An Englishman was showing a foreign visitor around London. “What’s that strange building?” asked the visitor. “That’s the Tower of London.” “I see. How long did it take to build it?” “About 500 years.” “In my country we can build it in five months,” Shortly after that they came to St. Paul’s Cathedral(大教堂). “Very interesting!” said the visitor. “How long did it take to build it ?” “Near forty years.” said the Englishman. “In my country we can finish it in forty days at most,” said the visitor. This went on all day.

They visited most of the best known buildings in the city. Every time they saw a new one, the visitor asked what it was and how long it took to build it. Then he said that they could do the same thing much faster in his country.

At last the Englishman got angry with the visitor though he tried not to show it. Several days later they came to the House of Parliament(议会)and the visitor asked his usual question, “What is that?” The Englishman answered, “ I have no idea. It wasn’t there last night.”

1.The Englishman showed the foreign visitor around _______ one day.

A．The Tower of London                    B．St. Paul’s Cathedral

C．Some famous buildings in the city           D．The whole city of London

2.The visitor said that in his country it would take them ______ to build the Tower of London.

A．less than half a year  B．forty days         C．five hundred years  D．fifty days

3.It took them a few days to see ______.

A．some of the best known buildings in England.  B．several best known places in England

C．many famous houses in the city of London    D．most of the best known buildings in London

4.The Englishman was angry by the end of the day, but he ______.

A．didn’t want to say anything               B．tried to show it to the visitor

C．had no time to tell the visitor               D．tried not to show it to the visitor

5.The Englishman’s answer to the question of the last place showed_____.

A．he was sorry that he hadn’t seen the building before

B．he could say nothing because he didn’t know anything about it

C．he was angry and didn’t want to tell the visitor its name

D．he didn’t know how to tell the visitor the name of the building

Marco Polo(马可波罗) was born in Venice in 1254. He was the most famous foreigner to visit Asia（亚洲）during the Middle Ages. He wrote a book about his travels. In his book he wrote all the things he saw and heard. Many people in the west read the book, but few believed what Marco Polo said in the book. He told stories about a lot of strange people and places. But at that time nobody knew these places and the people.
When Marco Polo was still very young, he decided to travel together with his father. It took them more than three years to travel to China, later he became a friend of the Chinese emperor (皇帝) . He learned to speak Chinese when he traveled around, and he talked to many people in Chinese. The emperor liked him and made him a Chinese Official(官员). At that time Marco Polo was only thirty years old. After nearly seventeen years’ travel in the east, Marco and his father wanted to go back home.
When Marco and his father arrived in Venice many years later, their family and friends saw them again. They couldn’t believe their eyes because Marco and his farther were quite old. Marco Polo and his father had been away for almost 25 years.
【小题1】Marco Polo was                             foreigner           the Middle Ages.
【小题2】Marco Polo wrote a famous book ___________ “The Travels of Marco Polo”. He wrote __________           _ he saw and heard in the book.
【小题3】Many people in the west read the book, but ____  _____ believed ________    ____.
【小题4】It took Marco Polo and                  over three years to ________  __________.
【小题5】Marco Polo and his father had been away ____                            .

阅读理解

Thursday, April 24th

We got to the clean, lovely city of Yangzhou early in the morning. This is our first trip to China. All the different smells attract our attention to the local food. We are going to try something special for dinner tonight. The hotel we are staying in is not expensive but very clean. We plan to stay here for a few days, visit some places in the city, and then travel to the Great Wall in the north.  

Sunday, April 27th

We visited the famous Slender West Lake (瘦西湖) which was crowded with visitors from all over the world, and bought a lot of toys for our friends outside the gate of the park. Everything is so colourful, and we have taken hundreds of photos already! Later today we will do the famous foot massage (按摩) and then leave for the Great Wall. We will take the night train north, stay in Beijing for two days, and then catch a bus to the Great Wall.

Wednesday, April 30th

Our trip to the Great Wall was long and boring. We visited a small village in the mountains. People in the village love the quiet life. They are the kindest people I had ever met. They always smile and say “Hello”. Ralph and I can speak only a few words in Chinese, so smiling is the best way to show our kindness.

1.From the passage we can see that the writer had a ____ stay in Yangzhou.

2.The writer didn’t ____ in Yangzhou.

3.The writer left Beijing for the Great Wall _______.

4.Which of the following is NOT true?

5.What is the best title for the passage?

An Englishman was showing a foreign visitor around London. “What’s that strange building?” asked the visitor. “That’s the Tower of London.” “I see. How long did it take to build it?” “About 500 years.” “In my country we can build it in five months,” Shortly after that they came to St. Paul’s Cathedral(大教堂). “Very interesting!” said the visitor. “How long did it take to build it ?” “Near forty years.” said the Englishman. “In my country we can finish it in forty days at most,” said the visitor. This went on all day.
They visited most of the best known buildings in the city. Every time they saw a new one, the visitor asked what it was and how long it took to build it. Then he said that they could do the same thing much faster in his country.
At last the Englishman got angry with the visitor though he tried not to show it. Several days later they came to the House of Parliament(议会)and the visitor asked his usual question, “What is that?” The Englishman answered, “ I have no idea. It wasn’t there last night.”
【小题1】The Englishman showed the foreign visitor around _______ one day.

It was early morning. Peter Corbett helped Mark Wellman out of his wheelchair and onto the ground. They stood before El Captain, a huge rock almost 1.2 kilometers high. Mark had long dreamed to climb El Captain when he was a child. At the age of twenty?one, he had fallen while climbing mountain, losing his legs. But he never lost his love for life.?
Mark knew he couldn't finish the climb alone, but his friend Peter would be there to lend a helping hand. They thought it would take seven days to reach the top. Now Peter climbed about 30 meters up and hit a piton(岩钉) into the rock. Fastening(拴紧) one end of a 50?meter rope(绳子) to the piton, he let the other end of the rope fall down. Mark caught the rope and fastened it to his belt. He next reached above his head and fastened a T-bar(丁字铁) to the rope. Mark took a deep breath, pushed the T?bar up almost as far as his arms could reach, and began the first pull?up. High above, Peter let out a cheer, “You're on your way.”?
For the first four days the two men progressed upward(向上) without accident. But on the fifth day, a very strong wind began to blow, making it hard for Mark to hold on to his rope. But Mark kept on pushing up the T-bar and pulling himself up.?
It took them one day more than they had expected. But as the two heads appeared the group of people waiting on the top went wild with joy.?
Mark Wellman showed that if you set your heart and mind on something, no wall is too high, no dream impossible.
【小题1】 With the help of his friend, Mark could climb up El Captain about  meters in height each day.?