From old times, India has been a good friend of China. The two big Asian countries now work more closely on border problems, trade (貿(mào)易) and IT.
India is an interesting and mysterious( 神秘的)country with a long history. Around 2,000 BC, Indian civilization (文明) was born. It is one of the four oldest civilizations in the world.India is also the birthplace of  Buddhism (佛教).A famous  Chinese novel, "A Journey to the West", is about a Chinese monk (和尚) who tried very hard to learn about Buddhism from India.
The book comes from a true story. Xuanzang, a Buddhist monk was sent to India by the King of the Tang Dynasty.After many years, he brought back lots of Buddhist books. The name "India" was first used by Xuanzang in his work.
Today, religion(宗教) is still an important part of Indian culture. There are many religions there. Most Indian people believe in Hinduism (印度教).In India, cows are very special animals because  Hinduism  says they are holy (神圣的). So Indians don't sell or eat beef.Like China,
India is a developing  country with a large population(人口). It has  about 1.03 billion people compared to China's 1.3  billion.  More than two thirds of  Indians still live a poor life in the countryside.
India has no birth control so its population is growing fast. By 2030, India could even have more people than China.
Hindi (印地語) is the mother tongue of Indian people. But Britain took India in 1757 and stayed there until 1947. Because of this, English slowly became the other official  language.
【小題1】Why don't Indians sell or eat beef?

A．Because they don't like it.

B．Because they are afraid of getting ill.

C．Because they see cows as holy animals.

D．Because beef is very expensive.

【小題2】What is/are the official language(s) of India?

A．Hindi	B．English
C．Both of the above	D．None of the above

From old times, India has been a good friend of China. The two big Asian countries now work more closely on border problems, trade (貿(mào)易) and IT.

   India is an interesting and mysterious( 神秘的)country with a long history. Around 2,000 BC, Indian civilization (文明) was born. It is one of the four oldest civilizations in the world. India is also the birthplace of  Buddhism (佛教). A famous  Chinese novel, "A Journey to the West", is about a Chinese monk (和尚) who tried very hard to learn about Buddhism from India.

   The book comes from a true story. Xuanzang, a Buddhist monk was sent to India by the King of the Tang Dynasty. After many years, he brought back lots of Buddhist books. The name "India" was first used by Xuanzang in his work.

   Today, religion(宗教) is still an important part of Indian culture. There are many religions there. Most Indian people believe in Hinduism (印度教). In India, cows are very special animals because  Hinduism  says they are holy (神圣的). So Indians don't sell or eat beef. Like China,

India is a developing  country with a large population(人口). It has  about 1.03 billion people compared to China's 1.3  billion.  More than two thirds of  Indians still live a poor life in the countryside.

   India has no birth control so its population is growing fast. By 2030, India could even have more people than China.

   Hindi (印地語) is the mother tongue of Indian people. But Britain took India in 1757 and stayed there until 1947. Because of this, English slowly became the other official  language.

1.Why don't Indians sell or eat beef?

   A. Because they don't like it.      

B. Because they are afraid of getting ill.

   C. Because they see cows as holy animals.  

D. Because beef is very expensive.

2.What is/are the official language(s) of India?

   A. Hindi     B. English   

C. Both of the above    D. None of the above

 

       Who hasn’t enjoyed eating peanuts? Did you know that although peanuts look like nuts and taste like nuts, they aren’t nuts at all? They belong to the pea family, so they are called peanuts. The peanut grows flowers above ground, but its “fruit” grows underground. It grows in more countries than most other “nuts”.
The peanut is a native South American plant. Scientists believe that it grew wild in Brazil long ago. They think that for several thousand years the early peoples of South America made it a part of their diet. These peoples were nomads who moved on when a natural food could no longer be found in one area. Along the way they probably let fall some peanuts, which got into the ground and grew. This is believed to be the way the plant reached the place where the Incas（印加人）lived. The Incas, from about 1100 to 1532, thought highly of peanuts. The peanuts were eaten in several forms and used as sacrificial offerings（祭品）to the Incan Sun God. Later in the 16^th century, European soldiers had brought peanuts to other parts of the world, including North America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Pacific Islands.
Although peanuts were found native in South America, they are now grown in almost every country that has warm weather. India produces the most peanuts. China’s production is next, followed by the United States.
The peanut is special in more ways than one. It can be eaten raw, boiled, roasted, or fried. Hundreds of widely different products have been made from it. Carver, an American scientist, set himself the task of discovering new uses for eating and for many other products.
Peanuts are very highly nutritious and are also high in protein （蛋白質(zhì)）. Americans use about seven-tenths of their protein in the form of meat. In India, where the poor can’t pay for meat or milk, peanut meal and peanut milk have been produced. These have been a great help to the poor.
New products are continually being made from peanuts, among them peanut cheese and a powder that becomes peanut butter when water is added. The fact is that peanuts are so healthy that they were used by astronauts. The unusual nut that isn’t a nut is one of nature’s most amazing gifts.
【小題1】 Although we like eating peanuts, many of us don’t know peanuts belong to _______ family.

A．the pea

B．the nut

C．both the pea and the nut

D．neither the pea nor the nut

【小題2】 Which paragraph（段落）mainly talks about the history of the peanut?

A．Paragraph Four	B．Paragraph Three
C．Paragraph Two	D．Paragraph One

【小題3】What does the underlined word nutritious mean?

A．Helpful for staying healthy.	B．Helpful to the poor.
C．Delicious and tasty.	D．Rich in fat and oil.

【小題4】 Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?

A．Nomads always stayed in the same place.

B．The peanut was first found in South America.

C．Astronauts ate lots of peanuts to keep healthy.

D．China grows fewer peanuts than the US.

【小題5】What is the purpose of the article?

A．To show that peanuts belong to the pea family.

B．To advise us to use more peanut products.

C．To tell us some new uses of peanuts.

D．To let us know more about peanuts.

       Who hasn’t enjoyed eating peanuts? Did you know that although peanuts look like nuts and taste like nuts, they aren’t nuts at all? They belong to the pea family, so they are called peanuts. The peanut grows flowers above ground, but its “fruit” grows underground. It grows in more countries than most other “nuts”.
The peanut is a native South American plant. Scientists believe that it grew wild in Brazil long ago. They think that for several thousand years the early peoples of South America made it a part of their diet. These peoples were nomads who moved on when a natural food could no longer be found in one area. Along the way they probably let fall some peanuts, which got into the ground and grew. This is believed to be the way the plant reached the place where the Incas（印加人）lived. The Incas, from about 1100 to 1532, thought highly of peanuts. The peanuts were eaten in several forms and used as sacrificial offerings（祭品）to the Incan Sun God. Later in the 16^th century, European soldiers had brought peanuts to other parts of the world, including North America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Pacific Islands.
Although peanuts were found native in South America, they are now grown in almost every country that has warm weather. India produces the most peanuts. China’s production is next, followed by the United States.
The peanut is special in more ways than one. It can be eaten raw, boiled, roasted, or fried. Hundreds of widely different products have been made from it. Carver, an American scientist, set himself the task of discovering new uses for eating and for many other products.
Peanuts are very highly nutritious and are also high in protein （蛋白質(zhì)）. Americans use about seven-tenths of their protein in the form of meat. In India, where the poor can’t pay for meat or milk, peanut meal and peanut milk have been produced. These have been a great help to the poor.
New products are continually being made from peanuts, among them peanut cheese and a powder that becomes peanut butter when water is added. The fact is that peanuts are so healthy that they were used by astronauts. The unusual nut that isn’t a nut is one of nature’s most amazing gifts.
【小題1】 Although we like eating peanuts, many of us don’t know peanuts belong to _______ family.

A．the pea

B．the nut

C．both the pea and the nut

D．neither the pea nor the nut

【小題2】 Which paragraph（段落）mainly talks about the history of the peanut?

A．Paragraph Four	B．Paragraph Three
C．Paragraph Two	D．Paragraph One

【小題3】What does the underlined word nutritious mean?

A．Helpful for staying healthy.	B．Helpful to the poor.
C．Delicious and tasty.	D．Rich in fat and oil.

【小題4】 Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?

A．Nomads always stayed in the same place.

B．The peanut was first found in South America.

C．Astronauts ate lots of peanuts to keep healthy.

D．China grows fewer peanuts than the US.

【小題5】What is the purpose of the article?

A．To show that peanuts belong to the pea family.

B．To advise us to use more peanut products.

C．To tell us some new uses of peanuts.

D．To let us know more about peanuts.