Urban legends are stories that are told and believed in many places.Too many places,in fact.It simply isn’t credible that the same unlikely events take place in so many different towns.For some reason,though,that particular set of events appeals to the imagination and the tale spreads.
A very common North American urban legend concerns a mad man in the woods.A dangerous mad man has escaped from a hospital for the mentally ill.At some point in his life he has lost a hand and it has been replaced by a hook.A boy and a girl are out dating,sitting in a car.They hear on the radio that the area is dangerous,so they drive off.When they arrive home they find a bloodstained hook hanging on the door handle of the car door next to the girl.
Missing kidney(肾)stories are fairly common.Of course,the details are variable.It might be a woman waking up in a strange hotel in Bangkok,or a man finding himself in a cold bath in Toronto.or a young man with faint memories of wild disco party,but they all find a flesh wound,and discover that one of their kidneys has been removed and,probably, sold.
The back seat killer has plenty of drama.A woman gets into her Car late at night.Another Car follows her, speeding,flashing lights and really frightening her.She gets home and keeps on pressing the horn.Her husband runs out.The chasing car stops.The husband demands to know why the driver has been frightening his wife.He says he saw a strange man get into the back of the car as the wife got in,and then hide.They go and look,and there is a dangerous mad man...
【小题1】What is the writer’s attitude towards “urban legends”?

A.Curious.B.Disgusted.C.Frightened.D.Doubtful.
【小题2】What can be inferred from the hook hanging on the Car door?
A.The mad man left it there as a warning.
B.The mad man narrowly escaped being injured in a car accident.
C.The mad man had just been about to attack the girl.
D.The boy had meant to frighten the girl with it.
【小题3】What do we know about the three people mentioned in the third paragraph?
A.They had their kidney removed when they were unconscious.
B.They sold their kidneys for profit.
C.They were suffering loss of memories.
D.They had been wounded before the accident.
【小题4】Why does the woman driver keep on pressing the horn?
A.To warn the other driver not to follow her.
B.To give herself enough courage to face the danger.
C.To made her husband aware of something urgent.
D.To inform her family of her safe return.
【小题5】How should we describe the second driver in the 4th paragraph?
A.Crazy.B.Dangerous.C.Brave.D.Helpful.


B
  Although man has known asbestos for many hundreds of years, it was not until 160 years ago that it was mined for the first time on the North American continent. H. W. Johns, owner of a New York City Supply Shop for roofers, was responsible for he opening of that first mine.
  Mr. Johns was given a piece of asbestos which had been found in Italy. He experimented with the material and then showed its surprising powers to his customers. After putting on a pair of asbestos gloves, which looked much like ordinary work gloves, he took red-hot coals from the fireplace and played with them in his hands. How astonished the customers were to discover that he was not burned at all. You can well imagine that he had increasing business in asbestos roofing materials. However, because it was very expensive to transport them from Italy to the United States, Mr. Johns sent out a young scientist to seek a source nearer home. This young man found great vein in the province of Quebec in Canada.
  Ever since 1881 Quebec has led the world in the production of this unusual mineral, which is made up of magnesium, silicon, iron, and oxygen. When it is mined, the asbestos is heavy, just as you would expect a mineral to be. When it is separated, a strange thing happens; the rock breaks down into fine, soft, soapy fibers .
  Scientists do not know why the rock can be separated easily into threads,but they have found thousands of uses of this fireproof material, of the so-called “cloth of stone”.
 60. Which title best expresses the main idea of this passage?
    A. Asbestos mined in Canada                  B. Fireproof matter
C. A “wonder” mineral                           D. A new roofing material
 61. Johns proved his ability as a salesman by_______.
    A. going into roofing business              
B. carrying asbestos from Italy
    C. sending a trained scientist                 
D. showing the use of asbestos gloves
 62. Which is the most important character of asbestos that the author wants to show us?
    A. It is like thread.                               B. It feels soapy.
C. It burns easily.                                 D. It is unusually heavy.
 63. The author’s main purpose in writing this passage was to _______.
    A. show the need for more scientists
    B. compare asbestos with other minerals
    C. increase the sales of asbestos
    D. present facts about asbestos


D
Equipped only with a pair of binoculars(双筒望远镜) and ready to spend long hours waiting in all weathers for a precious glance of a rare bullfinch(红腹灰雀), Britain’s birdwatchers had long been supposed to be lovers of a minority sport. But new figures show bird-watching is fast becoming a popular pastime, with almost three million of us absorbed in our fluttering feathered friends.
Devoted birdwatchers, those prepared to travel thousands of miles for sighting of a rare Siberian bird, are fast being joined by a new breed of follower whose interest is satiated by watching a few finches(雀科鸣鸟) on a Sunday walk or putting up a bird-box in the back garden.
“Almost three million UK birdwatchers is certainly possible if you include everyone with only a casual interest,” Stephen Moss said in his newly published book.—A bird in the Bush: a Social History of Birdwatching — which records the pursuit from the rich Victorian Englishman’s love of shooting rare birds to the less offensive observational tendencies of birdwatchers today.
Television wildlife programmes have helped to fuel the new trend. Last summer, BBC 2’s Britain Goes Wild was a surprise success. It pulled in three million views and led to bird-houses selling out across the UK as 45,000 people promised to put up a box.
Birdwatchers networking system first came to the attention of the nation in 1989, when a birdwatcher caught sight of the first Vermivora chrysoptera—a golden-winged songbird from North America—to be seen in Britain. He put a message out on the network service Birdline, and the next day 3,000 birdwatchers proved the full pull of a truly rare bird as they visited the Tesco car park in Kent., where it had settled. Today, birdwatchers can log on to www.birdline.co.uk or have news of the latest sighting texted to their phones.
“Multimillion-pound spending on binoculars, bird food and boxes point to the increasing numbers of birdwatchers.” Said David Croack, the editor of Bird Watching magazine “The number of people involved is so big that they have great potential to influence government decisions affecting the environment.”
68. The word “satiated” in paragraph 2 can best be replaced by “______”.
A. affected                   B. shared     C. satisfied     D. narrowed
69. What happened after the message of seeing a Vermivora Chrysoptera was put on the network?
A. Birdwatchers helped the rare bird settle in Kent.
B. Large numbers of birdwatchers went to view the bird.
C. Many birdwatchers logged on to the website for details.
D. Birdwatchers showed their determination to protect the rare bird.
70. Which of the following CANNOT be true according to the passage?
A. Television wildlife programmes started the popular pastime of birdwatching.
B. The network service has contributed to the rapid development of birdwatching.
C. Birdwatching in Britain was long considered a sport with a small group of followers.
D. The current situation of birdwatching may promote the protection of the environment.
71. The passage mainly tells us about _______ in UK.
A. the history of birdwatching.                B. a growing passion for birdwatching
C. the impact of media on birdwatching          D. birdwatching as a popular expensive sport

In the fall of 1985.I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere.Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college an the age of 65.She was the first in our family to reach that goal.But one year after I started college, she developed cancer.I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her.It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopted and biological children.In 1999, we adopted our first son.To lay eyes on him was fantastic---and very emotional.A year later came our second adopted boy.Then followed son No.3.In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 8! Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo.Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time.But I never gave up on the dream either.I had only one choice: to find a way.That meant talking as few as one class each semester.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys.They often wanted me to stay home with them.There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina.It took me over 21 years to get my college degree!
I am not special, just single-minded.It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal.Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day.It’s a process.Remember: little steps add up to big dreams.
【小题1】When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be         .

A.a writerB.a teacherC.a judgeD.a doctor
【小题2】Why did the author quit school in her second year of college?
A.She wanted to study by herself.B.She fell in love and got married.
C.She suffered from a serious illness.D.She decided to look after her grandma.
【小题3】What dose the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?
A.Failure is the mother of success.B.Little by little ,one goes far.
C.Every coin has two sides.D.Well begun ,half done.
【小题4】Which of the following can best describe the author ?
A.Caring and determined.B.Honest and responsible.
C.Ambitious and sensitive.D.Innocent and single-minded.

For shopoholics, the post-Christmas period means only one thing ---- sales! Across the country, prices are reducing sharply on clothing, electronics and home furniture, but London is the place for serious shopping, and you can certainly pick up some amazing bargains.
The sales start on Boxing Day — 26th December, and continue for the month of January, but the keenest bargain hunters get there early to be first through the doors. In Oxford Street queues formed outside shops ahead of before-dawn openings for the start of their sales. At Brent Cross, in north London, more than 1,000 people were queuing at 3.30 am for the ‘Next’ clothing store’s sale which began at 4 am. Some eager individuals even camped outside the shops to be first in the line.
Consumers who hit the shops were rewarded with discounts of as much as 80% as department stores joined the bargain sales. The shops are very crowded as the sales reached the boiling-point, with more than half a million people gathering on London’s West End.
Famous sales include the biggest, most popular shops such as Harrods, Selfridges, Liberty and John Lewis. Department stores are always a good bet — you’re likely to find everything you need under one roof, including much-needed food and drinks!
It’s a good time to stock up on cheap small tools, and there’s no better time to invest in some designer clothes.
Some people are taking their partners shopping with them, and buying their Christmas presents in the sale----a practical but unromantic way of making sure you get the gift you really want. For a less exciting but less stressful shopping experience, online sellers are also getting in on the act with January sales of their own.
The most organized of all are those who are already doing their present shopping for next Christmas, in the January sales!
【小题1】
In the sales, people can buy, at a very low price, all of the following except ______.

A.fashionable clothing B.bestseller
C.TV setsD.bookcases
【小题2】
We can learn from the passage that the sales ______.
A.actually start before the end of DecemberB.generally last for two months
C.basically benefit none of the people
D.are a time to buy Christmas gifts in a romantic way
【小题3】
“Hit the shops” in the third paragraph means to ______.
A.attack the shopsB.arrive at the shops
C.affect the shopsD.find the shops
【小题4】
What is the best title for this passage?
A.January SalesB.Sales in London at Christmas
C.Practical but Unromantic ShoppingD.Shopping under One Roof

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