Every year on April 1, April Fools’ Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. In France, it’s called Poisson d’Avril or “Fish of April.” In Scotland, the holiday is often called “Gowkie Day.” In Iraq, the holiday is called Kithbet Neesan or “April Lie.”
History experts say people have celebrated April Fools’ Day for a long time. Some believe the tradition comes from the ancient Romans more than two thousand years ago. It was a day of playing games and pretending to be someone else.
Others say the day for fooling began in France in 1564, when King Charles changed the yearly calendar（日历）. He moved New Year’s Day from April 1 to January 1. Many people did not know about the change because of communication problems back then. Some people continued to celebrate New Year’s Day on April 1. Other people called them April Fools and played jokes on them.
In the United States, April Fools’ Day is just a day of joking and playing tricks on friends. These kinds of jokes are also called pranks. These jokes typically end in the prankster shouting “April Fools’!”
Simple pranks, like telling a friend a funny lie or making prank phone calls, are still common. But, major companies also get in on April Fools’ Day fun in a much bigger way. A few years ago, on April 1, Starbucks announced it was introducing new coffee cup sizes -- Plenta and Micra. The very large cups, bigger than a human head, remained useful for customers even after finishing all that coffee. According to Starbucks, the cups could be used as a rain hat, a pot for plants, or a lampshade（灯罩）.
It did not take long for customers to catch on to the prank!
More and more, people use social media or smart phone apps（应用程序）to play pranks on their friends on April Fools’ Day. One very annoying smart phone app, Cat Facts, sends funny facts about cats to your friends’ phones, every day.
1.What is not true about “April Fools’ Day”?
A. It has been celebrated for a long time.
B. Its tradition comes from the ancient Romans.
C. French people celebrated it because of not knowing that King Charles changed the yearly calendar.
D. Different countries have different names for it.
2. In the United States, April Fools’ Day is .
A. a day of joking and playing tricks on friends.
B. a day when you can play jokes on any people.
C. a day when people can’t shout “April Fools’!”
D. a day when Starbucks introduced new coffee.
3.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “pranks”(para4)?
A. friends B. methods
C. jokes D. jokers
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The pomegranate is one of the oldest known fruits. Pomegranates are found in ancient writings and pictured in the ancient art of many cultures and religions. The pomegranate is also a symbol of health, fertility and long life.
Experts think the pomegranate is native to northern India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. Today it also grows in Southeast Asia, the western U.S., Armenia and parts of Africa, among other places.
The skin of a pomegranate is strong. It can be red, purple or orange-yellow. The inside is filled with beautiful dark red seeds that shine like rubies. It is not easy to get them out. But the reward is great.
Health benefits
The pomegranate grows on trees. Parts of the pomegranate tree and fruit are used to make medicine.
The pomegranate is used for many conditions. However, the U.S National Institutes of Health says there is not enough scientific evidence to rate pomegranates as effective for any of them.
Still, in traditional medicine, the pomegranate is used for conditions of the heart and blood vessels, including high blood pressure and "hardening of the arteries."
The jewel-like seeds of the pomegranate are loaded with many nutrients and chemicals called antioxidants(抗氧化剂). These antioxidants remove poisons from the body.
The antioxidants found in pomegranates may help remove build-up of damage in blood vessels. So, it is a very heart-healthy fruit.
Antioxidants slow the progression of age-related sickness and may slow the growth of cancer cells. Men who have prostate cancer may benefit from a daily serving of pomegranate juice.
Pomegranates are used for weight loss and used as a treatment for sore throat. Pomegranates are also high in vitamin K, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, zinc and iron.
Let's just say pomegranates are loaded with great things for the inside of your body.
Beauty benefits
But let's not forget the outside, too!
Pomegranates are great for the skin. They protect the skin by encouraging new skin growth, healing wounds and repairing tissue. Pomegranates protect the skin against sun damage as well. They may help skin look younger by providing moisture and elasticity.
Recipes for pomegranates
But how does one eat a pomegranate?
Pomegranates seeds are both sweet and tart. A thick liquid, or syrup, from the pomegranate tastes great with lamb, pork or chicken dishes.
Pomegranate seeds provide extra flavor to salads and other vegetable dishes. The seeds are also delicious in rice and grain dishes. And, of course pomegranates make great desserts. In the U.S., pomegranate juice is often added to sparkling drinks, drinks called smoothies and alcoholic drinks.
Fresh pomegranates are only available in the United States from September to January. They can keep, or remain good to eat, in the refrigerator for about two months if kept in a plastic bag.
1.Where does the pomegranate not grow?
A. Pakistan B. The northern Asia
C. Afghanistan D. The western U.S.
2.According to Health benefits, we can learn _____.
A. The pomegranate tree and fruit are used to make medicine.
B. It is very effective to use pomegranates for many conditions.
C. Eating pomegranates may help remove build-up of damage in blood vessels.
D. You can’t grow cancer cells if you eat pomegranates.
3.The pomegranate is beneficial to the following body parts EXCEPT .
A. Heart B. Blood vessels C. Skin D. Head
4.The best title of this article is _______.
A. Pomegranate: Best Fruit
B. Pomegranates’ health benefits
C. Pomegranate: Good Recipes
D. Pomegranate: Still Healthy at 5,000 Years Old
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
O. Henry was a pen name used by an American writer of short stories. His real name was William Sydney Porter. He was born on September 11, 1862, in Greensboro, North Carolina.
As a young boy he lived an exciting life. He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to teach himself everything he needed to know. When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas, where he tried different jobs. He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank, when some money went missing from the bank, O. Henry was believed to have stolen it. Because of that, he was sent to prison. During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories.
After he got out of prison, he went to New York in 1902 when Porter's most prolific(多产的)writing period started. While there, he wrote 381 short stories. He wrote a story a week for over a year for the New York World Sunday Magazine. He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there. People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would finish with a sudden change at the end, to the reader’s surprise.
Porter traveled with Richard to Austin in 1884, where he met Athol Estes, then seventeen years old and from a wealthy family. On July 1, 1887, Porter married Athol. Athol Estes Porter died on July 25, 1897, from tuberculosis. Porter married again in 1907, to childhood sweetheart Sarah (Sallie) Lindsey Coleman, whom he met again after revisiting his native state of North Carolina.
Porter was a heavy drinker, and his health deteriorated(恶化) markedly in 1908, which affected his writing. In 1909, Sarah left him, and he died on June 5, 1910, of cirrhosis of the liver, complications of diabetes, and an enlarged heart. After funeral services in New York City, he was buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Asheville, North Carolina.
1.In which order did O. Henry do the following things?
a. Lived in New York. b. Worked in a bank.
c. Travelled to Texas. d. Was put in prison.
e. Had a newspaper Job. f. Learned to write stories.
A. e. c. f. b. d. a B. c. e. b. d. f. a
C. e. b. d. c. a. f. D. c. b. e. d. a f.
2.People enjoyed reading O. Henry’s stories because .
A. they had surprise endings.
B. they were easy to understand.
C. they showed his love for the poor.
D. they were about New York City.
3.O. Henry went to prison because .
A. people thought he had stolen money from the newspaper.
B. he broke the law by not using his own name.
C. he wanted to write stories about prisoners.
D. people thought he had taken money that was not his.
4.What do we know about O. Henry before he began writing?
A. He was well-educated.
B. He was not serious about his work.
C. He was devoted to the poor.
D. He was very good at learning.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
An American spacecraft is moving closer to a dwarf planet(矮行星)called Ceres(谷神星). The American space agency's Dawn spacecraft is set to reach the planet-like object in March.
Space agency scientists will then place Dawn in an orbit(轨道) around the dwarf planet. Agency scientists want to know more about ice on Ceres. The spacecraft will gather clues about whether Ceres may have once had conditions to support life as we know it.
Dawn left Earth more than seven years ago on a trip to explore Ceres and another dwarf planet, called Vesta(灶神星). Both dwarf planets are in the main belt of asteroids(小行星), a group of large objects, between the planets Mars and Jupiter.
Marc Rayman is the chief engineer and director of the Dawn mission.
Scientists call Vesta and Ceres "protoplanets(行星) ". Mr. Rayman says they were in the process of becoming full-size planets when, in his words, "their growth was terminated(终止)."
Scientists believe Ceres is made of rock, and covered with ice.
The Dawn mission is based in Los Angeles, California. Scientists there send second-by-second commands to the spacecraft. They direct its every move, including telling it what pictures to take. Dawn will make a map of the dwarf planet. It will also try to discover how Ceres' surface has changed.
Carol Raymond is the deputy principal investigator(副首席研究员) of the project. He says Dawn made an unexpected discovery while orbiting Vesta.
"Instead of being bone dry, which we expected, there were patches on the surface of Vesta that showed significant amounts of water bound in the rocks and possibly even free water that could have flowed on the surface in the past."
She says that if Earth's water came from wet worlds like Vesta and Ceres, then life could have developed there, too.
If Dawn finds that the environment of Ceres could have supported life, scientists may seek to explore the dwarf planet with other scientific instruments.
Dawn will gather information about Ceres until the middle of 2016. It will then continue to orbit the small planet.
1.Which of the following about spacecraft Dawn is true?
A. It was sent into space in 2008.
B. It is orbiting around the dwarf planet Ceres.
C. Its destination is just the dwarf planet Ceres.
D. It will gather information about Ceres until early 2016.
2.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “patches”?
A. spots B. roles C. sorts D. kinds
3.What do we know about Vesta?
A. It is in the main belt of asteroids between the planets Mars and Venus.
B. It is another dwarf planet which Dawn will explore.
C. It is becoming a full-size planet.
D. It is made of rock, and covered with ice.
4.The passage mainly tells us ______.
A. Spacecraft , Dawn, is researching Ceres.
B. What Spacecraft , Dawn, is.
C. NASA Spacecraft, Dawn, is moving closer to a 'Dwarf Planet'.
D. How Dwarf Planet research program is carried out.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Everybody gets stressed time to time. 1. Some ways of dealing with stress 一like screaming or hitting someone一don't solve (解决) much. But other ways, like talking to someone you trust, can lead you to solving your problem or at least feeling better.
Try taking these four steps the next time you are stressed:
(1) Get support. When you need help, reach out to the people who care about you. Talk to a trusted adult, such as a parent or other relatives. 2. They might have had similar problems, such as dealing with a test, or the death of a beloved pet.
(2) Don't take it out on yourself. Sometimes when kids are stressed and upset they take it out on themselves.
Oh, dear, that's good idea. Remember that there are always people to help you. Don't take it out on yourself. 3.
(3) Try to solve the problem. After you're calm and you have support from adults and friends, it's time to get down to business. 4. Even if you can't solve it all, you can solve a piece of it.
(4) Be positive. Most stress is temporary(暂时的).Remember stress does go away, especially when you figure out the problem and start working on solving it. These steps aren't magic, but they do work. And if you can stay positive as you make your way through a tough time, you'll help yourself feel better even faster. 5.
A. Ask for a helping hand to get you through the tough situation.
B. Notice your friends' feelings and find a way to help them.
C. Different people feel stress in different ways
D. Ah, it feels so good when the stress is gone.
E. You need to figure out what the problem is.
F. And don't forget about your friends.
G. Then, find a way to calm down。
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Two thieves came to a house to steal something, they a hole in the wall of the house.
There lived many in the house. The woman in the moonlight a mouse crawl(爬行) into the house. “Look! In one,” she said to the man in the house. He was so frightened that he crawled out of the house and said to the one outside, “She me when I was just in.” But the thief outside didn’t believe him, so he said, “Let us two try to into the house together.” At that time two mice to crawl into the house, too. The woman saw the mice and shouted, “In come , catch them!” The two thieves were terribly . The man in the house said, “You saw them come in where are they? I will catch them tonight.” The two thieves started at once.
The two thieves wanted to make it clear they had been found or not the night before. The next day they as men selling sweet potatoes and came before the house. The man and the woman were ploughing in their fields. The rein(缰绳) broke and the woman came home for a . She saw two men selling sweet potatoes and wanted to buy some. She picked out two which looked like mice. At the time the man wait for her any longer in the fields and he ran back from the fields to hurry her up. The woman showed the sweet potatoes to the man and said, “ they look like the two of last night.” The man said, “I asked you to fetch a rope, why don’t you for it?” The two thieves ran away very quickly their sweet potatoes.
1.A. pulled B. dug C. pushed D. worked
2.A. rope B. mouse C. mice D. dog
3.A. saw B. see C. listened to D. listen to
4.A. rises B. flows C. comes D. stands
5.A. hardly B. hurriedly C. properly D. finally
6.A. waiting B. doing C. taking D. ploughing
7.A. gave B. found C. existed D. led
8.A. go B. walk C. crawl D. jog
9.A. happened B. took place C. happen D. take place
10.A. many B. little C. one D. two
11.A. disappointed B. frightened C. surprised D. amazed
12.A. so B. but C. and D. or
13.A. running away B. running back C. running after D. running out
14.A. that B. what C. which D. whether
15.A. operated B. spotted C. acted D. gathered
16.A. water B. plough C. rope D. tool
17.A. couldn’t B. needn’t C. mustn’t D. shouldn’t
18.A. What B. When C. Where D. How
19.A. permit B. admit C. remind D. hurry
20.A. with B. without C. along D. around
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入适当的内容（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Canada is a country 1. North America consisting of ten provinces and three territories. 2. （locate）in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic 3. the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean. Covering 9.98 million square kilometers in total, Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area and the fourth-largest country by land area. 4. common border with the United States forms the world's longest land border.
Canada is a developed country and one of the 5. (wealthy) in the world, with the tenth highest nominal per capita income 6. (global), and the eighth highest ranking in the Human Development Index. It ranks among 7. highest in international measurements of government transparency(透明度), civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, and education. Canada is 8. member of the Commonwealth of Nations, 9. is furthermore part of several major international and intergovernmental institutions or groupings, 10. (include) NATO, the G8, the Group of Ten, the G20, the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
短文改错（共10小题，每小题1分，满分10分）
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处错误， 句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（^），并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
My parents live in the country. They keep a dog calling Ah Fu. One day my parent went to work in the fields taking my little sister with Ah Fu along. While they working, my sister walked to the river nearby. Ah Fu followed her there. She was trying to pick a flower while she fell into the river. Ah Fu barked and jumped to the water immediate. When my parents heard Ah Fu barking they ran to the river. They saw Ah Fu swimming towards the bank carried my little sister. My parents praised Ah Fu warm. It was our brave Ah Fu who had saved my little sister.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
为纪念雷锋，学校组织“Follow Leifeng”系列活动，号召全体学生向雷锋同志学习。请以“Today, I am Leifeng”为题，写一篇日记，从下列事件中选取1-2件事，记述你一天的学雷锋经历，并谈谈自己的感想。
备注：
1. 可选学雷锋事件：坐公交给老爷爷让座；街道上捡起别人扔下的牛奶盒放进垃圾桶；扶老奶奶过马路；帮清洁工人推垃圾车上陡坡；帮小学生取下挂到树上的气球；把本打算来买衣服的200元钱捐给希望工程。
2. 雷锋精神的内涵：爱岗敬业；乐于助人；艰苦朴素…… (词数100左右。)
难度: 中等查看答案及解析