If you live in Europe or the Americas, you likely pick up a fork every day and give no thought to it. Using it probably seems as natural as breathing. Yet compared with the knife and the spoon, which appeared very early, the fork is a latecomer to the table.

Researches show that the fork was first used in Ancient Egypt, China and Greece. Since the 4th century BC, the fork managed to become common on the tables of upper society in Eastern Europe and by the 9th century, it travelled to the Middle East and started being used by the upper class under the name “barjyn”. This enabled the fork to slowly become popular in these areas.

In the 11th century, the fork came to Italy in the dowry of a princess (王妃的嫁妝) from the Middle East who married an Italian official. After seeing the princess use the fork, the church strongly criticized her, saying that the fork disrespected the practice of using the fingers. Then the fork disappeared from the table for nearly 300 years. It began to get acceptance in Italy by the late 16th century, because the upper-class Italians expressed renewed interest in cleanliness. However, most European countries accepted the fork only by the 18th century and United States didn’t welcome it until the early 19th century.

During its life, the fork has changed in terms of appearance. In its early use, the fork had only two tines (齒). As the centuries went on, its design slowly started taking on a modern look. The fork that we know today, which has four tines, was introduced in the 18th century in Germany. By the early 20th century, the invention of stainless steel(不銹鋼)enabled the fork to be made more easily. Since then, the fork hasn’t changed much in design.

【1】Which is a latecomer to the table, the knife, the spoon or the fork?

【2】In what countries was the fork first used?

【3】When did most European countries accept the fork?

【4】What enabled the fork to be made more easily?

【5】What’s the passage mainly about?

Luisa’s Letter

Luisa checked the mailbox. An eggshell-white envelope lay on top of all the letters. It was still there, thank goodness. She picked it and put it into her bag.

Upstairs, she handed the remaining letters to her mother. “How was school, Luisa?” Mom asked.

“It was fine,” said Luisa, giving her mother a quick hug.

In her room Luisa tried to focus on her English homework, but the letter called to her. It had traveled more places than she had. All her life, Luisa had lived in Seville, an ancient city in the southwest of Spain. Luisa loved her hometown, but she wanted to see the world.

A year abroad! What an attractive possibility! But Luisa couldn’t bring herself to raise the subject with her parents because her parents just wanted her to stay in Seville, get married, give them grandchildren. Last spring, on her own, she applied for(申請) a year of high school in England. Now, this envelope held her answer.

Luisa went to the kitchen to help with dinner. She asked, “Mom, do you ever think about traveling?

I mean, I want to. And maybe someday…live somewhere else.”

Luisa’s heart beat harder as she waited for her mother’s reaction. But Mom nodded. “Luisa, of course you’d like to travel. I want that for you and…”

Just then Dad arrived. When they sat down at the table to eat, Dad said, “Seville is the best, yes, my Luisa?” Luisa’s heart sank(為之一沉). Dad continued, “Why would people want to leave Seville?” Mom smiled, “When Luisa is old enough, we can discuss with her what’s best for her future.”

Dad raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue.

Luisa couldn’t wait any longer, but her parents’ easy chatter(聊天)was the sound of her childhood. She sank deeper into her chair and listened. Home would always be here. But when the time was right, she’d leave. And she wanted it to be with her parents’ support.

“Something came in the letter,” she said at last. “I want you to see.” She took out the letter. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” her voice was shaking. “I wanted this more than anything.” Luisa waved at the unopened envelope. “But only if you say it’s okay.”

【1】Last spring, Luisa________.

A.traveled abroad with her parentsB.got married and started a family

C.discussed her future plan with her motherD.applied for a year of high school in England

【2】How did Luisa feel as she waited for her mother’s reaction in the kitchen?

A.Excited.B.Nervous.C.Proud.D.Regretful.

【3】Luisa decided to tell her parents about the letter because________.

A.she wanted her parents’ supportB.she had already known the answer

C.her parents asked her for the letterD.her parents were unwilling to wait

A. are all B. are both C. all are D. both are

A. house B. room C. seats D. chairs

—I’m sorry. I’ll show him a note.

A. blind B. deaf C. old

A. provide B. afford C. support D. offer

試題出處：改編自 2017 年中考福建省中考短文填空原文

The Chongyang Festival is a Chinese traditional festival. It is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. It's also c【1】 the Double Ninth Festival.

The festival started as e【2】as the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). It has a history of more than 1,700 years. Among the numbers from zero to nine, nine is the h【3】 odd number (奇數(shù)).

People believe that two “nines” meeting together stand for a long life. So it

is a special holiday f【4】 Chinese people to show love and respect for their elders. They hold many k【5】 of activities in honor of old people, wishing them good h【6】 and a long life.

The festival comes d【7】 the golden time of fall. On the day, people traditionally drink Chrysanthemum (菊花) wine, eat Double-Ninth Cakes and c【8】mountains. They also carry a kind of plant named dogwood. People in ancient times b【9】 that the plant could drive away evil (邪惡的) spirits and prevent them from c【10】 an illness in winter.

【1】The world’s highest bridge is in________.

A.ChinaB.SwedenC.CanadaD.Denmark

【2】Which of the four places is a power plant?

A.Icehotel.B.Beipanjiang Bridge.

C.CopenHill.D.Canada’s Wonderland.

【3】What makes Canada’s Wonderland a cool place to visit?

A.A 1,300-foot man-made ski slope.B.Works of art made of ice and snow.

C.A wonderful view of Beipanjiang Canyon.D.The world’s fastest and longest dive coaster.

【題目】

There are many ways to help improve your health like eating healthy food, taking exercise and getting medical help. But the easiest and cheapest way to improve your health is just to sleep eight hours or more every night. The general sleeping rule is that the younger you are, the longer sleep you need.

The problem with sleep is that more and more people in the world are not sleeping enough. According to the World Health Organization over half the people in the world may be sleep-deprived. Having less sleep not only makes people feel tired but also causes accidents. In the United States alone, sleepy drivers cause at least 100,000 traffic accidents a year. Also sleep problems can cause medical problems such as high blood pressure.

How do we teach these people to learn the value of sleep? Perhaps they may listen to the advice of Dr. James Maas an expert（專家）in sleep. He says, “Sleep is like a credit card（信用卡）. When you sleep less. You are only borrowing time. You always have to pay it back. The more hours you don’t sleep, the more hours you should sleep to ‘pay back’ the hours on your ‘sleep credit card.’”

For those who value work more than sleep, they should listen to what a famous person once said. “Don’t think you will be doing less work because you sleep during the night. That is a foolish idea which is held by people who have no imagination. You will be able to do more.”

根據(jù)短文內容，選擇最佳答案。

【1】According to the writer, what is the easiest and cheapest way to improve health?

A.Eating healthy food every day.

B.Taking exercise as much as possible.

C.Getting medical help whenever necessary.

D.Sleeping eight hours or more every night.

【2】What does “sleep-deprived” mean in Paragragh 2?

A.睡眠充足B.睡眠質量C.睡眠不足D.睡眠障礙

【3】According to Dr. James Mass, what is sleep like?

A.An hour.B.A report.C.A credit card.D.A piece of paper.

【4】What do the words of the famous person mean in Paragragh 4?

A.Sleeping during the night is foolish.B.Sleeping during the night is helpful.

C.People have no courage.D.People always do less work.

【5】What is the best title of the passage?

A.The Value of SleepB.The Value of Study

C.The Ways of Eating LessD.The Ways of Making Money

A. take away B. take up C. take off D. get up