A few years ago I was on a bicycle trip when I got off my bike for a rest．
I sat down on the grass．A few seconds latter, I was covered in ants．They were swarming all over me so I got up and brushed them off．It was a strange experience but I soon forgot about it．
A couple of years later, I was living in Jordan．I had just moved into a modern flat and was unpacking plates when I saw something move out of the corner of my eye．I looked over at the kitchen drawer and there was a cockroach crawling out of it．I screamed．Then I grabbed a can of insecticide and sprayed it on the cockroach．He ran under the nearby bathroom door．It took me three days before I found the courage to open the bathroom door to see if he was still alive．He wasn’t．
Why did I react so violently to one lone insect when a closer encounter with hundreds of ants hardly affected me?The answer is easy：because cockroaches are creepy crawlies and ants aren’t．Creepy crawlies are those little bugs which cause feelings such as anxiety－they make your skin crawl．
Did you know that some people feel such a fear of bugs that it becomes a phobia?Psychologists have offered many explanations．Some say we associate them with dirt and disease．Or that these are life forms that are so alien to us, that we find them disgusting for their dissimilarity．
Insects, however, don’t follow our rules they just do what they want and invade our space．Unfortunately, although insects and bugs have been a successful animal species up to now, many of them, like many other species nowadays, are under threat of dying out, Entomologists warn that this could upset entire ecosystems and lead to all kinds of disastrous consequences．
So my advice to you is： the next time you feel the urge to stamp on, splatter or spray a creepy crawly, give a thought to the planet and stop．
(1)
Why did the author mention the ants in the beginning?
[ ]
A．
Because the experience with the ants presents a sharp contrast to that with the cockroach later
B．
Because the author wants to show her preference to the ants and her dislike for the cockroaches
C．
Because both ants and cockroaches are creepy crawlies that the author dislikes
D．
Because meeting the ants is an unusual experience that the author can hardly forget
(2)
What does“insecticide”in the second paragraph probably mean?
[ ]
A．
a kind of fruit juice
B．
a kitchen knife
C．
liquid for killing insects
D．
cleanser for the bathroom
(3)
How does the author feel about bugs like cockroaches?
[ ]
A．
The author doesn’t mind the contact with those harmless small creatures
B．
The author prefers cockroaches to ants and feels guilty for killing one
C．
They invade our space and become a threat to humans
D．
They still deserve a place for keeping the balance of the nature
(4)
Which of the following is NOT a reason why cockroaches make people’s skin crawl?
[ ]
A．
It looks so strange and different that you can’t accept its appearance
B．
You may relate it to something dirty or disease at the sight of it
C．
It can make you feel sick and cause a strong dislike
Isaac Murphy, son of a slave and perhaps the greatest horse rider in American history, rides Buchanan to win his first Kentucky Derby．He becomes the first rider ever to win the race three times．
May 9, 1754
Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette produces perhaps the first American political cartoon(漫画), showing a snake cut in pieces with the words “Join or Die” printed under the picture．
May 11, 1934
The first great dust storm of the Great Plains Dust Bowl, the result of years of drought(干旱), blows topsoil all the way to New York City and Washington, D．C．
May 19, 1994
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, former first lady and one of the most famous people of the 1960s died of cancer in New York City at the age of 64．
May 24, 1844
Samuel F．B Morse taps out the first message, “What hath God wrought, ” over the experimental long-distance telegraph line which runs from Washington, D．C．, to Baltimore, Md．
(1)
We know from the text that Buchanan is ________．
[ ]
A．
Isaac’s father
B．
a winning horse
C．
a slave taking care of horses
D．
the first racing horse in Kentucky
(2)
What is the title of the first American political cartoon?
[ ]
A．
Join or Die
B．
Pennsylvania Gazette
C．
What Hath God Wrought
D．
Kentucky Derby
(3)
In which year did the former first lady Jacqueline die?
[ ]
A．
1934．
B．
1960．
C．
1964．
D．
1994．
(4)
Which of the following places has to do with the first telegram in history?
[ ]
A．
Washington, D．C．
B．
New York City．
C．
Kentucky．
D．
Pennsylvania．
阅读理解
Many years ago, there was a story of a school teacher－Mrs.Thompson．She told the children on the first day that she loved them all the same．But that was a lie．There in the front row was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard．He didn't play well with the other children and he always needed a bath．She did not like him．
Then Mrs.Thompson got to know that Teddy was actually a very good boy before the death of his mother．Mrs.Thompson was ashamed of herself．She felt even worse when, like all her other students, Teddy brought her a Christmas present too．It was his mother's perfume．
Teddy said,“Mrs.Thompson, today you smell just like my Mom used to．”After the children left she cried for at least an hour．On that very day, she stopped teaching reading, writing and maths．Instead, she began to teach children．
Mrs.Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy．The boy's mind seemed to come alive．The more she encouraged him, the faster he improved．By the end of the sixth grade, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class．
Six years went by before she got a note from Teddy．He wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life．He went to college．Mrs.Thompson got two more letters from him with the last one signed, Theodore F.Stoddard, M.D.(医学博士)．
The story doesn't end there．On his wedding day, Dr．Stoddard whispered in Mrs.Thompson's ear,“Thank you, Mrs.Thompson, for believing in me．You made me feel important and showed me that I could make a difference．”
Mrs.Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back,“Teddy, you have it all wrong．You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference．I didn't know how to teach until I met you．"
(1)
According to the first paragraph, which is true between Teddy and his teacher?
[ ]
A．
Mrs.Thompson loved him all the same．
B．
Mrs.Thompson didn't play well with him．
C．
Mrs.Thompson told Teddy not to tell a lie．
D．
Mrs.Thompson had a dislike of Teddy
(2)
From the passage, we can infer that ________．
[ ]
A．
Teddy loved his mother very much
B．
Mrs.Thompson told a lie and felt ashamed
C．
Mrs.Thompson cried because she misunderstood Teddy
D．
Teddy hoped Mrs.Thompson could treat him like his mom
(3)
Why did Teddy become one of the smartest children in the class?
[ ]
A．
Mrs.Thompson paid little attention to him．
B．
Mrs.Thompson gave him encouragement more often
C．
Teddy was clever and worked hard．
D．
Teddy got well on with other students．
(4)
As a teacher, Mrs.Thompson realized that it was important ________．
[ ]
A．
to be stricter with the students
B．
to teach children more knowledge
C．
to care more about educating students
D．
to teach the students how to meke a difference
(5)
Why did Teddy invite Mrs.Tbompson to his wedding?
[ ]
A．
Teddy kept in touch with her all the time．
B．
Teddy thanked her for her help and encouragement．
C．
Teddy was treated by the teacher like her son．
D．
She had taught him how to judge people．
阅读理解
Ad．1
April fool’s party
On Friday, April 1, Inner Affair goes back to the days of funk! Classic Tunes from the 70’s and 80’s by DJs Den & Sion．9pm till late．
Tickets：Free entrance for those in costume, otherwise 50 yuan(US＄6)
Time/date：9 pm, April 1
Place：Inner Affair, 1/F Qiankun Dasha, 6 Sanlitun Xiliujie, Chaoyang District
Tel：8454-0321
Ad．2
Language in use
Enjoy free in house coffee, tea and beer as well as music and dancing．Practice your Chinese, make friends and have fun．
Time/date：7 to 9 pm, March 25
Place：Language In Use Club, 2/F, Science Fortune Center, 8 Xueqing Lu, north of Xueyuan Lu, Haidian District
Ad．3
The "worst" party
Organized by Ozone Productions, the party is set to be "the worst ever", with the lamest music from the 60s, 70s and 80s．Special prizes will be awarded to the worst dressed or for bad fashion sense．
Tickets：Free entrance
Time/date：9 pm, April 1
Place：Pula Pula, Tianze Lu, Oriental Seven Colours Plaza, Chaoyang District
Tel：6466-8575
Ad．4
La Nuit Francaise
Again on the 2nd Thursday of the month La Nuit Francaise will be held at Le Rendezvous．The monthly event is an opportunity for all French people and everyone interested in France or speaking French to gather together．
The evening features three glasses of wine and canapes for participants and a special exhibition．
Time/date：7 to 10 pm, April 14
Place：Le Rendezvous, 3 Gongti Beilu, across from the Pacific Century Plaza, Chaoyang District Tel：6462-9110
Ad．5
Marco V
Dutch DJ Marco V drops by Banana for a gig which is supported by Hong Kong’s DJ Spark．
Marco V has been around for many years, as an inventive, style blending deejay and a successful and devoted producer．His spinning is energetic, crowd pleasing and never sees an empty dance floor．He was ranked No．15 in this year’s international DJ MAG DJ Top100．
Tickets：40 yuan(US＄4.80)in advance, 50 yuan(US＄6)at the door, both include a free drink
Time/date：10 pm to 4 am, March 31, April 1
Place：Banana, in the lobby of the Scitech Hotel, 22 Jianwai Dajie, Chaoyang District
Tel：6528-3636
(1)
Which of the following is NOT true of Ad．1 and Ad．3?
[ ]
A．
The two parties will be held on the same day．
B．
The two parties will be held at the same time．
C．
The entrance fees of the two parties will not be charged．
D．
Some old music will be played at the parties．
(2)
Which of the following is intended for the Chinese learners?
[ ]
A．
Marco V．
B．
La Nuit Francaise．
C．
Language in use．
D．
The "worst" party．
(3)
We can infer that ________．
[ ]
A．
Marco V is a newly established band
B．
La Nuit Francaise may be French words
C．
the "worst" party will attract a lot of college students
