Big Ben is not the name of a man. It is the name of a huge clock in London. London is the capital of
England. This clock has four faces. So, no matter where you stand, you can read the time on the face of
Big Ben. Each face is about the size of a double-decker (双层) bus. The hands are about four meters
long. It is about the size of two people standing on top of each other. If you go to London, you may want
to visit the Houses of Parliament (议会大厦). In that place, you will find Big Ben sits at the top of the
clock tower. In the Houses of Parliament, you will probably hear it as well as see it. The giant clock makes
such a loud noise, ding dong, ding dong. It sounds every quarter of an hour.
     The clock was named after a big man. He was Sir Benjamin Hall. This man did much building work in
London many years ago.

1. Big Ben is _____.

A. a double-decker bus
B. a huge clock
C. the short for Benjiamin
D. a building

2. The clock strikes every _____.

A. ten minutes
B. fifteen minutes
C. thirty minutes
D. forty-five minutes

3. Which two words mean the same as large?

A. Big and double.
B. Huge and loud.
C. Giant and huge.
D. Giant and small.

4. You can tell the time of Big Ben _____.

A. at the top of the clock tower
B. in the Houses of Parliament
C. by the huge clock hands
D. on the four faces of the clock

5. The title of this passage is _____.

A. Big Ben
B. A clock
C. Sir Benjamin Hall
D. The Capital of England

     When we look to the east of Shanghai, we are sure to see a beautiful tower, especially in the evening
when the lights are on. That is the Oriental Pearl TV Tower.
     The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is 468 meters high, the tallest in Asia (亚洲) and the third in the world.
It weighs 125,000 tons. We know the weight of the Eiffel Tower in Paris is only 7,000 tons.
     The Oriental Pearl TV Tower can help broadcasting (广播) and TV transmission (转播). There are
six high-speed elevators (电梯) in the Tower. People can go up and have a beautiful view (视野) of
Shanghai.
     There are eleven steel (钢) balls in the Tower. They look like 11 beautiful "pearls" in the sky. The
lowest one is 68 meters high and the highest pearl is called the Space Cabin. It is 343 meters high. Going
up from the Space Cabin, we can reach the top of the tower. If you'd like to spend a night in the Tower,
there are eleven hotels, KTV rooms and a disco hall.
   Today the Oriental Pearl TV Tower becomes a new symbol of Shanghai.

1. The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is _____ according to the passage.

A. the tallest in the world
B. the tallest only in China
C. the tallest in Asia
D. the heaviest in the world

2. The tower is _____.

A. higher than the Eiffel Tower
B. almost 470 meters high
C. 68 meters high
D. 7,000 tons

3. People call the tower "The Oriental Pearl TV Tower" may be because _____.

A. it is made up of 11 steel balls
B. it has 11 steel balls inside
C. it looks like a pearl in the sky
D. people can see 11 shining steel balls from outside

4. People like going up the top of the Tower to _____.

A. enjoy the beautiful city
B. spend a night
C. have a rest
D. sing and play in KTV rooms

5. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the Tower in the passage?

A. The weight of the Tower.
B. The height of the Tower.
C. The functions (功能) of the Tower.
D. How many people visit the Tower every year.

     If you are tired of high buildings and wide streets, then come to Beijing's hutongs (北京胡同).
     Beijing is the home to thousands of hutongs. The word "hutong"   1   from the Mongolian language
about 700 years ago. They were built in the Ming and Qing dynasties (朝代). But you can still find some
built in the Yuan dynasty. They are very   2   as a window to Beijing folk life in the past. Some people
even   3   hutongs as the "encyclopedia (百科全书) of Beijing" or the "museum of history and culture (文
化) of Beijing".
     Every year, a lot of foreign   4   come to Beijing. Many of them like to visit hutongs. From it they know
Beijing and the   5   of the local (当地的) people in the past better. They are very   6   in the wonderful
design (设计) of hutongs. But most of the hutongs were pulled   7  , only a few   8  . For many people, it
is a very sad thing. We should do our   9   to protect and   10   the hutongs, because we can learn a lot
from them about history and people in ancient China.

     Dragon (龙) Boat Festival is coming near, which is celebrated every year on May 5th in the lunar
calendar (农历). This festival was started 2 000 years ago with a number of stories explaining its origin
(来源). The best - known story is about one of Chiese greatest poets (诗人) named Qu Yuan who lost
his life in the river on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. People commemorate (纪念) Qu Yuan through
dragon boat races, eating zongzi and several other activities. The dragon boat race is the most exciting part of the festival.
     Dragon Boat Festival is regarded as one of the traditional festivals throughout China.

同义句转换，每空一词。
1. Dragon Boat Festival is regarded as one of the traditional festrvals around China.
    Dragon Boat Festival is regarded as one of the traditional festivals _____ _____China.
根据短文内容简答问题。
2. What is the most exciting part of Dragon Boat Festival?
                                                                            .

     The Winter Olympics is also called the White Olympics. At this time, many colorful stamps will come
out to mark(标志) the great Games. The first stamps marking the opening appeared on January 25, 1932
in the United States for the 3rd White Olympics. From then on, stamps for the White Olympics became a
rule.
     During the 4th Winter Olympic Games, a group of stamps were off press in Germany in November
1936. It was the first time that the five rings appeared of the stamps of the White Olympics.
     In the 1950's, stamps of this kind became more colorful. When the White Olympics came, the host
countries as well as the non-host countries worked out stamps to mark those games. China also made
four stamps in February 1980, when the Chinese sportsmen began to take part in the White Olympics.
     Japan is the only Asian country that has ever held the White Olympics. Altogether, 14,500 million
stamps were sold to raise(筹集) money for this sports meet.
     Different kinds of sports were pictured on these small stamps. People can enjoy the beauty of the
wonderful movements of some sportsmen.

1. The White Olympics and the Winter Olympics _____.

A. are the same thing
B. are different games
C. are not held in winter
D. are held in summer

2.It was made a rule to work out stamps to mark the great world Games _____.

A. after the year 1936
B. after the 3rd White Olympics
C. before the 3rd White Olympics
D. before the year 1932

3.The Winter Olympics is held once _____.

A. every two years
B. every three years
C. every four years
D. every five years

4.Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Only the host countries can make stamps to mark the Games.
B. Only the non-host countries can make stamps to mark the Games.
C. All countries can make stamps to mark the Games.
D. Japan can't make stamps to mark the Games.

5. What may appear on the stamps of the White Olympics?

A. Basketball.
B. Table tennis.
C. Football.
D. Skating.

1. _____ is one of places of interest in China.            

A. The Great Wall
B. Fuji
C. Kremlin

2. This summer holiday I want to travel to Europe. According to the form I can go to _____.

A. Japan
B. America
C. Russia

3. The area of China is _____ as big as that of Japan.

A. 15 times
B. 20 times
C. 25 times

4. From the information above we know that in America there are _____ people for every square
    kilometer.

A. 23
B. 32
C. 51

5. Which of the following is true according to the form above?

A. Not all of these four countries' population is over a hundred million.
B. Among the four capitals, half of them are in Asia.
C. If you want to see the Statue of Liberty (自由女神像) you'd better go to Japan.

     In China, many young people like playing soccer. It's very popular. But the Chinese don't call it soccer. They call it football. Are they different?
     In fact, there are two kinds of football games. One is American football, and the other is soccer. There are 11 players in a soccer team. And the soccer is round. Only the goal-keeper can play the ball with
hands. The others can't play the ball with hands, and they can only play it with their feet.
     In the U.S.A., soccer is not very popular. They prefer playing American football to soccer. There are
also 11 players in an American football team. The ball is not round. It's oval. All the players can play the
ball with hands and feet. And the goal is bigger than the one of soccer games. American football is quite
different from soccer.

根据短文内容，回答下列问题。

1.Which sport is very popular with many young people in China?
   _______________________________________________
2.How many players are there in an American football team?
   _____________________________________________
3.What's the shape of American football?
   _____________________________________________
4.How many players in a team can play football with hands in a soccer game?
   _____________________________________________
5.In the U.S.A., soccer is also very popular, isn't it?
   _____________________________________________