It was a beautiful day at the beach—blue sky, gentle wind, calm sea．I knew these things because a man sitting five feet from me was shouting them into his mobile phone, like a play-by-play announcer （实况解说员）.

“IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY,” he shouted．“THE SKY IS BLUE, AND THERE’S A GENTLE WIND, AND THE WATER IS CALM, AND…”

Behind me, a woman, her mobile phone pressed to her ear was walking back and forth.

“She DIDN’T,” she was saying．“No．She DIDN’T．She DID? Really? Are you SERIOUS? She did NOT．She DID? No she…”

And so on．This woman had two children, who were playing in the sea．I found myself watching them, because the woman surely was not．A huge squid could have caught and snatched the children, and this woman would not have noticed．Or, if she had noticed, she’d have said, “Listen．I have to go, because a huge squid just……No! She didn’t ! She DID? No! She……”

And next to me, the play-by-play man would have said: “…AND A HUGE SQUID JUST ATE TWO CHILDREN, AND I’M GETTING A LITTLE SUNBURNED, AND …”

It used to be that the major trouble at the beach was the fellow who brought a boom box （便携式录音机） and turned it up so loud that the bass notes caused seagulls to explode．But at least you knew where these fellows were; you never know which beachgoers have mobile phones．You’ll settle next to what appears to be a sleeping sunbather, or even （you hope） a corpse , and you’ll lie happily on your towel, and you’ll get all the way to the second sentence of your 467-page book before you fall asleep to the hypnotic surge of the surf （催人入梦的潮声）, and …

BREEP! BREEP! The corpse sits up, feels urgently for its mobile phone, and shouts “Hello! I’m at the beach! Yes! It’s nice! Very peaceful! What? She did? No, she didn’t! She DID? No, she…”

Loud mobile-phoners never seem to get urgent calls．Just once, I’d like to hear one of them say, “Hello? Yes, this is Dr．Johnson．Oh, Dr．Smith．You’ve opened the abdominal cavity （腹腔）? Good! Now the appendix should be right under the … What? No, that’s the liver．Don’t take THAT out, ha ha! Oh, you did? My God! OK, now listen carefully…”

1.From the passage we can know that the writer of the passage _____.

A．had a wonderful holiday at the beach

B．must have suffered a lot because of the terrible weather

C．is only interested in talks by doctors about operation

D．experienced an unhappy holiday at the beach

2.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A．The writer often spends his holidays at the beach.

B．A huge squid ate two children while their mother was not watching.

C．Some people used to play boom box while spending their holidays at the beach.

D．Some people often make loud mobile phone calls without caring for others.

3.The underlined word“ corpse”in this passage has the closest meaning to________.

A．a dead body	B．a loud mobile phone
C．a sound sleeper	D．a sleep lover

4.In the past the fellow who brought a boom box_________.

A．turned it up to make the seagulls happy

B．turned it up to cause the seagulls to explode

C．might cause less trouble than the beachgoers with mobile phones

D．might cause more trouble than the beachgoers with mobile phones

5.We can infer from the passage that _______.

A．the writer is interested in mobile phone.

B．the writer hates people using mobile phone

C．the writer hates to be disturbed while enjoying holidays on the beach.

D．the writer seldom finishes reading a book before going to sleep.

 

Thanks to the huge success of Harry Potter, many teenagers dream about living in an ancient castle. These dreams may include beautiful silk dresses, delicious food, servants and of course, magic. However, real life in an English castle was not easy. With thick stonewalls and high towers, castles were built for defence(防御). So they were not good places to live in. In medieval times, castles must have been noisy and smelly places. Horses, cattle, chickens and sheep walked free, blacksmiths did ironwork, soldiers practised sword (剑) fights, and children of all ages played around them. Castles did not have central heating; the only heat came from the fireplace. Even in summer the castle was cool. People living in the castles had to use blankets to keep warm while at work.

Life during the Middle Ages began at sunrise. Servants lit the fire, swept the floor and cooked the morning meal. The mid-morning meal was the main meal of the day and often included three or four courses (一道菜). After dinner, everyone continued his or her work. The owner of the castle, the lord, sometimes took his guests hunting or shooting. His wife, the lady, spent much of the day watching the maids (女仆) work, as well as people working in the kitchen. She also kept an eye on the weavers and embroiderers who made clothes for the family. Supper was simple and eaten late, just before bedtime.

You may find some old magic books in a castle as Harry Potter once did. Read them before you go to bed, because when you fall asleep the magic of castle life may appear before your eyes.

1. For what purpose were the castles built in England?

A. To defend the city or country against enemies.

B. To provide a working place for blacksmiths.

C. To raise poultry (家禽) and livestock (家畜).

D. To provide a place for teenagers to learn magic.

2. Why were the ancient castles noisy?

A. Because soldiers practiced sword fights there.

B. Because blacksmiths did ironwork there.

C. Because children of all ages played around them.

D. All of the above.

3. Which of the following about family life in castles is true according to the passage?

A. The servants in castles lived an easy life.

B. The wife spent much of the day at home.

C. Supper was eaten before sunset.

D. Dinner was eaten in the middle of the day.

4.The main idea of this passage is ______.

A. castles were not good places to live in

B. castles in novels are different from those in history

C. Harry Potter's story in a castle affected people

D. what real life was like in an ancient castle

 

It was a beautiful day at the beach—blue sky, gentle wind, calm sea．I knew these things because a man sitting five feet from me was shouting them into his mobile phone, like a play-by-play announcer （实况解说员）.

“IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY,” he shouted．“THE SKY IS BLUE, AND THERE’S A GENTLE WIND, AND THE WATER IS CALM, AND…”

Behind me, a woman, her mobile phone pressed to her ear was walking back and forth.

“She DIDN’T,” she was saying．“No．She DIDN’T．She DID? Really? Are you SERIOUS? She did NOT．She DID? No she…”

And so on．This woman had two children, who were playing in the sea．I found myself watching them, because the woman surely was not．A huge squid could have caught and snatched the children, and this woman would not have noticed．Or, if she had noticed, she’d have said, “Listen．I have to go, because a huge squid just……No! She didn’t ! She DID? No! She……”

And next to me, the play-by-play man would have said: “…AND A HUGE SQUID JUST ATE TWO CHILDREN, AND I’M GETTING A LITTLE SUNBURNED, AND …”

It used to be that the major trouble at the beach was the fellow who brought a boom box （便携式录音机） and turned it up so loud that the bass notes caused seagulls to explode．But at least you knew where these fellows were; you never know which beachgoers have mobile phones．You’ll settle next to what appears to be a sleeping sunbather, or even （you hope） a corpse , and you’ll lie happily on your towel, and you’ll get all the way to the second sentence of your 467-page book before you fall asleep to the hypnotic surge of the surf （催人入梦的潮声）, and …

BREEP! BREEP! The corpse sits up, feels urgently for its mobile phone, and shouts “Hello! I’m at the beach! Yes! It’s nice! Very peaceful! What? She did? No, she didn’t! She DID? No, she…”

Loud mobile-phoners never seem to get urgent calls．Just once, I’d like to hear one of them say, “Hello? Yes, this is Dr．Johnson．Oh, Dr．Smith．You’ve opened the abdominal cavity （腹腔）? Good! Now the appendix should be right under the … What? No, that’s the liver．Don’t take THAT out, ha ha! Oh, you did? My God! OK, now listen carefully…”

From the passage we can know that the writer of the passage _____.

       A．had a wonderful holiday at the beach

       B．must have suffered a lot because of the terrible weather

       C．is only interested in talks by doctors about operation

       D．experienced an unhappy holiday at the beach

According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

       A．The writer often spends his holidays at the beach.

       B．A huge squid ate two children while their mother was not watching.

       C．Some people used to play boom box while spending their holidays at the beach.

       D．Some people often make loud mobile phone calls without caring for others.

The underlined word“ corpse”in this passage has the closest meaning to________.

       A．a dead body           B．a loud mobile phone        

       C．a sound sleeper        D．a sleep lover

In the past the fellow who brought a boom box_________.

       A．turned it up to make the seagulls happy

       B．turned it up to cause the seagulls to explode

       C．might cause less trouble than the beachgoers with mobile phones

       D．might cause more trouble than the beachgoers with mobile phones

We can infer from the passage that _______.

     A．the writer is interested in mobile phone.

     B．the writer hates people using mobile phone

     C．the writer hates to be disturbed while enjoying holidays on the beach.

     D．the writer seldom finishes reading a book before going to sleep.

Thanks to the huge success of Harry Potter, many teenagers dream about living in an ancient castle. These dreams may include beautiful silk dresses, delicious food, servants and of course, magic. However, real life in an English castle was not easy. With thick stonewalls and high towers, castles were built for defence(防御). So they were not good places to live in. In medieval times, castles must have been noisy and smelly places. Horses, cattle, chickens and sheep walked free, blacksmiths did ironwork, soldiers practised sword (剑) fights, and children of all ages played around them. Castles did not have central heating; the only heat came from the fireplace. Even in summer the castle was cool. People living in the castles had to use blankets to keep warm while at work.
Life during the Middle Ages began at sunrise. Servants lit the fire, swept the floor and cooked the morning meal. The mid-morning meal was the main meal of the day and often included three or four courses (一道菜). After dinner, everyone continued his or her work. The owner of the castle, the lord, sometimes took his guests hunting or shooting. His wife, the lady, spent much of the day watching the maids (女仆) work, as well as people working in the kitchen. She also kept an eye on the weavers and embroiderers who made clothes for the family. Supper was simple and eaten late, just before bedtime.
You may find some old magic books in a castle as Harry Potter once did. Read them before you go to bed, because when you fall asleep the magic of castle life may appear before your eyes.
【小题1】 For what purpose were the castles built in England?

A．To defend the city or country against enemies.

B．To provide a working place for blacksmiths.

C．To raise poultry (家禽) and livestock (家畜).

D．To provide a place for teenagers to learn magic.

【小题2】 Why were the ancient castles noisy?

A．Because soldiers practiced sword fights there.

B．Because blacksmiths did ironwork there.

C．Because children of all ages played around them.

D．All of the above.

【小题3】 Which of the following about family life in castles is true according to the passage?

A．The servants in castles lived an easy life.

B．The wife spent much of the day at home.

C．Supper was eaten before sunset.

D．Dinner was eaten in the middle of the day.

【小题4】The main idea of this passage is ______.

A．castles were not good places to live in

B．castles in novels are different from those in history

C．Harry Potter's story in a castle affected people

D．what real life was like in an ancient castle

 A warm blanket is the ideal sleep aid for a freezing winter night. The right blanket can warm your bones but the wrong one can affect your sleep. I asked experts for advice on picking the perfect blanket for a good night’s sleep. Here’s what they told me.

     When it comes to sleep temperature, experts recommend following the principle: not too cold, not too hot, but just right. “People seem to sleep best at temperature between 62 and 70 degrees F,” says Dr. Alice Hoagland. When the surrounding temperature falls too low, it can rouse you from sleep. A good blanket helps drive the coldness away.

     At the other extreme, overheating yourself can affect your sleep as well. “Core body temperature typically drops during the first four hour’s of sleep,” says Dr. Hoagland. This decline in body temperature helps you fall asleep and stay asleep.

     “In medical care, weighted blankets are one of our most powerful tools for helping people who are anxious, upset, and possibly losing control,” says Dr. Karen Moore. These special blankets are filled with weighted pellets. Weighted blankets are also marketed for general use as an aid to sleep and relaxation. Like a firm hug, weighted blankets help us feel safe.” This is the reason why many people like to sleep under a blanket even in summer.

     “If you want to try this type of blanket, the best weight depends on your body size and personal preference. However, 15 to 30 pounds is typical for adults,” Moor says. She adds that weighted blankets are not recommended for those recovering from surgery.

     “People can also have serious preferences for a particular blanket,” says Dr. Hoagland. “Regularly using a favorite blanket for sleep can help to develop a conditioned response so that sleep is quicker.” In fact, many sleep centers ask patients to bring their own blanket and pillow from home, which helps them fall asleep more easily.

1.The author wrote the passage mainly to tell us _____.

A. the importance of blankets

B. how to choose the perfect blanket

C. different materials used to make blankets

D. the history and usage of blankets

2.The underlined word “rouse” in Paragraph 2 is the closest in meaning to “______”.

A. wake up     B. take up     C. make up     D. pick up

3.What do we know from the passage?

A. Body temperature rises when we fall asleep

B. The perfect sleep temperature should be above 70 degrees F.

C. Weighted blankets should be at least 30 pounds.

D. People are advised to use their own blankets.