Each year on February 2nd, there is special festival called Groundhog Day (土拨鼠日

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Each year on February 2nd, there is special festival called Groundhog Day (土拨鼠日 )" forecasting event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. When it comes, people from around the world, including 5,000 in the small town today, watch this tongue-twisting(发音饶舌的) small town for a sign from one groundhog that supposedly predicts when that years" spring will arrive.
If it"s a cloudy day outside when the groundhog pops from its cave, then spring will arrive early that year. However, if it is sunny outside, the groundhog will supposedly be scared by its own shadow, hiding underground for six more weeks of cold weather.
Of course, Punxsutawney Phil"s prediction is no more able to guarantee the extended forecast than your local weatherman. ABC News reports that an analysis by the National Climate Data Center found that Phil"s predictions are more often wrong than right.
Philis is also found to have made some unpleasant predictions. Ever since 1887, he has predicted 99 extended winters and just 16 early springs .Nine of the years" predictions were unavailable, according to ABC.
The holiday began as a German tradition in 18th century and became even more of a cultural phenomenon after the 1993 film Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray.
Punxsutawney Phil has become a celebrity in his own right. Each year, the fatter animal with long teeth is watched by millions as he emerges from a cave in the town he is named after. Phil has become so beloved by the town that he actually lives in the local library with his “wife" Phyllis.
Taking inspiration from the hard state of Bill Murray’s character in the classic film, Yahoo contributor Owen Rust says Groundhog Day is a good time to reflect on one’s routines.
小题1:The underlined word “pops” means “ ”.

A．escapes

B．appears

C．increases

D．hides

小题2:The reason why Phil"s predictions aren"t pleasing is that_____________.

A．some of the predictions were unavailable

B．Phil wants to do that for fun

C．Phil likes to make unpleasant predictions

D．he has predicted more late springs

小题3:How does Punxsutawney Phil become a celebration?

A．By an accident.

B．From people"s life improving.

C．By his own attractive force

D．From much money raised by the town.

小题4:Which does this passage mainly talk about?

A．The National Climate Data Center

B．A German tradition

C．A tongue-twisting small town

D．Groundhog Day weather forecasting

答案

小题1:B
小题2:A
小题3:C
小题4:D

解析

试题分析：文章介绍了一个特殊的节日“土拨鼠日”，在这一天，人们可以通过土拨鼠的活动预测春天的到来，当然这种预测不一定准确，而且也不令人满意，但是“土拨鼠日”，还是一个非常受欢迎的节日。
小题1:猜词题：从第二段的句子：If it"s a cloudy day outside when the groundhog pops from its cave, then spring will arrive early that year. 可知如果是个多云的天气，土拨鼠从洞里面出来，说明那年春天会出来的很早，所以pop是appear的意思，选B
小题2:细节题：从第四段的句子：Philis is also found to have made some unpleasant predictions. Ever since 1887, he has predicted 99 extended winters and just 16 early springs .Nine of the years" predictions were unavailable, according to ABC. 可知Phil的预测不能令人满意，因为一些预测得不到，选A。
小题3:细节题：从文章倒数第二段的句子：Punxsutawney Phil has become a celebrity in his own right. Each year, the fatter animal with long teeth is watched by millions as he emerges from a cave in the town he is named after.可知Punxsutawney Phil是通过自己的吸引力成为一个庆祝活动的，选 C
小题4:主旨题：从文章第一段的句子：Each year on February 2nd, there is special festival called Groundhog Day (土拨鼠日 )" forecasting event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.可知这篇文章讲的是土拨鼠日可以预测天气，选D

举一反三

A week ago, I had the great pleasure of reading an e-book, When Money Talks, Listen! by Rich Ezzo. It took only about an hour to read.
When I first received a copy, I thought it was a Get Rich Quick type of publication. Nothing is wrong with Get Rich Quick, but my mind just doesn’t run after dreams of wealth. I think that if God ever wants me to be rich, he knows where to find my purse.
When I began reading When Money Talks, Listen!, I was overjoyed to find that Rich Ezzo isn’t money hungry either. He, too, is hungry for more important than money.
Since I love this e-book so much, why wait a week to write the review? Simple. I wanted to see if the effect it had on me was a keeper. After reading the last word of the e-book, I totally agreed with the subtitle (副标题) which promised to forever change the way we thought about money. I had so many thoughts running around my mind that I had to install (安装) a stoplight to stop some while others made their way into the picture, then I yielded (让路) them as a few ones arrived in town. I had a mental traffic jam, which only goes to show how slow the traffic usually is.
It has been a week and the effect is the same. I truly do look at money differently and have even done a few things differently this week. This is an e-book you ‘ll want to read, I promise. I often recommend books to my daughter, and this is one that I didn’t just ”suggest”----I left it open at the bottom of the compute and told each one ,”Read it, you’ll love it “.
I would never point someone in a direction I wouldn’t go myself. I strongly advise you to visit the author’s website, Myster Money, and to download the e-book. You won’t regret it.
小题1:The author wrote this passage to _________.

A．strongly recommend an e-book

B．show the author’s attitude to money

C．introduce the general idea of an e-book

D．point out Rich Ezzo isn’t money hungry

小题2:According to the passage, a Get Rich Quick type of publication _________.

A．is more popular than e-books

B．deals with how to make money

C．is what the author really cares for

D．is also an e-book written by Rich Ezzo

小题3:Why didn’t the author write the review as soon as he finished reading the book?

A．Because he was not sure whether he did well.

B．Because he was too excited to write anything.

C．Because he had to wait for Rich Ezzo’s permission.

D．Because he wondered if it would have a long influence on him.

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People have strange ideas about food. For example, tomato is a kind of very delicious vegetable. It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways. It has rich nutrition(营养) and vitamin in it. But in the 18th century, Americans never ate tomatoes. They grew them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty. But they thought the vegetable was poisonous(有毒的). They called tomatoes “poison apples”.
President Thomas Jefferson, however, knew that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples. Jefferson never spoke to his honored guests about the fact.
小题1:Tomato is a kind of ___________.

A．poisonous fruit	B．poisonous vegetable
C．tasty fruit	D．tasty vegetable

小题2:After you read the passage, which of the following do you think is true?

A．Americans never ate tomatoes after they began to plant them.

B．Americans didn’t eat tomatoes before 19th century.

C．Even now Americans don’t eat tomatoes.

D．In the 18th century Americans ate a lot of tomatoes.

小题3: Jefferson learned that tomatoes were good to eat ____.

A．while he was in Paris	B．when he was a little boy
C．because his parents told him so	D．from books

小题4:From the passage we know all the honored guests invited by Jefferson were____.

A．people from other countries	B．from France
C．people of his own country	D．men only

小题5:According to the passage, which of the following is NOT TRUE?

A．None of the guests knew the soup that was served at the President’s party was made of tomatoes.

B．All of the guests thought the soup which was prepared by the President’s cook was nice.

C．President Thomas Jefferson knew that tomatoes were good to eat and not poisonous at all.

D．All of the guests didn’t know that their president would serve his honored guests poison apples.

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Too Much Happiness was written by Alice Munro，winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature，one of our greatest contemporary writers of fiction and the owner of the Man Booker Price for Fiction．Her stories have appeared in The New Yorker，The Atlantic Monthly，and other publications，and her collections have been translated into thirteen languages．
The main character is Sophia Kovalevsky，a great Russian mathematician，writer and advocator拥护者）of women’s rights in the late nineteenth century. After visiting her lover Maxsim Kovalevsky in Riviera，she travels in Europe，ending up in Sweden，where she teaches at the only university in Europe willing to employ a female mathematician．The book writes about her journey from Riviera to Sweden．
The story tells the typical struggle of an intellectual（知识分子）woman to achieve success and happiness．However，when she is going to die，Sophia says“too much happiness”．I think it’s irony（讽*11的）．As reading the story，she has too many mental problems·First，as a woman mathematician，she was born in a wrong time ．She was married to Vladimir Kovalevsky without love，called“a white marriage”．She explained that“no a young Russian woman who was unmarried could leave the country．”She satisfied her marriage to seek her career．
Furthermore，when she sees a man look like Maxsim in the station，she says to herself，“of course，it would not be Maxsim，what could he be doing in Paris？”She doesn’t want to face the fact because she doesn’t want to lose her hope．She believes they will marry in spring．And in her letter to Julia she says：“it is to be happiness after all，happiness after all．Happiness．”She is cheating herself. In fact，the man does not want to marry her，and the happiness she expected doesn’t take place at all．
Finally, I conclude that the end must be a tragedy（悲剧）．From the very first pages the atmosphere is gloomy黯淡的）and threatening.“One of us will die this year.”“Because we have gone walking in a graveyard（墓地）on the first day of the New Year.”Some pages further，“a black cat across their path”all reflect it will be a bad ending．Not because she had some problems with her lung，but because her life does not bring her happiness，and because of these disharmony things that happen in her life．
小题1:We can infer from the passage that＿＿·

A．Sophia was born in a wrong time and was mentally ill

B．women were not fairly treated in Europe in Sophia’s time

C．Sophia loved travelling around Europe to meet `different people

D．unmarried women were forbidden to learn mathematics at that time

小题2:The underlined phrase“the fact”in Paragraph 4 most probably refers to the fact that

A．her husband refuses to divorce	B．she can’t teach in university
C．she falls in love with Maxsim	D．Maxsim doesn’t want to marry her

小题3:Why does the author name this book Too Much Happiness？

A．It is used to suggest that the story must be a comedy．

B．It’s a phrase repeatedly used by Sophia herself to her friend．

C．It’s used in an ironic way to show that Sophia isn’t happy at all．

D．It’s to show Sophia is very happy to achieve success in her career．

小题4:What can we conclude from Sophia’s experience？

A．It’s hard for an educated woman to achieve success in Europe at that time．

B．Russian women were not allowed to go abroad without a white marriage．

C．Married women could travel freely across Europe in the late nineteenth century．

D．Seeing a black cat across the path would bring people to death in the end．

小题5:In a newspaper，this passage is most probably in the section of____．

A．Entertainment

B．Travel

C．Career

D．Culture

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Scotland is a unique place, loaded with history, where you can find aristocratic（贵族的）palaces and castles, as well as the traditional parades in national costumes.
In order to see and discover the true soul of Scotland today and what formed the character of this splendid region, we have to go towards the northern regions, to the Grampian Mountains（格兰扁山区）, beautiful and plain. The Scots conquered the environment with simple spades and strong arms, for it was difficult to farm.
The history of this ancient struggle, and its people’s ancient love with the hard land, can be felt within the walls of the Angus Folk Museum. You are able to get a feel of the typical rural atmosphere of times past from the everyday artifacts displayed here.
From coastal Aberdeen in towards the Grampian Mountains there runs the Castle Trail, a road that touches on many fortresses（堡垒）, which are witnesses of continual fights against the control of neighboring England in Scottish history.
Perhaps the most exciting moment for Scottish autonomy is the one experienced inside this ancient church of Arbroath, where, in 1320, the Declaration of Independence was celebrated, at the instigation（鼓动）of King Robert the Bruce. He carried out the plan for autonomy drawn up by the great popular hero William Wallace, for whom cinema has designed the wonderful film Brave Heart, the winner of the five Oscars.
This is Glamis Castle, where King Macbeth and Queen Elizabeth used to live. Among the most frequent guests here are the predictable ghosts, if not actually created, by ancient popular beliefs. These have been handed down over the centuries by people tending to live with mystery, with the forces of the supernatural.
Another attraction here is a legendary monster: the Loch Ness Monster. Whether it’s real or imaginary, this monster, which has been nicknamed Nessie, has collected a good 3,000 sightings over the last 50 years.
The true flag of Scotland, tartan, is recognizable from the brightly colored plaid patterns which are used to distinguish the various social groups.
Bagpipes and dancing open the competitions of local sporting events, which are called Highland Gatherings.
小题1:Take a look at the Angus Folk Museum, and we can learn about _______. .

A．the love of ancient Scottish to the hard land

B．the rural atmosphere in Grampian Mountains

C．ancient Scottish people’s fighting against the enemy

D．the history of the Scottish famous palaces and castles

小题2:What were the fortresses built for?

A．Fighting against the invaders of England.

B．Developing business with neighbor areas.

C．Preventing the people from moving around.

D．Providing a shelter from tough weather for travelers.

小题3:In the fifth paragraph, the underlined “the one” refers to the moment of _______.

A．the film Brave Heart winning the five Oscars

B．the plan for Scottish autonomy being carried out

C．the instigation of King Robert the Bruce

D．the celebration of the Declaration of Independence

小题4: According to the passage, which one is TRUE?

A．The film Brave Heart is mainly about King Robert Bruce.

B．The Scottish film industry is one of the attractions of the land.

C．Highland gatherings are often marked with bagpipes and dancing

D．The supernatural forces in Glamis Castle may change a person’s belief.

小题5:The purpose of the writer is to _______.

A．advise readers to pay a visit to Scotland

B．teach students about the customs of Scotland

C．introduce cultural background about Scotland

D．analyze the geographic formation of Scotland

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American colleges and universities consider a number of things about a student who wants to be admitted. Experts say the most important thing is the students’ high school record. Besides, student"s interests and activities may also play a part in getting accepted. But in most cases another consideration is how well the student did on college entrance exams. Here we’d like to discuss two of these tests: the SAT and the ACT. Most American schools accept either one.
The SAT measures reasoning skills in mathematics and language. Students have almost four hours to complete the SAT. The newest part is an essay. Students have twenty-five minutes to write an answer to a question.
The SAT costs 41.5$. Besides, the international processing charge is 22$ more. And test-takers in India and Pakistan must also pay a 21.5 $ security charge.
Students may also need to take SAT subject tests in areas like history, science and foreign language. Subject tests cost eighteen dollars each.
The ACT is an achievement test. It is designed to measure what a student has learned in school. Students are tested in mathematics, English, reading and science. A writing test is offered but not required. Without it, the ACT takes about three hours to complete. The essay part adds thirty minutes.
The ACT costs forty-nine dollars to take outside the United States. The writing test costs an additional fourteen dollars.
小题1:What’s most important in students’ admission to American colleges and universities?

A．High school record

B．Interests and activities

C．Performances in SAT and ACT

D．Skills in mathematics and language

小题2:If a student from Pakistan wants to take the SAT, how much should he pay at least?

A．21.5 dollars

B．63 dollars

C．85 dollars

D．43.5 dollars

小题3:Which of the statement is true according to the text?

A．It usually takes about three hours to complete the SAT.

B．There are only two ways for students to enter a college or a university.

C．The ACT measures mathematics, English, reading and science.

D．The two tests are specially designed for students outside America.

小题4:What might be the best title of this passage?

A．College Entrance Exams in America

B．The Way to America Colleges

C．The Cost of American Colleges

D．Important Things in College Entrance

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