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Passage 1 England The country of England is where the English language developed. This language is now used everywhere in the world. It has become the language used most on the Internet and for international trade. Buckingham Palace is the home of the royal family. It is in London, the capital city of England which is also called Britain, where a new queen or king is crowned. This special ceremony takes place at Westminster Abbey, a beautiful church. When Princess Diana married Prince Charles, they had a wedding ceremony at another church called Saint Paul’s Cathedral. Since London is the capital city, the Parliament Building is where government leaders do their business. On one end of this building is a clock tower. The large clock is called Big Ben. There are other famous towers in London. One is called the Tower Of London and it was used as a prison. Many famous people have been sent there, such as a wife of King Henry IV in the 16th century. Today it is a museum for tourists where you can visit to see instruments of torture. There is also a display of the Crown Jewels, a very valuable collection of diamonds, rubies and other stones of great beauty. Many are placed in crowns worn by the kings or queens long ago. The Tower Bridge has four towers. This bridge is over the Thames River. This river goes through the middle of London and past Windsor Castle, another home of the royal family. It is a very safe place in time of war. Another famous place is the town called Stratford on Avon. Stratford is the city name and the river Avon flows through this city, so it means Stratford is on the Avon River. It is the home of William Shakespeare, the best writer of plays. He wrote about 50 plays and they are still performed everywhere English is spoken. There are two famous universities in England. They are called Cambridge and Oxford. The school name is the same as the city name, so Cambridge University is in Cambridge, England. Oxford University is in Oxford. 1. In time of war, the royal family will live at . A. Westminster Abbey B. Windsor Castle C. Buckingham Palace D. Saint Paul’s Cathedral 2. Big Ben can be found in a tower at A. the Tower Bridge B. the Tower of London C. the Parliament Building D. Oxford 3. Shakespeare wrote many plays. The river near his home is called . A. Cambridge B. the Thames River C. the Avon River D. the English Sea Passage 2 Scotland, Ireland, Wales These three countries used to have their own government. Today they are part of Britain. However, they have kept their original language, which is called Gaelic. Many of their people can speak both English and Gaelic. The modern name for the Gaelic language in Ireland is Irish. In Scotland, it is Scottish and in Wales, it is Welsh. I t is the same name as the people, for the Scottish people speak the Scottish language. In Scotland there is a castle and major city called Edinburgh. Often there is a performance by bagpipers, who are musicians playing traditional Scottish music on the bagpipes. The traditional clothing is a kilt, which is worn by men but looks like a woman’s skirt. It must be short, stopping at the knees, for these musicians must walk as they play. In one of their lakes which is called a loch, people believe they have seen a monster that looks very much like a Chinese dragon. The lake’s name is Ness so they call this creature the Loch Ness Monster. There is a world famous poet from Scotland. His name is Robert Burns and his poems are found in many English books for students. Ireland’s capital city is Dublin. I t was here that Saint Patrick taught the Irish people about God. The people loved their teacher and when a church was built many years later, they called it Saint Patrick’s Church. In the town of Killarney, there is a Blarney Castle. I t is said there is a magic stone there and whoever kisses this stone will be given the gift of eloquence. The United States President John F. Kennedy is descended from the Irish Kennedy family. He had the gift of eloquence. Cardiff is the capital of Wales. Though this is a very small country, it has produced two well-known people. They are the poet Dylan Thomas and the actor Richard Burton. Ireland and Wales are both known for their love of music. Ireland has produced professional dancers who tour the world. Wales has strong singers in both men’s and women’s voices. 1·Scottish bagpipers must march when they play so they wear . A. a kilt B. a skirt C. a dress D. short trousers 2. If you kiss the Blarney Stone in Killarney, you will receive the gift of . A. humor B. intelligence C. speaking well D. wisdom 3. The Loch Ness monster has been seen in . A. the ocean B. a river C. the mountains D. a lake Passage 3 Kilt In Europe, men do not usually wear skirts. But the Scottish national clothing for men is a kind of skirt. It is called a kilt. The Scottish like to be different. They are also proud of their country and its history, and they feel that the kilt is part of that history. That’s why the men still wear kilts at traditional dance and on national holidays. They believe they are wearing the same clothes that Scottish men always used to wear. That’s what they believe. However, kilts are not really so old. Before 1703, Scottish men wore a long shirt and blanket around their shoulders. These clothes got in the way when the men started to work in factories. So, in 1730 a factory owner changed the blanket into a skirt; the kilt. That’s how the first kilt was made. Then, in the late 1700s Scottish soldiers in the British Army began to wear kilts. One reason for this was national feelings: The Scottish soldiers wanted to be different from the English soldiers. The British Army probably had a different reason：A Scottish soldier in a kilt was always easy to find! The Scottish soldiers fought very hard and became famous. The kilt was part of the fame, and in the early 1800s men around Scotland began to wear kilts. These kilts had colorful stripes(条纹) going up and down and across. In the 1700s and early 1800s, the color of the stripes had no special meaning. Men sometimes owned kilts in several different colors. But later the colors became important to the Scottish families. By about 1850, most families had special colors for their kilts. For example, men from the Campbell family had kilts with green, yellow and blue stripes. Scottish people often believe that the colors of the kilts are part of their family history. In fact, each family just chose the color they liked best. This is not the story you will hear today if you are in Scotland. Most Scottish people still believe that kilts are as old as Scotland and that the colors are as old as the Scottish family. Sometimes feelings are stronger than facts! 1. This text is mainly about · A. soldier’s clothes in Britain B. the history of Scotland C. Scottish kilts D. Scottish families 2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A. The English soldiers were the first to wear kilts. B. It was hard then to tell the Scottish soldiers from the English ones. C. Colors are not specially designed in the first kilts. D. The factory owner made the first kilt from long shirts to make his workers different from others. 3. Scottish soldiers were dressed in kilts partly because of . A. the colors B. the weather C. national feelings D. the design 4. The colors of the kilts are . A. not part of the Scottish family history B. older than the Scottish family history C. for the Campbell family only D. mainly green, yellow and blue 5. From the last paragraph we can infer that . A.​ the European people are full of strong feeling B.​ there are no stories about kilts in Scotland today C.​ the Britsh like to do things not on facts D.​ the Scottish prefer to keep their tradition rather than believe the fact Passage4 British People ------ Sports Lovers It seems that the Englishman just cannot live without sports of some kind. A famous French humourist once said that this is because the English insist on behaving like children all their lives. Wherever you go in this country you will see both children and grown-ups knocking a ball about with a stick or something, as if in Britain men shall always remain boys and women girls! Still, it can never be bad to get exercise, can it? Taking all amateur(业余) and professional sports in Britain into consideration, there can be no doubt that football is at the top of the list. It is called soccer in the United States. The game originated in Britain and was played in the Middle Ages or even earlier, though as an organized game, or “association football”, it dates only from the beginning of the 19th century. The next is rugby, which is called “football” in the United States. It is a kind of foot ball played by two teams of fifteen players rather than eleven. In rugby, an oval-shaped ball is used which can be handled as well as kicked. It is a pretty rough game. In summer, cricket is the most popular sport. In fact, it has sometimes been called the English national game. Most foreigners find the game rather slow or even boring, but it enjoys great popularity among the British. Tennis rates high on the list, too. It was introduced into England from France in the 15th century, but it was from England that it spread to practically every country in the world. Table-tennis, or “ping-pong”, surely is not played on a great scale as in China or Japan. Basketball and volleyball were introduced into in during the late 19th century from America and are gaining popularity. Horse-back riding, swimming, rowing and golf all attract a lot of people. 1. The main purpose of Paragraph 1 is to tell us that the English . A. are all sports lovers B. behave like children C. like to kick a ball around D. can remain young all their lives 2. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true about football and rugby? A. They differ in the shape of the ball. B. They are played by different numbers of players. C. They both can be handled. D. They both can be kicked. 3. From the second and the third paragraph, we know that . A. Americans love football most of all B. British people love rugby most of all C. Americans and British people may call the same thing differently D. football originated in Britain in the 18th century 4. The game that was never played in Britain until the late 19th century . A. basketball B. tennis C. rugby D. football 5. What would be the best title for this passage? A. The Most Popular Sports B. The English Sports C. History of Sports D. Sports in Britain Passage 5 Elizabeth I The birth of Elizabeth to Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, was awkward as Anne was pregnant with Henry’s child when they married. At that time in English history, the king could not divorce without the Roman Catholic Pope’s permission. Henry was married to his first wife Catherine who did not produce a son and after Elizabeth’s birth, Anne was killed. Henry decided to divorce Catherine to marry a younger wife to produce an heir. The pope refused, causing the king to declare himself the leader of the Church of England. He then married ６ wives in all and only one son survived. This son followed Henry as king with the name Edward VI. He was sick so his reign was only six years until his death. His half-sister Mary became queen for five years and she reassigned the pope as head of the English church. However, upon her death, Elizabeth became queen in 1558 and reigned for 45 years until 1603. She never married and was widely respected because she ruled without the help of a father, husband or son’s advice. She also returned the leadership of the church back to England with herself as the leader but she appointed an archbishop at the Canterbury Cathedral to take over all religious duties. She chose good officials and maintained good relationships with parliament. Mary’s widower was King Philip of Spain and he tried to get Elizabeth to marry him. However, she remained single throughout her reign so she is called the Virgin Queen. In 1588, Philip sent the powerful Spanish navy to fight England because Queen Elizabeth had aided the Netherlands when they were still a Spanish possession. England’s navy fought well against the famous Spanish Armada, which caused the world to recognize England as a new sea power. Due to Elizabeth’s long and essentially peaceful reign, the arts of England grew in great stature. It was the age of the plays of Shakespeare, and Marlow. Bacon and Spenser were writing great literature. The contributions of these great writers of literature caused the world to recognize the significance of British literature in the academic world. With the reign of Elizabeth who was sometimes called “Good Queen Bess”, England became strong in the military and academic fields. Elizabeth is still revered warmly by the English people. 1. Elizabeth’s FATHER Henry VIII remarried often to gain____. A. the love of young women B. political alliance C. religious freedom D. a son 2. Philip, the king of Spain, was Elizabeth’s ____ A. enemy B. friend C. brother-in-law D. suitor 3. British literature flourished when England was a ____ A. peaceful country B. profitable country C. powerful country D. religious country Passage 6 William Shakespeare William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in the town of Stratford-on-Avon. The title means the town was named Stratford and it was on the Avon River. He married his wife Anne Hathaway when he was only 18years old. They had a baby girl in 1583 and twins (boy and girl) in 1585.Today, tourists can visit the thatched cottage that was their home. Little is known of Shakespeare until 1592 when he showed up in London as an actor. He joined a troupe of actors called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. When James l became the king of England, they changed the name of their troupe to the King’s Men. It was the most famous acting troupe in London and Shakespeare invested his money in it as a shareholder and he became its principle playwright. In 1599, this troupe built a theatre in London called The Globe. It was the most impressive theatre at that time and it became the showpiece for all of Shakespeare’s plays. He wrote nearly 50 plays. Many of the phrases he used became very common in the English language. His interest in writing for entertainment caused him to research and write about English history. His first plays have the names of the kings like Richard II, Richard III, Henry IV and King John. However, his interest in that famous love story from Verona, Italy, caused him to write the well-loved Romeo and Juliet. He then wrote some comedies like the Comedy of Errors, As You Like It, Twelfth Night and Much Ado about Nothing. His A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been a favorite of young people as there is some silliness that even the youngest spectator will understand. However, his best plays were tragedies like Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Anthony and Cleopatra. These plays reveal his skill in moving his audience emotionally as they watch the story come to life. Shakespeare died in 1616.There was no collection of his plays at that time. Seven years later, two of the actors in his troupe gathered the plays and published them. Now the world recognizes Shakespeare as the greatest playwright of all time. 1. William Shakespeare grew up in____. A. a seaport city B. a town by a river C. the countryside D. London 2. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a _____ A. historical play B. tragic play C. comedy D. love story 3. Hamlet, Macbeth, and Othello are____ A. romantic heroes B. father figures C. dramatic roles D. tragic plays Passage 7 Isaac Newton Newton (1642-1727) was an English mathematician who laid the foundations for physics as a modern scientific discipline. Everyone knows the story that when he was sitting under a tree, he watched an apple fall to the ground. As he thought about the reason of its falling. He reasoned that both apples and planets are similar in that they are objects that respond to a force that attracts them. The year of this observation was 1666 when he was 24 years old. Newton was educated at Trinity College in Cambridge. He was so brilliant that he was offered a full professorship at age 27 in mathematics, also at planet movement for 21 years because everyone thought his reasoning was faulty. He told his friends that he would print nothing about his ideas because it would attract too much attention, which would interfere with his scientific work. However, in 1687, he finally published a three volume book entitled mathematical principles of Natural philosophy. Today, it is considered the greatest scientific work ever written. Newton believed that the law of gravity made the universe run like a huge clock, as if designed by a master designer. Scientists who read this work during his lifetime did not believe Newton’s theory of gravitational pull was correct. One claimed that Newton would not have twenty followers of his research in his lifetime. Actually, there were even less, because very few scientists seemed interested in his work. Newton said, “Just give me the mass, and the position of the motion of a system of heavenly bodies at any given moment and I will calculate their future positions and motions by a set of rigid and unerring mathematical calculation. I will calculate the tides of the oceans and the motions of the waters and the earth. For the earth attracts the moon and the moon attracts the earth, and the force of each in turn tends to keep them in a state of perpetual resistance. “ Newton also developed the mathematical system that is called calculus. His studies of white light led to the understanding that light is made up of many colors. However, the most important theory was his theory of gravitational pull, which is the basis of all flights into space today. 1. In his lifetime, Newton’s theory of gravity was A. respected B. strange C. not believed D. welcomed 2. Newton believed the universe was A. formed naturally B. running in perfect order C. a big puzzle D. difficult to explain 3. The moon and the earth stay in perfect balance because of A. attraction B. resistance C. motion D. attraction and resistance Passage 8 Charles Darwin Origin of Species The English scientist, Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809, the same day that Abraham Lincoln was born. Darwin caused a change in thinking about evolution, whereas Lincoln caused a change in the role of the black slave allowing the black man to be free man in American society. Darwin’s father tried to influence his son to become a worthy student in school. However, Charles did not like to study Latin or Greek, which was required for a classical education. Instead, he made a secret laboratory in his father’s garden where he could experiment in chemistry and physics. His headmaster had a very low opinion of his scholarly abilities. So his father decided to send him to Edinburgh, Scotland, to medical school. However, Charles couldn’t bear the sight of surgical demonstrations. One time, a child was being operated on without any painkiller or anesthesia. The child began to scream in agony and Charles ran from the room. Those screams haunted his mind for many years. Since he failed at medical school, his father sent him to study theology at Christ’s Church at Cambridge University. However, in his own words, he said his time was sadly wasted” in playing, drinking, singing, flirting and card playing.” But he found a science professor there who recommended he sail as a naturalist on the ship called the Beagle. This ship would travel for 5 years exploring South America and the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. On these islands, he observed the world’s largest turtles, the iguana lizards, and finches, a type of bird. These birds were on different islands and varied from each other, especially in their beaks. Darwin took many notes on this long adventure. When he returned to England, his body was broken and he was essentially ill for the res