1、中考英语专项训练：时文阅读（材料一）你还记得马丁路德金的著名演说我有一个梦想吗？ A brief African-American history (II)1920s： The Harlem Renaissance 哈勒姆文艺复兴During the 1920s, many African-American artists, poets, writers and musicians moved to Harlem, a section of New York City. They became well-known for their writing, art and music. 19541
2、956：Fighting for civil rights 为民权而战 During the 1950s, African-American leaders began to use marches to defeat racist laws. Their efforts are known as the civil rights movement.19631965：March in Washington, D.C. 华盛顿大游行 On August 28, 1963, there was a huge march in Washington, D.C. It attracted more t
3、han 200,000 marchers. At the march, Martin Luther King Jr.* delivered his famous“I have a dream”speech. After the march, King and other civil rights leaders met with President John F. Kennedy. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act (民权法案) was signed into law. The law guaranteed equal rights for African-Ameri
4、cans in employment, voting, and the use of public facilities.1968：Martin Luther King Jr. is killed 马丁路德金遇刺 In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed in Memphis (美国孟斐斯市). He was 39 years old. Since 1986, the third Monday in January has been Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The nation honors King
5、s spirit and the great strides he made toward equality for all Americans. （材料二）2008 年 11 月 4 日，这一天将会被载入史册 A brief African-American history (III) 1972：Taking affirmative action 采取积极行动In 1972, Congress passed two important laws. They helped increase job opportunities for African-American workers. The
6、laws were called affirmative action laws. They required governments and public institutions to hire more minorities, including African-American and female workers. 1983：Jesse Jackson runs for President 杰西杰克逊参加总统竞选In 1983, Jesse Jackson*, a famous civil rights leader, announced his plan to run for Pr
7、esident. Jackson ran in 1984 and 1988. Jacksons two campaigns were important because they showed the key role African-American people played in national politics. 1995：The Million Man March 一百万人大游行On October 16, 1995, about 400,000 people, mostly African-American men and boys, participated in the Mi
8、llion Man March. The march was aimed at urging African-American men to be leaders in their communities and to work together to improve life for all African Americans. 2009：Achieving power in government 奥巴马竞选总统成功November 4, 2008, will be forever remembered as the day change came to the United States.
9、 American voters went to the polls and gave Barack Obama a resounding victory. On January 20, 2009, two million people showed up, when Obama officially became the first African-American President of the United States. （材料三）你能想象一个没有电的世界会怎么样？ Electricity* What is it?Electricity is energy. Just like we
10、 eat burgers and chocolate to keep us going, machines and gadgets “eat” electricity to keep them going. In our homes, electricity runs the lights, appliances like toasters, televisions, toys and more. Its hard to imagine what our life would be without electricity. However, if electricity is used uns
11、afely, it can create a fire hazard or cause someone to be electrocuted. But why is electricity a danger? * How does it work? What is a conductor? A conductor is a material that electricity can flow through easily. Water is a great conductor. In fact, our bodies are mostly water. It means electricity
12、 can also travel easily through us!The electricity that reaches our homes travels in a circuit. The energy is supplied by power plants. Then the power lines carry electricity to our homes. These lines are great electrical conductors. So it is dangerous to touch them. *Contact with electricity can ca
13、use: Electric shock: This is when an electrical current passes through the body. Even a small shock can be frightening and painful. Burns: Electrical currents can burn the skin, nerves, muscles and tissues in the body. Death: A severe electric shock could cause a problem with your breath and heartbe
14、at, possibly leading to death. （材料四）谁说富家子弟只能坐吃山空？近日，加拿大一银行便开设了教“富二代”学习理财的课程。 Canadian Bank Teaches Rich Kids How to Stay RichWealth managers at Bank of Montreal (加拿大蒙特利尔银行) kept hearing the same words from some of Canadas richest families: Help me! My kids know nothing about money!Nowadays, the bank
15、 gives a one-day seminar to the children of rich families, and teaches the heirs and heiresses how to manage their money. “Rich parents are very happy to let their children attend the seminar,” said a manager. Furthermore, the financial crisis has upped appetites for the seminar. It will teach child
16、ren some key things: how to set goals, balance a budget, and avoid getting swindled. And the code word for the seminar is “discretion.”However, in fact, many children are forced to attend by their parents who control the purse strings. For example, a child said, “I love drawing and playing the guita
17、r, but my father told me that I have to go to this, or he will cut my allowance off.” （材料五）如今，能说一口流利中文的外国人很多。但是，说到开设中文学习网站，17 岁的英国女孩Daisy 也许是第一个。 Lets learn Chinese! British girl Daisy Raffan not only can speak fluent Chinese, but also runs a website to teach kids Chinese. The 17-year-old girl estab
18、lished the website on January 26, 2009. She had the brainwave* after her mom took her to lessons to learn the language when she was just five. On Daisys website, kids can log on and tune in to Daisys lessons whenever they like, either at home or in the classroom. Each lesson has four different part
19、s: Language: Kids will learn new words.Writing: Kids will learn to write new words and numbers.Culture: In this part, Daisy will tell you something about Chinese culture, such as the people and the food.Practice: kids can hear, repeat, and then practice the words theyve learned. Each week, “Kids Chi
20、nese Club” will choose its “Stars of the Week” the kids that have done a good job in the past week.The website is fun, and it also helps British kids learn Chinese. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown* has already praised Daisy and said that learning Chinese is important for Britains future generati
21、ons. （材料六）西方有哪些最令人匪夷所思的迷信呢？一起来了解一下吧！ Top 10 Odd Superstitions about Food (I) Superstitions fill peoples life with innocent fun, but they can also be incredibly odd. Here come five of the oddest superstitions about food. 10. Hollow breadIt was once (and perhaps still is) a superstition. If you find a
22、 hole in the bread you cut, it symbolizes a coffin, and means that someone is soon to die. However, nowadays, people seldom cut their own bread, so forget it!9. Egg shellsThis is a very ancient superstition. If you dont crush the ends of an egg shell after breaking it, a witch can use them to make a
23、 boat and sail on the sea to raise storms. Well, dont try to find out how a man might be able to stand in an egg shell.8. Crossed breadAll loaves of bread must be marked with a sign of the cross before baking. This prevented the devil from sitting on the loaf and cursing the bread. Interestingly, in
24、 fact, bread rises much better in the oven when crossed.7. SaltIt is considered bad if you help another person salt their food there is even a phrase that evolved from the superstition: “Help to salt, help to sorry.” 6. Tea ritualsIt used to be considered bad luck for two people to pour tea from the
25、 same pot. In addition, if you left the lid off the teapot while brewing tea, a stranger would visit soon. （材料七）近日，美国“阿特兰蒂斯”号航天飞机发射升空，机上名宇航员对哈勃望远镜进行了一系列的修理和维护。 Mission to Hubble U.S. space shuttle Atlantis (“阿特兰蒂斯”号) lifted off on May 11 with seven astronauts onboard, on a mission to upgrade the 19-
26、year-old Hubble Space Telescope (哈勃太空望远镜). This is NASAs (美国国家航天局) fifth trip to Hubble. The 11-day mission came with a higher risk than usual. Atlantis flew in an unusually high orbit for any space shuttle. Furthermore, space has more litter there. Even if a tiny piece of space junk struck Atlantis
27、, that would cause huge damage to the shuttle.On May 13, a 10-centimetre piece of space junk passed within a couple miles of the shuttle, just hours after the shuttle grabbed Hubble. On May 14, astronauts conducted the first spacewalk and installed a new camera in Hubble. On May 15, astronauts repla
28、ced six gyroscopes. On May 16, astronauts installed a Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (宇宙起源光谱摄制仪) for Hubble. It is the most sensitive instrument that has ever flown in space. On May 17, astronauts conducted the fourth spacewalk to repair an imaging device which was used to discover black holes. The goa
29、l of the mission was to keep Hubble running for another five to ten years. （材料八）当现实加诸于你，无法实现你的梦想，你会不会把梦想束之高阁，在现实中循规蹈矩呢？ Dont Let Your Dreams Be Dreams In the world of pop culture, there is no more unlikely star than Susan Boyle. She has spent almost the last 30 years unemployed, focusing on caring f
30、or her mother and singing for her local community. While many people think she is inexperienced, the truth is that Boyle has been practicing and working hard to achieve her dream for years. She has spent much of her time and money trying to get ahead in the very difficult world of music. That she ha
31、s been able to realize her dream after so long is awesome.She has become a hero to many, the competition to some, and a figure of fun to others. But not everyone that has an amazing voice can propel them to stardom via a reality television show. Sometimes most times achieving your dream comes throug
32、h hard work. It is important to remember that, even with her talent, Susan Boyle has spent her entire life trying to achieve her goal and reached it at an age when you are supposed to be slowing down, not speeding up.Many of you will be making decisions in the next few years about which colleges and
33、 universities you will apply for. For many people, what you study after you leave high school determines what you will do for most of the rest of your life. You will face pressure to give up on your dreams and focus on your reality. Instead of giving up, make your dreams a reality. Take what you can
34、 from what comes your way and use it to achieve your goals.（材料九）日本的同龄人也有 sports day 吗？他们会参加哪些运动项目呢？ Sports day for Japanese Kids All over Japan, kids from kindergarten to high school take part in a sports day every autumn. On this day, sports meetings are held. They are a chance for kids to test the
35、ir skills and compete with each other in a variety of events. It is also great for the whole family to enjoy a fun time together. This is quite true of elementary school sports meetings. Usually, there are a large number of families coming out to cheer for their kids.There are two kinds of events in
36、dividual and group. A running race is an example of individual events. In group events, including tug-of-war and ball-tossing games, students are divided into teams. Students usually compete against those in the same grade, but there are also relay races between teams made up of students from all gr
37、ades.In some sports meetings, there are also non-competitive events like traditional Japanese dancing. In high schools, students do more than just compete in sports events. Cheerleading contests are often held. Each class makes up its own cheerleading team. And these events add even more energy to t
38、his exciting day. （材料十）今年的 5 月 12 日是汶川地震一周年的纪念日，也是我国第一个防灾减灾日。在汶川地震一周年之际，中国政府发布国家首部“减灾白皮书” ，并将 5 月 12 日定为“防灾减灾日” 。 文章一：China Launches Campaign to Counter Disasters on Quake Anniversary China published a white paper on disaster-prevention efforts. It was set to mark the first anniversary of the Wenchu
39、an earthquake, as well as the nations first “Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day (防灾减灾日),” both of which fell on May 12. The 8.0 magnitude quake, with the epicenter in Wenchuan of Chinas Sichuan Province, left more than 87,000 people dead and missing, and more than 374,640 injured. To mark the day
40、, governments across the country have started education campaigns to publicize knowledge on disaster prevention and emergency rescue. “The earthquake showed we were ill-prepared for many disasters,” said an official. “We have learned a valuable lesson.” Since many kinds of disasters frequently hit C
41、hina, Chinas main tasks are to strengthen its ability to prevent them and take rescue and relief. The country has already developed a disaster control and response system. Within five years, every village will have the necessary information to counter disasters in China. 文章二：China issues first white
42、 paper on disaster relief China published a white paper* last Monday on disaster-prevention (防灾) efforts to mark the first anniversary of the Wenchuan earthquake as well as the nations first “Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day*.”Both fell on May 12.The paperThe paper, consisting of more than 16,0
43、00 Chinese characters, says, “China is one of the countries that experience the most natural disasters.”With climate change, economic growth, and urbanization, the work of preventing and responding to natural disasters has become“more serious and complicated.”“Based on the lessons we learned and pro
44、blems found in rescue and relief work (抢险救灾工作) for winter storms in South China in early 2008 and the May 12 earthquake, we have made efforts to improve the countrys disaster management system,”said Zou Ming, director of the Disaster Relief Department under the Ministry of Civil Affairs (民政部国家减灾中心主任
45、).The effortAccording to the paper, China received nearly 76 billion yuan in cash and relief materials from domestic and foreign donors after the earthquake.More than 3 million volunteers worked in disaster relief, while 10 million others participated in quake relief activities around the country.By
46、 the end of 2008, about 1% of Chinas population volunteered for quake relief work across China, making it the first large-scale volunteer rescue effort in the country.The helpThe paper also said that China and its people were deeply grateful for the international help they received.Donations came fr
47、om more than 170 countries and more than 20 international organizations. Cash donations totaled (合计达) 4.4 billion yuan, and there were large amounts of relief materials sent to China.Professional rescue and medical teams from Russia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Singapore came to help. Satellit
48、e operators in Japan, Italy, and the United States offered remote-sensing images of the quake-hit areas to China, the paper added.（材料十一）今年 4 月，美国威斯康辛州马尼托沃克市 (Manitowoc, Wisconsin)第 27 任市长走马上任。一颗政坛新星 22 岁的大学生贾斯汀 尼基尔斯 (Justin Nickels) 正在升起。 Justin Nickels: a 22-year-old mayor “I want to thank you for
49、electing me the youngest mayor Wisconsin has ever seen. I thank you, most importantly, for entrusting me with the opportunity to represent you and lead our city in a new direction!” Justin Nickels, new mayor of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, thanked his voters on his website after he became the 27th mayor of the city.Justin was born and grew up in Manitowoc. Before he became mayor, he was a grocery store cashier, a high school basketball referee, and a college student. The 22-year-old mayor had a great interest
