Western films play an important role in the history of American films. They are set in the American West. Most of the heroes are from famous novels. They speak highly of people’s spirit, courage and building everything all by themselves.
Early western films were mostly filmed in the studio, just like other early Hollywood films. With the development of technology, it began to be filmed at movie   ranches(大牧场) from the 1930s. Often, the vast(开阔的) landscape becomes a character  in the film. After the early 1950s, various(彩色的) wide screen technologies began to be used. During this time, the most typical western films focused on huge plains, soldiers or tourists, they were always the most handsome men.
Until recent times, western films seem to be a little out of date. For example, the guns are always some old ones. They were frequently(经常性地) used in films set in the 1870s. In the late 1960s, things began to change. Some new guns began to show in the films.
【小题1】Western films spoke highly of people’s           . Which of the following is NOT included?

A．spirit

B．courage

C．sadness

D．building everything all by themselves

【小题2】What does the underlined word “landscape”mean in Chinese?

A．风景画

B．城墙

C．景观

D．屏幕

【小题3】When did western films begin to be filmed at movie ranches?

A．From the 1930s.	B．From the 1960s.
C．From the 1970s.	D．From the 1870s.

【小题4】According to the passage, which of the following sentences is NOT true?

A．They are set in the American West.

B．Western films only focused on soldiers.

C．Early western films were mostly filmed in the studio.

D．Guns are an important part in these films.

Entering a university is an important part of a person’s life. Today, many people go to study and train for a future job in subjects like law (法律), medicine or education. But the university is not a modern invention. It has a history that is over a thousand years.

The world’s oldest university, AL-Azhar, is in Cario, Egypt. It was first built as a mosque for religion (宗教寺院) in A.D.972. A few years later, learners and teachers began meeting in the mosque. They read and talked about the subject of law. Around 988, leaders in the city of Cario decided to open up a school for higher learning and the University of AL-Azhar was founded.

At AL-Azhar, there were many university ‘firsts’. Different subjects were set up. The earliest ones taught at AL-Azhar were in law and religion. In a course, students read and studied with the teacher, but there was also free discussion. Often, students and teachers talked about a topic (题目), and there was no ‘right’ answer. Finally, famous teachers from around the world came to AL-Azhar to teach and do deep studies on the subjects they were interested in. At the university, people studied the past, but it was also a place for exchanging new ideas.

Over a thousand years later, AL-Azhar is still an important university in the world. Its library keeps more than 250,000 of the world’s oldest and most valuable (有价值的) books. Today, many of the world’s most important universities such as Oxford and Harvard still follow the traditions started at AL-Azhar.

1.From the first paragraph（段落） we know that _________.

A．universities are important to the city life

B．the university is a quite new invention

C．university education may help a person find law。

D．the university has a history of more than a thousand years

2.AL-Azhar was first built for _______.

A．education         B．religion           C．a meeting         D．law

3.Which of the following are the earliest subjects taught in the University of AL-Azhar?

A．Education and medicine.                  B．Religion and law.

C．Free discussion.                        D．History and tradition.

4.Which of the following is not true about the University of AL-Azhar?

A．AL-Azhar was built in the city of Cario in Egypt.

B．AL-Azhar didn’t become a university until the years around 988.

C．The University of AL-Azhar was a place to read books.

D．Now AL-Azhar is still one of the famous universities in the world.

 

Do you have any foreign friends? Do you know their characteristics(特征)?

The Germans are very quiet and they always keep calm. They don’t like to speak more words. They look very serious. They like different kinds of amusements. The Germans are very hard—working. They like tidiness, especially the women, who always keep their home clean.

In some ways, the Englishmen look the same as the Germans. They are very quiet and never talk too much with the strangers. They are really polite, so we often hear they say “Thank you.” Or “Sorry.” The gentlemen are also the Englishmen.

The French’s holidays are very long. They like traveling and usually spend their long time staying in other countries. The Frenchmen are more outgoing than the Germans. It is very easy to make friends with them.

Compared to the Frenchmen, the Americans are more outgoing. And they are even opener than all of the Europeans. They don’t like to depend on others. So it is very common that the students do part-time jobs in their free time. And in Americans’ eyes, success is an important part in their life.

1.According to the passage, ______are very quiet.

A. only the Germans

B. only the Englishmen

C. only the Frenchmen

D. both the Germans and the Englishmen

2.What does the underlined word “tidiness” mean in Chinese?

A.整洁      B.安静      C.时尚      D.随意

3.In the writer’s eyes, the gentlemen are______.

A. the Germans B. the Frenchmen

C. the Englishmen   D. the Americans

4.What can we learn about the Frenchmen from the passage?

A. They are more outgoing than the Americans.

B. It is very easy to make friends with them.

C. They like traveling in their own country.

D. They look serious and are always hard-working.

5.Which is the best title of the passage?

A. Foreigners’ hobbies.

B. Who are more outgoing?

C. Characteristics of the foreigners.

D. Success is an important part in Americans’ life.

 

Hip hop or rap (说唱） music as it is also called, started on the street and in the clubs of the New York City in the 1970s . But today many countries have their own kind of  hip hop music . This kind of music comes from reggae, disco and funk music . Rapping means speaking to the  rhythm of the music, and it is an important part of the music . People rap to express how they feel about their lives and problems .
Rapping in class.
Would you like to rap in class? Well actually, hip pop music is played in more than 10,000 schools in the USA .Why ? There is a new school program called “ Flocabulary ”in which teachers use texts and hip hop CDs to help teach different school subjects . The words of the songs are just what students are studying . This makes learning easy and fun . Students and teachers are excited about the positive results it has had on exam marks . One teacher said, “ I’ve used hip hop songs in class, and I have never seen my students so crazy about history ! You can't imagine how well they imagine how well they remember what I teach ! We even try to write our own songs . ”
Whose idea was Flocabulary?
Blake Harrison, a high school student, was the first person to come up with the idea of Flocabulary . The word “ Flocabulary ” comes from the word “ flow ” and “ vocabulary ” . “ Flow ” is a rap word for “ style ”,or the way a rapper says the words of a song . “ Vocabulary ” means the words you have to learn in a language . How did he get the idea ? Well, he realized he could remember the words of a hip hop song very easily . So,why not make lessons into songs ? Today together with Alex Rappaport, a song writer, Blake produces hip hop songs for maths, science and literature (文学）. They are now used in schools with great success .
【小题1】Rap music started  _____ in New York city .

A．in the 1970s	B．In a high school
C．in the 19 th century .	D．In a music class .

【小题2】From the passage, we can learn “ Flocabulary ” is a program to _____ .

A．Write rap music .	B．Sing a song by talking
C．Remember the words of a song .	D．help teach some school subjects.

【小题3】The underlined word  positive  in paragraph 2 most probably means _____ 

A．bad

B．good

C．final

D．direct

【小题4】Blake Harrison has produced hip hop songs for school subject EXCEPT _____ .

A．maths

B．science

C．history

D．literature

“Who needs a shopping mall if you have Taobao?” says Sarah, 28, a writer in Beijing.

Taobao, China’s largest online shopping site, has become an important part in Sarah’s life. She spends lots of money on Taobao.

A growing number of Chinese Internet users like Sarah have found the joys of online shopping. Most online shoppers are students or young workers. More women shop online than men. Clothing and home-use products bought online are the most popular.

It was reported that more than 300 billion yuan was spent on online shopping last year. 80% through Taobao.

Taobao means “looking for treasure” in Chinese. People can find almost everything they need on Taobao, from clothes to books, from candies to DVD players.

You many question the securitv of online shopping. Sarah said, “It’s safe, fast and easy. Unless you receive the products from the sellers and are satisfied with them, the shop owners will not get the money. You can also get your money back if you want to return the products.”

1.What are the most popular online?

        A. Clothes and boods.           B. Clothing and home-use products

        C. Candies                      D. DVD players.

2.Taobao is _______.

        A. a shopping mall              B. an online shopper

        C. an online shopping site      D. a company that provides different products

3.Most online shoppers are _______.

        A. men          B. women        C. the young            D. the old

4.The underlined word “security” means ________.

        A. safety           B. fast         C. easy             D. cheapness