歷史文化類高考英語閱讀理解

『壹』 2018年高考英語全國卷1 - 閱讀理解A

Washington, D.C. Bicycle Tours
華盛頓特區自行車之旅

Cherry Blossom Bike Tour in Washington, D.C.
華盛頓特區櫻花自行車之旅。

Duration: 3 hours
時長：3小時

This small group bike tour is a fantastic way to see a world-famous cherry trees with beautiful flowers of Washington, D.C. Your guide will provide a history lesson about the trees and the famous monuments where they blossom. Reserve your spot before availability — the cherry blossoms—disappear!
這個小型團體自行車之旅可以觀賞華盛頓特區世界著名的櫻花盛放。導游將介紹有關櫻花以及綻放處著名紀念碑的歷史課程。記住在櫻花凋謝之前預定好！

Washington Capital Monuments Bicycle Tour
華盛頓首都紀念碑自行車之旅

Duration:3 hours (4 miles)
時長：3小時（4英里）

Join a guided bike tour and view some of the most popular monuments in Washington, D.C. Explore the monuments and memorials on the National Mall as your guide shares unique facts and history at each stop. Guided tour includes bike, helmet, cookies and bottled water.
加入一個有導游的自行車之旅，參觀華盛頓特區一些最受歡迎的紀念碑。一邊聽導游在每一站分享不為人知的史實，一邊探尋國家廣場上的紀念碑和雕塑。旅遊包括自行車、頭盔、餅乾和瓶裝水。

Capital City Bike Tour in Washington, D.C.
華盛頓首都自行車之旅。

Duration:3 hours
時長：3小時

Morning or Afternoon, this bike tour is the perfect tour for D. C. newcomers and locals looking to experience Washington, D.C. in a healthy way with minimum effort. Knowledgeable guides will entertain you with the most, interesting stories about Presidents, Congress, memorials, and parks. Comfortable bikes and a smooth tour route make cycling between the sites fun and relaxing.
不管是早上還是下午，對於那些想要以一種最為輕松的健康方式，體驗華盛頓特區的新訪客和當地人來說，這趟自行車之旅都是完美的。知識淵博的導游將為您介紹關於總統、國會、雕塑和公園的最有趣的故事。舒適的自行車和流暢的旅遊路線讓在不同地點之間騎自行車變得有趣和放鬆。

Washington Capital Sites at Night Bicycle Tour
華盛頓首都夜景自行車之旅

Duration:3 hours(7miles)
持續時間：3小時（7英里）

Join a small group bike tour for an evening of exploration in the heart of Washington, D.C. Get up close to the monuments and memorials as you bike the sites of Capitol Hill and the National Mall. Frequent stops are made for photo taking as your guide offers unique facts and history. Tour includes bike, helmet, and bottled water. All riders are equipped with reflective vests and safety lights.
加入一個小型團體自行車之旅，夜遊華盛頓特區的中心地帶。當你騎自行車經過國會山和國家廣場時，你要靠近紀念碑和雕塑。當導游介紹不為人知的史實時，我們會經常停下來拍照。旅遊包括自行車、頭盔和瓶裝水。所有騎手都配有反光背心和安全燈。

『貳』 2020年高考英語全國卷2 - 閱讀理解A

History, Culture & Landscape. Discover and enjoy 4 centuries of history, 5 acres of celebrated and award-winning gardens with parkland walk. Owned by the Hasell family since 1679, home to the International Marmalade Festival. Gifts and antiques, plant sales, museums & Mediaeval Hall Tearoom.
歷史、文化與景觀。探索並欣賞4個世紀的歷史，以及5英畝著名的帶花園步道的獲獎花園。花園自1679年起屬於哈塞爾家族，是國際果醬節的舉辦地。禮品和古董、植物銷售、博物館和中世紀大廳茶室。

Open: 29 Mar- 29 Oct, Sun to Thurs.
開放時間：3月29日——10月29日，周日至周四。

Tearoom, Gardens & Gifts Shop: 10.30 – 17.30 (16:00 in Oct).
茶室、花園、禮品店：10:30–17:30（10月至16:00）。

House: 11.15 – 16:00 (15.00 in Oct)
房子：11:15 –16:00（10月至15:00）

Town: Pooley Bridge & Penrith
小鎮：普爾橋和佩里思

Those viewing the quality of Abbot Hall』s temporary exhibitions may be forgiven for thinking they are in a city gallery. The impressive permanent collection includes Turners and Romneys and the temporary exhibition programme has Canaletto and the artists from St Ives.
那些觀看Abbot Hall 臨時展覽的人可能會認為他們在城市美術館，這是可以理解的。令人印象深刻的永久藏品包括特納和羅姆尼，臨時展品包括卡納萊托和來自聖艾夫斯的畫家。

Open: Min to Sat and Summer Sundays.10.30-17.00 Summer,10.30-16.00 Winter.
開放時間：上午至周六和夏季周日。夏季10.30-17.00，冬季10.30-16.00。

Town: Kendal
小鎮：肯德爾

Discover, explore and enjoy award-winning Tullie House, where historic collections, contemporary art and family fun are brought together in one impressive museum and art gallery. There are four fantastic galleries to visit from fine art to interactive fun, so there』s something for everyone!
發現、探索並欣賞獲過獎的圖利之家，在一個令人印象深刻的博物館和美術館里，將歷史藏品、當代藝術和家庭樂趣匯集在一起。從精美藝術到互動娛樂，這里有四個奇妙的畫廊可供參觀，所以這里適合每個人！

Open: High Season 1 Apr-31 Oct: Mon to Sat 10.00-17.00,Sun 11.00-17.00.
開放時間：旺季 4月1日至10月31日：周一至周六 10.00-17.00，周日 11:00-17:00。
Low Season 1 Nov-31 Mar: Mon to Sat 10.00-16.30,Sun 12.00-16.30
淡季 11月1日至3月31日：周一至周六 10:00-16:30，周日 12:00-16:30

Town: Carlisle
小鎮：卡萊爾

Discover William Wordsworth』s inspiration home. Take a tour of his Lakeland cottage, walk through his hillside garden and explore the riches of the collection in the Museum. Visit the shop and relax in the café. Exhibitions, events and family activities throughout the year.
探索威廉·華茲華斯的靈感之家。參觀他的湖濱別墅，穿過山坡花園，探索博物館中豐富的藏品。參觀商店，在咖啡館里放鬆。全年有展覽、活動和家庭活動。

Open: Daily,09.30-17.30(last admission 17.00).
開放時間：每天 09:30-17:30（最後入場時間17:00）。

Town: Grasmere
小鎮：格拉斯米爾

『叄』 2022年高考英語全國乙卷 - 閱讀理解A

Henry Raeburn（1756-1823）
亨利·雷伯恩（1756-1823）

The Exhibition
展覽

This exhibition of some sixty masterpieces celebrating the life and work of Scotland's best loved painter, Sir Henry Raeburn, comes to London. Selected from collections throughout the world, it is the first major exhibition of his work to be held in over forty years.
這場展覽將在倫敦舉行，展出蘇格蘭最受歡迎的畫家亨利·雷伯恩爵士的60多幅傑作，以紀念他的一生和作品。展品選自世界各地，是他四十多年來首次舉辦的大型作品展。

Lecture Series
系列講座

Scottish National Portrait Gallery presents a series of lectures for the general public. They are held in the Lecture Room. Admission to lectures is free.
蘇格蘭國家肖像畫廊為公眾舉辦了一系列講座。演講廳舉行，免費入場。

An Introction to Raeburn
雷伯恩簡介

Sunday 26 Oct., 15.00
10月26日（周日）15:00

DUNCAN THOMSON
鄧肯·湯姆森

Raeburn's English Contemporaries
雷伯恩的英國同時代人

Thursday 30 Oct., 13.10
10月30日（周四）13:10

JUDY EGERTON
朱迪·埃格頓

Characters and Characterisation in Raeburn's Portraits
雷伯恩肖像畫中的人物與人物塑造

Thursday 6 Nov., 13.10
11月6日（周四）13:10

NICHOLAS PHILLIPSON
尼古拉斯·菲利普森

Raeburn and Artist's Training in the 18th Century
18世紀的雷伯恩與藝術家們的訓練

Thursday 13 Nov., 13.10
11月13日（周四）13:10

MARTIN POSTLE
馬丁·波斯特爾

Exhibition Times
展出時間

Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 17.45 Sunday 12.00- 17.45
周一至周六 10:00-17:45 周日12:00-17:45

Last admission to the exhibition: 17.15. There is no re-admission.
展覽最後入場時間：17:15。不能再次入場。

Closed: 24 - 26 December and 1 January.
關閉日期：12月24日至26日和1月1日。

Admission
門票

£4. Children under 12 years accompanied by an alt are admitted free.
£4。12歲以下兒童在成人陪同下免費入場。

Schools and Colleges
學校和學院

A special low entrance charge of £2 per person is available to all in full-time ecation, up to and including those at first degree level, in organised groups with teachers.
全日制教育的所有學生，包括那些參加有老師組織的第一學位課程的學生，都只需購買每人2英鎊的特惠門票。

『肆』 2020年高考英語北京卷 - 閱讀理解C

For the past five years, Paula Smith, a historian of science, has devoted herself to re-creating long-forgotten techniques. While doing research for her new book, she came across a 16th-century French manuscript consisting of nearly 1,000 sets of instructions, covering subjects from tool making to finding the best sand.
在過去五年裡，科學歷史學家保拉·史密斯一直致力於重現人們早已遺忘的技術。在為她的新書做研究時，她偶然發現了一本16世紀的法國手稿，包括近1000份說明書，涵蓋范圍從工具製作到如何尋找最佳沙子。

The author's intention remains as mysterious as his name; he may have been simply taking notes for his own records. But Smith was struck mainly by the fact that she didn't truly grasp any of the skills the author described. "You simply can't get an understanding of that handwork by reading about it," she says.
作者的意圖如同他的名字一樣神秘；他可能只是在為自己的記錄做筆記。但讓史密斯備受打擊的是，她並沒有真正掌握作者描述的任何技能。「你根本無法通過閱讀來理解手工作品」，她說。

Though Smith did get her hands on the best sand, doing things the old-fashioned way isn't just about playing around with French mud. Reconstructing the work of the craftsmen who lived centuries ago can reveal how they viewed the world, what objects filled their homes, and what went on in the workshops that proced them. It can even help solve present-day problems: In 2015, scientists discovered that a 10th-century English medicine for eve problems could kill a drug-resistant virus.
盡管史密斯確實得到了最好的沙子，但用傳統的方法做事情並不只是玩法國泥。重建生活在幾個世紀前的工匠作品可以揭示他們是如何看待世界，他們的家中裝滿的物品，以及這些物品在作坊里如何進行生產。它甚至可以幫助解決當代問題：2015年，科學家發現，一種用於解決女性問題的10世紀英國葯物可以殺死耐葯病毒。

The work has also brought insights for museums, Smith says. One must know how on object was made in order to preserve it. What's more, reconstructions might be the only way to know what treasures looked like before time wore them down. Scholars have seen this idea in practice with ancient Greek and Roman statues. These sculptures were painted a rainbow of striking colours. We can't appreciate these kinds of details without seeing works of art as they originally appeared-something Smith believes you can do only when you have a road map.
史密斯說，這項工作也為博物館帶來了啟發。為了保存文物，人們必須知道這個物體是如何製作的。更重要的是，重建可能是了解寶藏在時間磨損之前是什麼樣子的唯一途徑。學者們在古希臘和古羅馬雕像的實踐中看到了這種想法，這些雕塑被漆成了鮮艷的彩虹色。如果不看藝術作品最初出現的樣子，我們無法欣賞這些細節——史密斯認為，只有當你有路線圖時，你才能做到這一點。

Smith has put the manuscript's ideas into practice. Her final goal is to link the worlds of art and science back together: She believes that bringing the old recipes to life can help develop a kind of learning that highlights experimentation, teamwork, and problem solving.
史密斯把手稿的想法付諸實踐。她最終的目標是將藝術和科學的世界重新聯系起來：她相信，將古老的食譜帶到生活中有助於發展一種強調實驗、團隊合作和解決問題的學習方式。

Back when science—then called 「the new philosophy」—took shape, academics looked to craftsmen for help in understanding the natural world. Microscopes and telescopes were invented by way of artistic tinkering, as craftsmen experimented with glass to better bend light.
當科學——也就是所謂的「新哲學」——初具雛形時，學術界尋求工匠幫助理解自然世界。正如工匠嘗試用玻璃更好地彎曲光線，顯微鏡和望遠鏡因為藝術修補而發明。

If we can rediscover the values of hands-on experience and craftwork, Smith says, we can marry the best of our modern insights with the handiness of our ancestors.
史密斯說，如果我們能重新發現動手經驗和工藝的價值，我們就能把我們最好的現代洞察力與我們祖先的靈巧結合起來。

『伍』 高考英語閱讀理解訓練題及參考答案

2017高考英語閱讀理解訓練題及參考答案

高考英語閱讀理解文章材料題材新穎，包括故事、傳記、人物、傳說、生活常識、社會文化、天文、史地、科普知識、政治、經濟及名人逸事等。體裁也不一，有記敘文、說明文、議論文、應用文等。為了幫助大家熟悉各種材料，我整理了一些高考英語閱讀理解題，希望能幫到大家!

高考英語閱讀理解題【1】

A nobleman and a merchant once met in an inn. For their lunch they both ordered soup. When it was brought, the nobleman took a spoonful, but the soup was so hot that he burned his mouth and tears came to his eyes, The merchant asked him why he was weeping. The nobleman was ashamed to admit (承認) that he had burned his mouth and answered, “Sir, I once had a brother who committed a great crime (犯罪), for which he was hanged. I was thinking of his death, and that made me weep.” The merchant believed this story and began to eat his soup. He too burned his mouth, so that he had tears in his eyes. The nobleman noticed it and asked the merchant, “Sir, why do you weep?” The merchant, who now saw that the nobleman had deceived (欺騙) him, answered, “My lord(=master), I am weeping because you were not hanged together with your brother.”

1. This story teaches us ______.

A. not to eat in inns B. not to eat soup that is too hot

C.to cry when we burn our mouth D. not to believe everything you hear

2. The nobleman did not tell the truth because he ______.

A. was a nobleman felt ashamed C. was in an inn D. was angry

3. The nobleman should have ______.

A. smiled with joy B. shouted with laughter

C. told the truth D. scolded the waiter

4. It is probable that the nobleman ______.

A. had no brother who was hanged B. had a very good brother

C. knew the soup was too hot D. had never eaten soup

5. The merchant’s answer showed that be ______.

A. was very happy B. believed the nobleman

C. was angry with the nobleman D. had kind heart

高考英語閱讀理解題【2】

In a very real sense, people who have read good literature have lived more than people who cannot or will not read. To have read Gulliver’s Travels is to have had the experience of listening to Jonathan Swift, of learning about man’s inhumanity (殘酷) to man. To read Huckleberry Finn is to feel what it is like to drift (漂流) down the Mississippi River on a raft (木排). To have read Byron is to have suffered his rebellions with him and to have enjoyed his nose—thumbing at (對……的蔑視) society. To have read Native Son is to know how it feels to be frustrated (受挫折) in the particular way in which Blacks in Chicago are frustrated. This is effective communication (交流). It enables us to feel how others felt about life, even if they lived thousands of miles away and centuries age. It is not true that “We have only one life to live.” If we read, we can live as many more lives and as many kinds of lives as we wish.

1. The sentence “People who have read good literature have lived more than people who cannot or will not read” suggests that ______.

A. reading stimulates(激發) a desire to travel

B. reading broadens(擴大) a person’s experience

C. people who read much live longer

D. people who read are more relaxed

2. The author implies that good literature ______.

A. must deal with social problems B. must teach a lesson

C. is varied in subject and in content (內容) D. is always exciting and heart--warming

3. According to the author, reading good literature ______.

A. proces new income B. is quite useless

C. satisfies the curious D. opens new worlds to us(眼界)

4. The underlined word effective in this passage means ______.

A. actual B. striking C. existing D. having an effect

高考英語閱讀理解題【3】

When I lived in Spain, some Spanish friends of mine decided to visit England by car. Before they left, they asked me for advice about how to find accommodation (住所). I suggested that they should stay at ‘bed and breakfast’ houses, because this kind of accommodation gives a foreign visitor a good chance to speak English with the family. My friends listened to my advice, but they came back with some funny stories.

“We didn’t stay at bed and breakfast houses,” they said, “because we found that most families were away on holiday.”

I thought this was strange. Finally I understood what had happened. My friends spoke little English, and they thought ‘VACANCIES’ meant ‘holidays’, because the Spanish word for ‘holidays” is ‘vacaciones’. So they did not go to house where the sign outside said ‘VACANCLES’, which in English means there are free rooms. Then my friends went to house where the sign said ‘NO VACANCLES’, because they thought this meant the people who owned the house were not away on holiday. But they found that these houses were all full. As a result, they stayed at hotels!

We laughed about this and about mistakes my friends made in reading other signs. In Spanish, the word ‘DIVERSION’ means fun. In English, it means that workmen are repairing the road, and that you must take a different road. When my friends saw the word ‘DIVERSION’ on a road sign, they thought they were going to have fun. Instead, the road ended in a large hold.

English people have problems too when they learn foreign languages. Once in Paris. when someone offered me some more. coffee, I said ‘Thank you’ in French. I meant that I would like some more, However , to my surprise the coffee pot was taken away! Later I found out that ‘Thank you’ in French means ‘Mo, thank you.’

1. My Spanish friends wanted advice about ______.

A. learning English B. finding places to stay in England

C. driving their car on English roads D. going to England by car

2. I suggested that they stay at bed and breakfast houses because ______.

A. they would be able to practise their English

B. it would be much cheaper than staying in hotels

C. it would be convenient for them to have dinner

D. there would be no problem about finding accommodation there

3. “NO VACANCIES” in English means ______.

A. no free rooms B. free rooms C. not away on holiday D. holidays

4. If you see a road sign that says ‘Diversion’, you will ______.

A. fall into a hole

B. have a lot of fun and enjoy yourself

C. find that the road is blocked by crowds of people

D. have to take a different road

5. When someone offered me more coffee and I said ‘Thank you’ in French, I ______.

A didn’t really want any more coffee B. wanted them to take the coffee pot away

C. really wanted some more coffee D. wanted to express my politeness

6. I was surprised when the coffee pot was taken away because I ______.

A. hadn’t finished drinking my coffee B. was expecting another cup of coffee

C. meant that I didn’t want any more D. was never misunderstood

參考答案：

1D 2 B 3 C 4 A 5 C

1B 2 C 3 D 4 D

1B 2 A 3 A 4 D 5 C 6 B

;

『陸』 2022年高考英語全國甲卷 - 閱讀理解B

Goffin's cockatoos, a kind of small parrot native to Australasia, have been shown to have similar shape-recognition abilities to a human two-year-old. Though not known to use tools in the wild, the birds have proved skilful at tool use while kept in the cage. In a recent experiment, cockatoos were presented with a box with a nut inside it. The clear front of the box had a "keyhole" in a geometric shape, and the birds were given five differently shaped "keys" to choese from. Inserting the correct "key" would let out the nut.
戈芬的鳳頭鸚鵡是一種原產於澳大拉西亞的小鸚鵡，它的形狀識別能力相當於兩歲兒童。盡管野外的這些鳥不知道使用工具，但事實證明，在籠中長大彎吵的可以熟練使用。最近的一次實驗中，給鳳頭鸚鵡一個盒子，盒子里有一顆堅果。盒子正面有一個幾何形狀的「鑰匙孔」，給這些鳥五個不同形狀的「鑰匙」讓它們從中選擇。插入正確的「鑰匙」堅果會掉出來。

In humans, babies can put a round shape in a round hole from around one year of age, but it will be another year before they are able to do the same with less symmetrical shapes. This ability to recognize that a shape will need to be turned in a specific direction before it will fit is called an "allocentric frame of reference". In the experiment, Goffin's cockatoos were able to select the right tool for the job, in most cases, by visual recognition alone. Where trial-and-error was used, the cockatoos did better than monkeys in similar tests. This indicates that Goffin's cockatoos do indeed possess an allocentric frame of reference when moving objects in space, similar to two-year-old babies.
人純槐類的嬰兒大約一歲左右就可以在圓孔中放入圓形物品，但要想在對稱性較差的情況下也能做到這一點，還需要一年的時間。這種能夠識別形狀需要朝特定方向轉動才能匹配的能力被稱為「異中心參照系」。在實驗中，戈芬的鳳頭鸚鵡能夠在大多數情況下僅通過視覺識別來選擇合適的工具。經過反復試驗，類似的測試中，鳳頭鸚鵡比猴子表現更好。這表明，當在空中移動物體時，戈芬的鳳頭鸚鵡確實具有異中心參照系，類似於兩歲的嬰兒。

The next step, according to the researchers, is to try and work out whether the cockatoos rely entirely on visual clues, or also use a sense of touch in making their shape selections.
根據研究人員的說法，下一步是嘗試確定做鬧友鳳頭鸚鵡是完全依賴視覺線索，還是在選擇形狀時也使用觸覺。

『柒』 1999年高考英語全國卷 - 閱讀理解E

When a group of children politely stop a conversation with you, saying:「We have to go to work now,」 you're left feeling surprised and certainly uneasy. After all, this is the 1990s and the idea of children working is just unthinkable. That is, until you are told that they are all pupils of stage schools and that the work「they go off」 is to go on the stage in a theater.
當一群孩子禮貌地停止與你的對話，說：「我們現在得去上班了，」你會感到驚訝，當然也會感到不安。畢竟，現吵昌在是20世紀90年代，孩子們工作的想法是不可想像的，直到他們告訴你他們都是舞台學校的學生，「他們要去做」的工作就是在劇院的舞台上表演。

Stage schools often act as agencies to supply children for stage and television work. More worthy of the name 「stage school」 are those few places where children attend full time, with training for the theatre and a general ecation.
舞台學校經常充當中介機構為孩子們提供舞台和電視工作。更應該稱之為「舞台學校」的是少數幾個為孩子們提供全日制學習的地方，包括戲劇培訓和常規教育。

A visit to such schools will leave you in no doubt that the children enjoy themselves. After all, what lively children wouldn't settle for spending only half the day doing ordinary school work, and acting, singing or dancing their way through the other half of the day?
毫無疑問，參觀這樣的學校，你會發現孩子們很開心。畢竟，活潑的孩子怎麼會滿足於只花半天時間做普通學校的作業，另半天時間表演、唱歌或跳舞呢？

Then of course there is time for the children to make a name and make a little money in some big shows. Some stage schools give their children too much professional work at such a young age. But the law is very tight on the amount they can do. Those under 13 are limited to 40 days in the year and those over 13 to 80 days.
當然，孩子們還有機會在一些大型演出中露臉並賺點小錢。一些舞台學校在孩子很小的時候就給他們提供了非常多的專業工作，但法律嚴格限制可以做的工作數量。13歲升鋒扒以下的孩子一年基缺只能做40天，而13以上的孩子一年可以做80天。

The schools themselves admit that not all children will be successful in the profession for which they are being trained. So what happens to those who don't make it? While all the leading schools say they place great importance on children getting good study results, the facts seem to suggest this is not always the case.
學校承認，並不是所有的孩子都能在他們正在接受的職業中取得成功。那麼，那些沒有成功的孩子會怎樣呢？雖然所有主要的學校都說他們非常重視孩子取得好的學習成績，但事實似乎表明，情況並非總是如此。

『捌』 上海高中英語閱讀理解及答案

上海高中英語閱讀理解及答案

勤學苦練，是最踏實的.英語學習方法。下面是我整理的上海英語高考真題閱讀理解題及答案，希望能幫到大家!

2015上海英語高考真題閱讀理解

(A)

Look to many of history’s cultural symbols, and there you’ll find an ancestor of Frosty, the snowman in the movie Frozen. It appeared on some of the first postcards, starred in some of the earliest silent movies, and was the subject of a couple of the earliest photos, dating all the way back to the 1800s. I discovered even more about one of humanity’s earliest forms of life art ring several years of research around the world.

For example, snowmen were a phenomenon in the Middle Ages, built with great skill and thought. At a time of limited means of expression, snow was like free art supplies dropped from the sky. It was a popular activity for couples to leisurely walk through town to view the temporary works of chilly art. Some were created by famous artists, including a 19-year-old Michelangelo, who in 1494 was appointed by the ruler of Florence, Italy, to build a snowman in his mansion’s courtyard.

The Miracle of 1511 took place ring six freezing weeks called the Winter of Death. The city of Brussels was covered in snowmen—an impressive scene that told stories on every street corner. Some were political in nature, criticizing the church and government. Some were a reflection of people’s imagination. For the people of Brussels, this was a defining moment of artistic freedom. At least until spring arrived, by which time they were dealing with damaging floods.

If you fear the heyday of the snowman has passed, don’t worry: I’ve learned that some explosive snowman history is still being made today. Every year since 1818, the people of Zurich, Switzerland, celebrate the beginning of spring by blowing up a snowman. On the third Monday of April, the holiday Sechselauten is kicked off when a cotton snowman called the Boogg is stuffed with explosive and paraded through town by bakers and other tradesmen who throw bread to the crowds. The parade ends with the Boogg being placed on a 40-foot pile of firewood. After the bells of the Church of St. Peter have rung six times, representing the passing of winter, the pile is lit. When the snowman explodes, winter is considered officially over—the quicker it is burnt down, the longer summer is said to be.

66. According to the passage, why did snowmen become a phenomenon in the Middle Ages?

A. People thought of snow as holy art supplies.

B. People longed to see masterpieces of snow.

C. Building snowmen was a way for people to express themselves.

D. Building snowmen helped people develop their skill and thought.

67. “The heyday of the snowman” (paragraph 4) means the time when___________.

A. snowmen were made mainly by artists

B. snowmen enjoyed great popularity

C. snowmen were politically criticized

D. snowmen caused damaging floods

68. In Zurich, the blowing up of the Boogg symbolizes__________________.

A. the start of the parade

B. the coming of a longer summer

C. the passing of the winter

D. the success of tradesmen

69. What can be concluded about snowmen from the passage?

A. They were appreciated in history

B. They have lost their value

C. They were related to movies

D. They vary in shape and size

參考答案：66. C 67. B 68. C 69. A

(B)

Scary Bunny

The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) is the first full-length feature film made by directors Nick Park and Steve Box with their amazing plasticine (粘土) characters Wallace and Gromit. It won an Oscar in 2006, and if you watch it, you’ll understand why. It’s an absolutely brilliant cartoon comedy.

Cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his brainy dog Gromit have started a company to protect the town’s vegetables from hungry rabbits. However, just before the annual Giant Vegetable Competition, an enormous rabbit begins terrorising the town. It is attacking all the vegetables and destroying everything in its path. The competition organizer, Lady Tottington, hires Wallace and Gromit to catch the monster alive. But they will have to find the were-rabbit before gun-crazy hunter Victor Quartermaine who is desperate to kill it.

The screenplay is witty and full of amusing visual jokes. As usual, the voice of Peter Sallis is absolutely perfect for the role of Wallace, and Gromit is so beautifully brought to life, he can express a huge range of emotions without saying a word. And both Helena Bonham-Carter, who plays the part of Lady Tottington, and Ralph Fiennes as Victor are really funny.

To sum up, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is an amazing film which is suitable for both children and alts. If you liked Wallace and Gromit’s previous adventures and you appreciate the British sense of humour, you’ll love this film. Don’t miss it!

70. In the film review, what is paragraph A mainly about?

A. The introction to the leading roles B. The writer’s opinion of acting

C. The writer’s comments on the story D. The background information

71. According to the film review, “the monster” (paragraph B) refers to ______.

A. a gun-crazy hunter B. a brainy dog

C. a scary rabbit D. a giant vegetable

72. Which of the following is a reason why the writer recommends the film?

A. It’s full of wit and humour.

B. Its characters show feelings without words.

C. It is an adventure film directed by Peter Sallis.

D. It is about the harmony between man and animals.

參考答案：70. D 71. C 72. A

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