ANIMALS have always been used to represent certain human characteristics. Countries also use animals as symbols. From eagles to lions, many countries use an animal to show its national spirit and character.

The image of an eagle is on the US President’s flag, and on the one-dollar bill. The bald eagle is a large, powerful, brown bird with a white head and tail. The term “bald” does not mean that this bird lacks feathers. Instead, it comes from the old word piebald, that menas, “marked with white”.

The US declared that the eagle was its national bird in 1782. It was chosen because of “its long life, great strength, and noble looks”.

A few eagles have even become American heroes. An eagle named “Old Abe”, the mascot of a Wisconsin troop of soldiers during the Civil War, traveled 14,000 miles with its men. He was often shot at by the enemy, but survived 42 battles.

But, one of the Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin didn’t agree with the choice. “The bald eagle … is a bird of bad moral character, like those among men who live by robbing, he is generally poor, and often very messy,” he argued. Franklin wanted the turkey as the country’s national bird.

If Americans chose their national symbol deliberately, the symbol of England arose out of history.

King Herry Ⅰ(1068-1135) was a brave warrior but also wise. His appreciation for the rule of law earned him the nickname the Lion of Justice. He was the first English King to use a lion as a royal symbol, which is popularly known as the “king of the jungle”. By the year Richard Ⅰ, known as “The Lionheart” for his bravery, came to the throne in 1189, the famous Three Lions badge had been formed. Now it can be seen on the shirts of England’s sports teams.

Although people might not think of lions when they think of England, everyone knows about the Australian kangaroo. Legend has it that the kangaroo gets its name from an early meeting between local aborigines and white settlers. When asked by the Europeans what these strange-looking animals were, a native replied “kangaroo”, meaning “I don’t understand you.”

The kangaroo is an individualistic animal. Although it does gather in groups, the kangaroo is not a herd animal. If a group is attacked, individuals run off in different directions. Australians think the kangaroo represents positive values, such as individual responsibility and pride.

1.The general idea of this passage should probably be __________ .

A. animals are friends of human beings

B. nearly all the countries have an animal as their national animal

C. animals’ good values are always used to show a country’s national spirit and character

D. certain human characteristics are the same as some animals, so some countries love animals

2.Which is NOT true about the animal of the “bald eagle”?

A. It was Benjamin Franklin who made the bald eagle as the national animal of the USA.

B. The term “bald” means “marked with white”.

C. The bald eagle can show American national spirit and character.

D. “Old Abe” was even an American hero.

3.The reason why the lion was made as the national animal of the United Kingdom was that ______ .

A. it could always be used to represent certain human characteristics of England

B. the Kings of England loved lions

C. there are many lions in England

D. lions are “king of the jungle”

4.What good values can the kangaroo show as national spirits?

A. Group.                     B. Respect of others.

C. Not understanding            D. Positive values.

ANIMALS have always been used to represent certain human characteristics. Countries also use animals as symbols. From eagles to lions, many countries use an animal to show its national spirit and character.
The image of an eagle is on the US President’s flag, and on the one-dollar bill. The bald eagle is a large, powerful, brown bird with a white head and tail. The term “bald” does not mean that this bird lacks feathers. Instead, it comes from the old word piebald, that menas, “marked with white”.
The US declared that the eagle was its national bird in 1782. It was chosen because of “its long life, great strength, and noble looks”.
A few eagles have even become American heroes. An eagle named “Old Abe”, the mascot of a Wisconsin troop of soldiers during the Civil War, traveled 14,000 miles with its men. He was often shot at by the enemy, but survived 42 battles.
But, one of the Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin didn’t agree with the choice. “The bald eagle … is a bird of bad moral character, like those among men who live by robbing, he is generally poor, and often very messy,” he argued. Franklin wanted the turkey as the country’s national bird.
If Americans chose their national symbol deliberately, the symbol of England arose out of history.
King Herry Ⅰ(1068-1135) was a brave warrior but also wise. His appreciation for the rule of law earned him the nickname the Lion of Justice. He was the first English King to use a lion as a royal symbol, which is popularly known as the “king of the jungle”. By the year Richard Ⅰ, known as “The Lionheart” for his bravery, came to the throne in 1189, the famous Three Lions badge had been formed. Now it can be seen on the shirts of England’s sports teams.
Although people might not think of lions when they think of England, everyone knows about the Australian kangaroo. Legend has it that the kangaroo gets its name from an early meeting between local aborigines and white settlers. When asked by the Europeans what these strange-looking animals were, a native replied “kangaroo”, meaning “I don’t understand you.”
The kangaroo is an individualistic animal. Although it does gather in groups, the kangaroo is not a herd animal. If a group is attacked, individuals run off in different directions. Australians think the kangaroo represents positive values, such as individual responsibility and pride

1. 1.

   The general idea of this passage should probably be __________

   1. A.
      animals are friends of human beings
   2. B.
      nearly all the countries have an animal as their national animal
   3. C.
      animals’ good values are always used to show a country’s national spirit and character
   4. D.
      certain human characteristics are the same as some animals, so some countries love animals
2. 2.

   Which is NOT true about the animal of the “bald eagle”?

   1. A.
      It was Benjamin Franklin who made the bald eagle as the national animal of the USA
   2. B.
      The term “bald” means “marked with white”
   3. C.
      The bald eagle can show American national spirit and character
   4. D.
      “Old Abe” was even an American hero
3. 3.

   The reason why the lion was made as the national animal of the United Kingdom was that ______

   1. A.
      it could always be used to represent certain human characteristics of England
   2. B.
      the Kings of England loved lions
   3. C.
      there are many lions in England
   4. D.
      lions are “king of the jungle”
4. 4.

   What good values can the kangaroo show as national spirits?

   1. A.
      Group
   2. B.
      Respect of others
   3. C.
      Not understanding
   4. D.
      Positive values

阅读理解。

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　“George Washington? Wasn't he the president who cut down the cherry tree and invented electricity?” said a taxi driver in Washington D. C. , the capital of the United States.

　　No, he wasn't．The cherry tree story is a myth(神话) and it was another Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin, who is praised for electricity.

　　But this sort of misinformation about early US history is all too common, especially among young Americans. A survey of seniors from the country's top colleges and universities found that only 34 percent know that George Washington led the 1781 battle at Yorktown, the last major battle of the War of Independence.

　　“We realized we had to teach Americans about George Washington,” said US historian David McCullough, shaking his head. The shortage of historical knowledge in Americans is driving him to despair. “If you begin to have a society that has no knowledge of where it came from, how it got to be, and where it is or what was done… that's unacceptable,” he said.

　　So historians are now setting up ways for Americans to learn about the country's Founding Fathers. Mount Vernon, George Washington's property which lies about 25 kilometers from the nation's capital, is carrying out a US $ 85 million public awareness campaign.

　　There will be a centre to introduce George Washington to visitors.

　　A 15-minute film by Steven Spielberg will show the president's “action hero” side. Spielberg is an Oscar-winning Hollywood director.

　　The project also includes an education centre. And a museum will display the thousands of Washington's personal belongings Mount Vernon has collected over the years, including his letters, books and, of course, his famous wooden dentures(假牙). The four-year project is set to begin next year.

1．Spielberg directed a 15-minute film about George Washington's “action hero” side to ________.

[　　]

A．make people remember he is an understanding director

B．have Americans show a deeper love for their homeland

C．cause Americans to learn about the Founding Father-George Washington

D．encourage people to show respect for George Washington

2．It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

[　　]

A．George Washington have been looked down upon in the hearts of Americans

B．Benjamin Franklin cared more about inventions, compared with poli-tics

C．young Americans spend too much time doing nothing at all in their spare time

D．Americans have little historical knowledge of its country, especially the young

3．The author wrote the passage to ________.

[　　]

A．analyze why Americans are not willing to learn history

B．emphasize the importance of learning history in modern society

C．tell us American are making efforts to receive the knowledge about their history

D．blame the US government for neglecting the education of history

4．The word “property” in paragraph 5 refers to ________.

[　　]

A．a place where Washington was buried

B．a picture related to George Washington

C．a land once owned by Washington

D．building once owned by Washington

5．The phrase “shortage of historical knowledge” means ________.

[　　]

A．the US has a short history compared with some other countries

B．young Americans do not know much about their country's history

C．Americans are satisfied with the historical knowledge they have

D．Americans are not interested in the history of George Washington

William Franklin came to my class half a year ago. But from his first day here, he   36   himself in his own world and he never spoke to others. As his teacher, I tried to start a talk with him but   37  . It seemed as if he just didn’t want to break his   38  .

After the Thanksgiving holiday, we received the news of the   39   Christmas collection of money for the   40   in our school. “Christmas is a season of   41   ,” I told my students. “Some poor students in our school might not have a   42   holiday. By giving a little money, you will help   43   some toys, food and clothing for these needy students. We will   44   the collection tomorrow.”

The next morning,   45   , I found out almost everyone had   46   this matter except Willard Franklin. He came up to my desk with his head down.   47   , he dropped two coins into the small box. “I don’t need milk for lunch,” he said in a   48   voice.

After school I couldn’t help sharing what had   49   in the morning with our headmaster. “I may be wrong, but I   50   Willard might be ready to become part of our class.” “ I am   51   to hear that,” he nodded. “And I just received a list of the poor families in our school who most need   52  . Here, take a look at it.”

As I sat down to   53   , I found Willard Franklin was at the top of the list. At that moment, I felt I really   54   Willard for the first time: a cold face with a warm heart. From this   55   , I also learnt that whether rich or poor, every child has a kind heart.

A. taught          B. shut  C. left          D. controlled

A. failed     B. stopped     C. interrupted           D. changed

A. record          B. promise     C. sadness     D. silence

A. daily      B. weekly     C. monthly    D. yearly

A. young    B. sick    C. poor   D. shy

A. giving    B. enjoying    C. receiving   D. spending

A. real        B. happy       C. usual        D. long

A. find       B. make       C. buy    D. gather

A. prepare         B. finish       C. start   D. continue

A. though    B. however    C. otherwise         D. thus

A. forgotten       B. considered        C. learnt       D. realized

A. Quickly        B. Suddenly         C. Proudly     D. Carefully

A. sweet      B. loud   C. low    D. polite

A. appeared        B. planned    C. happened         D. collected

A. hope      B. wonder      C. doubt  D. believe

A. glad       B. sorry C. curious      D. lucky

A. education       B. advice       C. rescue D. help

A. rest        B. read    C. work   D. study

A. knew      B. liked   C. understood D. recognized

A. project      B. experience       C. event              D. accident