八年级英语任务型阅读

阅读回答问题（一）

Do you have friends? Yes, of course. The need of a friend is unquestionable in these days. International Friendship Day is a day for celebrating friendship. And it is very popular in western countries. The day has been celebrated in several southern South American countries for many years. Friendship Day comes on different dates in different countries. In 2011 the General Assembly of the United Nations（联合国大会）stated 30 July as official International Friendship Day.

On a Friendship Day, not only teenagers but people in all age groups have different ways to make this day special for their friends. Some believe to give a surprise party to their very dear friends, while some believe to go for an outing and talk to each other will make their life special. Those who live far away from each other and can’t make to meet personally on Friendship Day prefer to send flowers and greeting cards online. There are different kinds of gifts in these days on Friendship Day. Some believe to give expensive gifts like a watch, a mobile phone, a music player to their friends. There is no exact way how to celebrate a Friendship Day, and it depends on each and every one’s feelings and standard of living. So people should think of the cost while celebrating Friendship Day. If you want to leave a memorable Friendship Day in the mind of your friends, the best way is to pay attention to what your friends like most. Prepare in such a way and they will feel you are the special one in their life.

1. Is Friendship Day very popular in western countries?

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2. When is International Friendship Day?

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3. How do people offer Friendship Day greetings if they are far away from each other?

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4. What should people do to make a memorable Friendship Day?

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5. What does the writer mainly tell us about Friendship Day?

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阅读回答问题（二）

Harvard University is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. It celebrated its 350th birthday in 1986. Since its birth hundreds of years ago, the university has grown from nine students with a single teacher to more than 18,000 degree candidates. Over 14,000 people work at Harvard, including more than 2,000 teachers and professors. Seven presidents of the United States were graduates of Harvard, and it has produced 40 Nobel Prize winners.

Harvard College was built in 1636 and was named for John Harvard, its first benefactor(捐助人）. John Harvard was a young priest .He died in 1638 and left his library and half his money to the new institution. Nowadays, Harvard is one of the richest university in the world.

Who is a typical Harvard student? The answer is that there is no such person. They come from all over the United States and more than 100 other countries. In 1997, Mary Fasano became the oldest person to get a Harvard degree when she graduated at the age of 89.

The John Harvard Statue（雕像）, located in front of University Hall, was completed in 1984 and is now known as ‘The Statue of Three Lies（谎言）’. Although the writing on the statue reads ‘John Harvard, Founder, 1938’, none of the writing is true. The statue is not really John Harvard, since no pictures of Mr Harvard has ever been found; John Harvard was not the founder（创建者）of Harvard College; and the College started in 1636. However, the statue is very popular with tourists, and each year, thousands of visitors touch John Harvard’s shoe for luck.

1. Is Harvard University the oldest institution of higher learning in the USA?