A

Science fiction is a popular kind of writing, and many people think of Jules Verne as the father of science fiction. He was born in France in 1828. His father wanted him to become a lawyer, but from his early 20s Verne decided to become a writer. At first he wrote plays for the theater. Then, in 1863, he wrote a story called Five Weeks in a Balloon. The success of this book encouraged him to write more stories such as A Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) and From the Earth to the Moon (1865).

In the 19th century, many people were interested in science and inventions. Jules Verne wrote about scientific subjects in his stories and, as a result, they were very popular. Verne’s writing included many predictions (预言) for the 20th century and many of them came true. He described space flight, movies, and air conditioning, a long time before they appeared. These books were very successful and they made Verne rich.

Jules Verne’s books have been the subjects for many movies. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was a successful movie for Walt Disney. It was the first Disney movie to use real actors instead of cartoon drawings. Around the World in Eighty Days is another famous movie based on one of Verne’s books. The main character is an Englishman called Phileas Fogg. For him, the most important thing is to be always on time! (2008南京市)

( ) 1. What does the phrase “the father of science fiction” mean?

A. The father who has several children.

B. The man who loves science and inventions.

C. The writer whose father wrote science fiction.

D. The man who first started writing science fiction successfully.

( ) 2. What encouraged Jules Verne to write more stories?

A. The plays he wrote for the theater.

B. The encouragement from his father.

C. The success of Five Weeks in a Balloon.

D. The scientific subjects in his stories.

( ) 3. Why were Jules Verne’s books very popular in the19th century?

A. Because his books made him rich and famous.

B. Because he wrote many plays for the theater at that time.

C. Because his books have been the subjects for many movies.

D. Because many people were interested in science and inventions.

( ) 4. Which of the following has the main character called Phileas Fogg?

A. Five Weeks in a Balloon.

B. Around the World in Eighty Days.

C. A Journey to the Center of the Earth.

D. From the Earth to the Moon.

( ) 5. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A. Jules Verne only wrote plays in the 19th century.

B. Many of the predictions in Verne’s stories came true.

C. The main characters in Verne’s books are always on time.

D. The space flight Verne described was different from others.

本篇介绍“科幻之父”及其成就。

1. D。此题考查学生对“科幻之父”的理解。此处father指的是在某领域的创始人，故选D。

2. C。细节理解。根据文章第一段第五句和第六句。

3. D。细节理解题。根据第二段的第一、二句。

4. B。细节理解。根据文章最后一节中Around the World in Eighty Days is another famous movie... The main character is an Englishman called Phileas Fogg。

5. B。选项A说Jules Verne在19世纪只写剧本，而根据第一段第五句中“wrote a story”知该项不对；文章最后两句只提到Phileas Fogg需要很准时，所以C不对；对于选项D文章没提及；由第二段倒数第三句可知B正确。

B

The tradition of birthday parties started a long time ago. There are some traditions that you can find almost anywhere, anytime, such as sending birthday cards, blowing out the candles on a birthday cake and singing the Happy Birthday song. Others are only found for certain ages and in certain countries.

In China, on a child’s second birthday, family members put many things on the floor around the child. According to Chinese tradition, the first thing that the child picks up tells you what profession the child will choose later in life.

For Japanese children, the third, fifth and seventh birthdays are especially important. At this age, there is a special celebration Shichi-Go-San (seven, five, three in Japanese) when children go to the temple wearing a new kimono (和服). The priest (僧侣) gives them special sweets, and the parents usually organize a party for their friends in their home.

In Argentina, Mexico and several other Latin American countries, girls have a special birthday celebration when they reach the age of fifteen. After a special ceremony (仪式), the girls dance a waltz with their father and other boys.

Eighteen is the traditional “coming of age”, the age when (in many countries) you have the right to vote (选举), join the army and (in Britain) drink alcohol or buy a house.

In many English-speaking countries, a twenty-first birthday cake often has a key on top, or the cake itself is sometimes in the shape of a key. The key means that the young person is now old enough to leave and enter the family home at any time they want to!（2008上海市）

( ) 1. Which of the following birthday traditions can be found almost anywhere, anytime?

A. Putting many things on the floor.

B. Wearing a new kimono.

C. Dancing a waltz.

D. Sending birthday cards.

( ) 2. The ______ usually organize a party at children’s special birthday celebration in Japan.

A. priests B. parents

C. friends D. relative

( ) 3. Mexican girls have a special birthday celebration at the age of _____.

A. five B. seven

C. fifteen D. twenty-one

( ) 4. In many countries you can _____ when you reach the age of eighteen.

A. join the army

B. have a key

C. have a special ceremony

D. have special sweet

( ) 5. Which of the following sentences is NOT true?

A. The tradition of birthday parties started a long time ago.

B. Some birthday traditions are only found in certain countries.

C. You become the owner of your house at the age of fifteen.

D. In many countries you have the right to vote at the age of eighteen.

( ) 6. Which is the best title of this passage?

A. Birthday Traditions around the World

B. Chinese Birthday Celebration

C. Japanese Special Celebration

D. The Drinking Age in Many Countrie

本文主要介绍了世界上不同国家庆祝生日的传统习俗。

1. D。从第一段第二句话就能得出答案。

2. B。从第三段最后一句话便可知正确答案。

3. C。根据第四段第一句话。

4. A。从第五段中便可找到正确答案。

5. C。通读全文，即可推断出选项A、B、D这三项文中都有叙述，只有选项C不符合文章的意思，故选C。

6. A。根据短文第一段第一句（主题句），并通读全文，即可知道本文主要是介绍了世界各地的生日传统习俗。

模拟训练

Most American students have said goodbye to fancy (高档的) fruits these days. In school canteens across the country, cheaper fruits like apples and oranges have taken their place.

“People are afraid to spend now,” said Linda Morrow, who owns a shoe and handbag store. “They don’t know what the future will bring.”

During the financial crisis (金融危机), several of the country’s biggest banks have been forced to sell or close. This has made lots of Americans afraid to buy expensive goods.

Samira Marino, a restaurant owner in Miami, has found everyone is ordering water instead of juice and more people are sharing meals. In more than two-dozen interviews with The Associated Press across the country last month, Americans talked about their concerns, from worries about small businesses to doubts (怀疑) about simply making ends meet (维持生计).

The crisis began last year. Experts think it was because US banks lend money too easily. Last year a lot of people and companies, who borrowed money, have found themselves unable to pay it back. This left the banks, as well as the people who put their money in the banks, without money. Since the banks borrowed money between themselves and even across borders (国界), the whole world was in trouble.

This month the US government agreed on a $700 billion plan to try to save the financial market. But no one is sure whether it will help or not. President George W. Bush has warned it will take some time.

Last week top finance officials from 20 countries promised to work together to find a way out of the money trouble.

1. Why are people in the US afraid to spend?

A. Because they think it’s unnecessary.

B. Because they don’t have the babit of spending money.

C. Because they worry about their future.

D. Because they don’t have enough money.

2. The underlined word “concerns” probably means _____.

A. worries B. conditions

C. hobbies D. experience

3. The fifth paragraph mainly _____.

A. tells what it is like in a crisi

B. explains why there is a crisi

C. warns people of the danger of the crisi

D. asks people not to borrow money from bank

4. People feel _____ about the US plan to save the market.

A. satisfied B. doubtful

C. hopeless D. angry

5. The best title for the story is _____.

A. Ways to make ends meet

B. The money problem facing the world

C. Healthy fancy fruits

D. The art of borrowing

Key: 1-5 C A B B B