(完整版)初中英语阅读材料

The Old Cat

An old woman had a cat. The cat was very old; she could not run quickly, and she could not bite, because she was so old. One day the old cat saw a mouse; she jumped and caught the mouse. But she could not bite it; so the mouse got out of her mouth and ran away, because the cat could not bite it.

Then the old woman became very angry because the cat had not killed the mouse. She began to hit the cat. The cat said, "Do not hit your old servant. I have worked for you for many years, and I would work for you still, but I am too old. Do not be unkind to the old, but remember what good work the old did when they were young."

A man was going to the house of some rich person. As he went along the road, he saw a box of good apples at the side of the road. He said, "I do not want to eat those apples; for the rich man will give me much food; he will give me very nice food to eat." Then he took the apples and threw them away into the dust.

He went on and came to a river. The river had become very big; so he could not go over it. He waited for some time; then he said, "I cannot go to the rich man's house today, for I cannot get over the river."

He began to go home. He had eaten no food that day. He began to want food. He came to the apples, and he was glad to take them out of the dust and eat them.

Do not throw good things away; you may be glad to have them at some other time

The City Mouse and the Country Mouse

Once there were two mice. They were friends. One mouse lived in the country; the other mouse lived in the city. After many years the Country mouse saw the City mouse; he said, "Do come and see me at my house in the country." So the City mouse went. The City mouse said, "This food is not good, and your house is not good. Why do you live in a hole in the field? You should come and live in the city. You would live in a nice house made of stone. You would have nice food to eat. You must come and see me at my house in the city."

The Country mouse went to the house of the City mouse. It was a very good house. Nice food was set ready for them to eat. But just as they began to eat they heard a great noise. The City mouse cried, " Run! Run! The cat is coming!" They ran away quickly and hid.

After some time they came out. When they came out, the Country mouse said, "I do not like living in the city. I like living in my hole in the field. For it is nicer to be poor and happy, than to be rich and afraid."

A Good Boy

Little Robert asked his mother for two cents. "What did you do with the money I gave you yesterday?"

"I gave it to a poor old woman," he answered.

"You're a good boy," said the mother proudly. "Here are two cents more. But why are you so interested in the old woman?"

"She is the one who sells the candy."

Drunk

One day, a father and his little son were going home. At this age, the boy was interested in all kinds of things and was always asking questions. Now, he asked, "What's the meaning of the word 'Drunk', dad?" "Well, my son," his father replied, "look, there are standing two policemen. If I regard the two policemen as four then I am drunk."

"But, dad," the boy said, " there's only ONE policeman!"

A Monkey and a Tiger

Today I am very happy to stand here, telling you a story:A Monkey and a tiger .Every one thinks the monkey is very small, but the tiger is strong.In this story Little Monkey uses his wisdow to bit the tiger. just remenber those who are weak can beat those who are strong. let's share the story.

An old tiger lives in the forest. He does not want to look for food . He often tells other animals to bring him something to eat.

One day He sees a monkey and says," I'm hungry, monkey. Go to the village and bring me a fat pig."

"Oh, Tiger," says the monkey. "I can't do that now. There is another tiger over there. He also wants a fat pig. He will not let me get anything for you to eat. I am afraid of him."

"What?" cries the tiger. "Show me that tiger. I will teach him a lesson ." "Come with me," says the monkey.

The monkey and the tiger get to a bridge over the river. "Now look down at the water," says the monkey.

"Do you see the head, the white teeth and the big green eyes of a tiger?"

"Yes, I do," says the old tiger," I will eat him up!"

“Grr…! So you told Monkey not to bring me anything?!Grrr … I’ll kill you!”With these words the tiger jumped into the river. He did not come out again. “Ha,ha, ha! Goodbye, Mr Tiger,” said the monkey and he went away .

1 Jeremy Hampden has a large circle of friends and is very popular at parties. Everybody admires him for his great sense of humour -- everybody, that is, except his six-year-old daughter, Jenny. Recently, one of Jeremy's closest friends asked him to make a speech at a wedding reception. This is the sort of thing that Jeremy loves. He prepared the speech carefully and went to the wedding with Jenny. he had included a large number of funny stories in the speech and, of course, it was a great success. As soon as he had finished, Jenny told him she wanted to go home. Jeremy was a little disappointed by this but he did as his daughter asked. On the way home, he asked Jenny if she had enjoyed the speech. To his surprise, she said she hadn't. Jeremy asked her why this was so and she told him that she did not like to see so many people laughing at him!

【生词汇总】

circle n. 圈子

admire v. 赞美，钦佩

close adj. 亲密的

wedding n. 婚礼

reception n. 招待会

sort n. 种类

【短语汇总】

admire somebody for sth因某些事而崇拜某人

laugh at嘲笑

2 Last Christmas，the circus owner，Jimmy Gates，decided to take some presents to a children's hospital. Dressed up as Father Christmas and accompanied by a 'guard of honour' of six pretty girls，he set off down the main street of the city riding a baby elephant called Jumbo. He should have known that the police would never allow this sort of thing. A policeman approached Jimmy and told him he ought to have gone along a side street as Jumbo was holding up the traffic. Though Jimmy agreed to go at once，Jumbo refused to move. Fifteen policemen had to push very hard to get him off the main street. The police had a difficult time，but they were most amused. 'Jumbo must weigh a few tons，' said a policeman afterwards，'so it was fortunate that we didn't have to carry him. Of course，we should arrest him，but as he has a good record，we shall let him off this time.'

versus prep. 对(对抗的概念)

Christmas n. 圣诞节

circus n. 马戏团

present n. 礼物

accompany v. 陪伴, 随行

approach v. 走近

ought modal verb. 应该

weigh v. 重

fortunate adj. 幸运的

【短语汇总】

set off出发

3 In 1858, a French engineer, Aime Thome de Gamond, arrived in England with a plan for a twenty-one-mile tunnel under the English Channel. He said that it would be possible to build a platform in the centre of the Channel. This platform would serve as a port and a railway station. The tunnel would be well-ventilated if tall chimneys were built above sea level. In 1860, a better plan was put forward by an Englishman, William Low. He suggested that a double railway-tunnel should be built. This would solve the problem of ventilation, for if a train entered this tunnel, it would draw in fresh air behind it. Forty-two years later a tunnel was actually begun. If, at the time, the British had not feared invasion, it would have been completed. The world had to wait almost another 100 years for the Channel Tunnel. It was officially opened on March 7,1994, finally connecting Britain to the European continent.

【生词汇总】

tunnel n. 隧道

port n. 港口

ventilate v. 通风

chimney n. 烟囱

sea level 海平面

double adj. 双的

ventilation n. 通风

fear v. 害怕

invasion n. 入侵，侵略

officially adv. 正式地

connect v. 连接

European adj. 欧洲的

continent n. 大陆

【短语汇总】

无

4The Internet

We are all busy talking about and using the Internet, but how many of us know the history of the Internet?

Many people are surprised when they find that the Internet was set up (建立) in the 1960s. At that time, computers were large and expensive. Computer networks didn’t work well. If one computer in the network broke down, then the whole network stopped. So a new network system (系统) had to be set up. It should be good enough to be used by many different computers. If part of the network was not working, information could be sent through another part. In this way computer network system would keep on working all the time.

At first, the Internet was only used by the government, but in the early 1970s, universities, hospitals and banks were allowed to use it, too. However, computers were still very expensive and the Internet was difficult to use. By the start of 1990s, computers became cheaper and easier to use. Scientists had also developed software that made “surfing” the Internet easier.

Today it is easy to get online and it is said that millions of people use the Internet every day. Sending e-mails is more and more popular among young people.

The In ternet now has become one of the most important parts in people’s life.

5 A generous gift

A woman was collecting money for a church charity. The money she collected was going to be given to poor children who had no parents to take care of them.

She went from apartment to apartment and from house to house. She knocked on doors and asked for money.

She always said the same words. “Good morning, I’m collecting for a church charity. Please give generously. We need $5,000.” Then she held out a collecting box. Most people put a few coins in the box.

An artist lived in one of the apartments. He opened the door for her.

“Good morning,” she said. “I’m collecting for a church charity. Please give generously. We need $5,000.”

The artist thought for a moment, then he said, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have any money. However, I’ ll give you a painting.

A week later she called on him again.

“I’m sorry to trouble you again,” she said, “but we still need more money. I need another $100. Can you help?”

“Of course,” the artist said. “I’ ll increase the value of my painting to $500.”6Body language

Sometimes people add to what they say even when they don’t talk. Gestures are the “silent language” of every culture. We point a finger or move another part of the body to show what we want to say. It is important to know the body language of every country or we may be misunderstood.

In the United States, people greet each other with a handshake in a formal introduction. The handshake must be firm. If the handshake is weak, it is a sign of weakness or unfriendliness. Friends may place a hand on the other’s arm or shoulder. Some people, usually women, greet a friend with a hug.

Private space is important to Americans. When two people talk to each other, they stand two and a half feet away at an angle (角), so they are not facing each other directly. Americans will get uncomfortable if a person stands too close. They will move back to have their own space. If Americans touch another person by accident, they will say, “Pardon me,” or “Excuse me.”

Americans like to look the other person in the eyes when they are talking. If you don’t do so, it means you are bored, hiding something, or are not interested. But when you stare at someone, it is not polite.

For Americans, thumbs up means yes, very good, or well done. Thumbs down means the opposite (反义词). To call a waiter, raise one hand to head level or above. To show you want the check, make a movement with your hands as if you are signing a piece of paper. It is all right to point at things but not at people with the hand and index finger (食指). Americans shake their index finger at children when they scold (责骂) them and pat (轻拍) them on the head when they admire them.

Learning a culture’s body language is sometimes confusing (难以理解的). If you don’t know what to do, the safest thing to do is to smile.

7The farmer, the son, and the donkey

One day a farmer and his son were on their way to a nearby market town to sell their donkey.

As they walked along beside the donkey, they met some young girls on the road. The girls began to laugh at them. “Don’t you two look silly?”they said. “Both of you are walking, and one of you could be riding.”When the farmer heard this, he agreed. He helped his son get onto the donkey, and they continued on their way.

Soon they passed two men standing by th e roadside. “Just look at that!”said one of the two men. That poor old man is walking while his son is riding. The boy ought to be ashamed.”So the son got off the donkey, and his father climbed on and rode.

They had not gone very far when they came to some old women at a crossroad. One woman scolded (责备) the father. “How dare you ride that donkey while that poor child has to walk. He must be exhausted.”So the farmer lifted the boy up beside him, and they both rode the rest of the way to town. When they finally

arrived in town, they passed a man who wanted to know if the donkey belonged to them. The farmer replied that it was their donkey. “That poor animal is overworked,” said the man. “The two of you could carry it far better than it can carry you!”

So the farmer and his son got down. But they couldn’t figure out how to carry the donkey. Finally, the father had an idea. From a tree, he cut a thick branch to make a kind of carrying pole (杆). He tied the donkey’s feet to the pole with rope. Then, he and his son each carried one end of the pole with the frightened donkey hanging between them.

By the time they reached the bridge, a noisy crowd stood around watching them. The crowd pointed and laughed loudly. All the noise and laughter frightened the donkey. It began to kick and pull at (用力拉) the ropes. Soon it got loose and fell into the river below. Since it couldn’t swim, the d onkey drowned.

The farmer and his son felt very foolish. Slowly they turned and started back home with no donkey and no money.

Moral (寓意): If you try to please everyone, you may end up pleasing no one. 8How can a rocket fly?

Rockets can fly far out into space. Rockets made by the USA and Russia with man inside them have already reached the moon. Several rockets without man have been sent to other worlds much farther away. On Nov. 7, 2007, China’s first lunar probe (月球探测器), Chang’e I, successfully completed its

1,580,000km flying journey to the moon.

I am sure that you are asking: How does a rocket fly? If you want to know, get

a balloon and then blow it up, until it is quite big. Do not tie up the neck of the balloon, let it go. The balloon will fly off through the air very quickly. The air inside the balloon tries to get out. It rushes out through the neck of the balloon and this pushes the balloon through the air.

This is how a rocket works. Of course, the rocket is made of metal. The metal must not be heavy but it must be very strong. There is gas inside the rocket, which is made very hot. When it rushes out of the rocket, the rocket is pushed up into the air. The jet velocity (喷射速度) is always faster than the flying speed.

We’re sure that one day rockets with man may be able to go anywhe re in space.

9 Helping hands

Jane Warner’s husband, Jack, was sent to prison for two years for stealing. While he was in prison, Jane had a very difficult time.

She had two children, but no job. Her husband, of course, did not make any money either. The only money she had was a small amount from the government.

“I don’t know how we will manage,” she wrote to her husband in prison. “I get only enough money to pay the rent (租金). There isn’t enough money for food.

I think I’ll have to plant vegetables in the garden. They’ll grow quickly. We can live on vegetables.”

The garden was quite large, and much of it was covered with grass.

When Jack Warner received his wife’s letter, he replied to her immediately.

“Don’t dig up the garden,” he wrote. “That’s where the money I stole is hidden.”

All letters written by the prisoners were read by one of the guards before they were mailed.

When the guard read Jack’s letter, he took it to t he head guard.

When the head guard read it, he telephoned the police. He told them what Jack had written to his wife.

The police immediately went to Jack’s house. They took forks and shovels (铲) with them. They dug up the garden, looking for the money, but they did not find anything.

When they had gone, Mrs. Warner wrote to her husband.

“The police came today,” she wrote.“They dug up all the grass. What should I do?”

Her husband wrote back immediately, “Plant the vegetables.”

10 The golden touch

There once lived a king named Midas who was very rich. He loved two things above all else: his little daughter and gold. The king had many rooms full of gold, but he wasn’t satisfied. He wanted to possess even more gold.

One day when the king was in his garden, an unknown visitor came to him. He told the king that he could wish for anything he wanted. At first the king did not believe the stranger, but finally he was convinced (使信服). “I wish to have more gold,” the king said. “Very well,” answered the stranger. “You shall have your wish. From tomorrow, everythin g you touch will turn to gold.”

The next morning the king got out of bed early. He wanted to see if his wish had been granted. First, he touched a chair, then a flower, then a table. Everything he touched turned to gold! The king was very happy. Then, he sat down to eat breakfast. But as soon as he touched his food, it turned to gold. The king began to worry. What would happen if he couldn’t eat anything?

Just then the little princess came into the dining room. She ran to her father. But as he touched her, she turned to gold.

The king was sad and worried. He went out to the garden. As he was walking, he saw the stranger again. The king begged him to take back the wish. “I don’t want any more gold,” he cried. The stranger warned the king to be sure this time. Then, he agreed to take back the wish.

From that day on, the king was a wiser and happier man, even though he had less gold.

The king was sad and worried. He went out to the garden. As he was walking, he saw the stranger again. The king begged him to take back the wish. “I don’t want any more gold,” he cried. The stranger warned the king to be sure this time. Then, he agreed to take back the wish.

From that day on, the king was a wiser and happier man, even though he had less gold.

11 Uncle Sam

Uncle Sa m is a tall, thin man. He’s an older man with white hair and white beard. He often wears a tall hat, a bow tie (领结), and the stars and stripes of the American flag.

Who is this strange-looking man? Would you believe that Uncle Sam is the U.S. government? But why do we call the U.S. government Uncle Sam?

During the War of 1812, the U.S. government hired meat packers to provide meat to the army. One of these meat packers was a man named Samuel Wilson. He was a friendly and fair man. Everyone liked him and called him Uncle Sam.

Sam Wilson stamped the boxes of meat for the army with a large U.S.—for United States. Some government inspectors (巡视员) came to look over Wilson’s company. They asked a worker what the U.S. on the boxes stood for. As a joke, the worker answered that these letters stood for the name of his boss, Uncle Sam.

The joke spread, and soldiers began saying that their food came from Uncle Sam. Before long, people called all things that came from the government “Uncle Sam’s”. “Uncle Sam”became a nickname for the U.S. government.

Soon there were drawings and cartoons of Uncle Sam in newspapers. In these early pictures, Uncle Sam was a young man. He wore stars and stripes, but his

hair was dark and he had no beard. The beard was added when Abraham Lincoln was the president. President Lincoln had a beard.

The most famous picture of Uncle Sam is on a poster during World War I. The government needed men to fight in the war. In the poster, a very serious Uncle Sam points his finger and says, “I want YOU for the U.S. Army.”

12 Looking for gold

Two brothers sold all they had and went to California to look for gold. They discovered a vein (矿脉) of gold, and bought the land. Then they began the business of getting the gold out of the land. Everything went well at first, but later a strange thing happened. The vein of gold was gone! The brothers felt disappointed, but they kept on digging for a few months. Unfortunately, they got nothing, so they decided to give up. They sold the land for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back home.

Two years later the person who bought the land sent an engineer to check up on the vein of gold. The engineer told him to go on digging three feet deeper. Then they found gold.

If the brothers have more persistence (坚持), they will have a lot of gold now.