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Louis became king of France at the age of five when his father died. In the beginning，he was too young to rule，so his mother helped him. Then at age 17，Louis ruled the country alone. He was king for 72 years. France became a powerful country with Louis as king. But Louis lived a life of luxury（奢侈）, which made people angry.
Louis built a huge palace at Versailles，near Paris. It took 40 years to finish it At once time，36，000 people worked on building the palace. The palace cost so much money that Louis did not let people talk about it. The garden of the palace had 1，400 fountains. The fountains used a lot of water so they worked for only three hours at a time.
The fountains used water, but Louis did not! He hated to wash. He took only three baths in his life. He washed only one part—the tip of the nose. Everyone in the palace had to do what the king did so people washed only their noses!
Louis had problems sleeping. People say that he had 143 beds. He went from one bed to another until he fell asleep. But he had a good appetite. A normal dinner for Louis was four bowls of soup. two whole chickens, ham, lamb, a salad, cake fruit, and hard—boiled eggs. He also drank a lot of champagne because his doctor told him to. When he died, doctors said his stomach was two times the size of a normal stomach.
Louis XIV was not always popular, but he was an important king in the history of France. He was so important that he was called "the Sun King".
1.Louis took charge of the country by himself____________.
A.when he was 5 B.when his mother died C.when he was17 D.when he was72
2.Louis didn't let people talk about his palace because.
A.it took 40 years to finish it B.36,000 people worked on building it
C.it had 1,400 fountains D.it cost a lot of money
3.From the article we learn that____________.
A.Louis used water a lot B.Louis didn't like washing himself
C.people in Louis's palace could wash themselves D.at that time people didn't like taking baths
4.Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
A.Louis couldn't sleep well.
B.Louis didn't enjoy delicious food.
C.Louis had a big stomach.
D.Louis's doctor told him to drink much champagne.
5.The underlined word "appetite" probably means____________.
A.desire for eating B.desire for playing C.desire for learning D.desire for sleeping
6.What does the writer think of Louis XIV according to this passage?
A.He was a powerful but foolish king.
B.He was great but cruel.
C.He was a powerful king but lived a luxury life.
D.He was a cruel king and lived a luxury life.
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Once, Louis the Twelfth, the King of France, happened to walk into the kitchen of his palace. There he found a small boy busy at work and singing happily.
The boy had bright eyes, and a happy, sunny face, and his looks and manners pleased the king. With a smile Louis asked him his name. He replied that his name was Simon. In answer to further questions, the king learnt that the boy was an orphan; both his father and mother were dead.
“Are you content(满足的)to do this kind of work？” the king asked, pointing at the bowls which the boy was washing. “Are you willing to spend your time in the kitchen when so many of the others work upstairs？”
“Why not？” answered the boy, with a twinkle in his eye. “I am doing as well as the best of them. The king himself can do no better.”
“Indeed！” said the king, no little surprised at the boy's words. “How do you know that？”
“Well, sir, the king lives, and so do I. I am content with my life. Can the king say that he is content with his life？”
Louis walked away, his mind full of strange, sad thoughts. No one knew better than he did that kings seldom feel content.
The next day, much to Simon's surprise, he was called before the king. He was still more surprised when he found that his visitor of the day before was Louis himself. The king talked with him about many things, and found him to be a very quick and clever boy.
After that Simon was made to serve the king directly. Step by step, he rose from one important task to another, until he became one of the best soldiers of that time. He is known in history as General La Roche, and considered as one of the greatest men of France.
If Simon had not, early in life, learnt to be content with his life, he might never have been given those chances. The king did not want people who were always unhappy because they did not have as good a place as some others. You cannot too soon learn that only those who are content are happy.
1.What did Simon do before he met the king?
A. He sang in the king's kitchen.
B. He served in the king's army.
C. He worked in the king's kitchen.
D. He guarded the king's palace.
2.Simon was made to serve the king directly because he ________．
A. was content with his life
B. knew what the king thought
C. did as well as the best of others
D. had bright eyes, and a happy, sunny face
3.Which of the following is the correct order about Simon?
①He served the king directly.
②He found the visitor was the king.
③He became one of the best soldiers.
④He had a chat with a visitor in the kitchen.
⑤He is a wellknown man in French history.
A. ①②⑤③④ B. ④②⑤①③
C. ③④②①⑤ D. ④②①③⑤
4.We can learn from the story that ________．
A. being content makes us happy
B. working hard can lead to success
C. it is important to believe yourself
D. children are always more honest
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He became a famous writer when he was ________.
A. in his fifty B. at the age of fifty years old C. in his fifties D. in the fifties
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Louis Braille, a Frenchman, couldn’t see anything when he was three years old. At the age of ten, he went to a special school for b_______1. children. The teacher there taught him a new way of reading by touching raised letters(突出的字母) on the paper. H______2., it was a slow way to read, and it did not help the blind to write. In 1819, a French soldier i__________ 3.a special writing called “night writing”. Night writing used twelve dots(小圆点). In 1824, Braille k__4. about the night writing and began to change it for the blind to use. He didn’t use 12 dots but 6 dots. Letters are made with one or m______5. dots. In this way, Braille was able to use the six dots for all twenty-six letters. Now people call this writing the “Braille Writing” and people first used it in 1829. His work helped the blind see the world through their fingers.
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缺词填空
Louis Braille, a Frenchman, couldn’t see anything when he was three years old. At the age of ten, he went to a special school for b1.children. The teacher there taught him a new w2.of reading by touching raised letters(字母) on the paper. H3., it was slow way to read, and it did not help the blind write. In 1819, a French soldier invented a special writing c4.“night writing”. Night writing used twelve dots(小圆点). In 1824, Braille knew about the night writing and b5.to change it for the blind to use. He didn’t use 12 dots but s________6. dots. Letters are made with one or more dots. In this way, Braille was a________7.to use the six dots for all twenty-six letters. Now people call this writing the “Braille Writing” and people first used it in 1829. F________8. then on, many blind people from all over the world used it. Before this writing a________9., the blind could not read or write. Many of them lived in hospitals and knew n________10.about the world outside. His work helped them see the world through their fingers.
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At the age of forty-five, my usually well-ordered life became full of changes. After twenty-two years of working in a _______, a plan to use less staff led to the unemployment (失业) of over one hundred people, I being one of them.
My once secure (稳妥的) future became _______. However, I was not a single parent, _______ the family did not depend only on my income (收入). My motto has always been “Change is good; change is progress,” but when it influenced my livelihood (生计，生活), I had to change it to, “_______ change and make the most of it.” From the beginning, I _______ to look at this matter not as _______ luck, but as a welcome chance. I refused to become sorry, _______, I actively planned to do something new and different.
Having a positive attitude (积极的态度) made all the difference in the way I formed the future. First, I decided to _______ to college and graduate many years later than I should have. Doing this at my age needed more _______. Not being a graduate had never held me back in my career in the bank, but now it was a personal goal I was eager (渴望) to achieve. With a lot of determination, I went to evening classes and became an adult ________. In the class, I became more and more ________. During this time, I realized that ________ life throws in our way, personal growth never stops.
The second thing I did to improve myself was to reevaluate (再评估) my past life. It used to be filled with endless and sometimes meaningless events. But now, my heart and life are completely around people I ________.
The loss of my job led to some ________ changes in my life. Revisiting (再访，重游) the past made room for the ________. I realize that I have accepted the change, and am making the most of it.
1.A.factory B.bank C.company D.hospital
2.A.uncertain B.bright C.unimportant D.clear
3.A.if B.or C.so D.but
4.A.Refuse B.Accept C.Expect D.Collect
5.A.considered B.chose C.happened D.imagined
6.A.perfect B.rare C.bad D.good
7.A.therefore B.instead C.anyway D.however
8.A.attend B.turn C.join D.return
9.A.time B.money C.courage D.risk
10.A.student B.teacher C.manager D.doctor
11.A.confident B.afraid C.nervous D.generous
12.A.whichever B.whoever C.wherever D.whatever
13.A.care for B.call for C.stand for D.look for
14.A.common B.positive C.confident D.unsure
15.A.change B.experience C.future D.education
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He could play the violin when he was five.
A. at the age of five B. five years later
C. for five years D. five years age
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He could play the violin when he was five.
A. at the age of five B. five years later C. for five years D. five years age
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Armstrong became interested in _______ ever since he took his first _______ at the age of six.
A. fly; flying B. flight; fly C. flight; flying D. flying; flight
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— When did you show an _______ in reading?
— At the age of six, I became _______ in reading comics.
A. interest; interesting B. interested; interested
C. interesting; interested D. interest; interested