题目
题型：天津中考真题难度：来源：
is a tree or a bush (灌木) that is trained into a shape. Growing a topiary garden takes both time and skills.
A topiary gardener should make a drawing first. The drawing shows the final shape that the gardener likes.
The gardener then chooses a bush for the topiary. It may be one that just planted or one that is already in place.
In June of the plant"s first year, the gardener looks for new leaves. When the leaves grow, it"s time to shape
(给……造型) the bottom of the bush. It needs about five years. The top is not trimmed during this time. In the
fifth year, the bush grows tall enough for shaping. Then the gardener begins to shape the whole bush.
Once a topiary has been started, it needs care all year. In the summer it must be cut many times to keep its
shape. This cutting also helps the bush grow. In the winter the bushes don"t grow. The gardeners have to brush
snow of the plants, or snow may hurt some parts of them.
Topiary gardening is very old art. The Romans did it in the first Century. In the sixteenth century, people in
Europe like topiaries too. By the late 1600s, topiaries were also grown in America. Today it"s popular in many
parts of the world.
a. The gardener chooses a bush for the topiary.
b. The whole bush grows tall enough for shaping.
c. The gardener begins to shape the bottom of the bush.
d. The gardener draws the shape of a topiary.
B. b---c---a---d
C. a---d---c---b
D. d---a---c---b
B. Cut
C. Cleaned
D. Collected
B. In Europe.
C. In America.
D. In Africa.
答案
核心考点
试题【阅读理解。 Is it a tree? Is it a bear? If you"re looking at a tree in the shape o】；主要考察你对社会历史类等知识点的理解。[详细]
举一反三
celebrated (庆祝) a day to honour (向……表示敬意) Isis, the mother of the pharaohs. The early Christians
(基督教徒) celebrated a day to honour Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Later, English Christians celebrated to honour all mothers. This English holiday was called "Mothering
Sunday".When the English came to America, they did not have time for Mothering Sunday, so the holiday
was not celebrated in America. In 1914, the U.S passed a law which designated (规定) the second Sunday
in May as Mother"s Day to honour the mothers who had lost sons in war.
Today, Mother"s Day is celebrated in many other countries for all mothers. In Canada, Australia, New
Zealand, Mother"s Day is celebrated on the same day as in the United States-the second Sunday in May.
Children give their mothers cards, gifts, and flowers. Schools plan Mother"s Day"s special activities.
In China, the holiday is celebrated to show the respect (尊重) the Chinese have for the old people, and
the love they have for their parents. Ten top mothers are chosen by the government. People all over the
country try different ways to help mothers who are poor.
Beautiful scenes of paradise (乐园), wild animals, silly pictures-you can find them all in one place. Where?
On a post card! Have people always sent post cards? No. Before post cards, people liked sealed letters.
The idea for the first decorated (装饰) post card came to John P. Charlton in 1861. He thought a simple
card with decorations would be a great way to send a note. Then in the late 1800s, post cards with pictures
appeared. By law, people had to write their note on the front-on the picture! The back was only for the address.
Several years later, England allowed a divided-back post card. Then people could write their note on the back
left side and put the address on the right. During the early 1900s, the golden age of post cards, picture post
cards became a craze of the world. In 1908, Americans alone mailed over 677 million post cards. Today, post
cards are the third most popular collection in the world after stamps and coins.
( )2. Post cards were produced before sealed letters.
( )3. In 1861, the first decorated post card appeared.
( )4. Post cards were most popular during the early 1900s.
( )5. Stamps, coins and post cards are the most popular collections in the world.
about cats. Some cats like to catch small birds, like canaries (金丝雀). If someone looks very proud and
satisfied with himself, we say "he looks like the cat that ate the canary."
Sometimes, a cat likes to play with a small animal it catches. So if you "play cat and mouse" with someone,
it means that you change between different kinds of behavior when dealing with another person. For example,
a girl might offer something sweet to her little brother and then take it away when he reaches for it.
Americans might say that something is "the cat"s miaow" or "the cat"s pajamas (睡衣)" to describe something
that is the best or finest. "A copycat" is someone who acts just like someone else or copies another person"s
work. "A fat cat" is a person with a lot of money.
If you tell about something that is supposed to be a secret, we say you "let the cat out of the bag". If you
are not able to speak or answer a question, someone might ask you if "the cat has got your tongue (舌头)."
Have you ever watched children in a classroom when their teacher leaves for a few minutes? "When the
cat"s away, the mice will play" means people sometimes act badly when there is no supervision (监管).
You may have heard the expression "curiosity killed the cat". This means caring too much about things that
are not your business might cause problems.
If you have ever had cats as pets, you know it is difficult to train them or to get them to do something. Cats
are not like Sheep or cows that can be moved in a group. So we say a difficult or impossible job is like "herding
(放牧) cats"
B. The expression "play cat and mouse" usually means "play tricks on others".
C. It is more difficult to keep sheep or cows than cats.
D. There are more expressions about cats than those about dogs.
B. Someone promised to keep a secret but he failed to do so.
C. Someone won the first prize in an English singing competition and he felt very excited.
D. Someone tried to swim across the Yangtze River with his newly broken legs.
B. On a website telling people how to keep cats.
C. In a magazine telling various jokes and funny stories.
D. In a language book that teaches students how to use American slang.
these questions can be found in US president Barack Obama"s "back to school" speech. Here is
an excerpt (摘录) from his speech.
I know that sometimes, you get the sense that you can be rich and successful without any hard work-
that your ticket to success is through rapping (饶舌音乐) or basketball or being a TV star, when chances
are, you"re not going to be any of those things.
But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won"t love every subject you study. Not all the homework
will seem completely important to your life right this minute. And you may not succeed at everything the first
time you try.
That"s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who"ve had the most failures.
JK Rowling"s first Harry Potter book was turned down 12 times before it finally came out. Michael Jordan
was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots
(投篮) during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is
why I succeed."
These people succeeded because they understand that you can"t let your failures beat you-you have to let
them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.
No one"s born being good at things. You become good at things through hard work.
Don"t be afraid to ask questions. Don"t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day.
Asking for help isn"t a sign of weakness; it"s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit (承
认) when you don"t know something, and to learn something new.
And even when you"re struggling, even when you"re discouraged (泄气), and you feel like other people
have given up on you-don"t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on
your country.
B. To explain that writing and sports are difficult skills.
C. To show that the two persons were treated unfairly.
D. To prove that failure is the mother of success.
B. Failure can be good if you treat it in a right way.
C. Those who believe in themselves shouldn"t ask others for help.
D. One should try his best to make his dream come true.
B. One should believe in himself no matter what difficulty he is faced with.
C. One doesn"t have to work hard when he has failed several times.
D. One doesn"t have to take others" advice when they get away from him.
St Patrick"s Day (圣帕特里克节) is one of the most important festivals in Ireland. It is 1 March 17.
It is not only an important holiday in Ireland 2 a day when everyone wants to be Irish. It became a 3 holiday
in 1903. The first St Patrick"s Day celebration took place not in Ireland, 4 in the United States. The first
American celebration of St Patrick"s Day 5 in Boston in 1737. St Patrick"s Day is a time to wear green and
hold parties.
People will usually 6 the color of green when they talk about St Patrick"s Day in modern times. Green is
the color of 7 and Ireland. People wear green and carry little green leaves. They believe that these can bring
themselves good 8 . Some people even color their hair green for the celebration. And they look really funny.
It"s a 9 for families to go to church in the morning and celebrate the festival in the afternoon. Today, people
10 St Patrick"s Day in America, Canada, Australia and some other countries.