You may have heard the term "the American Dream". In 1848, James W. Marshall fou

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You may have heard the term "the American Dream". In 1848, James W. Marshall found gold in California and people began having golden dreams. That 19th century "American Dream" motivated (激发起) the Gold Rush and gave California its nickname of the "Golden State".
The American Dream drove not only 1800s gold-rush prospectors but also waves of immigrants throughout that century and the next. People from Europe, and a large number of Chinese, arrived in the US in the 19th century hoping that in America they would find gold in the streets. But most, instead, worked as railroad labourers. They created the oldest Chinatown, in San Francisco, and gave the city a Chinese name "the old gold hill".
In the 20th century, some critics said that it was no longer possible to become prosperous through determination and hard work. Unfair education for students from poor families and racial discrimination almost made the American Dream a nightmare.
Then, in the 1990s, California saw a new wave of dreamers in Silicon Valley. People poured their energy into the Internet. This new chapter of the American Dream attracted many business people and young talents from China and India to form start-ups and seek fortunes in America.
Better pay, a nice house, and a rising standard of living will always be attractive. However, the new American Dream is no longer just about money. It encourages Americans to consume wisely to protect the environment, improve the quality of life, and promote social justice.
The Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has become the model of the new American Dream. After years of hard work, he grew from a poor young man from Austria into a movie superstar and then governor. Many people hope his story can save the American Dream and give California a brighter future.
小题1: It can be inferred that _____.

A．America’s golden dream could never be realized

B．America’s golden dream had bought great fortunes to Chinese immigrants

C．each period of time has its own taste of the American dream

D．determination and hard work are the best way to realize the American dream

小题2:Why did most of the early immigrants work as railroad laborers?

A．Because they could earn more money as railroad laborers.

B．Because they had to make a living by working as railroad laborers.

C．Because they thought railroad was the first step to find gold.

D．Because railroad laborers were greatly honored at that time.

小题3:The underlined sentence “his story can save the American Dream” (in the last paragraph) indicates that _____.

A．the dream of seeking fortunate in America is easy to realize

B．most of the immigrants to America don’t reach their previous goal

C．the success of Arnold Schwarzenegger is among the common examples of the immigrants

D．the immigrants have made great contributions to California

小题4:What’s the best title of the passage?

A．Wave of Immigrants to America	B．Make Fortunes Abroad
C．Hard Work Leads to Success	D．Changes of America’s Golden Dream

答案

小题1:C
小题2:B
小题3:B
小题4:D

解析

小题1:短文中提到：19世纪的“美国梦”激发起的是淘金热；在20世纪90年代，加利福尼亚的硅谷涌现出了新的梦想家。新的美国梦却不仅仅只关乎金钱。它还促使美国人进行理性的消费，注重环保，提高生活质量及促进社会公正。由此推断可知：不同时期美国梦的主题不同。
小题2:第二段提到：19世纪，欧洲人以及大批中国人涌入美国。在他们的心目中，美国是一个遍地黄金的国度。但现实并非如此，很多人并没有找到黄金，为了生计，大部分移民最终只能做铁路劳工。
小题3:短文第三段提到：贫困生得不到公平的受教育机会，种族歧视盛行，美国梦几乎沦为一场噩梦。加利福尼亚州的州长阿诺·施瓦辛格的成功只是移民中实现了美国梦的典范，使移民们看到了一线希望。此句的表面意思是“很多人希望他的故事能够挽救美国梦”。由此推测可知：绝大多数移民并没有达到他们预期的目标。
小题4:通读全文可知，1848年，马歇尔在加利福尼亚州发现了金子，于是人们开始做起了寻金梦。19世纪的“美国梦”激发起的是淘金热。到了20世纪，很多评论家指出，光凭坚强意志和勤奋工作已经不可能发大财。在20世纪90年代，人们对因特网激情高涨，美国梦新的篇章由此揭开。中国和印度的很多商界人士以及年轻精英来此创业，寻求发财致富之路。这场新的美国梦更关注生活质量。由此可知全文的标题是：美国梦的演变。

举一反三

Are you a big fan of pirate（海盗） stories? Do you know how to talk like a pirate? You can have fun on September 19th. This special holiday is called International Talk Like A Pirate Day. It was invented in 1995 by two young Americans, John Baur and Mark Summers.
These two good friends came up with this idea when they were playing racquetball, and began to talk like pirates. At that moment, they thought, “Young people are interested in pirate. But there is no such a chance for people to get together to share it. Why not have a day when everybody talks like a pirate?” They decided to make September 19th the date. Since then, Baur and Summers have tried hard to promote Talk Like A Pirate Day. As Baur said, “We"ve talked like pirates, and encouraged several of our friends to do so every September 19th.”
At first, this day was only known by a few people. In 2002, Baur and Summers sent a letter about their invented holiday to Dave Barry. This columnist（专栏作家）really liked their idea. He promoted the holiday and made it known to more and more people. Now, it has really become an international holiday. On Talk Like A Pirate Day, you need to dress like a pirate. You should wear a big hat or maybe cover one of your eyes. You can pretend to be any kind of pirate that you can find in any story or movie.
Having fun and being relaxed are not the only best things about the holiday. Young people share the same interest and childhood dreams that day. That"s why it is welcomed by so many people, especially young people.
Unlike traditional holidays, International Talk Like A Pirate Day is a brand new holiday which is invented by the youth themselves and celebrated by themselves too. Because of Baur and Summers" imagination and creativity, thousands of young people"s pirate dream come true. Next time, when you have a good idea, why not share it with your fiends and insist on your belief? Maybe you can create another wonderful holiday for the youth in the future.
小题1:How did John Baur and Mark Summers invent the special holiday?

A．Many young people asked them to do it

B．They did it just for pleasure

C．They thought out the idea by chance and imagination

D．They did it in order to honor pirates

小题2:Why are the holiday become more and more popular？.

A．You can have fun and relax yourself freely.

B．young people can exchange ideas and dreams on the day

C．young people can have fun and be relaxed.

D．you can play the role of the pirate in the movie on the day

小题3:Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．It was Dave Barry who made more people know the holiday.

B．Talk Like A Pirate Day is a young, active and lively holiday

C．Thanks to John Baur and Mark Summers’ imagination and creativity, a lot of people realize their pirate dream.

D．The holiday has been popular since the birth of it.

小题4:According to the passage, which of the following can show that the holiday is special?

A．It has a long history.

B．It is a wonderful and instructive holiday.

C．It is a brand new holiday invented and celebrated by the youth themselves.

D．People can make their dream come true on this day.

小题5:Which of the following can serve as the best title of the passage？

A．Can you talk like a pirate?

B．Young people’s pirate dream

C．John Baur and Mark Summers

D．September 19th ,—a day in honor of pirates

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There was a huge battle between the warriors(武士)of Greece and the people of Troy. Prince Paris from Troy had stolen away the Greek queen; Helen. The Greek warriors set sail for Troy to fight for their queen.
The battle outside Troy lasted for ten years. The men were fed up and wanted to return to their homes. Athene, goddess of war gave Ulysses the idea for a plan to end the war. They built a big wooden horse which they put in the middle of their encampment（营地）. Next they pretended to give up their camp. In reality many soldiers hid inside the wooden horse.
Once they thought the camp had been abandoned the Trojans went out to check. They needed to know if the war was really over. They walked through the abandoned encampment and eventually found the wooden horse. They could not decide what it was. Some wanted to take it into the city, others thought that it was a gift to Zeus and feared touching or moving it in case they upset Zeus.
Some Trojans decided to take it back into the city. They called a large group of troops, attached ropes and pulled it into the city.
A huge celebration started. The city was free from war for the first time in nine years. Everybody feasted, drank and danced until eventually the merriment（欢闹）was over and they all went to sleep.
This was the moment that the wooden horse opened a big flap（盖口）hidden underneath. Out crept Ulysses and all of his men. They killed the sleeping troops, rescued Queen Helen, met up with the rest of their army and set sail for home.
The story of the return journey is told in The Odyssey, a collection of poems piecing together the bits of the story from the many different places where the story took place.
小题1:Greece and the people of Troy were at war because________________.

A．they have different views and beliefs

B．Prince Paris from Troy wanted to control Greek

C．they were war-like countries

D．the Greek warriors fought against Troy for their queen stolen away

小题2:What does the underlined phrase “(be)fed up” probably mean?

A．very bored

B．very happy

C．very sad

D．very interested

小题3:Which of the following statements is WRONG according to the passage?

A．The battle outside Troy lasted for ten years.

B．It was Ulysses that thought up the idea for a plan to end the war

C．The Trojans fell into a trap set by Ulysses and all of his men

D．The Greek warriors saved Queen Helen and head home successfully

小题4:What can we learn from the story?

A．Keep a clear brain or you’ll be cheated by something pretending

B．Failure is a common thing in the war

C．strategy(策略) is not an important factor in the war.

D．Victory cannot be gained by cheat and pretence.

小题5:Which of the followings can serve as the best title for the passage?

A．The Trojan Horse

B．A Smart Plan

C．The Trojan War

D．Rescuing Queen Helen

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Mauritius, with its full name the Republic of Mauritius, an island country, lies 1,200 miles off the southeastern coast of Africa, and just east of Madagascar, another African island country, which is larger by far than Mauritius. It covers 788 square miles and has a population of 1,100,000, about 750,000 Indians, 300,000 Chinese and 20,000 Whites included. They are living together peacefully, although they share such different beliefs as Hindu, Roman Catholic, Muslim and so on.
The country can be divided into many parts with different climates all because of its peculiar terrains (地形). In the center there are volcanoes (火山) several thousand feet high, and 90% of its arable land is covered with sugarcane.
There were no people living on the island before the Dutch landed on it in 1638. The Dutch relinquished it in 1710, and five years later, the French came and succeeded in planting sugarcane there. It was conquered (征服) by Britain in 1818. As a result, its official language is English. The main big cities are Beau-Bassin and Mahebourg, with Port Louis as its capital.
Mauritius has many rare and unique animals, such as the snakes, parrots and lizards. The giraffe is a type of animal with a very long neck and legs and yellow skin with dark spots. It is the tallest of all living animals.
Mauritius was extremely poor when it declared its independence in 1968. In the past ten years, obvious economic prosperity (繁荣) has shown itself in this island country. Nowadays its business, culture and tourism are developing rapidly. Every year, thousands of millions of people rush there to enjoy the silver sad beach and song and dance performances with native national characters.
小题1:The underlined word “relinquished” in the third paragraph means _______.

A．took its place	B．gave it up
C．left for it	D．held it out

小题2:The right order that shows the history of Mauritius should be _______.
a. seized by the French b. became its master
c. ruled by the Dutch d. conquered by the British

A．b, a, c, d	B．a, c, d, b
C．d, c, a, b	D．c, a, d, b

小题3: According to the passage all of the following statements are TRUE except ________.
Arable land covers 90% of the country’s total area
It was the rule of foreigners that made the Mauritius people live in poverty
More than half of Mauritius population are Indians
Britain ruled the island longer than French and Dutch

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Treasure hunts have excited people’s imagination for hundreds of years both in real life and in books such as Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Is-land. Kit Williams, a modern writer, had the idea of combining the real excitement of a treasure hunt with clues found in a book when he wrote a children’s story, Masquerade, in 1979. The book was about a hare, and a month before it came out Williams buried a gold hare in a park in Bedfordshire. The book contained a large number of clues to help readers find the hare, but Williams put in a lot of “red herrings”, or false clues, to mislead them.
Ken Roberts, the man who found the hare, had been looking for it for nearly two years. Although he had been searching in the wrong area most of the time, he found it by logic，not by luck. His success came from the fact that he had gaine4d an important clue at the start. He had realized that the words: “One of Six to Eight” under the first picture in the book connected the hare in some way to Katherine of Aragon, the first of Henry VIII’s six wives. Even here, however, Williams had succeeded in misleading him. Ken knew that Katherine of Aragon had died at Kimbolton in Cambridgeshire in 1536 and thought that Williams had buried the hare there. He had been digging there for over a year before a new idea occurred to him. He found out that Kit Williams had spent his childhood near Ampthill, in Bedfordshire, and thought that he must have buried the hare in a place he knew well, but he still could not see the connection with Katherine of Aragon, until one day he came across two stone crosses in Ampthill Park and learnt that they had been built in her honor in 1773.
Even then his search had not come to an end. It was only after he had spent several nights digging around the cross that he decided to write to Kit Williams to find out if he was wasting his time there. Williams encouraged him to continue, and on February 24th 1982, he found the treasure. It was worth 3000 in the beginning, but the excitement it had caused since its burial made it much more valuable.
小题1:Which of the following describes Roberts’ logic in searching for the hare?

A．Henry VIII’s six wives

B．Katherine’s burial place at Kimbolton

C．Williams’ childhood in Ampthill

D．Katherine of Argon

小题2:What is the subject discussed in the text?

A．An exciting historical event.

B．A modern treasure hunt.

C．The attraction of Masquerade.

D．The importance of logical thinking.

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She is widely seen as proof that good looks can last for ever. But, at nearly 500 years of age, time is catching up with the Mona Lisa.
The health of the famous picture, painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1505, is getting worse by the year, according to the Louver Museum(卢浮宫) where it is housed.
“The thin, wooden panel on which the Mona Lisa is painted in oil has changed shape since experts checked it two years ago,” the museum said. Visitors have noticed changes but repairing the world’s most famous painting is not easy. Experts are not sure about the materials the Italian artist used and their current chemical state.
Nearly 6 million people go to see the Mona Lisa every year, many attracted by the mystery of her smile. “It is very interesting that when you’re not looking at her, she seems to be smiling, and then you look at her and she stops,” said Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University. “It’s because direct vision(视觉) is excellent at picking up details, but less suited to looking at shadows. Da Vinci painted the smile in shadows.”
However, the actual history of the Mona Lisa is just as mysterious as the smile. Da Vinci himself loved it so much that he always carried it with him, until it was eventually sold to France’s King Francis I in 1519.
In 1911, the painting was stolen from the Louver by a former employee, who took it out of the museum, hidden under his coat. He said he planned to return it to Italy. The painting was sent back to France two years later. During World War Ⅱ, French hid the painting in small towns to keep it out of the hands of German forces.
小题1:We can infer from the text that_______

A．the Mona Lisa is proved to be able to last another 500 years

B．Mona Lisa’s beauty is fading gradually with 500 years passing by

C．the Mona Lisa has been catching people’s wide attention in the past 500 years

D．Mona Lisa does not look out of date though painted 500 years ago

小题2:Which of the following is true about the Mona Lisa?

A．It was once taken away and hidden up by German forces.

B．Its painter himself loved it greatly and always kept it in a shade.

C．Mona Lisa stops smiling when you look at her wanting to see her smiles.

D．King Francis I bought it and then returned it to Italy.

小题3:Choose the right order about the happenings onto Mona Lisa.
a. It was stolen from the Louver.
b. Its painter sold it to King Francis I
c. Its state of health was checked.
d. It was returned to France and housed in the Louver Museum.
e. It was hidden and protected against Germans.

A．b-a-d-e-c

B．d-e-c-b-a

C．d-a-e-c-b

D．b-c-a-d-e

小题4:It may add to the difficulty in repairing the painting that_____.

A．experts haven’t noticed changes in its shape as visitors do

B．it is likely to be stolen again when it’s under repair

C．it is uncertain which country, Italy of France, should take charge

D．experts aren’t sure about the materials and the chemical state of its oil paint

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