（浙江）外研版初中英语七年级下册期末复习（题型专练）：阅读理解

    Most people don't like mice, but they are fond of (喜欢) Mickey Mouse. About ninety years ago, an American man called Walt Disney created a cartoon mouse for films. He named this mouse Mickey Mouse. From the beginning, Mickey Mouse is a clean mouse. He always does many interesting things. That's why many people love him. He makes them happy and tickles them. In the film, Mickey Mouse also has a lot of friends, for example, Donald Duck and Pluto. Donald Duck can do many things that Mickey Mouse cannot. Pluto is a dog. He always does foolish things and makes silly mistakes. Many children are crazy about these cartoon animals, but they like Mickey Mouse best because the mouse is cute and wise.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith,

    I am writing to thank you for looking after me so well when I came to stay with you in England. You made me feel like part of the family, I felt I was Ann's sister, although I was just her friend from Singapore. I had a good time when I was in England. We visited many different paces and took lots of photos. My mother has kept all the postcards I sent to her, I am going to put them on the bookshelf with some of the photos.

    The journey I went home was very relaxing, and the long flight seemed to pass more quickly than usual, thanks to the book Harry Potter Ann gave me to read on the plane. My parents were pleased to see me, and said that they missed me a lot. We will have a busy time soon, as we are moving house next month. I have give Ann my new address, and I hope she will be able to come and stay with us next summer.

    I must finish now, because my father is going to the shopping centre and he said he would post this letter for me while he is there.

    Best wishes, Kate.

    One day a king went to a far away place in his country. When he came back, his feet hurt a lot. "There are too many small stones on the roads. They hurt my feet. You should cover (覆盖) every road with leather (皮革)," he told his men. Of course, it would cost a lot of money. One of his men was very smart. He told the king, "Why not cut a little piece of leather to cover your feet?" The king was surprised. He agreed to the man's idea. He asked his men to make a pair of leather shoes for him.

    Maybe this is not the beginning of leather shoes. But it teaches us a lesson of life: if you want to make this world a happy place to live in, the best way is to change yourself, not the world.

    Michael Jordan is the most famous basketball player in the world. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was very short, so he didn't play very well when he was in his high school at first. But the next year things changed as he grew much taller.

Michael Jordan became famous when he joined the university basketball team in North Carolina. He played so well that people called him "Air Jordan". After college(大学), he became a basketball team member in the Chicago Bulls. The NBA was very surprised at this high-flying player. He was named "Rookie (新秀) "of the year in 1985 and "Most Valuable Player" in 1987. He once set a record (创纪录) by getting 63 points in one game.

    There are three brothers in the pop group "The Bright Shiners"：Harold Fisher, Roger Fisher and Dove Fisher. Harold is the boy who formed the group a year ago and he is the leader now. He plays the piano. Roger plays the lead guitar and Dove is the drummer. Then there is Pete Lennox, their cousin. He is the only member of the group who has had much experience. He played the guitar and sang with "The Tower of London" for three years. Alex Clark and Clive Hicks play the trumpet(喇叭). Robert Lester is the boy who has helped the group most. He was born in Chile and he can play five different Andean instruments. Geoffrey Baker plays the harp(竖琴). Bill Blake isn't a musician, but he is an important member of the group. He looks after their electronic equipment.

    Tomas Edison was born in 1847. Edison was in school for only three months, but he asked a lot of strange questions. His teacher did not understand him and said that he was not bright and was not worth teaching. His mother took him out of school and taught him herself. The boy was soon reading books for grow-ups. He showed special interest in science.

    Once his mother was ill. The doctor said she needed an operation at once. But it was night and the oil lamp in the room gave poor light. Edison thought hard and had an idea. He put all the oil lamps he could find on a long table. Then he placed a big mirror behind them. The room became quite bright. So the doctor could operate and his mother was saved.

    At the age of twelve, Edison began selling candy, sandwiches and newspapers on a train. In his spare time, he printed a newspaper on the train and sold copies to the railway workers.

    One day in August, 1862, Edison saw a boy playing on the tracks at a station. A train was coming near quickly, and the boy was too frightened to move. Edison rushed out and carried the boy to safety. The boy's father was the station master. He was so thankful that he taught Edison telegraphy(电报学). Edison soon became very good at it and later he left home to work in different cities. This gave him a start in his life. He was then just a boy of sixteen.

    Mr Henry worked in a middle school. He read a lot and could answer all the questions that his students asked.

    One Sunday morning, when he was dressing his little son, Jimmy, suddenly the little boy said, "May I ask you a question, Dad?"

    "Of course, you may, "answered Mr Henry.

    "Are you sure that you can answer it?"

    "Don't you believe me? I'm sure I can. "

    "Well." said Jimmy. "are there any holes in your socks? Look at them carefully, or you'll be wrong."

    It made Mr Henry pay some attention to Jimmy's question. He took off his socks and looked at them carefully. Then he said, "No, there are no holes in them."

    "How can you put your feet into them, then?" Jimmy said with a smile.

    Immediately(立刻)Mr Henry didn't know how to answer it. After a while he couldn't help laughing. Finally he understood that his son played a joke on him.

Arriving in New York

    There are three airports in New York. When you arrive at one of them，you can take a bus or taxi to any place in New York.

Public transport(交通)

    In New York there's a good bus and subway(地铁)service. If you are planning to use the subway a lot, you should buy a subway ticket for ten journeys because it's cheaper. But you don't have to use public transport——there are lots of places you can go on foot. like the Empire State Building(帝国大厦)，5th Avenue(第五大道) and Central Park. The New York taxis are a part of city experience, so you should take at least one taxi during your visit!

    Hotels

    There are lots of good hotels in New York. The best is The Plaza on 5th Avenue but you don't have to pay a lot to stay in the city; there are lots of smaller hotels in the YMCA near Central Park are great for young people.

    Eating Out

    There are many kinds of food in New York you shouldn't eat at McDonalds every day. There are good restaurants in Little Italy and Chinatown, for example.

    Shopping

    Shopping in New York is fun. There are big shops on 5th Avenue. They are open seven days a week. But be careful when you look at the prices；you have to pay a special 8％tax(税)on everything you buy in New York.

    Places to see

    Finally, there are a lot of places to see in New York Times Square, the Statue of Liberty(自由女神像), and you shouldn't go home without climbing the Statue of Liberty to enjoy the scenery of the city.

    We know music is very important in our daily (日常的) life. Do you notice music playing in many places? Today we hear music in most stores, stations, restaurants and other places. We can also hear music in an office or on a farm. Scientists believe that music influences (影响) people's behavior (行为).

    They think that the sound of Western classical music makes people feel richer. When a restaurant plays classical music, people spend more money on food and drinks. When the restaurant plays modern music, people spend less money. Without music, people spend even less.

    Scientists also think that rock music makes people eat faster. Some restaurants play fast music during their busy hours. This makes people eat faster and leave quickly. Restaurants can make more money in this way.

    Some scientists think that music makes you think and learn better. They say that music helps students to be more active (活跃的). It is true that people learn better when they are relaxed. And listening to music can help you relax.

    Dear John,

    Thank you very much for your letter. We are glad that you enjoyed your holiday with us. We enjoyed having you and your sister here. We hope that you will both be able to come again next year. A week is not really long enough, is it? If your school has a five­week holiday next year, perhaps(也许)you'll be able to stay with us for two or three weeks.

    We have been back to school for three weeks now. It feels like three months! I expect(期望) that you are both working very hard since(因为) you are in Grade One. I shall work hard next year when I am in Grade One. Tom and Ann won't be in Grade One until two years later.

    They went for a picnic yesterday but I didn't go with them because I cut my foot and I couldn't walk. They went to an island and enjoyed themselves there. Do you still remember the island? That's where all of us spent the last day of our holiday.

    Tom, Ann and I send our best wishes to you and Betty. We hope to see you soon.

Yours,

Michael