To take the apple as a forbidden fruit is the most unlikely story the Christians (基督教徒) ever cooked up. For them, the forbidden fruit from Eden is evil. So when Colu brought the tomato back from South America, a land mistakenly considered to be Eden, everyone jumped to the obvious conclusion. Wrongly taken as the apple of Eden, the tomato was shut out of the door of Europeans.
What made it particularly terrifying was its similarity to the mandrake, a plant that was thought to have come from Hell. What earned the plant its awful reputation was its roots which looked like a dried-up human body occupied by evil spirits. Though the tomato and the man were quite different except that both had bright red or yellow fruit, the general population considered them one and the same, too terrible to touch.
Cautious Europeans long ignored the tomato, and until the early 1700s most of the Western people continued to drag their feet. In the 1880s, the daughter of a well-known plant expert wrote that the most interesting part of an afternoon tea at her father's house had been the "introduction of this wonderful new fruit -- or is it a vegetable?" As late as the twentieth century some writers still classed tomatoes with mandrakes as an "evil fruit".
But in the end tomatoes carried the day. The hero of the tomato was an American named Robert Johnson, and when he was publicly going to eat the tomato in 1820, people journeyed for hundreds of miles to watch him drop dead. "What are you afraid of?" he shouted. "I'll show you fools these things are good to eat!" Then he bit into the tomato. Some people fainted. But he survived and, according to a local story, set up a tomato-canning factory.
【小题1】The tomato was shut out of the door of early Europeans mainly because _______.

A．it made Christians evil	B．it was the apple of Eden
C．it came from a forbidden land	D．it was religiously unacceptable

【小题2】What can we infer from the underlined part in Paragraph 3?

A．The process of ignoring the tomato slowed down.

B．There was little progress in the study of the tomato.

C．The tomato was still refused in most western countries.

D．Most western people continued to get rid of the tomato.

【小题3】What is the main reason for Robert Johnson to eat the tomato publicly?

A．To make himself a hero.

B．To remove people's fear of the tomato.

C．To speed up the popularity of the tomato.

D．To persuade people to buy products from his factory.

【小题4】What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To challenge people's fixed concept of the tomato.

B．To give an explanation to people's dislike of the tomato.

C．To present the change of people's attitudes to the tomato.

D．To introduce the establishment of the first tomato-canning factory.

Mr. Hall was a rich businessman and lived in a big house beside a beautiful river.

The river usually __16__ over in winter, and one year __17__ happened very early, so that by Christmas time it was covered with really __18__ ice. People could walk across it safely.

         The sight of this ice gave Mr. Hall __19__. He decided to have a big Christmas party on the ice. He would have all the furniture in his living-room _ 20 _ out onto the ice. He would have pretty colored lights _ 21 _  all around, and they would have a wonderful party. So he sent out __22__ to all his important friends, and on Christmas Eve they all began to _ 23   his house and then went onto the ice. They were all in very good _ 24   and thought that it _25_ a wonderful idea of Mr. Hall to have a party on the ice.

         The party   26   until late at night, and as the _ 27   guests said their merry Christmas, Mr. Hall was pleased with himself for the __28   party.

         He had drunk rather  29   at the party, so he did not wake up very early __30   morning. In fact, it was   31   midday when he got up and looked out of the window at the spot where the party was held last night. __32__ he saw there made him wonder whether he was still  33 _. He closed his eyes, opened them again but there was no mistake! The ice had ­­__34   up in the early sunshine and had carried all his living-room furniture out to __35   .

1.

A. flows           B. flowed         C. freeze           D. froze

2.

 A. freezing         B. ice            C. snow            D. rain

3.

A. thin            B. thick           C. deep            D. shallow

4.

A. a wish          B. an idea         C. a hope           D. a plan

5.

A. selling          B. carrying        C. sold             D. carried

6.

A. lay             B. lain            C. hung            D. hanged

7.

 A. introductions     B. invitations      C. informations      D. lights

8.

A. look for         B. come to        C. see              D. leave

9.

A. spirit           B. strength        C. condition         D. manners

10.

A. would be        B. had been       C. had had          D. would have

11.

 A. went to         B. kept on         C. happened        D. took place

12.

A. first            B. last            C. most            D. important

13.

A. big            B. new            C. interesting       D. successful

14.

A. many          B. little            C. a lot            D. more

15.

A. next           B. the next         C. following        D. followed

16.

 A. most           B. mostly         C. near             D. nearly

17.

A. Where         B. What           C. That             D. Which

18.

A. afraid          B. awake          C. asleep           D. alive

19.

A. dried           B. come           C. frozen          D. broken

20.

A. his house        B. the sea         C. the river         D. land

 

The practice of magic includes special words, actions, and objects. Most magic involves a person called a magician, who claims to have supernatural powers. Magic words.
To work most magic, the magician sings or speaks special words in a certain order. These words are called incantations or spells. Some spells form prayers to demons(魔鬼), spirits, or other supernatural forces. Many societies believe the magic will not work unless the magician recites the spells perfectly. Other magic words have no meaning, though they supposedly possess power when spoken by a magician. Magic actions accompany the words spoken in performing much magic. Many of these movements act out the desired effect of the magic. For example, a magician trying to make rain fall may sprinkle(洒) water on the ground. The magician's combined words and actions form a ceremony. Magic objects include certain plants, stones, and other things with supposed supernatural powers. Any such object may be called a fetish(物神). But this term often refers to an object—for example, a carving or a dried snake—honored by a tribe for its magic powers. Many tribes believe fetishes have magic power because spirits live in these objects. Many people carry magic objects called amulets(护身符)to protect themselves from harm. Many amulets are stones or rings engraved(雕刻) with magic symbols.
The magician, in some societies, nearly everyone knows how to work some magic. In other societies, only experts practice magic. Magicians may be called medicine men, medicine women, shamans, sorcerers, or witch doctors. In many societies, magicians must inherit(遗传) their powers. In others, any person may become a magician by studying the magical arts.
Many societies believe magicians must observe certain rules and taboos (forbidden actions) for their spells to work. For example, they may be required not to eat various foods or to avoid sexual activity for a certain period before the ceremony.
【小题1】What do magic words mean to people in some society?

A．They have the power to kill devils.

B．They have power if magician recites the right spells.

C．They have no effect at all.

D．They can be used whenever they want.

【小题2】Why do many people believe in a fetish?

A．Because it is often a ring which is worth a lot of money.

B．Because it is carved with magic symbols.

C．Because people think spirits live in it.

D．Because it can help them with many things.

【小题3】What's the best title of the passage?

A．How Magicians make Magic Work	B．The Power of Magic
C．How to Practice Magic	D．The Choice of Magicians

The practice of magic includes special words, actions, and objects. Most magic involves a person called a magician, who claims to have supernatural powers. Magic words.

To work most magic, the magician sings or speaks special words in a certain order. These words are called incantations or spells. Some spells form prayers to demons(魔鬼), spirits, or other supernatural forces. Many societies believe the magic will not work unless the magician recites the spells perfectly. Other magic words have no meaning, though they supposedly possess power when spoken by a magician. Magic actions accompany the words spoken in performing much magic. Many of these movements act out the desired effect of the magic. For example, a magician trying to make rain fall may sprinkle(洒) water on the ground. The magician's combined words and actions form a ceremony. Magic objects include certain plants, stones, and other things with supposed supernatural powers. Any such object may be called a fetish(物神). But this term often refers to an object—for example, a carving or a dried snake—honored by a tribe for its magic powers. Many tribes believe fetishes have magic power because spirits live in these objects. Many people carry magic objects called amulets(护身符)to protect themselves from harm. Many amulets are stones or rings engraved(雕刻) with magic symbols.

The magician, in some societies, nearly everyone knows how to work some magic. In other societies, only experts practice magic. Magicians may be called medicine men, medicine women, shamans, sorcerers, or witch doctors. In many societies, magicians must inherit(遗传) their powers. In others, any person may become a magician by studying the magical arts.

Many societies believe magicians must observe certain rules and taboos (forbidden actions) for their spells to work. For example, they may be required not to eat various foods or to avoid sexual activity for a certain period before the ceremony.

1.What do magic words mean to people in some society?

A．They have the power to kill devils.

B．They have power if magician recites the right spells.

C．They have no effect at all.

D．They can be used whenever they want.

2.Why do many people believe in a fetish?

A．Because it is often a ring which is worth a lot of money.

B．Because it is carved with magic symbols.

C．Because people think spirits live in it.

D．Because it can help them with many things.

3.What's the best title of the passage?

A．How Magicians make Magic Work           B．The Power of Magic

C．How to Practice Magic                    D．The Choice of Magicians

 

One day, a farmer’s donkey fell into a dried up well. The animal cried   16  for hours as the farmer tried to  17  what to do. Finally, he decided that the animal was  18  , the well needed to be covered up, and  19   the donkey just wasn’t worth the  20  , so he invited his neighbors to  21   and help him bury the donkey in the well. They all held shovels (铲) and begin to shovel  22   into the well. At first, the donkey  23   what was happing and  24   cried pitifully. Then, to everyone’s  25  , he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked  26   into the well and was  27   at what he saw.  28   each shovel load of dirt that hit his back, the donkey  29   something surprising. He shook it off and took a step up! As the farmer’s neighbors  30   to shovel dirt  31   the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. The donkey stepped  32   over the edge of the well! As with the donkey,  33   is going to shovel dirt  34   you, all kinds of dirt. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, by never giving 35  .

1.A. happily           B. hardly        C. sadly           D. greatly

2.A. carry out        B. think out         C. leave out       D. watch out

3.A. young             B. small           C. old     D. large

4.A. rescuing         B. killing         C. selling        D. buying

5.A. money            B. effort         C. praise         D. time

6.A. come around     B. come over    C. come down   D. come to

7.A. stone     B. earth          C. dirt             D. soil

8.A. realized          B. found         C. heard         D. saw

9.A. again     B. ever           C. never         D. once

10.A. joy       B. amazement    C. disappoint ment    D. excitement

11.A. off       B. down          C. up      D. over

12.A. astonished        B. sorry         C. worried D. angry

13.A. With             B. As      C. For              D. On

14.A. did       B. had             C. made          D. considered

15.A. began          B. stopped C. started      D. con tinued

16.A. at the top of     B. on top of       C. at the foot ofD. in front of

17.A. luckily          B. successfullyC. hard               D. easily

18.A. life       B. world         C. time             D. work

19.A. off     B. on      C. up               D. down

20.A. up       B. away           C. in      D. out