初中英语阅读理解

WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL? WHY?

My role model is my neighbor Ms. Li. She is in her eighties now but she is still young at heart. I often see her riding her bike in the park and she also spends time doing volunteer work. She helps me understand that people won’t be old if they still have a great love for life. Adam	I miss Mrs. White most after primary school. She was our math teacher and always patient with us. She helped us to work out the answers ourselves, no matter how difficult the questions were. So Mrs. White is my role model, and I want to be a teacher like her in the future. Betty
Norman Bethune was a Canadian doctor. In 1938, Dr. Bethune came to China and helped treat the wounded. He often worked very hard without resting. Once, he managed to save over one hundred lives in sixty-nine hours. He is still remembered in both China and Canada today. So he is my role model. Peter	Yuan Longping is my role model. He is one of the greatest agricultural (农业的) scientists of our time. He worked hard to grow better rice to solve the problems of food shortage. It is sad that Mr. Yuan has left us, but his dreams are carried by many plant and agricultural researches. Emma

(1). Who is Emma’s role model?

A．	Ms. Li.	B．	Mrs. White.
C．	Norman Bethune.	D．	Yuan Longping.

(2). What does Betty want to be in the future?

A．

A teacher.

B．

A scientist.

C．

A doctor.

D．

A volunteer.

(3). What do we know about Ms. Li?

A．	She worked in a hospital.
B．	She solved the food problems.
C．	She is old in age but young at heart.
D．	She is very patient with her students.

A father bought a kite for his son. The son couldn’t wait to fly it. So, on the next windy day, they took the kite to a park.

First, the father taught his son to fly the kite. Soon, the son was flying the kite high in the air. When it couldn’t go higher, the son realized something. “The string (线) is holding the kite down,” he said to himself. “If I cut it, it can fly higher.”

The son cut the string. After that, the kite flew up a little more. However, the kite didn’t rise for long. It slowly came down until it landed in a tree far away. The son was surprised.

“I thought the kite could fly higher without the string,” he said. “What happened?”

“The string wasn’t holding the kite down,” said the father. “It was helping it stay higher. After you cut the string, it didn’t have any support.”

Really, rules are like the string that seems to hold us down in our daily life. But, without them, we can’t fly high like the kite. We should never let go of them.

(1). Where did the son fly the kite? (不超过10个词)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

(2). Why did the son cut the string? (不超过10个词)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

(3). What can we learn from the story? (不超过10个词)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The night sky is our earliest library. There, we stored our knowledge, and passed it down around the fire, before we invented the written word.

I remember going to the local university for an astronomy (天文学) night when I was a child. That night, I saw Saturn, one of the planets, and its rings with my own eyes for the first time. The rings shone bright against the blackness of space and suddenly the universe (宇宙) wasn’t something that you only read about or imagined in your head. It was right there, and you were a part of it. That moment is priceless.

While starlight is good, light pollution here on Earth can be a real problem. For the past 200 years or so, we have used too much electricity (电) to make the night brighter. However, brighter doesn’t usually mean better, especially when a lot of that light shines up into the sky where no one needs it.

Luckily, some cities have taken actions, like setting up new downward-directing lights along the streets. I hope that more cities will join in and continue the practice of controlling unnecessary lighting, so that more of us can watch the night sky in a way humans have for thousands of years.

(1). What is the night sky compared to?

A．

A book.

B．

The earth.

C．

A library.

D．

The universe.

(2). How did the writer find the astronomy night?

A．	It opened his eyes.	B．	It controlled his mind.
C．	It was a real problem.	D．	It took him too much time.

(3). What does the writer hope for?

A．	A brighter night.	B．	Less use of lighting.
C．	More personal space.	D．	A better education.

A team of scientists are carrying out a project at the University of Greenwich in London. They are trying to find ways to make food on Mars (火星) in the future. The project is called Feeding Mars. It tries to use water, fish and fish waste to grow fruit and vegetables on Mars.

It would take at least 21 months to reach Mars, learn about its surface and return to Earth. So it would be a big help if the spacemen could grow fresh food on Mars itself.

Farming on Mars, however, will be very hard. There’s plenty of water that could be taken from ice just below the surface, but the land on Mars is missing the nutrients (养分) that living things need. The team say that they could solve the problem by growing plants and fish together. Fish waste can then be used to provide nutrients for plants.

“It is expected that you can grow lots of food, such as vegetables, salads, teas and medicinal plants on Mars,” said Dr Benz Kotzen, who leads the project. “You can even harvest (捕获) fish for food then.”

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

A. The future.B. The project.C. The land.D. The planet.

(2). What makes it difficult to farm on Mars?

A. Ice below the surface.B. Too much fish waste.

C. The missing of living things.D. The poor land condition.

(3). How does Dr Benz Kotzen feel about Feeding Mars?

A. Hopeful.B. Doubtful.C. Surprised.D. Funny.

The Search-for-Lost-Birds list has come to public attention recently. It lists ten kinds of birds that have not been seen in the wild for at least fifteen years. The list is calling on people to search for the rarest (最珍稀的) birds on Earth.

There could be several reasons for the long disappearances of the birds on the list. Maybe there have been no studies in areas where they live. Maybe people don’t know where or how to find them. Maybe there are changes to their natural homes because of human activities.

This year, four expeditions (考察队) are planning to find eight kinds of birds. If any of these lost birds are found, ways can be found to protect them and help their populations grow. This has happened with birds like the Madagascar pochard. The number of this once-lost kind of bird is now increasing.

(1). How many kinds of birds are on the Search-for-Lost-Birds list?

A．

Four.

B．

Eight.

C．

Ten.

D．

Fifteen.

(2). What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．	Changes of the living areas of the birds.	B．	Suggestions on how to protect the birds.
C．	Reasons for the disappearances of the birds.	D．	Steps of building natural homes for the birds.

(3). What can we learn about the Madagascar pochard?

A．	It has not been found till now.	B．	It has a larger population than before.
C．	It needs to live close to humans.	D．	It provides protection for other birds.

(4). What is the best title (标题) for the text?

A．	Ways to Raise Rare Birds	B．	Bird-lovers Around the World
C．	Searches for the Lost Birds	D．	Stories About Birds in the Wild

Have you ever seen lions dancing in the streets? The lions dance to the beat of a drum (鼓). Of course, they are not real lions. They are dancers in lion costumes (服饰). Lion dancing first started in China centuries ago. It is meant to bring good luck in the coming year.

Usually, a lion is made up of two dancers. One dancer controls the head. The other controls the tail.

“I think of it as a sport,” says Anthony Huang, aged 16. He is a member of the New York Chinese Freemasons Athletic Club. Anthony performs (表演) as the lion’s head. It can weigh 20 pounds. Lion dancing is important to Anthony. “This tradition really lifts me up,” he says.

In the past, lion dancing was performed mostly by men. But it is different today. LionDanceMe is a lion dancing group in San Francisco, California. There are boys and girls on its team. They dance together.

“Anyone can take up lion dancing. You have to believe that you can do it,” says Ananda Tang-Lee, a 17-year-old girl.

Lion dancing will continue to evolve. But a team’s sense of community will never change. “We call it a family,” Ananda says, “It’s really great, because we always have each other’s backs.”

(1). Why do people perform lion dancing?

A．	To sell lion-dancing costumes.	B．	To wish for a lucky new year.
C．	To protect the lions in the wild.	D．	To show skills of playing the drum.

(2). Which role does Anthony play in lion dancing?

A．

The lion’s head.

B．

The lion’s tail.

C．

The drummer.

D．

The dresser.

(3). What does the underlined word “evolve” mean?

A．

延期

B．

模仿

C．

举办

D．

演变

(4). What can we infer (推断) from Ananda’s words “We call it a family”?

A．	They bring happiness to the family.	B．	They call lion dancing a family game.
C．	They live together in a big family.	D．	They support each other like a family.

Antarctica

Weather

Antarctica lies in the most southern part of the world. It is the coldest area on Earth. There isn’t much rain, but there is a lot of snow and wind. The lowest temperature was on 21 July in 1983 at -89.2℃!

Population

Nobody lives in Antarctica all the time! The first people to stay there for a while were fishermen in 1786. Now there are about 5, 000 scientists and researchers there in the summer.

History of exploration (探险)

During 1907-1909, British explorer Earnest Shackleton explored Antarctica on foot. In 1911, two explorers—a British man named Scott and a Norwegian named Amundsen—raced 1, 400 kilometres to the South Pole (南极). Amundsen arrived first.

Animals and birds

There aren’t any large animals in Antarctica. Polar bears live at the North Pole. But there are a lot of penguins and seabirds. Every spring there are over 100 million seabirds in Antarctica.

(1). When did the lowest temperature appear in Antarctica?

A．

In 1786.

B．

In 1907.

C．

In 1911.

D．

In 1983.

(2). Who first stayed in Antarctica for some time?

A．

Fishermen.

B．

Scientists.

C．

Researchers.

D．

Explorers.

(3). Where is Earnest Shackleton from?

A．

Britain.

B．

Norway.

C．

The South Pole.

D．

The North Pole.

根据对话内容，从选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，其中有两个为多余选项。

Ann: Hello, Zoe.

Zoe: Hello, Ann. How are you doing?

Ann: ____(1)____ Are you free this weekend?

Zoe: ____(2)____ What for?

Ann: Would you like to go to the concert with me?

Zoe: Sure. ____(3)____

Ann: Country Music. I love it! It always makes me think of my hometown.

Zoe: Country music also touches me deeply. Millie and Allan love it too. ____(4)____

Ann: OK. ____(5)____

A．	Let’s go.
B．	I’m good.
C．	Yes, I am.
D．	Why not invite them along?
E．	I hope to be a music teacher.
F．	Where are they playing music?
G．	What kind of music will be played?

Recently, many people think it’s risky to use credit (信用) card numbers online. However, from time to time, we all use passwords and ID numbers on the Internet. We think we are safe, but that may not be true! A new kind of attack (攻击) is being used by dishonest people to steal IDs and credit card numbers from web surfers. This new kind of attack is called “phishing”.

Phishing sounds the same as the word “fishing”, and it means that a thief is trying to trick people into giving away valuable information. Like real fishermen, phishers use bait (诱饵) in the form of great online deals or services. For example, phishers might use false emails and websites to trick people into revealing (透露) credit card numbers, account usernames, and passwords. They imitate (模仿) well-known banks, online sellers, and credit card companies. Successful phishers may make as many as 5% of the people believe and give away their personal information.

It’s really a big problem! Actually, tricking 5% of the online population is huge. Now more than 4.6 billion people have access (进入权) to the Internet, and 75% of those Internet users live in the wealthiest countries on Earth. It has been reported that phishers send more than 40 billion false messages each year. Even by tricking only 5% of the people, phishers can make a lot of money.

Amy, 18, from California, received an email. A man told Amy that she could get a million dollars in her account as a reward if she sent a thousand dollars to him. Amy did as the man said at once. The “thief” used Amy’s Social Security number to get credit cards in her name and transferred her money.

How can people avoid being cheated online? Above all, they have to learn to recognize the email that has been sent by a phisher. Always be careful with any email with urgent (紧急的) requests for personal information. Phishers typically write upsetting or exciting, but false, statements in their emails so that people will reply right away. Never give out personal information to phishers. And if an offer sounds too good to be true, it is.

(1). Phishing is compared to ________ according to the passage.

A．

making money

B．

playing games

C．

catching fish

D．

writing emails

(2). Which writing skill is used in Para. 3?

A．

Giving examples.

B．

Listing numbers.

C．

Raising questions.

D．

Using sayings.

(3). Which of the following in the dictionary best explains the underlined word “transfer” in Para. 4?

transfer v. (transferred, transferring)

①to move from one place, school, job etc to another

②to connect the call of someone to someone else’s

③to move money from one account to another

④to change from one bus, plane etc to another

A．

①

B．

②

C．

③

D．

④

(4). Besides introducing what phishing is, the writer also tells us how to ________.

A．	help to catch phishers	B．	reply to urgent emails
C．	pay by credit card	D．	protect ourselves online

Katie’s father was at the airport waiting to meet her. She was going to spend a week with him, and usually she really enjoyed their visits. But this time was different: her dad was getting married, and Katie wasn’t at all sure if she liked the idea.

On the way from the airport to her dad’s house, Katie almost kept silent. Finally, her dad asked, “Do you want to talk about it, Katie?”

For a moment, Katie sat silently. Then she said, “I’m sorry, Dad. I just don’t think I want you to get married.”

“I thought you liked Celia,” Katie’s dad said.

“I do like Celia” Katie answered, “It’s not that at all. I just don’t know if I want her for a stepmother—that’s totally different.”

“It really is different,” her dad agreed, “But I hope you’ll get to like having Celia as a stepmother. She likes you a lot, you know, and I’ll bet Megan will, too.”

“Who’s Megan?” Katie asked. She hadn’t heard that name before.

“She’s Celia’s daughter,” her dad replied, “She is your age, actually, so maybe you’ll even have something in common.”

After dropping Katie’s luggage (行李) off at her dad’s house, Katie and her dad went to meet Celia and Megan at a restaurant. They were going to have dinner together. When they got to the restaurant, Celia and Megan were already there. Celia introduced Megan to Katie. At first, Katie didn’t know what to say to Megan. But then, Megan said, “Mom, don’t forget I have swimming practice tomorrow.”

“You like to swim?” Katie asked hopefully.

“I love it—I’m on our school swimming team,” Megan answered excitedly, “Do you swim?”

“I love to swim, too” Katie said with a smile. Maybe having Celia as a stepmother wasn’t going to be so bad after all.

(1). How did Katie feel about her dad’s getting married at the beginning of the story?

A．

Unhappy.

B．

Excited.

C．

Shocked.

D．

Agreeable.

(2). How did Katie’s dad know that Katie had something on her mind?

A．	Katie shouted at her dad.	B．	Katie wouldn’t get in the car with her dad.
C．	Katie didn’t say very much.	D．	Katie told her dad she was angry with him.

(3). The underlined word “She” refers to ________.

A．

Katie

B．

Megan

C．

Katie’s mother

D．

Megan’s mother

(4). Which sentence in the passage lets the reader know that Katie would end up being happy?

A．	“I’m sorry, Dad.”
B．	“I have swimming practice tomorrow.”
C．	“I do like Celia.
D．	“...a stepmother wasn’t going to be so bad after all.”

Victor’s project

As part of my history project on transport, I did some short interviews with people in my neighborhood. My first interview was with my friend Susan’s grandmother, Mrs. Sanderson.

Question 1

How did you get to school when you were young?

I walked to school with my friends, except for Fridays when we had to carry all of our things for school sports. Then we caught the bus. I enjoyed walking because we could chat on the way. I didn’t like it when it was raining though, but Mum always made sure I wore my raincoat and gumboots. On the other hand, I became a strong walker, and I believe that’s why I’ve been healthy all my life.

Question 2

My parents drive me to school. Why didn’t you go to school by car?

You know, we were not rich enough at that time. We could not afford a car until after I had finished school.

Question 3

How did you get around when you weren’t going to school?

We often went for a family trip by train. Most weekends we went on picnics and I loved playing with my cousins in the park. The trip took much longer than it would take by car today of course.

Question 4

How do you get around now?

How do you get around now?

I still love walking, but I need to drive my grandchildren around, so I mainly use my car. It is fast.

(1). Victor asks Question 4 to get some information about Mrs. Sanderson’s ________.

A．

present lifestyle

B．

family life

C．

lovely children

D．

memories of school

(2). In all of her answers, Mrs. Sanderson talks about ________.

A．	her grandchildren	B．	her favorite activities
C．	types of transport	D．	places she has visited

(3). Which of the following is true about Mrs. Sanderson?

A．	She used to drive to school on wet days.
B．	She couldn’t answer all Victor’s questions.
C．	She didn’t like walking to school when young.
D．	She finds it quicker to get to places these days.

(4). The best title of Victor’s finished project is probably ________.

A．	The Life of Mrs. Sanderson	B．	How Travelling Has Changed
C．	People in My Neighborhood	D．	The Importance of Being Healthy

How do you look after your cat Introduction The first step to becoming a good cat owner is to choose the right kind of cat. It is how a cat behaves that is the most important, not what she looks like or how old she is. She is going to be your best friend. You will spend a lot of time playing together. But remember, you need to look after her every day. Not just to start with, but for all her life. Understanding your pet By watching your cat closely, you will learn her special way of talking. From the movement of her tail or ears, you will see if she is happy or sad. And you will soon understand what she is saying when she miaows. Caring for your pet You will only be your cat’s best friend if you care for her properly. You will need to make sure that she eats the right foods, always has water, and can get plenty of exercise every day. You will also have to bathe (给……洗澡) her often and spend some time training her.

(1). How long will you need to look after your cat?

A．	For some days after she’s born.	B．	For the whole of her life.
C．	Until she has babies of her own.	D．	Until she is badly ill.

(2). To understand your cat, you need to ________.

A．	watch her very carefully	B．	bathe her often
C．	talk to her every day	D．	feed her proper food

(3). The last part of the passage describes ________.

A．	which food cats like best	B．	how difficult it can be to train cats
C．	the type of exercise cats enjoy most	D．	the things cat owners need to do

Imagine you are in a new city. You ask someone how to get to a bookstore. They tell you to go straight, turn left, and you will find it on your left. In fact, you can also find your way with a phone. Now imagine you are in an outdoor game. You only have a map and a compass, and instead of running down a city road, you may need to run around in the woods, climb over rocks and go up and down hills. Welcome to orienteering!

In the game of orienteering, players use a map and a compass to find stations. These stations are called controls. A special flag, usually in bright colours, marks each control. Controls are not easy to find. They may be in front of a big rock or behind a tree. In most of the games, you’ll have to find controls in numbered order, but in some games you can change the order.

At each control, players mark a card they carry with them and the card will be marked in different ways (See Figure 1). The cards are very important because players must find all the controls to win. If someone misses a control, they won’t have that mark on their cards. They might cross the finish line first, but the next person to finish with a full card will win the game.

（1）.What will players carry in the game?

A．	A map, a compass and a flag.
B．	A flag, a compass and a card.
C．	A compass, a map and a card.
D．	A phone, a compass and a map.

（2）.Which of the following is a rule of the game?

A．	You don’t need to mark the cards.
B．	You can’t miss any of the controls to win.
C．	You have to find controls in numbered order.
D．	You must be the first to pass the finish line to win.

（3）.How many controls has Anna finished in the game?

A．

9.

B．

10.

C．

11.

D．

12.

Charles Darwin

Early years

Charles Darwin was one of the six children from a big family. His grandfather and father were doctors and the young Darwin went to Edinburgh University to study medicine. However, he hated to see blood and he soon realized that he couldn’t be a doctor. He then went to Cambridge University and discovered that he had a great interest in studying plants, insects and animals. Luckily, one of Darwin's university teachers helped him join the perfect trip for a biologist: a voyage around the world to study nature.

The Beagle

In 1831, Charles Darwin left Plymouth on The Beagle, a ship that took him around the world for five years. While he was travelling, he studied the plants and animals in the countries and on the islands that the ship visited. Darwin also spent his time on The Beagle writing notes about the things he had seen.

When he finally arrived back in Britain, Darwin was already starting to create his famous theory that all living things had a common ancestor （祖先）.

At home at Down House, a place that you can still visit today, Darwin wrote many articles and books about his travels, but he didn’t want to make anything about his theory known to the public. He worked in his study, where he wrote 250,000 words about his theory of evolution （进化论）,but he was frightened about what people might say about his idea that monkeys were the ancestors of humans. He thought the public would be against it and was so frightened that he became ill

with worry. However; when another scientist started to write about similar ideas, Darwin decided to print his book, On the Origin of Species.

Most scientists accepted Darwin's theory and people continue to study it today. On 12th February the day he was born, Darwin Day is celebrated around the world to encourage more people to study the natural world.

(1).What caused Darwin to give up his study of medicine?

A．	He didn't like seeing blood.	B．	He found the studies too difficult.
C．	He found the studies too difficult.	D．	He was advised to study natural science.

(2).Why was the trip on The Beagle important to Darwin?

A．	It helped him to finish his study at the university.
B．	It allowed him to change his mind about his fixture.
C．	It gave him ideas about the beginnings of human life.
D．	It got him to complete his most famous book on the ship.

(3).In what order did the following happen in Darwin's life?

a.He arrived back in Britain in 1836.

b.He thought the public would not support his ideas.

c.He became interested in studying the natural world.

d.He printed his famous book, On the Origin of Species.

e.He received help to get a place on a trip around the world.

f.He studied the plants and animals on the islands he visited.

A．	e→f→c→a→b→d	B．	c→e→f→a→b→d
C．	e-→f→a→c→d→b	D．	c→e→f→d→a→b

(4).Why did the writer include the last paragraph?

A．	To introduce Darwin's famous book.
B．	To tell how people celebrate Darwin Day.
C．	To explain why people accept Darwin's ideas.
D．	To show Darwin's influence on natural science.

Slowly but surely, Amy and her grandparents were making progress. Boxes of all sizes were placed on top of each other throughout the house. Amy's grandparents had lived in the house for years and they had collected many things.

The dining room was foil of memories. Amy's grandfather kept many fine dinner plates （盘子）from his hometown. Amy remembered that they ate from the red, yellow, and blue plates during important holidays.

After carefully wrapping up （包裹）the plates and putting them into a box, Amy lifted it up and moved it out of the way. But the box was too heavy. It suddenly fell from her arms and dropped to the floor. All three of them heard the plates shatter.

"I'm sorry!" Amy apologised.

"It's okay," her grandfather said quietly. "It was an accident? "

They opened the box and, sure enough, many of the plates were broken. Only a few remained whole. Looking at the small pieces, Amy felt really terrible. She knew these plates were passed down from her great grandparents and ...

“Don’t worry,” her grandmother said, patting her on the back. Carefully, they put the broken pieces into a rubbish bag.

They continued packing for a little while, but Amy still felt very sorry. She was trying very hard to think of a way to make it up for her grandparents.

Soon, Amy’s father came.

"I have to go," she said. "Dad is here to pick me up."

She kissed her grandparents both, picked up the bag of the broken pieces and left.

“What's that?” her father asked, as Amy climbed into the car.

Amy looked at the bag in her hands as an idea came to her, "This," she said, "is an art project?,

The following day, Amy went to an art store and bought everything she needed. Then she started to work. She used a thin board as the base. Then she took out the colourful plate pieces and glued them in a creative way on the board. When it was dry, Amy wrapped it up.

A few days later, Amy's family had a big dinner at her grandparents’ new house. She handed her gift to her grandparents.

“This is fantastic, Amy!” said her grandfather.

“I can't wait to hang it up in our new home,” Amy's grandmother said as she gave her a big hug.

(1).What was Amy helping her grandparents do at the beginning of the story?

A．	Move to a new house.
B．	Wrap up some presents.
C．	Collect fine dinner plates.
D．	Prepare a big family dinner.

(2).Why did Amy feel sorry for the broken plates?

A．	They were never used by the family.
B．	They were valuable holiday presents.
C．	They were meaningful family treasures.
D．	They were expensive hometown products.

(3).How did Amy finally deal with the broken plate pieces?

A．	She sent them to an art store.
B．	She put them in her father's car.
C．	She made a special gift with them.
D．	She threw them into a rubbish bag.

(4).Which of the following best describes Amy?

A．	Kind and creative.
B．	rave but forgetful.
C．	careless but helpful.
D．	Funny and hardworking