题目内容
Once there was a man called Samuel Wilson. He was born in Arlington, Massachusetts, on September 3, 1766. He was called“Uncle Sam”. When Sam Wilson was 14 years old, he joined the army and fought in several battles. At the end of the war, he went to live in Troy in the state of New York. He opened a meat-packing（肉食品包装）business there.
Sam Wilson worked hard and loved his country. Everyone in the city liked him. One day in 1812, a reporter from a newspaper visited his business. The reporter looked at some boxes of meat. He saw the letters“EAUS”on the sides of the boxes.
“What do those letters mean?”he asked one of the workers.
“The EA stands for ‘Edward Anderson’,”the workman replied.“The boxes of meat are for him.”“What about the letters US?”the reporter asked.
These letters really stood for “United States”, but the workman wanted to have a laugh.“Oh,”he said .“They stand for Sam Wilson. He owns this company. We call him ‘Uncle Sam’.”
The worker did not think that the reporter would believe him. But the reporter wrote a story about his visit to Sam Wilson’s business. He wrote that his workers called him“Uncle Sam”and that“Uncle Sam”meant the United States.
Many people liked using the name“Uncle Sam”as a nickname for the United States and soon everyone was using it. In 1961, almost 150 years later, the United States government made the nickname“Uncle Sam”official（官方的）.
1. This passage is mainly about_____.
A. why the USA is called“Uncle Sam”
B. how to carry boxes with goods to other countries
C. a businessman in Troy, New York State
D. why people called Sam Wilson“Uncle Sam”
2. Many people liked Samuel Wilson because_______.
A. a reporter wrote a story about him
B. his nickname was “Uncle Sam”
C. he worked hard and loved his country
D. he had a meat-packing business
3. The reporter became important in this story because he________.
A. visited Sam Wilson’s business
B. wrote about Sam Wilson and the letters“US”
C. was Sam Wilson’s best friend
D. was good at advertising Sam’s business
4. From this passage, we can infer that________.
A. most Americans don’t like the nickname“Uncle Sam”
B. the British soldiers liked calling Americans“Uncle Sam”
C. the reporter made Americans nicknamed“Uncle Sam”on purpose（故意地）
D. the United States government has agreed to use the nickname“Uncle Sam”
People often ask why“Uncle Sam”is a nickname（绰号）for the United Stated of America. The reason is strange but simple.
People living on parts of the south coast of England face a serious problem. In 1933, the owners of a large hotel and of several houses discovered, to their surprise that their gardens had disappeared overnight. The sea had eaten into the soft limestone cliff (悬崖) on which they had been built. While ex??perts were studying the problem, the hotel and several houses disappeared altogether, sliding down the cliff and into the sea.
Erosion (侵蚀) of the white cliffs along the south coast of England has always been a problem but it has become more serious in recent years. Dozens of homes have had to be aban??doned as the sea has crept farther and farther inland. Experts have studied the areas most affected and have drawn up a map for local people, forecasting the year in which their homes will be eaten up by the hungry sea.
Angry owners have called on the Government to erect sea defenses to protect their homes. Government surveyors have pointed out that in most cases, this is impossible. New sea walls would cost hundreds of millions of pounds and would merely make the waves and currents further along the coast, shifting the problem from one area to another. The danger is likely to continue, they say, until the waves reach an inland ar??ea of hard rock, which will not be eaten as limestone is. Mean??while, if you want to buy a cheap house with an uncertain fu??ture, apply to a house agent in one of the threatened areas on the south coast of England. You can get a house for a knock??down price but it may turn out to be a knockdown home.
1. What is the cause of the problem that people living on parts of the south coast of England face?
A. The rising of the sea level.
B. The experts’ short of knowledge.
C. The washing-away of limestone cliff.
D. The disappearance of hotels, houses and gardens.
2. The erosion of the white cliffs in the south of England ________.
A. will soon become a problem for people living in central England
B. has now become a threat to the local residents
C. can be stopped if proper measures are taken
D. is quickly changing the map of England
3. The experts’ study on the problem of erosion can ________.
A. warn people whose homes are in danger
B. provide an effective way to slow it down
C. help to its eventual solution
D. lead to its eventual solution
4. It is not feasible to build sea defenses to protect against erosion because ________.
A. house agents along the coast do not support the idea
B. it is too costly and will endanger neighboring areas
C. the government is too slow in taking action
D. they will be easily knocked down by waves and currents
EA century ago in the United States, when an individual brought suit against a company, public opinion tended to protect that company. But perhaps this phenomenon was most striking in the case of the railroads. Nearly half of all negligence cases decided through 1896 involved railroads. And the railroads usually won.Most of the cases were decided in sate courts, when the railroads had the climate of the times on their sides. Government supported the railroad industry; the progress railroads represented was not to be slowed down by requiring them often to pay damages to those unlucky enough to be hurt working for them.Court decisions always went against railroad workers. A Mr. Farwell, an engineer, lost his right hand when a switchman’s negligence ran his engine off the track. The court reasoned that since Farwell had taken the job of an engineer voluntarily at good pay, he had accepted the risk. Therefore the accident, though avoidable had the switchmen acted carefully, was a “pure accident”. In effect a railroad could never be held responsible for injury to one employee caused by the mistake of another.In one case where a Pennsylvania Railroad worker had started a fire at a warehouse and the fire had spread several blocks, causing widespread damage, a jury found the company responsible for all the damage. But the court overturned the jury’s decision because it argued that the railroad’s negligence was the immediate cause of damage only to the nearest buildings. Beyond them the connection was too remote to consider.As the century wore on, public sentiment began to turn against the railroads—against their economic and political power and high fares as well as against their callousness toward individuals.72. Which of the following is NOT true in Farwell’s case?A. Farwell was injured because he negligently ran his engine off the track.B. Farwell would not have been injured if the switchman had been more careful.C. The court argued that the victim had accepted the risk since he had willingly taken his job.D. The court decided that the railroad should not be held responsible.73. What must have happened after the fire case was settled in court?A. The railroad compensated for the damage to the immediate buildings.B. The railroad compensated for all the damage by the fire.C. The railroad paid nothing for the damaged building.D. The railroad worker paid for the property damage himself.74. The following aroused public resentment EXCEPT _____.A. political power B. high fares C. economic loss D. indifference75. What does the passage mainly discuss?A. Railroad oppressing individuals in the US.B. History of the US railroads.C. Railroad workers’ working rights.D. Law cases concerning the railroads.
Lexi Peters, a 14-year-old girl in New York, loves hockey. She’s not only good at playing on her after-school team, but also at playing hockey video games. But when Peters played the popular NHL (National Hockey League) games made by Electronic Arts, something really bothered her. The virtual (虚拟的) character in the game could only be a boy — not a girl.
She didn’t think that was reasonable. There must be many girls playing hockey in the US. So she wrote a letter to Electronic Arts.
“Being represented by a man is unfair to women and girl hockey players,” Peters wrote. “Women’s hockey is a fast-growing sport. I am confident that I’m not the only woman interested in the opportunity to create herself in the game.”
Several weeks later, Peters received an unexpected e-mail from the senior producer for EA Sports’ NHL games, David Littman. “Hi, Lexi,” the e-mail began. “We agree with you!”
Electronic Arts said it would create a female player in the game. “I was thinking you could be the model,” Littman wrote. Peters almost couldn’t believe it. Later, she sent photos of herself taken at all different angles (角度).
And so, when Electronic Arts released the newest version of their game, NHL 12, this fall, Peters was the face of the female player. She can now skate with the NHL’s great players. “It’s strange at first, but you get used to it,” said Peters. “It’s really funny and cool.”
For Peters, there is also an important lesson that she will take with her the rest of her life. “If you have something to say, and you think it’s important, go for it!” she said.
1.What bothered Peters when playing NHL games?
A．There was no girl character in the game.
B．The characters were not real at all.
C．No girls would like to play the game.
D．It was not like playing real hockey games.
2.According to Peters’ letter, we can know that ________.
A．girls were not allowed to play hockey in the past
B．female players can be represented by men
C．boys don’t like to play hockey with girls
D．more and more girls are interested in hockey
3.What was David Littman’s opinion of Peters’ letter?
A．He ignored it. B．He disliked it.
C．He agreed to it. D．He voted against it.
4.Peters’ experience tells us that we should ________.
A．enjoy the fun of being a model
B．do what you think important to do
C．work hard to get used to any new situation
D．think about problems from different angles
at company. But perhaps this phenomenon was most striking in the case of the railroads. Nearly half of all negligence cases decided through 1896 involved railroads. And the railroads usually won.