最新英语阅读材料
Passage 1
A store owner was tacking（钉住）a sign above his door that read “Puppies For Sale.”A little boy appeared under the store owner’s sign. “How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked.
The store owner replied, “Anywhere from $30 to $50.”
The little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. “I have $2.37,” he said. “Can I please look at them?”
The store owner whistled and five tiny balls of fur ran out. One puppy was falling far behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the limping puppy and said, “What’s wrong with that little dog?”
The store owner explained that the little puppy didn’t have a hip socket (臀骨臼). The little boy became excited and said, “That’s the little puppy I want to buy.”
The store owner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. But if you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.”
The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner’s eyes and said, “I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay the full price. In fact, I’ll give you $2.37 now and 50 cents a month until I have him all paid for.”
The store owner said, “This little dog is never going able to run jump like the other puppies.”
To this, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to show a badly twisted (扭曲的), disabled left leg supported by a big metal brace (支撑物). He looked up at the store owner and softly replied, “Well, I don’t run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands.”
1.The boy is able to offer something to the little puppy that no one else can.
What’s that?
A)A good home. B) A high price.
C) Care and understanding. D) A big metal brace.
2.Upon the boy’s request, the store owner ___________.
A)asked for his reason
B)laughed at his silly choice
C)persuaded him to buy the other dogs
D)suggested that he take the dog free of charge
3.When the store owner offered to give the puppy to the boy, the boy was
upset because ______.
A) he did not really like the puppy
B) he hated to accept things free
C) he had enough money with him
D) he thought the puppy had its value and should not be given away free
4.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A)The little boy was disabled.
B)The little boy bought the dog for fun.
C)The store owner couldn’t understand the little boy.
D)The store owner didn’t sell the dog to the little boy.
5.The best title for the passage is ______________.
A)Store Owner and His Dogs B) Little Boy and Disabled Dog
C)A dog in Need D) Little Boy’s Best Friend
Passage 2
She is widely seen as proof that good looks can last forever. 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 Louvre Museum 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 present chemical state.
Nearly six 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 detail, but less suited to looking at shadows. Da vinci painted the smile in shadows.”
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.
During World War II, French hid the painting in small towns to keep it out of the hands of German forces.
Like many old ladies, the Mona Lisa has some interesting stories to tell.
6. In the first paragraph “catching up with” means ____________.
A)coming up from behind B) having effect on
C) making up for D) getting along with
7. It is difficult to repair this painting due to its ______________.
A) painting materials B) wooden panel
C) long history D) good name
8. Mona Lisa is smiling when you look _______________.
A) at her B) from the corners of your eyes
C) into the shadows D) for details
9. Para. 4 is mainly about ____________________.
A) the history of the Mona Lisa B) the condition of the Mona Lisa
C) the secret of Mona Lisa’s smile D) the secret of Mona Lisa beauty
10. During World War II the famous painting was in _____________.
A) Italy B) France C) Britain D) Germany Passage 3
Since the first prehistoric artist drew the first pictures on the walls of a cave, artists have been using stone, clay, paint, jewels, metal, and hundreds of other materials to tell the story of the history of the world.
Buildings, paintings, and clothing styles can tell us what people thought and felt about their world.
Cave painting from the Old Stone Age show us animals and hunters. But more important, they also show us the weapons that were in use in prehistoric time. They show that fire was used, and that people had learned to make sewing needles from bone, and that stone tools had been invented for digging and cutting. Some roughly formed images have been found in the caves, too, showing that cave dwellers appreciated the beauty of the human from.
In the New Stone Age, people learned to weave cloth. They didn’t have to depend on animals’ skins for clothing. They also learnt to build houses, since the best farming land was far away from the mountain caves in which their forethers had lived.
11. What materials have been used by artists to tell the store of the world history?
A)Animals’ skins, jewels and stone.
B)Clay, paint, and cloth.
C)Metals, animals’ skins and clay.
D)Plaint, clay and stone.
12. What do cave paintings show us?
A) The weapons and fire our forefathers used.
B) The beauty of the human form our forefathers appreciated.
C) The animals’ bones our forefathers constructed.
D) The buildings our forefathers constructed.
13. What did our forefathers learn to do besides fire-making?
A) To prepare meals.
B) To build high buildings.
C) To dig tunnels.
D）To make sewing needles.
14. Where did our forefathers live before they learned to construct buildings?
A) In forests. B) On rivers.
C) In mountain caves. D) On farms.
15. The word “images” in paragraph three most probably means _________.
A) pictures B) impressions C) photos D) ideas Passage 4
Some time ago my husband and I bought a new sofa for our living room. At the time we both liked the color and style of the sofa, but in recent weeks, my husband has begun to complain about this particular piece of furniture. Now he doesn’t like the color or the style and he even complains that it is impossible to sit in it and be comfortable. Anyway he wants to get rid of it and buy another one for $ 800.
I’m just sick about his idea because I like the one we have very much and besides I don’t think we can afford a new one. Reasoning with my husband is like talking to a brick wall—and believe me I’ve tried. He is very stubborn. What shall I do? I’m almost ready to go home to mother.
16. Why did the couple buy the sofa?
A)They both liked the color and style of the sofa.
B)The sofa was very cheap at the time.
C)Their living room needed a sofa.
D)The husband loved the color and style of the sofa.
17. What does the husband think of the sofa now?
A) It is uncomfortable to sit in the sofa.
B) The sofa is too cheap to be of high quality.
C) The style of the sofa is out of date.
D) The color of the sofa is not attractive.
18. Why is the wife unwilling to get rid of the sofa?
A) She can’t find a sofa that she and her husband like very much.
B) She can’t carry a sofa home alone.
C) She doesn’t think she has enough money for a new sofa.
D) Someone doesn’t allow her to buy a sofa.
19. What can we learn from the talk?
A) The husband is always willing to obey his wife.
B) The wife is very economical.
C) The couple has a different idea about the sofa.
D) The wife’s mother wants the sofa.
20. What does the word “stubborn” in the second paragraph mean?
A) Kind. B) Cruel. C) Determined. D) Talkative.
21. We all went to the exhibition________ the director, who was too busy to go.