Life was pretty terrible for most people in London 100 years ago.They had to suffer from noise, smoke and dirt.The noise came from the railway, and the smoke and dirt came from the train and thousands of factories all around them.The smoke got together with fog and hung in the air for days.Diseases killed thousands of children.Families were large but often five out of seven children would die before they were five years old.
Is life really better than it was 100 years ago? It is certainly true that people live longer than they used to, travel faster than they could and own more things than they did.But they still have to suffer from noise, overcrowding and bad air which are still a basic part of modern life.
100 years ago there was a clear difference between town and country.But the motor car has changed all that.One motorway can take up a huge amount of land.Cars are also a basic part of modern life.
But industry and modern life do not have to be enemies of beauty.We can have both beauty and progress.In fact, we need clean rivers and open countryside just as much as people did 100 years ago.But nowadays the problem is that it’s becoming more and more difficult to have open land, clean water and fresh air.
(1)
Many children died because of ________ 100 years ago.
[ ]
A.
noise
B.
smoke
C.
dirt
D.
diseases
(2)
According to the passage, we now have more ________.
[ ]
A.
modern cars
B.
clean rivers
C.
fresh air
D.
open land
(3)
From the passage, we can infer that ________.
[ ]
A.
beauty in nature can be considered as the enemy of modern life
B.
there’s a big difference between town and country nowadays
C.
life today is certainly better than it was 100 years ago
After spending years searching for a planet with life, scientists may have found one.In September 2010, a team of US scientists discovered an Earth-sized planet called Gliese 581 g.It has a surface temperature neither too hot nor too cold for liquid(液态)water.Scientists think there is a chance that the planet could have life.
The planet Gliese 581 g goes around a star called Gliese 581, which is about 20 light-years from Earth.That is about 194 trillion(万亿)kilometres-500 million times farther away from us than the moon.
A spacecraft traveling at a one-tenth of the speed of light would reach Gliese 581g within about 220 years.A human can’t live that long, but robotic explorers could make the job easier.However, our fastest spacecraft don’t come anywhere near that one-tenth light-speed mark.
At present, scientists don’t know what the surface might be like on Gliese 581 g.What they know is that the planet is at the sight distance from its star to have liquid water.It’s also at the right distance to have an atmosphere that could protect the water if it is on the surface.
Although spacecraft won’t be getting there anytime soon, one way to look for life on Gliese 581g is to turn our radio telescopes(望远镜)towards the planet and search for radiation(放射).By studying the radiation, scientists would find out about the chemicals(化学物质)around the planet and discover it Gliese 581 g has an atmosphere.If it has one, studying the atmosphere would give us a good idea if the planet has life or not.But it’ll probably be many years before we can do this properly.
People have been arguing about whether there is alien life on Gliese 581 g.Any discussion about alien life is just guessing at this point, according to its discoverers.
(1)
What did scientists find in September 2010?
[ ]
A.
A planet with water.
B.
A planet similar to the earth.
C.
A planet without life.
D.
A planet near the earth.
(2)
According to the article, Gliese 581 g _________.
[ ]
A.
is at the right distance from its star
B.
moves around the earth
C.
is as far away from us as the moon
D.
can be reached in about 220 years
(3)
Paragraph 5 is mainly about _________.
[ ]
A.
the possibility of living on Gliese 581 g
B.
the kinds of chemicals around Gliese 581 g
C.
the way of looking for life on Gliese 581 g
D.
the aim of studying the radiation on Gliese 581 g
(4)
Which of the following is the best title for the passage above?
[ ]
A.
Gliese 581 g, a Likely Living Planet
B.
Gliese 581 g, a Likely Living Planet
C.
Gliese 581 g and Its Star
D.
Gliese 581 g and Radiation
阅读理解
Entering a university is an important part of a person's life.Today,many people go to study and train for future jobs in subjects like law(法律),medicine or education.But the university is not a modern invention.It has a history that is over a thousand years.
The world's oldest university,AL-Azhar,is in Cairo,Egypt.It was first built as a mosque for religion(宗教寺院)in A.D.972.A few years later,learners and teachers began meeting in the mosque.They read and talked about the subject of law.Around 988,leaders in the city of Cairo decided to open up a school for higher learning and the University of AL-Azhar was founded.
At AL-Azhar,there were many university“firsts”.Different subjects were set up.The earliest ones taught at AL-Azhar were law and religion.In a course, students read and studied with the teacher,but there was also free discussion.Of-ten,students and teachers talked about a topic(题目),and there was no“right”answer.Finally,famous teachers from around the world came to AL-Azhar to teach and do deep studies on the subjects they were interested in.At the university,people studied the past,but it was also a place for exchanging new ideas.
Over a thousand years later,AL-Azhar is still an important university in the world.Its library keeps more than 250 000 of the world's oldest and most valuable (有价值的)books.Today,many of the world's most important universities such as Oxford and Harvard still follow the traditions started at AL-Azhar.
(1)
From the first paragraph we know that ______.
A.universities are important to the city life
B.the university is a quite new invention
C.university education may help a person find a job
D.the university has a history of a thousand years
[ ]
(2)
AL-Azhar was first built for ______.
A.education B.religion
C.a meeting D.law
[ ]
(3)
Which of the following are the earliest subjects taught in the University of AL-Azhar?
A.Education and medicine. B.Religion and law.
C.Free discussion. D.History and tradition.
[ ]
(4)
Choose the right order according to the passage.
① Then the heads of the city thought of the idea for a school for higher learning.
② One of the earliest subjects taught there was law.
③ A mosque was built in Cairo in A.D.972.
④ Teachers from around the world came to the university to study and teach.
⑤ The mosque was used as a meeting place for teachers and learners.
A.③④①②⑤ B.④⑤①③②
C.②③①④⑤ D.③⑤①②④
[ ]
(5)
Which of the following is not true about the University of AL-Azhar?
A.AL-Azhar was built in the city of Cairo in Egypt.
B.AL-Azhar didn't become a university until the year around 988.
C.The University of AL-Azhar was a place to change ideas.
D.Now AL-Azhar is still one of the famous universities in the world.
Eric Wilson, the reporter from Lifestyle Magazine, interviews two persons on how they spend their day.Read what they say and answer some questions.
My name’s Stella.I usually leave at around eight fifteen.It takes me around forty minutes, and we start at nine-sharp.I take a coffee break at eleven, and then have my lunch at one o’clock.Pretty much the same hours as most people, I guess.I generally get home around six o’clock, have a snack, and then watch the news on TV at seven.I eat around eight, watch more TV or read a book, and try to be in bed by ten.Pretty boring, really, but that’s life.
My name’s Sophie.You ask my daily routine---that’s kind of a strange thing to ask.Still, if you really want to know…I get up around eleven thirty, and I hang out and read the paper and drink some tea.Then I go to the gym around twelve thirty, till about one fifteen, I guess.Well, then I might do some shopping or visit a friend.I usually have something to eat around three thirty, and I leave home at six thirty, and get to work around seven.I work until eleven.I’m usually home by eleven thirty.I have a meal, watch TV or a video, and try and be in bed by one o’clock.Unusual, maybe, but I like it.
(1)
What does around mean in the sentence “I usually leave at around eight fifteen.”
[ ]
A.
在……周围
B.
围绕
C.
大约
D.
圆的
(2)
What does the sentence “We start at nine-sharp” mean?
[ ]
A.
We start earlier than nine o’clock.
B.
We start at 9 o’clock.
C.
We start later than 9 o’clock
D.
We start at almost ten.
(3)
The word “unusual” probably means ________.
[ ]
A.
popular
B.
interesting
C.
unhappy
D.
strange
(4)
After work, what does Stella do before supper?
[ ]
A.
visit friends
B.
watch TV
C.
do some shopping
D.
read a book
(5)
How long does it take Sophie to get to work?
[ ]
A.
one hour
B.
forty-five minutes
C.
half an hour
D.
forty minutes
(6)
What does Stella do when Sophie on her way home from work?