The British royal family is about to be slimmed down. The queen plans to reduce the number of real royals, as was recently announced. However, there seems little sign of the monarchy (君主) disappearing completely．
Up till the 17th century, the British king or queen was believed to rule by “divine (神的) right”, which was the idea that God chose the king or queen to rule and that he or she was therefore above the law. However, this idea ended with the English Revolution, in which King Charles I was imprisoned and then killed in 1649．
So what role does the British royal family have today?
Well, the Queen has important formal duties: as Head of State, the Queen represents the UK on visits abroad and invites other world leaders to visit the UK. As Head of the Armed Forces, only the Queen can declare when the UK is at war or when war is over. The Queen also has constitutional duties: She has to sign many government and Commonwealth documents every day.
In addition, the royal family spends a great deal of its time traveling up and down the country in support of different charity projects. But the public in Britain do not believe there should be a royal family. Sometimes, the press and media criticize the royal family as well. One criticism is that British people should not have to pay for the royal family through their taxes．
Today, the royal family works hard to be relevant in the modern world. The queen’s speech on TV is less formal every Christmas, and is now available as a podcast (播客). In 2005, after graduation from university, Prince William spent time teaching English in Uruguay, the sort of work many young British people do at some time in their lives．
1.What can be concluded from the first two paragraphs?
A. The British king or queen is no longer believed to rule by divine right．
B. The British king or queen is about to become common people．
C. The English Revolution put an end to the British royal family in 1649．
D. The royal family’s role was most important in Britain in the 17th century．
2.Which of the following is NOT among formal duties of the Queen?
A. Declaring when the UK is at war．
B. Travelling around the world for charity projects.
C. Inviting other world leaders to visit the UK．
D. Signing Commonwealth documents every day．
3.Prince William is mentioned in the passage to show that ________．
A. he is popular in the UK
B. many young British people do voluntary work
C. he has tried to win young people’s admiration
D. the royal family is trying to change their image
4.We can infer from the passage that ________．
A. British people are all in favor of the royal family
B. the British royal family are facing surviving challenges
C. the public are encouraged to oppose the royal family
D. British youths are required to teach English in Uruguay in their lives
Between the innocence of babyhood and seriousness of manhood we find a delightful creature called a “boy”. Boys come in different sizes, weights, and colors, but all boys have the same belief: to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to fill the air with noise until the adult males pack them off to bed at night.
Boys are found everywhere –--- on top of, under, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to this and that! Mothers spoil them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers love them, and God protects them. A boy is TRUTH with dirt on its face, BEAUTY with a cut on its finger, WISDOM with chocolate in its hair, and HOPE of the future with a snake in its pocket.
When you are busy, a boy is a trouble-maker and a noise. When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a wild creature bent on destroying the world and himself with it.
A boy with mixture---he has the stomach of a horse, the digestion of stones and sand, the energy of an atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the imagination of a superwoman, the shyness of a sweet girl, the brave nature of a bull, the violence of a firecracker, but when you ask him to make something, he has five thumbs on each hand.
He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday morning, and fire engines. He is not much for girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime.
Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper. Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes. Nobody else can put into one pocket a rusty knife, a half eaten apple, a three-foot rope, six cents and some unknown things.
A boy is a magical creature----he is your headache but when you come home at night with only shattered pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words, “Hi, Dad!”
1.The whole passage is in a tone of________.
A. humor and love
B. respect and harmony
C. ambition and expectation
D. confidence and imagination
2.What does the underlined sentence in Para.4 probably mean?
A. He has altogether five fingers.
B. He is slow, foolish and clumsy.
C. He has become clever and smart.
D. He cuts his hand with a knife.
3.What does the writer feel about boyhood?
A. Curious. B. Tiring. C. Delightful. D. Unsafe.
4.The writer is probably ___________.
A. A envious sister
B. A sharply observant father
C. A appreciative fond mother
D. A spoiled naughty kid
I had lost many cherished (珍爱的) pets over the years, but never in my childhood did I think I would lose a family member.
One autumn morning, our family was to find out that my grandfather on my Dad’s side of the family had cancer. He through two years of it. We did everything we could to help him enjoy a stay at the hospital – we sent him videos of my soccer games and visited him often.
He all he could, but one November day, he passed away. At that time, my parents were visiting him in Chicago, and my other grandparents from Virginia were us. Our parents came home early that visit. I still remember they sat all of us down and told us the news. I felt a(n) of depression, loss and . I ran outside into the crisp November air and silent tears.
Almost a year passed, and we were eating dinner at the dinner table. A discussion started about how we could help find a for cancer to save other families from tragedies. My older sister Molly and I came up with the idea to sell honey from our Virginia grandparents’ beehives. I came up with the name Hives for Lives and we had our business !
The business started taking the honey and some beeswax (蜂蜡) from the hives. We left enough for the bees to through the winter. I only got stung (刺痛) once! Then we went through the long of filtering (过滤) and storing the honey. it all came together, and we got down to and selling our product and message. Last year, we $2,000 for the American Cancer Society and all of it went to a camp for children who have cancer. This year, with a few of our friends, Molly and I on selling beeswax candles and lip balm (润唇膏). With a lot of help, we raised $9,300!
I learned many things from my grandfather, such as the importance of taking and helping those around us. I know that he would be very proud of the things I’m doing today.
1.A. annoyed B. puzzled C. shocked D. scared
2.A. pulled B. carried C. broke D. suffered
3.A. long B. comfortable C. meaningful D. necessary
4.A. fought B. talked C. left D. donated
5.A. visiting B. comforting C. watching D. instructing
6.A. when B. why C. before D. after
7.A. pressure B. mix C. association D. feeling
8.A. failure B. anxiety C. emptiness D. disappointment
9.A. cried B. rolled C. made D. contained
10.A. medicine B. method C. reason D. cure
11.A. avoidable B. similar C. serious D. huge
12.A. plan B. success C. service D. experience
13.A. at B. in C. within D. by
14.A. go B. travel C. survive D. work
15.A. route B. process C. step D. distance
16.A. Eventually B. Especially C. Luckily D. Surprisingly
17.A. buying B. advertising C. advocating D. removing
18.A. stole B. received C. acquired D. raised
19.A. relied B. lived C. worked D. turned
20.A. breaks B. challenges C. risks D. responsibility
Funding arrangements are already __________, with which the scientists can go on with the further research.
A. in order B. in demand
C. in place D. in relief
Truth is the first important factor for news, so it’s the responsibility for journalists to ensure all the information in their reports comes from ________ sources.
A. relative B. reliable
C. widespread D. faithful
The best way to carry out big projects is to force them into your _______. Spare time doesn’t appear from nowhere and you need to create it with efforts.
A. presentation B. campaign
C. schedule D. procedure
