They say that Mexico is a country no one ever leaves. Every year, millions of tourists pass through. And Mexicans happily warn that a part of them will remain behind forever. Most visitors are vacationing North Americans who go up on the brilliant beaches of Cancun, Acapulco, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. The beaches, of course, are among the world’s best ----but those who venture (冒险) inland are rewarded with the true soul of Mexico.
And it is a big soul. The Republic of Mexico is vast, consisting of nearly two million square miles of coastline, desert, rain forest, mountains, and rich plains. From the American borderlands of the wide, agriculturally rich north, the country narrows gently as it sweeps south and east. The two main mountain ranges(山脊), the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental, hug the west and east, finally merging(融入) into the volcanically active central highlands and the capital, Mexico City - the most populous city in the world. Further south, the country narrows to only 100 miles, then broadens again before reaching the Guatemalan border. There are two major peninsulas (半岛) in Mexico: the Baja Peninsula to the west and the Yucatan peninsular to the east.
The population is about 106 million. and the generosity (慷慨大方) of the Mexican people is unsurpassed. Knowing a few simple sentences in Spanish will win hearts.
Mexico has been blessed with an unusually temperate (适度的) climate year-round. The most important thing to remember is that the Mexican summer is also the rainy season, although the rain rarely lasts more than a few hours, and typically arrives in the late afternoon. Extremes(极端)are present only in the North and in Baja, both of which have deserts where the temperature leaps above 100F. Mexico City has a year-round temperature in the high 80s. while the coasts usually stay in the mid-90s. Night time temperatures fall somewhat, but rarely break down below a comfortable 60F.
1.All of the following are names of beaches EXCEPT ___________ .
A.Puerto Vallarta B.Cancun C.Guatemalan D.Mazatlan
2.The Republic of Mexico _________.
A.has two peninsulas altogether
B.has a population of about 106 million
C.has more than 2 million square miles of coastline
D.has two main mountain ranges going from west to east
3.The underlined word "unsurpassed" in the 3rd paragraph probably means” ".
A perfect B. false C. ancient D. out of date
4.You may suffer extreme temperatures if you go to ___________. .
A.the east B.the west C.the south D.the north
5.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A.Geography. B.History. C.Language. D.Climate.
From birth to death, the word kick has been given an important part in expressing human experience. The proud and happy mother feels the first signs of life kicking inside her body. And that same life------many years later------ comes to its end in a widely-used expression, to kick the bucket( 吊桶) . The expression to kick the bucket is almost 200 years old. One belief is that it started when an English stableman(马夫) killed himself by hanging while standing on a bucket. He put a rope around his neck and tied it to a beam(梁柱) in the ceiling, and then kicked the bucket away from under him.
Another old expression that comes from England is to kick over the traces. Traces were the chains(链子) that held at horse or mule to a wagon(货运马车)or plow. Sometimes, an animal refused to obey and kicked over the traces.
Kick around is an expression that is heard often in American English. A person who is kicked around is someone who is treated badly. Usually he is not really being kicked by somebody's foot. He is just not being treated with the respect that all of us want. A person who has kicked around for most of his life is someone who has spent his life moving from place to place. In this case, kicking around means moving often from one place to another. Kick around has another meaning when you use it with the word idea. When you kick around an idea, you are giving that idea some thought.
There is no physical action when you kick a person upstairs, although the pain can be as strong .You kick a person upstairs by removing him from an important job and giving him a job that sounds more important, but really is not.
Still another meaning of the word kick is to free oneself of a bad habit, such as smoking cigarettes. Health campaigns urge smokers to kick the habit.
1.It is clear that the author wants to help readers _____________.
A.know English has a long history
B.understand the development of English
C.enjoy the interest of English idioms(习语)
D.learn English expressions with Kick
2.What does the idiom "kick over the traces" in "All kids seem to want to kick over the traces and do what they like to" means ____________.
A.disobey the commands B.obey the traditions
C. ride a horse or mule D.punish animals strictly
3.Mr. Smith always kicked his sons around with no excuse, in other words, his sons___________
A.expressed their ideas freely B.were looked after well
C.moved their family often D.were treated badly
4.How many different kinds of meanings are talked about on;'kick around' in the text?
A.One. B.Two. C.Three. D.Four.
5.Though Tom got raised to a better position by his boss, he had no power, we can say __________
A.the boss kicked Tom upstairs B.Tom kicked the bucket
C.Tom kicked the bad habit D.Tom kicked around an idea
There were two lovers. The man was 41 cowardly(胆小的) that he always let the girlfriend try first everything 42 they would do. His girlfriend was not so 43 with that.
Once they went out to sea. After returning , their boat was 44 by the storm. Luckily, the girlfriend held a 45 to save their lives. The girlfriend asked her boyfriend, "Do you 46 ?" The boyfriend took out a fruit knife and said, "Yes, but if any shark comes I can 47 it with this." His girlfriend only shook her head with a cold smile.
Soon a great number of people on a 48 found them. Suddenly a group of sharks appeared. His girlfriend 49 , “Let's swim hard together and we'll be all right.”
But her boyfriend suddenly pushed the girl into the sea, held the wood and shouted to the ship by himself, "Let me try 50 this time!"
51 ,his girlfriend looked at her boyfriend. The sharks were drawing near, but they were not interested in the girl and swam 52 to the boy. When he was torn and bitten fiercely by the sharks, the boyfriend 53 shouted to his girlfriend, “ I love you!”
The girl was saved. All the people on the deck(甲板) were standing in silence. The captain sat beside the girl and said, "Miss, he is the 54 man I have 55 seen. Let's pray(祈祷) for him."
"No! He is a 56 , "said the girl coldly.
"How could you say like this? I have just been watching you 57 the telescope(望远镜). I saw clearly he 58 his wrist(手腕) with the knife after pushing you away. The sharks are very sensitive to the 59 . If he hadn't done this to 60 time. I'm afraid you would never appear on this ship…"
1. A.so B.such C.very D.as
2. A.that B.when C.what D.which
3. A.frightened B.hopeful C.satisfied D.upset
4. A.destroyed B.hurt C.lifted D.pushed
5. A.stick B.flag C.captain D.wood
6. A.shake B.dare C.hear D.fear
7. A.go through B.deal with C.fight for D.care about
8. A.plane B.boat C.ship D.beach
9. A.burst out B.cried out C.gave up D.came up
10. A.first B.second C.best D.most
11. A.Afraid B.Nervous C.Shocked D.Calm
12. A.hard B.fast C.quickly D.straight
13. A.excitedly B.crazily C.actively D.selfishly
14. A.bravest B.kindest C.cleverest D.worst
15. A.seldom B.once C.ever D.never
16. A.sailor B.prayer C.survivor D.coward
17. A.with B.through C.by D.in
18. A.cut B.damaged C.injured D.ruined
19. A.blood B.water C.knife D.voice
20. A.kill B.waste C.buy D.occupy(占据)
I have lost one of my gloves. I __________it somewhere.
A.must drop B.must have dropped
C.must be dropping D.must have been dropped
As time ______, my mother gets older and older.
A.goes down B.goes by C.goes away D.goes along
So sleepy_______ that he could hardly keep his eyes______.
A.John was; open B.was John; open C.John was; opened D.was John; opened