On December 5th, 2013, Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, died at the age of 95.

He was born in Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918.When he was a child, he worshiped(崇拜) national heroes very much. After he graduated from the university, he threw himself into the struggle(斗争) for anti-apartheid (反种族隔离制度). He was sentenced to life imprisonment(终身监禁) and was in prison(监狱) for 27 years. In 1994, Mandela became the first black president in the history of South Africa. In his life, he won nearly 100 awards. In 1993, he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

   Mandela also paid close attention to AIDS. He established AIDS Foundation(艾滋病基金）named after him. As we all know that Africans love sports very much. In order to hold the 2010 World Cup, he also did his best, though he was very old and weak. The World Cup of South Africa began on June 11, 2010. This was not only a football match for Africans but something more. It was filled with his strong wish—peace and unity(团结). Mandela got the respect from all over the world. So South African people said, “Our nation has lost its greatest son, our people have lost a father.” Now, the birthday of Mandela, July 18th, became an international festival—the International Mandela Day.

1.Who was Nelson Mandela?

A. Former President of South Africa           B. A football player

C. An AIDS patient                          D. A thief

2.How old was he when he died?

A. 74                                     B. 95                            C. 27                            D.75

3.What does “sentenced” mean in Chinese?                 

A.  句子                      B. 练习                       C.宣判                    D. 暗杀   

4.When is the International Mandela Day?

A. June 18                     B. June 11              C. January 18          D. July 18

5.Which of the following is NOT true about the passage?

A. Mandela was put into the prison because he was a thief.

B. Mandela loved peace and freedom.

C. Mandela got the respect of the world.

D. Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Clothing is a language. It tells us about individual people: their personality, their age, their place in society and so on. If we want to know more about society, we can look at traditional clothing.

The continent of Africa has a long history and a rich culture, and this is shown in traditional dress. You often find three colours — red, gold and green in the clothing. The first colour stands for the blood of millions of people who suffered as slaves(奴隶); the second is for the rich resources of the African earth; and the third represents the grasslands of home.
The patterns(图案) on the clothing also have a meaning. A common pattern is in the form of a cross “×”, which stands for “unity”. Another pattern is a rectangular box, which represents “strength”.
Because clothing has a strong social meaning, people are very careful in choosing what to wear. It would be a serious mistake to wear the wrong clothing, or to wear clothes in the wrong way. For instance, in Ghana, a woman should wear her waistband differently according to the importance of the social event.
Traditional dress also tells us about everyday life. African designs are famous for loose(宽松的) clothing. The climate, with the hot sun and wide temperature ranges(变化), requires that the clothes are comfortable for daily life.
Although many people wear western clothes, particularly in the big cities in Africa, traditional dress is very highly valued(评价). This is because it has deep cultural meanings.
【小题1】According to the passage, red ________.

Clothing is a language. It tells us about individual people: their personality, their age, their place in society and so on. If we want to know more about society, we can look at traditional clothing.

??? The continent of Africa has a long history and a rich culture, and this is shown in traditional dress. You often find three colours — red, gold and green in the clothing. The first colour stands for the blood of millions of people who suffered as slaves(奴隶); the second is for the rich resources of the African earth; and the third represents the grasslands of home.

The patterns(图案) on the clothing also have a meaning. A common pattern is in the form of a cross “×”, which stands for “unity”. Another pattern is a rectangular box, which represents “strength”.

??? Because clothing has a strong social meaning, people are very careful in choosing what to wear. It would be a serious mistake to wear the wrong clothing, or to wear clothes in the wrong way. For instance, in Ghana, a woman should wear her waistband differently according to the importance of the social event.

Traditional dress also tells us about everyday life. African designs are famous for loose(宽松的) clothing. The climate, with the hot sun and wide temperature ranges(变化), requires that the clothes are comfortable for daily life.

??? Although many people wear western clothes, particularly in the big cities in Africa, traditional dress is very highly valued(评价). This is because it has deep cultural meanings.

1.According to the passage, red ________.

A. represents the setting sun???????

B. stands for African unity

C. is chosen because it is a bright colour??

D. is a reminder(暗示) of the sad history in Africa

2.Traditional dress should also be practical(实用) because ________.

A. it has deep cultural meanings???

B. people wear it in the big cities

C. it needs to protect people from the climate

D. it needs to keep people dry in the rainy season

3.According to the passage, which sentence is NOT RIGHT?

A. African dress has deep cultural meanings. 

B. Africa has a long history and a rich culture.

C. The rectangular box in the pattern represents “strength”.

D. People in the big cities in Africa prefer to wear western clothes.

4.The passage is mainly about ________ in Africa.??

A. the history of clothes  ?????????????

B. modern fashion styles

C. the meanings of traditional dress?????

D. the materials used in traditional dress