Roman Pantheon （萬神殿） is one of the greatest achievements of the ancient Romans. The ancient Romans were good architects and they built many wonderful buildings. Another good example of a Roman architectural style is the Roman Coliseum, which is a large building used for public sports events or entertainment. The Roman architectural style has been borrowed by many of the western countries.

The architecture of Pantheon is unique to Rome. In Latin and Greek, pantheon means "Temple of all the Gods". Marcus Agrippa built the original Pantheon in 27 BC. But the Pantheon built by Agrippa was completely destroyed in 80 AD when a fire broke out. The Roman Pantheon that is visited by many tourists today was rebuilt in 125 AD by the Roman emperor Hadrian. Hadrian's architects followed the exact design of Marcus Agrippa. Historians believe that the Pantheon was a place of worship(崇拜) because it housed all the gods and goddesses of the ancient Romans.

The Pantheon of Rome is an amazing example of ancient Roman architecture. This building has been in use for over 2000 years. The Roman Pantheon is famous for its design, size. The most unbelievable feature of this building is its huge concrete dome(圓頂). The Pantheon’s dome was thought to be the largest, until recent times.

Phocas, the Byzantine Emperor presented the Roman Pantheon to Pope Boniface IV to save it from the destruction. In 609 AD, it was turned into a church. During Papal rule, it was used as a burial ground (墳場) for kings and other famous people. There are tombs of Raphael (a painter), King Victor Emmanuel II, King Umberto I and many more in the Pantheon.

Some of the buildings that were constructed on the model of the Roman Pantheon are The Rotunda - University of Virginia, Low Memorial Library - Columbia University, Grand Auditorium - Tsinghua University, Jefferson Memorial - Washington D.C. and Duomo - Florence.

1.From the first paragraph, we can learn that _______.

A．the Coliseum was often used for big parties

B．there were different architectural styles in Rome

C．the Roman architectural style was borrowed from many western countries

D．the Pantheon and the Coliseum are examples of Roman architecture

2.According to historians, the Pantheon was built to _______.

A．exhibit the terrific design of Marcus Agrippa

B．suggest the power of Emperor Hadrian

C．provide a place for Roman gods and goddess

D．show ancient Rome’s unique architectural style

3.The Pantheon which tourists visit at present was built in _______.

A．27BC             B．80AD             C．about 125AD       D．609 AD

4.The Pantheon was thought highly of especially because of its _______.

A．strange shape      B．huge dome        C．perfect quality      D．beautiful

5.The text mainly tells us _______.

A．some facts about the Roman Pantheon

B．the influence of ancient Roman architecture

C．Roman’s lifestyle in ancient times

D．ancient Romans and their architecture

 

Would you like to be a king or queen? To have people waiting on you hand and foot? Many Americans experience this royal treatment every day. How? By being customers. The American idea of customer service is to make each customer the center of attention. Need proof? Just listen to the commercials. Most of them sound like the McDonald’s ad: “We do it all for you.” Actually, not all stores in America roll out the red carpet for their customers. But wherever you go, good customer service means making customers feel special.

People going shopping in America can expect to be treated with respect from the very beginning. Most places don’t have a “furniture street” or a “computer road” which allow you to compare prices easily. Instead, people often “l(fā)et their fingers do the walking” through the store hot lines. From the first “hello”, customers receive a satisfying response to their questions. This initial contact can help them decide where to shop.

When customers get to the store, they are treated as honored guests. Customers don’t usually find store clerks sitting around watching TV or playing cards. Instead, the clerks greet them warmly and offer to help them find what they want. In most stores, the clear signs that label each department make shopping a breeze. Customers usually don’t have to ask how much items cost, since prices are clearly marked. And unless they’re at a flea market or a yard sale, they don’t bother trying to bargain.

When customers are ready to check out, they find the nearest and shortest checkout lane. But as Murphy’s Law would have it, whichever lane they get in, all the other lanes will move faster. Good stores open new checkout lanes when the lanes get too long. Some even offer express lanes for customers with 10 items or less. After they pay for their purchases, customers receive a smile and a warm “thank you” from the clerk. Many stores even allow customers to take their shopping carts out to the parking lot. That way, they don’t have to carry heavy bags out to the car.

By quoting (引用) the McDonald’s ad: “We do it all for you”, the author intends to_______.

A. suggest that customers believe what commercials say deeply

B. show readers the American idea on good customer service

C. express all the stores pay much attention to the customers

D. persuade readers to choose the stores with ads correctly

In the USA, what may you do at first if you want to do some shopping?

A. To visit a professional street with lots of similar stores.

B. To compare prices in many shops in the same street.

C. To make phone calls and get better shopping choices.

D. To receive other customers’ answers to the questions.

The underlined words “a breeze” in Para.3 most probably means _________.

A. an easy job　　 B. a trouble　　           C. a funny thing　　     D. a boring task

Which of the followings shows American stores offer convenience to customers in this passage?

A. The store clerks don’t usually sit around watching TV or playing cards.

B. Some stores offer price bargain to the customers like a yard sale.

C. The clerks give customers a smile and a warm “thank you” after paying.

D. Some stores open new checkout lanes when the lanes are crowded.

Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

A. Customer Service in America                     B. Excellent Stores in America

C. Shopping Rules in America                           D. Being King or Queen in America

Would you like to be a king or queen? To have people waiting on you hand and foot? Many Americans experience this royal treatment every day. How? By being customers. The American idea of customer service is to make each customer the center of attention. Need proof? Just listen to the commercials. Most of them sound like the McDonald’s ad: “We do it all for you.” Actually, not all stores in America roll out the red carpet for their customers. But wherever you go, good customer service means making customers feel special.

People going shopping in America can expect to be treated with respect from the very beginning. Most places don’t have a “furniture street” or a “computer road” which allow you to compare prices easily. Instead, people often “l(fā)et their fingers do the walking” through the store hot lines. From the first “hello”, customers receive a satisfying response to their questions. This initial contact can help them decide where to shop.

When customers get to the store, they are treated as honored guests. Customers don’t usually find store clerks sitting around watching TV or playing cards. Instead, the clerks greet them warmly and offer to help them find what they want. In most stores, the clear signs that label each department make shopping a breeze. Customers usually don’t have to ask how much items cost, since prices are clearly marked. And unless they’re at a flea market or a yard sale, they don’t bother trying to bargain.

When customers are ready to check out, they find the nearest and shortest checkout lane. But as Murphy’s Law would have it, whichever lane they get in, all the other lanes will move faster. Good stores open new checkout lanes when the lanes get too long. Some even offer express lanes for customers with 10 items or less. After they pay for their purchases, customers receive a smile and a warm “thank you” from the clerk. Many stores even allow customers to take their shopping carts out to the parking lot. That way, they don’t have to carry heavy bags out to the car.

1. By quoting (引用) the McDonald’s ad: “We do it all for you”, the author intends to_______.

A. suggest that customers believe what commercials say deeply

B. show readers the American idea on good customer service

C. express all the stores pay much attention to the customers

D. persuade readers to choose the stores with ads correctly

2.In the USA, what may you do at first if you want to do some shopping?

A. To visit a professional street with lots of similar stores.

B. To compare prices in many shops in the same street.

C. To make phone calls and get better shopping choices.

D. To receive other customers’ answers to the questions.

3.The underlined words “a breeze” in Para.3 most probably means _________.

A. an easy job　　 B. a trouble　　           C. a funny thing　　     D. a boring task

4.Which of the followings shows American stores offer convenience to customers in this passage?

A. The store clerks don’t usually sit around watching TV or playing cards.

B. Some stores offer price bargain to the customers like a yard sale.

C. The clerks give customers a smile and a warm “thank you” after paying.

D. Some stores open new checkout lanes when the lanes are crowded.

5.Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

A. Customer Service in America                     B. Excellent Stores in America

C. Shopping Rules in America                           D. Being King or Queen in America

 

400-year-old plants from the Little Ice Age were brought back to life, which could help us understand how the Earth will deal with climate change.

Moss(蘚類植物) found buried beneath the Teardrop glacier(冰川) on Ellesmere Island in Canada has been brought back to life. Findings suggest that these plants could help repopulate regions exposed by melting ice caps. Plants that were buried beneath thick ice in Canada more than 400 years ago and were thought to have frozen to death have been brought back to life by Canadian scientists.

Samples of the moss plant, covered by the glacier during the Little Ice Age of 1550 to 1850 AD, were replanted in a lab at the University of Alberta and grew new stems(莖). Researchers now think these findings can give indication as to how regions can recover as the ice covering them melts.

Biologist Dr. Catherine La Farge and her team at the University of Alberta were exploring the region around the Teardrop glacier on Ellesmere Island. Ice on Ellesmere Island region has been melting at around four meters each year for the past nine years. This means that many areas of land that were previously covered by ice have since been exposed. Many ecosystems that were thought to have been destroyed during the Little Ice Age between 1550 and 1850 AD can now be studied, including many species that have never been studied before.

While examining an exposed area of land, La Farge and her team discovered a small area of moss called Aulacomnium turgidum. It is a type of bryophyte(苔蘚類植物) plant that mainly grows across Canada, the US and the Highlands of Scotland.

Dr La Farge noticed that the moss had small patches of green stems, suggesting it is either growing again or can be encouraged to repopulate. Dr La Farge told the BBC, “When we looked at the samples in detail and brought them to the lab, I could see some of the stems actually had new growth of green branches, suggesting that these plants are growing again, and that blew my mind. When we think of thick areas of ice covering the landscape, we’ve always thought that plants have to come from refugia(瀕絕生物保護區(qū)), never considering that land plants come from underneath a glacier. It’s a whole world of what’s coming out from underneath the glacier that really needs to be studied. The ice is disappearing pretty fast. We really have not examined all the biological systems that exist in the world; we don’t know it all.”

Dr La Farge took samples of the moss and, using carbon-dating techniques, discovered that the plants date back to the Little Ice Age. Dr La Farge’s team took the samples, planted them in dishes full of nutrient-rich potting soil and fed them with water.

The samples were from four separate species including Aulacomnium turgidum, Distichium capillaceum, Encalypta procera and Syntrichia ruralis. The moss plants found by Dr La Farge are types of bryophytes. Bryophytes can survive long winters and regrow when the weather gets warmer.

However, Dr La Farge was surprised that the plants buried under ice have survived into the twenty-first century. Her findings appear in proceedings（論文集）of the National Academy of Sciences.

1.Dr La Farge’s research is of great importance to ________.

A. knowing what the plants during the Little Ice Age were like

B. understanding how ecosystems recover from glaciers.

C. regrowing many species that have been destroyed before.

D. figuring out the effects of melting ice caps on moss.

2.The underlined part “blew my mind” in Paragraph 6 can best be replaced by “________”.

A. surprised me                   B. greatly frightened me

C. put my doubt out of my mind    D. was exactly what I had in my mind

3.According to the passage, Aulacomnium turgidum ________.

A. lives better in small groups              

B. is very active in hot weather

C. is strong enough to survive coldness

D. is chosen from Canadian refugia

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. Bryophyte ecology is greatly affected by climate change.

B. 400-year-old moss’s survival is a mystery to solve.

C. Moss in ancient times was discovered in Canada.

D. 400-year-old plants were brought back to life.

 

Would you like to be a king or queen? To have people waiting on you hand and foot? Many Americans experience this royal treatment every day. How? By being customers. The American idea of customer service is to make each customer the center of attention. Need proof? Just listen to the commercials. Most of them sound like the McDonald’s ad: “We do it all for you.” Actually, not all stores in America roll out the red carpet for their customers. But wherever you go, good customer service means making customers feel special.
People going shopping in America can expect to be treated with respect from the very beginning. Most places don’t have a “furniture street” or a “computer road” which allow you to compare prices easily. Instead, people often “l(fā)et their fingers do the walking” through the store hot lines. From the first “hello”, customers receive a satisfying response to their questions. This initial contact can help them decide where to shop.
When customers get to the store, they are treated as honored guests. Customers don’t usually find store clerks sitting around watching TV or playing cards. Instead, the clerks greet them warmly and offer to help them find what they want. In most stores, the clear signs that label each department make shopping a breeze. Customers usually don’t have to ask how much items cost, since prices are clearly marked. And unless they’re at a flea market or a yard sale, they don’t bother trying to bargain.
When customers are ready to check out, they find the nearest and shortest checkout lane. But as Murphy’s Law would have it, whichever lane they get in, all the other lanes will move faster. Good stores open new checkout lanes when the lanes get too long. Some even offer express lanes for customers with 10 items or less. After they pay for their purchases, customers receive a smile and a warm “thank you” from the clerk. Many stores even allow customers to take their shopping carts out to the parking lot. That way, they don’t have to carry heavy bags out to the car.
【小題1】 By quoting (引用) the McDonald’s ad: “We do it all for you”, the author intends to_______.

A．suggest that customers believe what commercials say deeply

B．show readers the American idea on good customer service

C．express all the stores pay much attention to the customers

D．persuade readers to choose the stores with ads correctly

【小題2】In the USA, what may you do at first if you want to do some shopping?

A．To visit a professional street with lots of similar stores.

B．To compare prices in many shops in the same street.

C．To make phone calls and get better shopping choices.

D．To receive other customers’ answers to the questions.

【小題3】The underlined words “a breeze” in Para.3 most probably means _________.

A．an easy job

B．a trouble

C．a funny thing

D．a boring task

【小題4】Which of the followings shows American stores offer convenience to customers in this passage?

A．The store clerks don’t usually sit around watching TV or playing cards.

B．Some stores offer price bargain to the customers like a yard sale.

C．The clerks give customers a smile and a warm “thank you” after paying.

D．Some stores open new checkout lanes when the lanes are crowded.

【小題5】Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

A．Customer Service in America	B．Excellent Stores in America
C．Shopping Rules in America	D．Being King or Queen in America