where your things are. In this sense, Beijing is my home. Now I just enjoy living here.”

(1). What’s Terry’s Chinese dream?

A．	To be a volunteer.	B．	To eat dumplings.
C．	To read the Tao Te Ching .	D．	To live in Shanghai.

(2). When did Terry and his family move to Beijing?

A．

In 1981.

B．

In 1987.

C．

In 1997.

D．

In 2008.

(3). Who does Terry especially like to chat with?

A．	Shop keepers.	B．	His neighbors.
C．	His friends.	D．	Taxi drivers.

(4). What’s the meaning of the underlined word “familiar” in Paragraph 7?

A．

厌烦的

B．

陌生的

C．

熟悉的

D．

不同的

Welcome to Austria!

Soll is a village in the mountains in western Austria, and the Hotel Post, opened by a local family, is clean and cheap. From the hotel you can see the whole village, the forest and the mountains. The temperatures in summer are usually 20℃ to 25℃ in the daytime, but much cooler by evening.

Have a good trip to Thailand!

When you visit Bangkok in Thailand, don’t miss the early morning river boat trip to the Floating(漂浮的) Market just outside the city. There you will find many kinds of fruits and vegetables, and you can pay for them when you sit in your boat. Don’t forget your hat—the sun can be strong and it may be as hot as 40℃ about midday!

Welcome to Guangzhou!

Guangzhou is a wonderful place for traveling and there are a lot of things to do. You will find many large department stores in the city. You will also find small shops near the train station. In the evening, you can take a boat trip to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Guangzhou from the river. At night, travelers can enjoy eating at food stalls(货摊) on the streets because the food there is cheap and delicious.

(1). How is the Hotel Post?

A. Expensive and big.B. Clean and cheap.

C. Dirty and small.D. Tidy and expensive.

(2). What can you buy from the Floating Market?

A. Flowers.B. Clothes.C. Fruits.D. Shoes.

(3). Where can travelers enjoy delicious food at night?

A. In Soll.B. In Hotel Post.C. In Bangkok.D. In Guangzhou.

请先阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后根据短文内容从下面七个选项中选择五个还原到文中，使短文意思通顺、结构完整，并在答题卡上将其序号涂黑。一空一句。

Silk, the word itself is beautiful. The story of silk started in China over 4,000 years ago. It says a silkworm’s cocoon(蚕茧) fell into a woman’s teacup. It then opened into a single, unbroken thread (线).___(1)___ The Chinese learned they could use the cocoons to make cloth that was both beautiful to look at and soft to touch.

___(2)___ In other countries, silk was valuable and not often seen. Often it was worth more than gold. It’s said that the secret finally got out when a princess left China to go to India. In her hair, she secretly carried many silkworms.

By the year 1 A. D., silk was sold as far west as Rome, and all along the Silk Road. ___(3)___ Centuries later, in 1522, the Spanish brought silkworms to Mexico.

Nowadays people around the world still make many beautiful things from silk. Silk isn’t only beautiful. It seems that it’s easy to break. ___(4)___ For example, it has been used to make bicycle tires(轮胎). And some doctors even use silk threads in the hospital. ___(5)___ This makes it great for clothes like winter jackets, pants, and shoes.

All of this from a little insect—the silkworm. That is the miracle(神奇) of silk.

A．	Actually it’s very strong.
B．	Silk is also light and warm.
C．	This was an important discovery.
D．	The woman became famous and popular.
E．	A princess started the silk trade between China and India.
F．	Making silk was a protected secret in China for many years.
G．	Around the year 300, silk also traveled from China to Japan.

Improvements in technology often happen overnight. Some gadgets get smaller and faster. Others are replaced (代替) by newer things like smartphones. They can do hundreds of things. Here are some old gadgets that people used to use.

①________

Do you have a landline at home? These are phones that people plug (插入) into their living room walls. Mobile phones didn’t use to be so common at that time, so most families had a landline. But landlines only worked at home. What did people do when they were outside and needed to call someone? They looked for a pay phone! Then, most people had their own mobile phones and many homes no longer had landlines.

②________

People today store plenty of information online, or on SD cards. But in the 1980s and 1990s, people used to use floppy disks. The first floppy disks were large, expensive, and not very useful — each disk could store just 175 KB of information! Later, floppy disks got smaller and better. But even the best ones could only hold 1.44 MB. You would need three or four disks just for one song, and about 22,000 disks to match the storage (储存空间) available on a 32 GB phone!

③________

It’s easy to take photos today. People often have thousands just on their phones! But photos used to be expensive, and people took fewer of them. To take a photo, you had to buy a roll of film. This allowed you to take about 30 photos. After finishing the roll, you left it at a shop. The shop developed the photos to make them be seen, which you could collect after a few days.

Technology changes all the time, and the gadgets we use today will one day be old. What do you think will be next to disappear?

(1). What does the underlined word “gadgets” mean in Paragraph 1?

A．

Toys.

B．

Tools.

C．

Games.

D．

Phones.

(2). Match the title with each paragraph.

a. Goodbye Disks b. Music to My Ears c. Picture This d. Call Me e. Film Development

A．

①-d, ②-b, ③-e

B．

①-d, ②-a, ③-c

C．

①-c, ②-a, ③-b

D．

①-c, ②-b, ③-e

(3). What were the first floppy disks like?

A．	They could store much.	B．	They were very useful.
C．	They cost a lot of money.	D．	They were easy to carry.

(4). What can we get from the passage?

A．	It was convenient to take photos with film.
B．	People outside used landlines to call someone.
C．	Improvements in technology change people’s life.
D．	For a time, many people had pay phones at home.

(5). What would be the best title for the passage?

A．	The Changing Phones.	B．	The Products of Tomorrow.
C．	Old Things We Use Today.	D．	The Things We Used to Use.

Indonesians love to celebrate. They believe that celebrating and eating together brings good luck. Let’s party Indonesia-style.

Would you be surprised to find a New Year’s Day in March? Indonesians on the island of Bali are getting ready to ring in Nyepi, their New Year. It falls in March or April on the night of the new moon and is a symbol of a fresh start for the people and the island of Bali. On the eve of Nyepi, families and friends get together in the market. They carry a huge monster which is made of wood and other materials around the village three times. After that, people set it on fire, hoping to drive out evil (邪恶的) spirits.

After Nyepi, a Turun tanah ceremony begins in honor of a child’s first steps. At the Turun Tanah, parents invite friends and family to a party to introduce the baby. They put different objects such as a bracelet (手镯), pen, mirror or toy computer around their baby. If the baby picks up a pen, he or she may be a writer. A child who picks up a gold bracelet may be rich.

While Turun tanah celebrates the future of a family. Galungan celebrates its past. Ancestors who have died return ‘home’ during this ten-day celebration. And living relatives do their best to make them happy. Tall bamboo poles line the street. People attend the ceremonies and visit their family and village temples. Actors and dancers give performances that tell stories of good fighting against evil.

A year of festivals has come to an end. Don’t worry: next year, Indonesia will be buzzing (发出嗡嗡声) again with celebrations, so welcome to the party!

(1). What’s the theme (主题) of the passage?

A．

Celebrations.

B．

Feelings.

C．

Family.

D．

Health.

(2). What do people do during Galungan? Check and choose the right answer.

①Watch performances. ②Discuss new babies’ future.

③Visit their family and village temples. ④Put the bamboo poles along the street.

⑤Carry a huge monster around the village.

A．

①②⑤

B．

①③④

C．

②③④

D．

③④⑤

(3). Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．	The baby who picks up a pen may be a writer.
B．	Nyepi usually comes after Turun tanah in Bali.
C．	New Year’s Day in Indonesia begins in February.
D．	People fire bamboo poles to drive away the monster.

(4). Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage?

A．

B．

C．

D．

(5). What is the writer’s purpose according to the passage?

A．	To welcome us to the festivals.	B．	To show us how to treat the ancestors.
C．	To tell us how to hold the party.	D．	To teach us how to fight against the evil.

Why is the sea salt? Long before we discovered scientific ways of thinking about it, we explained it in a story. Even though the answer isn’t scientific, it holds some other truth in it — especially about the human heart.

Long ago, a poor old couple lived on the coast. One day, an old storyteller came to their village. The old couple gave him a meal. In return, he gave them a coffee mill (磨粉机) and said, “Say, ‘Mill, please grind (磨粉)’,” and it’ll make whatever you want, to stop it, say ‘Mill, please cease (停止) grinding’.”

Soon the old couple had a much better life. They’d been happy people, and they didn’t need much more. But the young couple next door were never satisfied. When they saw the old couple wearing good clothes and buying good food, they burnt with envy (羡慕). So one day, the young husband went to the old couple’s house secretly and heard, “Mill, please grind hot chocolate!” He was surprised to see it coming out.

Then the young couple stole the mill from the old couple. With it, they rode a horse and set off down the coast, where no one would know them. Along the way, the husband showed proudly and asked, “What do you want it to make?” “Oh. I don’t know. Why not salt?” the wife said. “Mill, please grind salt!” he said. “It works!” the wife shouted. But then they noticed the salt went everywhere. “Make it stop,” the wife said. But the husband didn’t know how. “Mill, please stop grinding! Please, no more!” His words didn’t work. The mill kept grinding. Finally, the young husband threw the mill into the sea as far as he could.

And there it’s been, for hundreds of years, endlessly grinding salt. That’s why the sea is salt.

(1). The passage is probably a(n) ________.

A．

folk story

B．

instruction

C．

science fiction

D．

science report

(2). Put the things happened to the mill in correct order.

a. It began to produce salt. b. The young husband threw it.

c. The young couple stole it. d. The old couple got it.

A．

b-d-a-c

B．

b-a-d-c

C．

d-a-c-b

D．

d-c-a-b

(3). What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．

The coffee.

B．

The horse.

C．

The mill.

D．

The chocolate.

(4). How did the young husband’s feelings change?

A．	sorry — sad — excited	B．	thirsty — excited — afraid
C．	happy — nervous — proud	D．	surprised — thankful — happy

(5). What does the word “truth” in Paragraph 1 imply (暗指)?

A．

Being patient.

B．

Working properly.

C．

Being satisfied.

D．

Listening carefully.

●Gift shop Open Daily 10:00 a.m.—5:30 p.m. ●Children’s playground and activity area ●Visitors may adopt (领养) a rescued animal for free! Admission: Adults: ＄7 Children (up to 16): ＄5 Children (3 & under): Free Family (2 adults & 2 children): ＄20 FREE CAR AND COACH PARK. TOILET FOR THE DISABLED AND WHEELCHAIR ACCESS (通道) IN ALL AREAS.

(1). When can the visitors buy the gifts?

A．

At 9:30 a.m.

B．

At 11:00 a.m.

C．

At 6:00 p.m.

D．

At 10:00 p.m.

(2). How much is a ticket for a 15-year-old boy?

A．

＄5.

B．

＄7.

C．

＄12.

D．

＄20.

(3). What do we know about the museum?

A．	It doesn’t provide a free parking lot.	B．	The animals there can’t be adopted.
C．	It offers the disabled special service.	D．	Children under 3 are not welcome there.

阅读下面短文，根据短文内容回答问题。

Message Dear Wang, Great to hear you are coming to the USA! I do hope you can stop by and visit us in the Big Apple — a popular name for New York City. There are so many things to see and do here. It would take a lifetime to list them all: Chinatown, Wall Street, Central Park, to name only a few. But knowing you as I do, I’d suggest walking through Midtown Manhattan. It is very popular in the USA and just can’t be missed! People often say that no visit to New York City is complete without a trip to Broadway! Broadway with its cafés, street performers（表演者）and colorful signs really represents New York’s loud spirit! As Broadway is the heart of the American theater industry, it’s at night when it truly comes alive. Broadway is well-known for its big theaters. They show Shakespeare, modern plays, dance shows or musicals — take your pick! With your love of singing and interest in drama（戏剧）, I’d recommend（推荐）a musical. It’s a great and moving experience that I’m sure you would love — a bit like Peking opera! Many musicals are based on classic stories like Les Miserables or Peter Pan, and they might even inspire（激发）you to read the books, too! My big news is that I am going to China on vacation this winter. I am looking for places of interest in China. Can you recommend some to me? See you soon! Leslie

(1). What is New York City also called?

__________________________________________

(2). Is Broadway famous for its big theaters?

__________________________________________

(3). What are many musicals based on?

__________________________________________

(4). When is Leslie going to China on vacation?

__________________________________________

(5). Which place of interest in China will you recommend to Leslie?

__________________________________________

The human population on Earth grows larger each year. As a result, ___(1)___. Because of climate change（气候变化）, growing more food is becoming even more difficult.

When farmers tried to grow more food in the past, they would use farming methods that weren’t always healthy for the environment. To solve this problem, ___(2)__. They spent several years talking to farmers. They wanted to see what problems farmers were having and how these problems could be solved. __(3)___. These special robots move around on farms and collect information about crops（庄稼）. They can take pictures of plants, track（追踪）each plant’s growth and measure（测量）its size.

In the past, though farmers did have information about the weather and the earth, they couldn’t track each plant. __(4)__.

By collecting information about plants, the robots can help farmers make predictions（预测）about how their plants will grow. __(5)__. For example, if the robots find out which plants get sick, farmers can quickly throw them away before they are about to influence nearby plants. With the help of these robots, farmers can take better care of the plants in need.

A．	But now, with these robots, they can
B．	This led to the creation of special robots
C．	some scientists carried out a research project
D．	more and more food needs to be grown in order to feed everyone
E．	By studying each plant, the robots can also help farmers grow plants well

Otters（水獭）are cute water animals. These days, keeping otters as pets is getting popular. In Japan, some “otter cafés（咖啡馆）” are open for business. People can pay to play with the otters there and to take photos with them. In Indonesia, people go swimming with their pet otters and take funny videos. These photos and videos posted online have interested more people to buy otters as pets.

However, these enjoyable photos and videos hide the damage（损害）that the online trade is doing to otters. In fact, wild otters are facing many threats—they have long been hunted（猎杀）for their coats; in some places, fishermen have been killing otters in order to stop them from eating fish; and now, the online pet trade has become another big problem for otters.

In the wild, baby otters usually stay with their mothers during their first year of life. According to a report, 70% of the otters sold online are under one year old. These baby otters have been stolen from their mothers. When they are kept as pets by humans, they do not live full and natural lives.

Otters are very social. They live in family groups of up to 15 in the wild. Keeping an otter as a pet can make it very sad and lonely. These animals also need enough space to swim. Their owners’ bathtubs（浴缸）or pools are nowhere near as large as the bodies of water in the wild.

On the other hand, otters simply don’t make good pets. They have a very special fishy smell. If they are kept indoors, they will leave a lot of waste around the house. This would make the smell even more unpleasant. Besides, when otters are unhappy, they will make loud noises and even attack（攻击）people. If a person is hurt by an otter, he or she needs to go to hospital at once.

So, we should stop the otter pet trade and never share photos and videos about them online.

(1). What does Paragraph 1 mainly talk about?

A．	The ways of buying otters online.
B．	The advantages of playing with otters.
C．	The popularity of keeping otters as pets.

(2). What does the underlined word “threats” mean in Paragraph 2?

A．

机遇

B．

威胁

C．

选择

(3). What do we know about otters in the wild?

A．	They live in family groups of up to 15.
B．	They don’t need enough space to swim.
C．	Baby otters never stay with their mothers.

(4). Why don’t otters make good pets?

a. They may attack people.

b. They may make loud noises.

c. They have a special fishy smell.

d. They need to go to hospital often.

A．

a, b, c

B．

a, b, d

C．

b, c, d

(5). What is the writer’s main purpose of writing the text?

A．	To tell people the otters’ living habits.
B．	To teach people how to keep a pet otter.
C．	To call on people to stop the otter pet trade.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is one of the great works by Mark Twain. The book is so interesting. Even today, it is quite popular among kids. Although I am in my thirties, the book remains one of my favorites. After re-reading the book recently, I have learned an important lesson from Tom Sawyer.

In our daily lives, we are often given some boring or tiring tasks. What’s in your mind when your mom tells you to clean the floor? Have you ever wanted to complain（抱怨）? I think most people have.

Tom Sawyer, however, thought “differently” when he was given a boring task. One Saturday morning, Aunt Polly told Tom to paint the fence（篱笆）. Tom’s friend Ben Rogers happened to walk past. Instead of complaining, Tom told Ben that he felt “excited” about the task. “Only one in a thousand—maybe even two thousand boys can do this!” Tom said.

Tom’s words made Ben interested in the task. He even gave Tom his apple so that he could have a chance to paint the fence. If Tom had thought about nothing but complaining, he would have had a bad day painting the fence.

This story teaches me a valuable lesson: Complaining is useless. The next time you are given a boring or tiring task, don’t complain. Unlike what happens in the story of Tom Sawyer, it is unlikely that someone will come and do the work for you. However, without complaining, you’ll feel better and perhaps even do a better job!

(1). Who is the writer of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?

A．

Aunt Polly.

B．

Mark Twain.

C．

Ben Rogers.

(2). According to the writer, what is most people’s immediate reaction（即时反应）to a boring task?

A．

Complaining about it.

B．

Accepting it.

C．

Refusing it.

(3). What did Aunt Polly ask Tom to do in this text?

A．

Visit Ben.

B．

Clean the floor.

C．

Paint the fence.

(4). Why did Tom say the underlined sentence to Ben in Paragraph 3?

A．

To express his sadness.

B．

To catch Ben’s interest.

C．

To show his anger.

(5). What does the writer learn from Tom Sawyer?

A．

It is no use complaining.

B．

Refusing is the best choice.

C．

Waiting is the only way out.

	Lost I lost my smartphone at West Park on Loomis Road on Monday morning, Oct. 27. The photos in it haven’t been uploaded（上传）to the Cloud. They are very important to me. Please call me at 730-8607. —posted by Steve Lee
	Found A young black dog, cute and friendly, was found in Brooklyn Springs on Nov. 19. If you know the owner of this dog, please let him/her know or e-mail me at [e-mail]. —posted by Dora Jones
	Lost My 11-month-old cat Linda is grey with dark stripes（条纹）on her back. She has brown eyes. She was last seen at Jessica’s on Center Street on May 9. If you see her, please call me at 730-9725. —posted by Molly Louis

(1). Who lost a smartphone?

A．

Dora Jones.

B．

Molly Louis.

C．

Steve Lee.

(2). Why did Dora post the information?

A．

To find the dog’s owner.

B．

To find her own dog.

C．

To buy a black dog.

(3). What do we know about the missing cat Linda?

A．

She is 10 months old.

B．

She was last seen on May 9.

C．

She is all black.

English Reading Salon（沙龙） ● Johnson Library Room 208 ● Read |Talk| Have free tea ● Thursday, June 30（7:00 p.m.~8:30 p.m.） ● Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe For more information, you can visit www.englishreadingsalon.com

(1). How long will the salon last?

A．

60 minutes.

B．

90 minutes.

C．

120 minutes.

(2). What can you do for free at the salon?

A．

Eat cookies.

B．

Have dinner.

C．

Drink tea.

阅读短文，将文后的五个选项还原到短文当中。

Why do you need hobbies? A study has found that people are more positive (积极的) when they take part in a relaxing activity. ___(1)___ Scientists also think they might be good for your brain.

How do you choose the right hobby? Start with what you enjoyed in the past. Did you once play football? ___(2)__ If you find it isn’t for you, stop and tum to something new. Probably joining a class or a team will give you a chance to meet other people.

Which relaxing activities are good for physical health? It’s clear that exercise is going to be good for your body, for example walking. ___(3)__ A review of 94 studies found that dancing three times a week improved balance in older people. Getting out in nature is helpful, whether you’re hiking or doing something less active.

Which hobbies keep your mind active? __(4)___ Playing the piano or listening to your favorite band can help you make it. Researches have found reading is also good for your brain.

___(5)__ So let’s take up great hobbies.

A. Dancing is wonderful exercise.

B. Take it up again or start something else.

C. Hobbies let you forget your worries and have fun.

D. Learning an instrument and reading are the best choices.

E. Other studies have shown that hobbies can give you a sense of achievement.