How could we tell time if there were no watches or clocks anywhere in the world? The sun was probably the world’s first “clock”, except in the far north, where the Eskimos(爱斯基摩人) live. There, it’s dark most of the winter, and light most of the summer. But in most of the world, people have used the sun for a clock. Even today, if you don’t have a clock, you still know that when the sun shines, it’s day, and when it’s dark, it’s night. The sun can also tell you if it’s morning, noon, or afternoon.
People who live near the sea can tell time from the tides. In the daytime, for about six hours, the water rises higher and higher on the beach. And then it goes down and down for about six hours. The same thing happens again at night. There are two high tides and two low tides every 24 hours.
Seamen on a ship learn how to tell time by looking at the moon and the stars. The whole sky is their clock.
In some places in the world the wind comes up at about the same time every day or changes direction or stops blowing. In these places the wind can be the clock.
A sand clock is an even better clock. If you had fine dry sand in a glass shaped like the one in the picture, you would have what is called an hourglass. The sand in the hourglass goes from the top part to the bottom part in exactly one hour. When the hourglass is turned over, the sand will take another hour to go back again.
1.According to(根据) the passage, there are _______ ways to tell time besides the
clock and watch.
A. 3 B. 4 C. 5 D. 7
2.The Eskimos in the far north can’t use the sun for a clock because __________.
A. they know very little about the sun B. the sun there never goes down in winter
C. it’s too cold for them to go out to watch the sun D. it has long dark winters and long light summers
3.The underlined(下划线) word “tides” in the passage means __________.
A. 洋流 B. 潮汐 C. 海啸 D. 波浪
4.In which page of a newspaper can you most probably read this passage?
A. News B. Science C. Business D. Advertisement
5.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Different Ways to Tell Time B. Useful Machines to Tell Time
C. The History of the Clock D. The Development of the Clock
The passengers on the bus watched with sympathy(同情)as Susan made her way carefully up the steps. She paid for the drive and then，using her hands to _________ the seats, settled(安顿)in one of them.
It had been a year since Susan became blind. As the result of an accident she was suddenly thrown into a world of _________. Susan’s husband Mark watched her fall into hopelessness and he decided to use every possible means to help his wife.
Finally, Susan felt ready to _________to her job， but how would she get there? She used to take the bus, but she was now too afraid of getting around the city by herself. Mark volunteered to ride the bus with Susan each morning and evening until she could _______ it by herself.
For two weeks, Mark went with Susan to and from ________ each day. He taught her how to depend on her other ________, specifically her hearing, to decide where she was.
At last, Susan decided that she was _________ to try the trip on her own. Monday morning arrived. Before she left, she held her husband tightly, her eyes filled with tears of thankfulness. She said good-bye and, for the first time, they went their_________ ways. Each day went ________, and a wild excitement took hold of Susan. She was doing it!
On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as ________. As she was getting off the bus, the driver said, “Miss, I sure ________ you.” Surprisingly, Susan asked the driver ________.
“You know, every morning for the _________ week, a fine-looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the corner watching you until you enter your office building ________ ,” the bus driver said.
Tears of happiness ran down Susan’s cheeks. She was so lucky for he had given her a gift more powerful than ________. That is the gift of love that can bring light where there is darkness.
1.A. feel B. choose C. count D. touch
2.A. weakness B. sickness C. darkness D. sadness
3.A. return B. keep C. belong D. stick
4.A. try B. manage C. control D. follow
5.A. home B. hospital C. school D. work
6.A. feelings B. parts C. senses D. skills
7.A. busy B. happy C. ready D. willing
8.A. opposite B. separate (分开的) C. fixed D. normal
9.A. terribly B. perfectly C. sadly D. badly
10.A. possible B. usual C. if D. often
11.A. admire B. respect C. know D. support
12.A. what B. how C. why D. where
13.A. next B. same C. first D. past
14.A. quickly B. silently C. happily D. safely
15.A. courage B. direction C. sight D. service
---Could you tell me ___________________?
---To push for the development of the developing countries along the belt and the road.
A. What was the Belt and the Road forum for international cooperation held
B. Why was the Belt and the Road forum for international cooperation held
C. When the Belt and the Road forum for international cooperation was held
D. What the Belt and the Road forum for international cooperation was held for
---I always get low marks in English exams. How can I improve my English, John?
--- _____________. You should give it enough time to become better.
A. It’s never too old to learn B. Many hands make light work
C. Practice makes perfect D. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
---I’m not good at playing cards, you know.--- ______! It’s just for fun.
A. Forget it B. What a shame C. Don’t say so D. Come on
---Linda, can you tell me something about Agatha Christie?
--Sure. Agatha Christie was a female writer _____ is considered as the queen of crime novels.
A. which B. whose C. what D. who
