阅读理解

　　A long time ago men hunted for their food. Often they killed wild animals, birds or fish. How did they kill the beasts? They used rocks and wooden sticks, sometimes they fought with their own hands and bodies.

　　Later on, people began fighting each other. Everyone wanted more food and mom land. They made arrows from sticks, they also made spears from stones. Then somebody invented the gun. Soldiers were taught how to shoot and kill enemy soldiers. Great wars were fought and many people died.

　　A famous general cried as he looked at one battle field. His soldiers were fighting well, but he felt very sad. He turned to his men and said, “My soldiers, I am going to ask you a question. The one who gives the best answer will receive a medal . The question is this: Who is the strongest power in the world?”

　　Four soldiers raised their hands. They wanted to answer the general's question. The general asked the first soldier to speak.

　　“Sir.” said the young man, “I think my gun is the strongest power. It can kill a person or an animal from a great distance.” “Thank you. ”said the general, “Next. ” He pointed to the man who was his best soldier.

　　“A soldier is stronger. ” said the second man, “He must shoot the gun and aim well. A gun's power comes from the way it is used.”

　　The third soldier thought he had the, best answer of all . “No, sir, ” he said, “our general is the strongest power. He gives the orders for his soldiers to shoot their guns.”

　　The general said nothing. He waited for the last man to answer his question. The fourth soldier answered the general's question this way, “I believe, sir, that the greatest power on the earth is love. It makes the general decide if he wants his soldiers to use their guns. Also, if men had more love for each other, they would not use their guns.”

　　The general gave the medal to the last man. Now if you were this general, which of your soldiers would receive the medal?

1．A long time ago, man led ________ life.

[　　]

A．a happy

B．a hard

C．an active

D．a strange

2．What caused mom people to die in the battle fields?

[　　]

A．The invention of the gun.

B．The invention of the arrow.

C．The invention of the spear .

D．The invention of the wooden stick.

3．From the third soldier's answer, we can see that ________.

[　　]

A．the general was the greatest power

B．the general was good at shooting

C．the soldier wanted to please the general

D．the soldier wanted to fight against the general

4．What does the fourth soldier's love mean?

[　　]

A．Love can make guns fire.

B．Love among people can stop war from breaking out.

C．Love can make people fight for peace.

D．B and

C．

5．This passage seems to show us that the general ________.

[　　]

A．liked to make jokes on his soldiers

B．liked testing his soldiers

C．liked crying in the battle fields

D．hope the world to he peaceful

　　If you are ever lucky to be invited to a formal dinner party in Paris, remember that the French have their own way of doing things, and that even your finest manners may not be “correct” by French custom. For example, if you think showing up promptly at the time given on the invitation, armed with gifts of wine and roses, complimenting your hostess on her cooking, laughing heartily at the host's jokes and then leaping up to help the hostess will make you the perfect guest, think again.

　　Here Madame Nora Chabal, the marketing director of the Ritz Hotel in paris, explained how it works.

　　The first duty of the guest is to respond to the invitation within 48 hours. And, the guest may not ask to bring a guest because the hostess has chosen her own.

　　Flowers sent in advance are the preferred gift. They may also be sent afterwards with a thank-you note. It is considered a very bad form to arrive with s gift of flowers in hand there by forcing the hostess to deal with finding a vase when she is too busy to do that. See, that's the logic! The type of flowers sent has a code of its own, too. One must never send chrysanthemums because they are considered too humble a flower for occasion. Carnations are considered bad luck, and calla lilies are too reminiscent（令人联想）of funerals（葬礼）. A bouquet of red roses is a declaration of romantic intent. Don't send those unless you mean it, and never to a married hostess. And though the French love wine, you must never bring a bottle to a dinner party. Why, it's as if you feared your hosts would not have enough wine on land, and that's an insult. You may, however, offer a box of chocolates which the hostess will pass after dinner with coffee.

　　If an invitation is for eight o'clock, the considerate guest arrives at 8:15. Guests who arrive exactly on time or early are mere thoughtless ones who are not giving the hostess those last few minutes she needs to deal with details and

crises, The “correct” guest arrives between 15 to 20 minutes after the hour because dinner will be served exactly 30 minutes past the time on the invitation.

(1) Which of the following statements is right according to the French custom?

[　　]

A．When you receive an invitation, reply to it within two days. You'd better send flowers in advance.

B．Arrive exactly on time at the dinner party.

C．Bring a bottle of good wine to the dinner party.

D．Telephone to ask if you could bring a good friend to the party.

(2) Which of the following is right about sending flowers?

[　　]

A．If someone is dead, send chrysanthemums or calla lilies.

B．If someone is ill in hospital, send carnations.

C．If you are invited to a dinner party, send red roses to the hostess.

D．If you are in love with someone, send red roses.

(3) If you are in love with someone, send red roses, what should you do?

[　　]

A．Bring a bouquet of flowers when you go to the party.

B．Send a bouquet of flowers afterwards with a thank-you note.

C．Bring a bottle of wine instead of a bouquet of flowers.

D．The hostess will never mind of you send flower or not.

(4) What is the passage mainly about?

[　　]

A．How to hold a dinner party.

B．How to send flowers.

C．Good manners at a French dinner party.

D．Different countries have different manners.

阅读理解

　　When Charles Stratton was five, he stopped growing. His mother took him to see the famous showman, P. T. Barnum. Mr. Barnum thought a small person would be the perfect addition to his show. He hired Charles' parents along with him, and they traveled the world together.

　　He gave the two - foot - tall Charles name, General Tom Thumb. He taught Tom how to sing, dance, act and tell jokes. When he felt Tom was ready to perform on stage, he made up ads. To stir up(激起)great interest, he said that Tom was eleven years old and had come from England.

　　During the show, Tom fought battles pretendedly with tall people. He also danced upon a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall.

　　Tom's act was very popular and brought in a lot of money. By the time Tom was an adult, he had grown very rich. He had become a billionaire at the age of twenty-five.

　　Fortunately for Tom, Mr. Barnum added more little people to his show, and Torn became lucky in love as well. One of the little people was Lavinia Warren, a school teacher. Tom was able to win her love, and they married.

　　The ceremony (庆典) and reception were the talk of the town. They were attended by many rich and famous people and by about 2,000 guests. Crowds filled the streets of New York to have a look at their tiny wedding marriage. The couple even met with President Abraham Lincoln on their honeymoon just before going to live in Tom's house in Connecticut.

　　Their wedding, which took place during the Civil War, provided a welcome escape from the sad problems of war. Not willing to let this bit of sunshine fade(浅谈), communities throughout the country sponsored (主持)“Tom Thumb”weddings. In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun.

1．“Talk of the town”means ________.

[　　]

A．it was in the newspaper

B．people spread mean rumors(谣言) about it

C．it was the most popular happening

D．it was discussed in a city meeting

2．What does the author think about Tom Thumb's wedding?

[　　]

A．People gave it too much of their attention.

B．It helped people cheer up in a dark time.

C．It was funny and ridiculous(荒谬可笑的).

D．Tom and Lavinia were stupid.

3．Which of the following is the best clue to the fact that Tom was smart?

[　　]

A．He became a billionaire at twenty-five.

B．He learned how to sing, dance, and act at a very young age.

C．He met with President Lincoln during his honeymoon.

D．He married a school teacher.

4．Tom would dance on a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall because ________.

[　　]

A．the wooden plate would make it sound as if Tom was tap dancing

B．it made Tom feel taller

C．the eight-foot-tall man was the only tall person Tom trusted

D．die difference between them would make Tom look even smaller

5．What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

[　　]

A．Weddings always make people feel full of sunshine.

B．People are always disappointed during war time.

C．Entertainment can serve an important purpose.

D．People should be married when they are small children.

Britain and France are separated by the English Channel, a body of water that can be crossed in as few as 20 minutes. But the cultures of the two countries sometimes seem to be miles apart.
　　Last Thursday Britain and France celebrated the 100th anniversary(周年纪念) of the signing of a friendship agreement called the Entente Cordiality. The agreement—signed in London on April 8, 1904—marked a new beginning for the countries following centuries of wars and love-hate partnership.
　　But their relationship has been ups and downs over the past century. Just last year, there were fierce disagreements over the Iraq war—which British Prime Minister Tony Blair supported despite(不管, 尽管) French President Jacques Chirac speaking out against it. This discomfort is expressed in Blair and Chirac's body language at international meetings. While the French leader often greets German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder with a hug (拥抱), Blair just receives a handshake.
However, some political experts say the war in Iraq could in fact have helped ties. “The British population was against war, ” said Francois Heisbourg, director of the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research(战略基金研究会). “So it could have actually helped bring the two sides closer. ”
　　The history of divisions(分割, 区分) may well be because of the very different ways in which the two sides see the world. “The French think Britain is not doing its best to become part of Europe by not introducing the single European currency(货币), ” said Geoff Hare, a former lecturer in French politics and language at Newcastle University in Britain. “France has spent the past 15 to 20 years making itself seen as part of the European Union. ”
　 But this doesn't stop 12 million Britons taking holidays in France each year. However,only 3 million French come in the opposite direction. Surveys show that most French people feel closer to the Germans than they do to the British. And the research carried out in Britain has found that only a third of the population believes the French can be trusted.Perhaps this bad feeling comes because the British dislike France's close relationship with Germany. Or because the French are not happy with Britain's close links with the US.
　　Whatever the answer is, as both sides celebrate 100 years of “doubtful friendship”, they are at least able to make jokes about each other. Here's one:What's the best thing about Britain's relationship with France? The English Channel.
1. For centuries, the relationship between England and France is______.
A. friendly
B. impolite
C. brotherly
D. a mixture of love and hate
2. The war in Iraq does ______ to the relationship between France and England.
A. good
B. harm
C. neither good nor harm
D. both good and harm
3. The British are not so friendly to ______ and the French are not so friendly to ______.
A. Germany;America
B. America;Germany
C. Germany;Germany too
D. America;America too
4. What does the last sentence mean?
A. As long as the English Channel exists, no further disagreement will form between France and Britain.
B. The English Channel can prevent anything unfriendly happening in both France and Britain.
C. France and Britain are near neighbors, and this will help balance the relationship between them.
D. The English Channel is the largest enemy between France and Britain.
5. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. The British differ greatly from the French in culture, origin and custom.
B. The British and The French are against each other because of the very different ways in which they see the world.
C. The celebration of the 100th anniversary of the signing of a friendship agreement mark-ed the mixture feeling of love and hatred over the last century between Britain and Franc-e.
D. The British dislike France's close relationship with Germany, while the French are not happy with Britain's close links with the US.